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Vernon news
Get ready for winter fun at B.C.’s largest snow show
VERNON - The largest exhibition of snow machines and snow safety equipment is coming to Vernon in less than two weeks. The first ever B.C. Provincial Snow Show is made up of three events that were previously held across the Interior — in Vernon, Williams Lake and Prince George. This year, the Vernon Snowmobile Association...
Stickle Road plan in Vernon evolves again
VERNON - Vernon’s MLA believes the latest Stickle Road plan will be a winner. It’s the third concept being looked at to improve safety at the intersection of Highway 97 and Stickle Road just north of the city. Vernon-Monashee MLA Eric Foster says the new plan involves connecting a frontage road along the highway with...
Vernon MLA lambasted over comments about school cuts
VERNON - Vernon’s MLA is standing by comments he made about cuts to school bus routes after getting slammed by the NDP’s education critic this week. A number of bus routes were cut in the Vernon School District this year, leading parents to speak out in protest. The decision was the result of funding cuts from...
Trial for two youths in Salmon Arm shooting death expected next year
KAMLOOPS - The trial for a man and woman accused of gunning down a man in a Salmon Arm school yard won’t take place until next spring. Names of both accused charged with first-degree murder cannot be revealed as they were both youths at the time of the alleged offence. Their names are protected under...
Lots of love for Shania Twain’s farewell performance in Kelowna
KELOWNA - Kelowna’s Prospera Place was Shania Twain’s final performance on her Rock This Country tour and possibly her last concert ever. And locals made sure to send her off in style. The show sold out quickly and fans were all over social media saying thanks and wishing her the best. Locals like Rose’s Pub...
Pilot project could put baskets of free condoms in Okanagan schools
VERNON - Baskets of condoms could soon be coming to local high schools as way of putting protection in the hands of those who need it — no questions asked. About 14 schools in B.C.’s Interior have free condoms available, but students have to ask for them, Vernon School District health coordinator Christine Balfour says....
Local prejudice against Muslims tackled at UBCO
'IF WE DON'T SPEAK ABOUT THESE ISSUES... WE START DEVELOPING ALL THESE MISCONCEPTIONS.' KELOWNA - A UBC Okanagan graduate is organizing a forum on campus to address some of the misconceptions about his religion that are clearly still a problem in Kelowna. Adnan Akiel Ahmad Bhat holds a masters in electrical engineering from the Okanagan...
Local ski hills are growing white
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - While some of us are still holding on to the last strings of warmer weather, those looking forward to skiing and snowboarding will be happy to know the snow is falling at area ski hills. All three of the big ski hills in the area — Sun Peaks, Silver Star Mountain and Big...
Vernon man accused of murder released from custody
VERNON - An 18-year-old Vernon man accused of murder is no longer in custody. Brandon Wellington, who stands accused of second degree murder in connection with the death of Jason Hardy, was released on bail Monday, Oct. 26. His bail is set at $10,000 and he must adhere to a number of court-ordered conditions. Greater...
Everything you wish you didn’t need to know about rats in the Thompson-Okanagan
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Just a few years ago, Thompson-Okanagan residents didn’t have to worry about rats invading attic spaces or chewing up electrical wires, simply because the rodent was a rarity in these parts. That's all changed. Steve Ball owns BugMaster Pest Control, which services the North, Central and South Okanagan, and he says rat complaints...
Another vehicle fire under investigation in Vernon
VERNON - For the third time this month, authorities were called to the scene of a burning vehicle in Vernon. Firefighters were called out at 1:34 a.m. today, Oct. 26, after a truck was reported to be on fire on 35 Avenue in downtown Vernon. Deputy Vernon Fire Chief Jack Blair says the pickup truck...
Wet fall week ahead for the Okanagan
OKANAGAN - A mixed bag of weather — cloud, rain and sun — is expected in the Okanagan for the last week of October. Environment Canada is calling for temperature highs at or just above seasonal normals of 9 Celsius throughout the region all week, with the warmest temperatures expected today, Oct. 26. Overnight lows...
