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Penticton news
RCMP confirm death at Penticton motel was murder
PENTICTON – Seven days after shots were fired and a man’s body was found at a home in Penticton, police have confirmed the death as a homicide today. RCMP have also confirmed the murder victim’s name. Darren Leadbeater, 36, of Penticton was originally from Fort McMurray, Alta. Police responded to a call about shots fired...
Deadline for hotel proposal on South Okanagan Events Centre property extended
PENTICTON - The City of Penticton’s search for a developer to build a first class hotel on the South Okanagan Events Centre property has been so successful it’s been extended for another two weeks. The deadline for the city’s Expression of Interest was extended to June 29 following a request from a potential proponent, communications...
Get used to higher prices: Fruit Growers’ president
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Fred Steele’s day starts before 5 a.m. As the president of the B.C. Fruit Growers' Association, and with 7.5 acres of apple trees to manage, he’s used to an early start, but the early spring across the province has him waking the roosters most days. “I do most of the work myself,” the...
Penticton mayor pays up for city losing Bike to Work Challenge
PENTICTON - City of Penticton officials got off easy in this year’s victory ride following the Bike to Work Week Challenge between the city and Regional District Okanagan Similkameen. In previous years, mayor and city staff have ridden tricycles and penny farthing bicycles and dressed up as barnyard animals as a consequence of losing the...
Penticton photographer has passion for night photography
PENTICTON - A Penticton photographer uses the night sky as his subject and the great Okanagan outdoors as his studio. Stephen Hancock recently took some spectacular photographs of an aurora-filled night sky above Brunell Lake, northwest of Oliver. Over the past two years, Hancock has taken photos of the Okanagan night sky. Locally he often...
New airline promises cheap flights out of Kelowna
KELOWNA – A new airline from Manitoba is partnering with Kelowna-based Flair Airlines to bring what it calls 'basic air transportation' to the Okanagan. NewLeaf Travel Company has not released all of its destinations yet, but airline spokesperson Bob Jones confirms they will start service from Kelowna to Hamilton and Winnipeg by the end of...
B.C. SPCA to acquire Penticton Veterinary Hospital
PENTICTON - The local SPCA is receiving a generous gift from a well known Penticton veterinarian. The B.C. SPCA announced June 10 it will be acquiring the Penticton Veterinary Hospital from retiring Penticton veterinarian Dr. Steve Harvey. The hospital will continue to retain existing staff and will offer the same full services to the public,...
Close shave at the OK Barber Shop
PENTICTON - The quick actions of the Okanagan Falls Volunteer Fire Department helped save the community’s only barber shop early this morning, June 10. Firefighters were called to Main Street and Ninth Avenue shortly after midnight to find flames racing up the west side of the OK Barber Shop. “It appears to have started in...
Norm Macdonald bringing stand up routine to Kelowna
OKANAGAN - Canadian comic Norm Macdonald is bringing his stand-up routine to Kelowna this fall. Best known as a former Saturday Night Live cast member, Macdonald will be taking to the stage at the Kelowna Community Theatre this September. Macdonald has an impressive resume in the comedy world which includes anchoring the popular Weekend Update...
Restrictions on channel use until end of the month
PENTICTON - Those wishing to beat the heat with a trip down the channel need to be aware the channel won’t be completely open to floaters until the end of the month. Several floaters could be seen travelling south beyond Green Mountain Road in swift current on the afteroon on Monday, June 8. Penticton Indian...
‘Summer island surfer vibe’ in the air at Skaha’s Sudbury Beach
PENTICTON - The early summer heat being experienced in Penticton has at least one local entrepreneur smiling these days. Darcy Godfrey is the owner of Glow SUP Adventures, located at Sudbury Beach on Penticton’s Skaha Lake side. She operates the only two concessions on both Hulley and Sudbury beaches, and lately she’s beaming like the...
Motorcyclist succumbs to injuries following Oliver crash
PENTICTON - A motorcyclist has died after injuries suffered in an accident near Oliver yesterday, June 9. Cpl. Shana McLeod of South Okanagan Traffic Services in Keremeos says the Oliver RCMP attended the scene of a single vehicle motorcycle accident in the 7600-block of Highway 97 on June 9 at approximately 3 p.m. A witness...
