Penticton news

New Naramata Centre board invites community input
PENTICTON - The new board at Naramata Centre is seeking community input as they work towards defining a new future for the centre. Board Chair Doug Woollard and board member Jeremy Church have invited Naramata residents to join in a conversation about Naramata Centre’s future at 7 p.m. on Oct. 1 in the Chalmers Chapel....

West Kelowna singer named best new artist at Indigenous Music Awards
WEST KELOWNA - A local First Nation singer and songwriter has won Best New Artist at the Indigenous Music Awards in Winnipeg. Kelly Margaret Derrickson, daughter of Grand Chief Ron Derrickson, beat out five other artists for the prestigious award on Friday, Sept. 11. Her debut album, Warriors of Love, was released in 2013 and...

While others walked away, you won’t believe who saved a Vernon pet shop from disaster
"THE AVERAGE PERSON WOULDN'T HAVE DONE WHAT HE DID" VERNON - If not for the heroic act of a homeless man, the owners of a Vernon pet store believe their business — and animals — would have been destroyed by fire. AJ’s Pets & Things owners Andrew Willmott and Lisa Badach caught the suspected arsonist...

Manager of Summerland pizza shop looking at jail for relationship with teen employee
PENTICTON - A 35-year-old Summerland man who conducted a secret relationship with a 16-year-old girl could face three months or more in jail. Josh Roberts is expected to find out his fate today, Sept. 21 after entering a guilty plea in Penticton Provincial Court for sexual exploitation for his part in the relationship. Judge Gregory...

Penticton search and rescue help find lost hikers and a missing person
PENTICTON - The volunteers with Penticton Search and Rescue were called out twice last night to find lost hikers, and then to find a missing person. Two young women from Quebec were hiking near Brent Mountain yesterday afternoon, Sept. 20, when they became disoriented and lost, according to a media release from Penticton Search and...

Risk of frost in the Okanagan tonight
OKANAGAN - If you haven’t already harvested all your tomatoes you should spend some time covering them up today — there’s a risk of frost through much of the Okanagan tonight. Environment Canada is calling for a risk of frost tonight, Sept. 21, in the North and Central Okanagan with temperatures expected to dip as...

Celebration of life service planned for five-year-old killed in crash
PENTICTON - A celebration of life will be held this weekend for five-year-old James Christian McIntosh, who was killed after being struck by a truck earlier this week. The service will be held at St. Anne Church at 2 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 20. The public is welcome to attend. The Holy Cross School Grade 1...

Water drilling rush in B.C. Interior to get jump on new water regulations
IMPACT UNKNOWN THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Companies drilling water wells in the B.C. Southern Interior appear to be busier than usual and the reason may be the introduction next spring of the provincial Water Sustainability Act and its new well licensing requirements. While hard numbers of how many wells are being drilled are hard to come by...

Firearms, drugs and stolen property found in Oliver search
OLIVER - Four people were taken into custody after a search warrant that resulted in the seizure of restricted firearms, stolen property and drugs yesterday, according to police. Oliver RCMP, along with the RCMP Regional General Investigative Service and RCMP Emergency Response Team, executed a search warrant in Oliver yesterday afternoon, Sept. 17. According to...

Investigative team saying little as Penticton grieves tragic death of child
PENTICTON - The city is grieving today as an investigative team looks into the details of a traffic fatality yesterday. The Internal Investigations Office of B.C. is saying little today, Sept. 16, after the tragic death of a five-year-old boy who was struck by an off-duty RCMP officer at the intersection of Fairview Road, Green...

Why independent investigators are probing a traffic fatality in Penticton
PENTICTON - An investigation into Tuesday evening’s fatal collision continues as a roadside memorial to five-year-old James Christian McIntosh grows at the intersection of Fairview Avenue and Highway 97. James was killed Tuesday evening, Sept. 15 at approximately 5 p.m. while crossing the road at the crosswalk with his father and brother when he struck...

UPDATE: Young boy hit by vehicle in Penticton dies; RCMP driver investigated
PENTICTON - The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. is investigating after an off-duty RCMP officer hit and killed a five-year-old pedestrian walking with his family. At roughly 5 p.m. yesterday, Sept. 15, the boy was with his family crossing the road when he was struck. RCMP originally said the boy was four years old but...

Cougar kills domestic goat in Grand Oro area
PENTICTON - Penticton conservation officers are on the lookout for a cougar that killed domestic livestock in the Grand Oro Road area earlier this week. Conservation officer Jim Beck says the cougar is suspected of killing a goat just south of Twin Lakes, reported Sept. 15. Conservation officers visited the site and determined it was...

ELECTION 2015: Green Party announces South Okanagan-West Kootenay candidate
PENTICTON - With a month to go before the federal election, the Green Party of Canada has finally announced a candidate for the South Okanagan-West Kootenay riding. Samantha Troy, a resident of Rossland since 1996, will represent the party in the upcoming Oct. 19 federal election. Troy, who is working toward a masters degreee in...

Arson at car shop in Penticton still under investigation
PENTICTON - An arson at Boyd Autobody and Glass last October is still under investigation and RCMP are hoping someone will be able to provide new information to help move the case forward. On Oct. 3, 2014, Penticton RCMP and the Penticton Fire Department responded to an early morning fire alarm at the repair shop...