Vernon news

Stolen vehicle driven ‘very erratically’ recovered near Westwold

WESTWOLD - A joyriding couple in a stolen pickup truck were stopped in their tracks by RCMP yesterday afternoon. Police received a report around12:30 p.m. yesterday, Sept. 21, of a white Ford S350 truck, believed to have been stolen from Summerland, being driven near Falkland.   A police helicopter out on a separate investigation spotted the...

Infotel prize winner says new tablet came at the perfect time

'THIS DOES NOT NORMALLY HAPPEN FOR ME, I’VE NEVER WON ANYTHING LIKE THIS' VERNON - Vernon resident Elaine Drinkwater remembers the first prize she ever won — $50 towards a silver utensil set. She was a teenager, and not particularly thrilled about the prize, especially since it didn’t even cover the full cost of the...

Motorcyclist collides with deer on highway by Swan Lake

VERNON - A collision between a motorcycle and a deer slowed down traffic on Highway 97 by Swan Lake Tuesday afternoon. The accident happened around noon when a southbound motorcyclist struck a deer, RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says. “The motorcyclist was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries,” Noseworthy says. Traffic was impacted for a short...

West Kelowna singer named best new artist at Indigenous Music Awards

WEST KELOWNA - A local First Nation singer and songwriter has won Best New Artist at the Indigenous Music Awards in Winnipeg. Kelly Margaret Derrickson, daughter of Grand Chief Ron Derrickson, beat out five other artists for the prestigious award on Friday, Sept. 11. Her debut album, Warriors of Love, was released in 2013 and...

Salmon Arm RCMP investigating crash and truck full of marijuana

SALMON ARM - One man was taken to hospital after being ejected from his truck and another arrested for possession of drugs following a high-speed chase in two separate cases in the Salmon Arm area yesterday. At 9 a.m. yesterday, Sept. 21, RCMP attended a crash scene where a 40-year-old male rolled his Ford F350...

Watch this North Okanagan apple grow; incredible one minute time lapse

VERNON - A Vernon orchard has captured the magic of an apple’s growth from blossom to fruit in a one minute video. Davison Orchards put a camera on a single Honeycrisp apple in March and watched it grow. You can see the incredible transformation in the time-lapse below. The video has already been shared 1,878...

$12,000 worth of tire chains stolen from Vernon storage yard

VERNON - RCMP are asking for the public’s help to find the thieves who stole thousands of dollars worth of tire chains from a storage yard on the weekend. Police say someone broke into the Western Equipment storage yard at 1046 Middleton Way sometime overnight on Friday, Sept. 18. Thieves made off with 60 sets...

Vernon convenience store clerk shaken, but not hurt, after robbery

VERNON - A convenience store employee did the right thing when a man in a ski mask told him to open the cash register early yesterday morning. After being threatened with what looked like bear spray around 4:30 a.m., Sept. 20, the lone clerk at Mac’s Convenience Store on 27 Street did as he was...

Risk of frost in the Okanagan tonight

OKANAGAN - If you haven’t already harvested all your tomatoes you should spend some time covering them up today — there’s a risk of frost through much of the Okanagan tonight. Environment Canada is calling for a risk of frost tonight, Sept. 21, in the North and Central Okanagan with temperatures expected to dip as...

$2-million pharmacy project at Vernon Jubilee Hospital a wrap

VERNON - Vernon Jubilee Hospital’s old emergency department has been transformed. Left empty after the emergency department moved to the Polson Tower in 2011, the space was renovated to house the hospital’s pharmacy. Those renovations, which began in early 2014, are now complete, and the new pharmacy — previously located in the basement — becomes...

Vernon’s Village Green Centre celebrates 40 years in the community

VERNON - After four decades the Vernon mall still offers something you can’t get with online shopping: a social, community atmosphere. Much has changed at the Village Green Centre since its grand opening Aug. 6, 1975. Now, friends can meet at Starbucks for a cup of coffee before strolling through the automatic doors. You can...

Water drilling rush in B.C. Interior to get jump on new water regulations

IMPACT UNKNOWN THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Companies drilling water wells in the B.C. Southern Interior appear to be busier than usual and the reason may be the introduction next spring of the provincial Water Sustainability Act and its new well licensing requirements. While hard numbers of how many wells are being drilled are hard to come by...

UPDATE: Former Vernon RCMP officer guilty, sentenced for possessing child pornography

"HE HAS... BEEN SUBJECTED TO PUNISHMENT WELL BEYOND THAT... (OF) A USUAL INMATE" KELOWNA - Former Vernon Mountie Ryan Hampton has been found guilty of possessing and downloading child pornography as well as several counts of breaching court orders. Hampton, 37, pleaded not guilty to possessing child pornography, accessing child pornography and six counts of breaching...

Trial coming to an end for former RCMP officer accused of downloading child porn

KELOWNA - A former RCMP officer accused of possessing child pornography will soon find out his fate. Closing arguments were made Wednesday, Sept. 16, in the Supreme Court trial of former RCMP officer Ryan David Hampton, who is accused by his wife of downloading child porn during a messy separation. Hampton pleaded not guilty to...