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Vernon

Why vaccinating 71 per cent of 7-year-olds in southern Interior should have you worried

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - To prevent a measles outbreak, 95 per cent of the population is required to be vaccinated, but the province’s southern Interior isn’t meeting that requirement with only 71 per cent of seven-year-olds vaccinated between 2012 and 2014. With the latest school year comes the annual round of vaccinations and kids will bring reminders...

Kelowna airport still flying high

KELOWNA - The city-owned Kelowna International Airport continues to do well, with most indicators on the rise. Airport manager Sam Samadar, in a report to city councillors, will show traffic continues to grow and will so for some time. Some 1.6 million passengers got on or off a plane in Kelowna in 2014, right in...

Put your best paw forward this weekend and help stop animal abuse

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – This weekend thousands of animal lovers from across the Thompson-Okanagan will help stop animal abuse simply by walking their dogs. For more than a decade, residents of cities across the province have laced up their sneakers for the Scotiabank and BCSPCA Paws for a Cause Walk. Manager of the Kelowna SPCA Suzanne Pugh...

Thousands of Thompson-Okanagan renters mired in affordable housing crisis, new index says

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - About a quarter of all renters in the Thompson-Okanagan are facing an affordable housing crisis, according to a new study. The new Canadian Rental Housing Index is an interactive map which offers a snapshot of rental housing conditions across the country. You can search by city or electoral area riding, and find the...

ELECTION 2015: What does voting got to do with dancing?

KELOWNA - A young voter from Kelowna is determined to put the party back in politics by holding a free youth voter registration dance party. “They’ve been talking for 40 years about how the youth vote is declining and young people are not getting out to vote any more. I’m active in my culture and...

Crash near Salmon Arm sends three to hospital

SALMON ARM - A two vehicle crash west of Salmon Arm Thursday afternoon shut down the highway for several hours and sent three people to hospital. The collision happened on Highway 1 about 14 kilometres west of Salmon Arm near Kault Hill. The driver of a car parked facing west on the shoulder attempted a...

Near-record heat this weekend in the Okanagan

OKANAGAN - After a week of near-normal high temperatures the mercury is expected to again hit the 30 Celsius mark throughout the region this weekend. Environment Canada is calling for highs of 29 C and 30 C today, Sept. 11, and Saturday throughout the Okanagan, well above the seasonal normal high of 21 C. The...

New murder charge laid in connection with Vernon death

VERNON - Police have arrested a third person for murder in connection with the death of 42-year-old Jason Hardy, whose body was found in Polson Park Aug. 26. Tal Kalum La Riviere, 28, from Greater Vernon, was arrested in Kamloops Sept. 9 and charged with one count of second degree murder. He was scheduled to...

CBC’s Ron MacLean bringing Hometown Hockey Tour to Penticton

PENTICTON - Kamloops won’t be the only Interior community celebrating the National Hockey League with Ron MacLean this season; Penticton has been named one of the stops on the second annual Rogers Hometown Hockey Tour. The tour will make 24 stops this year, four in B.C., and features NHL alumni, hometown heroes and local entertainment...

RCMP issue warning over persistent phone scammers in the Okanagan

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Residents are being reminded to watch for red flags if they get a call from someone claiming to be from Revenue Canada. Clues the call may be a scam include getting pressured by the person to pay taxes immediately over the phone, or being threatened that police will come and arrest them if...

Man killed in Merritt crash named

MERRITT - A 32-year-old man from Surrey died when the vehicle he was in hit a rock bluff near Merritt last week. Jesse Dan Dietz was a passenger in a pickup truck that left the roadway and hit a rock bluff on Highway 5 near Merritt around 8 a.m. on Aug. 31, according to the...

Vernon teen accused of murder to have no contact with three people

VERNON - A local teen charged with murder has been ordered not to have any contact with his co-accused — a 14-year-old boy — and two other young men from Vernon. Brandon Joseph Clayton Wellington, 18, appeared in Vernon Provincial Court today, Sept. 9 on one count of second degree murder in the death of...

Damage at popular North Okanagan camping area puts province in action

VERNON - Those who frequent Grizzly Lake on the Aberdeen Plateau above Vernon during the summer camping season might notice some changes over the next couple years. Recreation Sites and Trails B.C., a branch of the Ministry of Forests, is proposing an approximately 30-unit campground at the north end of Grizzly Lake. Okanagan District recreation...

Multiple residents displaced after Vernon pot lab explodes

VERNON - Several residents of a Vernon apartment complex were forced out of their homes when a neighbouring unit exploded and now, nearly a month later, they still can’t return home, according to one displaced tenant. Resident James Halpert, who gave only his first and middle name, has lived in his Regency Gardens apartment on...

Kamloops and Kelowna among top places in Canada for job seekers

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Kamloops and Kelowna have managed to crack the top-20 in a survey noting 50 of the hottest local job markets in Canada. Express Employment Professionals, a staffing agency with operations in Canada, the U.S. and South Africa, released its second annual Top 50 Hot Job Markets survey this week. The survey looks at the number...

Stolen Lake Country boat and truck recovered in Kamloops

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - An observant off duty cop helped police recover a boat and truck stolen out of Lake Country Sunday night. The astute officer noticed a boat and trailer being unloaded on the side of the highway in the Dallas area early Monday morning, Sept. 7 and turned around to keep an eye on the...

Health authority moves on residential care bed promise

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Construction of 100 new residential care beds will begin this fall in Kelowna and another 85 are soon expected in Vernon as well. The Interior Health Authority announced in a press release it has awarded the contract to Baltic Properties, an existing contractor who is already providing residential care services in Kamloops, Lake...

Temperatures to heat up again in Okanagan

OKANAGAN - Back to school is kicking off with a little rain this morning but by the end of the week we can expect highs well above seasonal normals throughout the Southern Interior. Temperatures will remain below seasonal normal lows of 21 Celsius today, Sept. 8, but it's expected to reach 23 C Wednesday before...

Vernon homeless camp growing after motel evictions

VERNON - A Vernon homeless camp has grown in the days following an eviction order at the Green Valley Motel, according to shelter workers. Tenants had to be out of the motel by Sept. 1, and while a small number sought lodging at the Gateway Shelter, it appears others have turned to the street, John...

Drive B.C. adds eight new highway webcams to help you plan your trip

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Just in time for winter, Drive B.C. has installed eight more highway cams between West Kelowna and Kaleden, and in the Merritt area to help drivers assess road conditions and traffic. The cameras include four south of West Kelowna on Highway 97 and Highway 97C, and three near Kaleden in the South Okanagan....

Cooler weather sticking around for Okanagan long weekend

OKANAGAN - The last long weekend of the summer is upon us but Mother Nature doesn’t seem to be ready to join the celebration this year. For the most part September kicked off with temperatures just below seasonal normals of 22 Celsius and the Labour Day long weekend will be much the same. Environment Canada...

UPDATE: Missing Vernon woman located

UPDATE: 12:01 P.M., SEPT. 8, 2015 Vernon RCMP announced Tuesday, Sept. 8, that Cheryl 'Daisy' McEwan, who left a medical facility last week without completing her treatment, has been found.  6:43 A.M., SEPT. 4, 2015 VERNON - Authorities are appealing to the public for help finding a missing woman. Vernon RCMP say Cheryl ‘Daisy’ McEwan,...

Whooping cough still a concern as school approaches

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - With the first day of school approaching, parents should remember a recent spike in potentially fatal whooping cough has only just began to drop. “We have been in communciations with schools informing parents about communicable diseases in general and the fact we have been observing increased cases of whooping cough,” Dr. Kamran Golmohammadi...