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Vernon news
Another vehicle fire under investigation in Vernon
VERNON - For the third time this month, authorities were called to the scene of a burning vehicle in Vernon. Firefighters were called out at 1:34 a.m. today, Oct. 26, after a truck was reported to be on fire on 35 Avenue in downtown Vernon. Deputy Vernon Fire Chief Jack Blair says the pickup truck...
Wet fall week ahead for the Okanagan
OKANAGAN - A mixed bag of weather — cloud, rain and sun — is expected in the Okanagan for the last week of October. Environment Canada is calling for temperature highs at or just above seasonal normals of 9 Celsius throughout the region all week, with the warmest temperatures expected today, Oct. 26. Overnight lows...
Car snags power pole guy wires and flips near Vernon
VERNON – A car hit the guy wires on a Hydro pole on the north end of Westside Road near Vernon, flipping the vehicle and knocking out power in the area today. The crash happened just around 10:50 a.m., Oct. 25, on Westside Road about a kilometre south of Highway 97, on Okanagan Indian Band...
Okanagan Regional Library approves budget increase
KELOWNA – Half of the Okanagan Regional Library budget increase for 2016 is wage increases for staff at branches up and down the valley. The board of directors has approved a spending plan worth over $18.2 million, which reflects a 1.98 per cent increase from 2015. The increase amounts to an extra $351,818 tax dollars....
Four years later: Armstrong family still organizing walk to remember murdered teen
ARMSTRONG - An annual walk in honour of murdered Armstrong teen Taylor Van Diest will be held on a different day this year in hopes of increasing turnout. “Participation is dwindling of course, but that’s to be expected,” Taylor’s mom Marie Van Diest says. “It would be nice to see a few more people turn...
Kelowna tourists caught in path of worst hurricane in history
KELOWNA - A small group of tourists from Kelowna who are vacationing in Nuevo Vallarta are fleeing to higher ground to escape the strongest hurricane ever recorded. Rod Robinson, owner of Bogie and Bacall Hair Salon in Orchard Park Mall, is travelling with his wife Donna and friends Denny and Patty Pirot, who are also...
Man accused in Armstrong woman’s death ordered to stand trial
VERNON - The man accused of killing an Armstrong mother of two has been ordered to stand trial. Logan Scott, 31, of Salmon Arm was charged with manslaughter and theft under $5,000 in August 2014, nine months after Jillian McKinty, 27, was found dead in her Armstrong home. Following a preliminary inquiry this week in...
Sun and frost this weekend in the Okanagan
OKANAGAN - Temperatures should be close to seasonal normals, on both the high and low end, this weekend and with those cooler overnight temperatures comes frost. Environment Canada is calling for a high in the double digits today, Oct. 21, and Saturday, with a high of 9 Celsius being forecast for Sunday. The seasonal normal...
Homeless camps still a reality in Vernon parks
VERNON - With nowhere else to turn, members of the homeless community continue to sleep in public parks in Vernon. A census done in October found six active homeless camps in the city, executive director for the Social Planning Council of the North Okanagan Annette Sharkey says. “That is up from previous counts, but not...
UPDATE: One dead in single vehicle crash on Connector, highway reopens
CENTRAL OKANAGAN – A man died in an early morning crash on Highway 97C at the Pennask summit. RCMP and B.C. Ambulance paramedics were called to the scene, Oct. 22, and while RCMP will not confirm if anyone was hurt, Global Okanagan reports one man was killed in the single vehicle accident. The man, who is...
Attempted murder charge laid in connection with Enderby shooting
ENDERBY - An attempted murder charge has been laid in connection with a shooting near Enderby. Norman Dybdal, 58, faces charges of attempted murder with a firearm and aggravated assault in relation to the Oct. 19 incident in Enderby. Dybdal allegedly shot a 55-year-old man multiple times that evening, leaving the victim with life-threatening injuries. The Vernon...
