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Penticton news
Good Friday fire destroys a home in Cawston
PENTICTON - A house was reduced to rubble after a fire last night in Cawston and the cause of the blaze is under investigation. Keremeos and District Volunteer firefighters were called to the fire at a home on Armstrong Drive just before 10 p.m., Friday, April 3. “The fire was located at the south end...
UPDATE: Costco, IGA chicken salad recall; possible Listeria contamination
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Salads made with pre-cooked chicken have been pulled out of the coolers at Costco and IGA stores in B.C. in a recall triggered by an inspection by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Originally the recall covered in Kirkland Signature brand roasted chicken salads at Costco in Kelowna, Kamloops and the company’s stores across the country. It...
BCHL PLAYOFFS: Penticton Vees blanked by Clippers in Nanaimo
NAINAIMO - What’s old is new again, as the Penticton Vees will face the Nanaimo Clippers in the Fred Page Cup Final, after the Clippers 2-0 win Thursday at Frank Crane Arena. The Vees and Clippers last met in the 2008 BCHL Final, which the Vees swept in four-games under then first year head coach...
Okanagan College tuition going up
OKANAGAN - Tuition fees are going up two per cent with Okanagan College’s board of governors approval of a $94.95 million operating budget. Okanagan College Board of Governors Chair Tom Styffe says the board initially faced "a seven digit issue, created by a number of pressures,” according to a media release. He says administration and...
Search for a Penticton family doctor proves to be daunting task
PENTICTON - Finding a family doctor in Penticton is next to impossible for newcomers to the Peach City. Holly Stengel and her husband moved to the city in February. “My husband and I split the responsibilities to find health care professionals. I said I would take on getting us a physician,” Stengle says. They lined up...
New president for Penticton Hospitality Association
PENTICTON - As the new President of the Penticton Hospitality Association Barb Haynes is excited to help move the organization forward. The hospitality association reflected on last year’s successes, including the court case with the City of Penticton over allegations of financial mismanagement, which the association won, and planned for a busy 2015 at its annual general...
Pedestrian struck, killed by semi north of Penticton
PENTICTON – A pedestrian is dead after being struck by a semi on Highway 97 north Penticton. Global Okanagan reports the 47-year-old male was struck when he tried to run across the highway just after 4:30 a.m. He died at the scene. The mans identity has not been released and an investigation is underway. According...
Shelf price of liquor changes; little consumer impact expected
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Consumers won’t actually see much difference in costs following the new B.C. liquor laws that took effect today, according to one liquor merchant. Fred Vassilaki, the manager of Last Call Liquor Mart in Penticton, says changes to the province’s liquor laws went into effect on April 1 but they won’t have a huge...
Osoyoos incidents keep RCMP busy
PENTICTON - An illegal border crossing and two stolen vehicles kept Osoyoos RCMP busy overnight March 30 and throughout the following day in two separate incidents. Police were alerted by the U.S. Border Patrol just before 10 p.m. Monday of three males illegally crossing the U.S. - Canada border near Highway 3 on Anarchist Mountain....
Cherry Lane losing three fashion retailers
PENTICTON - Penticton’s largest shopping mall is losing three high profile tenants at the end of April. Cleo, Bootlegger and Ricki’s will be closing their doors in Cherry Lane Mall around the end of April, according to media spokesperson Nick Anstett. The three stores operate under the umbrella of parent organization Comark, a Canadian specialty...
Ridership steady on new transit route to OK Falls
PENTICTON - If you like the new bus service linking Okanagan Falls and east Skaha Lake to Penticton, you should probably get on it—it's under review. Regional District Okanagan Similkameen Project Coordinator Lindsay Bourque says the regional district has been receiving “lots of feedback” from those using the new bus route which began service along...
KOOPMANS TRIAL: Accused had no ill will toward shooting victim: Friend
PENTICTON - The last witness in the John Koopmans murder trial said he’d never seen the accused show any ill will towards victim Keith Wharton. Robert Hart, a friend of Koopmans, testified if Koopmans had guns, he was unaware of it, calling him an “even-tempered man” who he had never seen angry. The double murder...
