Elevate your local knowledge
Sign up for the iNFOnews newsletter today!
Chance, community spirit, and the power of social media reunite lost cockatiel with Vernon family
VERNON - It would have been a different story if Allison Griffiths hadn’t taken the afternoon off. But she did, and when she got home, it was as if a lost little bird was just waiting for her. She noticed the exotic, grey and yellow cockatiel on a neighbour’s roof and thought, “That’s not a...
HELSTON: Knowing who your real friends are
Usually, we only hear about the girls who kept their conversations with strange men a secret. The girls who found themselves trapped in a vicious circle of extortion; nude photos or exposure of what was already obtained to their friends, family, classmates. We hear their stories, recounted in courtrooms, of how it all began, innocently...
HELSTON: Knowing who your real friends are
Usually, we only hear about the girls who kept their conversations with strange men a secret. The girls who found themselves trapped in a vicious circle of extortion; nude photos or exposure of what was already obtained to their friends, family, classmates. We hear their stories, recounted in courtrooms, of how it all began, innocently...
Local woman uses social media to find long lost father
"IT'S GOING TO BE MY FIRST FATHER'S DAY IN 46 YEARS WHERE I ACTUALLY KNOW WHO MY FATHER IS." KELOWNA – A local expert in social media found out the power of Facebook last weekend when she used it to find and meet her father for the first time in 46 years. And even though...
Vernon teen and dad share words of warning after ‘creepy’ Facebook friend request
VERNON - The name on the Facebook friend request was an unfamiliar one, and this particular Vernon teen might have ignored it, except for the mutual friend they had in common. A tap on her cell phone and just like that, they became friends. It wasn’t until she got home and checked her messages that...
Enraged Sicamous father’s video of public urination brawl leads to police investigation
SICAMOUS - A video making the rounds on Facebook has people downright pissed. It all started when a group of men were reportedly relieving themselves on Main Street in Sicamous, across the road from a high school. Brent Graf, the man who shot the video, says he was picking up his daughters at the time....
Criminals should worry about Facebook in West Kelowna’s Shannon Lake
WEST KELOWNA - You almost have to pity the drug dealer, con man or break-in artist who tries to do business in Shannon Lake. The walls have eyes and they are all connected to each other. A suspicious thin, white male, late teens, maybe early 20s, driving an old silver or grey Buick, made that...
Kelowna man arrested for threatening the government on his Facebook page
KELOWNA – A Kelowna man was arrested this week for posting “threatening comments” to his own Facebook page. Cpl. Joe Duncan says the man believes the government owes him money and although the comments didn’t mention any specific agency, they were serious enough that someone notified the police and RCMP arrested him. “I don’t know...
What’s keeping one group from enjoying a favourite spot in Kamloops
KAMLOOPS – A small group in Kamloops is working together to clean up one of their favourite locations in Kamloops, behind the Batchelor Heights neighbourhood, that is being continually trashed by people illegally dumping junk. “There’s garbage strewn throughout the whole area,” Tearia Parsons says. “We just figured we’d go and start cleaning it up.”...
Kelowna woman’s story of abuse goes viral
KELOWNA – A brave Kelowna woman is using social media to share her personal story of domestic abuse. Selina Morrison says her ex-boyfriend abused her both physically and emotionally and she is making her story public on her Facebook page. Two videos she has released since Feb. 8 have almost 40,000 views. “As I was...
Cyberlove campaign back for anti-bullying week
PENTICTON - Summerland teens are challenging people all over the world to spread positive messages on social media during anti-bullying week. Caitie Shaw and Dan Nixon, two high school students from Summerland and founders of the Youth Empowerment Project, started the #cyberlove campaign, which kickstarted earlier this fall. The goal of the campaign was to...
Store owner wants shoplifters to know they’re being watched
PENTICTON - A downtown shop owner has caught another two thieves robbing his store in the last week by posting surveillance footage on Facebook. Leigh Follestad, owner of SmartShopper on Main Street, has been hit several times, but he wants them to know that if they’re going to steal from him, he will put their face...
