Shannon Quesnel

Shannon Quesnel

School district trustees still silent over student transfer process

School District 67 trustees and administration are still choosing to remain quiet about how a convicted sex offender got district approval to transfer a student—a victim—from one school to another so they could live together in August 2011. According to the student's father, who will not be named to protect the identity of his son, Rene...

Penticton driver busted for meth possession

A Penticton driver was busted on Highway 97 in Summerland for drug possession. Richard Joseph Seguin, 49, was pulled over and RCMP officers found him, three teenage girls and crystal meth. The girls were released without charges. Seguin faces one charge of possession of methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking and was taken into custody....

Band fire crews get blaze under control

A one-hectare fire on Penticton Indian Band land is now under control. Band fire chief Barry Phillips said six of his firefighters went to the intersection of Sage Road and Westhill Road where a grass fire was burning. A three-person B.C. Wildfire crew attended.  Phillips said the fire was one hectare in size when they...

Yesterday’s power outage still mystery

A power outage that affected Penticton's entire south end has FortisBC scratching their heads. The power utility company is still investigating why on Wednesday thousands of south-end customers could not turn on their televisions and laptops. A FortisBC substation on Waterford Avenue had turned off due to an unknown event around 4 p.m. Penticton Fire...

Construction site loses wire, tools to thief

Someone stole several thousand dollars in tools and copper wire at Moduline Industries in Penticton and Crimestoppers wants to nail the thief. On April 27 someone cut the fence at the site, snuck in and made off with the loot. Two days before this event an unknown male was allegedly casing the site from a...

Penticton street renamed to honour veterans

Forbes Street has been renamed Veterans Way to honour those who have served and continue to serve in the military. The downtown Penticton road runs north-south between Lakeshore Drive and Front Street. Nearby is Veterans Memorial Park with its cenotaph. The new sign comes courtesy of the city's Heritage Advisory Committee and the Veteran's Association....

Monday blazes keep Penticton’s firefighters busy

Penticton Fire Rescue was busy with a hat-trick of fires on Monday. A boat caught fire on Okanagan Lake, a hotel room had a small blaze and a shed was a victim of carelessness. Fire chief Wayne Williams said the department used its Zodiac boat to reach the passengers of a 30-foot pleasure craft. The...

NDP Dix makes quick stop in Summerland

NDP leader Adrian Dix blew into Summerland for a few minutes before he was whisked away to Kelowna leaving behind cookies and clapping supporters. The Vancouver-Kingsway MLA and a gaggle of reporters stepped off the campaign bus on Summerland's Main Street Wednesday morning. Dix visited a bakery and brought two plates of sweets to the...

Penticton council grills tourism association over taxpayer dollars

City leadership held Penticton Hospitality Association's feet to the fire at Monday's council meeting. For an hour association president Robert Appelman, operations director Tim Hodgkinson and secretary-treasurer Marko Crucnik were grilled by council. They wanted to know how the association is spending taxpayer dollars for the purpose of external marketing of the city. Hodgkinson took...

Penticton saves homeowners from tiny tax increase

Pensioners were spared a tiny increase in their taxes at a Penticton city council meeting today. Acting mayor Garry Litke, Couns. John Vassilaki and Wesley Hopkin voted on Monday not to shift some of the tax burden from commercial properties onto residential taxpayers. If this motion had passed, the average homeowner would have paid $7...

Big Martin Street development delayed again

A developer was happy and a neighbour was upset over another delay to a large Martin Street building project. "We are dead set against an extension of time," David Ure said to Penticton city council Monday night. "Rezone it back to what it was." Ure owns property on Martin Street on the opposite side of...

Man accused of sexual assault found not guilty

A former Osoyoos man was found not guilty of sexual assault on Friday. The 65-year-old man, whose name cannot be published to protect the identity of the female complainant, was charged with sexual assault, sexual interference of a person under 14 and touching a young person for a sexual purpose, alleged to have occurred 10...

Burned Penticton boarding house has got to go: city staff

Complete demolition is what Penticton city staff recommend for the burned husk at 597 Ellis St. Only a concrete foundation remains at the corner of White Avenue and Ellis Street after a fire destroyed a boarding house there in 2011. City staff will be giving a recommendation at tonight's council meeting that notice should be...

Mule Nightclub to apply to stay open longer

A popular Penticton nightclub wants to keep its doors open for longer to allow more usage of the building. Mule Nightclub manager Steve Parker wants the site open from 12 p.m. to 3 a.m. Monday to Sunday. Right now the club is open from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. Penticton's leadership will discuss this at...

Rising water levels means use caution near Okanagan River

Snowpack melt is raising Okanagan River water levels and the public is asked to stay away from river shorelines. Emergency B.C. said the melt is expected to cause higher runoff into the Okanagan River from Okanagan Lake for the next several weeks. Flows are well above normal. Children and pets need to be closely supervised....