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Solution needed to costly transient camp issue in Kamloops

KAMLOOPS – Calls to bylaws about homeless camps have more than doubled since 2013 and the issue has become a sore spot for an Ask Wellness staff member who says the process and costs of camp teardown is flawed. “The way we handle homeless camps I think is absolutely ridiculous and it probably costs the...

Judge to hear evidence against Lumby man accused of murder

VERNON - A Lumby man accused of murdering his girlfriend, a local teacher, is before a provincial court judge this week. A preliminary inquiry for Howard Everett Krewson, also known as Howard Everett, began Wednesday, Feb. 4 and is scheduled to last five days. Krewson, 55, was charged with the second degree murder of Linda...

Summerland woman putting the pedal to the metal at ARCA racing event

SUMMERLAND - A Summerland woman is getting ready for the ride of her life as she prepares for an Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) race at Daytona. Sarah Cornett-Ching has been driving for half her life — and she’s only 24. She began her racing career at Penticton Speedway, where she first got behind the...

The unique approach Vernon is taking to selling itself

VERNON - A new City of Vernon tourism initiative is focussing more on recommendations shared by word of mouth than snagging a write up in a guide book. The city understands many people rely on reviews from friends and family when picking a place to visit, and it’s found a way to track how often...

UPDATE: Near zero visibility for some foggy Okanagan areas

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Environment Canada has issued a fog advisory for much of the Southern Interior. According to Environment Canada, a strong temperature inversion over southern B.C. will cause widespread, dense fog to develop over many Southern and Central Interior valleys this evening. The fog will persist until midday Tuesday. Visibility may be significantly and suddenly reduced...

UPDATE: Name released in second Kamloops prison death

KAMLOOPS - Investigators are examining the cause of an inmate death on Jan. 19 at Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre. The B.C. Coroner's Service has confirmed the dead inmate as Daryl Vic Belseck, 52, and said the death is not considered suspicious. Cindy Rose, a spokesperson for B.C. Corrections, provided very little information, saying the inmate...

Snowbirds returning to thrill Penticton

PENTICTON - You will have to look up, way up, to see the highlight of the Peach Festival this year. The Snowbirds are returning to Penticton after a two year absence to kick off the August celebration. The precision flying squadron will perform over Okanagan Lake in celebration of the Peach Festival opening day on...

Dwindling student body means grade changes coming for Rutland Senior Secondary

KELOWNA - The end of the echo boom is hitting Rutland Senior Secondary, forcing the Central Okanagan school district to change grade configurations or risk losing some of the school’s unique programming. “We had a wave of high school students pass through in the last few years,” the school district’s secretary-treasurer, Larry Paul says. “This...

UPDATE: Highway 12 reopens after giant boulder cleared

LYTTON – A huge boulder that fell onto Highway 12 in a rockslide on the weekend has been cleared and the highway has reopened. The highway was closed between Lytton and Lillooet until early Monday afternoon after the boulder fell, blocking much the roadway. The Drive B.C. website noted the Ministry had to wait on...

VIDEO: Calgary man survives spectacular car rally crash in Chile

A driver from Calgary took quite a tumble over the weekend while participating in an off-road rally in Chile. Even though this footage of 63-year-old Matt Cambell's crash looks quite spectacular, he made it out alive and is resting today, released over the weekend from a South American hospital. Only his helmet was damaged, according...

Donations for toddler’s funeral stolen from Enderby gas station

VERNON - Police are hoping the public can help them find someone who stole donations for a three-year-old’s funeral. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says police received a report about the unfortunate incident on Saturday, Jan. 3 at the Esso in Enderby. “The suspect stole the donation box that was to assist the family... with funeral...

Mounties respond to ‘unnerving’ report of man carrying Samurai sword in Enderby

ENDERBY - Police arrested an Enderby man for possession of a weapon after a reported incident involving a Samurai sword last Friday.  RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says police responded to a report of a 39-year-old man yelling at a resident in a Baird Avenue apartment building in Enderby to come out and fight.  Police arrived...

