Elevate your local knowledge

Sign up for the iNFOnews newsletter today!

Select Region

Selecting your primary region ensures you get the stories that matter to you first.

Vernon news

IPE lived up to its ‘Udderly Awesome’ theme

“ONE OF THE BEST FAIRS EVER” ARMSTRONG – Attendance at the Interior Provincial Exhibition, which wrapped up yesterday in Armstrong, was the highest it’s been in years. IPE general manager Bryan Burns says over the five days of the fair a total of 158,238 people passed through the turnstiles, including 38,673 on the last day...

Close call for young Vernon driver who lost control of car

VERNON – A car crash in Vernon Sunday morning could have been much worse. A young driver behind the wheel of a four-door sedan lost control while turning from South Vernon Drive onto Okanagan Avenue around 11:30, Sept. 6, according to Vernon Fire Department Capt. Reinhard Mann. “He went over a four-metre concrete abutment,” he...

Suspicious fire at Vernon pet store

VERNON – RCMP has launched an arson investigation after a suspicious fire at a downtown Vernon pet store Sunday night. Vernon firefighters responded to a call around 6:20 a.m., Sept. 6, about smoke coming from AJ’s Pets and Things at 3219 31 Ave. Capt. Reinhard Mann says crews found a fire had been set at...

UPDATE: Firefighters extinguish house fire in Vernon

VERNON – Investigators are looking for the exact cause of a fire, which started in the kitchen of a home on Alexis Park Drive in Vernon on Sunday. Vernon Fire Department Capt. Reinhard Mann says crews arrived at the home in the 3900-block of Alexis Park Drive at about 2 p.m., Sept. 6, to find...

Vernon RCMP bust dial-a-dope operation

VERNON – Three people from the lower mainland have been arrested and a large quantity of cocaine and heroin seized in connection with a RCMP investigation into a drug trafficking operation in Vernon. RCMP say a 17-year-old boy was arrested in his vehicle near the corner of 32 Street and 43 Avenue, Sept. 2, and...

Have your say on the future of Vernon’s airport

VERNON - Vernon residents are invited to have a say on the future of the local airport. The city is reviewing plans for the airport over the next 20 years and wants to hear from residents and businesses at an upcoming open house Sept. 17. It’s all part of a project to develop a new...

Vernon homeless camp growing after motel evictions

VERNON - A Vernon homeless camp has grown in the days following an eviction order at the Green Valley Motel, according to shelter workers. Tenants had to be out of the motel by Sept. 1, and while a small number sought lodging at the Gateway Shelter, it appears others have turned to the street, John...

Drive B.C. adds eight new highway webcams to help you plan your trip

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Just in time for winter, Drive B.C. has installed eight more highway cams between West Kelowna and Kaleden, and in the Merritt area to help drivers assess road conditions and traffic. The cameras include four south of West Kelowna on Highway 97 and Highway 97C, and three near Kaleden in the South Okanagan....

Hazardous waste? Watch for the North Okanagan’s new Eco Depot

VERNON - If you need a place to dump hazardous waste, say good-bye to the annual round-ups in the North Okanagan and hello to the new Eco-Depot. The facility is expected to open this fall, and will offer residents the first year-round household hazardous waste drop off centre in the region. For the past decade,...

Filmed in the Okanagan: TV show focuses on traditional First Nation food

OKANAGAN – A TV series about gathering and cooking wild food will air on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network next week. And it was filmed in the Okanagan. Quest Outwest: Wild Food follows Syilx storyteller and Penticton resident Tracey Kim Bonneau as she hunts and forages around the Okanagan looking for traditional ingredients she prepares...

Cooler weather sticking around for Okanagan long weekend

OKANAGAN - The last long weekend of the summer is upon us but Mother Nature doesn’t seem to be ready to join the celebration this year. For the most part September kicked off with temperatures just below seasonal normals of 22 Celsius and the Labour Day long weekend will be much the same. Environment Canada...

UPDATE: Missing Vernon woman located

UPDATE: 12:01 P.M., SEPT. 8, 2015 Vernon RCMP announced Tuesday, Sept. 8, that Cheryl 'Daisy' McEwan, who left a medical facility last week without completing her treatment, has been found.  6:43 A.M., SEPT. 4, 2015 VERNON - Authorities are appealing to the public for help finding a missing woman. Vernon RCMP say Cheryl ‘Daisy’ McEwan,...

Candy apples, picnic tables and cows: A by-the-numbers count of all things IPE

ARMSTRONG - Ever wondered such things as how many volunteer hours go into the Armstrong fair, or how many mini-donuts get churned out during it? We’ve got the answers to your burning questions below. The numbers behind the five-day Interior Provincial Exhibition truly are staggering. A tremendous number of volunteers, animals and vendors make the...

Whooping cough still a concern as school approaches

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - With the first day of school approaching, parents should remember a recent spike in potentially fatal whooping cough has only just began to drop. “We have been in communciations with schools informing parents about communicable diseases in general and the fact we have been observing increased cases of whooping cough,” Dr. Kamran Golmohammadi...

Stolen truck leads Mounties to large Shuswap drug operation

SHUSWAP - Police busted a massive drug trafficking operation in the Shuswap over the weekend, all thanks to a stolen truck that led them straight to it. Salmon Arm RCMP received a report of a stolen F350 with a camper on it Saturday, Aug. 29, and soon got wind of a truck matching the description...

Drivers beware: Increased enforcement of school zones next week

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - RCMP are sending a message to the province’s drivers reminding them September is back to school time. Police are asking drivers to remember their ABCs and if they don’t, they will certainly help teach them a lesson, according to a RCMP media release. The driver’s ABC’s are: A for attention, B to be...

Forget fire, we’ve got snow on local ski hills

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The weather has flip-flopped in the last week, so much so local ski hills are reporting their first snowfalls instead of watching for wildfires. Silver Star Mountain operations director Brad Baker sent out pictures showing a fair dusting of snow at the resort near Vernon, and a reminder of the mountain’s early bird...

Vernon bar taking things in a new direction

VERNON - A Vernon restaurant and sports bar is turning its focus from those who go out, to those who stay in. Monashee’s Bar & Grill on 30 Avenue in downtown Vernon will welcome patrons for a pint for the last time this weekend, but it’s not turning its back on them completely. Owner Steve...

UPDATE: Vernon Search and Rescue thanked for finding missing senior

VERNON - A 69-year-old man who walked away from a medical care facility has been located thanks to Vernon Search and Rescue. Sgt. Tory Romailler said in a release Norman Schiman was found in Polson Park about an hour after issuing a public plea to find him. He was returned in good health to the...

Two teens, ages 14 and 18, arrested for murder in Vernon death

VERNON - Police have arrested two teenagers for second degree murder in the death of Jason Hardy, whose body was found in Polson Park last week. One of the teens is a 14 year old male. He and 18-year-old Brandon Wellington were arrested Aug. 31. Both are residents of the Greater Vernon area, RCMP Const....

Armstrong fair fun gets underway

ARMSTRONG - The Armstrong fair gets into full swing today. The 116th annual Interior Provincial Exhibition runs Wednesday, Sept. 2, to Sunday, Sept. 6. Rides, live music, farming displays, vendors and a variety of entertainment is all on hand for the highly anticipated end of summer event. This year’s theme — Udderly Awesome! Party till...