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Vernon news
Multiple residents displaced after Vernon pot lab explodes
VERNON - Several residents of a Vernon apartment complex were forced out of their homes when a neighbouring unit exploded and now, nearly a month later, they still can’t return home, according to one displaced tenant. Resident James Halpert, who gave only his first and middle name, has lived in his Regency Gardens apartment on...
Kamloops and Kelowna among top places in Canada for job seekers
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Kamloops and Kelowna have managed to crack the top-20 in a survey noting 50 of the hottest local job markets in Canada. Express Employment Professionals, a staffing agency with operations in Canada, the U.S. and South Africa, released its second annual Top 50 Hot Job Markets survey this week. The survey looks at the number...
Stolen Lake Country boat and truck recovered in Kamloops
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - An observant off duty cop helped police recover a boat and truck stolen out of Lake Country Sunday night. The astute officer noticed a boat and trailer being unloaded on the side of the highway in the Dallas area early Monday morning, Sept. 7 and turned around to keep an eye on the...
Health authority moves on residential care bed promise
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Construction of 100 new residential care beds will begin this fall in Kelowna and another 85 are soon expected in Vernon as well. The Interior Health Authority announced in a press release it has awarded the contract to Baltic Properties, an existing contractor who is already providing residential care services in Kamloops, Lake...
Temperatures to heat up again in Okanagan
OKANAGAN - Back to school is kicking off with a little rain this morning but by the end of the week we can expect highs well above seasonal normals throughout the Southern Interior. Temperatures will remain below seasonal normal lows of 21 Celsius today, Sept. 8, but it's expected to reach 23 C Wednesday before...
Bogus American money circulating in Okanagan
OKANAGAN – RCMP are warning people to be on the lookout for counterfeit American currency in the Okanagan. Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says in a media release there have been numerous reports of bogus $20 and $50 bills. She is urging businesses to carefully check the authenticity of any currency before they accept it as payment....
CORRECTION: Elderly woman dies in van in Vernon
VERNON – An 80-year-old Vernon woman died after falling out of her motorized wheelchair while in the back of a modified-van Sunday morning. RCMP were called to the 4300-block of 25 Avenue near a Petro-Canada gas station around 9:40 a.m., Sept. 6, to assist B.C. Ambulance paramedics, according to Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy. Noseworthy says the...
IPE lived up to its ‘Udderly Awesome’ theme
“ONE OF THE BEST FAIRS EVER” ARMSTRONG – Attendance at the Interior Provincial Exhibition, which wrapped up yesterday in Armstrong, was the highest it’s been in years. IPE general manager Bryan Burns says over the five days of the fair a total of 158,238 people passed through the turnstiles, including 38,673 on the last day...
Close call for young Vernon driver who lost control of car
VERNON – A car crash in Vernon Sunday morning could have been much worse. A young driver behind the wheel of a four-door sedan lost control while turning from South Vernon Drive onto Okanagan Avenue around 11:30, Sept. 6, according to Vernon Fire Department Capt. Reinhard Mann. “He went over a four-metre concrete abutment,” he...
Suspicious fire at Vernon pet store
VERNON – RCMP has launched an arson investigation after a suspicious fire at a downtown Vernon pet store Sunday night. Vernon firefighters responded to a call around 6:20 a.m., Sept. 6, about smoke coming from AJ’s Pets and Things at 3219 31 Ave. Capt. Reinhard Mann says crews found a fire had been set at...
UPDATE: Firefighters extinguish house fire in Vernon
VERNON – Investigators are looking for the exact cause of a fire, which started in the kitchen of a home on Alexis Park Drive in Vernon on Sunday. Vernon Fire Department Capt. Reinhard Mann says crews arrived at the home in the 3900-block of Alexis Park Drive at about 2 p.m., Sept. 6, to find...
Vernon RCMP bust dial-a-dope operation
VERNON – Three people from the lower mainland have been arrested and a large quantity of cocaine and heroin seized in connection with a RCMP investigation into a drug trafficking operation in Vernon. RCMP say a 17-year-old boy was arrested in his vehicle near the corner of 32 Street and 43 Avenue, Sept. 2, and...
