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Safety
Fire on Fairview contained and under investigation
PENTICTON - Flames poured through the windows of an apartment building on Fairview Road Thursday in the early evening. The fire was on the fourth floor of the Kirkland apartment building at 803 Fairview Road, according to Global News. One person was taken to hospital by ambulance before fire crews arrived. Their current condition is not known....
What the police expense report for Boonstock looks like
PENTICTON - The police expense report from the Boonstock festival weekend in August has been made public and reveals hundreds of thousands of dollars in overtime, car cleaning services and general supplies. The police report, released by the provincial government Monday, outlines the $252,715 in policing costs—both anticipated and unexpected—for the August long weekend when over...
City is giving you a heads up
VERNON – Now that we are back on standard time, and it’s dark for the commute home from work or school, the City of Vernon is asking drivers, cyclists and pedestrians to keep their heads up. The Heads Up campaign is an effort to raise awareness about the increased risk of crashes. “Pedestrians and cyclists...
Fire in southwest hills almost out
PENTICTON - A large slash pile fire that started on Wednesday night on the Southwest hills of Penticton is nearly out after if was left to burn out naturally. The Penticton Indian Band fire crew stood by the fire that was approximately 100 square feet and 20 feet high but because of the size of...
Southwest hills ablaze in possible logging fire
PENTICTON - A fire that began burning on Penticton Indian Band land Wednesday night is being controlled by the Band Fire Department, however it will take a few days to burn out since it is too large a fire to put out. Dispatch received calls about the fire on the Southwest hills just before 7...
North Okanagan voters prepare to make multi-million dollar decision
NORTH OKANAGAN REGIONAL DISTRICT DOESN'T KNOW WHAT IT WILL DO IF RESIDENTS VOTE NO VERNON - If North Okanagan voters say yes to borrowing millions of dollars for improvements to the water system in an upcoming referendum, the answer is easy: the upgrades get done. But if they say no, things get complicated. Right now,...
Machinery running on graveyard shift the night teen worker died was an anomaly
VERNON - A Tolko employee knew two days in advance machines would be running during the ordinarily quiet graveyard clean-up shift to accommodate extra production, a coroner’s inquiry into the death of a Lumby teen heard Thursday. Bradley Haslam, 18, became entangled in a conveyer belt at Tolko’s Lavington mill in June 2013 and died....
Penticton gets two more fire fighters and home-base training
PENTICTON - The city is expanding its firefighting resources by adding three personnel, including a training officer, to the team. Two firefighters and a training officer will be hired to start January 1, 2015. Discussions with the Penticton Indian Band led the city to expand its coverage area and allow the band’s volunteer firefighters to...
Son fundraises for parents who lost home in fire
PENTICTON - The children of Penticton house fire victims are fundraising money to help get their parents back on their feet. Last Thursday, the house at 313 Norton Street went up in flames, taking down the roof and leaving much of the building destroyed. The couple living in the home were renters, and have been...
Teens reclaim social media by spreading #cyberlove
PENTICTON - A couple of Summerland highschool students are encouraging their peers to spread the love online through a new campaign. Caitie Shaw and Dan Nixon started the #cyberlove campaign through the Youth Empowerment Project to connect with and empower youth all over the world to create positive change. The campaign kicks off on October 10—World...
House fire takes down roof, everyone safe
PENTICTON - The roof of a Penticton home came crashing down in flames last night after flames originated in the home’s kitchen. Penticton Fire Department was called at 8:40 p.m. Thursday night to attend a possible kitchen fire at 313 Norton Street. Two engines and six fire fighters attended the scene, and two additional alarms...
Government paves over safety feature because of ‘noise complaints’
OYAMA - The Ministry of Transportation is removing a safety feature on the new highway in Lake Country to spare nearby residents an associated rumbling sound. Rumble strips, the grooved edges found on most highways, were installed on the new $78-million section of Highway 97 through Oyama but it seems the feature had an unpleasant...
