Vernon news
Jury finds Okanagan women guilty of teaching fraudulent tax scheme that cost government millions
KELOWNA – Two Okanagan women who helped defraud the Canadian government of roughly $200 million in taxes have been found guilty of all charges by a jury in Kelowna Supreme Court. Donna Marie Stancer and Deanna Lynn Lavalley were both charged with making false statements in their own personal income tax returns, counselling others to commit...
Officials suspect Molotov cocktail used in Lumby fire
LUMBY - Police believe a Molotov cocktail is to blame for a small, yet potentially serious, fire in Lumby. Firefighters were called to a residential road in Lumby around 10 p.m. Tuesday, July 7, for a report of a grass fire. While the fire was small and did no real damage to the property, officials...
Three Vernon cyclists hit by vehicles cause for concern
VERNON - All road users are being reminded to be careful after three separate incidents over the past week left two cyclists injured and a third dead over. Jennifer Wadsworth, a mother of two, was biking on 25 Avenue on July 2 when she rode in front of a pickup truck. She was rushed to hospital,...
$110,000 pontoon boat stolen from Kelowna business turns up in Alberta field
KELOWNA – Thanks to social media a luxury pontoon boat that was stolen from a Kelowna business last weekend has been recovered in Alberta. The boat, a 2015 Campion Biltmore worth more than $110,000, was taken from Banner Recreational Products some time Sunday. Amanda Jefferson, Marketing Co-ordinator at Banner Recreation and Marine, says the suspects...
Missing documents for Westbank audit mysteriously resurface
WHAT IT MEANS TO RECALL PETITION FOR CHIEF AND COUNCIL | In February, Westbank First Nation members demanded an audit of band dealings in the Lake Okanagan Wellness Centre after they found themselves on the hook for $7.9 million. When they failed to get it, they pursued the recall of Chief and council. In our ongoing...
Chance, community spirit, and the power of social media reunite lost cockatiel with Vernon family
VERNON - It would have been a different story if Allison Griffiths hadn’t taken the afternoon off. But she did, and when she got home, it was as if a lost little bird was just waiting for her. She noticed the exotic, grey and yellow cockatiel on a neighbour’s roof and thought, “That’s not a...
Coroner identifies woman killed on bicycle in Vernon
VERNON - A woman killed when she was hit by a pickup truck while riding her bike in downtown Vernon July 2 has been identified. Jennifer Wadsworth, 37, of Vernon, was a mother of two daughters. She was riding eastbound on 25 Avenue at roughly 6:20 a.m. when she was in a collision with the truck. She...
Voluntary boat check program hitting the water in Vernon
VERNON - Starting this weekend you will be able to ensure your boat meets necessary safety standards through a voluntary pre-check program offered by RCMP volunteers. The Vernon-North Okanagan RCMP Marine Unit will start a voluntary vessel safety pre-check at the Paddlewheel Park boat launch on July 11. The aim is to help speed up...
No, you can’t do that in B.C. right now
‘SOMEONE IN AN INTERFACE AREA WAS USING A BLOW TORCH TO GET RID OF THEIR WEEDS’ KELOWNA – This hot, dry summer makes beach days all the more necessary, but it has taken at least some of the fun out of other favourite Thompson-Okanagan pastimes. By now we should all know that, during fire season...
New North Okanagan child and youth advocacy centre gets federal backing
VERNON - A cutting-edge pilot project in Vernon will help make things a little easier for young victims of crime. The much needed North Okanagan child and youth advocacy centre will streamline the process for young victims who have been sexually abused or assaulted, or who have witnessed crime, and will be made up of...
Vehicle thief handed nine months jail for stolen truck, ATVs
KAMLOOPS - A 22-year-old with a taste for stolen vehicles will spend the next four-and-a-half months in jail after pleading guilty to possessing a stolen pickup truck and two all terrain vehicles last spring. Justice Gary Weatherill handed Waylon Faulhafer a nine-month sentence yesterday, July 6 for his involvement in two separate stolen property files....
Cause of fire that destroyed Vernon ministry office will likely remain unknown
VERNON - Investigators do not know for sure what started a massive fire in downtown Vernon and after a week-long investigation, have classified the cause as undetermined. The violent blaze burned down a 48 Avenue building that housed the Ministry of Social Development office and a podiatry clinic June 30. Deputy fire chief Lawrie Skolrood...
If you missed the deadline on your favourite Okanagan produce this year, you weren’t alone
SO EARLY, IT'S UNHEARD OF OKANAGAN - Many crops in the Okanagan have come and gone much earlier than normal, and that’s leaving consumers with mixed emotions. Cheryl Rohrer with Good ’N’ Plenty Produce in Armstrong says some customers are thrilled to see their favourite foods out earlier than usual, while others are left disappointed...
NHL beach party this Friday at Kal Lake
VERNON - Get ready to have a beach day with some of your favourite National Hockey League players past and present in a fundraiser event for the Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation this weekend. On Friday, July 10, the National Hockey League Players’ Association, along with 20 players, will be at Kalamalka Beach for autographs, beach...
The power of information during electrical failure
WHO HAS IT, WHO DOESN'T THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - When the power goes out, so do most of the things we depend on for life and business — lights, refrigerators, internet, air conditioning, point-of-sale machines, cash machines — and depending on which power company you use, so does information. The Thompson-Okanagan is divided between Fortis B.C. and...