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Vernon news

Lavington residents skeptical of pellet plant testing

VERNON - Some local residents continue to ask questions about a wood pellet plant in Lavington. The group Lavington is for Everyone (LIFE) issued a media release earlier this week stating there is still no scientific evidence of air quality improvement at the plant. That’s at odds with the results of a mandatory test conducted...

Minor injuries after small plane crashes in Vernon

VERNON - One person suffered from minor injuries after a plane leaving from the Vernon Regional Airport had to make a forced landing, the City of Vernon says. The small airplane took off shortly after 3:30 p.m. today, Dec. 23, with a pilot and a passenger and climbed to 300 feet before the pilot noticed...

Extra special Christmas gift for Vernon’s Upper Room Mission

VERNON - Christmas came early to Vernon’s local soup kitchen. Thanks to two local businesses, the Upper Room Mission’s regular volunteers will get Christmas Eve off. Rob and Lisa Ellis, owners of Rellish Transport Services, along with Jim Tennant of Save-On-Foods, stepped up to the plate and are sponsoring the Mission’s annual Christmas Eve dinner,...

Holiday closures to make note of in Vernon

VERNON - There are a few closures and changes in regular hours to be aware of over the Christmas break in Vernon. City Hall will be closed at 2 p.m. on Dec. 24 and all day Dec. 25 and Dec. 28. It will return to regular open hours (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for City...

Vernon Light a Bulb campaign exceeds goal

VERNON - Holiday cheer is being felt at Vernon Jubilee Hospital. The 28th annual Light a Bulb Campaign has reached its $200,000 goal, the Vernon Jubilee Hospital Association announced in a media release this week. “Support for the hospital is always very strong,” campaign chair Marg Bailey said, “But this year’s Light a Bulb campaign...

Now that’s service: Vernon mayor offers rides to holiday party-goers

VERNON - It’s not every day your designated driver is also your mayor.  But that was the case in Vernon Saturday night after Mayor Akbal Mund posted an offer on his Facebook page inviting anyone who needed a safe, sober ride home to give him a call. %%Image2%% The generous offer has earned the mayor...

Vernon lottery winners ‘struck by lightning twice’

VERNON - While most people only dream of winning the lottery, Vernon couple Diana Cools and Neil Remsbery have won it twice, most recently a $500,000 win on the Nov. 6, 2015, Lotto Max Extra draw. Their last win was in 1993, a $50,000 BC/49 win that helped start their lives together. Now 22 years...

Things to do in Vernon over the Christmas break

VERNON - If you’re looking for things to do as a family over the holidays, or ways to keep sugar-charged children occupied over the break, we’ve put together some ideas. Whether you’re looking to spend some Christmas cash on an experience for the family, or hoping to save a few bucks with a free activity,...

City of Vernon gives its website a major facelift

VERNON - The City of Vernon has a new online look. It unveiled a new website today, Dec. 22, which has been over a year in the making. Vernon council approved a budget of $125,000 for the project in September 2014, and Upanup Design Studios from Victoria, B.C., was awarded the contract in July 2015....

New year’s Eve party places in Vernon

VERNON - If you’ve been so focused on Christmas that you forgot to make plans for New Year’s Eve, we’ve got you covered. There are plenty of events to choose from for every preference and every price range.  Pull out your dancing shoes and check out a Newfoundland New Year's Eve with local band Cod...

Repairing Vernon’s vandalized parking meters will cost a pretty penny

VERNON - Fixing over 100 damaged parking meters will cost the City of Vernon a big chunk of change. A total of 148 meters were vandalized over the course of several nights, leading to the arrest of Mitchell Szekely, 34. The city’s bylaw department believes some of the vandalism was the work of a different...

Salmon Arm cops rescue barricaded suspect from house he set on fire

SALMON ARM – A suspect being chased by police near Salmon Arm had to be rescued from a house he refused to leave, even after he set it on fire last night. The man, who was armed with knives, had barricaded himself in the home in Eagle Bay at around 10 p.m., Dec. 20, according...

Lavington pellet plant emissions ‘like night and day’

VERNON - The company behind a controversial wood pellet plant in Lavington says it has drastically reduced emissions. Pinnacle Renewable Energy Group president Leroy Reitsma says the results of third-party testing by McCall Environmental show emissions are down 83 per cent thanks to new technology. “What we’re running at compared to what we used to...

Reclaimed water spilling from pipe failure not a risk, City of Vernon says

VERNON - City crews are working to repair a pipe leaking reclaimed water along Commonage Road in Vernon this morning, Dec. 21. Water from the Vernon Water Reclamation Centre is pumped through the pipe to the McKay Reservoir where it is stored during the winter months for the spray irrigation program, according to a media...

Okanagan to enjoy warm and white Christmas

OKANAGAN - It will be a pretty typical week when it comes to weather in the Okanagan, with temperatures expected to stay near seasonal normals for much of the Christmas week. Environment Canada is calling for highs ranging from 0 Celsius to -3 Celsius most days this week, though Kelowna is expected to hit a...

UPDATE: Missing Vernon woman found dead

UPDATE: 10 A.M. DEC. 24, 2015  The search for missing Vernon woman Aurelia Wedenig has ended in tragedy. Police say her body was found Dec. 23, 2015. Read more here.  ORIGINAL STORY VERNON – Police are concerned about the safety of a woman who went missing from a mental health facility in Vernon yesterday, Dec. 18....

Students pass exam speaking traditional Nsyilxcn language

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Two Westbank First Nation students have completed an oral exam aimed at preserving their traditional language. Jordan Coble and Flynn Wetton completed their first exam that is part of a four-year Nsyilxcn language program that began in September 2015. The exam was given in front of fellow students, teachers and visitors on Nov....

Gift of dress, community spirit, thrills Salmon Arm mother and daughter

KAMLOOPS - The mother of a young girl whose community rallied to get her a dress for the winter formal says she’s amazed by the generosity and Christmas spirit of strangers. “I am amazed and in utter shock,” Janet Perry says. “I could not believe it." Perry’s daughter Olivia Perry-Coultas, 17, is a student in...

Good chance of a white Christmas in the Okanagan

OKANAGAN - Mother Nature looks prepared to give us a white Christmas this year, with a snow overnight and at least a chance of snow expected every day this weekend. Environment Canada is calling for snowfall to end this morning, Dec. 18, and will be followed by a chance of rain or flurries later today....

$1M Lotto ticket sold in the Okanagan

OKANAGAN – Someone in the Okanagan is one million dollars richer after getting an exact match in the Lotto 6/49 Guaranteed Prize Draw Breakdown yesterday, Dec. 16. According to the 6/49 website, the prize has yet to be claimed but was sold somewhere in the Okanagan. Guaranteed Prize draw prizes are not shared with other...

Vernon mayor handed fine for improper tax filings

VERNON - Vernon mayor Akbal Mund has been ordered to pay a fine after some trouble with his taxes. The mayor pleaded guilty to one count of failing to comply with the Income Tax Act in Vernon Provincial Court Thursday, Dec. 17. A second count was stayed, and Mund was handed a $1,000 fine. “The...

Decontamination efforts still underway at site of Coldstream gas spill

VERNON - Authorities continue to investigate a gas spill that prompted a large decontamination response in Coldstream last month. Roughly 6,000 litres of gasoline spilled at the Centex Gas Station on Kalamalka Road around midnight Nov. 25, and Environmental Emergency Response Officer Rick Wagner says they are still looking into the cause and conducting remediation...