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Vernon news
Fishing reopens on drought-affected Okanagan rivers
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Fishermen can again drop a line in streams and rivers that were closed to angling this summer because of drought in Southern B.C. The natural resource ministry announced in a press release the reopening of fishing on the Kettle, West Kettle and Similkameen Rivers and their tributaries, the Middle Shuswap River and the main...
Trial coming to an end for former RCMP officer accused of downloading child porn
KELOWNA - A former RCMP officer accused of possessing child pornography will soon find out his fate. Closing arguments were made Wednesday, Sept. 16, in the Supreme Court trial of former RCMP officer Ryan David Hampton, who is accused by his wife of downloading child porn during a messy separation. Hampton pleaded not guilty to...
High bacteria levels prompt swimming advisory at Vernon’s Kal Beach
VERNON - That last swim of the summer might not feel so refreshing after you read this. An advisory is in effect recommending people not go swimming at Kal Beach due to high counts of E. coli in the water. Jennifer Jacobsen, a team leader for environmental health with the Interior Health Authority, says the...
SNELSON TRIAL UPDATE: Kelowna killer sentenced; only 19 months left to serve
KAMLOOPS - It took two trials and nearly 22 years for the case and the jail doors to close on Jennifer Cusworth’s killer, but it will only be one year and seven months before his release. Neil George Snelson, 48, was sentenced to 11 years today, Sept. 16, in Kamloops Supreme Court. Since he was...
Last day to book super cheap WestJet flights to London
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - WestJet has announced a super-low airfare to London, England with the cheeky slogan 'If that’s not cheap enough, you can always try mailing yourself.' Pricing for a non-stop flight from Vancouver to London’s Gatwick Airport starts at $299, one-way, with similar deals at select airports across Canada, including Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto and...
Vernon men charged with murder return to court
VERNON - A pair of local men accused in the murder of 42-year-old Jason Hardy were in Vernon Provincial Court again this week. Brandon Joseph Clayton Wellington, 18, and Tal Kalum La Riviere, 28, both face second degree murder charges in relation to Hardy’s death. A 14-year-old Greater Vernon boy, whose name is protected under...
Witnesses sought in crash that left Kelowna cyclist in coma
KELOWNA - RCMP are looking for witnesses in crash that left a Kelowna cyclist in a coma. Trevor Bohac, 42, was riding his bike eastbound on Robson Road West with his dog on Sept. 1 shortly after 4 p.m. when he was struck by a vehicle turning into a driveway. His leg was broken and...
West Kelowna singer named best new artist at Indigenous Music Awards
WEST KELOWNA - A local First Nation singer and songwriter has won Best New Artist at the Indigenous Music Awards in Winnipeg. Kelly Margaret Derrickson, daughter of Grand Chief Ron Derrickson, beat out five other artists for the prestigious award on Friday, Sept. 11. Her debut album, Warriors of Love, was released in 2013 and...
What the Vernon airport is today and what it could be 20 years from now
VERNON - Seated on a flat landing below orchard-brushed hillsides on the west side of town, the Vernon airport is a little known nook of activity where corporate jets offload business people, ambulances airlift patients to hospital and adrenaline-hunters enjoy the rush of a freefall. It’s small enough that curious onlookers might be treated to...
ELECTION 2015: Candidates, voters make voices heard at North Okanagan-Shuswap debate
VERNON - Close to 500 people packed the Vernon Performing Arts Centre Monday night, not for a ballet or a concert, but for political discourse. The all candidates forum was anything but dull, and like any good show at the performing arts centre, parts certainly got people going. All four North Okanagan-Shuswap candidates were grilled...
Locals winners named for Aboriginal Business Awards
THOMPSON-OKANGAN - Some local aboriginal entrepreneurs are coming away from the B.C. Aboriginal Business Awards with wins this week. Troy Fraser Chiropractic of Kamloops has won Business of the Year in the one to two person enterprise category. Skyride Bike and Board Inc. of Vernon has won an outstanding achievement award for companies with three...
Vernon judge ruffles feathers by refusing to sentence alleged fraudster
"I CAN’T BE THROWING PEOPLE IN JAIL WHO SAY ‘I DIDN’T DO IT’" VERNON - A bit of courthouse drama unfolded at the Vernon Law Courts Monday when a judge refused to sentence an accused fraudster on charges she wouldn’t admit to committing. Desiree Dorothy Pelletier is charged with forgery, theft of $5,000 or under...
