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Penticton news
Repair cafe offers a new approach to recycling
PENTICTON - A Penticton group hopes a European recycling idea will turn Penticton's trash back into treasure today. Okanagan Upcycle Resource Society is hosting a Repair Cafe at their centre located at 180 Industrial Ave. Laurel Burnham with the society is enthusiastic about the opportunities offered by things people throw away. Burnham says the repair...
Money for merchants from moorage: city official
PENTICTON - Moorage space means money to business in Penticton, according to the city's economic development officer. A contested aspect of planned improvements outlined in the SS Sicamous Master Plan is the addition of seven day moorage slips on the jetty north of the SS Sicamous. About 30 people rallied against the planned moorage prior to...
Kelowna’s newest attraction will test your nerves and your teamwork
KELOWNA – The door locks behind you and the clock starts counting down. You are trapped in a dimly lit room and an eery soundtrack begins to play in the background. For the next 45 minutes you and your team search frantically for clues as you try to escape Kelowna's newest and perhaps most thrilling...
Hospital Foundation celebrates new residence, imaging equipment
PENTICTON - Penticton Regional Hospital has some of the most state of the art X-ray equipment in the Okanagan following the completion of a major upgrade to the hospital’s radiology department. The hospital’s recent upgrades include updated X-ray rooms and a new portable, digital X-ray unit. The South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation held an open...
Happy 10th birthday YouTube; local viral videos
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – The very first YouTube video was uploaded ten years ago today so InfoNews has put together some of our regions most watched clips of the last decade. The first Okanagan classic is about a focused skater singing the national anthem at a Penticton Vees game in October 2014. It has more than 3-million...
Osoyoos RCMP help save hawk’s life
PENTICTON - Osoyoos RCMP handled a trio of incidents that involved land, water and air this week. In the air, on Friday, April 24, a Kestral Hawk flew into the grill of a commercial truck driver’s rig while travelling between Rock Creek and Osoyoos. The driver sought help at the Osoyoos RCMP detachment after finding...
School board frustrated with education ministry following AGM address
PENTICTON - B.C. school trustees, including those on the Okanagan-Skaha School Board, want the Minister of Education to live up to its Memorandum of Understanding on Co-Governance with the trustees. Board chair Linda Van Alphen said trustees from across the province expressed that sentiment at the recent Annual General Meeting. Part of Deputy Minister of...
Mussels with wings; the new front in the battle against invasive species
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The defensive war on invasive mussels hitching a ride into British Columbia’s lakes and rivers via recreational boats has just begun but there’s already talk of opening up a new front — float planes. While recreational boats and commercial boat haulers are the primary target of the recently-launched Don’t Move A Mussel educational program,...
Challenge Penticton adapting to new triathlon realities
PENTICTON - The world of triathlon racing has been changing in recent years, and the management team with the Valley First Challenge Penticton wants to lead the pack in participant satisfaction. Building the brand and providing race participants what they want are two keys to success, says Kevin Cutjar, who co-owns the race with Michael...
Man hit by pickup and killed in Keremeos identified
KEREMEOS – The identity of the young man hit and killed while crossing the highway near Keremeos last weekend has been released. Samuel Houle, 20, of Quebec was walking across Highway 3, just south of the intersection with Highway 3A, Sunday night, April 17, when he was struck by a pickup truck, according to a...
More construction on Channel Parkway
PENTICTON - A new construction zone on the Channel Parkway is challenging Penticton drivers. A construction crew has removed the traffic islands from the intersection of Channel Parkway and Warren Avenue to increase the length of the left turn lane, said B.C. Ministry of Highways district operations Manager Jeff Wiseman. The increased capacity of the...
Public consultation process goes to consultation
HAVE YOUR SAY ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT PROCESS THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A lot of people have recently expressed concerns over how the environmental assessment process works and now the provincial government is asking for input on how to improve the public consultation portion of the process. The B.C. Government's Environmental Assessment Office is asking the public...
