Shannon Quesnel

PENTICTON - Maybe we should be afraid of Friday the 13th—that's the date summer was murdered in the South Okanagan. Friday, Sept.13 was the hottest day of the month at 28.9 Celsius, but the thermometer started bleeding out after that, falling almost four degrees by Sept. 16. It never recovered. September was already in poor...

NARAMATA - If the concrete bones of a former fruit packing plant are put to rest it will leave the area "far more appealing." The Okanagan Tree Fruits Co-operative wants the permission of the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen board, which meets on Thursday, to tear up the concrete foundations just north of Robinson Road...

PENTICTON - The wide-ranging benefits of liquid natural gas was the message shared by Premier Christy Clark and Britco today. The premier was in town touring Britco for the second time to talk about the province's natural gas resources, B.C. Jobs Plan and what the B.C. government has done to up employment. She and Britco...

PENTICTON - Slapping a solution on Kinney Avenue's speeding traffic problems without studying the problem might make things worse. Creative Transportation Solutions president Jan Voss says a municipality needs data, such as numbers of cars going east and west, how many are zooming by at different times of the day, the place they begin to...

PENTICTON - Seven days of rain starting today is expected to drench the area but accompanying low temperatures will make it difficult for anyone wishing to do a live performance of Singing in the Rain. Friday has a high of 13 C, lots of clouds and rain ending only in early afternoon but 30 per cent...

PENTICTON - City of Penticton officials are singing the praises of the South Okanagan Event Centre for generating $23.9 million over a five-year period. An economic impact study found the $23.9 million was earned through direct spending. Add the economic spinoffs and the revenue becomes $33.9 million. It has been five years since the centre...

PENTICTON - An online choose-your-own-adventure experience offers youth a safe way to find out the consequences of drinking and driving and other bad decisions. The Mike and Vicki Project's motto is a safe place to make bad choices. The program follows two high school youths, Mike and Vicki, as they plan their weekend and attend...

PENTICTON - Tonight the community will walk together and take a stand against violence of all kinds. The Take Back the Night march has evolved beyond just raising awareness on violence against women. It recognizes both men and women experience violence and abuse and the movement now has international reach. March organizers will provide materials...

PENTICTON - It's instinct for fish to follow the river upstream to spawn, and every year B.C. fishers and wildlife enthusiasts seem to be following their own as they line the railing where Penticton Creek passes North Street to watch the kokanee. It's the kind of thing the Penticton Fly Fishers want for Ellis Creek....

OSOYOOS - A mining company will pay to scrub the shorelines of Tulameen River following an Aug. 25 spill of 13,000 gallons of tailing water. The tailing water, mostly made up of coal dust and water, overflowed the coal mine's emergency pond near Collin's Gulch and turned large parts of the river black. The Coalmont...

PENTICTON - There'll be "no mercy" from one councillor for the owners and realtor of problem property 555 Wade Ave. East. Those were Coun. Katie Robinson's exact words at Monday's council meeting to real estate agent Rick Appleton if the boarded-up and derelict building on Wade Avenue East is not dealt with as soon as...

PENTICTON - Speeding problems on Smythe Drive will not increase due to a winery expansion city council explains — it's been a problem for years. Painted Rock's winery expansion, to include a lounge area so patrons can have whole glasses of wine instead of just sips in the tasting area, got the nod at Monday's...

PENTICTON - City council has no problem with the Cherry Lane Mall owners expanding their liquor store operations. They just want something done with the Main Street gas station out front. The owners want to build a new 5,000-square foot liquor store which will absorb the location of their old one but leave the gas...

PENTICTON - Nobody can be left hanging for high-fives during a Guinness World Record attempt this Friday. The South Okanagan Event Centre wants as many residents as it can get for the most simultaneous high-fives event prior to the Penticton Vees' season home opener. So far, the current record is 4,699 achieved by The Kroger...

OLIVER - An orchardist wants his sweet Okana apples to bear fruit for all of the Okanagan Valley. On a farm south of Oliver is a small brown and yellow home surrounded by apple trees. David Evans lives there and has been growing fruit for 70 years, a trade he learned from his father. He's...

PENTICTON - Those pushing 50 are the biggest posse of pushers for a petition to decriminalize cannabis. When Canadians think of people using pot or people who support the legalization they might think of 20-year-olds with dreadlocks lounging at the beach or kids toking up behind a convenience store. In Penticton, however, it is the...

PENTICTON - An abandoned property moves closer to destruction tonight if no action is taken to clean it up. The home at 555 Wade Ave. East is boarded up and decrepit, with overgrown weeds and a cracked driveway. Real estate agent Rick Appleton said at a previous meeting the owners plan on cleaning the site...

OLIVER - Bad weather won't be a problem for competitors in this year's Freak'N Farmer race. There could be showers and thunderstorms on Saturday with a high of only 17 C but that just means it will be cool and breezy for the racers throwing themselves uphill, covered in mud at a farm in Oliver....

PENTICTON - The city's business smarts were given a $10,000 gold star at a Vancouver conference this week. The municipality won the 2013 Open for Business Award by the province for assisting small businesses at the local government level. Other winners were Kelowna, Central Saanich, Chilliwack, Coquitlam, Fort St. James, and the City of Langley. Newly...