How the Penticton Indian Band is handling wild horses
PENTICTON - Wild horses are becoming a greater problem in Penticton as they continue to wander off band land and onto highways, causing injury to themselves and drivers. But despite the need to remove hundreds of horses, the band chief says there will always be horses on their land. There are over 600 horses on...
Boil water notice issued for Trout Creek
TROUT CREEK - A boil water notice was issued on Wednesday for Trout Creek residents and businesses. It's possible contamination entered the water system on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2014, according to Interior Health. Residents should boil water for at least a minute before using it for drinking water, cleaning, or cooking. To contact the reporter...
Dogs get between cougars and people during two Osoyoos encounters
OSOYOOS - Two people encountering cougars in Osoyoos were fortunate to be with their dogs when the chance meetings occurred. A cougar was spotted near Magnolia Place (Destiny Beach) on Monday, Sept. 29 around 8:30 p.m. The cougar was chased off by a dog who came back injured but with blood on his mouth, according...
A Penticton proposal getting support from unexpected places
PENTICTON - Penticton council has an unexpected supporter for its push to put oversight for large-scale events under the provincial umbrella—the Boonstock Music and Arts festival. All but one member of Penticton's councillors and mayor used the Union of B.C. Municipalities Convention this week to lobby provincial government ministers hard to take on the regulatory...
Man killed in motorcycle crash identified
PENTICTON - The man killed in a motorcycle accident in Penticton over the weekend has been identified. PENTICTON - Kevin Michael Bradley Vezina, a 41-year-old man from Penticton, collided with a pickup truck at the intersection of Main Street and Industrial Avenue on Saturday afternoon. He was thrown from his bike and suffered injuries which...
Ministry of Environment won’t research proposed Lavington pellet plant
VERNON - The only public consultation and technical information the Ministry of Environment will review as part of its approval process for a pellet plant in Lavington will come from the proponent of the project itself. According to the Ministry, it conducts no further research or discussion with stakeholders in cases such as this, but...
UPDATE: Wildfire burning north of Princeton 90 per cent contained
PRINCETON - A wildfire north of Princeton is 90 per cent contained, as of Tuesday morning. The wildfire has grown to 182 hectares from the 110 ha estimated Monday morning. It is believed to be human caused, said Kayla Pepper, fire information officer with B.C. Wildfire. The fire was first reported Sunday at around 5...
Wildfire burning off Green Mountain Road 80 per cent contained
PENTICTON - The wildfire burning west of Penticton near Shingle Creek and Green Mountain Road is 80 per cent contained as of Tuesday morning. The fire is estimated to be 18.5 hectares in size and was quite visible when it began burning late Monday afternoon. There were five firefighters working overnight, and 26 firefighters are...
Oliver home engulfed in flames
OLIVER - A home in Oliver was engulfed in flames early Friday morning. Firefighters were able to take control of the blaze and prevent it from spreading to neighbouring houses. Police said the home at 6036 Station Street was unoccupied and and it does not appear that anyone was hurt. Police are investigating the fire...
Boil water notice issued for Summerland
SUMMERLAND - A boil water notice is in effect for Summerland after contaminants entered the district’s water stream during a water treatment process Monday. The notice was issued Monday afternoon around 3:30 p.m. While there was only a small amount of contaminants that entered the system, safety precautions needed to take effect, said Devon Van...
RCMP: Pressure for emergency services reaches unprecedented level over long weekend
PENTICTON - RCMP said the pressure Boonstock put on emergency services over the long weekend was taken to unprecedented levels. In a statement released Wednesday, Const. Kris Clark said the large number of overdoses and the death of a 24-year-old Alberta woman caused “alarm for the overwhelmed emergency and security operations”. RCMP provided additional resources...
Two hikers injured near Ellis Creek Canyon in last 24 hours
PENTICTON - Search and Rescue is conducting a medical evacuation for a woman who fractured her leg while hiking on the Ellis Canyon Trail. Fifteen Ground and Rope team members along with two Rescue trucks were dispatched to the area. PENSAR First Responders conducted emergency First Aid to stabilize and prepare the female patient for evacuation,...