Resident wants drawbows removed from firearms bylaw
PENTICTON - A request from a resident to allow manual bow and arrow usage within city limits may get a serious look as the city prepares to host the B.C. Winter Games, which includes archery sports. Penticton resident Rick Hamilton wants to see a change made to the City of Penticton’s bylaw that regulates or...
Council continues to explore options for Ecole Entre-Lacs
PENTICTON - The city would like to help French language school Ecole Entre-Lacs offset its costs for use of city recreational facilities, but it will not be through an arrangement similar to that offered to School District 67. The decision followed a lengthy discussion about a request to have a contractual agreement for guaranteed usage...
Specialized water rescue tool will help Penticton Search and Rescue crews
PENTICTON - Here is one tool local rescue units may find handy during spring freshet. Penticton Search and Rescue has a new line gun. The gun is used to shoot a small line across a river, and is used to aid victims in river rescue. Member Kelvin Hall says a small line such as a...
Penticton firefighters extinguish balcony blaze
PENTICTON - No one was injured and there was no major damage after a balcony fire at 86 Lakeshore Dr. East in Penticton this afternoon. Penticton firefighters got a call of visible flames on the balcony of one unit at approximately 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 21. Capt. Tom Smith says a planter on a resident’s...
On-site hotel could boost business at Penticton Convention Centre
PENTICTON - A premium hotel would help pull in more bookings for the underultilized 60,000-square-foot Penticton Trade and Convention Centre, according to city staff. In a report to council Monday, April 20, staff recommended council move forward on a zoning amendment that would add 'tourist accommodation' as a site-specific use to the city owned property...
Watch out for rattlesnakes; they’re out early in the Thompson-Okanagan
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Sunny weather has gotten many of us out from beneath our rocks looking for some rays, and we’re not the only ones in the animal world. Warm temperatures have brought rattlesnakes out earlier than normal in the Thompson-Okanagan, according to WildSafe B.C. spokesperson Frank Ritcey. “With the warm weather, the snakes will be...
Man killed near Keremeos remains unidentified
PENTICTON - A man who was struck and killed while crossing the highway near Keremeos Friday night remains unidentified. At 11:03 p.m. on April 17, a blue Dodge pickup truck travelling east on Highway 3, just south of the intersection with Highway 3A in Keremeos, and collided with a man crossing the highway. The driver...
Citizens challenge plan to moor motorboats near SS Sicamous
PENTICTON - A group of Penticton residents staged a rally in front of Penticton City Hall to voice their objection to an element of the SS Sicamous Area Master Plan. Gerry Gilligan fronted the rally, attended by approximately 30 citizens. They were objecting to a part of the plan that would see five to seven...
Turn your eyes to the night sky this week
NORTHERN LIGHTS AND METEOR SHOWER COULD LIGHT UP THE NIGHT THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you missed the northern lights last week and if the moon was too bright and the clouds too thick to catch the Quadrantid meteor shower in January, you could get a chance at viewing both this week. The Space Weather Prediction Centre...
Aquatic species ‘musselling’ in on Three Mile Beach
PENTICTON - Three Mile Beach is back on city councillor's minds, but not because of clothing optional issues. The beach also happens to be home to an aquatic species in need of help. Not to be confused with invasive zebra and quagga mussels, which governments are trying to keep out of the lake, the province will...
Early start to wildfire season in Southern Interior, numbers still below 10-year average
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A series of wildfires were ignited this past weekend as dry weather combined with warming temperatures to create conditions ideal for human-caused fires. B.C. Wildfire crews responded to four fires over the weekend, two in the Kamloops part of the fire centre and two in the southern tip. Information Officer Kayla Pepper says...
South Okanagan Transit Future Plan moves into new phase with board approval
PENTICTON - The region’s long term transit plan took a step forward wiht the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen board’s approval of the Transit Future Plan. The document describes a vision for the South Okanagan’s transit network over the next 25 years. Regional Transit manager Daniel Pizarro told the board the next steps are not...