Mystery spot location contest

The oliver DAILY news is offering two tickets for Swing Night Band at Medici’s Gelateria & Coffee House.

All you have to do is ídentify the mystery spot and email the answer to us at oliverdailynews@gmail.com

Dance to the Music of Iris Larratt & Jazz Out West on Saturday, September 18. Doors open at 7 p.m. Entertainment from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.  This is a licensed event. No minors.

Two tickets, valued at $24 will go to the first person to correctly identify the mystery location.

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Bare with us – was it a mail?

Picture by Brandt Leinor  The answer is behind the post office near Kiwanis Village at about 4 o’clock Tuesday. Seems like Kyle and Brandt the only ones around to see it. Have no idea what happened or where the bear went but – evidence of bear was found that morning on the hike and bike trail. 

Barely enough facts.

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Sockeye on ice

Fresh ocean sockeye salmon being sold at the Inkameep Food and Fuel this week at about $5 a pound. Here salmon are being transferred to a small container for the lineup of customers.

Local Okanagan/Columbia salmon have begun their journey to the spawning grounds, but it’s early in the season and only a few have been spotted in the Oliver area on the river. It is usual for spawning to occur in mid October to mid November.

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Lots of traffic around schools first day

With all the tradesman parking at the Southern Okanagan Secondary School  construction project and all the parent dropping off students – it was a tough day to manoever the school buses for the first official day of the 2010-2011 scholastic year.

A new school year is upon us!  Classes started at 8:30 am (Tuesday September 7).  This is a short instructional day; elementary school students will be dismissed at 11:00 am.  Bus students will be home approximately 3.5 hours sooner than on regular school days.

Expect a newsletter home during the first week of classes.
BACK TO SCHOOL TIPS FOR A SMOOTH START ( from the Tue-el-Nuit Elementary School website )
* Have your children choose their outfits the night before the first day to help start the morning calmly and efficiently.
* Find out how your child’s teacher communicates with parents and take advantage of the opportunities available.
* Get involved in the school community. Contact your school or the Parent Advisory Council at your child’s school for volunteer opportunities.
* Help your children figure out a plan for getting to class on time.
* Talk to your children about the upcoming school year; be positive and remind them of the friends they will meet, the new things they will learn and the fun they will have.
* Continue to be involved in the school community as this is a great way to get to know your children’s teachers and other parents.

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Action follows complaints

A few weeks ago residents of Park Avenue Estates wrote to Oliver Town Council stating they were fed up with the lack of attention to the area near a large building at 87th Street and 362nd Avenue. Last week town crews made quick work of cleaning up the area between the river and the street end. The owners of Riverside Developments (Oliver Suites Hotel) have cleared up a lot of the mess around their property as well.  Crews continue to attach a scratch coat of stucco to the four-storey apartment/hotel building.

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Accepting advertisers

The oliver DAILY news is ready to work with advertisers. We’re offering a unique, limited opportunity for six month contracts to create on-line ‘button’ links to your own website.

Your ad will appear every time a reader views our site; and give them the opportunity to review the content of your message.

Inquire today about your personal 200 by 200 pixel ‘button’ which will link oliver DAILY news readers to your self-managed website.

It’s simple, we create the ‘button’ and you maintain your website. The ability for you to make changes to your website is endless, and completely up to you –  the advertiser.

Our policy at this time is to advise potential advertisers that your ad may move around our site, nothing will be static. We reserve the right to amend future policies regarding contracts, placement, and content.

We’re in the business of news; you are in essence, your own advertiser with a little bit of assistance from  oliver DAILY news.

Contact us at jeanninejrandle@gmail.com or oliverdailynews@gmail.com  for further information, and together we can create a simple, yet effect link to your website; and the future of advertising online.

A further advisory to customers – we will be switching to a new domain: www.oliverdailynew.com this weekend.

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This rock is not for sale!

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Where is this?

