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North Okanagan

ELECTION 2015: Why North Okanagan-Shuswap candidate Cindy Derkaz wants to earn your vote

VERNON - You might know her from her days working at Derkaz Shoes, her parent’s shop, or from her involvement in organizations like the Shuswap Community Foundation or Shuswap Trail Alliance. And now, Cindy Derkaz is introducing herself in a new capacity, as the Liberal party candidate for the North-Okanagan Shuswap riding. Derkaz grew up...

VIDEO: A bird’s eye view of the Shuswap

SHUSWAP - If you thought the Shuswap was beautiful from the ground, you won’t believe how it looks from the air. A video by Deep Rooted Media called called Soarin’ Over the Shuswap offers sweeping views of the region’s lakes, mountains and farms, all in gloriously vivid colours. Captured with a drone, the video gives viewers...

Taxman phone scam heating up this summer

VERNON – Scammers are calling into the southern Interior again pretending to be with the Canada Revenue Agency and separating people from their hard-earned money. RCMP are warning people not to give any personal or banking information over the phone after reports of people being targetted in the North Okanagan recently. “In this scam, a person...

Mark your calendars: North Okanagan-Shuswap all candidates forum happening next month

VERNON - North Okanagan and Shuswap residents will get a chance to learn more about their federal election candidates at an upcoming forum. It’s still a month away, leaving ample time to mark the free event on your calendar. Local candidates in the federal election will state their platforms and take questions in written form...

Armstrong moves to elevated watering restrictions

ARMSTRONG - Armstrong residents are being told to cut back on water use. The city has implemented stage two water restrictions, which means residents can’t use sprinklers or irrigation systems to water lawns, gardens trees or shrubs. Washing driveways, sidewalks, parking lots or exterior building surfaces is also banned, according to a notice on the...

Push for traffic light at Stickle Road in Vernon continues

VERNON - There continues to be widespread disagreement over what to do with Stickle Road. While the Ministry of Transportation scrapped it’s original plan and is now touting the idea of a protected T intersection, local government officials remain unimpressed. The ministry presented its revised plan to the North Okanagan Regional District board of directors...

Mixed views on proposed Shuswap River boating restrictions

VERNON - There’s been plenty of interest in proposed boating regulations on the Shuswap River, though it's still to early to tell which side of the debate the majority lands on. The North Okanagan Regional District has so far received 1,065 electronic surveys, plus 118 paper copies submitted in response to the proposed changes, which...

Voluntary boat check program hitting the water in Vernon

VERNON - Starting this weekend you will be able to ensure your boat meets necessary safety standards through a voluntary pre-check program offered by RCMP volunteers. The Vernon-North Okanagan RCMP Marine Unit will start a voluntary vessel safety pre-check at the Paddlewheel Park boat launch on July 11. The aim is to help speed up...

One homeless man’s long road to finding affordable housing in Vernon

“I HAD TO ASK FOR HELP. IT WAS EITHER THAT, OR I’D STILL BE HOMELESS” VERNON - For the last 10 years, Roy You has lived on and off the streets. He travelled far from the Splatsin First Nation reserve where he grew up, searching for work in different places, never staying long. Many nights...

SAR teams look for closure in cold case

LYTTON - It was nine months since a Lytton man was last seen and on Sunday local search and rescue crews hoped to finally solve the mystery of his disappearance and bring closure to his family. Gordon Davis, 87, was last seen riding his ATV on Aug. 30, 2014. Two days later his ATV was...

Mud bogging, hill climbs jeopardize North Okanagan water security

VERNON - Efforts are being stepped up to educate and enforce when it comes to the rules of the road in and around Vernon’s drinking water reservoirs. An increasing number of off-road vehicles in areas like the Aberdeen plateau are causing concerns for water quality, and security, says regional district Water Quality Manager Renee Clark....

North Okanagan-Shuswap budget cuts ‘gut-wrenching’

NORTH OKANAGAN - Literacy programs, grief counselling and class sizes are all taking a hit next year in what the North Okanagan-Shuswap school board chair calls some ‘gut-wrenching’ decisions to balance next year’s budget. The school board approved two pages of reductions totalling $1.7 million at its board meeting Tuesday, May 12. "We have tried...

Feral cats of the North Okanagan: “Somebody has to help them”

VERNON - There’s Blackie, and Boots, Tigger One and Tigger Two, and of course Mr. White, a Siamese whose ears are wrinkled by frostbite. They, and the other dozen or so cats make up the band of misfits, just some of the tens of thousands of feral cats in the North Okanagan. They have it...

Shuswap school closure decision difficult for school district

SALMON ARM - The closure of a rural Salmon Arm elementary school has been avoided, at least for one more year. Faced with the decision of whether or not to close Silver Creek Elementary a majority of trustees voted to keep the school open for another year while exploring the feasibility of introducing a Montessori...

Decision on proposed Shuswap school closure expected tonight

NORTH OKANAGAN - Some tough decisions are expected to be made by the North Okanagan-Shuswap School Board tonight, May 12. It’s the meeting at which board members must decide whether or not to shut down Silver Creek Elementary School in Salmon Arm. The school was placed on the chopping block when the findings of a...

Lumby gets prepared for flooding

LUMBY - Efforts are underway to protect the Village of Lumby from possible flooding. Next week, 20 wildland firefighters will help assemble an emergency stockpile of sandbags for rapid deployment in the event of a flood threat, according to a release from the Village. The measure is a cooperative effort between Emergency Management B.C., the...

Taste of spring comes two weeks early in the North Okanagan

VERNON - North Okanagan residents are biting into fresh, local produce about two weeks early this year thanks to the warm weather. At the Vernon Farmer’s Market Thursday, there was no shortage of Okanagan-grown food and shoppers were eating it up. A steady stream of customers kept Corinne Jeppesen with the Armstrong Asparagus Farm busy selling bundles...

Rude awakening for North Okanagan town; winter is back

VERNON - After temperatures soared into the mid 20s this week in the North Okanagan, Cherryville woke up to a cruel surprise this morning: a dump of snow. Residents say about two inches of the white stuff fell overnight, blanketing patio furniture, previously green fields, and porches. Lindsay Myers sent us several pictures of her...

FULL HOUSE: Need for foster homes increases in Okanagan

VERNON - A shortage of foster homes is impacting the quality of care provided to children during what can be one of the most traumatic experiences of their lives, says a spokesperson for a foster parents association. Noelle Typusiak with the North Okanagan branch of the Okanagan Foster Parents Association says the number of homes...

HELSTON: Hundreds of bears die every year for this stupid reason

This goes out to anyone who’s left their garbage out and had a bear get into it; you might as well have put a bullet through its head. It sounds harsh, I know, but hundreds of bears across B.C. are killed by conservation officers every year because they’ve grown habituated to garbage. Sorry to break...

Bears are waking up and looking for food in the North Okanagan

VERNON - The Conservation Service is reminding the public to minimize attractants as bears come out of hibernation and start looking for food. Conservation officer Mike Richardson says the number of bear complaints has already started to climb in the North Okanagan. “They’re definitely awake and coming out of their dens,” Richardson says. On Monday,...