Elevate your local knowledge
Sign up for the iNFOnews newsletter today!
Vernon news
Premier asks you to burn responsibly this May long weekend
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – In light of the unseasonably hot and dry conditions throughout the province, Premier Christy Clark is asking residents to be extra cautious this long weekend. "Every summer, the risk of fire increases. With many parts of the province facing unseasonably warm and dry weather, that risk increases even more — putting people's homes...
Precautions taken after confirmed Norovirus case at Vernon school
VERNON - The Vernon School District is taking precautions after a child was diagnosed with Norovirus earleir this week. Superintendent of School District 22 Joe Rogers says a single case of the virus was confirmed Wednesday, May 13, at Ellison Elementary School, prompting a precautionary response. “When we have a potential outbreak, once we have...
Police ticket driver after electric wheelchair accident
VERNON - A person driving a motorized wheelchair was sent to hospital Thursday after being hit by a car. Const. Daniel Gow says an investigation revealed the car was reversing out of an alleyway onto 30 Street, near A&W, and struck the electric wheelchair, May 14. The person on the wheelchair suffered minor injuries and...
Emergency personnel respond to traffic accident on Highway 97 in Vernon
VERNON - Emergency crews responded to a collision involving a truck and a motorcycle on a busy Vernon road Friday morning. Witnesses say the accident happened at the bottom of Hospital Hill on Highway 97 in Vernon and a person was seen lying in the roadway. Vernon RCMP confirm there had been an accident between...
HELSTON: Improving Stickle Road needs to be a two-way street
Anyone who’s waited five minutes to make a risky, left-hand break for it off Stickle Road onto Highway 97 towards Vernon knows something needs to change before someone gets killed. Agreeing there’s a problem is the easy part. Finding a solution is where the road rage sets in. Right now, we’ve got the Ministry of...
Your low-down on the May long weekend weather
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Environment Canada is calling for some pretty spectacular weather this May long weekend. Across the Thompson-Okanagan there will be sunny skies for much of the weekend, with highs getting up to 26 Celcius. Those in Vernon can expect sunshine and a high of 26 C on Saturday, followed by a reprieve from the...
Coldstream woman killed in tragic boating accident was an avid water skier: Coroner
CHERRYVILLE - A woman who died in a water skiing accident last summer was killed by a cervical spine fracture sustained when she struck the water face down, says a B.C. Coroner who has ruled her death accidental. Brenda Lee Anne Roine, 46, was boating on Sugar Lake near Cherryville on the Canada Day long...
Dozens of vehicles impounded due to excessive speeding
KELOWNA – In the last two months, more than 50 vehicles were ticketed and impounded for excessive speeding between Kelowna and Vernon. Since March 1, the Kelowna RCMP Integrated Road Safety Unity conducted speed enforcement along the Hwy 97 corridor targeting aggressive drivers travelling more than 40 km/h over the posted speed limit. “Aggressive driving...
North Okanagan-Shuswap budget cuts ‘gut-wrenching’
NORTH OKANAGAN - Literacy programs, grief counselling and class sizes are all taking a hit next year in what the North Okanagan-Shuswap school board chair calls some ‘gut-wrenching’ decisions to balance next year’s budget. The school board approved two pages of reductions totalling $1.7 million at its board meeting Tuesday, May 12. "We have tried...
Feral cats of the North Okanagan: “Somebody has to help them”
VERNON - There’s Blackie, and Boots, Tigger One and Tigger Two, and of course Mr. White, a Siamese whose ears are wrinkled by frostbite. They, and the other dozen or so cats make up the band of misfits, just some of the tens of thousands of feral cats in the North Okanagan. They have it...
Vernon vet clinic goes beyond the call of duty to help animals in need
VERNON - The Creekside Animal Clinic in Vernon has been giving back to the community almost as long as it’s been operating — which is getting close to 30 years now. Founding partner Dr. Murray Flock says it’s just the clinic’s culture to have a charitable side, and at Creekside, that means emergency surgeries for...
By the numbers: Vernon SPCA at a glance
VERNON - Here are some things you might not know about the Vernon branch of the SPCA. It costs the non-profit roughly $665 to shelter a single cat. Over the course of a year, the branch goes through some 52 jugs of laundry detergent. The facility runs on six employees and 75 volunteers. Branch manager...
Shuswap school closure decision difficult for school district
SALMON ARM - The closure of a rural Salmon Arm elementary school has been avoided, at least for one more year. Faced with the decision of whether or not to close Silver Creek Elementary a majority of trustees voted to keep the school open for another year while exploring the feasibility of introducing a Montessori...
What you should know about this delicious, and potentially poisonous, local delicacy
VERNON - You might have seen the bright, vibrantly green curlicues in classified ads or at the local grocery store recently and wondered what they are and where they come from. They’re called fiddleheads, and they’re found around the world, including the Thompson-Okanagan, for a few short weeks every spring. Those who have tried the...
Possible arson at Gatzke farm
LAKE COUNTRY – The owners of Gatzke Orchards are hoping someone knows how a suspicious fire started on their property Monday night. According to a post on their Facebook page, the fire started on the south end of the property on May 11 but was noticed before it could spread out of control. “Feeling a...