UPDATE: Owner reunited with artificial leg found on Penticton street
UPDATE: 3:20 P.M., SEPT. 15, 2015 The owner of the prosthetic leg found on Lakeshore Drive over the weekend has been found, Penticton RCMP report. Penticton City bylaw officers called the detachment to say they knew the owner of the leg, Penticton RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Don Wrigglesworth says in a press release. The woman had...
Snow on the Okanagan Connector
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Drivers heading out on the highway should be prepared for a bit of snow at the higher elevations this morning. Drive B.C. is showing snow at several of the higher Okanagan elevations and temperatures are currently sitting around 0 Celsius. At the Coquihalla Summit it is currently raining and temperatures are sitting around...
Water drilling rush in B.C. Interior to get jump on new water regulations
IMPACT UNKNOWN THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Companies drilling water wells in the B.C. Southern Interior appear to be busier than usual and the reason may be the introduction next spring of the provincial Water Sustainability Act and its new well licensing requirements. While hard numbers of how many wells are being drilled are hard to come by...
Two cars in Vernon ditches a reminder to slow down in heavy rain: RCMP
VERNON - The weather contributed to two separate accidents on Highway 97 earlier this month. The first happened just before 6 a.m. on Sept. 8 when a vehicle hydroplaned near Bailey Road and went off the road into the ditch. The male driver and lone occupant walked away with minor injuries, but the car was...
Motorcycle crash puts Vernon man in hospital with serious injuries
VERNON - A local man is in potentially life threatening condition after losing control of his motorcycle Sunday afternoon. Police say the 55-year-old Vernon man was travelling east on Bella Vista Road, Sept. 13, when he lost control and crashed around 4 p.m. His bike was extensively damaged in the accident. Both police and B.C....
Vernon RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk off duty for good
VERNON - He was a well known face at the police station and on the news, but you won't be seeing Vernon's longtime RCMP spokesperson anymore. Gord Molendyk, who served over as an RCMP officer, and then a media spokesperson, for over 40 years has announced he’s retiring. “My job over the years working with...
Police investigating another suspicious fire in Vernon
VERNON - Police in Vernon are investigating another suspected arson, this time outside the curling club. RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says the fire started in a pile of display panels used for hanging merchandise which were stacked at the rear of the building. The Vernon Fire Department managed to put out the blaze before it...
Return to seasonal normals in the Okanagan
OKANAGAN - The mercury soared heading into the weekend, but has dropped considerably coming out of it. Temperatures were in the high-20s Friday and Saturday, well above seasonal normal highs of 20 Celsius. Sunday things cooled off to highs of 23 C in the North and Central Okanagan, but at 27 C remained quite a...
Vernon pet store posts video of arson suspect
VERNON – The owner of a Vernon pet story is hoping someone recognizes the man suspected of starting a fire on the Labour Day long weekend. A video taken by AJ’s Pets and Things security camera has been posted to the store’s Facebook page. Firefighters were called to the downtown store early in the morning...
Why vaccinating 71 per cent of 7-year-olds in southern Interior should have you worried
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - To prevent a measles outbreak, 95 per cent of the population is required to be vaccinated, but the province’s southern Interior isn’t meeting that requirement with only 71 per cent of seven-year-olds vaccinated between 2012 and 2014. With the latest school year comes the annual round of vaccinations and kids will bring reminders...
ELECTION 2015: Voting basics in the North Okanagan-Shuswap
VERNON - Before you head to the polls this October, you’re going to want to know who your candidates are, where to vote, and what you need to bring with you. We’ve got you covered. Consider this your North Okanagan-Shuswap voter’s kit. We’ll introduce you to your candidates, fill you in on advance polling, and...
Put your best paw forward this weekend and help stop animal abuse
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – This weekend thousands of animal lovers from across the Thompson-Okanagan will help stop animal abuse simply by walking their dogs. For more than a decade, residents of cities across the province have laced up their sneakers for the Scotiabank and BCSPCA Paws for a Cause Walk. Manager of the Kelowna SPCA Suzanne Pugh...