Penticton news
The power of information during electrical failure
WHO HAS IT, WHO DOESN'T THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - When the power goes out, so do most of the things we depend on for life and business — lights, refrigerators, internet, air conditioning, point-of-sale machines, cash machines — and depending on which power company you use, so does information. The Thompson-Okanagan is divided between Fortis B.C. and...
Smoky skies advisory issued for entire Thompson-Okanagan region
THOMPSON OKANAGAN – If the visible smoke in the sky wasn't enough to warn you, a smoky skies advisory has now been issued for a large portion of the Southern Interior. The Ministry of Environment, in collaboration with the Interior Health Authority, has issued a smoky skies advisory for the Thompson, Shuswap, Nicola, Fraser Canyon,...
Suspicious fire damages businesses in Osoyoos
OSOYOOS - A fire at the back of a fitness facility and bowling alley on Highway 97 last week was deliberately set, according to Osoyoos RCMP. Around 3:45 a.m. on July 2 RCMP members noticed smoke coming from the rear of Vengeance Fitness and Kobau Lanes Bowling Alley on Highway 97. They found flames starting...
RCMP reunite missing dog with family
KAMLOOPS - Saundra Potter didn’t expect to come home without a dog when she took a family trip to Kelowna to run an errand. Potter and her three children left their dog Bailey in the back of her truck with a blanket, food and water when they entered a store to grab barbecue supplies last...
Mental health issues at root of Osoyoos convenience store robberies
PENTICTON - A Penticton provincial court judge sympathized with a young man suffering from mental issues after two bungled robbery attempts in Osoyoos. Twenty-four year old Aaron Paul Hillstad will only spend one day in jail after receiving credit for time served, but will face two years’ probation under a number of strict terms following...
Ribfest ready to return to Penticton next year
PENTICTON - A first-time event that took place in Penticton this weekend looks like it has staying power. The Penticton Rotary’s first ever Ribfest completed a three-day run in the city’s Lakeside Park this past weekend. A tired but content Ribfest chairperson, Barb Hoolaeff, calls it an 'awesome weekend.' “The Ribbers estimated 20,000 people attended...
Man accused of running down paper carrier during police chase won’t face judge until 2016
KELOWNA – A preliminary inquiry of prolific offender Donald Maxwell Brodie, accused of critically injuring a paper carrier while evading a police road block in 2013, has been set for early 2016. Brodie, 35, is charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm, flight causing bodily harm, impaired driving causing bodily harm and two counts of...
Serious leg injury for motorcyclist avoiding tow truck
OSOYOOS - A motorcyclist trying to avoid a tow truck backing out of a driveway lost control and crashed his bike on 82nd Avenue late last week. Cpl. Jason Bayda with Osoyoos RCMP says a 56-year-old Osoyoos man was travelling east on the roadway around 2 p.m. on Friday, July 3, when he tried to...
Hikers missing for seven days in the backcountry tell their story
KEREMEOS – An Ontario couple who went missing in the Similkameen Valley southwest of Keremeos late last month have have decided to share their experience. Rick Moynan and Lynne Carmody were first declared missing by staff at Cathedral Lakes Lodge when they did not return from hiking by supper time, Monday, June 22. What followed...
Single vehicle crash on Highway 3 sends six to hospital
OSOYOOS - A single vehicle collision Sunday morning sent six people to hospital after the vehicle left the road and went down an embankment. The crash happened around 9:30 a.m., July 5, near Kobau Mountain west of Osoyoos. A four-door Honda Civic with six occupants left the road and went down an embankment. All the...
Seasonal workers add to Penticton soup kitchen clientele
PENTICTON - It may be summer, but there is no sign of diminishing need at the Penticton Soupateria. Past President Keray Lavant says the volunteers fed 185 people on Friday, July 3. That’s up from a normal summer day of 160. “We’re normally cleaned up and out of here by 12:30 p.m., but it’s 1...
Regional district celebrates pedestrians, transit
PENTICTON - The regional district kicked off July by celebrating a new community walkway and showing its appreciation for ridership on the South Okanagan Transit system. The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen held an official ribbon cutting ceremony on Canada Day with local political dignitaries and a handful of Kaleden residents. In a regional district release,...
Trial ends for Okanagan women accused of defrauding govt of $200 million in taxes
"I THOUGHT IT WAS GREAT. I'D NEVER MADE THAT KIND OF MONEY." KELOWNA – She got paid the same as her business partner - up to $7,000 a month - but she was only a secretary. At least that’s what one of the two women accused of helping 224 clients defraud the Canada Revenue Agency...
Eats, arts, and all things Scottish in Penticton this weekend
PENTICTON - Penticton is the place to be this weekend if you like food, art or just about anything Scottish. The Rotary Club’s Ribfest is already underway in Okanagan Park, and promises to be a very busy place this weekend. “It’s our first and hopefully to become an annual event," Rotary Chair for Volunteers Craig...
No changes planned for city traffic system in spite of increased volume
PENTICTON - Penticton motorists don’t have much to complain about when it comes to traffic issues in the city but with summer here, traffic on city streets is on the rise. The influx of summer visitors and the corresponding increase in vehicles on local highways, combined with traffic changes in the city’s south end this...