Shannon Quesnel
Regional district examines limiting garbage to one bag
PENTICTON - More bylaw enforcement teeth and limiting homes to only one garbage bag on the curb could generate some heat in the regional district board room tomorrow. At previous meetings Director Tom Siddon of the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen complained bylaw enforcement didn't have enough muscle or lacked clear direction. Tomorrow's discussion will seek...
Lawyer fires client after argument in court
PENTICTON - A prolific offender is facing jail time and his defence lawyer wants nothing to do with him. Attorney Robert Maxwell told Provincial Court Judge Gregory Koturbash he was firing his client, Andrew Robert Hardenstine, 33, who pleaded guilty to possessing illegal firearms, drug possession and other crimes committed in mid-September. Hardenstine was busted...
Arctic apple producer to seek fed approval despite opposition
PENTICTON - An orchardist is hoping a genetically modified, non-browning apple might boost the industry but that's not how others in the business see it. Neal Carter and Okanagan Specialty Fruits in Summerland have been working on a solution to reverse shrinking apple sales. He said the public would be more likely to buy a...
Bobbitt to be sentenced in Penticton
PENTICTON - A Supreme court justice agrees David Wesley Bobbitt should be sentenced in Penticton but the convicted sex offender can be transferred to Kelowna if security is in danger of being compromised. Sheriff Staff Sgt. Tracey Biro said he was obligated to tell the court his security and safety concerns earlier this month. Crown...
Taxi company needs city OK to add wheelchair vans
PENTICTON - Wheelchairs are common in Penticton but what's not nearly as common are taxi cabs designed to transport the one-person movers. Penticton Klassic Kabs wants a support letter from the city from tonight's council meeting to expand its taxi cab fleet with three wheelchair-capable vans. Kabs president Amar Kahlon is applying for the vans...
New housing development passes council, fails residents
PENTICTON - New home construction will go ahead in the Dartmouth Drive area despite plenty of opposition. City leadership voted unanimously on Monday night to allow 2725 Dartmouth Dr. and other nearby locations be the new home of more than two dozen new houses. "This is my third time speaking in front of the council,"...
Tickets, charges go out with suspended RCMP officer
PENTICTON - The suspension of an Osoyoos RCMP officer is having a ripple effect on those he arrested and ticketed. Lawyers James Pennington and Don Skogstad had clients arrested by suspended Const. Amit Goyal and those charges have been dropped by Crown prosecutors. Pennington said his client was charged with driving while prohibited and Goyal...
Crown, defence fight to keep Bobbitt case in Penticton
PENTICTON - Defence and Crown attorneys want convicted sex offender David Wesley Bobbitt to be sentenced in Penticton—not Kelowna. Defence lawyer James Pennington and Crown prosecutors Vern Frolick and Deb Drissell agreed they want to keep the case at home. The lawyers were responding to security concerns raised earlier by Penticton Sheriff Tracey Biro who said...
B.C. Coroner identifies victim found in burning home
PENTICTON - The woman found dead in Thursday's mobile home fire is Julianna Dorothy Dolores Bergum, 81, of Penticton, according to the B.C. Coroners Service. Firefighters discovered her body inside her burning home, unit 18 at Figueira's Mobile Home Park Thursday afternoon. Bergum was alone in the mobile home when neighbours noticed it was on fire...
Power outage hits city’s north end
UPDATED at 2:17 p.m., Nov. 15, 2013 PENTICTON - Power has been restored to the entire city as of 11:11 a.m. including the Naramata Road area and the smaller pockets in the community. UPDATED at 9 a.m., Nov. 15 2013 PENTICTON - City and Fortis B.C. staff might have to re-route electricity to solve an...
Penticton band, city should be south Okanagan capital: chief
"THEY ARE ACTUALLY STARTING TO FEEL THE CHANGE AND I THINK THAT'S A GOOD THING." PENTICTON - With a $250-million land deal for a resort community and $18 million for community projects, Penticton Indian Band Chief Jonathan Kruger intends to follow in the footsteps of Westbank First Nation and Osoyoos Indian Band. Those bands have...
Former Summerland scientist to speak against GMOs
OSOYOOS - A former Summerland Research Station scientist will talk about the risks of genetic engineering technology he once helped to advance. Dr. Thierry Vrain, is a retired soil biologist and former head of the biotechnology department at the Summerland Research Station who was paid to promote genetically engineered organisms. After a 30-year career with...
Microscopic chlorine leak prompts evacuation
PENTICTON - Extremely tiny chlorine leaks at the Penticton Community Centre prompted two evacuations early Thursday morning. Pool users were wrapped in blankets and escorted to the Memorial Arena after an alarm sounded just before 7:45 a.m. a building official said. Maintenance staff were working on the chlorine system used to disinfect the pool when...
Song, toys, joys this weekend in Penticton
PENTICTON - Winter is coming and it's bringing gifts and cheer instead of gloom and doom. The SS Sicamous Christmas Market is first up with handmade crafts and eclectic gifts Saturday and Sunday. Both floors of the vessel will be crammed with samples of baked goods and camaraderie as such events are excuses to catch...
Women society wants new all-in-one service building
PENTICTON - It could be five years before women fleeing abuse will have a place to go to that offers it all — emergency housing, lawyers, and family councelors — but changes are happening at the current facility. These days, the South Okanagan Women in Need Society, having shifted their office from the second floor...