Penticton news

Keremeos restaurant target of armed robbery

PENTICTON - Keremeos RCMP are investigating an armed robbery in the quiet agricultural community. The Keremeos Subway restaurant was held up at around 9 p.m. last night, Dec. 16, according to a media release from RCMP media spokesperson Cpl. Dan Moskaluk. Moskaluk says a lone man entered the business wielding a knife and demanding cash from...

Oliver food bank powers up with solar panel donation

PENTICTON - The Oliver Food Bank will be saving on their electrical bills thanks to the generosity of a local firm. Argon Solar of Oliver recently donated two solar panels to the food bank, which will provide 10 per cent of the food bank’s electrical needs over the next 25 years. Dave Malmberg, manager of...

Tragedies compound for West Kelowna, Vernon families

CHILD STILL RECOVERING FROM CAR ACCIDENT, GRANDMA IN COMA FOLLOWING SEPARATE ACCIDENT KELOWNA - The Vernon woman who was hit by a car at a crosswalk over the weekend is the grandmother of the eight-year-old West Kelowna boy who was dragged by a van in front of his parents this past summer. Jonah Pevach, an...

Penticton resident reports cougar with house cat in its jaws

PENTICTON - A pet owner in the upper Penticton Avenue area may be missing their cat following a pair of cougar sightings in the area earlier this week. Two sightings were reported to Penticton conservation officers on Monday, Dec.14. Conservation officer Dave Cox says the sightings were reported to the conservation office around 8 p.m....

Penticton woman gets reprieve after lapse in good behaviour

PENTICTON - A Penticton woman who straightened out her life five years ago only to slip up was given a second chance in Penticton court this week. Angela Robyn Keith received a suspended sentence for two counts of theft under $5,000. She faces strict probation terms but was granted a reprieve by Judge Gale Sinclair,...

Charges laid in collisions that killed five bighorn sheep in South Okanagan

PENTICTON - Two drivers are facing multiple charges after killing five bighorn sheep in two separate collisions on Highway 3 west of Keremeos in October. The collisions occurred on Oct. 1, 2015, around 4 p.m. when an eastbound Ford F250 pickup driven by a 56-year-old man and a Dodge Ram pickup driven by a 75-year-old...

Surveillance cameras coming to Penticton library and museum complex

PENTICTON - The City of Penticton is in the market for video surveillance equipment. The city released a request for proposal in late November, seeking suppliers to provide, install and maintain video surveillance remote devices in city facilities. City Communications Officer Simone Blais says video surveillance is part of the municipality’s general risk management initiatives...

Breach of conditions puts Maple Ridge man behind Penticton bars

PENTICTON - A man accused of multiple weapons charges will remain in custody a few more days following an appearance in Penticton court earlier this week. Donavin Francios Costa appeared before Judge Gale Sinclair Monday, Dec. 14, on a charge of breaching bail conditions. Crown Prosecutor John Swanson called Costa's case a 'reverse onus situation.'...

Penticton smoke break leaves man in stitches

PENTICTON - A step outside the door of a Penticton motel room for a quick smoke was nothing but trouble for a man Saturday night. Police were called to the Jubilee Motel Saturday night, Dec. 12, after a man reported being assaulted by a woman at the motel, Penticton RCMP media spokesperson Don Wrigglesworth says....

Vicious assault on Penticton delivery man

PENTICTON - A Penticton delivery man making a late night call to a Westminster Avenue residence was seriously assaulted yesterday. Police were called to Penticton Regional Hospital around 1 a.m. this morning, Dec. 15, after receiving a call of a 35-year-old man suffering serious lacerations to his hands and face from an assault. While making...

Long list of charges resolved in Penticton with more than one year jail

PENTICTON - A Penticton man will serve more than a year in jail for a long list of charges involving numerous incidents taking place in two provinces, over several years. The law caught up with Scott Bradley Mathieson in Penticton Courthouse yesterday, Dec.14, as Judge Gale Sinclair sentenced Mathieson to a total of 380 days...

Still time to save Penticton theatre project, but not much

PENTICTON - The clock is ticking and time is running out for the quest to raise enough money to save the Penmar Community Theatre project. Penmar Community Arts Society president Kerri Milton says the Kickstarter campaign which started last month is gaining steam, but admits they are running out of time. The group is restoring the old Penmar...

Lord of the Dance tour to stop in Okanagan

PENTICTON - The latest production from Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance will be making a swing into the Southern Interior with show in Penticton this spring. Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games, fresh from its debut on Broadway, will be stopping at the South Okanagan Events Centre on March 24, 2016, as part of...

Temperatures cooling off in the Okanagan this week

OKANAGAN - The temperatures will drop back below 0 Celsius this week after a long run of weather warmer than seasonal normals in the Okanagan. Environment Canada is calling for the mercury to stay around 2 C to 4 C throughout the region today, Dec. 14, but then the overnight temperature will drop to as...

Forestbrook Drive zoning amendment going to public hearing

PENTICTON - A zoning amendment to allow low density multiple housing on Forestbrook Drive in Penticton will go to public hearing on January 11. City council voted for an amended zoning bylaw at 511 Forestbrook Dr. to allow for the construction of two duplexes along with a secondary suite for each principal unit for a...

RDOS budget fails to include money for conservation fund

PENTICTON - A conservation fund appears to be a diminishing priority for the Okanagan Similkameen Regional District as the 2016 budget takes shape. After spending $20,000 last year to explore public support for a Regional Conservation Fund, a $40,000 request for referendum funding failed to garner board support, as did a follow up $20,000 request...

Why workers at some City Halls must take holidays in December

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Civic governments in Kamloops, Vernon and Penticton keep their main offices open over the holidays but they do it a little differently in the Central Okanagan. City Halls in both West Kelowna and Kelowna will be closed for the week between Christmas and New Years along with the offices of the Central Okanagan...

Thirty days for possession of stolen truck

PENTICTON  - A Penticton man will spend another 13 days in jail after pleading guilty to being in possession of a stolen pickup truck earlier this year. A Penticton Provincial Court judge heard today, Dec.11, a Chev Silverado pickup truck, left running with the keys in it, was stolen from a Forestbrook Drive residence on...

Little enthusiasm from Penticton council to hand off grant process

PENTICTON - Penticton city council isn't enthusiastic about the idea of handing off the city’s municipal grants program to an outside enterprise. Chief financial officer Colin Fisher has asked council to enter into an agreement with the Community Foundation of the South Okanagan Similkameen in order to establish a City of Penticton Community Grants Fund....

Winter storm bringing heavy snow to mountain passes

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – It wouldn’t be the weekend without a warning from Environment Canada about heavy snow on the highways through B.C. Interior mountain passes. A heavy snowfall warning has been issued today, Dec. 12, as a strong Pacific frontal system is expected to start crossing over the Interior this afternoon. Forecasters say people heading to...

South Okanagan national park focus group suddenly terminated

PENTICTON - A local MLA is disbanding a national park focus group just weeks after it was formed. Boundary-Similkmeen MLA Linda Larson says in a media release, "while there is a need to protect the natural landscape of the South Okanagan, the question of how that is done has been a divisive one.” Larson says...

Language funding to boost employability of South Okanagan immigrants

PENTICTON - Newcomers to the South Okanagan who are seeking work in health services will be provided some assistance in getting a grasp on the English language through a B.C. government initiative. The Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training is providing $45,231 towards a medical English training program for new immigrants, the B.C. government...