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Vernon
Remaining dogs up for adoption after controversy at Vernon rescue
'I TRULY BELIEVED WE WERE ALL DOING OUR BEST. WE WERE MISGUIDED…' VERNON – Volunteers…
Strain for medical care grows as Vernon walk-in clinic reduces to half-days
VERNON - Access to medical care continues to shrink in Vernon. Shortly after it was learned the Vernon Family Doctor’s Walk-In Clinic is closing down permanently, news has come that another walk-in clinic has drastically cut its hours. The Gartree Medical Clinic in the Vernon Square Mall has reduced its hours to 8 a.m. to...
Online contest puts Silver Star in North American spotlight
VERNON - The Star is getting some international attention for its cross country skiing. Silver Star Mountain Resort is in the running for a top 10 contest on USA Today for the best nordic resorts in North America. Three Olympians, Sadie Bjornsen, Holly Brooks and Sophie Caldwell were asked to nominate their favourite cross country...
Vernon man handed jail term for child porn offence
VERNON - A Vernon man has been sent to prison after getting caught possessing child pornography. A Vernon provincial court judge sentenced Karl David Lawrence to nine months in jail for the offence, longer than the four to six months requested by Crown counsel during sentencing. Police began investigating Lawrence in March 2014 when suspected...
Mild week ahead for the Okanagan
OKANAGAN - We can expect temperatures to hover around the freezing mark this week, with temperatures expected to be at or near seasonal normal temperatures throughout the Okanagan. Environment Canada is calling for daytime high temperatures to range from -1 Celsius to 2 C this week, with overnight lows expected to reach between 0 C...
Feds shell out $11 million over Vernon property possibly hiding explosives
VERNON - The federal government paid out an $11-million settlement to a B.C. developer who sued after discovering a property purchased in Vernon could be littered with an unknown quantity of unexploded bombs, mortar shells and grenades. Vancouver-based K&L Land Partnership sued the government in 2013 over the 1,349 acre property overlooking Kalamalka Lake. Its...
Early season numbers show decent snowpack in the Thompson-Okanagan
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Several snow systems pommelled the region at the end of 2015, leaving the snowpack levels at a good level to start 2016. At 143 per cent, Similkameen is most above normal for this time of year, but with the lowest in the region sitting at 92 per cent of normal snowpack levels, low...
Local politician launches petition to give RCMP auxiliary officers a tax break
VERNON - A Vernon city councillor is petitioning the federal government to get a tax credit for auxiliary police officers. The petition is posted on the Parliament of Canada website, and calls upon the government to extend the same credit to auxiliary constables — unarmed, unpaid, uniformed RCMP volunteers — as it does to certain...
Did you buy a winning 6/49 ticket in the Shuswap or Surrey?
SHUSWAP - The latest Lotto 6/49 draw is over and while the grand prize wasn't won, a trio of tickets are splitting a $172,000 pot for matching most of the numbers and another won $1 million in the guaranteed prize draw. Someone who bought their ticket in the Shuswap is $86,000 richer while another bought...
Vernon RCMP on the lookout for wanted man
VERNON - Police are asking you to keep an eye out for a wanted man. A warrant for theft of a motor vehicle and possession of stolen property relating to a Dec. 17 incident in Vernon was issued Dec. 18 for Dale Christopher Babiy, 22. Babiy is described as Caucasian, and 5’4” tall, 150 lbs,...
Vernon RCMP seek rightful owner of professional photography equipment
VERNON - A box of photography equipment is the latest in a string of items the Vernon RCMP is hoping to reunite with its rightful owner. Vernon RCMP recovered a black plastic box of professional style photography equipment on Jan. 5, 2016, Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy said. The equipment is believed to have been stolen. ...
Vernon RCMP want to know if you can identify this man
VERNON - Police in Vernon want to know if you recognize a man caught on video surveillance. On Dec. 18, a trailer and Polaris ATV were stolen from the 5300 block of 27th Avenue in Vernon, Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says in a release. They were later recovered in the 5500 block of Willow Place in Vernon....
Robbery at Vernon dispensary nothing unusual — for any business: Pot activist
VERNON - Medical marijuana dispensaries in Vernon were warned about police raids, but an armed robbery got one of them first. Police said three men robbed Black Crow Herbal Dispensary on 48 Avenue at gunpoint the evening of Dec. 30, making off with cash and marijuana products. The robbery comes on the heels of an...
Taxpayers heap abuse on snow removal staff
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Few things, it seems, can bring out the ugly in a person more than a snow covered street. A story posted yesterday with a photo from the perspective of a West Kelowna snowplow driver showed cars parked willy-nilly on a local road, making it virtually impossible to plow. The story touched a nerve and...
Vernon man claiming ‘addiction’ to child porn facing jail for possession
VERNON - A Vernon man will be handed a mandatory minimum of three months in jail, and possibly more, after getting caught with child pornography. Police began investigating Karl David Lawrence after an RCMP monitoring tool picked up suspected child pornography activity on his IP address in March 2014, Crown counsel Cristina Cabulea said during...
Salmon Arm RCMP warn of bad driving conditions
SALMON ARM – Several close calls on slippery roads have prompted a warning for the…
Report of person falling into Swan Lake turns out to not be a person at all
VERNON - There was some commotion on Swan Lake Tuesday afternoon after reports that someone may have fallen through the ice. As it turns out, it was probably just a wild animal. Leigh Pearson with Vernon Search and Rescue says they found the hole in the ice and discovered animal tracks, but no human footprints....
Vernon mom says break-in happened while daughters were home alone
VERNON – A local mother says her daughers were home alone when someone broke into…
Vernon RCMP issue road warning after numerous accidents
VERNON - Drivers are being warned to take it slow on local roads today. Persistent snowfall today, Jan. 4, is creating slippery conditions on Vernon roads and highways. The slick conditions have prompted a police warning to take extra precautions to avoid a crash. “There have been numerous accidents on Highway 97 from the Crystal...
Woman jumps from moving vehicle in attempt to evade Vernon police officer
VERNON - A woman with several outstanding warrants made a dramatic, yet unsuccessful, attempt to flee from police in Vernon. An officer patrolling the area of 30 Avenue noticed a white Chevrolet truck speeding around 3 a.m. Dec. 31 and attempted to pull over the driver. Instead of stopping, the driver fled south on 35...
Weather warming up, snow on the way in the Okanagan
OKANAGAN - Temperatures are set to warm up this first week of 2016, and along with those warmer temperatures will be several days of snow. Temperatures stayed at or below seasonal normal lows the past few days but after today are expected to be a bit warmer than the -6 Celsius that is typical at...
Coroners wanted: Eight vacancies including Kamloops and Vernon
VICTORIA - The hunt is on for people to fill vacancies at the B.C. Coroners Service. The government has job postings up for eight community coroners in communities throughout B.C. including Kamloops and Vernon. The $25 an hour job isn’t for the faint of heart as coroners are responsible for determining the circumstances of sudden,...
2015 TOP STORIES: Politics divided our ridings like never before as Liberals take office
THOMSON-OKANAGAN - Big changes in the political map across Canada translated this year into upheaval for local politicians. Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, seeking a fourth term after nearly ten years in power, dropped the writ on the longest federal election campaign in history, an eleven week marathon largely seen to benefit the incumbents. It...
2015 TOP STORIES: Marijuana goes mainstream as legalization looms
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Marijuana made the news so much in 2015 you could almost smell it wafting across Canada. Supporters could definitely smell change in the air as outright legalization of the drug became part of Justin Trudeau's winning campaign in the 2015 federal election. No sooner was he elected that unions started proposing responsible ways...