Charlotte Helston

If you google Vernon weather, you'll be greeted with a parade of suns marching straight into the weekend. That's good news for Vernon resident Jerry Beauregard, 74, who's eager to hit the pavement on his bike. He says he'll be out enjoying the rays and working up a sweat this weekend. Doug Lundquist, Environment Canada...

Moms and tots were at Hayden Fitness on 30 Avenue today for a rejuvenating yoga session. The class was part of Vernon's first Unplug and Play week, an event aimed at getting kids off the couch and into the world. Studio owner Marie Hayden says the Mom and Me Yoga class is all about comfort,...

They came in wearing masks and produced a hammer. It was an unusual encounter for the female employee at Mac's convenience store just before 2 a.m. Tuesday morning when two men wearing balaclavas entered the store on 27 Avenue. The night shift employee was in the back room when she heard the front door open....

Often, all it takes is a bark to jolt a pair of hands in the air. But police dogs know how to bite too, and a group of eager young cadets got to see them in action today as part of Vernon's RCMP youth academy program. Const. Kevin Rutten, with the canine unit, recalls arriving...

RCMP are warning parents to keep an eye out for suspicious activity after a man was seen exposing himself near an elementary school in Vernon. Last Friday, as a group of Harwood Elementary students were walking home from school, they spotted a 20-something man sitting in his car on 41 Avenue. When they came up...

According to the RCMP, a recent assault involving a 16-year-old getting urinated on is just the tip of the iceberg. The act occurred at a bush party April 20 in rural Enderby, and police suspect it was committed by two individuals, aged 17 and 18. RCMP school liaison Const. Kathy Szoboticsanec says the type of...

Two fires reported early Sunday morning in Coldstream have police wondering if there's a connection between them. Just before 6 a.m. Sunday, police were called to the area of Cunliffe Road and Lochhaven Drive after a 2005 Volvo station-wagon was damaged by what police believe to be a Molotov cocktail. "Our officer attended and confirmed...

Police have tracked down the suspect of an armed robbery after following up on the license plate of his getaway vehicle. On April 28, at about 8 p.m., a man described as having a scruffy beard and moustache entered the Shell gas station at 700 George Street. "The male suspect entered the store, approached the...

Conservative candidate Scott Anderson thinks government has gotten sloppy, and he wants to clean things up. Anderson, whose career has jumped from construction, to finance, to corporate communications, to the military, to running his own company, says his party would institute a "spending smarter" initiative aimed at educating MLAs. "MLAs need to do their jobs...

NDP candidate Mark Olsen has lived in Vernon for nearly 30 years, and he doesn't like where things are headed for his hometown. That's why Olsen, a full time school bus driver, is taking action. "There's an important decision coming up: more of the same, or change for the better," Olsen says, sitting in the...

TEEN BEATING AT ENDERBY PIT PARTY ENDS WITH VICTIM COVERED IN URINE North Okanagan cops are taking an act of bullying very seriously. The assault reportedly took place last Saturday at a "pit party" off Watershed Rd. in Enderby. "Allegations are that 16-year-old boy was physically assaulted then he was urinated on as well during...

Rebecca Helps, of Port Moody, is being parachuted in as the candidate for Vernon-Monashee, and while she knows a local candidate is always preferred, she at least wants the public to have the option of voting Green. "Being Green and voting Green is saying you want something different," Helps says. "We need something different for...

"WE HAVE A DUTY TO LOOK AFTER THOSE THAT LOOKED AFTER US" At a birthday luncheon for the city's old timers Wednesday, it was only fitting that Christy Clark discuss healthcare, particularly overcrowding at Vernon Jubilee Hospital. "We're building what we were told the community needs," Clark says. "As the community needs more, as Vernon...

Two years employed as an iron worker in Fort McMurray opened Korry Zepik's eyes to an environmental crisis and propelled him into politics. Zepik has worked on Green Party campaigns, but decided to run independently in this election. His ideal scenario is an NDP minority government with a balance of power held by ten Green...

If you walked or biked to school, but your kids don't, you're not alone. A group of students, along with representatives from the City of Vernon and Interior Health, say active transit has become a thing of the past, and they want to change that. A group of UBCO students presented the results of a...

"THE JOB OF GOVERNMENT IS TO ENABLE PEOPLE TO BE THE BEST THEY CAN BE. IT'S NOT OUR JOB TO DO IT FOR YOU." Incumbent candidate Eric Foster says he won't be using cash as a band-aid for local issues; he'll be using his head. Foster has lived in the area for over 20 years,...

"He's holding him up by the helmet with (one) hand, and punching with his other. He was holding him up like a rag doll." Driving along Highway 6 last summer, Ansel Kelman witnessed an unusual confrontation: a cyclist beating on a motorcyclist. Beating on him hard, as Kelman described in Vernon Provincial Court, standing up...

An 80-year-old Vernon man has narrowly escaped going to prison after a large scale grow-op was busted at his Falkland property two years ago. Poor health was his get out of jail card, but he's a long way from being a free man. James Gibson, who has a BA from Simon Fraser University and worked...

One hundred and thirteen: the number of ways an accounting firm has suggested the City of Vernon could trim its spending. Mayor Rob Sawatzky says some options in the core services review by KPMG—which is costing the city $80,000— could be controversial. Others are already in effect. "Two thirds of the 113 are already opportunities...

The owners of a local jewelery store didn't want to make any assumptions about a customer who dropped $4,000 on a ring after looking at it for only a few minutes. "But for a $4,000 ring, usually you take a bit more time," Ziba Lor says. Lor owns Gold N Time, a jewelery store located...

Police are warning businesses about the threat of credit card fraudsters following the arrest of a man suspected of committing multiple offenses in the Okanagan, and possibly the Lower Mainland. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says a local jewelery store was hit April 18. "The suspect used a fraudulent credit card to purchase a $4000 dollar...

Allegations that Vernon's Liberal MLA was abusing taxpayer money with renovations to his constituency office have been dismissed by B.C.'s conflict commissioner. Again. Eric Foster hopes this is the end of "false accusations" from the B.C. Conservative Party. "Everything Cummins (B.C. Conservative leader) gave to the commissioner was incorrect," Foster says. "When the commissioner asked...

A little drizzle this weekend will make warm, sunny weather all the more welcome next week. Environment Canada is predicting sunshine and highs of 18 C towards the end of next week. Highs of 14 C on Monday will climb steadily throughout the week, to 17 C on Tuesday, and 18 C on Wednesday and...

Following a destructive fire at Vernon's recycling facility, bottles are being transported to Kelowna's Cascades Recovery facility. Then back, through Vernon, to Armstrong's bottle depot for sorting. The bottle run-around bypasses Vernon's Venture Training association, which used to make around $2,000 a month sorting the material then claiming the returns. "We used the money for...