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Vernon news

Police investigating apartment fire that left two Vernon men with severe burns

VERNON - A pair of Vernon men were airlifted to Vancouver last week after suffering serious burns in an apartment fire. The two men, ages 20 and 21, were inside an apartment building in the 3400 block of Okanagan Avenue when a fire started in the bathroom. Deputy Vernon Fire Chief Jack Blair says they...

Turning industrial trash into home furnishing treasures

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - There's something quintessentially Canadian about taking an item like a lowly wooden pallet or a fruit packing box and making good use of it. Keith Hamer and his crew take it one step further in an old fruit packing house in Oyama, creating a business to make new furniture out of old wood...

Vernon cadets show bravery in moments after head-on collision

VERNON - A group of staff cadets and instructors celebrating at a recent graduation parade in Vernon didn’t hesitate to drop what they were doing and run to help those involved in a serious car crash. “The flags were just being marched on and we heard a loud bang,” Major Keri Winkelaar says. “We turned...

Search continues for man presumed drowned in Kalamalka Lake

VERNON - Family members believe they could be close to finding Curtis Wilson, a 24-year-old Lethbridge man who went missing over a month ago and is presumed drowned in Kalamalka Lake. Wilson’s family refused to give up the search after police divers exhausted their resources in July and appealed to a number of volunteer organizations to...

Bird book inspired by UBCO’s bio-diversity

KELOWNA - If you’re looking for hot chicks, look no further than the Birds of the UBC Okanagan Campus 2016 calendar. Produced by biologists, the annual calendar features some of the birds that can be found on the school’s campus. Photographers this year ranged across the entire 209 hectares of campus grounds and includes bluebirds,...

Log Barn signage gets the boot

SPALLUMCHEEN - A roadside attraction known for its wild and wacky signs has been told to tone it down. The Log Barn, located off Highway 97A just north of Armstrong, was ordered by the Township of Spallumcheen to remove close to 20 property signs in May 2015, and recently lost a bid to reinstall a...

Rafting accident claims life of Kelowna man ahead of wedding

KELOWNA – Less than a month before he was set to be married, a young Kelowna man has drowned while white-water rafting near Golden over the weekend. Rene Bourgault was rafting with three other people in Kicking Horse River Sunday, Aug. 16 when the group was thrown into the water roughly ten kilometres east of...

Meet Dennis, the Roots and Blues Festival’s most mischievous volunteer

SALMON ARM - As you step through the gates of the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival, volunteer Dennis Roberts will be the guy telling you there’s gum stuck to your pants, or that you fit the description of a police suspect, just for the heck of it. And while his motive is mischievous, the...

Water managers preparing for longer-term Okanagan drought

KELOWNA - While they are still in the midst of dealing with this year’s widespread drought in the southern B.C. the province’s top water managers are already looking ahead to next year. “Current weather patterns is for a strong El Nino blob off the coast. It is setting up the scenario for a drier than...

Severe thunderstorm watch for Okanagan

OKANAGAN - After a record day in the Okanagan temperatures are set to cool down and we can expect to see heavy rain and possibly severe thunderstorms over the next couple of days. Yesterday, Aug. 13, a new high temperature record was set in Kelowna, 37.8 Celsius, with Vernon, at 36.5 C, and Penticton, at...

You’re not the only one not feeling frisky in this heat

HEAT KILLING CATTLE (SEX) DRIVE THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Beef is meeting supply needs so far this year, but it hasn’t been easy for ranchers as they deal with drought and extreme conditions that leave cattle not wanting to mate. Kevin Boon, general manager of the B.C. Cattleman’s Association, says the hardest hit areas in the province’s...

Despite a spike in water-related deaths, drownings down overall

VERNON - A number of water-related deaths in the Thompson-Okanagan over the past month have brought the topic to the forefront of many people’s minds, but the province’s Lifesaving Society says the number of drowning deaths is actually down considerably so far this year. Just this past weekend, a 27-year-old man was critically injured while...

Heavy rain on the way; flash flooding risk

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A system of heavy rain is on the way to the Thompson-Okanagan with the potential to cause flash flooding. Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement covering the South and North Thompson, Nicola, Shuswap and Okanagan. An area of rain embedded in thunderstorms is expected to develop over the Similkameen tomorrow afternoon,...

Vernon tree removal ‘another straw in the demise of the herons’

VERNON - A North Okanagan city is standing by its decision to allow a stand of trees to be chopped down despite concerns within the community it could impact an at-risk species of bird. With a tree removal permit in hand from the City of Vernon, a housing developer removed the tall Cottonwood and poplar...

Gas prices going up in the Okanagan

OKANAGAN - Gas prices are rising throughout Canada and the Okanagan is no exception. According to GasBuddy, an online tracking system for gas prices, only about a dozen stations remain below 130 cents per litre this afternoon, Aug. 13, in Kelowna while about seven stations sit at 129.9 cents per litre. Many stations have jumped...

Lightning strikes keep crews hopping dousing wildfires

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Thunderstorms moving through the region ignited several new fires in the Kamloops Fire Centre. The fire danger rating for the Kamloops Fire Centre is high to extreme, with more lightning in the forecast for today, Aug. 13. “We did see lightning move through the area, followed by reports of fires yesterday, so we...

Crash on Highway 97 just south of Vernon

VERNON - A head-on collision near the Vernon Army Camp has sent two people to hospital with serious injuries. The accident happened around 9 a.m., Aug. 13, on Highway 97 near the Army Camp when two vehicles struck head-on. The drivers of both vehicles, a man and a woman, had to be removed with the...

ELECTION 2015: New federal electoral boundaries in place

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Boundary changes for ridings in the Thompson, Okanagan and Similkameen regions are in place for the upcoming federal election. The redistribution process of the most recent review, which is required every 10 years, began in 2012 and new federal electoral districts were approved for the first general election to be called after May...

Why you’ll want to reserve your Okanagan red wines this year

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - All through the Okanagan region, winemakers are getting excited about prospects for this year’s grape crop. Hot, sunny days that have been relatively constant since early June have brought this year’s vintage along at blazing speed, and Okanagan winemakers believe the conditions are right for one of the best vintages ever. “It’s definitely...

Roots and Blues Festival takes over Salmon Arm this weekend

SALMON ARM - The Shuswap will be filled with the sounds of brass and bluegrass as the 'summer destination spot for fans and lovers of music' takes over Salmon Arm this weekend. Now in its 23rd year, the Roots and Blues Festival features an eclectic mix of music from Blues to Bluegrass, Celtic to Cuban...