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Vernon news

Man makes off with more than $50,000 in drive-thru ATM theft in Vernon

VERNON - Police are investigating after a man broke into a drive-thru ATM in Vernon and made off with tens of thousands of dollars. RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says the Interior Savings Credit Union drive-thru ATM building at 4301 32 St. was broken into just after 10 p.m. Sept. 24. “An unknown male gained entrance...

Experts frustrated in search for man presumed drowned in Kal Lake

VERNON - Another search has failed to turn up answers in the months-long search for Curtis Wilson, a Lethbridge man presumed drowned in Kalamalka Lake. Wilson, 24, was last seen June 27 and a series of air, land and water searches have been unable to locate him. The friend he was with, Shane Letkeman, was...

Lumby company’s hemp-base doggie chews to hit shelves by end of month

VERNON - Dog lovers are lapping up a new hemp-based pet product made by a North Okanagan company. True Leaf Medicine International Ltd. launched its nutritional dog-chews, which contain hemp, at a pet industry trade show in Toronto Sept. 20, and CEO Darcy Bomford said pre-orders are already bounding in. “The last two weeks have...

Lake Country man found unconscious following Shuswap crash

SALMON ARM - A single vehicle collision in the Shuswap Saturday evening sent a Lake Country man to hospital with head and internal injuries. The vehicle struck a power pole in the 4700-block of Eagle Bay Road around 6:45 p.m., Sept. 26, causing the airbags to deploy and major damage to the vehicle. First responders...

Construction worker needs help with recovery after severe spinal injury on the job

WEST KELOWNA - Cole Bernier, a construction worker injured last week in a workplace accident, is facing a lengthy recovery after being crushed under some roof trusses. “Cole is someone you’ll never see without a smile on his face and if he’s frowning, it is typically because you changed his music or didn’t leave enough...

Super moon, eclipse delights Okanagan sky watchers

OKANAGAN - Across most of the region the skies cleared in time to catch at least part of the rare super moon and lunar eclipse event Sunday evening, Sept. 27. A supermoon occurs when a full or new moon makes its closest approach to the Earth and appears slightly larger and brighter than normal. A...

Sunny and warm end to September in the Okanagan

OKANAGAN - The weekend was filled with typical autumn weather, and a few cooler nights, but we can expect it to warm up a bit during the week as September comes to a close. Environment Canada is calling for temperatures to reach as high as 22 C this week. The mercury is expected to reach...

Armstrong sets goal of bringing Syrian family out of crisis

ARMSTRONG - Efforts are underway to bring a Syrian refugee family to the North Okanagan. The initiative is still in the early stages, but organizer Ron Brinnen is hoping the community of Armstrong will get on board.  “The goal is to sponsor a family of four children and their parents and have them settle in...

Two Okanagan communities will host upcoming B.C. 55+ Games

OKANAGAN – Vernon and Kelowna have been selection to host upcoming B.C. 55+ Games. The 2017 games will be held in Vernon, supported by the Armstrong and Spallumcheen, and the 2019 games will be in Kelowna. Cranbrook and Kimberley in the East Kootenays will host the games in 2018. Vernon hosted the inaugural games in...

Kamloops jail has highest number in the province for in-custody deaths

KAMLOOPS - Since August 2014 there have been four in-custody death’s at six regional provincial jails, three of which were in Kamloops according to data from the Ministry of Justice.  The number went from three to four on Monday, Sept. 21 with the latest death in Kamloops but details of the case, including the inmate’s...

Hundreds of North Okanagan deer heads still needed for disease study

“WE HAVE A THREE YEAR LIMIT ON THE PROJECT AND WE STILL NEED OVER 200 SAMPLES” CHERRYVILLE - They might be off-putting to some, but to a group of government researchers, deer heads from the Cherryville area are the key to stopping a potential disease outbreak in its tracks. Analyzing the lymph nodes found in...

