Vernon news

Falling loonie could impact Vernon’s plan to buy new fire truck

VERNON – City council had promised Vernon Fire Rescue a new water tender for firefighters at the Okanagan Landing fire hall, but the falling value of the Canadian dollar is impacting the price tag. Council approved the purchase of the new fire truck last fall, but since then, the loonie has taken a beating on...

Shipping container doors open to reveal unique Vernon art show

VERNON - The shiny steel doors of Vernon’s new pop-up art gallery open to the public today. The large metal shipping containers donated by BigSteelBox represent the first art gallery of its kind in the Okanagan. Designed to house a portion of the international Okanagan Print Triennial show, the satellite gallery at the corner of...

Victim identified in fatal Shuswap car crash

BLIND BAY – A Sorrento woman has been identified as the person who died in a three car crash on Highway 1 in Blind Bay on Monday. The B.C. Coroners Service says Anisha Husseinali Moore, 55, was the only one in a car involved in the crash on the Trans Canada at Hilltop Road at...

Vernon Vipers use home ice to even series against Penticton Vees

VERNON - The Interior Division Final will come down to a best-of-three after the Vernon Vipers picked up a 5-2 win over the Penticton Vees Wednesday night, in game four at Kal-Tire Place. The Vipers, like the Vees, held serve on home ice, winning both games by 5-2 scores to come back from a 2-0...

Appeal to be heard over Lavington pellet plant’s operating permit

LAVINGTON - Construction may have started on a pellet plant in Lavington, but in six months time, an appeal will be heard over the company’s operating permit. Three local residents and members of Lavington Is For Everyone (LIFE) filed an appeal with the Environmental Appeal Board, calling for a review of the Ministry of Environment’s...

Silver Star Road, voted worst in B.C., is getting a facelift

VERNON - B.C.’s worst road is getting some love from the provincial government. Silver Star Road in Vernon, voted number one in BCAA’s 2014 worst roads survey, is one of the items listed in a 10-year transportation plan released by the province. Sometime in 2015, the road will be resurfaced as part of an initiative...

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...