Most of Thompson-Okanagan well shy of record snowfall amounts

ONLY KELOWNA COMES CLOSE  THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Nearly enough snow fell on Kelowna to set new two-day snowfall records this week but it was nowhere near the amount that fell on Penticton in 1932. The storm began late Saturday evening and had ended in much of the region by Monday evening. After two days of solid...

Excessive speeding has spiked 300 per cent in the North Okanagan

VERNON - As we ring in the New Year, the message from Vernon RCMP is keep the roads safer in 2015. Traffic Services impounded 78 vehicles for excessive speeding in 2014, up 300 per cent from 25 in 2013. “They (Traffic Services) just shake their head,” RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says. The need for decreasing...

Flu season underway with outbreaks in five Interior Health institutions

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The flu season is upon us and Interior Health is dealing with a number of its facilities in the Okanagan suffering from active outbreaks over the holidays. Dr. Sue Pollock, Medical Health Officer with Interior Health, said what is currently being experienced in the Okanagan is “a fairly typical influenza season" so far. "Normally we...

Drivers asked to avoid stretch of Bella Vista Road in Vernon

VERNON - Emergency officials are asking travelers to avoid a section of Bella Vista Road in Vernon after a car accident Saturday. Due to a single vehicle rollover on Bella Vista Road near Sandon and Davison Roads, Vernon Fire and Rescue Services is requesting drivers avoid the area. Travelers are asked to use Allenby Way...

Facebook group fights graffiti

PENTICTON - Penticton resident Kyle Bachmann is determined to do something about graffiti in the city after last weekend’s spray painting spree. “I’m tired of so many people out there doing graffiti in Penticton. On the weekend, Smart Shopper, Queen’s Park and Parkway Schools, the old Kentucky Fried Chicken building, Theo’s, Murray’s Pizza, Whole Foods...

Coroner identifies two women killed in Highway 6 car crash

LUMBY – The B.C. Coroners Service has identified two women who died in a two-car crash on Highway 6 in the North Okanagan near Lumby December 6. They were Diedre Naomi-Ann Hughes, 57, from Vernon and her daughter Emma Maria Danielle Froh, 22, from Lumby. RCMP say the crash, between a Pontiac Sunfire and a...

A famous Vernon mural was vandalized, then this happened

"IT WAS AN INCREDIBLE ACT OF YOUTH EMPOWERMENT TO DISCOVER HER CLEANING THE MURAL" VERNON - Without being asked or paid, a young artist took it upon herself to undo the damage a vandal did to one of Vernon’s heritage murals. Marie-Anna Michaud, 19, saw a post by muralist Michelle Loughery on Facebook Monday morning....

Deal signed for Okanagan rail line

OKANAGAN – A deal between the consortium of municipalities and CN Rail to buy the decommissioned rail corridor between Kelowna and Coldstream has been reached. The consortium, made up of Kelowna, Lake Country, Coldstream, along with the North Okanagan and Central Okanagan Regional Districts, have agreed to buy the 47.5 kilometre long stretch of railway...

Retired teacher charged with possession of child pornography to stand trial next year

KAMLOOPS – The trial for a retired special education teacher charged with possession of child pornography won’t take place until next year. Jerry Waselenkoff was scheduled for a preliminary hearing by Provincial Court Judge this week. On Tuesday, he elected to be tried by a Supreme Court judge alone. He has pleaded not guilty to...

An Armstrong resident invited a homeless man back home for a shower, meal, and shelter

HERE'S WHAT HE SHOULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY  VERNON - A stabbing incident in Armstrong could have been prevented if the assailant had been connected with appropriate support services, according to Vernon’s homeless shelter. Police say the assault happened when a Spallumcheen resident invited a homeless man to his house for a hot shower, a meal,...