Shannon Quesnel
Child sex crimes takes toll on officers as well as victims
TWO RCMP PROGRAMS TARGET CHILD PORN, REPEAT SEX OFFENDERS THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Child victims of sexual crimes and their families aren't the only ones scarred; the pain often extends to those who reach out to help, such as the police officers who investigate the crimes. Surrey RCMP Staff Sgt. Bev Csikos says the work is not...
Tulameen River shoreline gets scrubbed clean after spill
PRINCETON - Coalmont Energy Corp. has been ordered to clean the Tulameen River shoreline affected by Saturday's 24,605 litre spill of coal mine tailing water. The Ministry of Environment clean-up order to the company was part of the government's investigation following the incident which turned Tulameen River water black. Both the ministry and the Interior...
Labour Day weekend fun, dangerous
PENTICTON - The grey veil over Penticton is predicted to lift come Friday afternoon to reveal sunshine until Monday. This spells good news for sun lovers as the Labour Day weekend is considered a last chance grab at summertime fun. Children will be going to back to school starting Tuesday, unless of course their vacation...
Truck struck, 5 sent to hospital
SUMMERLAND - A car versus truck smashup near Summerland Wednesday sent a local and four others to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A 1991 GMC pickup driven by a Summerland man, 79, was entering Highway 97 from Arkell Road sometime before 4:30 p.m. where it was struck by a 2013 Ford Focus driven by a Penticton...
Nearly 800 ballots cast in advance voting
PENTICTON - Advance polls for the upcoming Sept. 7 byelection are in with 793 votes cast. It was four votes shy of tieing with the 797 advance ballots filled out for the general election in 2011. Wednesday's advance polling station took in 416 ballots and Thursday's station accepted 377, city spokesperson Simone Blais said. With...
Environment ministry, IH assure river is safe after coal mine spill
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Just because Tulameen River water has turned black does not mean there's cause for alarm. The B.C. environment ministry and the Interior Health Authority assure the public the black water, caused by 24,605 litres of dark water overflowing a coal mining site's tailing pond, has little or no impact to drinking water sources...
Former councillor defends record at candidate night
PENTICTON - Mayoral candidate Garry Litke defended city council's actions on land deals and transparency at Tuesday's meet-the-candidates event at Penticton Lakeside Resort. Mayoral candidate Vic Powell attacked candidate Litke's record on city council and cited a botched Eckhardt Avenue land deal. The mayoral portion, which also included candidate and first-timer Brian Henningson, came after...
Hungry bears looking for easy food in yards, fields
PENTICTON - It's pretty simple to prevent bruins from becoming 'bad news bears'. Homeowners should keep their yards free from trash and fruit growers should leave no fruit on the ground and keep their fences electrified. People who follow these steps and obey the rules can go a long way in keeping bears from being...
More caution for drivers as children go back to school
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - RCMP want the new school year to go smoothly and that means drivers need to slow down and watch for children. Children will be back to walking or biking to school or getting on and off a bus next week. Unless otherwise posted a 30 kilometre per hour speed limit is in effect...
High heat, hot brakes can lead to burning cars, wildfires
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Your cool car can become an even hotter ride if it catches fire thanks to bad brakes and leaking oil. Fire departments in Osoyoos, Penticton, Okanagan Falls and Oliver responded to seven reported vehicle fires since the beginning of August and on July 31 the Penticton Fire Department drenched a burning Jeep Cherokee...
Winery, fire department team-up to save safety village
PENTICTON - The Penticton Safety Village is in trouble and the Penticton Fire Department needs help to save it. The village is a mock set of streets, buildings and road signs used to teach children rules of the road, bicycle safety, fire hazards and home fire escapes. Located on 490 Edmonton Ave., the village is...
Naramata remembers 2003 Okanagan fire with T-shirt
NARAMATA - Selling T-shirts commemorating the 2003 Okanagan Mountain Park fire for charity brought back memories for the Naramata Volunteer Fire Department. Acting fire chief Tony Trovao was at last Saturday's Downtown Penticton Market selling the black and green T-shirts and sharing stories with visitors. One was an Australian firefighter who was in town to...
Stanley Cup comes to Penticton
PENTICTON - The Stanley Cup will be raised in the city thanks to two-time cup champion Duncan Keith. The Chicago Blackhawks defenceman and former Penticton Panther player will hoist the Stanley Cup, at Gyro Park on Saturday at 11 a.m. to celebrate Keith's 2013 Stanley Cup victory. Every member of the Chicago Blackhawks team enjoys...
Challenge Penticton wraps up with local man winning first
PENTICTON - Okanagan Falls and Penticton were covered in swimmers, joggers and cyclists for the inaugural Challenge Penticton triathlon Sunday. Jeffrey Symonds of Penticton placed first overall while other locals fought for some of the top places. Hundreds of volunteers and thousands of fans, friends and family members lined the streets where the races took...
Cannabis-oil advocate to talk cancer-cures
PENTICTON - A cannabis crusader will make his pitch about marijuana's cancer curing powers this Tuesday but another advocate expressed caution about making such claims. Rick Simpson has been advocating for cannabis and its oil as a cure for certain illnesses including different forms of cancer since 1997. He was inspired to spread his claims...