Shannon Quesnel

Shannon Quesnel

Summerland’s proposed tax increase will just cover the basics

SUMMERLAND - Summerland council is considering raising property taxes by two per cent and other rates just to pay for what it already has. Mayor Janice Perrino said the two per cent general property tax increase, combined with a 3.6 per cent increase in electrical rates and a five per cent increase for sewage rates will...

City council upset with Fortis raising substation ticket price

"I FEEL LIKE I'M GETTING SCREWED WITH MY PANTS ON." PENTICTON - Council is angry with Fortis B.C. asking for $750,000 extra when it already agreed to a $4.96-million deal to upgrade the city's Westminster electrical substation. The $4.96 million project will pay for substation upgrades and installation of a 12 kilovolt transformer. The work...

Fourth stolen Toyota recovered

PENTICTON - The fourth vehicle stolen from Penticton Toyota on Jan. 14 has been recovered and returned to the dealership. The bronze 2014 Toyota Tundra, the last of the four to be recovered, was found in a dense wooded area in Lake Country Friday afternoon. Kelowna RCMP received a tip about the pickup and found...

Newborn baby found near drugs during police bust

PENTICTON - Police found a 5 month old baby near drugs and drug paraphernalia during a raid on a Toronto Avenue home. The infant was found during one of several searches made by the RCMP on Thursday. Eleven arrests were made for alleged drug and drug-related offences. The Penticton RCMP Drug Task Force executed two...

UPDATE: Three of four Toyotas now recovered

"THIS WAS A WEIRD EVENT." PENTICTON - Three of four brand-new Toyotas stolen from a Penticton car lot last week have now been recovered and one is already already back on the lot with a for sale sign in the window. A 2014 Toyota RAV4 was found by a resident in the 600 block of...

Smoke from burning fish tank forces family from home

SUMMERLAND - A fish tank fire is suspected to have been put out by its own water supply when the tank broke open according to the Summerland Fire Department. Firefighters attended a smoke-filled home on Cartwright Avenue earlier this morning to find a family of four standing outside. Assistant fire chief George Pugh said one...

Wanted man might be in Penticton

PENTICTON - A man wanted by the Calgary Police Service might be in the Penticton area. Bradley Dennis Gustavson, 38, is wanted on seven warrants for threats to kill his domestic partner, criminal harassment and breaches of recognizance. He's 5'7", weighs about 150 pounds and has brown eyes and brown hair. He has tattoos on...

Cowork Penticton offers flexible workspace, human contact

PENTICTON - Advancing technology makes working out-of-office more and more viable but professionals who use Cowork Penticton know face-to-face contact with like minds is just as important as a high-speed Internet connection. Described as a shared professional workspace Cowork Penticton has desks, meeting rooms, web connections, a photocopier and more. Among its members are corporate...

Meat store to reopen this week following Grimm collision

PENTICTON - A and K Grimm Sausage on Eckhardt Avenue was hit by a Toyota on Saturday when a driver stamped on the accelerator instead of the brake. RCMP Sgt. Rick Dellebuur said an 82-year-old woman collided her car with the front of the meat store sometime around 2:15 p.m. She hit the accelerator and...

Fire chief to recommend less fire inspections

PENTICTON - There'll be less fire inspections if council approves efficiency changes recommended by the city's fire chief. The current policies call for most buildings to be inspected six times a year but fire chief Wayne Williams said there are not enough fire inspectors. He will recommend changes to the frequency of fire inspections at...

Smoke inhalation cause of motel room death: coroner

PENTICTON - A young Penticton woman found dead last summer in a motel room with an inoperative smoke detector died of smoke inhalation according to a B.C. Coroner's report released today. Coroner Jeb Maddock's investigation into the death of Kimberly Lynn Lakey, 27, deterimined she was killed from carbon monoxide poisoning while in her room at...

How a young Burger 55 customer owned up to her mistake

"I WILL NEVER DO IT AGAIN. I PROMISE." PENTICTON - A hand-written apology over a minor case of dine-and-dash has Burger 55's owner Chris Boehm eager to contact the guilty party. Yesterday the owner of the iconic burger shop received a mailed letter from a girl named Bethany from Meridian, Idaho. Inside was a hand-written...

School bus flips onto side on Reimer Road

VERNON - A school bus that slid and flipped onto its side on Reimer Road at about 8:30 a.m. was spotted by firefighters working in the area. Vernon RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk said the fire crew rushed over to help the the occupants of the school bus. The 24 students and one driver were headed...

UPDATE: Chance of freezing drizzle continues

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN — Dense fog is expected to persist and freezing drizzle could fall through tomorrow morning according to Environment Canada. Forecasters warn much of Southern B.C. including the Okanagan Valley, Shuswap, Nicola, South Thompson and North Thompson regions could see icy rain following the thick fog and valley cloud which has been hanging over the...

City councillor set to buy Legion hall

PENTICTON - A Penticton councillor is only a few details away from owning the Royal Canadian Legion Hall. John Vassilaki has agreed to buy the place with the stipulation the majority of the building's interior, about 483 square meters or 5,200 square feet, be used for Royal Canadian Legion activities. This will leave about 186...