Vernon homeless camp growing after motel evictions
VERNON - A Vernon homeless camp has grown in the days following an eviction order at the Green Valley Motel, according to shelter workers. Tenants had to be out of the motel by Sept. 1, and while a small number sought lodging at the Gateway Shelter, it appears others have turned to the street, John...
Drive B.C. adds eight new highway webcams to help you plan your trip
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Just in time for winter, Drive B.C. has installed eight more highway cams between West Kelowna and Kaleden, and in the Merritt area to help drivers assess road conditions and traffic. The cameras include four south of West Kelowna on Highway 97 and Highway 97C, and three near Kaleden in the South Okanagan....
Filmed in the Okanagan: TV show focuses on traditional First Nation food
OKANAGAN – A TV series about gathering and cooking wild food will air on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network next week. And it was filmed in the Okanagan. Quest Outwest: Wild Food follows Syilx storyteller and Penticton resident Tracey Kim Bonneau as she hunts and forages around the Okanagan looking for traditional ingredients she prepares...
Cooler weather sticking around for Okanagan long weekend
OKANAGAN - The last long weekend of the summer is upon us but Mother Nature doesn’t seem to be ready to join the celebration this year. For the most part September kicked off with temperatures just below seasonal normals of 22 Celsius and the Labour Day long weekend will be much the same. Environment Canada...
UPDATE: Missing Vernon woman located
UPDATE: 12:01 P.M., SEPT. 8, 2015 Vernon RCMP announced Tuesday, Sept. 8, that Cheryl 'Daisy' McEwan, who left a medical facility last week without completing her treatment, has been found. 6:43 A.M., SEPT. 4, 2015 VERNON - Authorities are appealing to the public for help finding a missing woman. Vernon RCMP say Cheryl ‘Daisy’ McEwan,...
Candy apples, picnic tables and cows: A by-the-numbers count of all things IPE
ARMSTRONG - Ever wondered such things as how many volunteer hours go into the Armstrong fair, or how many mini-donuts get churned out during it? We’ve got the answers to your burning questions below. The numbers behind the five-day Interior Provincial Exhibition truly are staggering. A tremendous number of volunteers, animals and vendors make the...
Number of hectares burned in Kamloops Fire Centre nearly triple over last year
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – With 455 wildfires already on the books in the Kamloops Fire Centre, this…
Whooping cough still a concern as school approaches
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - With the first day of school approaching, parents should remember a recent spike in potentially fatal whooping cough has only just began to drop. “We have been in communciations with schools informing parents about communicable diseases in general and the fact we have been observing increased cases of whooping cough,” Dr. Kamran Golmohammadi...
Drivers beware: Increased enforcement of school zones next week
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - RCMP are sending a message to the province’s drivers reminding them September is back to school time. Police are asking drivers to remember their ABCs and if they don’t, they will certainly help teach them a lesson, according to a RCMP media release. The driver’s ABC’s are: A for attention, B to be...
Forget fire, we’ve got snow on local ski hills
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The weather has flip-flopped in the last week, so much so local ski hills are reporting their first snowfalls instead of watching for wildfires. Silver Star Mountain operations director Brad Baker sent out pictures showing a fair dusting of snow at the resort near Vernon, and a reminder of the mountain’s early bird...
Vernon bar taking things in a new direction
VERNON - A Vernon restaurant and sports bar is turning its focus from those who go out, to those who stay in. Monashee’s Bar & Grill on 30 Avenue in downtown Vernon will welcome patrons for a pint for the last time this weekend, but it’s not turning its back on them completely. Owner Steve...
UPDATE: Vernon Search and Rescue thanked for finding missing senior
VERNON - A 69-year-old man who walked away from a medical care facility has been located thanks to Vernon Search and Rescue. Sgt. Tory Romailler said in a release Norman Schiman was found in Polson Park about an hour after issuing a public plea to find him. He was returned in good health to the...