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Meaghan Archer
Now’s your chance to learn about Boonstock
PENTICTON - Boonstock is less than two months away and if you still have unanswered questions about the festival, here is your chance to talk face-to-face with organizers. A public information session will take place July 8, 2014 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Wine Country visitor’s centre. Organizers, including Barb Haynes, will...
School doors not completely closed as teachers walk the picket line
PENTICTON - Schools have not completely shut down, despite the wall of teachers picketing the front lines. Teachers and administrators are not trying to prevent students from entering the schools at all; students needing to clean out their lockers, if they haven’t already done so, can come by their school and collect their things. Administrators...
Arrest made in liquor store robbery
PENTICTON - A suspect arrested following a robbery at an Oliver liquor store last week is now facing potential criminal charges. The 41-year-old Summerland man was arrested Thursday June 13. He faces potential charges of robbery and disguise with intent. Video surveillance provided by Spud’s Liquor Store show the robber wearing a mask, disguising his...
Dangerous offender hearing to start next week
PENTICTON - A dangerous offender hearing and sentencing for sex offender David Wesley Bobbitt will begin next Monday, June 23 in Penticton Supreme Court. Bobbitt pleaded guilty last April to several charges including sexual assault, aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and confinement from an incident in 2012. Sentencing through the dangerous offender hearing, which...
Celebrate a revitalized downtown at the city’s block party
PENTICTON - The City is hosting a block party next week to celebrate the newly revitalized Westminster-Martin western gateway. Revitalization of the 200 block of Martin Street between Westminster Avenue and Nanaimo Avenue was the first phase of the City’s Downtown revitalization plan. Construction began in late February and finished at the end of May,...
Riders: Get ready for a new bike race
OKANAGAN - There is a new bike race coming to the Okanagan that offers riders a challenging and scenic course through the Okanagan Valley. Following the Kettle Valley Railway Trail, the Kettle Mettle dirt road fond ride will start in Penticton, at one of Lake Okanagan, and end on the other side in Kelowna. Riders...
Wondering where the wildlife is? WildSafeBC has you covered
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - It’s spring and that means there are lots of wild baby animals roaming around, but hopefully not in backyards and towns. In the Thompson-Okanagan, black bears are the most common wildlife spotted. There have been a total of 42 black bear sightings in the last two weeks; three in Kamloops, eight in Naramata,...
ARCHER: When mistakes go public
When you make a mistake at work, how bad is it really? You order extra stock or you miss a meeting and chances are it doesn't have massive public ramifications. The City of Penticton's finance department made a simple mistake on this year’s property tax notices, yeah... it blew up in public. They entered values...
More development doesn’t mean more rentals
PENTICTON - A recent study shows there are fewer rental units in Penticton than there were at this time last year, but can the city’s development department keep up with a shrinking rental availability? Anthony Haddad, the city’s director of development services said he hasn't received a lot of proposals for apartment buildings lately. However,...
Teachers strike causes daycare to close doors
PENTICTON - The ongoing teachers’ strike is not just affecting teachers, staff and students, but parents as well. Working parents who need child care services are running out of luck, especially if their chosen care centre is located in a school. The approximately eighty families that send their kids to Kid’s Connection Daycare are now...
Looking for an apartment in Penticton? Don’t be picky
PENTICTON — Finding a rental apartment may cost you, depending on what you’re willing to settle for. Rental costs are increasing in Penticton, but availability rates are on the decline, according to the spring Rental Market Survey released by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. The overall availability rates in Penticton have dropped in the...
City gets wrong school district on property tax forms
PENTICTON - Property owners will be mailed amended property tax notices after the City noticed an administrative error, naming the wrong school district. The 2014 property tax calculations listed the school district as District 53, Okanagan-Similkameen, rather than the correct District 67, Okanagan-Skaha. “We sincerely apologize to affected property owners for the erros, and regret...
Ex-city councillor, sex offender sentencing delayed
PENTICTON — A sentencing date for an ex-city councillor who pleaded guilty to sexual assault charges, will be set on Monday. Gary A. Leaman, who served on Penticton City Council for three years and ran for mayor in 2008, will face sentencing for the two counts of sexual assault he plead guilty to in January....
Valley First named title sponsor for Penmar Community Arts Centre
PENTICTON - Valley First was announced as title sponsor for the Penmar Community Theatre this morning during a groundbreaking ceremony, marking the start of construction for the theatre’s additions. The Penmar Community Arts Society has named the new theatre Valley First Community Arts Centre after the title sponsor. This is the second major sponsorship in...
City takes action against residents building without permits
PENTICTON - The City may have to take action against residents who violated city law by constructing a building on their property without having the proper permits. The residents of 229 Scott Avenue have not responded to the City’s requests to apply for construction permits after it was discovered the owners were constructing an additional...
City faces maintenance costs that could have been avoided
PENTICTON - As a result of poor planning, the city needs to front a good chunk of money to replace pool tiles at the community centre. The pool tiles are causing safety issues, specifically as a slipping hazard. In order to maintain the tiles and keep them clean enough to prevent slipping, it would cost...
Council approves Skaha Hills sewage connection system
PENTICTON - City council approved a sewage connection system agreement with the Penticton Indian Band for the new Skaha Hills Development. The joint-agreement project was first discussed by the Committee of the Whole in May and was approved at last night’s council meeting. The plan will cost the city $285,000 but will bring a return...
Dangerous offender hearing postponed due to judge’s illness
PENTICTON - The dangerous offender hearing for an imprisoned Penticton man has been postponed to an unknown date. Justice Geoff Barrow fell ill unexpectedly and is unable to oversee the Supreme Court trial, said Crown Counsel. David Wesley Bobbitt is in custody at Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre after pleading guilty last year to charges of...
Charges laid in bomb scare
PENTICTON - RCMP are laying criminal charges against a Penticton man who was creating bombs at his home. Staff Sgt. Kurt Lozinski could not disclose the name of the suspect, a 30-year-old man, who has been released from custody on conditions. The man does not have a criminal history, however the Vancouver-based RCMP bomb squad...
Murderer scheduled to make official complaint against Crown
PENTICTON — An ex-RCMP officer and convicted murderer wants a Crown prosecutor removed from his case. Appearing in Penticton Provincial court Tuesday, Keith G. Wiens said he will be filing an application to have prosecutor John Swanson removed from the case, citing a conflict of interest.' Swanson didn't prosecute the murder trial; he's prosecuting Wiens...
Boonstock organizers say event planning on track
PENTICTON - With only two months left until Boonstock Music Festival, event coordinators say planning and construction are still on track. The festival’s main coordinator, Barb Haynes, gave an up-to-date presentation of the plans to stakeholders Wednesday. Haynes said she understands some people expected the planning to move faster than it is, but as an...
Mayor says nudists can bare all at public beach
PENTICTON - Despite ongoing disputes over land use at Three Mile Beach, Mayor Garry Litke says he has no issue with nudists using public property. “Things can carry on the way they always have,” he says. When the private property owner raised concerns about the public disrespecting his land, the city worked with the provincial...
Drift days tearin’ up the speedway
PENTICTON - If you've never checked out local drifters at Penticton Speedway, the guys at DriftUnion have put together video footage from the first round of the 2014 Drift Days on May 24. Shawn Browne, Drift event coordinator, has organized Drift Days for the last six years. It’s a chance for local drivers to participate...
Bear euthanized for attempted break and enter
NARAMATA — A conservation officer was forced to put down an unhealthy looking bear trying to break into a home in Naramata on Wednesday. Officials say the bear was most likely trying to get food. It had been under surveillance after it was spotted a few days ago with its sibling and mother. However, the...