Charlotte Helston

VERNON - Distracted drivers may not have noticed the reflective vest clad volunteers scribbling license plate information onto their clipboards last fall, but the warning letter in their mailbox likely caught their attention. Citizens On Patrol volunteers recorded enough information to send warnings to 54 drivers as part of a brand new initiative called Cell...

VERNON - Within three hours last night, police rounded up three individuals suspected of breaking into vehicles.  The first call came in around 10:30 p.m. for a vehicle theft at 37 Avenue and 28 A Street. The caller reported two men in black and white hoodies had broken into a vehicle and vacated the scene....

VERNON - A Vernon elementary school is going to stick with the traditional two months of summer vacation following a vote on a proposal to adopt a year round calendar. Mission Hill Elementary needed 90 per cent of the school community, including parents, teachers and administration to vote in favour of the change but only...

VERNON - Those who were evacuated from burning buildings or rescued from crashed vehicles know firsthand what Vernon Fire and Rescue Services did for our community in 2013. The rest of us may not be aware of what they’ve been up to, aside from seeing the odd fire engine whip by. With a total of...

CHERRYVILLE - Some Cherryville residents may have cow manure in their drinking water. Interior Health hasn’t confirmed the contamination, but a spokesperson says drinking water officers are concerned after visiting the area Wednesday. “In their opinion you could see that as snow is melting and runoff occurs there was the potential for manure to be...

VERNON - Days are numbered for a Vernon ice rink that has hosted hockey players and curlers since the 1930s. The Greater Vernon Advisory Committee has approved a November referendum to decommission Civic Arena and build a new ice sheet either at Kal Tire Place or Priest Valley Arena. Committee chair Juliette Cunningham says the...

SWEET REMEMBERED THROUGH GAME HE LOVED VERNON - Some people commemorate loved ones with plaques on park benches or by planting trees in their memory. Others play ball. Friends and family of Jamie Sweet, who died Oct. 17, 2013 at age 30, will convene at Vernon’s DND grounds at the end of April for the...

VERNON - Vernon’s newest fire hall officially has a place to call home and it only cost ten bucks. The City of Vernon finalized a lease agreement Monday for property in Predator Ridge where a new fire station will be built. The $10 lease is good for 999 years. After that, it can be renewed...

REGIONAL DIRECTOR SUSPECTS WATER IS TAINTED WITH COW MANURE  CHERRYVILLE - A North Okanagan politician is sounding the alarm over ongoing water contamination issues in his community. Regional district director for Cherryville Eugene Foisy says brown, coffee-coloured water began pouring out of residents’ taps over the weekend, and it wasn’t the first time.  “Everyone here...

VERNON - Remember last month when we warned you to check your change, lest it be swallowed up by the parking meter? Turns out, you don’t have to grab a magnifying glass to make sure your coins are an acceptable mint anymore. As of March 1, Vernon’s parking meters officially began accepting coins from any...

VERNON - There’s a new way to enjoy winter at Silver Star Mountain. Fat-bikes, a new trend sweeping North America, will be making their debut on selected cross-country and snowshoe trails at the resort starting March 10. Participants have until the end of the ski season April 6 to embrace the opportunity.    “We are conducting...

VERNON - Once again, the City of Vernon is the only jurisdiction showing any interest in the question of amalgamation. The City asked Coldstream and Areas B and C to consider putting the topic on their 2014 municipal election ballots, but Vernon councillor Bob Spiers says its clear they have no intention of doing so....

VERNON - It wasn’t just a coffee house. It was a platform for human rights issues, a venue for emerging artists, a meeting place for spiritual discourse. There’s much to be said about the Talkin’ Donkey, which will serve its last cup of fair trade coffee at the end of the month. Due to financial...

VERNON - North Okanagan officials are taking another look at proposed regulations for medical marijuana facilities following protest from local producers. During a public hearing Wednesday, medical marijuana producers presented their concerns to the Regional District of North Okanagan board. The regional district is proposing to allow production facilities on industrial and agricultural lands when...

VERNON - A family photographer at Vernon’s Walmart stepped out of his comfort zone and into the limelight this past week while competing to be ET Canada’s newest guest co-host. Griffon Burton, 21, is one of four finalists chosen from hundreds of applicants across Canada to vie for the coveted TV spot. The four will...

VERNON - A 14-year-old girl is in hospital after being hit by a car yesterday afternoon. The incident occurred around 2:30 p.m. on 32 Street near 24 Avenue, just up from the lights at the bottom of Hospital Hill. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says the Vernon girl stepped off the curb to jaywalk across the...

VERNON - A local group is using art to fill a variety of needs in the community. Whether it’s brightening the alleys with art or involving at-risk youth in painting murals, The Wayfinder Project is responding to the needs of the community from its new office space at the Downtown Vernon Association. The Wayfinder Project is...

VERNON - It wouldn’t have mattered if bystanders were able to remove the driver of a crashed van before it burst into flames last summer on the highway near Enderby. A coroner’s report says Margaret (Peggy) Armstrong, 49, had already died of multiple traumatic injuries sustained when her Chevy Astro van collided with a semi...