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Vernon news
Who is at fault? Driving instructor takes on traffic circle dash-cam crash
DO YOU BLUFF YOUR WAY THROUGH TRAFFIC CIRCLES OR DO YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO? THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - They're slowly popping up in more streets and neighbourhoods to help us but instead often incite mass confusion, arguments, sometimes panic and even the occasional crash. Does anyone know what to do in a traffic circle? We found...
Vernon father and son killed in tragic plane crash loved to soar
VERNON - A father and son from Vernon died doing something they both loved: going ‘wheels up’. Brad Chapman, 56, learned to fly in his 40s and passed that passion onto his oldest son, Florian, 26, who got his pilot’s license as a teenager. As key principals in the Chapman Group of Companies, flying offered...
Court forces sale of Mandy and Me Trailriding
WEST KELOWNA - Silverado Socrates is hoping for a miracle. Socrates, the owner of Mandy and Me Trailriding, a West Kelowna farm and horseback riding attraction, is in foreclosure and tomorrow, Nov. 4, a Supreme Court Justice will sell the farm where she's lived more than three decades to the highest bidder. “I’m just sad,”...
Do you know the difference between color and colour? What about your kids?
VERNON - Raise your hand if you pronounce the last letter of the alphabet ‘zed’ instead of ‘zee.’ What about colour versus color — do you spell it the first way or the second? Do you refer to the road less travelled, with two l’s or the road less traveled with one? Do you recognize...
Employers in Kelowna, Sorrento fined for exposing workers to asbestos
OKANAGAN - WorkSafe B.C. has slapped two local employers with heavy fines for exposing workers to asbestos. The first, Kelowna’s Kone Inc., was handed a $15,000 penalty for potentially exposing its workers to harmful levels of asbestos. According to WorkSafe B.C., the company, which installs, maintains and repairs elevators and escalators, was first told to...
Rats don’t deserve to suffer horrible deaths: B.C. SPCA
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - As the topic of rats and how to deal with their rising numbers becomes a more common conversation in the Thompson-Okanagan, the SPCA is reminding the public even pests deserve to be treated humanely. Sara Dubois, the chief scientific officer for the B.C. SPCA, says many rat extermination practices are inhumane and potentially...
Watch for Taurids fireballs, northern lights over the Southern Interior this week
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The Taurid meteor shower is one of the longer meteor showers, running from September through December every year, but this year it could be more active than usual with the possibility of fireballs tearing through the sky later this week. The Taurid meteor shower only produces about five to 10 meteors per hours...
Malakwa truck stop devastated by fire
MALAKWA - Emergency crews are at the scene of a major fire at a truck stop on Highway 1 in Malakwa. The Skyline Truck Stop located on the Trans Canada in Malakwa broke out in flames today, Nov. 2. Images show the structure is severely damaged. There is no word yet on whether anyone was...
Chance of snow in the Okanagan this week
OKANAGAN - A system moving through the Southern Interior coated mountain passes in heavy snow this weekend and early this week the white stuff could hit the valleys too. Between 14 and 17 centimetres of snow is being reported on the ground at Pennask Summit, Coquihalla Summit and Allison Pass this morning after receiving a...
One year after killing, why there still aren’t any cameras on Okanagan buses
KAMLOOPS HAS 25 KELOWNA – One year after the horrific killing of a Kelowna man on a B.C. Transit bus and six months after they promised to begin installing them, there still isn’t a single operational camera on any Kelowna buses. Last year, on Oct. 30, Caesar Rosales was killed in front of more than...
Halloween will be a wet one in the Okanagan this year
OKANAGAN - Make sure your costumes are either waterproof or you have an umbrella handy because Mother Nature is looking to rain on your Halloween fun this weekend. Environment Canada is calling for at least a chance of rain throughout the weekend, with showers expected Saturday evening throughout the region. Temperatures are expected to be...
B.C. has highest rate of illegal cigarettes in Western Canada, study finds
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - As the province with the most contraband cigarettes in Western Canada, the amount of illegal tobacco in B.C. remains steadily high. The statistics come from the latest study commissioned by the Western Convenience Stores Association. In September researchers collected discarded cigarettes at various locations throughout the province to determine which were illegally purchased....
