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North Okanagan
HELSTON: Welcoming worldwide celebrities the Okanagan way
We’ve all seen photos of mob-like crowds pooling around celebrities, smartphones thrust above the horde, paparazzi elbowing their way to the front, stars diving into vehicles while body guards hold back the gawkers. The famous people at the centre of it all just wanted to enjoy an ice cream cone at the park, or something...
Housing sales continue to rise
KELOWNA – The housing market in the Kelowna and Vernon areas shows no signs of slowing down with sales up fifteen per cent in October compared to the same month in 2013. Numbers released by the Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board show a jump of fourteen per cent in the Central Okanagan and twelve per...
Check out the neat surprise these North Okanagan residents found on their game camera
ENDERBY - Some North Okanagan residents found a warm and fuzzy surprise on their game camera this past summer: two baby bears. The cubs were caught wrestling, attacking the camera and playing around in a clearing. The camera was located about 100 meters from the photographers’ home on a forested property just outside Enderby. The...
Consumer confidence, low mortgage rates mean increase in home sales
KELOWNA – The home sales numbers are out for the Central and North Okanagan from last month, and according to the people selling the properties, it was the strongest September since 2005. Sales activity statistics from the Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board show the Central Okanagan lead the way with a 32 per cent increase...
Trap set for yet another North Okanagan cougar
NORTH OKANAGAN - A cougar preying on house cats in a North Okanagan subdivision marks yet another big cat encounter in what has been a busy year for the conservation service. Sgt. Josh Lockwood of the North Okanagan Conservation Service says the latest cougar was spotted two weeks ago in the McLeod subdivision, north-east of...
WATCH: Vernon Search and Rescue to demo groundbreaking rescue technique
VERNON - Vernon Search and Rescue is taking its skill set to all new heights. The unit is launching a ground-breaking, two-year pilot project to test out an operation known as the Helicopter Winch Rescue. The procedure is used around the world, as well as inby the Canadian Coast Guard, the military and specialized emergency...
North Okanagan residents warned of scammers
VERNON - Asked for money by phone, email, or in person, it doesn’t matter to the police — they’re reminding you to be cautious when handing over your cash. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says the detachment receives around a dozen calls from people scammed out of their money every week. “We are reminding people again...
Vernon school trip to Ghana dependent on Ebola situation
NORTH OKANAGAN - An Ebola outbreak in parts of Africa has cast some doubt over a planned school trip to Ghana next spring. The North Okanagan-Shuswap school board has approved the excursion in principle, pending a December update from one of the organizers. The trip is scheduled for March 15-25, 2015. Director of Instruction Wendy...
Teacher strike throws off extra-curricular programs in the North Okanagan
VERNON - The B.C. teacher strike has thrown off many school sports and other non-curricular programs, though some activities remain on course thanks to parents and outside maintenance workers. Superintendent of the Vernon School District Joe Rogers says some fields aren’t being maintained due to picket lines, while others run in conjunction with Greater Vernon...
Local man finds pilot of crashed float plane
VERNON - First, Ed Rougeau heard a plane engine thrumming in the sky over his home on the rural, west side of Okanagan Lake. Then the engine cut, and over his shoulder Rougeau saw the Cessna 180 float plane crash into the forest. It was loud as the plane knocked its way through the trees,...
Extraordinary animal tales of the North Okanagan
VERNON - Have you ever seen a hen raise a flock of ducklings? A dog adopt a piglet? What about a horse herding a bear? The North Okanagan has it all in terms of extraordinary animal encounters. There was Coldstream resident Val Buchanan, also known as Farmer Val, and the story that hatched when she...
Sugar Lake wildfire triples in size
VERNON - A wildfire that was an estimated 33 hectares in size over the weekend tripled overnight. Fire information officer Melissa Klassen says the lightning-caused fire raging just north of Sugar Lake is now burning 107 hectares of timber. While the fire grew Sunday night, Klassen says the latest figure is the most accurate because...
