Vernon news
Okanagan men accused of trafficking marijuana hidden inside logs ordered extradited to the U.S.
NORTH OKANAGAN - A group of eight men accused in a cross-border drug smuggling operation in which marijuana was trucked to California in hollowed out logs have been ordered extradited to the U.S. A Supreme Court Judge has ordered Shane Donald Fraser, Todd Ian Ferguson, Daniel James Joinson, Darrell Romano, Robert Romano, Ivan Djuracic, Aaron...
NHL players to attend event at Vernon’s Kal Beach this summer
VERNON - Hockey fans have an exciting event to look forward to this summer in Vernon. The city announced today the National Hockey League Players’ Association will be participating in a community event and hospital fundraiser at Kalamalka Beach Friday, July 10. The family-friendly celebration will feature a significant donation of hockey equipment made by...

What to do with 100,000 metres of steel rail, ties and a grafitti-covered boxcar
KELOWNA - Now that the CN Rail corridor purchase is complete, there’s the small matter of removing about 100 kilometres worth of steel rail, railway ties, flashing lights and signs, and some contaminated soil sites. Oh, and one graffiti covered boxcar. Fortunately for the Okanagan communities that just ponied up $50 million in cash and...

Creative Chaos craft fair underway
VERNON - A giant Vernon craft show is celebrating 40 years of bringing creative chaos to the North Okanagan. Creative Chaos, a three day craft show and sale held at the Vernon Recreation Centre, will present its 40th annual exhibit starting Friday, June 5. Every year, the craft fair takes over the Vernon Rec Centre,...

HELSTON: Knowing who your real friends are
Usually, we only hear about the girls who kept their conversations with strange men a secret. The girls who found themselves trapped in a vicious circle of extortion; nude photos or exposure of what was already obtained to their friends, family, classmates. We hear their stories, recounted in courtrooms, of how it all began, innocently...

Hot weather and hot events coming to the Okanagan this weekend
OKANAGAN – After a week of rain Environment Canada is calling for a sunny, hot and dry weekend, just in time for some great events in the Okanagan. Temperatures are expected to reach the mid-30s Saturday and Sunday with minimal chance of rain, so pack up your kids and your sunscreen and make it count....

SNELSON TRIAL: Cusworth was beaten to death: Pathologist
GRAPHIC CONTENT ADVISORY KAMLOOPS - Around seven or eight blows to the head caused the death of a 19-year-old girl who was found beaten, bruised and strangled in a watery ditch at the side of a pumpkin farmer’s property in Kelowna in 1993. In Kamloops Supreme Court today, June 4, Dr. Ronald Roy, a forensic...

SNELSON TRIAL UPDATE: Friends recall last moments with Jennifer Cusworth
KAMLOOPS - The last time Jennifer Cusworth’s friends saw her alive at a house party, they planned to get her home safely after drinking into the early morning hours of October 16, 1993. For Pam Coulombe and Faith Klinksiek their plan didn’t work out; the 19-year-old disappeared from the party. A jury heard Coulombe and...
Why you’ve been reading so much about Vernon vacations lately
VERNON - Vernon has made headlines in various travel publications of late, but what you might not know is how those stories came to be. Those writers from major publications in Canada didn't just happen upon little old Vernon, they’re part of an aggressive new marketing strategy led by the city. Articles in the Globe...

United Airlines drops service to Kelowna
KELOWNA – After less than a year of service between Kelowna and San Francisco, United Airlines has departed for good. The carrier first started service to Kelowna in October of last year and according to airport spokesperson Jenelle Hynes had already decided in December that it just wasn’t economically feasible to continue the once-daily flights...

Vernon RCMP use creative tactic to send message about distracted driving
VERNON - Police in Vernon tested drivers with an unusual distracted driving campaign Monday afternoon involving a cardboard sign that read: ‘I am not homeless.’ If you kept reading, you’d see the sign went on to say, ‘RCMPolice looking for seatbelt/cell phones.’ RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says in a media release the sign was part...

North Okanagan neighbourhood begs for police presence on dangerous road
ARMSTRONG - After seeing police action taken on a stretch of road known for having a problem with speeders, people in other North Okanagan neighbourhoods are lining up for the same treatment. Mounties conducted a road check on Otter Lake Road May 19 after residents expressed concerns about people speeding to police and city council,...

Local woman uses social media to find long lost father
"IT'S GOING TO BE MY FIRST FATHER'S DAY IN 46 YEARS WHERE I ACTUALLY KNOW WHO MY FATHER IS." KELOWNA – A local expert in social media found out the power of Facebook last weekend when she used it to find and meet her father for the first time in 46 years. And even though...

Vernon woman shows what Lyme disease really looks like
VERNON - A young Vernon woman battling Lyme disease hopes you’ll share her story. It couldn’t have been easy to tell, and it’s not always easy to watch, but 21-year-old Amy Soranno’s two-year story of pain and unanswered questions is now laid out in a documentary called Amy’s Complex Case. The video, which can be...

Wet weather closes Vernon sports fields
VERNON - All baseball diamonds and soccer pitches in Vernon have been closed because of the rain. In a release today, June 2, the City of Vernon says all city fields along with Areas B and C and sub-regional sports fields are closed for the day. Beach volleyball is still scheduled for tonight. A total...