Penticton news

Construction worker needs help with recovery after severe spinal injury on the job

WEST KELOWNA - Cole Bernier, a construction worker injured last week in a workplace accident, is facing a lengthy recovery after being crushed under some roof trusses. “Cole is someone you’ll never see without a smile on his face and if he’s frowning, it is typically because you changed his music or didn’t leave enough...

How you can help the family of Penticton boy struck and killed by car

PENTICTON - A fundraising webpage has been set up for the Penticton family of the young boy killed by a car earlier this month. James Christian McIntosh, 5, died after he was struck by a car driven by an off-duty RCMP officer while he was crossing Highway 97 at Fairview Road on Sept. 15. Friends of...

Super moon, eclipse delights Okanagan sky watchers

OKANAGAN - Across most of the region the skies cleared in time to catch at least part of the rare super moon and lunar eclipse event Sunday evening, Sept. 27. A supermoon occurs when a full or new moon makes its closest approach to the Earth and appears slightly larger and brighter than normal. A...

Sunny and warm end to September in the Okanagan

OKANAGAN - The weekend was filled with typical autumn weather, and a few cooler nights, but we can expect it to warm up a bit during the week as September comes to a close. Environment Canada is calling for temperatures to reach as high as 22 C this week. The mercury is expected to reach...

Two Okanagan communities will host upcoming B.C. 55+ Games

OKANAGAN – Vernon and Kelowna have been selection to host upcoming B.C. 55+ Games. The 2017 games will be held in Vernon, supported by the Armstrong and Spallumcheen, and the 2019 games will be in Kelowna. Cranbrook and Kimberley in the East Kootenays will host the games in 2018. Vernon hosted the inaugural games in...

Kamloops jail has highest number in the province for in-custody deaths

KAMLOOPS - Since August 2014 there have been four in-custody death’s at six regional provincial jails, three of which were in Kamloops according to data from the Ministry of Justice.  The number went from three to four on Monday, Sept. 21 with the latest death in Kamloops but details of the case, including the inmate’s...

Hundreds of North Okanagan deer heads still needed for disease study

“WE HAVE A THREE YEAR LIMIT ON THE PROJECT AND WE STILL NEED OVER 200 SAMPLES” CHERRYVILLE - They might be off-putting to some, but to a group of government researchers, deer heads from the Cherryville area are the key to stopping a potential disease outbreak in its tracks. Analyzing the lymph nodes found in...

A Princeton murderer might get one of the longest prison sentences ever in the Okanagan

PENTICTON - Crown and defence lawyers in a sentencing hearing for a man accused of murdering two Princeton residents and wounding a third are recommending sentences almost fifteen years apart. In Penticton Supreme Court today, Sept. 25, Crown Prosecutor Frank Dubenski sought a prison term that would see convicted murderer John Ike Koopmans, 52, behind...

Navigation system upgrades at Penticton Regional Airport

PENTICTON - Nav Canada is updating one of its navigational aids at Penticton Regional Airport to make it more reliable. The federal agency is replacing the existing localizer antennae on the airport's instrument landing system. Nav Canada site manager Paul England says the Penticton airport is part of a national upgrade of airport navigation equipment....

First fall weekend warm and sunny in the Okanagan

OKANAGAN - The first weekend of autumn will be a typical one in the Okanagan, with warm days and cool nights. Environment Canada is calling for temperatures to be just above the seasonal normal high of 17 Celsius throughout the Okanagan, though overnight we can expect things to cool off a bit more than normal....

Unprovoked assault by career criminal gets federal time

PENTICTON - A Penticton man will do some serious jail time for a vicious, unprovoked attack that left his victim scarred for life. John Marshall Szanto, who appeared in Penticton Provincial Court today, Sept. 24, will serve three years for the assault, which took place on March 14 this year. Crown Prosecutor John Swanson recounted...

Koopmans mistrial application denied

PENTICTON - The original charges laid by a jury last April in the murder trial of John Ike Koopmans will stand. Defence lawyer Don Skogstad’s application for a mistrial on the count of attempted murder in the John Koopmans murder trial was denied in court this morning. Skogstad based his application on reasoning the jury was...

Rare super moon lunar eclipse over the Okanagan this weekend

OKANAGAN - Not only will the last total lunar eclipse until January 2019 take place Sunday evening, it will also be a harvest, or super, moon, meaning it will appear to be a very large red moon for part of the evening. The moon will completely pass through the Earth’s shadow Sunday evening, Sept. 27,...

Look back and laugh: A Vernon comedian retells all his humiliating tales

WHEN YOU'RE THE WORST HOCKEY PLAYER ON THE WORST HOCKEY TEAM YOU TURN TO COMEDY VERNON - Sam Mullins is wrapping up his North American comedy tour not only in his hometown, but on the stage where he saw his very first play — the Powerhouse Theatre in Vernon. “I must’ve been like seven or...