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Meaghan Archer
Celebrate the holidays Okanagan Valley-style with Winter Wine Events
OKANAGAN – Okanagan Valley wineries are getting in the holiday spirit with open houses, events,…
Native court workers protest for equal pay
OKANAGAN - Native court workers are standing up against the government asking for equal pay after being cut out of a deal five years ago that increased the wages of others but not court workers. Jack Kruger, a veteran native court worker and counsellor, has spent the past two days outside the Penticton and Kelowna...
Nominate a small B.C. business before time runs out
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The Small Business B.C. Awards is accepting nominations and already a few local businesses and entrepreneurs have been recognized for their contributions and achievements. Nominations and votes will be accepted until Nov. 30, 2014 and is open to all new and existing businesses registered in B.C. with fewer than 50 employees. The Top...
Local innovators create educational kids app
OKANAGAN - Local innovators are putting the Okanagan on the map by creating educational apps that will help kids develop reading skills. Technology expert Tarik Sayeed and veteran educator Brenda Larson have put their knowledge together to create five educational games for kids available on Android tablets. The games are based on a line of...
The Fintry Queen is coming to Penticton
PENTICTON - The Fintry Queen has found a new home on the south shore of Okanagan Lake, after spending years docked in a Kelowna bay. The city of Penticton agreed to a license with Fintry operators, the Okanagan Lake Boat Company, on Monday night. The five-year agreement will cost a total of $70,000 for moorage...
Wine festival a ‘grape’ success
OLIVER - Hundreds of people gathered in Oliver this weekend to test some wines, enjoy the sun, and make a mess stomping grapes at the Festival of the Grape. Wineries from all over the Okanagan set up to sample some of their best vintages, which were well recieved by festival attendees, judging by the comments...
Boonstock presents Safe In Sound Music Festival in Penticton
PENTICTON - Spin tables, LED lights, floor-rattling bass, and sick beats will be pumping out of the events centre when Safe In Sound Festival rolls into town next weekend. The electronic music festival is being promoted by Boonstock Music & Arts Festival, which is offering a discount on tickets and a chance to win VIP...
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...
Mount Baldy expected to reopen for skiing this season
PENTICTON - Mount Baldy may be up-and-running this season despite financial setbacks that kept the ski resort closed last year. The company that has been handling the Mount Baldy foreclosure account, G-Force Real Estate, says the only thing left to do is assemble all the required pieces to re-launch the resort this upcoming season. A...
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...
Penticton man sentenced to five years in prison for sex assault
PENTICTON - A local man was sentenced today to nearly five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to charges of sexual and aggravated assault. Darren MacDonald, 42, appeared in Penticton Supreme Court via video conference from Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre where he has been in custody since Aug. 11, 2013. He pleaded guilty this...
Motorcycle crash kills West Kelowna man
PENTICTON - A West Kelowna man was killed when he crashed his motorcycle into another vehicle this past weekend. On Saturday, Sept. 13, a 42-year-old motorcyclist accelerated straight through a yellow light at the same time an oncoming car was making a left-hand turn at the intersection of Main Street and Industrial Avenue. The motorcyclist...
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...
Penticton entrepreneur heads to Toronto for TEDX
PENTICTON - Less than a year ago, Tarik Sayeed quit his stable job and invested his personal savings into a startup company that he felt would better society. Next month he will represent his company and Penticton at TedXToronto — one of Canada’s largest TED conferences. Sayeed is scheduled to give a presentation on an...
RCMP say Boonstock needs to reimburse government for additional police costs
PENTICTON - RCMP say Boonstock organizers need to reimburse the provincial government for additional police officers required during the festival weekend, after private security failed to provide adequate resources. The two final days of the festival required additional personnel since RCMP had to shift their focus to security and public safety. A new cost analysis...
Crews work overnight to calm blaze between Oliver and Osoyoos
PENTICTON - A wildfire continues to burn between Osoyoos and Oliver in the Inkaneep and Mica Creek area. The fire is estimated to be 18 hectares in size as of Tuesday morning. It is burning Northeast of Osoyoos and Southeast of Oliver. No structures are threatened. There were 19 personnel on site Monday plus two...
This is how a 76-year-old woman responded to threats from Penticton city hall
PENTICTON - A local woman refuses to apologize to city staff about comments she made in letters sent to city staff and council, and puts herself at risk to be sued. Elvena Slump, 76, has been an outspoken member of the public and has written several letters to local media and city council critical of...
ARCHER: Can you have your event and quiet weekend too?
There are always going to be people who don't approve of noise, location or some other detail of an event. Even events like Challenge that are very well accepted by the community and city officials get some negative remarks, such as blocked off roads, congested traffic and loud fireworks. Following social media this week, it...
Skaha Hills Winery to release two labels in 2015
PENTICTON - Skaha Hills Winery is gearing up for this year’s harvest and will release its first batch of white wines next summer. The Winery will release two white labels in 2015, a Viognier, and a Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon blend. Red grapes harvested this year will be made into three red labels—a Merlot, Syrah,...
Bikers stand tall against child abuse
PENTICTON – A group of tattooed and leathered bikers stand outside the Penticton Courthouse, having…
School district ‘extremely disappointed’ with labour strife
KELOWNA - The Central Okanagan Board of Education is ‘extremely disappointed’ in the lack of movement between the B.C. Teachers’ Federation and the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association, which could result in schools not being open next week as planned. Trustees say they have been pushing the two parties to bring in a mediator to...
Boonstock survey: A new location, a new experience
PENTICTON - They came, they saw, they got dirty and partied. Now Boonstock wants to hear from you how it went. Boonstock Music and Arts Festival organizers today released an online survey for festival attendees to provide feedback. The survey was posted on Boonstock’s official Facebook page and people are already posting comments about how to...
This is how young people in Penticton are bringing awareness to mental health
PENTICTON - There's a group of five Penticton 20-somethings creating a plan for a new non-profit organization to help bring support and awareness of mental health to town — because of what happened to someone they know. They gather at a coffee shop on Main Street in downtown Penticton, their computer screens glowing, pages of...
Grass fire near Naramata fully contained
PENTICTON - A grass and open timbre fire burning north of Naramata on Naramata Road yesterday is now fully contained. The Naramata Fire Department is on scene and B.C. Wildfire has three personnel on site to help with mop up with another three-person crew to join later. A five-person Wildfire crew plus 10 fire fighters...