Pac-Man takes on the Okanagan
OKANAGAN - If you’ve ever wondered what it would look like if Pac-Man took over the streets of the Okanagan, wonder no more. Google Maps is now offering a local version of Pac-Man. Only available in some browsers, you will see a Pac-Man box in the bottom left of the screen. You simply need to...
Rail trail north of Princeton closed due to slide
PENTICTON - The Trans Canada Trail and Kettle Valley Rail Trail has been closed until further notice between Princeton and Coalmont. A large rockslide came down on the former rail bed approximately 10 kilometres west of Princeton at the 125 kilometre marker of the Trans Canada Trail. Deemed unsafe for recreational use, the trail is...
KOOPMANS TRIAL: ‘You were there to settle a score:’ Crown
PENTICTON - Crown Prosecutor Frank Dubenski continued to pummel accused murderer John Koopmans with questions regarding Koopmans’ strange social behaviour the night three people were shot in Princeton. In Koopmans' third day on the stand in his own defence today, March 30, Dubenski demanded to know why he would walk for miles late in the...
Sticker shock for City of Penticton’s CAO sendoff
PENTICTON - A going away party for Pencticton’s former city manager is raising a few eyebrows — including the mayor’s — after the bill for the event was tallied up. The farewell bash for Annette Antoniak at the Vault Restaurant on Feb. 12 cost taxpayers $1,400 for food and beverages. Penticton Mayor Andrew Jakubeit admitted...
Shaking goose eggs controlling Okanagan population
OKANAGAN – There are approximately 2,500 geese living in the Okanagan year round, but without the efforts of the Okanagan Valley Goose Management Program that number would be much higher. “What many people fail to understand, and a large part of the message that we want to provide, is that the geese we are targeting...
Golden Mile Bench is a thing; dream becomes reality for some Okanagan wineries
OLIVER – Soon, when you open a bottle of wine from one of 11 select wineries in the South Okanagan, you will notice something new on the label. The Golden Mile Bench sub-geographical indicator, or sub-appellation, is a first in B.C. meant to mark wines grown in a specific region with at least 95 per...
If your dog is suddenly paralyzed this could be why
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Mary Verigin knew something was wrong with her dog as soon as she opened her crate last Monday morning. “She could get up on her front feet but there was no strength behind her shoulders,” she says. “I didn’t know what to do. Of course I was crying.” Verigen phoned her vet, Dr....
Fallen climber rescued by Penticton SAR
PENTICTON - A rock climber who fell about six metres at Skaha Bluffs Friday evening was quickly rescued with the help of Penticton Search and Rescue members. The initial call came in just after 8 p.m on Friday, March 27. B.C. Ambulance was first on scene at Skaha Bluffs just southwest of Penticton and soon...
KOOPMANS TRIAL: Crown challenges Koopmans’ story
"YOU KNOW DAMN WELL THERE IS NO .357 THERE — YOU SENT THEM ON A WILD GOOSE CHASE." PENTICTON - Crown Prosecutor Frank Dubenski hammered accused murderer John Ike Koopmans during cross examination today with questions about a missing handgun Koopmans said he disposed of long before a similar weapon was used once kill two...
Penticton mayor disappointed Boonstock not returning
PENTICTON - Penticton mayor Andrew Jakubeit is disappointed by the announcement Boonstock will not be returning to Penticton in 2015. “It is disappointing news. We had seven thousand people from outside our region getting exposed to our beautiful area that won’t be coming back again,” Jakubeit says in an email on Friday, March 27. The...
Spring snow at Okanagan resorts leaves ski bums less bummed
OKANAGAN - It may have been a rainy week in the valley, but it was dumping snow at local ski hills. Silver Star Mountain in Vernon got close to 60 cm of new snow in the last week, blanketing alpine runs with a 209 centimetre base. As of Friday morning, all chair lifts except the...
Good times guaranteed at Okanagan Fest of Ale
PENTICTON - Beer lovers rejoice, in little more than two weeks, the doors open at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre to celebrate the 20th Annual Okanagan Fest of Ale. Tickets are still available but selling fast for the event that starts Friday, April 10 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. and runs through Saturday,...