Shannon Quesnel

PENTICTON - If School District 67 wants to save thousands of taxpayer dollars its trustee elections have to stay in-sync with municipal elections, even if held every four years instead of three. Board trustee Walter Huebert said at Monday's special public meeting, four years is too long for school trustees to sit in office because...

PENTICTON - The fear forecast for this weekend looks filled with chills thanks to Halloween-themed events. The Penticton Public Library invites all kids aged five to 12 for some scary fun at its Haunted Halloween celebration on Friday with spooky stories, creepy craft time and a petrifying puppet play. Children can come in costumes or...

PENTICTON - A Princeton man charged with murder will get his preliminary inquiry on Feb. 11. John Ike Koopmans, 49, has been in custody since being arrested in the spring. He faces two murder charges connected to the killings of Rose Fox and Robert Keith Wharton. The two were found dead at a Princeton residence...

PENTICTON - Even though city staff treat the esplanade park near Marina Way as one of the city's own, advocates want council to make it official. Right now the esplanade park and its trails, located between Vancouver Hill, Marina Way and the Kettle Valley Railway North, is looked after by advocates and city staff. Two...

PENTICTON - Fast food lovers will get an extra helping with a mobile vendor pilot program next summer. This includes motorized and non-motorized vehicles selling hot food or other goods. Last year the vendor program expanded and raised $37,000 in revenue for the city, recreation general manager Chuck Loewen said at Monday's council meeting. Now...

PENTICTON - A no-show at Monday's city council meeting means the owner of 2379 Wiltse Dr. will get a bill for repairs when the city fixes a wood retaining wall threatening the stability of nearby homes. The retaining wall, owned by John Nemes, sits below other properties. The condition of the wall is poor enough...

PENTICTON - Christmas came before Halloween this year for three not-for-profits who have been put back on the taxman's "good" list. Property owned by the Senior's Drop-In Centre, the South Okanagan Similkameen Brain Injury Society and two properties owned by the Salvation Army were put back on the tax exemption roll at Monday's council meeting....

PENTICTON - A real estate director called the $250-million Skaha Hills development, "a breakthrough for Penticton." The Penticton Indian Band announced the Skaha Hills plan last week, a 600-home project located on the bench west of Penticton's airport. As well as providing new homes, averaging around $400,000 each, it will have resort-style accommodations, a golf...

SUMMERLAND - Police busted a licensed cannabis grower in Summerland and seized 492 marijuana plants late last week. Summerland RCMP used a search warrant at a commercial business in the 9000 block of Shale Avenue on Friday evening to arrest a 31-year-old man who allegedly broke the conditions of his cannabis production license. Summerland RCMP...

CITY WILL EXAMINE COSTS OF FLAT CAR FOR MARINA PARK PENTICTON - The Marina Way Park will not be the end of the line for lonely cabooses. The waterfront enhancement committee was considering a train's caboose, wherever one can be found, being brought to the park on Okanagan Lake but costs and availability were an...

PENTICTON - Culture is full of colour this weekend with two different events offering very different experiences. On Saturday, visitors should bring an empty belly for the fourth annual Oktoberfest event and an appreciation for accordion music. Visitors can also choose to hear the fine tunes of the Okanagan Symphony the same day. The beer...

PENTICTON - The Okanagan Valley might not have unbroken kilometres of October colours but if you know where to look you'll find the latest in fall flora fashions. Red, gold, brown and yellow brush shared the same landscaped spaces at Okanagan College's Penticton Campus with other trees and shrubs refusing to conform with their green...

CHILD FOUND AT BUST PLACED WITH FAMILY REPRESENTATIVE PENTICTON - A toddler was caught in the middle of a drug bust Wednesday at an apartment building in the 900 block of Fairview Road. RCMP officers arrested Mandy Jo Squakin, 28, and an unidentified man, 28, using a search warrant for their apartment and in the...

PENTICTON - A scheduling mix-up means a preliminary hearing for Princeton resident John Ike Koopmans, who is facing two counts of murder, will be delayed. Koopmans, 49 is accused of two counts of murder in connection to the deaths of Robert Wharton, 44, and Rose Fox, 32, as well as one count of attempted murder....

PENTICTON - Last week's recovery of a man's body from Okanagan Lake can at least bring some closure to his family, a rescue official said. The man has been identified by the B.C. Coroner's office as Dominic Cox, 25. He was pulled out of Okanagan Lake on Oct. 10. Penticton Search and Rescue official Dale...

PENTICTON - The city's plan to add green bike lanes to Ellis Street is making a few business owners see red. Penticton's council chambers were filled Tuesday night with annoyed business owners and managers as well as cyclist-enthusiasts over the plan to insert green bike lane strips on Ellis Street. Attendees said they were upset...

PENTICTON -  There'll be no new dock for the Okanagan Lake shoreline because of possible dangers boats can pose to swimmers. The city's waterfront enhancement committee killed the suggestion of a new dock and day-moorage area built near the SS Sicamous. The idea was forwarded to the committee through public input sessions held earlier this...