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Penticton news

VIDEO: Coach of Okanagan MMA club talks about runaway success

KELOWNA - An online fight website has profiled local MMA coach David Lea about his gym’s remarkable success in the world of professional fighting. David Lea is the coach of Toshido MMA. In the video, produced for MMAmadhouse.com, Lea describes how he started the club in 1998, only five years after the Ultimate Fighting Championship...

UPDATE: Vernon mayor responds to income tax charges

'EVERYTHING WILL BE CLEARED UP" VERNON - Vernon’s mayor is in trouble with the tax man. Mayor Akbal Singh Mund is charged with two counts of failure to comply with the Income Tax Act but he doesn't expect the action to go anywhere. “They’re looking for further paperwork. It’s not like I haven’t paid my...

Bear complaints overwhelming Okanagan conservation officers

KAMLOOPS NUMBERS SLOW DOWN AFTER EARLY SPIKE THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Conservation officers in the North and South Okanagan regions are being swamped with bear complaints as the large animals begin to prepare for hibernation. While fall always sees an uptick in bear activity, conservation officer Jim Beck says this year is worse than normal. “It’s crazy...

Kaleden business target of multiple break-ins

PENTICTON - Kaleden Petro Canada owner Jas (J.B.) Bansoota has discovered the best and the worst of social media, at least when it comes to the security of his business. The service station owner has been frustrated by a couple of recent break-ins where social media provided some leads to the perpetrators, but also may...

Driver hopitalized after rolling car into bucket of a Bobcat

PENTICTON – A 26-year-old woman was taken to hospital Wednesday morning after she lost control of her car and rolled down an embankment into the bucket of a Bobcat. The cause of the crash at 1656 Holden Rd. is still being investigated and the medical status of the driver, the lone occupant, is not known....

Fishing reopens on drought-affected Okanagan rivers

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Fishermen can again drop a line in streams and rivers that were closed to angling this summer because of drought in Southern B.C. The natural resource ministry announced in a press release the reopening of fishing on the Kettle, West Kettle and Similkameen Rivers and their tributaries, the Middle Shuswap River and the main...

Trial coming to an end for former RCMP officer accused of downloading child porn

KELOWNA - A former RCMP officer accused of possessing child pornography will soon find out his fate. Closing arguments were made Wednesday, Sept. 16, in the Supreme Court trial of former RCMP officer Ryan David Hampton, who is accused by his wife of downloading child porn during a messy separation. Hampton pleaded not guilty to...

High bacteria levels prompt swimming advisory at Vernon’s Kal Beach

VERNON - That last swim of the summer might not feel so refreshing after you read this. An advisory is in effect recommending people not go swimming at Kal Beach due to high counts of E. coli in the water. Jennifer Jacobsen, a team leader for environmental health with the Interior Health Authority, says the...

Investigative team saying little as Penticton grieves tragic death of child

PENTICTON - The city is grieving today as an investigative team looks into the details of a traffic fatality yesterday. The Internal Investigations Office of B.C. is saying little today, Sept. 16, after the tragic death of a five-year-old boy who was struck by an off-duty RCMP officer at the intersection of Fairview Road, Green...

SNELSON TRIAL UPDATE: Kelowna killer sentenced; only 19 months left to serve

KAMLOOPS - It took two trials and nearly 22 years for the case and the jail doors to close on Jennifer Cusworth’s killer, but it will only be one year and seven months before his release. Neil George Snelson, 48, was sentenced to 11 years today, Sept. 16, in Kamloops Supreme Court. Since he was...

Last day to book super cheap WestJet flights to London

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - WestJet has announced a super-low airfare to London, England with the cheeky slogan 'If that’s not cheap enough, you can always try mailing yourself.' Pricing for a non-stop flight from Vancouver to London’s Gatwick Airport starts at $299, one-way, with similar deals at select airports across Canada, including Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto and...

