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Vernon news
SNELSON TRIAL: Lawyers present final arguments in manslaughter trial
KAMLOOPS - Motive, opportunity and his own lies all point to Neil George Snelson as the person who strangled and beat 19-year-old Jennifer Cusworth to death over 20 years ago in Kelowna, court heard from the Crown during final arguments today, June 15. Cusworth, an Okanagan Community College student was found in a ditch on...
Traffic improvements coming to busy intersection in Sicamous
SICAMOUS – A new roundabout is scheduled to be built on Highway 97A in Sicamous next year. Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Todd Stone says in a media release the improvements, set to be installed some time in 2016, will provide safer and easier access to businesses in Sicamous for travelers on the TransCanada Highway and...
Foam Fest Run participants nailed for speeding on Silver Star Road
VERNON – Some of the estimated 5,000 people who took part in the 5K Foam Fest run at Silver Star Mountain Resort on the weekend appeared to be in a bit of a rush to get to the top of the mountain. RCMP say 24 speeding tickets were handed to drivers on Saturday, June 13....
Teen rescued after failed attempt to swim Okanagan Lake
VERNON – A 19-year-old from Alberta was rescued from Okanagan Lake after a failed attempt to swim from Ellison Provincial Park near Vernon to the other side of the lake. RCMP called Vernon Search and Rescue at about 5 p.m., Friday, June 12, and the volunteers launched their boats. The teen was found an hour...
Another warm week for the Okanagan
OKANAGAN - After a week filled with record and near-record temperatures, things are set to cool down in the Okanagan this week, but only slightly. With temperatures reaching the mid-30s, Kelowna, Vernon and Penticton hit records this past week and while Environment Canada is not calling for temperatures quite that hot this week, the mercury...
Vernon woman feels unsafe and fed up after repeated thefts from her car
“MY SENSE OF SAFETY AND SECURITY, THAT’S PROBABLY THE BIGGEST THING THEY’VE TAKEN” VERNON - Pocket change, sunglasses, and credit cards are among the items stolen from Rhian Harrison’s car, but the Vernon resident says the biggest thing she’s lost over a series of thefts is her sense of safety and security. Since February, shortly...
Arrest made following wildfire in Kalamalka Park near Vernon
VERNON – RCMP have a man in custody after a fire broke out in Kalamalka Provincial Park last night. Crews from the Coldstream Fire Department and B.C. Wildfire Management were called to the blaze near Juniper Bay at around 9:25 a.m., June 12, according to a RCMP media release. “Witnesses saw the fire and attempted...
What the Supreme Court decision on marijuana means to a three-year-old Summerland girl
KELOWNA – Kyla Williams' family is breathing a sigh of relief this week — they…
Be prepared for emergency wildfire evacuations
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – With an unusually dry and hot summer forecast for the Thompson-Okanagan this summer, regional districts are urging residents to get prepared in case emergency evacuations become necessary. Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre spokesperson Bruce Smith says the best time to make an emergency plan is long before something happens. He recommends residents understand...
Here’s what a Vernon man said to Christy Clark about invasive mussels
“IS B.C. NOT WORTH IT TO YOU?” THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A frustrated Vernon man has sent an open letter to Premier Christy Clark about invasive mussels, and he didn’t hold back. Brynne Morrice, a filmmaker who recently debuted a short documentary about the imminent threat of zebra and quagga mussels, is calling on the province to...
Vernon city council prepares decades ahead for future highway bypass
VERNON - It wouldn’t be built, or required, for another 25 to 65 years, but Vernon council is starting to plan for a potential bypass around the city. It’s been talked about for years, but today’s council is taking a firm stance on the need to start planning, and protecting a corridor for it, now....
Two fires in two days at Vernon’s Becker Park
VERNON - Vernon firefighters took swift action dealing with two separate fires in Becker Park over the last couple of days. Crews dispatched to a grass fire about 6 a.m., Thursday, June 11 in the park, located behind the Vernon Rec Centre. Deputy Fire Chief Jack Blair says firefighters quickly doused a 40 ft by...
