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Vernon news
Watch flyboarders set a new record on Kalamalka Lake this week
'A LOT OF PEOPLE COMPARE IT TO SUPERHEROES LIKE IRON MAN, AND THAT’S HONESTLY WHAT IT’S LIKE. YOU FEEL ON TOP OF THE WORLD' VERNON - It’s a cutting edge water sport straight out of the Jetsons, and some of Canada’s top athletes are bringing their futuristic stunts to Kalamalka Lake this week. Team CanFly,...
Infotel prize winner says new tablet came at the perfect time
'THIS DOES NOT NORMALLY HAPPEN FOR ME, I’VE NEVER WON ANYTHING LIKE THIS' VERNON - Vernon resident Elaine Drinkwater remembers the first prize she ever won — $50 towards a silver utensil set. She was a teenager, and not particularly thrilled about the prize, especially since it didn’t even cover the full cost of the...
Stolen vehicle driven ‘very erratically’ recovered near Westwold
WESTWOLD - A joyriding couple in a stolen pickup truck were stopped in their tracks by RCMP yesterday afternoon. Police received a report around12:30 p.m. yesterday, Sept. 21, of a white Ford S350 truck, believed to have been stolen from Summerland, being driven near Falkland. A police helicopter out on a separate investigation spotted the...
Convicted Kelowna killer back in court
KELOWNA - A notorious criminal who served more than eight years in jail for helping to kill a drug dealer in 2005 is back behind bars. Daniel Mader, 31, was convicted in March 2010 of shooting Jody Elliott, who ripped off Mader and three friends. At the time Justice Allison Beames said she accepted that...
Motorcyclist collides with deer on highway by Swan Lake
VERNON - A collision between a motorcycle and a deer slowed down traffic on Highway 97 by Swan Lake Tuesday afternoon. The accident happened around noon when a southbound motorcyclist struck a deer, RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says. “The motorcyclist was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries,” Noseworthy says. Traffic was impacted for a short...
Salmon Arm RCMP investigating crash and truck full of marijuana
SALMON ARM - One man was taken to hospital after being ejected from his truck and another arrested for possession of drugs following a high-speed chase in two separate cases in the Salmon Arm area yesterday. At 9 a.m. yesterday, Sept. 21, RCMP attended a crash scene where a 40-year-old male rolled his Ford F350...
Watch this North Okanagan apple grow; incredible one minute time lapse
VERNON - A Vernon orchard has captured the magic of an apple’s growth from blossom to fruit in a one minute video. Davison Orchards put a camera on a single Honeycrisp apple in March and watched it grow. You can see the incredible transformation in the time-lapse below. The video has already been shared 1,878...
While others walked away, you won’t believe who saved a Vernon pet shop from disaster
"THE AVERAGE PERSON WOULDN'T HAVE DONE WHAT HE DID" VERNON - If not for the heroic act of a homeless man, the owners of a Vernon pet store believe their business — and animals — would have been destroyed by fire. AJ’s Pets & Things owners Andrew Willmott and Lisa Badach caught the suspected arsonist...
$12,000 worth of tire chains stolen from Vernon storage yard
VERNON - RCMP are asking for the public’s help to find the thieves who stole thousands of dollars worth of tire chains from a storage yard on the weekend. Police say someone broke into the Western Equipment storage yard at 1046 Middleton Way sometime overnight on Friday, Sept. 18. Thieves made off with 60 sets...
Vernon convenience store clerk shaken, but not hurt, after robbery
VERNON - A convenience store employee did the right thing when a man in a ski mask told him to open the cash register early yesterday morning. After being threatened with what looked like bear spray around 4:30 a.m., Sept. 20, the lone clerk at Mac’s Convenience Store on 27 Street did as he was...
Risk of frost in the Okanagan tonight
OKANAGAN - If you haven’t already harvested all your tomatoes you should spend some time covering them up today — there’s a risk of frost through much of the Okanagan tonight. Environment Canada is calling for a risk of frost tonight, Sept. 21, in the North and Central Okanagan with temperatures expected to dip as...