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Handle with care

Pretty and dangerous. It could be the lead for a detective story, but it’s much more serious.

Datura stramonium, is more commonly known as jimson weed. It is also called devil’s trumpet, devil’s weed, thorn apple, tolguacha, Jamestown weed, stinkweed, locoweed, daturea, or moonflower.

This pretty herb has trumpet-shaped white, creamy or violet flowers that can be up to 3.5 inches long. Although they rarely open completely, they are quite a show specimen in gardens. The seeds and leaves of this plant are sometimes used as a hallucinogen.

Overdose due to consumption of this herb are usually reported in the  fall, as that’s when seeds are most accessible.

If you have this member of the nightshade family in your garden, be aware of it’s dangerous properties, especially around toddlers and pets.

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Heritage for farmers site dedicated

 

Covert Farms Agricultural Preservation Society officially opened its new site Sunday, north of Oliver. Pictured above is Director Ernie Dumais, Ambassador Juliana Martine and Director Ray Levesque; all of Oliver. On the right is heritage consultant Brian Wilson and Dave Morgenstern, both of Penticton.

Missing are Directors Gene and Shelly Covert and Dale Leaman. The society hopes to receive grant funding to house and display all types of farm equipment used in the Okanagan and other parts of BC. The site is located to the north of the existing Pancho Country Market, and the wine tasting room for Dunham and Froese Estate Winery.

Gene is pictured serving one of many customers that attended today’s festivities

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Former Fritz farm sold again

The actual price not known and the new owner not disclosed, but sign says “SOLD“. Previous owner Grant Gauthier of Kelowna had received approval for a winery and other allowable uses on this property in the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR).  The new owner may proceed with gateway development to complement the new Southwinds Crossing on the other side of Highway 97.

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They are gone!

The warbirds are gone. The gliders are gone. Peace  returns to the airport.

A lovely view looking north. Picture taken Sunday.

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Today at Covert Farms

Gates open after noon – formal dedication at 3 p.m. – bring a chair, enjoy lunch, a glass of wine and demonstrations.

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Tinhorn Creek restaurant

Take a drive up Tinhorn Creek Road on a sunny day and see what’s happening there. This coming spring another culinary opportunity will open for tourists and locals alike.

From Kenn Oldfield: The key info is: Restaurant (name yet to be announced) will open in April, 2011. It will seat 65 inside, and the same amount on the deck. The restaurant will be run by Manny Ferreira, who has owned Le Gavroche in Vancouver for 30 years.
The food will be Market Cuisine, which means local, seasonal, fresh prepared. There will also be seafood on the menu.

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Second annual tennis tournament

September 11 and 12        

Second Annual Oliver Mixed Tennis Tournament
18 Mixed teams have registered for this tourney. Bob Grant has stepped forward as tournament director, and is already in the planning stages for this event. Volunteers will be needed for various tasks before and during the event. Interested members are asked to contact Bob at Oliver Parks and Recreation.

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Form Up

Warbirds and other small planes drop in at Oliver Airport to learn more about formation flying. A class will be held that includes lessons in the air to allow pilots to make formations safely. About twenty small planes have landed in Oliver this weekend for the event.

The picture in the midde taken by Dora Stelkia-James from her home on the east bench.

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V-Line gets regional contract

On Thursday, The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen board approved  a contract award to V-Line Construction of Oliver, to complete upgrades to the wood waste loading facility at the Campbell Mountain Landfill; northeast of Penticton. The contract amount is $175,544.00.

This contract is an interim step in a master plan that calls for a drain to be built, a loading dock for the transfer of woodwaste into semi-trailers, a storage area; and a road to the site.

Five other contractors bid on the work,  all their tenders exceedeeded $200,000.00.

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Come Tuesday it’s bottled water only

Students coming back to school on Tuesday will be asked to bring water bottles or use water from vending machines as fountains will be capped until the boil water advisory is lifted by Interior Health. This will affect all schools receiving water from Town of Oliver’s water utility.

