Vernon news
How a quick call to police helped someone with mobility problems
VERNON - A scooter has been returned it to its owner thanks to a tip from the public. Mounties believe the scooter, valued at $500, was taken overnight on March 8 from a home on 30 Avenue in Vernon, according to a Vernon RCMP media release. The owner of the scooter has mobility problems and...
Lake Country Food Bank digs in to build new facility
LAKE COUNTRY - Less than two months after winning $100,000 in a contest to put toward the project the Lake Country Food Bank broke ground today on their new million-dollar facility. During the ceremony, representatives were on hand from the District of Lake Country along with other major partners including a few from Okanagan College....
What you should know before spending the night at a forestry campsite
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you can’t bear the thought of digging out your own personal earthen toilet bowl, jump back in your 36 foot deluxe model travel trailer and turn right around — forestry camping is not for you. Those of you who didn’t spend Sunday morning frantically reserving a campsite in one of B.C.’s provincial...
Windstorm wreaks havoc on Lumby trailer park
LUMBY - It was like a scene out of the Wizard of Oz: A carport swept into the air, bits of siding blowing off homes and dust clouding the air. There were numerous wind-related incidents Saturday afternoon in the North Okanagan — B.C. Hydro responded to some 300 wind-related outages across the province — but a trailer...
Improvements to Birnie Road intersection part of provincial plan
VERNON - The intersection at Highway 97 and Birnie Road, which was the scene of a fatal accident in 2014, is one of the improvements targeted under a new ten-year provincial road improvement plan. The Birnie Road intersection is commonly used by Vernon residents on their way to the landfill. An accident along that stretch...
Money from bad guys goes to the good guys in Vernon
VERNON - A new advocacy centre for abused or neglected children, training for domestic violence workers, educational initiatives around technology issues like cyber-stalking — all brought to you by previously dirty money. On behalf of the provincial government, Vernon-Monashee MLA Eric Foster today announced five grants for three local organizations from the civil forfeiture program,...
More cuts on the horizon for Vernon School District
VERNON - More cuts are on the way in the Vernon School District. The provincial government requires $437,000 of cuts in non-instructional costs at School District 22 next year, rising to $814,000 in 2016/17. “Our School District has suffered many cuts in funding in recent years. We’re proud that we’ve kept much of the cost...
Speed traps make law breakers see double over the weekend
VERNON - RCMP used a cunning technique to nab speeders along Highway 97 south of Vernon over the weekend. Officers with the traffic section set up two separate speed operations within five kilometres of each other on the highway between Vernon and Winfield on March 14 and 15. Drivers who thought they'd put the pedal...
Molotov cocktail chucked at Vernon church
VERNON - Police and the Fire Department are investigating after a molotov cocktail was thrown at the Vernon Family Church Monday night. Deputy Fire Chief Lawrie Skolrood says a nearby resident noticed a large flame around 7:30 p.m. outside the church, located on 25 Avenue, and phoned 911. “It’s very fortunate the building was stucco...
Windstorm slams BC interior knocking power out to 39,000
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – A major wind storm blew through the B.C. interior Saturday afternoon, March 14, knocking down trees and breaking branches which in turn hit hydro lines cutting the power to about 39,000. In the Thompson-Okanagan area just under 1,000 B.C. Hydro customers are still without power as of 1 p.m., Sunday, March 15 due...
Water service interruption scheduled this week
VERNON - Water service will be interrupted Tuesday and Wednesday in areas of Vernon while the city conducts repairs. The city is replacing mainline valves and some customers will be without water from 8 a.m. Tues., March 17 to 4 p.m. Wed., March 18, according to a media release. The areas affected include: 621 to...
Windstorm forces Lumby residents from their homes
VERNON - Lumby residents were evacuated from their homes over the weekend due to a major windstorm. Around 7 p.m. Saturday, Mar. 14, RCMP officers were called to a home in the 400 block of Mabel Lake Road in Lumby for a hydro hazard caused by the wind. “The wind blew a portable carport up...
Vernon Mounties catch well armed break-in suspect
VERNON – An eagle-eyed neighbour played a role in the apprehension of a break-and-enter suspect in Vernon on the weekend. The man noticed someone rummaging through his neighbour’s truck on Mt. Fosthall Drive, Sunday, March 15, and called police. RCMP say a person matching the suspect’s description was spotted on a bicycle near the 7-Eleven...
Major snowfall for mountain pass highways in Thompson-Okanagan
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Winter appears to be reluctant to release it’s icy grip on the mountain pass highways in the Thompson-Okanagan. Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement warning of 10 to 20 centimetres of snow by Monday morning. Meteorologist Ross Macdonald says a strong front over Washington State combined with falling freezing levels will...
A place to call home at Vernon Jubilee Hospital
VERNON - Medical students now have a place to call home after the new medical space promised for Vernon Jubilee officially opened this week. University of British Columbia Southern Medical Program students will have access to centralized education areas, two video conferencing rooms designed for learning and training, as well as a clinical skills room....