North Okanagan
Man described as drunk, armed and distraught taken into custody in Salmon Arm
SALMON ARM - An apparently distraught, intoxicated man who was carrying a firearm was eventually taken into custody near Salmon Arm Wednesday evening. RCMP received a report about the man March 4 at 5:11 p.m. They were told he was drunk in a vehicle on a rural property of Black Road and that he had...
Vernon’s top cop reflects on 35 years with the RCMP
VERNON - RCMP Superintendent Reg Burgess’ entry into the police force 35 years ago was a serendipitous one. The now 60-year-old had a business administration degree under his belt and was working as a loans manager in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was single and rooming with a fellow who happened to be a police officer....
Marijuana grow operation unplugged near Falkland
VERNON – A month long investigation ended with an RCMP emergency response team raiding a suspected grow operation in the Falkland area. The heavily armed officers executed a search warrant Thursday, Feb. 26 once it was determined there wasn’t a medicinal marijuana license associated with the property, North Okanagan RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says in...
Drunk, stoned and lost in Enderby
ENDERBY – An inebriated 20-year-old man is lucky he didn’t freeze to death after getting lost in the Enderby area. Police were called to the home on Highway 97A around 4 a.m., Friday, Feb. 20 about a dispute between two men who had been drinking and using drugs. One of the men left the house...
Bobcat sightings becoming more common in the North Okanagan
VERNON - North Okanagan residents spotted an increasing number of bobcats in recent years. Conservation officer Mike Richardson says there have already been 16 bobcat reports since April of 2014. That’s not out of line with the last few years—14 last year and 18 the year before. But it’s a lot more than it used...
The many lives of Mario Aragon, and the new one Vernon gave him
VERNON - When he was a kid, Mario Aragon’s grandfather nicknamed him ‘tiacuache’—Spanish for opossum—because the animals are said to have seven lives. Mario, now 53, has lived up to the moniker. His journey from the small Oaxaca village he was born in to Bill’s Place, an addictions recovery home in Vernon, has been a...
UPDATE: Heavy snow on the way
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - More snow is in the forecast for the North Okanagan, Shuswap and North Thompson areas. Environment Canada issued a snowfall warning for the North Okanagan and Shuswap regions at 1:54 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15, 2015, calling for approximately 10 cm of snow. By 7:30 p.m. the warning was extended to include the North...
Photo generates tips in Enderby donation box theft
VERNON - A photo released by police has generated a possible suspect in an Enderby case involving a stolen donation box. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says Mounties might be a step closer to finding out who’s responsible for taking a donation box from the Esso in Enderby. The donations were intended to support the family...
Vernon search team locates missing snowmobilers in ‘horrendous’ weather
VERNON - Members of Vernon Search and Rescue spent a long night in severe weather conditions searching for a group of missing snowmobilers. A team of 16 rescuers headed out at 5 p.m. Sunday after a report of three missing snowmobilers in the Park Nelson area, east of Lumby. “Once base camp was set up,...
Gas price below a dollar in North Okanagan
VERNON - Gas prices are beginning to dip below a buck around the North Okanagan. In Enderby, Shell and Esso are both selling a litre of regular gasoline for 99.9 cents. The Centex gas station in Coldstream has also dipped to 99.9 cents per litre and most Salmon Arm gas stations are advertising the same...
Lights out for thousands of North Okanagan residents
NORTH OKANAGAN - A number of snow-related power outages are plaguing North Okanagan residents all the way from Cherryville to Spallumcheen. As of 2:52 p.m. Wednesday Jan. 7, B.C. Hydro was responding to 21 individual outages across the North Okanagan, most of them snow related, leaving over 2,000 customers without power. Vernon claimed 14 outages,...
Upswing in North Okanagan property values
VERNON – There’s an upward trend in the value of North Okanagan properties. B.C. Assessment has released its 2015 assessment roll, which grew to $27,173,940,965, up 3.6 per cent from $26,221,360,408 in 2014. A notable $393,000,000 was added to the roll through subdivisions, rezoning and new construction. In the North Okanagan, the District of Coldstream...
Second snow day in a row for North Okanagan-Shuswap students
SCHOOL DISTRICTS 22 AND 83 CANCEL CLASS VERNON - Students in the Vernon and North Okanagan-Shuswap School Districts are getting a second snow day Tuesday, Jan. 6. School District 83 announced Monday evening it will be shutting down all schools due to the continued winter storm warning and Environment Canada’s prediction of freezing rain. District...
NEWSMAKERS 2014: North Okanagan cougars clash with humans
THIS WEEK, INFONEWS.CA IS COUNTING DOWN THE TOP FIVE STORIES OF THE YEAR. TODAY: NUMBER FIVE VERNON - It may have been the year of the horse according to the Chinese Zodiac, but in Vernon, 2014 was the year of the cougar. Between April and October, the Conservation Service received 186 cougar reports in the...
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...