Shannon Quesnel

PENTICTON - Before he was old enough to go to school Penticton teenager Nikolas Filipovic, 14, had to be reminded he was a real boy. Filipovic's ability to be someone else has landed him roles on TV movies such as Goodnight for Justice: The Measure of a Man, on the TV series Falling Skies and Fringe and...

PENTICTON - A Penticton singer will be one more girl to perform with One More Girl at The Barking Parrot this Saturday. The two-sister singing act, Britt and Carly McKillip of One More Girl and country singer Brett Kissel will be stopping in Peach Town as part of their Young Gun Tour. Also on stage...

OLIVER - A stolen firearm and vehicles from Penticton and Osoyoos were found by a team out of two RCMP detachments. A trailer stolen from a Penticton residence Jan. 16 was located Feb. 3 by Oliver and Osoyoos RCMP in the 4000 block of Highway 97. Members also recovered a firearm, ammunition, a battery charger...

PENTICTON - A fire that destroyed a tarp-covered garage at a Holden Road address was likely ignited by a nearby wood stove. Penticton Fire Department responded to a call about a fire in a garage made of tarp and wood beams Monday morning. Also on fire was a Ford pickup truck. Fire Chief Wayne Williams...

CAWSTON - A Cawston couple will not be budged from their property despite last year's flash flood and a Feb. 7 fire which destroyed their home. George and Marlene Mysel used to live at 1888 Barcelo Road but on Friday last week their house caught fire and burned to the ground. The couple and their...

PENTICTON - A preliminary inquiry got underway today for John Ike Koopmans who has been charged with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. Koopmans, 51, was in Penticton Provincial Court this morning to listen to his lawyer Don Skogstad and Crown counsel Vern Frolick present evidence for Koopmans' upcoming trial. The...

PENTICTON - Local artist, musician and Lego fan Ari Neufeld released his Treasure In You video which was made with some of the simplest online and iPhone tools. The guitar player and singer recorded Treasure In You with Grammy Award winning producer Randy Cabellero in Austin, TX but the video could have been made anywhere....

CAWSTON - Keremeos volunteer firefighters are still dealing with the aftermath of a residential fire on Barcelo Road in Cawston. Keremeos Fire Chief Jordy Bosscha was at the scene and said fire crews are still occupied with burning logs. A staffer at Kelowna's fire dispatch office said the crews have been at the Cawston home...

PENTICTON - Icy weather and snow probably helps Apex Mountain Resort sell ski lift tickets but it's gotten some Penticton and Naramata citizens in a tizzy. The Okanagan Lake shore communities are in the grip of winter this February and it doesn't seem the cold is going anywhere any time soon. There was even an 85-year-old...

PENTICTON - Whenever former military judge and B.C. Ombudsperson Kim Carter and her 35-member staff release recommendations to improve the government those in charge take notice. "There is a real power to speak out independently about problem areas," she said. Carter said her job is making sure every person in B.C. is treated fairly by...

PENTICTON - A Westminster motel room raid on Wednesday resulted in two men being busted for possessing controlled substances and the discovery of three young children living there. RCMP Drug Task Force members executed a search warrant and netted a man, 29, charged with possession of heroin and Levi Darrin Savard, 22, charged with possession...

PENTICTON - Sunny Penticton busted an 85-year-old record low when the temperature dropped to -18.5 Celsius this morning, with the previous record being -17.8 C in 1929. A strong ridge of high pressure has persisted over the province for several days setting off record plunges. Osoyoos was also hit with an icy blast this a.m....

COUNCIL APPROVES $85K FOR VENDOR, FARMERS' MARKET POWER SUPPLY PENTICTON - Council decided $85,000 in upgrades to downtown's power distribution is worth the price if it means future projects can keep their lights on. Coun. Andrew Jakubeit said at an early special council meeting today having more power flowing under and through the downtown core...

PENTICTON - A local artist plans on bringing some summer cheer to the dark month of February with projectors, local artists and the co-operation of those owning buildings on the 200 block of Main Street. Using 10 or more projectors, Tarik Sayeed of Penticton will shine the works of artists and the faces of Canadian immigrants...

OSOYOOS - A 2014 Kawasaki UTV valued at about $19,000 was recovered by the Osoyoos RCMP. As of Feb. 5 the detachment has recovered the majority of the tools and batteries stolen from Jones Boys Automotive during a break and enter one week ago. Officers with assistance from the regional general investigation section also recovered the...

SUMMERLAND - Bobsledder Justin Kripps, 27, of Summerland hasn't seen much of Sochi since arriving there for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. The Hawaiian-born athlete hit the ground running in Russia and hasn't had much downtime between orientation, security checks, press conferences and seeing the track at the Sanki Sliding Centre in Rosa Khutor, a...

PENTICTON - Penticton man Ralph Scott James Lefteruk, 40, was arrested and charged with attempted murder in connection to violent attacks against one or more people at the Mayfair Motel on Skaha Lake Road. Penticton RCMP responded to a 4:18 a.m. call yesterday about a woman being attacked at the motel, according to Sgt. Rick...

"I'VE DETERMINED NOT TO LET IT RUIN ME." KEREMEOS - Fire destroyed an uninsured pet grooming business early Monday morning but its owner vowed to keep working from her home. The Keremeos Volunteer Fire Department got the call to attend The Paw Spa around 1:30 a.m. When they arrived they found the 7 Avenue building...

PENTICTON - Council got into an ankle-deep disagreement last night at city hall over the prospect of capturing and relocating mule deer. A trial project to partner with the Ministry of Forest, Lands and Natural Resource Operations and the Penticton Indian Band to capture and move urban mule deer survived a 4-2 vote with Coun....

PENTICTON - City controller Doug Leahy is no longer working for the municipality according to city CAO Annette Antoniak. She confirmed on Monday Leahy departed from his job late last week. Antoniak said last year Leahy was the chief financial officer and had asked if he could switch jobs with then-controller Colin Fisher in August of 2013. Leahy's...

PENTICTON - If all the sides in Penticton's tourism dispute came to a resolution it would be a win-win situation, according to B.C's Minister of State for Tourism and Small Business. Naomi Yamamoto was in town Friday spreading the word about the benefits of spending vacation dollars at home by taking a "stay-cation." She also...

TRUSTEES LOOKING FOR BUDGET CUTS PENTICTON - As the Okanagan Skaha School District looks for ways to solve an estimated $1.2 million deficit for the 2014-15 budget, the solutions could get personal. District Secretary-Treasurer Bonnie Roller-Routley says savings will have to come from somewhere. A reduction in funding protection means fewer dollars from the province,...