Penticton

Penticton not alone in hunt for top bureaucrat

PENTICTON - Finding new, high level municipal bureacrats is neither quick or easy, as two communities in the South Okanagan are discovering as they attempt to replace their Chief Administrative Officers. Penticton has engaged the services of a recruitment agency following Annette Antoniak’s departure in February, while Keremeos is faced with a similar process with...

Harry Potter on trial during Penticton Law Week event

PENTICTON - Penticton middle and high school students have a date in Penticton courthouse tomorrow. They will be there with members of the Provincial Crown Counsel and those of the local bar to conduct two mock trials as part of Law Week, Friday, April 17. The first trial, beginning at 10 a.m., will have Harry...

Kelowna to review prayer policy after Supreme Court ruling bans them at public meetings

KELOWNA - A ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada about conducting prayers at public meetings has prompted the City of Kelowna to review its own council procedures bylaw. While there are no prayers given at regular council meetings, deputy city clerk Karen Needham says a prayer is offered at the public hearings held every...

Vees pick up another win in cup final

PENTICTON - The Penticton Vees are back at home with two wins in their back pocket after an 8-5 win Tuesday night over the Nanaimo Clippers in game three of the B.C. Hockey League Fred Page Cup Final. The Vees scored four times in the second period to build up a 5-2 lead and were...

Airport names former Kelowna mayor and councillor to advisory committee

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The group that advises Canada’s largest municipally-run airport will soon be joined by a couple of new faces familiar to people in the Central Okanagan. Kelowna’s former mayor Walter Gray and former city councillor Andre Blanleil, along with industry representative Meryle Corbett were all appointed to four-year terms on the Kelowna Internnational Airport...

More snow on Interior highways

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - After more than 30 centimetres of snow fell on some Interior highways this past weekend, the white stuff continues to fall. The Coquihalla Summit had more than 30 cm fall in two days and after a one day reprieve, another 6 cm fell at the highway pass overnight. The Okanagan Connector also received...

Late snow to hit Interior highways this weekend

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A spring snow storm is expected to drop up to 10 centimetres of wet snow on Southern Interior highways this weekend. According to Environment Canada, an unseasonably cool frontal system will reach the coast by Friday evening and rain will change to snow over the mountain passes early Saturday morning. So far 5...

Local electronics retailer expands as big box stores close shop

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If Andre Blanleil gets any satisfaction from the demise of his retail competitor, electronics giant Future Shop, he doesn’t show it. “They were good competitors. They did a good job for the market they were going after,” the president of Andres Group of companies says. The regional chain operates 21 locations under the...

Sunny today, cloudy for final ski day of season

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - We may be starting the day well below seasonal normals but the next couple of days will be sunny and warm. Seasonal normal low temperatures sit at 2 Celsius in Kamloops and 3 C through the Okanagan while seasonal normal high temperatures range from 14 C to 16 C. Today has started off...

Stolen vehicle rams police cruiser in Osoyoos

OSOYOOS - A stolen car being pulled over rammed the police vehicle making the stop before fleeing the scene Friday night. Osoyoos RCMP say an officer pulled over a 1994 Toyota Camry in Osoyoos just before midnight on Friday, April 3. As the member pulled in behind the car the suspect put the vehicle in...

Total lunar eclipse an Easter weekend treat

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Play a little hide and seek with one of the biggest ‘eggs’ you can find this week — a total lunar eclipse is scheduled to take place this Easter weekend. According to Time and Date, the moon will be totally eclipsed for about five minutes early Saturday morning with the event set to...

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...

Mother Nature’s take on April Fools’ Day: A mix of snow, rain and thunderstorms

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - After dropping upwards of 20 centimetres of snow on some highway passes Tuesday, the first day of April could also bring more rain, more snow and a chance of thunderstorms to the Interior. Temperatures should hit the double-digit mark today, but will hover just below seasonal normals of 12 Celsius to 14 C,...

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...

FORECAST: This could get loud

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - One more day and you might have thoughts the folks at Environment Canada were playing an odd April Fool’s Day prank, but it is only March 31 and there is a chance of thunderstorms in parts of the region today. In Kamloops, Environment Canada is calling for a 70 per cent chance of...

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...

Good times guaranteed at Okanagan Fest of Ale

PENTICTON - Beer lovers rejoice, in little more than two weeks, the doors open at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre to celebrate the 20th Annual Okanagan Fest of Ale. Tickets are still available but selling fast for the event that starts Friday, April 10 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. and runs through Saturday,...

Local clothing stores to remain open under creditor protection

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The company behind Cleo, Bootlegger and Ricki’s has filed for creditor protection but says at this point all stores will remain open. Comark Inc. filed for protection today, March 26 and plans on using it to bring stability to restructuring of its operations. "For our customers and employees, what is most important is...

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...

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...

South Penticton development gets ready to dig into phase two

PENTICTON - More development is on the way for land overlooking Skaha Lake as the company responsible for the development prepares to launch phase two of the 600-home residential resort community. The $250-million Skaha Hills project in the southern area of Penticton is moving along in small increments, with 20 of their 47 phase one...

Penticton athlete nominated to compete in 2015 Toronto Parapan Am Games

PENTICTON - An athlete from Penticton is among 40 nominated to the Canadian swim team competing this summer at the Toronto 2015 Parapan Am Games. Andrew Cooke of Penticton will compete alongside Vernon swimmers Sarah Mehain and Riley McLean during the games, according to a media release. "It was such an honour to announce the...

Interior Target stores will be closed before Easter

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - By April 2 a total of 62 Target stores will be shut down, including those in Vernon, Kelowna and Kamloops. Target Canada opened doors in Western Canada in May 2013. In January 2015 it was announced the company would be shutting down all 133 stores and liquidation sales began immediately. Last week the...