Vernon and area communities to spend latest provincial grants as needed
VERNON - Vernon and surrounding towns are getting a million bucks from the province to put towards some essential community services and each muncipality gets to decide how to spend it. The $1 million bump will be divided between Vernon, Lumby, Enderby and the North Okanagan Regional District and is part of almost $74 million...
Semi-legal marijuana grow operators arrested
VERNON - Police believe a North Okanagan couple was stealing electricity from B.C. Hydro to power their legal medical marijuana grow-op. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says a man and woman, both 39, were arrested after police executed a search warrant at 1645 Simons Road in Spallumcheen. The investigation between police and B.C. Hydro began in...
New Enderby gas station infused with Splatsin culture
VERNON - Next time you fill up at the Super Save gas station in Enderby, follow the bear prints inside the new building. You’ll find intricately carved wooden pillars and doorways, glass etching on the windows and countless other cultural details infused into the brand new gas station store designed by Kevin Halchuk and Grahame...
RCMP investigate reports of shots fired in Vernon
VERNON - Mounties investigated reports of gunfire in the 3200 block of 22 Street in Vernon during the wee morning hours Tuesday. At about 1 a.m. police were told of two men arguing and shots fired. The men knew each other, RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk said in a press release. Before officers arrived, one left...
Lumby murder victim touched many lives through teaching
VERNON - A North Okanagan teacher allegedly murdered by her boyfriend will be remembered for her contagious smile, kindness and compassion. Linda Ross, a teacher in school district 22’s Alternate Learning Program, was found dead at the Trinity Valley Road home she shared with her partner, Howard Everett, who now faces a second degree murder...
School’s out, but provincial exams will be written
NORTH OKANAGAN - There will be picket-free entrances for grade 10-12 students writing their provincial exams in the North Okanagan. While school is out for students across the province, a ruling from the Labour Relations Board means grade 10-12 students will write their provincial exams as scheduled and have them marked. All other school exams...
School board positions on the chopping block
NORTH OKANAGAN-SHUSWAP - The number of trustees in school district 83 could dwindle by the end of the summer. The North Okanagan-Shuswap school district is considering reducing its board to seven trustees down from nine to save $23,420 and help balance the 2014/2015 budget. A review of B.C. school districts revealed SD 83 has more...
Looks like it’s going to be a big year for excessive speeding
VERNON - Police have nabbed almost as many excessive speeders in the past six months as they did in all of last year. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says 22 drivers have been caught speeding excessively in the North Okanagan so far this year, compared to a total of 25 in 2013. “B.C.'s speeding law compels...
A student’s thoughts on the teacher strike
“I AM SCARED TO ENTER A PROFESSION HATED BY THE PUBLIC” SALMON ARM - An anonymous high school student in Salmon Arm has a message for teachers. “What I want to say to each and every one of you is that I appreciate you and everything you do for your students,” wrote the grade 12...
Arrests made in Vernon arson case
SERIAL ARSON SUSPECT STILL ON THE LOOSE VERNON - Police have made arrests in one of 13 suspected cases of arson in the Vernon area. Two men, aged 24 and 30, were arrested Friday evening for setting fire to some trash behind AJ’s Pets & Things on 31 Avenue. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says the...
Vernon firefighters association rings alarm bells over staffing structures
MAYOR SAYS STAFFING STRUCTURE IS EFFICIENT, COST-SAVING AND DOESN’T CAUSE HIM CONCERN VERNON - A heated debate over Vernon's decision to deploy fire crews in groups of two instead of four continues to simmer. The Vernon Professional Firefighters Association is speaking out about staffing structures following the release of a YouTube video showing a fire...
Vernon drafts ban on mixed martial arts
VERNON - Vernon is hitting mixed martial arts where it hurts. City council is moving forward with the creation of a bylaw that would ban Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) events within municipal limits. “We don’t need them,” Coun. Bob Spiers says. “It’s just the association with the type of people that run those events and...