Elevate your local knowledge
Sign up for the iNFOnews newsletter today!
Penticton news
Penticton’s Skaha Lake dragon boat central on weekend
PENTICTON - The Skaha Lake shoreline was a busy place this weekend in Penticton, as the city welcomed thousands to the 15th annual running of the Penticton Dragon Boat Festival. “It was a great festival, probably one of our best,” Race Director Don Mulhall says. “Everything ran perfectly, races were on time, there were no...
Return to seasonal normals in the Okanagan
OKANAGAN - The mercury soared heading into the weekend, but has dropped considerably coming out of it. Temperatures were in the high-20s Friday and Saturday, well above seasonal normal highs of 20 Celsius. Sunday things cooled off to highs of 23 C in the North and Central Okanagan, but at 27 C remained quite a...
ELECTION 2015: Harper makes promises during Penticton pit shop
PENTICTON - Stephen Harper’s campaign bus didn’t just stop at the door of Nor Mar Industries’ Brutus Truck Bodies shop — it drove right inside as Harper made a grand entrance to several hundred of the party faithful just after 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13. The event, which was quietly announced to members of the...
ELECTION 2015: Prime Minister’s Penticton campaign stop confirmed
PENTICTON – Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s campaign machine rolls into Penticton today. The Conservative leader will be holding two photo opportunities for the media, Sept. 13, at unconfirmed locations. At 6:15 p.m., Harper will be joined by South Okanagan-West Kootenay Conservative candidate Marshall Neufeld at Brutus Truck Bodies at 682 Okanagan Ave. East to “deliver remarks,”...
Why vaccinating 71 per cent of 7-year-olds in southern Interior should have you worried
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - To prevent a measles outbreak, 95 per cent of the population is required to be vaccinated, but the province’s southern Interior isn’t meeting that requirement with only 71 per cent of seven-year-olds vaccinated between 2012 and 2014. With the latest school year comes the annual round of vaccinations and kids will bring reminders...
ELECTION 2015: Voting basics in the South Okanagan-West Kootenay
PENTICTON - Penticton voters have a number of choices available to them when it comes to casting a ballot in the upcoming federal election. The City of Penticton lies within the newly created riding of South Okanagan-West Kootenay. There are currently three candidates on the ballot; Liberal Connie Denesiuk, Conservative Marshall Neufeld, and New Democrat Richard...
Penticton city council asked to restrict new liquor licenses
PENTICTON - Local liquor and wine purveyors reacted to potential changes to the province’s liquor licensing laws by paying Penticton city council a visit. Lee Keller of Cherry Lane Liquor Store appeared before council at council's regular meeting, Sept. 8, to request council pass a bylaw stating any new liquor license, including wine in grocery...
When children play with fire, the Penticton Fire Department has a response
PENTICTON - A program run by the Penticton Fire Department works to ensure the city’s youth don’t get the wrong idea when it comes to playing with fire. Penticton Fire Department’s Jodi Fotherby says they participate in the Juvenile Firestarter Program. Three members have taken the course through the Fire Commissioner’s office and are certified...
Host team takes a beating in game two of Canucks Young Stars Tournament
PENTICTON - Hockey season got underway in Penticton as the Canucks Young Stars Classic hockey tournament began at Penticton’s South Okanagan Events Centre last night. The rookies from the Vancouver Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers squared off, Sept. 11, following game one earlier in the day, which pitted Calgary against Winnipeg. A capacity crowd was...
Put your best paw forward this weekend and help stop animal abuse
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – This weekend thousands of animal lovers from across the Thompson-Okanagan will help stop animal abuse simply by walking their dogs. For more than a decade, residents of cities across the province have laced up their sneakers for the Scotiabank and BCSPCA Paws for a Cause Walk. Manager of the Kelowna SPCA Suzanne Pugh...
Thousands of Thompson-Okanagan renters mired in affordable housing crisis, new index says
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - About a quarter of all renters in the Thompson-Okanagan are facing an affordable housing crisis, according to a new study. The new Canadian Rental Housing Index is an interactive map which offers a snapshot of rental housing conditions across the country. You can search by city or electoral area riding, and find the...