Car snags power pole guy wires and flips near Vernon
VERNON – A car hit the guy wires on a Hydro pole on the north end of Westside Road near Vernon, flipping the vehicle and knocking out power in the area today. The crash happened just around 10:50 a.m., Oct. 25, on Westside Road about a kilometre south of Highway 97, on Okanagan Indian Band...
Okanagan Regional Library approves budget increase
KELOWNA – Half of the Okanagan Regional Library budget increase for 2016 is wage increases for staff at branches up and down the valley. The board of directors has approved a spending plan worth over $18.2 million, which reflects a 1.98 per cent increase from 2015. The increase amounts to an extra $351,818 tax dollars....
Building a new arena is in the hands of Greater Vernon voters
VERNON - Greater Vernon residents will head to the polls to vote on a new arena next month. A referendum is set for Nov. 28 which will ask voters to borrow $13.2 million to decommission the Civic Arena and add a second arena at Kal Tire Place. “Civic has served its purpose, its time is...
Four years later: Armstrong family still organizing walk to remember murdered teen
ARMSTRONG - An annual walk in honour of murdered Armstrong teen Taylor Van Diest will be held on a different day this year in hopes of increasing turnout. “Participation is dwindling of course, but that’s to be expected,” Taylor’s mom Marie Van Diest says. “It would be nice to see a few more people turn...
Kelowna tourists caught in path of worst hurricane in history
KELOWNA - A small group of tourists from Kelowna who are vacationing in Nuevo Vallarta are fleeing to higher ground to escape the strongest hurricane ever recorded. Rod Robinson, owner of Bogie and Bacall Hair Salon in Orchard Park Mall, is travelling with his wife Donna and friends Denny and Patty Pirot, who are also...
Man accused in Armstrong woman’s death ordered to stand trial
VERNON - The man accused of killing an Armstrong mother of two has been ordered to stand trial. Logan Scott, 31, of Salmon Arm was charged with manslaughter and theft under $5,000 in August 2014, nine months after Jillian McKinty, 27, was found dead in her Armstrong home. Following a preliminary inquiry this week in...
Sun and frost this weekend in the Okanagan
OKANAGAN - Temperatures should be close to seasonal normals, on both the high and low end, this weekend and with those cooler overnight temperatures comes frost. Environment Canada is calling for a high in the double digits today, Oct. 21, and Saturday, with a high of 9 Celsius being forecast for Sunday. The seasonal normal...
Homeless camps still a reality in Vernon parks
VERNON - With nowhere else to turn, members of the homeless community continue to sleep in public parks in Vernon. A census done in October found six active homeless camps in the city, executive director for the Social Planning Council of the North Okanagan Annette Sharkey says. “That is up from previous counts, but not...
UPDATE: One dead in single vehicle crash on Connector, highway reopens
CENTRAL OKANAGAN – A man died in an early morning crash on Highway 97C at the Pennask summit. RCMP and B.C. Ambulance paramedics were called to the scene, Oct. 22, and while RCMP will not confirm if anyone was hurt, Global Okanagan reports one man was killed in the single vehicle accident. The man, who is...
Attempted murder charge laid in connection with Enderby shooting
ENDERBY - An attempted murder charge has been laid in connection with a shooting near Enderby. Norman Dybdal, 58, faces charges of attempted murder with a firearm and aggravated assault in relation to the Oct. 19 incident in Enderby. Dybdal allegedly shot a 55-year-old man multiple times that evening, leaving the victim with life-threatening injuries. The Vernon...
Kokanee salmon population explodes in Okanagan Lake with biggest spawn in quarter century
OKANAGAN - It’s a record year for Kokanee salmon spawning on Okanagan Lake. Jason Webster, a Vernon-based fisheries biologist, says more than 300,000 shore spawners were counted during this year’s annual survey — the most in more than 25 years. “It’s turning into a cyclical thing where every four years there’s a great big run,...
Three patients remain in hospital after violent attack near Lillooet
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Three of the original 11 people who were admitted to Interior Health hospitals after an attack at the Bridge River Indian Band office near Lillooet remain under medical care. “One patient is in serious but stable condition and two are stable and beginning their recovery,” Tracy Watson of Interior Health says. The patients...