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Storefront survey

We promised you a survey of Main Street business, or lack of it. In the first part of a multiple part series the discussion will focus on the three main blocks on Highway #97 – the historic downtown.

The first block has one operating retail business, OK Tire on the east side of the highway. The Legion Hall/Canteen fills out that block. Surveying from the north on the west side two voids exist for development – one at the north end and one large lot at the south end. There are four existing homes on that side of the street.

The second block features the only hotel/bar/bistro/liquor outlet in the downtown. That’s the Desert Arms (formerly the historic Reopel Hotel). From the north all buildings appear to be occupied including Oliver Theatre, Oliver Chronicle, WorkZone, a house, Desert Arms, Sundance Video/Cash Store, Gordon & Young law office and the Main Street Medical Centre. On the opposite side of the street are a number of vacancies and opportunities. Once again, from the north is the Best of India restaurant including vacant dining room space, two vacant outlets with access doors, Uptown Beauty Studio, Action Plumbing and Heating, Echlin Insurance, a parking lot, Buy Low Foods which will move next year; and the Royal Bank.

The third block has many business opportunities. Starting from the north again. CIBC has a corner location next to a rented storage location in a retail outlet (sheets of paper covering the windows make it unsightly). Next is the Tulips in Bloom  shop that could be moving to the new mall, a closed video store and a closed consignment store. A new drugstore may occupy the larger of those two spaces. Then there is Lauralee’s craft shop, H & R Block and Cranna’s  jeweller. The Beyond Bliss outlet is next with a new operator taking over Miss Molly’s Quilt Shoppe. The new Sinbad’s fish and chip shop follows along with Handworks Gallery. The Asian Buffet restaurant is next to Alberto’s Paint and Decorating. The Johnston Meier Insurance location and the Indian Grocery and Spice store are the last two outlets on that block.

Two opportunities exist on the west side but more on the east side for developers with money to spend on new construction. From the north – first is the Interior Savings Credit Union, Amos Realty, Yum Yum’s and then an empty historic building that needs a push to complete its paint and renovation project. Further along – three lots of the former Mesa Hotel, OK Photo, an empty storefront (formerly Double O Bikes), Edward Jones and three more empty lots (formerly Collen’s Department Store. This block is completed with the Oliver Garden Restaurant and  Subway.

So to sum up – on opportunities: Two lots to develop on the west side and two major spaces available on the east side to be built upon. Existing buildings with space that need seven tenants.

Next is our story on the on two blocks to the south that includes the Oliver Place Mall, Chevron, Fire Hall Bistro and dental offices.

Comments are welcome. If you have an idea on how Oliver can fill the voids – please participate.

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Climb the educational ladder

Not too many surprises are in store for back to high school and new students attending Southern Okanagan Secondary School. Classrooms in the west wing no longer exist, as they were demolished this summer. Students will use ‘portables’ to replace former class space. The rest of the existing classrooms will be utilized in the 2010-2011 year.  The newer west gym is out of commission, and will become part of the construction of planned school additions; behind the existing structure. The old east gym will be utilized for most of the school year.

New and returning students will face two challenges. Boys will not shower, as those facilities are gone. The fire exit that was at the rear of the old gym is gone and is replaced temporarily by the structure shown above. The inside wall at the west of the old gym has been reinforced, as parts of it were compromised during demolition. The athletics programme will be affected if SOSS basketball teams get into zone championships in February. The old gym will be taken out of commission around the middle of February in 2011, and refitted into educational and administrative space.

Teams might have to utilize the Sen*Pok*Chin school gym for tournaments next spring.
Juleen McElgunn, superintendent for the Okanagan-Similkameen School District says schools have been busy this week for teachers who have been attending Professional Development days to help them prepare.  “Our teachers are engaged in a variety of different professional development activities that relate to their learning as well as kids‘ learning,” she said.

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