North Okanagan
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...
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...
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...
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,...
How a group of North Okanagan teachers took funding into their own hands
NORTH OKANAGAN - It’s not always easy in cash-strapped times for teachers to find spare change for programs, but a group in the North Okanagan has found a way to think outside the box. The Outdoor Learning program in the North Okanagan and Shuswap, unlike many other courses in School District 83 such as the cancelled adult...
What many dementia patients have in common with the Enderby senior found dead last week
VERNON - More people are living independently with dementia instead of in care homes than you might think, says an Interior Health Authority doctor. That includes people like Barbara Derenowski, 73, who drove off from her Enderby home last week without a valid driver’s licence and was found dead days later on the side of...
School District 83 facing yet another budget shortfall with little left to cut
NORTH OKANAGAN - Deeper cuts are on the way in the North-Okanagan Shuswap School District. At a board meeting Mar. 10, secretary-treasurer Sterling Olsen said the district must find $1.8 million in savings to balance next year’s budget. “It is a very challenging financial picture and it looks like we have a number of years...
Vernon RCMP remind drivers to slow down after speeding spike
VERNON - The Vernon RCMP is reminding the public to slow down after clocking one driver going upwards of 50 km/h over the posted limit — just one of numerous drivers ignoring posted speeds. Traffic services noticed the excessive speeder Mar. 7 around 7:21 a.m. on Highway 6 near Ricardo Road in an 80 km/h...