Vernon news
Witnesses sought in crash that left Kelowna cyclist in coma
KELOWNA - RCMP are looking for witnesses in crash that left a Kelowna cyclist in a coma. Trevor Bohac, 42, was riding his bike eastbound on Robson Road West with his dog on Sept. 1 shortly after 4 p.m. when he was struck by a vehicle turning into a driveway. His leg was broken and...
Locals winners named for Aboriginal Business Awards
THOMPSON-OKANGAN - Some local aboriginal entrepreneurs are coming away from the B.C. Aboriginal Business Awards with wins this week. Troy Fraser Chiropractic of Kamloops has won Business of the Year in the one to two person enterprise category. Skyride Bike and Board Inc. of Vernon has won an outstanding achievement award for companies with three...
UPDATE: Owner reunited with artificial leg found on Penticton street
UPDATE: 3:20 P.M., SEPT. 15, 2015 The owner of the prosthetic leg found on Lakeshore Drive over the weekend has been found, Penticton RCMP report. Penticton City bylaw officers called the detachment to say they knew the owner of the leg, Penticton RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Don Wrigglesworth says in a press release. The woman had...
Vernon judge ruffles feathers by refusing to sentence alleged fraudster
"I CAN’T BE THROWING PEOPLE IN JAIL WHO SAY ‘I DIDN’T DO IT’" VERNON - A bit of courthouse drama unfolded at the Vernon Law Courts Monday when a judge refused to sentence an accused fraudster on charges she wouldn’t admit to committing. Desiree Dorothy Pelletier is charged with forgery, theft of $5,000 or under...
ELECTION 2015: Candidates, voters make voices heard at North Okanagan-Shuswap debate
VERNON - Close to 500 people packed the Vernon Performing Arts Centre Monday night, not for a ballet or a concert, but for political discourse. The all candidates forum was anything but dull, and like any good show at the performing arts centre, parts certainly got people going. All four North Okanagan-Shuswap candidates were grilled...
What the Vernon airport is today and what it could be 20 years from now
VERNON - Seated on a flat landing below orchard-brushed hillsides on the west side of town, the Vernon airport is a little known nook of activity where corporate jets offload business people, ambulances airlift patients to hospital and adrenaline-hunters enjoy the rush of a freefall. It’s small enough that curious onlookers might be treated to...
Snow on the Okanagan Connector
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Drivers heading out on the highway should be prepared for a bit of snow at the higher elevations this morning. Drive B.C. is showing snow at several of the higher Okanagan elevations and temperatures are currently sitting around 0 Celsius. At the Coquihalla Summit it is currently raining and temperatures are sitting around...
Two cars in Vernon ditches a reminder to slow down in heavy rain: RCMP
VERNON - The weather contributed to two separate accidents on Highway 97 earlier this month. The first happened just before 6 a.m. on Sept. 8 when a vehicle hydroplaned near Bailey Road and went off the road into the ditch. The male driver and lone occupant walked away with minor injuries, but the car was...
Motorcycle crash puts Vernon man in hospital with serious injuries
VERNON - A local man is in potentially life threatening condition after losing control of his motorcycle Sunday afternoon. Police say the 55-year-old Vernon man was travelling east on Bella Vista Road, Sept. 13, when he lost control and crashed around 4 p.m. His bike was extensively damaged in the accident. Both police and B.C....
Vernon RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk off duty for good
VERNON - He was a well known face at the police station and on the news, but you won't be seeing Vernon's longtime RCMP spokesperson anymore. Gord Molendyk, who served over as an RCMP officer, and then a media spokesperson, for over 40 years has announced he’s retiring. “My job over the years working with...
Police investigating another suspicious fire in Vernon
VERNON - Police in Vernon are investigating another suspected arson, this time outside the curling club. RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says the fire started in a pile of display panels used for hanging merchandise which were stacked at the rear of the building. The Vernon Fire Department managed to put out the blaze before it...
Return to seasonal normals in the Okanagan
OKANAGAN - The mercury soared heading into the weekend, but has dropped considerably coming out of it. Temperatures were in the high-20s Friday and Saturday, well above seasonal normal highs of 20 Celsius. Sunday things cooled off to highs of 23 C in the North and Central Okanagan, but at 27 C remained quite a...
Vernon pet store posts video of arson suspect
VERNON – The owner of a Vernon pet story is hoping someone recognizes the man suspected of starting a fire on the Labour Day long weekend. A video taken by AJ’s Pets and Things security camera has been posted to the store’s Facebook page. Firefighters were called to the downtown store early in the morning...
Thousands of Thompson-Okanagan renters mired in affordable housing crisis, new index says
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - About a quarter of all renters in the Thompson-Okanagan are facing an affordable housing crisis, according to a new study. The new Canadian Rental Housing Index is an interactive map which offers a snapshot of rental housing conditions across the country. You can search by city or electoral area riding, and find the...
ELECTION 2015: Voting basics in the North Okanagan-Shuswap
VERNON - Before you head to the polls this October, you’re going to want to know who your candidates are, where to vote, and what you need to bring with you. We’ve got you covered. Consider this your North Okanagan-Shuswap voter’s kit. We’ll introduce you to your candidates, fill you in on advance polling, and...