One homeless man’s long road to finding affordable housing in Vernon
“I HAD TO ASK FOR HELP. IT WAS EITHER THAT, OR I’D STILL BE HOMELESS” VERNON - For the last 10 years, Roy You has lived on and off the streets. He travelled far from the Splatsin First Nation reserve where he grew up, searching for work in different places, never staying long. Many nights...
Get used to higher prices: Fruit Growers’ president
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Fred Steele’s day starts before 5 a.m. As the president of the B.C. Fruit Growers' Association, and with 7.5 acres of apple trees to manage, he’s used to an early start, but the early spring across the province has him waking the roosters most days. “I do most of the work myself,” the...
Vernon man leaves legacy atop his beloved Middleton Mountain
VERNON - Many associate Middleton Mountain with the large housing subdivision that encircles it, but if you climb to the very top, you’ll find 90 acres of protected reserve land and one of the most spectacular panoramic views of Vernon. While developers were picking up land around Middleton Mountain around the 1980s, Roy Farnsworth, who...
New airline promises cheap flights out of Kelowna
KELOWNA – A new airline from Manitoba is partnering with Kelowna-based Flair Airlines to bring what it calls 'basic air transportation' to the Okanagan. NewLeaf Travel Company has not released all of its destinations yet, but airline spokesperson Bob Jones confirms they will start service from Kelowna to Hamilton and Winnipeg by the end of...
Norm Macdonald bringing stand up routine to Kelowna
OKANAGAN - Canadian comic Norm Macdonald is bringing his stand-up routine to Kelowna this fall. Best known as a former Saturday Night Live cast member, Macdonald will be taking to the stage at the Kelowna Community Theatre this September. Macdonald has an impressive resume in the comedy world which includes anchoring the popular Weekend Update...
Friends determined to finish house for Vernon dad sidelined by cancer
VERNON - Efforts are underway to ensure that when a Vernon man returns from cancer treatment in Vancouver he’ll be coming home to a finished house. Homer Alexis started feeling ill about a month ago, but chalked the symptoms up to the flu. When he didn’t get better, his wife Denise drove him to Vernon...
Vehicle rolls over Vernon tow truck driver
VERNON - A Vernon tow truck driver was rushed to hospital Monday after his truck rolled over top of him. The Protow Towing employee was picking up a broken down car on Apex Drive in the Foothills around 12:30 p.m., June 8, when the accident happened, RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says. “He’d hooked it (car)...
VIDEO: What a drive through the Okanagan looked like in 1966
OKANAGAN – The drive from the U.S. border in the south Okanagan to Vernon is one of the most scenic in the province, but has it changed much in the last 49 years? A three part series released by the Ministry of Transportation this week shows footage taken from the dash of a car driving...
Attack leaves Vernon woman fearful of returning to dog park
VERNON - A Vernon woman will think twice before visiting a dog park after her four-pound Yorkshire terrier died after being attacked at the DND grounds last month. Cassandra Malinosky took her five-year-old dog Jemma almost everywhere with her, including work, and always kept a watchful eye over her, particularly because she was so tiny....
Gymnastics society stretching for more room in Vernon
VERNON - A local gymnastics society is hoping a partnership with the city will lead to a bigger, better centre for Vernon youth in the next few years. The North Valley Gymnastics Society was founded in 1993 and for a long time ran its programs out of the Beairsto Elementary School gym. In 2004, issues...
Valley athletes do well at crossfit regional games
OKANAGAN - Crossfit athletes from the North and Central Okanagan recently posted some stellar results during the gruelling West Crossfit Regionals in Tacoma, Wash. Crossfit, a type of workout that combines Olympic weight-lifting with elements of gymnastics and interval cardio, emerged out of California in 2002. Participants in the regional games must complete seven different...
Police warn about resurging scams
VERNON - If they weren't con artists, thieves and frauds, you might be impressed with their ingenuity but police in the North Okanagan are definitely not impressed. Spokesperson Gord Molendyk says local RCMP detachments had more than 30 calls about two different scams operating by phone and email in the area. One is the Revenue...