Vnjan2016
Secret proposals exchanged over Vernon horse racing dispute
VERNON - Proposed resolutions over an ongoing legal dispute between the City of Vernon and the Okanagan Equestrian Society are on the table, but neither side is commenting on the details. The society’s lawyer, Ed Woolley, says proposals were exchanged this week and both parties are now considering their options. The legal dispute has been...
First sponsored Syrian refugee arrives in Salmon Arm
SHUSWAP - They’ve got houses, furniture, dentists, backpacks and pretty much everything else a newcomer might need, and now a group of volunteers working to sponsor Syrian refugee families finally has its first arrival. A young man in his 20s arrived in Salmon Arm a couple of days ago, Salmon Arm Refugee Coalition member Brian...
Two North Okanagan-Shuswap school district properties up for sale
VERNON - The North Okanagan-Shuswap School District is putting two of its properties up for sale. The first is the former board office in Salmon Arm, which will be listed for $800,000, and the other is the old South Canoe School, on the market for $500,000. Board of Education chair Bobbi Johnson says Colliers International...
Why a break-in couldn’t have happened at a worse time for two single Vernon moms
VERNON - Kris Zacharuk is pushing her son into the arrivals gate of the Kelowna Airport in a wheelchair when her phone rings. It’s been tough lately to keep the phone bills covered, but she has to in case the doctors call about Christopher’s kidney transplant. It’s her 17-year-old daughter calling. The house Zacharuk shares...
Still confused about consent? Judge’s ruling on Coldstream sex assault might help
VERNON - A man has lost his appeal over a sexual assault that happened after a birthday party in Coldstream. According to a Jan. 6, 2016 judgment by Justice Martha Devlin, a group of people spent the evening drinking and going to a nightclub in Vernon in September 2011 to celebrate a friend’s birthday. Later,...
Why the government thinks someone intentionally blocked a culvert causing flood damage in the North Okanagan
VERNON - Plastic and wood debris found near a culvert after a devastating landslide in the North Okanagan in 2014 leads investigators to believe the flood was human caused, according to information obtained by iNFOnews.ca. Investigators with the Ministry of Forests announced in November 2015 they believed someone intentionally blocked a culvert, causing Dale Lake...
Gloomy dark clouds over the Okanagan won’t part any time soon
OKANAGAN - That stifling grey pall of gloom hanging over the Okanagan is here courtesy of El Nino and Environment Canada says we can expect more of the same for at least the next ten days. Meteorologist Matthew MacDonald says we are at the mercy of major weather systems conspiring to blot out the sun. That...
Expect to feel the squeeze as walk-in clinics close or cut back hours in Vernon
VERNON - Dwindling access to walk-in clinics in Vernon will lead to longer line-ups, and more people travelling outside their communities to see a doctor, says a Kelowna advocate for walk-ins. While the community is still absorbing the impending closure of the Vernon Family Doctor’s Walk-In Clinic, another blow came this week with news that...
Record demand met with record generosity at Vernon’s Salvation Army food bank
VERNON - It was a record year for the Salvation Army in Vernon in more ways than one. This year’s annual food bank fundraising drive surpassed all records set during the Salvation Army’s past 110 years in Vernon, Capt. Jean-Curtis Plante says in a media release. Donations reached nearly $458,000 during the Christmas Hope Campaign,...
Free parking in downtown Vernon adding up to concerns
VERNON - There’s concern that free parking is coming at too high a cost in downtown Vernon. Vernon city council has approved a number of free parking days for special events and initiatives, adding up to a total of approximately 15 days of free parking, Coun. Catherine Lord said at a meeting Monday, Jan. 11....
Salmon Arm RCMP want your help finding stolen truck
SALMON ARM - Police are on the lookout for a stolen pickup truck and could use your help. Salmon Arm Staff Sgt. Scott West says the 2007 black GMC Sierra truck with Alberta plates EKS767 was stolen from a parking lot on Jan. 10 at 10 a.m. in the 2400 block of the Trans Canada...
Snowfall warning for Coquihalla Highway
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - While temperatures continue to warm up in town, a system is expected to drop enough snow on area highways today to prompt a snowfall warning for at least one section of highway. Environment Canada has issued a snowfall warning for the Coquihalla Highway from Hope to Merritt, where up to 25 centimetres of...
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...
City council disagrees with upcoming bus stop change at Vernon mall
VERNON - Those who take the bus from the Vernon mall are in for some changes. There have been safety issues and close calls at the stop, which is located outside the food court at the Village Green Centre, transportation engineer Amanda Watson said during a city council meeting today, Jan. 11. The transit operator,...
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...