Mounties investigate shots fired in Vernon

VERNON - Vernon RCMP have launched an investigation after a report of shots being fired at a townhouse complex. RCMP Sgt. Dave Evans says in a media release police were called to a townhouse in the 1600-block of 43 Avenue Wednesday, Sept. 23 around 3:40 a.m. A preliminary investigation led police to believe a confrontation...

First fall weekend warm and sunny in the Okanagan

OKANAGAN - The first weekend of autumn will be a typical one in the Okanagan, with warm days and cool nights. Environment Canada is calling for temperatures to be just above the seasonal normal high of 17 Celsius throughout the Okanagan, though overnight we can expect things to cool off a bit more than normal....

Vernon man reunited with VW beetle after 35 years

VERNON - A Vernon man’s spunky 1962 Volkswagen Beetle has found its way back home. It’s the car John Deak, a realtor with Century 21 in Vernon, learned to drive on back in 1980 in Williams Lake. His parents bought the bug from a neighbour for $900. At 16, Deak took his driving test in...

Rare super moon lunar eclipse over the Okanagan this weekend

OKANAGAN - Not only will the last total lunar eclipse until January 2019 take place Sunday evening, it will also be a harvest, or super, moon, meaning it will appear to be a very large red moon for part of the evening. The moon will completely pass through the Earth’s shadow Sunday evening, Sept. 27,...

Money spent on refugees a hot topic at upcoming Kelowna immigration symposium

KELOWNA – The effects of immigration on the Okanagan will be a topic of discussion at an upcoming two-day symposium at Okanagan College and UBC Okanagan this weekend. The Immigration Symposium is a series of in-depth discussions about the impacts various Canadian policies have on immigrants, refugees and temporary foreign workers. It takes place Friday...

Two Vernon dogs escaped car crash, one still missing

VERNON - A Vernon woman is pleading with the public to keep an eye out for her dog after it jumped from a car following a crash and hasn’t been seen since. Tonya Olson says her boyfriend was driving with their two dogs, Rizza and Diego, on Sept. 21 when the vehicle spun out of...

Look back and laugh: A Vernon comedian retells all his humiliating tales

WHEN YOU'RE THE WORST HOCKEY PLAYER ON THE WORST HOCKEY TEAM YOU TURN TO COMEDY VERNON - Sam Mullins is wrapping up his North American comedy tour not only in his hometown, but on the stage where he saw his very first play — the Powerhouse Theatre in Vernon. “I must’ve been like seven or...

Five years after man’s death on Shuswap Lake and still no resolution to trial

KAMLOOPS - A Shuswap houseboat crash five years ago is still making its way through Kamloops Supreme Court and today it was put over once again to another date for decision. Leon Reinbrecht faces one charge of criminal negligence causing death after he drove his speedboat into a houseboat killing driver Ken Brown in the...

UPDATE: Inmate dies at Kamloops jail; third in less than a year

KAMLOOPS - Another inmate has died at the Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre, making it the third to occur in a year.  Details surrounding the case are still being confirmed, but Dean Purdy, chair of corrections and sheriffs services component of the B.C. Government and Service Employee’s Union, confirmed the death occurred Monday night, Sept. 21....

UPDATE: Driver detained after commotion in downtown Vernon

VERNON - Police stopped a truck and detained the driver in dramatic fashion in downtown Vernon this morning. RCMP received a report of an erratic driver heading northbound out of Lake Country on Highway 97 Wednesday morning, Sept. 23, around 10 a.m., Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says. “We were getting updates from other drivers that it...

Watch flyboarders set a new record on Kalamalka Lake this week

'A LOT OF PEOPLE COMPARE IT TO SUPERHEROES LIKE IRON MAN, AND THAT’S HONESTLY WHAT IT’S LIKE. YOU FEEL ON TOP OF THE WORLD' VERNON - It’s a cutting edge water sport straight out of the Jetsons, and some of Canada’s top athletes are bringing their futuristic stunts to Kalamalka Lake this week. Team CanFly,...