Penticton news
KOOPMANS TRIAL: Victim describes shooting in Koopmans trial
PENTICTON - A Penticton courtroom heard Bradley Martin describe how he was shot in a residence near Princeton on March 30, 2013, as the trial of accused murderer John Koopmans continued today. “I looked down and found blood pouring down my chest," Martin said, taking a long pause. “I realized what I had heard was...
Trial begins for man accused in Princeton double homicide
PENTICTON - The trial of a man accused of a double homicide and attempted murder of a third individual near Princeton in 2013 begins in Penticton this morning. The jury trial of John Ike Koopmans is slated to get underway in Penticton Supreme Court this morning, Feb.16. Koopmans was charged in 2013 with two counts...
Fallen climber rescued by Penticton SAR
PENTICTON - A rock climber who fell about six metres at Skaha Bluffs Friday evening was quickly rescued with the help of Penticton Search and Rescue members. The initial call came in just after 8 p.m on Friday, March 27. B.C. Ambulance was first on scene at Skaha Bluffs just southwest of Penticton and soon...
Top Gear episode airs featuring Okanagan highways
OKANAGAN – Residents of the Okanagan will see some familiar scenery in a recently aired episode of the hit BBC television series "Top Gear." In a rare review of two North America’s truck companies, stars James May and Jeremy Clarkson race each other across B.C. in a Ford F150 VelociRaptor and a Chevy Silverado 2500HD....
Penticton mayor disappointed Boonstock not returning
PENTICTON - Penticton mayor Andrew Jakubeit is disappointed by the announcement Boonstock will not be returning to Penticton in 2015. “It is disappointing news. We had seven thousand people from outside our region getting exposed to our beautiful area that won’t be coming back again,” Jakubeit says in an email on Friday, March 27. The...
KOOPMANS TRIAL: Crown challenges Koopmans’ story
"YOU KNOW DAMN WELL THERE IS NO .357 THERE — YOU SENT THEM ON A WILD GOOSE CHASE." PENTICTON - Crown Prosecutor Frank Dubenski hammered accused murderer John Ike Koopmans during cross examination today with questions about a missing handgun Koopmans said he disposed of long before a similar weapon was used once kill two...
Boonstock will not return to Penticton
PENTICTON – The controversial Boonstock music festival will not be back in the South Okanagan this summer. In a posting on its Facebook page, Boonstock Productions has announced it will not be returning to Penticton in 2015. Macklemore headlined the first and only Penticton Boonstock music festival on the August long weekend last summer. There...
Hospital foundation fund continues to grow
PENTICTON - The South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation’s fund raising campaign for the Penticton Regional Hospital Patient Care Tower continues to gain momentum as $400,000 more is pledged to the fund. The Penticton Hospital Auxiliary and the gift shop at PRH have combined to make the pledge over a five year period. The auxiliary will provide...
Proposed legislation will strip presumption of innocence: Defence lawyer
KAMLOOPS – New legislation proposed by the B.C. Liberals this week throws out the presumption of innocence and instead presumes people accused of impaired driving are guilty until they prove otherwise, says a Vancouver defence lawyer specializing in impaired driving. Amendments to the Motor Vehicle Act strengthen the government’s controversial Immediate Roadside Prohibition, which avoids...
KOOPMANS TRIAL: Police waited nearly three hours to inspect crime scene amid chaos
PENTICTON - Police arriving on scene following a report of a double homicide in Princeton found themselves overwhelmed by a chaotic scene, court was told Wednesday. A police officer who acted as primary investigator for the homicides said he found the suspected murder weapon and produced for the jury today, March 25, photographic evidence that...
Rain, snow increase avalanche risk in Interior
OKANAGAN - With less than a week left in March spring is well under way in the valleys, but that doesn’t mean winter conditions are not present on mountain highways or in the backcountry. Avalanche Canada is warning of a moderate to high risk of avalanches in many of the alpine and treeline elevations throughout...
Opinions wanted on local election spending
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Fresh off the heels of the fall municipal election a special committee is now looking at whether spending limits should be put in place for candidates and third party advertisers. The provincial government committee will speak with stakeholders and the public over the coming weeks to discuss whether a limit should be put...
Take a time lapse view of Penticton
PENTICTON - If you've ever wondered what Penticton looked like from the sky 10, 20 or even 30 years ago you can take take a visual history tour of the area using Google Earth Engine. You will see development spread into the surrounding hills as the population increased to about 33,000 from 23,000 and in...
Spring snow at Okanagan resorts leaves ski bums less bummed
OKANAGAN - It may have been a rainy week in the valley, but it was dumping snow at local ski hills. Silver Star Mountain in Vernon got close to 60 cm of new snow in the last week, blanketing alpine runs with a 209 centimetre base. As of Friday morning, all chair lifts except the...
Okanagan-Skaha school board can’t keep budget cuts from impacting students
PENTICTON - The Okanagan-Skaha school district is no different than any other in the province when it comes to budgeting — there isn't enough money coming from the province to keep spending cuts out of the classroom. The province announced how much funding the school districts would be getting just before spring break and it...