Vernon news
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Vernon cops locking people up for fun, and for a good cause
VERNON - Mounties are asking the public to turn in friends, family and coworkers this Thursday as part of their annual jail and bail fundraiser. People can either turn themselves in at a mock jail set up at Boston Pizza, or snitch on someone and have the cops come and arrest them. Offenders will be...
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...
Thievery at scrap metal yard in Lumby
LUMBY - Thieves made off with a large haul of scrap metal in Lumby last week, and while not exactly gold, the material was quite valuable. RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says the large quantity of scrap copper pipe stolen from a scrap metal yard on Trinity Valley Road the night of Oct. 13 was worth...
ELECTION 2015: Conservative Mel Arnold ready to work
VERNON - Mel Arnold plans to spend his first day as a member of Parliament saying thank you. “So many people kicked in to make this campaign successful,” Arnold says. “I want to thank the volunteers that came out and supported me and the people that voted for me. That means so much moving forward.”...
Firefighters tackle burning truck in Vernon
VERNON - Firefighters were called out to battle a vigorous vehicle fire Monday evening. The fire, which happened around 9:30 p.m., Oct. 19, in the 8800 block of Rising View Way in Vernon, left a pickup truck fully engulfed in flames. The Vernon Fire Department hit the fire hard, and were able to extinguish it....
Research vessel stolen from remote North Okanagan lake
VERNON - Police in Vernon are on the lookout for a university’s stolen research vessel. The boat, a 12-foot aluminum Crestliner with no motor, was moored in Kaiser Bill Lake, just south of Lavington, but was stolen sometime between Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says. The boat belongs to the University...
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...
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...