Shannon Quesnel

PENTICTON - A new hunter was fined $1,495 for illegally killing a female bighorn sheep and a deer last year. Conservation officer Bob Hamilton said the man, 51, was seen shooting the ewe on Dec. 6 near Saiken Drive just outside of Penticton city limits. A witness used binoculars to track the hunter back to...

OLIVER - Fire officials say a trailer that burned down Jan. 2 was suspicious. Oliver firefighters put out a burning fifth-wheel trailer "fully involved" with flames off Highway 97, on No. 6 Road. Fire spokesperson Rob Graham said this was the second time in 12 months a crew responded to the same property. The first...

PENTICTON - Summer lovers shouldn't let the snow get them down. They should instead get on top it with skis, snowboards and/or snowshoes. Apex Mountain Ski Resort has its traditional skiing runs as well snowshoe trails run by operators like Hoodoo Adventures. And for today and tomorrow only there will be night skiing over the...

PENTICTON - The fight to improve Penticton Regional Hospital might not be as visible at it was in February when doctors staged a street protest but it doesn't mean the need has gone away. Dr. David Paisley and the Penticton Medical Staff Society took their concerns of no-room and outdated infrastructure, which force some exams...

PENTICTON - Former Penticton mayor Mike Pearce and wife Sharon never would have guessed the crashing noise they heard on New Year's Eve was a car falling into their backyard. The couple live at 1624 Holden Rd. and their backyard is inaccessible to vehicles. When they moved into their new home this fall, they cut...

PENTICTON - "No one wants to play nice in the sandbox." In nine words Penticton Coun. Andrew Jakubeit summed up the conflict between city council and Penticton Hospitality Association that has Tourism Penticton caught in the middle. There's been a lot more words spoken from all sides in the fight to control the two per...

SUMMERLAND - There's nothing like throwing yourself into a freezing lake. Apparently it's a very Canadian thing to do. Pinky Reidman of Summerland thought so. She's a recently landed immigrant from South Africa, only arrived in October, and was one of the hundreds who turned out on Wednesday to throw themselves into freezing Okanagan Lake...

PENTICTON - A father is getting the silent treatment from Okanagan Skaha School District 67 which allowed a child predator to transfer the father's son from one school to another. Since Rene Mark Burke, 56, was arrested and charged with sex offences against a person under the age of 14, the victim's father has been...

SUMMERLAND - Icy winter water and hypothermia fans can rejoice tomorrow thanks to the Summerland Kinsmen 29th annual polar bear dip. Typically, hundreds of people turn out every year at the Sun-Oka Beach to throw themselves into the frigid waters of Okanagan Lake. This year's event will have prizes for best costume and best group...

PENTICTON - There's treasure in Christmas lights so make sure to keep them. At least until they are taken to one of the many recycling depots across the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen. Christmas lights contain recyclable metal wire so the regional district urges residents to turn in their lamps, light strings, flashlights and type...

PENTICTON - Triathlons are arguably one of the most demanding sports but it seems arranging such events is equally as tough. Penticton ended its 30-year relationship with Ironman Canada in 2012 and started up with Challenge Penticton for 2013. The goal was to give everyone, including the athletes, more to do. There was a 1.9-kilometre...

 PENTICTON - Chief Jonathan Kruger might be Penticton Indian Band's best natural asset. Much like Westbank First Nation and Osoyoos Indian Band, the Penticton native community is turning what they already have into huge opportunities for their residents and the area at large and it was arguably due to leadership more than anything else. Osoyoo's...

PENTICTON - A cot is a poor replacement for the couch Kelly Walker lost in a fire earlier this month. He would have preferred sleeping on a hotel room's bed for Christmas Day instead of being forced by circumstances to accept a space at a Penticton shelter. The 53-year-old had his rented trailer on 665 Beechcroft...

OLIVER - His brother might have plead guilty to placing explosives on a car but Eric Olivier Daoust, 23, wants to fight a similar charge in court. Daoust was in Penticton Provincial Court today and opted to fight it out in front of a judge. The preliminary inquiry was waved and a trial date will...

PENTICTON - Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, where will we toss you? When your tall, green loved one has become too much to bear this holiday season donate the natural tree remains to the Penticton Fire Department. Unloved and unwanted trees can be dropped off for chipping at the fire fighting training grounds at...

CHRISTMAS JOY SPREAD BETWEEN FAMILY MEMBERS AND TWITTER FOLLOWERS FOR THE 2013 HOLIDAY SEASON PENTICTON - It would appear sunsets and sunrises were the biggest things to tweet about as folks discovered, probably again, how beautiful the Okanagan valley is even when covered in a single white colour. And while normally the holiday season is...

FEW, FUN EVENTS BEFORE THE END OF 2013 PENTICTON - Time to burn off some of Christmas's candy-coated calories with skating and other events this weekend. Getting outside shouldn't be too hard with only cloudy conditions. Unfortunately rain and wet flurries will arrive in the late afternoon along with a high of 3 Celsius. It...

PENTICTON - Finding friends was easier than finding huge deals this Boxing Day. The London Drugs electronic section, in the Cherry Lane Mall, was crammed with those looking for smaller items and those catching up with family. People appeared to glance at the big flatscreens but more were focused on asking about accessories and tablets....

PENTICTON - Too many happy people, many of them smiling, at the Soupateria yesterday morning. It was disturbing. I being there was equally as weird. I wore an apron, a name tag and served delicious garlic buns and cranberry sauce. Why was I not at home sitting in a pile of torn wrapping paper and...

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - When people put money into the big plastic collection sphere I was happy. It was the simplest thing. I stood wearing a red Salvation Army apron and shook my bells — and boom — people smiled, I smiled back and money went into the sphere. I didn't expect I would enjoy this so...

REPORTER SHANNON QUESNEL PENTICTON - Like my Christmas shopping this story was written at the last minute. Christmas is so weird for me. As a kid I loved it. As a kid I was also the supreme capitalist as I equated a toy with Xmas joy. It wasn't about how much love there was. It...