Penticton kidnapping incident results in five arrests

PENTICTON - A May 2015 kidnappping of a Penticton man has resulted in five arrests by Penticton RCMP. On May 21, a Penticton man was found in the ditch on Shingle Creek Road west of Penticton suffering from a broken leg and in hand restraints after having been kidnapped and beaten. The police have always...

Witnesses sought in crash that left Kelowna cyclist in coma

KELOWNA - RCMP are looking for witnesses in crash that left a Kelowna cyclist in a coma. Trevor Bohac, 42, was riding his bike eastbound on Robson Road West with his dog on Sept. 1 shortly after 4 p.m. when he was struck by a vehicle turning into a driveway. His leg was broken and...

UPDATE: Young boy hit by vehicle in Penticton dies; RCMP driver investigated

PENTICTON - The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. is investigating after an off-duty RCMP officer hit and killed a five-year-old pedestrian walking with his family. At roughly 5 p.m. yesterday, Sept. 15, the boy was with his family crossing the road when he was struck.  RCMP originally said the boy was four years old but...

West Kelowna singer named best new artist at Indigenous Music Awards

WEST KELOWNA - A local First Nation singer and songwriter has won Best New Artist at the Indigenous Music Awards in Winnipeg. Kelly Margaret Derrickson, daughter of Grand Chief Ron Derrickson, beat out five other artists for the prestigious award on Friday, Sept. 11. Her debut album, Warriors of Love, was released in 2013 and...

New charity funds arts programs for Oliver students

PENTICTON - A new charity promises to help fund arts programs for children in the South Okanagan. Tinhorn Creek Vineyards announced the launch of their new charity today, Sept. 15. Celebrate the Arts has been established to fund fine arts programs for children in the local Oliver area. A cheque for $6,000 was presented this...

From meth use to mischief to spitting on a cop cruiser, Penticton RCMP again kept busy

PENTICTON - It was a week filled with drugs, vandalism, guns and theft for members of the Penticton RCMP. A man high on meth attempted to check himself into emergency on Wednesday evening, Sept. 9. He was refused admission and threatened to go outside to the parking lot and start smashing windshields, which caught the...

Locals winners named for Aboriginal Business Awards

THOMPSON-OKANGAN - Some local aboriginal entrepreneurs are coming away from the B.C. Aboriginal Business Awards with wins this week. Troy Fraser Chiropractic of Kamloops has won Business of the Year in the one to two person enterprise category. Skyride Bike and Board Inc. of Vernon has won an outstanding achievement award for companies with three...

UPDATE: Owner reunited with artificial leg found on Penticton street

UPDATE: 3:20 P.M., SEPT. 15, 2015 The owner of the prosthetic leg found on Lakeshore Drive over the weekend has been found, Penticton RCMP report. Penticton City bylaw officers called the detachment to say they knew the owner of the leg, Penticton RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Don Wrigglesworth says in a press release. The woman had...

Snow on the Okanagan Connector

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Drivers heading out on the highway should be prepared for a bit of snow at the higher elevations this morning. Drive B.C. is showing snow at several of the higher Okanagan elevations and temperatures are currently sitting around 0 Celsius. At the Coquihalla Summit it is currently raining and temperatures are sitting around...

Water drilling rush in B.C. Interior to get jump on new water regulations

IMPACT UNKNOWN THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Companies drilling water wells in the B.C. Southern Interior appear to be busier than usual and the reason may be the introduction next spring of the provincial Water Sustainability Act and its new well licensing requirements. While hard numbers of how many wells are being drilled are hard to come by...

Penticton woman pleads guilty to impaired charge, driving while disqualified

PENTICTON - A Penticton woman is not to get behind the wheel for two years following a plea of guilty to a charge of impaired driving and driving while disqualified in Penticton court this morning, Sept. 14. Crown Prosecutor Kurt Froelich told court Leisha Blais was driving home from a Narcotics Anonymous meeting at a...