Vernon news
Nine salmonella victims in B.C. Interior contracted from live chicks
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The Interior Health Authority is bearing the brunt of a B.C. salmonellosis outbreak connected to live poultry distributed from a hatchery in Alberta. The health authority has dealt with nine of 13 confirmed cases within the province and one of the two that required hospitalization, according to Althea Hayden, a public health physician....
Laundry privatization decision expected this summer
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Hospital Employee Union members who filled the Interior Health Authority board meeting yesterday to show their concern about laundry service privatization got a polite but firm message from chairman Erwin Malzer. “Thank you very much for bringing your concerns to us but no decision will be made until we receive the request for...
Aboriginal health strategy hopes to improve care outcomes
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Tailoring healthcare for the 54,000 First Nations living within the Interior Health Authority will improve the quality of life and health outcomes and ultimately save money by reducing the need for services amongst a population that is overrepresented within the system. That’s the message behind the aboriginal health and wellness strategy adopted yesterday...
Health authority continues to monitor possible Ebola cases
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If the ongoing Ebola epidemic has a human face within the Interior Health Authority, it’s that of Patrice Gordon, a nurse practioner who returned from West Africa last December and promptly began displaying the early signs of of the disease. Gordon tested negative for the virus, but since then the health authority has...
Those red light cameras? Apparently they work pretty well
THOMSON-OKANAGAN - There’s no question drivers run red lights on the highways and byways of the Southern Interior but compared to the Lower Mainland, they’re amateurs. A story this week in the Vancouver Sun shows the worst 25 intersections for red-light running out of the 140 intersections where ICBC operates red-light cameras account for more...
Southern Interior water beat by Chilliwack in tap water taste test
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Waterworks staff in the Okanagan and Kamloops will be drowning their sorrows tonight after losing out to Chilliwack in a tap water taste test which wouldn’t have looked out of place at a winery. “It’s a clear winner,” joked Tanja McQueen, CEO of the B.C.Water and Waste Association, who hosted the tasting and...
Blood found outside Vernon school connected to stabbing incident
SUSPECT ARRESTED VERNON - Police have determined the blood found outside Ellison Elementary School in Vernon is connected to a stabbing incident. Officers had a portion of Fulton Road and Okanagan Landing Road outside the school cordoned off on Wednesday, May 28 while they investigated the scene and collected evidence. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk said a man...
Local bands seek musical peak in B.C. contest
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Two bands from the Thompson-Okanagan are in the running for the musical opportunity of a lifetime. This year’s chosen dozen for the Peak Performance Project include Vernon-based artist Windmills, and Kamloops-based Van Damsel, the only musicians from the B.C. Interior. The rest of the Top 12 are dominated by artists in the Lower Mainland...
Batch of chemicals show up on backroad near Westwold
VERNON - Police aren’t sure where a large batch of chemicals dumped in a gravel pit on Douglas Lake Road came from, but they have a hunch it was a synthetic drug lab. The Ministry of Environment got wind of the illegally dumped chemicals — 33 to 54 gallon barrels full — and contacted the...
Kelowna company expands delivery to Europe and Asia
KELOWNA – The company formerly known as Kelowna Flightcraft is expanding its cargo routes overseas. Now called KF Aerospace, the Kelowna-headquartered aviation services company will have routes four times a week between Toronto and Europe via Brussels and daily service between Toronto and Atlantic Canada. Within two months the network will expand to include all...
Vernon offers new grant program with hope of expanding limited rental housing options
VERNON - Building a new rental unit in Vernon? There’s a grant for that. To combat a shortage of rental housing in the city, Vernon council has introduced a new grant program to encourage development. Up to $4,000 per unit is now available for the construction of rental complexes. The city hasn't seen the construction...
UPDATE: Police presence in front of Ellison Elementary
VERNON - Police have cordoned off the road near Ellison Elementary School in Vernon after someone discovered blood in the area Wednesday morning. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says the blood was found sometime between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m., May 27, on Fulton Road, in front of Ellison Elementary School. While police are treating the...
Campapalooza campacacancelled
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – A first-of-its kind event that gives parents a chance to get a taste of all the different summer camp options in one place has been cancelled. Campapalooza was to be held at Okanagan College May 30, but according to their website has been 'postponed until April 2016.' The event would have brought together...
Proactive enforcement takes a hit as Vernon RCMP grapple with heavy caseload
VERNON - Checkstops and impaired driving investigations took a hit over the last few months as police struggled to handle a heavy criminal caseload. In a presentation to Vernon city council Monday, May 25, acting RCMP Supt. Jim McNamara said enforcement initiatives were negatively affected by continued resource-draining serious crime incidents and high calls for...
Car crashes into Vernon business
VERNON - Emergency services are on the scene of a crash near downtown Vernon this afternoon. The Vernon Fire Department is on scene along with paramedics and RCMP after a car crashed into Abakhan and Associates at the corner of 29th Street and 31st Avenue. There are no reports of any injuries. %%image2%% To contact...