Vernon news
Watch out for rattlesnakes; they’re out early in the Thompson-Okanagan
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Sunny weather has gotten many of us out from beneath our rocks looking for some rays, and we’re not the only ones in the animal world. Warm temperatures have brought rattlesnakes out earlier than normal in the Thompson-Okanagan, according to WildSafe B.C. spokesperson Frank Ritcey. “With the warm weather, the snakes will be...
Construction just around the corner for Vernon’s new Tim Hortons
VERNON - Construction on Vernon’s latest Tim Hortons is expected to start soon across from Beairtso Elementary School. Southborough Vernon Investments Ltd. director David Longpré says the company plans to break ground within the next month and complete the drive-through Tim Hortons and CO-OP Gas Bar by the end of the year. “There’s anticipations it...
Low snowpack prompts Greater Vernon water warning
VERNON - Greater Vernon residents are being advised to go easy on the water in light of a lower than normal snowpack this year. Recent snowpack readings at three monitoring stations near the Duteau Creek Watershed suggest the region could be in for low water levels this summer, water sustainability coordinator Jennifer Miles said in...
Police withdraw ticket given to Vernon scooter user involved in accident
VERNON - A Vernon woman recovering from injuries sustained when her scooter was hit by a truck was going to fight a violation ticket police handed her after the accident, but now she won’t have to. After reviewing the Motor Vehicle Act, the RCMP is rescinding the ticket issued to Patricia Parent for entering a...
Early start to wildfire season in Southern Interior, numbers still below 10-year average
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A series of wildfires were ignited this past weekend as dry weather combined with warming temperatures to create conditions ideal for human-caused fires. B.C. Wildfire crews responded to four fires over the weekend, two in the Kamloops part of the fire centre and two in the southern tip. Information Officer Kayla Pepper says...
Vernon man sentenced on animal cruelty charges will get to keep his dog
VERNON - An unfortunate case of animal cruelty was laid out in Vernon Provincial Court this week, and it wasn’t just sad for the pet. Brian Jacobson, 47, was charged with causing unnecessary pain or suffering to an animal, failing to provide necessities, and causing an animal to be in distress following an SPCA cruelty...
Victim of fatal rock climbing accident near Vernon identified
VERNON - A teen who died in a rock climbing accident near Vernon this past weekend has been identified. He was Taylor Samuel Archer, 18, from New Westminster. Archer was hiking with friends near the King Edward Forest Service Road about 15 kilometres east of Vernon on April 11, states a release from the B.C....
Lumby man’s offence not so different from his last
LUMBY - It was deja-vu for a North Okanagan cop dealing with an impaired driving case. The officer was patrolling in the Lumby area April 10 around 2 p.m. when he noticed a prohibited driver in a residential neighbourhood, RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says. “Our officer drove up to the vehicle in a marked police...
Mother, son duo arrested in connection with Lumby drug rip
VERNON - A mother and son duo are facing charges after allegedly stealing medical marijuana plants from a licensed grower in Lumby. Lumby RCMP Cpl. Henry Proce says charges have been laid in connection with a March 27 drug rip on Grandview Avenue. “The suspects forcibly broke into a house and stole the marijuana plants...
Stolen Lumby vehicle found scorched and shot up
LUMBY - Police are appealing to the public for tips after a stolen vehicle turned up torched and shot full of bullet holes last week. The vehicle, a silver 2000 Audi, was reported stolen from Catt Avenue in Lumby April 6. Two days later, it was found four kilometres up the Noble Canyon Forest Service...
Three people injured in logging accident near Lumby
LUMBY - An injured logger stuck down a 500-foot embankment has been rescued and transported to hospital. The victim was one of three workers injured when a tree reportedly fell on them in a remote area east of Lumby Wednesday morning. The industrial accident is under investigation by WorkSafe B.C. and spokesperson Scott McCloy says...
Growing appetite for food cart plaza in downtown Vernon
VERNON - Excitement is brewing around two unique pop-up ventures at Vernon’s downtown bus loop, a shipping container art gallery and a mobile coffee cart, and rather than see that momentum falter when the exhibit ends and the space returns to an empty gravel parking lot, some would like to see it continue to thrive...
New money to fight invasive plants in Thompson-Okanagan
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – The province is spending more than $1.7 million to help local governments and other organizations with the battle against unwanted plants damaging local ecosystems. Minster of Lands and Kelowna MLA Steve Thomson announced the grants to fight invasive plant species in a media release this week. “It’s important we get a handle on...
Vernon man admits guilt in car crash: nurse left paralyzed
VERNON - A Vernon man has pleaded guilty to causing a car crash that left a local nurse paralyzed from the neck down. Robin Orcherton, a Vernon nurse and mother, was on her way home from work Dec. 3, 2014 when her car was struck by a blue Jeep. The driver fled the scene and...
InfoNews houseboat prize winner all smiles
KAMLOOPS - The winner of the InfoNews grand prize is all smiles after claiming her trip last week. “This is an awesome prize,” Debbie Sampson, who is a social development worker with the Adams Lake Indian Band, says about winning the InfoNews houseboat vacation grand prize. Though Sampson is excited her kids might be even...