Penticton rapper gets on board with voting campaign
PENTICTON - A social media campaign to encourage Penticton residents to vote in the municipal election this weekend is using locally made music videos to reach the younger voters. The Get Out and Vote Penticton campaign raised over $300 at a pub night fundraiser last week, with proceeds going to online marketing to encourage people...
Remember to vote, local marketing agency uses social media campaign to spread the word
PENTICTON - A local marketing company is lending its services and expertise to the Rock the Vote campaign encouraging Penticton residents to get out and vote next weekend during the general election. Dave MacCoubrey, owner of SIRF Marketing and Spotted in Penticton has been collecting video footage, photos and comments from election candidates over the...
The mystery of gift giving in Kamloops solved
KAMLOOPS - A frenzy of gift giving started in Kamloops since Nattaly Franzen decided she wanted to give away a mystery box. Franzen says the game of storing various items in an unmarked box and offering it for pickup is a popular one among young mothers. She remembers it becoming a trend when she lived...
Get your questions ready for the mayoral candidate forum
PENTICTON - Mayoral candidates will take the stage this week to discuss their goals and answer citizens’ questions at a public forum. The forum, organized by the Chamber of Commerce and the Penticton Herald, will be held on Thursday Oct. 30, 2014 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Lakeside Resort. Each candidate will...
Facebook page offers a window into Vernon’s past
VERNON - History fanatic Deena Lehoux admits one of her reasons for creating a Facebook page all about old photos of Vernon was a selfish one. “I wanted to see what everybody else had,” she says. “I’ve always been fascinated with the history of Vernon. I can’t drive downtown without trying to envision the way...
Connecting a campus through photos
KAMLOOPS – A couple weeks ago a Thompson Rivers University student started “Humans of TRU”, a Facebook page he says he created spur of the moment that's already garnered nearly 400 likes. The source of 20-year-old Eric Rankin's inspiration for the Thompson Rivers page is the well-known Human's of New York Facebook page. The premise...
ARCHER: Facebook can make or break a politician
It’s no secret that during an election, a candidate's skeletons can be pulled out from the closet and displayed in the light for all to see. It’s happened on all levels of government, and makes a juicy plot twist for Hollywood movies and HBO shows. But it’s hard to think it could happen to you.
Shopping without cash: The Kamloops Barter Kings
KAMLOOPS – Bartering is a little like trying to make money – you don’t have much to work with in the beginning. Jason Blyth got into trading online with a piece of exercise equipment he didn’t use anymore. He swapped it for patio furniture. Then he started looking around the house for other items to...
Batman villains and zombie candidates: The Penticton election is getting kooky
PENTICTON - Growing frustrations with Penticton’s political landscape has inspired now two political lampoons, inspired by gold rush heroes and Batman villains. A poster of mayoral candidates depicted as villains from Batman showed up around town Tuesday, and ultimately made its way to Facebook. The poster shows Mayor Garry Litke as the Joker, Coun. Andrew...
Empowered Penticton citizens won’t back down from political mission
PENTICTON - A group of citizens want to educate, encourage and empower the people of Penticton. Back in August, Pentictonites congregated on the Facebook page Time For Change Penticton to engage in conversation about how to improve the city. The Facebook group was deleted this week after the page was “hijacked” by member Jennifer Taylor...
Child lurer enticed victims by saying he was a modelling agent
VERNON - A Vernon man lured Okanagan girls via Facebook by telling them he was a modeling agent looking for young talent, said the Crown. David Clayton Willerth, born in 1974, is scheduled to enter expected guilty pleas for 25 counts, including communicating by computer to lure a person under 16, making or publishing child...
Kilts under the sun
KAMLOOPS - As if lugging around a big drum or set of bagpipes while wearing a wool kilt wasn't enough, those attending the Highland Games in Kamloops this past weekend also had to deal with 39 Celsius heat. Pipers, dancers and strongmen (and women) returned to McGowan Park for the annual Highland Games Saturday, July...