Charlotte Helston

VERNON - RCMP raided a drug house Thursday after receiving tips from the public about suspicious activity there. Vernon’s Targeted Policing unit conducted an investigation into the 35th Street residence after residents and business owners in the area grew concerned over the high volume of traffic coming in and out of the area.   On...

VERNON - Ten thousand push-ups to take away his wife’s dental pain is a Vernon man’s mission this Christmas. Richard Ferguson has launched a fundraising campaign to raise the $10,000 necessary for his wife Crystal to have needed dental surgery. Ferguson’s fundraising page explains the situation. Crystal, a mother of four, suffered a calcium deficiency...

VERNON - It’s unknown how long it will be before Greater Vernon goes to referendum on a new art gallery and upgraded museum. The Greater Vernon Advisory Committee pulled back from a proposed spring 2014 vote at a meeting this week after it came to light that projected costs are somewhat higher than they initially...

VERNON -  Much has changed in the 36 years since Mary and Jake Spoor opened the Vernon Flower Shop, but one thing that has remained constant is their passion for the business. It’s something the couple passed onto their daughter, Melinda Jasott, who has been working at the shop for the past seven years. “Even...

COLDSTREAM - A proposed pellet plant in Lavington is being welcomed with open arms. Tolko’s idea for a $39 million plant next to its existing planer mill off School Road is being hailed as a win-win project by Coldstream council. “Council sees a lot of potential benefits to the community,” Coun. Maria Besso says. “We’re...

RCMP STEP UP ENFORCEMENT WITH ROAD CHECK BLITZ VERNON -  It’s another year of Christmas parties, hot toddies and hazardous winter roads. For the RCMP, it’s time to launch a counter-attack. They don’t want to dampen the fun, but they do want you to get home safely. “Impaired driving is an entirely preventable cause of...

VERNON - It would have seemed like a typical drug deal. Crack cocaine or heroine exchanged for cash on a Vernon street. But what 16 dealers didn’t know was their customers were undercover cops. Operation ‘EPACESETTER’ was executed in September, leading members of the Vernon Targeted Policing Section to recommend trafficking charges against 11 men...

VERNON - A structure fire forced residents out of a mobile home early Sunday morning. Vernon Fire and Rescue responded to the Tronson Road blaze at 8 a.m. and were able to contain the flames and get the occupants out safely. The residents, an elderly woman and her son, cannot return home due to extensive...

VERNON - Vernon Ticket Seller sold 750 tickets for Bryan Adams' upcoming concert in less than an hour, making it the fastest sell-out ever.  Tickets for the Feb. 25  show at the the Vernon Performing Arts Centre went on sale at 10 a.m. Monday, and were quickly snapped up online, over the phone and in...

IT'S HAIRY OVER THERE

VERNON - This weekend boasts numerous ways to soak up arts and culture, get your Christmas shopping done, and enjoy the outdoors (which will soon be dusted in snow). Environment Canada is calling for a 40 per cent chance of flurries or showers on Saturday, and a good chance of snow on Sunday. Get in...

VERNON - It looks like a large child pornography case won't go to trial, though the accused has only pleaded guilty to two of an original 19 charges so far. David Willerth, 39, was arrested July 17 after a two-week joint investigation between the RCMP and B.C. Integrated Child Exploitation unit. Computers and other evidence...

SALMON ARM - A couple who refused to pay three years of rent for a campsite on Shuswap Lake belonging to the City of Salmon Arm has lost their battle. “You cannot fight City Hall,” begins Supreme Court Justice Hope Hyslop in her written judgement on the dispute. “Sadly, the defendants... over the last three...

VERNON - When Stephanie Mortenson sets foot in a new classroom, she’s never sure what the kids will share with her. One elementary school student told her his mother was physically abused by a boyfriend. A young girl wanted to know if she was frigid because she didn’t want to give her boyfriend a blow...

VERNON - A Canadian icon will take the stage at Vernon’s Performing Arts Centre in February. Bryan Adams is stopping in Vernon as part of his cross-country Bare Bones tour. He’ll stop in other small cities including Medicine Hat and Trail. The acoustic show features un-plugged versions of some of his greatest hits. Tickets go...

VERNON - A Vernon politician is on a mission to improve safety along a well-used path in Okanagan Landing. The route provides a shortcut from 43rd Avenue to 25th, where the Landing shopping centre is located. Many residents use the path, but the lack of lighting in the evenings is creating some safety concerns, Coun....

LOSS OF BUSINESS TRANSLATING AS $1,000 A DAY VERNON - The construction of a median on Highway 97 in Vernon is not only blocking left turns, it’s also blocking business, says a city councillor. Coun. Mary Jo O’Keefe brought up concerns over a new median in front of the Best Western Vernon Lodge at a...

VERNON - It’s possible a land slide earlier this month was caused by the city’s irrigation system. It’s something city staff are investigating after mud slid onto Okanagan Avenue Nov. 6, close to where the city releases treated effluent as part of its spray irrigation program. The slide closed the road between Longacre Drive and...