Penticton news
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...