VIDEO: What a drive through the Okanagan looked like in 1966
OKANAGAN – The drive from the U.S. border in the south Okanagan to Vernon is one of the most scenic in the province, but has it changed much in the last 49 years? A three part series released by the Ministry of Transportation this week shows footage taken from the dash of a car driving...
Penticton dad identified as murder victim; Police haven’t confirmed
PENTICTON - A former Fort McMurray, Alta., man living in the South Okanagan is believed to be the man police found murdered at a Penticton motel unit last week. Police have not confirmed the name, but social media sources appear to confirm Darren Leadbeater as the man killed following an incident at the Golden Sands...
Dog bylaws set to get beefed up in Penticton
PENTICTON - Anyone caught in violation of a host of new regulations dealing with dogs — including leaving dogs in hot vehicles — better be prepared: The city is about to play ruff. Among the contemplated changes, anyone leaving a dog in a vehicle will face a $300 fine, up from $200. The bylaw, which...
Regional board continues to wrestle with economic development idea
PENTICTON - A question of transparency in how the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen hands out grants for economic development appears to have inspired directors to consider adding more money on it. It started with a simple concept at a committee meeting in February. Instead of giving the Okanagan Film Commission a grant-in-aid every year (last...
Interior Salish art could draw tourists to Southern Interior
PENTICTON - A demand by tourists for local indigenous art is being heard and the Penticton Indian Band has taken the first steps towards making that happen. The Penticton Indian Band hosted a workshop last week as it works to create a strategy to meet the tourist market demand for authentic Interior Salish art. The event, held...
Interior Health CEO Rob Halpenny to resign
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - After more than five years as chief executive officer, Dr. Robert Halpenny is resigning from the Interior Health Authority. The announcement that Halpenny will resign from his position, effective this fall, came today, June 9. “Over the five and a half years that Dr. Halpenny has served as CEO, he has driven transformative...
Police confirm murder in Penticton suspicious death
PENTICTON - A police investigation into a death on Lakeshore Drive last week in Penticton continues. RCMP confirmed the suspicious death discovered at Golden Sands Resort early Thursday, June 4, is a homicide. Media spokesperson Cpl. Dave Tyreman confirmed Tuesday, June 9, police are investigating the incident as a murder. He says the investigative team...
Early spring, California drought has Okanagan grocery stores picking local
KELOWNA – The severe drought in California coupled with an unusually warm and early spring in B.C. has local grocery stores stocking their shelves with fruits and vegetables grown right here at home instead of importing from the south. Chris Holmes is the owner of Quality Greens on Spall Road. With stores in Kelowna, West...
Penticton interim CAO responds to the call of the north
PENTICTON - The city’s present interim CAO appears to be following closely in the footsteps of the city manager he replaced. Departing City of Penticton Interim Chief Administrative Officer Chuck Loewen is leaving the warm, sunny beaches of Penticton for the Regional Recreation Corporation of Wood Buffalo in northern Alberta, where he will take on...
Residents rally to aid puppy struck by a car
PENTICTON - Donations continue to pour into the BC SPCA in Penticton as area residents rally to help cover the medical bills for a 10 month old Labrador pup. Jodi was struck by a car in Penticton on June 2, breaking her leg. Her owners couldn’t afford the vet bill so she was surrendered to...
Bridge construction restricts Green Avenue access from Highway 97
PENTICTON - Road work around the Satik Bridge crossing at the west end of Green Avenue in Penticton has reached new stage. Stage Two of the Penticton Indian Band Development Corporation’s traffic management will be implemented today, June 8. Traffic flow will now switch to the west side of the highway, which means there will...
Coroner identifies Penticton girl hit by motorhome in Oliver
PENTICTON – The B.C. Coroners Service has identified the Oliver girl who was hit and killed by a motorhome in Oliver last week. Mya Daylene Goddard, 16, of Penticton was crossing the highway in Oliver on June 4, when she was hit by a southbound recreational vehicle, according to a media release. The driver of...