Kokanee salmon population explodes in Okanagan Lake with biggest spawn in quarter century
OKANAGAN - It’s a record year for Kokanee salmon spawning on Okanagan Lake. Jason Webster, a Vernon-based fisheries biologist, says more than 300,000 shore spawners were counted during this year’s annual survey — the most in more than 25 years. “It’s turning into a cyclical thing where every four years there’s a great big run,...
Three patients remain in hospital after violent attack near Lillooet
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Three of the original 11 people who were admitted to Interior Health hospitals after an attack at the Bridge River Indian Band office near Lillooet remain under medical care. “One patient is in serious but stable condition and two are stable and beginning their recovery,” Tracy Watson of Interior Health says. The patients...
Curious bobcat pokes head into Okanagan home
VERNON - A curious animal believed to be a bobcat stuck its head inside a Vernon home recently. Conservation officer Tanner Beck says a homeowner in the Silver Star Road area left her door open around 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 18 and a bobcat 'poked its head in to see what was going on.’ “It...
Okanagan ranch offers $10,000 reward after finding poached cows
**CONTENT ADVISORY: GRAPHIC IMAGES** VERNON – A $10,000 reward is on the table for information…
Winter forecast is warm with lots of snow
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – AccuWeather is forecasting one of the warmest winters on record for much of Canada, thanks to El Nino. Western Canadians can expect above to well-above temperatures as a prevailing westerly flow delivers milder Pacific air across the region, according to a news release. “Compared to last winter, there will be more snow across...
Meteor shower peaks over the Southern Interior this week
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If clouds part enough tonight you may be able to get a glimpse of the Orionid meteor shower as it peaks early Thursday morning. The Orionid meteor shower, which is formed from the debris of Halley’s comet, is known for producing bright and quick meteors. This meteor shower runs throughout October and into...
UPDATE: Vernon woman missing for weeks finally located
UPDATE: 6:22 A.M. OCT. 27, 2015 A 26-year-old woman missing for weeks has been located. Police say Celina White was found safe and sound Oct. 26. 8 P.M., OCT. 20, 2015 VERNON - Police in Vernon say a young woman who went missing weeks ago has still not been located. Celina White, 26, was reported...
Is Lake Country the new hot spot for crime in the Okanagan?
LAKE COUNTRY - The District of Lake Country is already known as a beautiful, quiet little community nestled between two major Okanagan cities, but a group of concerned citizens fear it is becoming known for something much more troubling. Radmila Machalka has lived in Lake Country for eight years and is part of a group...
Former Okanagan MPs to earn millions in pension
OKANAGAN - Colin Mayes may have retired, and Ron Cannan may have been defeated in the 2015 federal election, but with pensions set to pad their bank accounts to the tune of between $1.3 million and $2.3 million over their life-times, taxpayers are not quite done with them yet. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation released the...
Man in critical condition after North Okanagan shooting
ENDERBY - Police are investigating a shooting in the North Okanagan that left a man in critical condition. RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says police were called to a rural property in the Enderby area about 5:15 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19. Officers located a 55-year-old man suffering from gunshot wounds, Noseworthy says. He was transported to...
Voter turnout jumps in Thompson-Okanagan ridings
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Voter turnout numbers in the 42nd federal election jumped to more than 70 per cent throughout the region, just above the national average and well ahead of 2011 turnout. In the Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo riding, where Conservative Cathy McLeod was re-elected, voter turnout jumped to 74.07 per cent this election, up significantly from the 63.3...
ELECTION 2015: Conservative win in North Okanagan-Shuswap
VERNON - Conservative candidate Mel Arnold is the North Okanagan-Shuswap’s new Member of Parliament. Arnold had a healthy lead right off the bat Monday evening, and while Liberal candidate Cindy Derkaz was on his tail, he was declared elected as of 8:30 p.m. with about 40 per cent of the vote. Derkaz stood about 10...
Accident south of Vernon sends four to hospital
VERNON - Police say a car crash just south of Vernon today was caused when a driver failed to yield while merging onto the highway. RCMP Cpl. Spencer Hornoi says a truck was making a left hand turn off Birnie Road onto Highway 97 and collided with a southbound car shortly before noon, Oct. 19....