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politics
Teens finalists in World Summit Youth Award for epilepsy support
SUMMERLAND - A group of young activists are finalists for the World Summit Youth Award for their work in epilepsy awareness. The Epilepsy Awareness Squad, created by high school students Caitie Shaw and Dan Nixon in June 2013, was among 1896 applicants from 138 UN countries for the award. The group uses its website and...
Casino public hearing set for Aug. 19
KAMLOOPS - If you have questions or concerns about the proposed relocation of the downtown casino to Aberdeen, next week is your chance to make yourself heard. Council decided late last month the public and the company behind the proposed casino relocation should get a chance to speak before any decisions are made as to...
Vassilaki considering trading his council seat for mayor
PENTICTON - Local businessman and city councillor John Vassilaki plans to run for mayor in the upcoming municipal election this fall. Vassilaki says he is considering running for mayor and will make a public announcement at the end of the month. He will have some competition for the hot seat, as current Mayor Garry Litke...
City encourages residents to take WaterWise pledge
PENTICTON - Residents and visitors will get a chance to learn how they can make water work at next week’s farmers’ market. City officials and regional partners will be at the market on Saturday, August 17 encouraging residents to take a pledge to conserve their water use. There are six different types of pledges residents...
Changes to foreign worker policy impacts local ski hills
VERNON - Crackdowns on Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program have put local ski hills in a bind. Ken Derpak, managing director for Silver Star Mountain Resort, says the process for hiring a temporary foreign worker now carries a $1,000 fee. Before the overhauls, it cost only $275 per person. Silver Star typically hires 20 international...
Band chief works to bridge gaps in community
PENTICTON - Penticton Indian Band chief Jonathan Kruger hopes to involve locatees and the band community in development projects, including the new bridge that will be built over the Okanagan River channel. The project is part of Kruger’s big plans to improve the band’s economy and community. The bridge is just a gateway for some...
Hopkin resigns as city councillor
PENTICTON - The youngest member of Penticton City Council, Wes Hopkin, announced he will be resigning as councillor in August, after one short term. Hopkin is moving East to attend law school at the University of Toronto and has to leave before his political term is over this fall because of school scheduling. The council...
Westsyde Road rehab to be complete by fall
KAMLOOPS - Westsyde Road will get a lot of new asphalt this summer and it will be done with a lower price tag than originally thought as well. The road will see more than 70,000 square metres of concrete surface milled and paved, as well as drainage improvements and replacement of all sanitary, storm, water...
Garbage fees going up
KAMLOOPS - If you bring a load of garbage to the landfill you will be looking at higher fees but it should have little impact on the average homeowner who has garbage picked up curb side. Public Works Director Jen Fretz said the hope is increased fees will help divert waste, but it is also...
Senior crossing gets more attention
KAMLOOPS - Though there are more than 110 signatures of support for a full traffic signal at Mayfair Street and Tranquille Road staff still believe the current system is safer. In a petition submitted to council this week residents, volunteers and staff at the RiverBend Seniors Community on Mayfair Street are asking for advanced left...
Hospital expansion gets approval from province
PENTICTON - Premier Christy Clark announced this morning Penticton will get the hospital tower expansion it has been waiting for. “As Penticton continues to grow, so does the demand on services Penticton families rely on, including the hospital,” Clark said in a press release. The Penticton Regional Hospital Patient Care Tower is bigger than originally...
Downtown intersection set to reopen
KAMLOOPS - After a year delay and several months of construction the work connecting access to Riverside Park and the downtown core is nearly complete. Last summer a the city backed off the project because the cost was higher than anticipated and money wasn't available in the capital plan budget to cover it. When it finally resumed,...
Penticton realtor easily wins Conservative nomination in new federal riding
PENTICTON – Members of the federal Conservative party in the new riding of South Okanagan-West Kootenay have picked Marshall Neufeld as their candidate in a landslide. The Penticton real estate agent grabbed 88 per cent of 649 votes cast at nomination meetings in Castlegar, Grand Forks, Osoyoos and Penticton. Neufeld handily beat his only challenger...
IN PHOTOS: Street art of downtown Penticton
PENTICTON - There are a handful of ways to deal with the city's tagging problem, and city officials are looking into them and will hopefully have a decision sooner rather than later as to how the problem can be fixed. In the meantime, here are some photos from around downtown Penticton of murals, graffiti and...
Council looks at options to end the city’s tagging problem
PENTICTON - An end to tagging in downtown Penticton may be just around the corner, so long as council can agree on a feasible and effective plan to eradicate the vandalism. City Council was presented Monday with several solutions to the tagging problem that received a lot of attention in the spring. Already there are...