Pnoct0615
New president and CEO announced for Interior Health
KELOWNA - A new president and chief executive officer has been named for the Interior Health Authority. It was announced at a board meeting today, Oct. 6, that Chris Mazurkewich will take over as president and CEO on Oct. 26. He is replacing Dr. Robert Halpenny, who announced his resignation earlier this year. Halpenny’s last...
Motorcycle thief surrenders after heroin-induced ‘vision’
PENTICTON - Penticton RCMP came across a motorcycle thief, an excessive speeder and several break ins during their patrols last week. Penticton RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Don Wrigglesworth reports a motorcycle belonging to a Surrey resident was found by police Tuesday, Sept. 29, after the driver crashed it on Marina Way near the art gallery. The...
Police find 18-month old child crying, alone on Penticton street early Saturday
PENTICTON - Penticton RCMP report a happy ending to an incident that could have had tragic consequences. RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Don Wrigglesworth says police received a call at approximately 4:45 a.m. Saturday morning, October 3, of an 18-month-old girl crying in the street at Eckhardt Avenue and Argyle Street. Police located the child and walked...
Penticton poet waxes political in ‘The Cut’
PENTICTON - It’s Shane Koyczan at his political best. Koyczan, who is from Penticton, takes Prime Minister Stephen Harper to task in this piece written for the Imagine Oct. 20 campaign, organized by Dan Mangan in association with leadnow.ca. Likening the election campaign to a job interview, Koyczan says the Conservative leader's approach to avoiding...
A Princeton murderer just got a minimum 22 years in prison and still got lucky
PENTICTON - A Penticton judged saved a man convicted of two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder from one of the harshest sentenced meted out in years. John Ike Koopmans was sentenced to three counts of life imprisonment today, Oct. 6 in the slaying of Keith Wharton and his girlfriend Rosemary Fox, but...
The 14-year-old Vernon boy charged with murder has been released
VERNON - A 14-year-old Greater Vernon boy charged with murder is out of jail — at least for the time being. The teen, whose identity is protected under the Youth Act, was released on bail Sept. 22. Details such as what the bail is set at, and the conditions of his release, were not made...
Vernon arsonist sent to jail for lighting townhouse on fire while roommate slept
VERNON - A Vernon man who flicked a cigarette onto a bedroom mattress while his roommate was asleep in another room admitted the act was ‘effing stupid.’ Brandon Joshua Milligan Boyce, 20, turned himself in the same day of the townhouse fire on July 17, 2014. The blaze resulted in over $137,000 in damages to...
Solid consumer confidence drives strong Okanagan housing market
OKANAGAN - As goes the weather, so goes real estate activity, according to the Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board, which is reporting a cooling of sales in September after a robust summer. The Central Okanagan and Shuswap markets continue to strengthen and see an improvement year-to-date over last year,” board president Christopher Miller says in...
New movie of the week being filmed in Osoyoos
OSOYOOS - A new Valentine’s Day TV movie that begins filming this week is being shot entirely in Osoyoos. A Hand in Love is a ‘story about true love in an on again - off again relationship.’ The movie will feature a young couple dealing with business, a vineyard, a blog and a baby. The...
City of Penticton purchases $1.5M parcel of land
PENTICTON - The City of Penticton has acquired a piece of real estate adjacent to the South Okanagan Events Centre property on Power Street. The announcement was made during Monday night’s council meeting, Oct. 5, and came following an in camera discussion following from a previous meeting. The 1.495 acre parcel is located at 903...