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Penticton news

Summerland community comes out to discuss possible Trout Creek Elementary closure

SUMMERLAND - It was a packed house of parents, concerned residents, students, and Summerland councillors during a meeting this week to discuss possible school closures in the school district. Yesterday, Jan. 13, a meeting was held at Trout Creek Elementary School to allow the public to express concerns about a recently announced option for school...

Free parking getting scarce as Penticton moves to more paid lots

PENTICTON - Parking is going to get more expensive in Penticton, with parking pay machines set to be installed at several locations throughout the city and fees to rise at hourly and monthly lots. First implemented in 2012, council agreed to expand to the next phase of the parking strategy for 2016-2017. During the first...

Penticton council scrounges to find additional revenue to offset tax hike

PENTICTON - Penticton City Council began the City Hall equivalent of looking under the living room furniture upholstery for loose change as it took a look at fees charged in the recreation and building departments. Council scrutinized booking and administration fees for recreation and building fees, fines and business licenses during the Jan. 11 council...

Hockey dad needs help putting on tournament for sick kids

OKANAGAN - A Kelowna hockey dad is looking for a little corporate muscle to put on the Winter Classic, an outdoor hockey tournament at Apex Mountain resort. Yannick Lescarbeau, who manages the Kelowna Minor Hockey Atom Development B team, started the tournament last year as a fundraiser for the SickKids Foundation. The tournament will pit...

RCMP seeks couple who stopped to help after Christmas Eve crash near Summerland

SUMMERLAND - A couple stopped to help the people injured in a crash on Christmas Eve day near Kickininee Park south of Summerland, and RCMP are now hoping to hear from them. Around 8:30 a.m., Dec. 24, RCMP were called to a two-vehicle collision on Highway 97. It was determined a brown Honda Odyssey minivan...

Petition hopes to raise $1B for biking in B.C.

OKANAGAN - The B.C. Cycling Coalition is mounting a campaign to petition the province to provide $1 billion for bike trails in B.C., and a local group working to make an Okanagan Valley-long trail more public is supporting the initiative. “We want the provincial government to help enable everyone in the province to cycle and...

Gloomy dark clouds over the Okanagan won’t part any time soon

OKANAGAN - That stifling grey pall of gloom hanging over the Okanagan is here courtesy of El Nino and Environment Canada says we can expect more of the same for at least the next ten days. Meteorologist Matthew MacDonald says we are at the mercy of major weather systems conspiring to blot out the sun. That...

Get the facts on how the regional district operates

PENTICTON - The regional district is trying to make it easier for residents to understand exactly what services are offered by the government body. The Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen’s Area 'D' ongoing governance study released the first series of fact sheets last week in an effort to deliver information about services currently provided by...

Coroner identifies Summerland woman who crashed into Okanagan Lake

OKANAGAN - The B.C. Coroners Service has confirmed the identity of a Summerland woman who died last week after her vehicle slid into Okanagan Lake. Elena Sagario Holly, 42, was driving alone on Highway 97 southbound near Summerland around noon Jan. 4 when her car slid off the road and into Okanagan Lake during bad...

Break and enters dominate new year for Penticton police

PENTICTON - With break and enters being reported nearly every day over the past week, Penticton RCMP have been kept busy as 2016 gets underway. During a break and enter last Wednesday, Jan. 6, on Apex Mountain Road the front door of a residence was damaged. Video surveillance shows a truck on scene with a...

Trucks being targeted by thieves in the South Okanagan

PENTICTON - Thieves appear to be targeting Ford trucks in the South Okanagan, and RCMP believe this rash of stolen trucks is related to other thefts as well. A man who left his 1995 Chrysler Intrepid to warm up at the Holiday House Motel returned to find it missing at approximately 8 a.m. Wednesday morning,...

Snowfall warning for Coquihalla Highway

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - While temperatures continue to warm up in town, a system is expected to drop enough snow on area highways today to prompt a snowfall warning for at least one section of highway. Environment Canada has issued a snowfall warning for the Coquihalla Highway from Hope to Merritt, where up to 25 centimetres of...

Everyone welcome to citizenship ceremony

PENTICTON - Penticton and area residents have an opportunity to welcome new arrivals to the area when the second annual Canadian Citizenship Ceremony takes place othis week. South Okanagan Immigrant and Community Services will host the event, which is also partnered by Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada and the City of Penticton. Taking part in...

Sentence for weapons infractions includes restorative justice

PENTICTON - Sentencing passed on an Oliver man who pled guilty to firearms and mischief infractions has left the door open for participation in a restorative justice program following a hearing in Penticton court today, Jan. 11. Judge Meg Shaw left mandatory conditions off orders to the accused not to go near the two victims...

Regional board misses out on initial round of deer management funding

PENTICTON - The Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen won’t be able to take advantage of a hastily released interim cost sharing program with the provincial government to pay for deer management projects. Chief administrative officer Bill Newell says an announcement was made during last year’s Union of B.C. Municipalities convention about a short term program,...

Mild week ahead for the Okanagan

OKANAGAN - We can expect temperatures to hover around the freezing mark this week, with temperatures expected to be at or near seasonal normal temperatures throughout the Okanagan. Environment Canada is calling for daytime high temperatures to range from -1 Celsius to 2 C this week, with overnight lows expected to reach between 0 C...

The unusual reason why a judge delayed sentencing

PENTICTON - A Naramata man will spend four months in jail because of an exchange of vitriolic text messages that turned into an armed altercation. But jail comes later. Before he was sentenced for mischief and assault with a weapon, Daryn E. Semancik asked court for a delay in sentencing so he could make arrangements...

Weather and electrical issues take toll on Penticton arenas

PENTICTON - The City of Penticton’s recreation department took a few hits over the holidays, with weather playing a role in damage to some of the city’s recreational facilities. Communications officer Simone Blais says the last few weeks of snow build up on the north side of the Memorial Arena roof partially collapsed two of...

Man accused of thefts admits he needs help to overcome his addictions

PENTICTON - A man caught stealing from his roommate told court he’s had enough of a life driven by addiction, saying he had “thrown his hands up” in the knowledge he needed help to change his self imposed lifestyle. Jayson Kenneth Caruso pled guilty to two counts of theft under $5,000 in a Penticton courtroom...

Early season numbers show decent snowpack in the Thompson-Okanagan

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Several snow systems pommelled the region at the end of 2015, leaving the snowpack levels at a good level to start 2016. At 143 per cent, Similkameen is most above normal for this time of year, but with the lowest in the region sitting at 92 per cent of normal snowpack levels, low...

Penticton RCMP report quiet New Year’s Eve

PENTICTON - Police report few incidents New Year's Eve in Penticton, but answered several calls for vehicle thefts last week. Penticton RCMP media spokesperson Cpl. Don Wrigglesworth says it was a relatively peaceful New Year’s Eve in the city, with only three impaired drivers. Wrigglesworth says festivities were quiet at Apex Mountain Resort as well,...

Man tasered at Cherry Lane Mall to undergo psych evaluation

PENTICTON - The man at the centre of a police incident at Cherry Lane Mall on Jan. 3 made a court appearance today, Jan. 8. Danny Douglas Ross appeared by video in Penticton Provincial Court facing charges of assault, possessing a weapon for dangerous purpose, and willfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer, stemming from the...