$2-million pharmacy project at Vernon Jubilee Hospital a wrap
VERNON - Vernon Jubilee Hospital’s old emergency department has been transformed. Left empty after the emergency department moved to the Polson Tower in 2011, the space was renovated to house the hospital’s pharmacy. Those renovations, which began in early 2014, are now complete, and the new pharmacy — previously located in the basement — becomes...
Vernon’s Village Green Centre celebrates 40 years in the community
VERNON - After four decades the Vernon mall still offers something you can’t get with online shopping: a social, community atmosphere. Much has changed at the Village Green Centre since its grand opening Aug. 6, 1975. Now, friends can meet at Starbucks for a cup of coffee before strolling through the automatic doors. You can...
Mystery continues for Vernon’s rash of arson cases, despite recent arrest
VERNON – A series of suspicious fires in Vernon is not being pinned on a…
UPDATE: Former Vernon RCMP officer guilty, sentenced for possessing child pornography
"HE HAS... BEEN SUBJECTED TO PUNISHMENT WELL BEYOND THAT... (OF) A USUAL INMATE" KELOWNA - Former Vernon Mountie Ryan Hampton has been found guilty of possessing and downloading child pornography as well as several counts of breaching court orders. Hampton, 37, pleaded not guilty to possessing child pornography, accessing child pornography and six counts of breaching...
Community steps up and saves Terry Fox Run in Vernon
VERNON - After risking cancellation due to a lack of volunteers, the Terry Fox Run has been more than just saved — it’s shaping up to be one of the most successful runs in years. This year marks the 35th anniversary of Terry’s run, and the 30th year Vernon has participated in the event. In...
Wet weekend ahead for the Okanagan
OKANAGAN - If you were hoping for one last good hurrah before the end of summer, you may have waited too long — the final weekend of summer is set to be filled with rain. Environment Canada is calling for temperatures to be near seasonal normals of 19 Celsius today, Sept. 18, and Saturday before...
SNELSON: How the sentence for a Kelowna killer breaks down
IS IT 11 YEARS, SIX YEARS OR ONE YEAR? HOW ABOUT ALL OF THE ABOVE KAMLOOPS — Convicted killer Neil Snelson was arrested in 2009, sentenced yesterday to 11 years in prison and will likely be released around this time next year. Makes complete sense, right? A jury convicted him earlier this summer of the...
Changing trends force Okanagan libraries to seek two per cent increase in budget
KELOWNA – The board of directors for the Okanagan Regional Library have approved a draft of next year’s budget that calls for a 1.98 per cent increase. Half of the extra money would go towards wage increases for staff while the remainder would be used to offset higher rents and utilities, higher book and eResource...
VIDEO: Coach of Okanagan MMA club talks about runaway success
KELOWNA - An online fight website has profiled local MMA coach David Lea about his gym’s remarkable success in the world of professional fighting. David Lea is the coach of Toshido MMA. In the video, produced for MMAmadhouse.com, Lea describes how he started the club in 1998, only five years after the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
UPDATE: Vernon mayor responds to income tax charges
'EVERYTHING WILL BE CLEARED UP" VERNON - Vernon’s mayor is in trouble with the tax man. Mayor Akbal Singh Mund is charged with two counts of failure to comply with the Income Tax Act but he doesn't expect the action to go anywhere. “They’re looking for further paperwork. It’s not like I haven’t paid my...
Man arrested after Vernon armed robbery
VERNON - An armed man who police say robbed a Vernon store earlier this week has been arrested. A lone male armed with a large knife entered Lakeview Market on 32 Avenue around 10:30 a.m., Sept. 15. He attempted to access the cash register but was unable to open it. He fled the scene and...
Bear complaints overwhelming Okanagan conservation officers
KAMLOOPS NUMBERS SLOW DOWN AFTER EARLY SPIKE THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Conservation officers in the North and South Okanagan regions are being swamped with bear complaints as the large animals begin to prepare for hibernation. While fall always sees an uptick in bear activity, conservation officer Jim Beck says this year is worse than normal. “It’s crazy...
Driver hopitalized after rolling car into bucket of a Bobcat
PENTICTON – A 26-year-old woman was taken to hospital Wednesday morning after she lost control of her car and rolled down an embankment into the bucket of a Bobcat. The cause of the crash at 1656 Holden Rd. is still being investigated and the medical status of the driver, the lone occupant, is not known....