Vernon news
Vernon Farmers’ Market disappointed with arena vote
VERNON - The manager of the Vernon Farmers' Market believes some vendors will feel the squeeze as the group downsizes for upcoming arena construction. Manager Ingrid Baron is expecting the market will need to shrink by a third to fit into reduced parking lot space at Kal Tire Place while the facility is expanded. Greater...
Diamond ring found in Vernon Walmart glove returned to rightful owner
VERNON – A woman from Lake Country quickly bought a pair of gloves at the Walmart in Vernon as she and her daughter headed to the city’s Downtown Light Up event Friday evening, Nov. 27. When Tanya Krcmar put on the gloves, one of her fingers slipped through what she says felt like a ring....
Greater Vernon voters say ‘YES’ to a new arena
VERNON - Greater Vernon will get a brand new, multi-million dollar arena, voters decided today. The ‘yes’ vote for a new ice sheet to replace the aging Civic Arena was victorious in the Saturday, Nov. 28 referendum. According to preliminary results, 4,265 votes were cast in favour of the new arena, and 3,331 against. The...
Investigators still looking for tips in Cooke Creek landslide
ENDERBY - The Ministry of Forests still doesn’t know who’s responsible for a massive landslide near Enderby last year, but it’s standing by its belief the catastrophe was human-caused. In a statement released last week, the Ministry said it believes someone tampered with a culvert, leading Dale Lake to spill its banks and send a...
Vernon photographer creates magical Disney photos featuring her daughter
VERNON - A Vernon photographer brought a little magic home from Disneyland. It all started with an elaborate Elsa dress Camillia Courts bought her daughter Layla, who was five years old at the time, during a family trip to Disneyland last year. “When we brought it back home, I was thinking where the heck is...
Police presence outside Vernon apartment building
VERNON - There was a police incident at a Vernon apartment building today, but RCMP are tight-lipped about exactly what is going on. Cruisers were parked outside a complex in the 4000 block of 20 Street for much of the day Nov. 27, but police won’t divulge what brought them there. “It’s still under investigation,”...
Penticton man identified as victim in fatal Okanagan Connector crash
KELOWNA – The first big winter storm on the Okanagan Connector and Coquihalla highways proved deadly early this month. A car crash claimed the life of a Penticton man on Highway 97C around 1:30 p.m., Nov. 16, according to a media release from the B.C. Coroners Service. Martin Lewis Schultz, 44, was the driver and...
Vernon School District asked to vacate city-owned building
VERNON - The Vernon School District has been asked to vacate a city-owned building currently home to the Open Door Education Centre. According to a memo from the superintendent’s office, the 29 Street building owned by the city and leased by the district is getting demolished next summer. The district has been asked to vacate...
Cold snap continues in the Okanagan
OKANAGAN - While the temperatures continue to remind us why the stereotype of all Canadians living in parkas and igloos exists, it is nowhere near the record lows recorded in the Okanagan. Environment Canada is calling for temperatures to remain well below zero all weekend but is forecasting the mercury to hit near seasonal normal...
Voters to decide fate of Vernon arena project in coming days
VERNON - Voters will have their say on a new arena this Saturday, but as they prepare to head to the polls, over 2,000 people have already cast their ballots in advance polls. “I think those numbers are even better than the general municipal election we had,” Vernon mayor Akbal Mund says. “That’s encouraging in...
Migrant workers safe and with families in Mexico after going missing in the Okanagan
VERNON - Four temporary foreign workers who went missing in the Okanagan this past summer are back home in Mexico, the country’s consulate confirmed today, Nov. 26. Vernon RCMP reported the men missing in July 2015, nearly a month after they were last seen taking a cab into Vernon to cash some cheques. They arrived...
Kokanee numbers keep rising in Okanagan
OKANAGAN - Kokanee numbers are up from last year in all of the big valley lakes, the provincial government says. Wood Lake’s kokanee population continues to recover from a disastrous 2011 when poor in-lake conditions lead to a huge increase in fish mortality of all ages, according to a media release. Over 20,000 returned to spawn...
The unusual way some local residents mourn through Facebook
"IT'S NICE TO KNOW THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO LOVED HIM." KELOWNA – Earlier this month Facebook announced a new option designed to help you get over a relationship breakup without blocking or unfriending your ex. But some Okanagan residents are using Facebook to help get over an even greater loss. Three years ago, suddenly and...
Plans underway to fill health care gap left behind by Vernon walk-in closure
VERNON - As one walk-in medical clinic in Vernon closes, the door to a new one may soon be opening. Plans are quietly developing around the possibility of a new walk-in medical clinic in Vernon following news that the Vernon Family Doctors Walk-In Clinic at the Fruit Union Plaza is closing March 19, 2016. Few...
UPDATE: Precautions taken after overnight fuel spill in Coldstream
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, DISTRICT OFFICES TO REOPEN COLDSTREAM - An overnight fuel spill at a Coldstream gas staiton has prompted a full response from emergency crews. Officials say approximately 6,000 litres of gasoline spilled at the Centex Gas Station on Kalamalka Road just after midnight, Nov. 25. The spill is believed to have occurred when a...