RIDING GEAR GOES MISSING
Princeton RCMP are looking for assistance from the community in regard to a break and enter at the Princeton Exhibition Grounds.
Sometime during the evening hours of February 3rd unknown suspect(s) broke into the Princeton riding arena and made off with over $10-thousand worth of riding equipment.
"This includes saddles, bridles and blankets," says Princeton RCMP Detachment Sgt. Kurt Lozinski.
"The thieves must have utilized a vehicle during the commission of this offence and we are hoping someone may have noticed something suspicious some time that evening."
The Princeton Exhibition Grounds is a regular target for thieves and vandals.
The property was last hit by vandals on August 5, 2004 when early that morning ATV tracks were discovered on the horse race track surface.
There was also damage to a storage room on top of the grandstand.
Small pieces of furniture and other equipment, including roofing screws, were tossed from the roof of the grandstand onto the race track below.
The most recent break in at the site was restricted to the covered indoor arena building, which contains an office and a number of stalls.
The office has been broken into before and thieves have made off with riding equipment in the past from the site.
Sgt. Lozinski says anyone with information about last week's incident is asked to contact local police at (250) 295-6911 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
Princeton Fairgrounds sit on property owned by the Town of Princeton and are managed by a dedicated group of volunteers.
RACING DAYS MEETS AGAIN
Racing Days President John Bey says Princeton Racing Days is still a go, regardless of what others may be saying.Bey says there has been a lot of negative talk about whether or not the group can pull off another day of live horse racing at Sunflower Downs.
Bey says they can and will. A public meeting is planned for Thursday, February 10th at 7:00 PM in Town Hall.
The meeting will be to form committees.
"We need to get all local community groups involved," Bey says.
"There are two words that arenšt in my vocabulary. There are 'canšt' and 'impossible.' With 'canšt' you work around it and 'impossible' just takes a little longer."
SPEED, ROAD CONDITIONS TO BLAME
On Sunday, February 6th at approximately 2:45 PM, Princeton RCMP Detachment and the South Okanagan Traffic Services responded to a single vehicle accident."A 1999 black Dodge Dakota pick up truck was travelling Westbound on Highway 3 just before Whipsaw outside of Princeton," says Cst. J. R. C. Fortin of SOTS.
"The vehicle lost control coming around a corner on the slick road conditions and subsequently continued off road right into the ditch."
At the time of the collision the road conditions were icy and snow was falling.
BC Ambulance Services and Princeton Highway Extraction Crew were quick to respond to the collision as there were reports that the driver was trapped.
"The driver was removed safely and carefully from the vehicle and transported to Princeton General Hospital," says Cst. Fortin.
"The cause of the accident is believed to be speed relative to conditions, although the motorist was travelling at the posted speed limit."
RCMP South Okanagan Traffic Services and Princeton RCMP Detachment remind travelling motorists the dangers of driving too fast for road conditions.
"If you must travel in bad weather, take your time and stay safe."
SPRING HAS SPRUNG?
The first Buttercup of the season has been identified.As hard as it may be to believe, Dennis LeComte came into the News Leader office to report his find.
The buttercup was located in the 1100-block of Old Hedley Road...on January 31st!
