Penticton news
Mussel threat turns real during training session
OKANAGAN - A training session on how to inspect for invasive mussels turned hands-on when a contaminated boat showed up from Ontario. An Ontario couple shipped the boat to the Lower Mainland after it was moored for several months in the mussel-infested Rideau Canal, according to a press release from the Okanagan Basin Water Board....
Smoky skies advisory issued for Penticton
PENTICTON - Residents with respiratory issues are being advised to limit activities as smoke conditions worsen in the South Okanagan. The Ministry of Environment in collaboration with Interior Health, has issued a smoky skies advisory for the South Okanagan today, August 19. The ministry advises residents to avoid strenuous outdoor activities as smoke concentrations are...
Credit card skimmers prompt public warning by RCMP
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Police in the Central Okanagan are once again warning about card skimmers after the devices were discovered in Vernon and Kamloops. Spokeswoman Const. Anne Donnelly of the Kelowna RCMP fraud section, said in a press release there are ways to foil the scam, which requires both your debit card number and your personal...
Vernon cadets show bravery in moments after head-on collision
VERNON - A group of staff cadets and instructors celebrating at a recent graduation parade in Vernon didn’t hesitate to drop what they were doing and run to help those involved in a serious car crash. “The flags were just being marched on and we heard a loud bang,” Major Keri Winkelaar says. “We turned...
How does a local Penticton company one up an A&W float-thru? One word: Relvis
PENTICTON - Earlier this week, the massive burger chain A&W produced a commercial about a stunt on the Penticton channel. Now a home-grown competitor has one-upped the big guys in style: Elvis style. Ralph "Relvis" Ramsay, owner of Houndogs at the mid-way point on the Penticton channel produced a high-quality commercial celebrating ten years in...
Warm fall, mild winter in long-range forecast
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Look for a hotter, drier fall across the Southern Interior if AccuWeather’s long-range fall forecast holds true. Issued by AccuWeather’s global weather centre, the forecast says a stubborn high pressure system anchored over the West coast and abnormally warm water over the north-eastern Pacific have kept the weather warm and dry. This is...
Penticton water users appear unfazed by level four drought conditions
PENTICTON - Recent escalation by the province to a level four drought rating for the Okanagan Valley and the City of Penticton appears to be having little effect on water use in the city. “We’re not meeting our targets,” communications officer Simone Blais says, referring to a July 17 request from the city asking residents...
Cautionary notice from Penticton as B.C. Wildfire crews continue suppression efforts near Oliver
PENTICTON - The City of Penticton is urging residents to take extra care while using interface areas of the municipality. Communications Officer Simone Blais says the city identified high hazard areas last week, including Munson Mountain and the Kettle Valley Trail as places where the public needs to take “that extra step to make sure...
Turning industrial trash into home furnishing treasures
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - There's something quintessentially Canadian about taking an item like a lowly wooden pallet or a fruit packing box and making good use of it. Keith Hamer and his crew take it one step further in an old fruit packing house in Oyama, creating a business to make new furniture out of old wood...
Penticton airport expansion announced
PENTICTON - Rumours of impending expansion of the Penticton Regional Airport are rumour no more. According to a post by Coun. Andre Martin on the Penticton Business website the expansion of the holding area will begin soon. He notes local contractor Greyback Construction was awarded the contract from Public Works and Government Works Canada. The work is expected...
Man who died in Osoyoos jet-ski incident identified
OSOYOOS - The B.C. Coroners Service has identified the man who died in a jet-ski incident on Osoyoos Lake in June. He was Samen Pirzadeh-Tabaei-Zavareh, 34, from North Vancouver. The man and another passenger were riding the jet-ski on June 28 when it capsized due to strong winds and water currents. A passing boat rescued...
Former mayor blasts council for waterpark decision
PENTICTON - Penticton mayor and council received an earful in council chambers last night as those opposed to the proposed waterpark development at Skaha Park addressed council once more. A deal was signed earlier in the month for redevelopment of the Skaha Marina area, but council agreed to hear, once more, from those opposed to...
Doughnuts, deportation and tossed cigarettes keep Penticton police busy
PENTICTON - Crime appears to be taking a bit of a break in the Peach City, although RCMP were still kept busy working at the wildfires that broke out across the region last week. In the past week RCMP dealt with the following incidents, according to RCMP media spokesperson Cpl. Don Wrigglesworth: - Thieves attempted...
Oliver wineries confident wildfires won’t affect quality of crop
OKANAGAN - The full effects of Friday’s wildfires on Oliver wineries may not be known for awhile but winery owners are breathing a sigh of relief no wineries have been lost during the blazes. Fire crews continue to make progress in their efforts to quench the Testalinden Creek and Wilsons Mountain fires this week. What still...
Structure fire at Oliver business
PENTICTON - Oliver has been rocked by another major fire, this time a structure fire to a business. Following two major wildfires near the town last Friday, August 14, the Oliver Fire Department is fighting another fire this afternoon. Members of the Oliver Volunteer Fire Department have been fighting a blaze that broke out at...