Whitewater Cooks author to stir the pot in Kelowna
KELOWNA - The author of a bestselling line of cookbooks will be in Kelowna next week signing autographs and speaking about her famous line of sauces. The author of four bestselling cookbooks, Shelley Adams of the Whitewater Cooks series was the former head chef at Fresh Tracks Café at Whitewater Ski Resort in Nelson. Her...
Time appears right for petition to dump daylight saving time
KAMLOOPS - It’s been a couple days since Bob Dieno and Tara Holmes created a petition and Facebook page asking the B.C. government to consider doing away with daylight saving time and they are getting strong support from many in the province. The petition ‘stop the time change in British Columbia’ received hundreds of signatures...
Okanagan bus drivers to honour passenger killed one year ago
KELOWNA - A Kelowna man who was brutally murdered on a packed, local bus last year will be honoured by drivers across the Okanagan Friday. Caesar Rosales was 55 years old when he was killed Oct. 30, 2014, during his regular commute home after work. Exactly one year later bus drivers from Penticton to Vernon...
Poppy campaign kicks off this week
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - This year’s poppy campaign is expected to be underway this Friday, Oct. 30. Poppies will be available at all Legion offices and members will have them available at locations throughout the city. Funds from the poppies contribute to veterans, their families and others in need of assistance in the community. The long-standing tradition...
Get ready for winter fun at B.C.’s largest snow show
VERNON - The largest exhibition of snow machines and snow safety equipment is coming to Vernon in less than two weeks. The first ever B.C. Provincial Snow Show is made up of three events that were previously held across the Interior — in Vernon, Williams Lake and Prince George. This year, the Vernon Snowmobile Association...
Trial for two youths in Salmon Arm shooting death expected next year
KAMLOOPS - The trial for a man and woman accused of gunning down a man in a Salmon Arm school yard won’t take place until next spring. Names of both accused charged with first-degree murder cannot be revealed as they were both youths at the time of the alleged offence. Their names are protected under...
Lots of love for Shania Twain’s farewell performance in Kelowna
KELOWNA - Kelowna’s Prospera Place was Shania Twain’s final performance on her Rock This Country tour and possibly her last concert ever. And locals made sure to send her off in style. The show sold out quickly and fans were all over social media saying thanks and wishing her the best. Locals like Rose’s Pub...
Pilot project could put baskets of free condoms in Okanagan schools
VERNON - Baskets of condoms could soon be coming to local high schools as way of putting protection in the hands of those who need it — no questions asked. About 14 schools in B.C.’s Interior have free condoms available, but students have to ask for them, Vernon School District health coordinator Christine Balfour says....
Local prejudice against Muslims tackled at UBCO
'IF WE DON'T SPEAK ABOUT THESE ISSUES... WE START DEVELOPING ALL THESE MISCONCEPTIONS.' KELOWNA - A UBC Okanagan graduate is organizing a forum on campus to address some of the misconceptions about his religion that are clearly still a problem in Kelowna. Adnan Akiel Ahmad Bhat holds a masters in electrical engineering from the Okanagan...
Local ski hills are growing white
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - While some of us are still holding on to the last strings of warmer weather, those looking forward to skiing and snowboarding will be happy to know the snow is falling at area ski hills. All three of the big ski hills in the area — Sun Peaks, Silver Star Mountain and Big...
Vernon man accused of murder released from custody
VERNON - An 18-year-old Vernon man accused of murder is no longer in custody. Brandon Wellington, who stands accused of second degree murder in connection with the death of Jason Hardy, was released on bail Monday, Oct. 26. His bail is set at $10,000 and he must adhere to a number of court-ordered conditions. Greater...
Everything you wish you didn’t need to know about rats in the Thompson-Okanagan
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Just a few years ago, Thompson-Okanagan residents didn’t have to worry about rats invading attic spaces or chewing up electrical wires, simply because the rodent was a rarity in these parts. That's all changed. Steve Ball owns BugMaster Pest Control, which services the North, Central and South Okanagan, and he says rat complaints...