Vernon news
Forget fire, we’ve got snow on local ski hills
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The weather has flip-flopped in the last week, so much so local ski hills are reporting their first snowfalls instead of watching for wildfires. Silver Star Mountain operations director Brad Baker sent out pictures showing a fair dusting of snow at the resort near Vernon, and a reminder of the mountain’s early bird...
UPDATE: Vernon Search and Rescue thanked for finding missing senior
VERNON - A 69-year-old man who walked away from a medical care facility has been located thanks to Vernon Search and Rescue. Sgt. Tory Romailler said in a release Norman Schiman was found in Polson Park about an hour after issuing a public plea to find him. He was returned in good health to the...
Two teens, ages 14 and 18, arrested for murder in Vernon death
VERNON - Police have arrested two teenagers for second degree murder in the death of Jason Hardy, whose body was found in Polson Park last week. One of the teens is a 14 year old male. He and 18-year-old Brandon Wellington were arrested Aug. 31. Both are residents of the Greater Vernon area, RCMP Const....
Smoke wreaks havoc on already-weakened hearts and lungs
SOUTHERN INTERIOR - Looks like the smokey skies will be with us until at least tomorrow and that means more discomfort for those with chronic heart and respiratory problems. “When we talk about smokey skies, we’re talking about the tiny solid particles that remain suspended in the air. The major concern is particles smaller than...
Heavy smoke blankets Okanagan; the rest of southern B.C. gets smoke haze
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Smoke from the huge forest fires burning in Washington State pumped into the southern Interior yesterday evening has been trapped in the valleys by a temperature inversion. The Okanagan is getting the worst of the smoke with visibility down to less to a kilometre in some areas this morning, Aug. 23. Environment Canada,...
B.C. crews begin work on Washington wildfire
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - B.C. Wildfire firefighters have begun work on a Washington-based wildfire inching its way toward the Canadian border. With five kilometres left before reaching Canada, B.C. crews have been deployed to suppress the Stickpin Fire which is now estimated to be 19,240 hectares in size. Plans so far are for crews to assess the...
‘Too soon’ say critics of decision to lift campfire ban
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Some fire-shocked B.C. residents are questioning the decision by the Ministry of Forests to lift the campfire ban that has been in place since early July. The ministry announced Monday afternoon the ban would be lifted on Crown lands and campsites in the South East and Kamloops fire centres and many communities and regional districts...
Armstrong fair fun gets underway
ARMSTRONG - The Armstrong fair gets into full swing today. The 116th annual Interior Provincial Exhibition runs Wednesday, Sept. 2, to Sunday, Sept. 6. Rides, live music, farming displays, vendors and a variety of entertainment is all on hand for the highly anticipated end of summer event. This year’s theme — Udderly Awesome! Party till...
Vernon pedophile sentenced to over six years in jail for ‘depraved’ acts
JUDGE SEES TO REMOVAL OF TATTOO 'TROPHY' VERNON - A diagnosed pedophile is going behind bars for what a Vernon Provincial Court judge called vile, depraved and repeated sex crimes against his step-daughters. The 41-year-old man, who cannot be named to protect the identities of the girls, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the girls when...
Big Brother Canada cast coming to Okanagan to help local girl with depression
PEACHLAND – Cast members of TV game show Big Brother Canada will be in Peachland this weekend to help cheer up a local 15-year-old struggling with mental illness. Thirteen cast members from all three seasons, including season two runner up Neda Kalantar, will be at Davis Cove Lakeshore Resort Sunday, Sept. 6. Manager Shelley Peach...
Local girl to make TV debut on First Dates Canada tonight
KELOWNA - A local model and freestyle motocross rider will appear on the debut episode of a new TV show that films couples on first dates in all their awkward glory. First Dates Canada was filmed in Vancouver earlier this year and debuts on the Slice Network for the first time tonight, Sept. 1. Kelowna’s...
Performance audit looks at City of Vernon purchasing practices
VERNON - B.C.’s auditor general has pulled back a curtain on the City of Vernon’s purchasing activities. Acting auditor Arn van Iersel took a look at the city’s purchasing practices over a two-year audit period, from 2010 to 2012, and released the findings this week in a report. The performance audit reviewed whether the city...
Cougar shot near elementary school
LUMBY - A cougar was put down by the Conservation Service Monday morning in Lumby after it attacked livestock. Conservation officers trapped and shot the large, roughly five-year-old, 170 pound male cougar, after it killed a resident’s sheep and alpaca in the Schwartz Road area behind J.W. Inglis Elementary. Conservation officer Ken Owens says the...
Plan in place to support people evicted from Vernon motel
VERNON - Local organizations have a plan in place to support people evicted from the Green Valley Motel. Tenants must be out of the building by the end of the day today, Aug. 31, and Annette Sharkey from the Social Planning Council for the North Okanagan says local organizations, primarily the John Howard Society, are...
Cool, wet week in store for the Okanagan
OKANAGAN - The mercury has dropped and rain is expected to fall as summer break wraps up this week. With Environment Canada calling for high temperatures to only reach the mid- to high-teens all week, you can expect temperatures to remain quite a bit below seasonal normals of 23 Celsius for a high and 11...