Wildfire evacuation alert lifted near Oliver
OLIVER – The evacuation alert sparked by the Testalinden Creek fire burning near Oliver has…
Revenue Canada scam making the rounds in Penticton
PENTICTON - Scammers posing as Canada Revenue Agency employees are plaguing Penticton residents. The RCMP are receiving up to 40 reports daily from residents advising police they have received threatening and harassing phone calls from people posing as employees of Canada Revenue Agency and demanding money, Penticton RCMP media spokesperson Cpl. Don Wrigglesworth says. The...
Penticton 9/11 anniversary ceremony a first responders’ Remembrance Day
PENTICTON - The bagpipes began playing this morning as those gathering in Veterans Park prepared to pay homage to fallen emergency service workers during the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre buildings. Penticton Auxiliary firefighter Carsten Von Dein says today's ceremony, Sept. 11, is meant to remember all emergency service workers who have...
ELECTION 2015: Stephen Harper tentatively scheduled to visit Penticton
PENTICTON - Conservative leader Stephen Harper could be making a stop in Penticton this weekend. There are tentative plans for Harper to arrive Sunday, Sept. 13, for a 5:45 p.m. rally at a location still to be disclosed, according to an invitation sent out to party faithful. Plans are also in the works for Harper...
Near-record heat this weekend in the Okanagan
OKANAGAN - After a week of near-normal high temperatures the mercury is expected to again hit the 30 Celsius mark throughout the region this weekend. Environment Canada is calling for highs of 29 C and 30 C today, Sept. 11, and Saturday throughout the Okanagan, well above the seasonal normal high of 21 C. The...
Penticton plays host to hockey, jazz and dragon boats this weekend
PENTICTON - The Penticton entertainment scene is ramping up for the coming weekend, filling the city with a mix of music, dragon boats and National Hockey League prospects. “There is not a room to be had,” Penticton Hospitality Association President Robert Appelman says. “I know the various organizations have been trying to get rooms, but...
Osoyoos business conference bringing native and private sector entrepreneurs together
PENTICTON - Native business leaders and private sector business groups are getting together in the South Okanagan to discuss potential joint business opportunities this month. The sixth annual Native Aboriginal Business Opportunities Conference takes place at the NK'MIP Resort in Osoyoos from Sept. 15 to 17. The event, which brings private sector professionals and business...
Etsy craft market coming to Kelowna
KELOWNA - For the second year in a row, Kelowna crafters can get their Etsy fix in real life, instead of through a computer. On Sept. 26, Etsy: Made in Canada will be at Sandhill Winery for a free crafters market featuring handmade items from more than 30 Canadian artisans. Last year roughly 3,000 people...
SNELSON TRIAL: Killer’s sentence depends on finding of sexual assault argument
KAMLOOPS —It’s been almost 22 years since the night Neil Snelson killed college student Jennifer Cusworth after a party in Kelowna in 1993 and now Cusworth's family has one week left to find out how long he'll spend in prison. The 19-year-old Cusworth was found dead in a ditch on Swamp Road in Kelowna in...
Concern over density of Wilson Street development
PENTICTON - It's just too much for the small residential area, neighbours of a proposed Wilson Street development told council this week. A zoning amendment is required to rezone the property from duplex housing to low density multiple housing, in addition to a site specific amendment to increase the maximum density. Variances will also be...
New murder charge laid in connection with Vernon death
VERNON - Police have arrested a third person for murder in connection with the death of 42-year-old Jason Hardy, whose body was found in Polson Park Aug. 26. Tal Kalum La Riviere, 28, from Greater Vernon, was arrested in Kamloops Sept. 9 and charged with one count of second degree murder. He was scheduled to...
Racing bathtubs raise more than $18K for Penticton hospital
PENTICTON - A fledgling fundraiser featuring bathtubs did better than expected for the South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation last month. The Aug. 22 running of the inaugural Great Ogopogo Bathtub Race raised more than $18,000 for the foundation, money that will go towards providing medical equipment for the proposed Patient Care Tower at Penticton Regional...
Man wanted on Canada-wide warrant picked up in Oliver
PENTICTON - A man wanted on a Canada-wide warrant is now in police custody following an arrest by Penticton RCMP Drug Task Force and Oliver RCMP members this week. Marcus Wilfred Sheena was apprehended on Sept. 9 for breaching conditions of a two-year sentence for a violent assault four years ago. Sheena and a female...