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Opinion General

LOEWEN: The good ship Christy Clark and Co. and the icebergs to come

As I write today’s column, I am grateful that the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation and the Province have come to a tentative agreement that may result in our kids returning to their respective schools fairly soon now. It would seem that the good ship Christy Clark and Co. has averted the proverbial iceberg and will...

PARKER: A new standard for driving in the city

There is a great scene in one of the Sex and the City episodes in which Carrie Bradshaw thinks driving standard for the first time in twenty years is like remembering how to ride a bike. She makes this mistake on a hill. I’ve been driving an old 5-speed through the city for the past...

JONESIE: Supporting education isn’t the same as supporting teachers

If it appeared something was amiss with the column found in this place on Monday Sept. 15, you were right. An early draft was published in place of the finished work and not discovered until Monday evening and by then, dozens of comments were already published. The unfinished piece appeared antagonistic, cynical and insincere. That...

HELSTON: Tag, you’re it Vernon

Vernon has a pretty distinct flavour when it comes to street wall art, but a new trend is adding some diversity—wanted or unwanted—to the scene. If you didn’t know, the vast majority of the city’s downtown murals were designed and painted by one extremely talented, motivated and prolific artist. You have her to thank when...

ARCHER: Heritage homes add character to Penticton

There’s something about an old house that I just love. I get this giddy feeling hearing the old wood floors creak as I was across a room, the dated wallpaper, hand-cranked appliances, and little odds and ends of years long past. And it still feels, in a way, like home. So when it comes to...

GOG: Time could have left a few things alone

I’m not given to bleating on about “the good old days” but you have to admit, there are some things that were good before, and now they’re terrible. Here are a few that slapped me in the face recently: Power Outlets. You used to be able to put a plug in the socket either way...

LOEWEN: What happens when court rulings and Christy Clark collide

British Columbians have front-row seats for one of the bloodiest political contests to ever unfold in our province. It’s a shame that it’s over one of the few values that our nation and province holds sacrosanct: the necessity for provincial governments to provide a high-quality of public education. Children require schooling. It’s their constitutionally-enshrined right....

PARKER: Wobbling between Jesus and Jim Beam

On any given Sunday morning you will find me chatting up beautiful aging ladies in a church hall over mediocre mugs of creamy coffee. On any given Sunday night you will find me chatting up leathered aging bachelors in a dimly-lit bar over mediocre cocktails. Just to clarify — in case either of my bosses...

ARCHER: City staff aren’t immune from taxpayer scrutiny but here’s a better idea

PENTICTON - City Hall has quite the series of plot lines going these days, with lawsuits, legal threats to citizens, complaints from residents and rallies outside on the street. Mayor and city councillors have taken a lot of heat from the media and public, whether it’s about vote results, a development project, or the use...

BROTHEN: How to break the rumour-mill in your small town

The village of Ashcroft recently learned that the Central Cafe, a fixture in the little town, would shut its doors permanently. Most business-owners would just pack up and keep mum on the details, but cafe owner John Douglas took to social media to tell his customers the truth about why he couldn’t run his restaurant...