THE
Review
www.keremeosreview.com PM Agreement #40012521
Vol.17
We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage
Number 38
Thursday, September 17, 2015
SIMILKAMEEN SIZZLE
This Saturday! $1.15 including GST
Serving the communities of Keremeos, Cawston, Okanagan Falls and Kaleden
Fruit stand break-ins Review Staff
Tara Bowie
Over the past few weeks the streets of Keremeos have been spiced up with the introduction of new mascots for the Similkameen Sizzle. The Sizzle takes place this Saturday in Memorial Park. Keremeos resident Sheryl Hare designed and made these costumes of the famous dancing peppers. In the costumes are, left, Colleen Christensen and Nancy Birtch. Make sure to say ‘hi’ this Saturday at Memorial Park.
The Keremeos RCMP are asking residents to be diligent in reporting suspicious activity after several fruit stands have been broken into this summer. The most recent break and enter occurred between September 9 and September 10 at the Sanderson Farms Market on Highway 3. Thieves entered the business from a side window and stole cash and other undisclosed items from the business. Evidence left at the scene suggests at least one male suspect was involved in the theft, a press release issued by Cpl. Kat Thain stated. “We suggest residents continue to keep a watchful eye on area businesses as well a their neighbours for any suspicious activity and to call police,” she said during a phone interview with the Keremeos Review Tuesday. Thain clarified that if residents witness someone clearly breaking into a business by way of breaking through windows and doors they should call 911. If residents think they are witnessing suspicious activity like seeing people around a business at odd times they should call the detachment line at 250-4995511. If someone is not at the detachment the call will be routed to a call centre in Kelowna and police will be dispatched. The recent break and enter is the third at local fruit stands in the past two months. It is unknown at this time if the thefts are related. Residents can also contact CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS with information about this or any other crime.
Novel idea needed to keep staffing hours at Keremeos library Tara Bowie Review Staff
Despite the Keremeos library being one of the busiest in the Okanagan Regional Library board, it will soon offer fewer staffing hours if alternative funding can’t be secured. Stephanie Hall, executive director of the Okanagan Regional Library explained to Keremeos council at a September 8 meeting that reductions in staffing were necessary to reach a new funding formula.
The new formula means the reduction of about 20 hours from varying positions and will most likely effect the number of hours the library is open. “This is a busy library. An unusually busy library,” Hall said to council. In 2014, patrons of the Keremeos library checked out 52,298 pieces of material. About 1,180 people attended programming at the library and 263 children took part in summer reading. Almost 35,000 in person
visits occurred during that year. Hall explained the cost of operating libraries are paid provincially through a formula half based on land values and the other half based on population. In 2013, a report was prepared by Greg Thornton to determine if money collected in municipalities within the Okanagan Regional Library board were staying within the communities it was collected and not being used to subsidize smaller community libraries. Continued on page 10
Library staffing hours will be cut unless new funding comes forward.