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Vernon news

Kelowna company expands delivery to Europe and Asia

KELOWNA – The company formerly known as Kelowna Flightcraft is expanding its cargo routes overseas. Now called KF Aerospace, the Kelowna-headquartered aviation services company will have routes four times a week between Toronto and Europe via Brussels and daily service between Toronto and Atlantic Canada. Within two months the network will expand to include all...

Batch of chemicals show up on backroad near Westwold

VERNON - Police aren’t sure where a large batch of chemicals dumped in a gravel pit on Douglas Lake Road came from, but they have a hunch it was a synthetic drug lab. The Ministry of Environment got wind of the illegally dumped chemicals — 33 to 54 gallon barrels full — and contacted the...

Nine salmonella victims in B.C. Interior contracted from live chicks

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The Interior Health Authority is bearing the brunt of a B.C. salmonellosis outbreak connected to live poultry distributed from a hatchery in Alberta. The health authority has dealt with nine of 13 confirmed cases within the province and one of the two that required hospitalization, according to Althea Hayden, a public health physician....

Laundry privatization decision expected this summer

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Hospital Employee Union members who filled the Interior Health Authority board meeting yesterday to show their concern about laundry service privatization got a polite but firm message from chairman Erwin Malzer. “Thank you very much for bringing your concerns to us but no decision will be made until we receive the request for...

Lucky lottery trend in the North Okanagan continues with yet another winner

COLDSTREAM – The North Okanagan appears to be on a lucky streak with three winning lottery tickets bought in the region in the last two months. The area has been on a roll since April 1, when a Vernon couple won $5.8 million. The trend continued when an Enderby woman went home with $1 million,...

Vernon offers new grant program with hope of expanding limited rental housing options

VERNON - Building a new rental unit in Vernon? There’s a grant for that. To combat a shortage of rental housing in the city, Vernon council has introduced a new grant program to encourage development. Up to $4,000 per unit is now available for the construction of rental complexes. The city hasn't seen the construction...

Aboriginal health strategy hopes to improve care outcomes

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Tailoring healthcare for the 54,000 First Nations living within the Interior Health Authority will improve the quality of life and health outcomes and ultimately save money by reducing the need for services amongst a population that is overrepresented within the system. That’s the message behind the aboriginal health and wellness strategy adopted yesterday...

Campapalooza campacacancelled

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – A first-of-its kind event that gives parents a chance to get a taste of all the different summer camp options in one place has been cancelled. Campapalooza was to be held at Okanagan College May 30, but according to their website has been 'postponed until April 2016.' The event would have brought together...

UPDATE: Police presence in front of Ellison Elementary

VERNON - Police have cordoned off the road near Ellison Elementary School in Vernon after someone discovered blood in the area Wednesday morning. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says the blood was found sometime between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m., May 27, on Fulton Road, in front of Ellison Elementary School. While police are treating the...

Proactive enforcement takes a hit as Vernon RCMP grapple with heavy caseload

VERNON - Checkstops and impaired driving investigations took a hit over the last few months as police struggled to handle a heavy criminal caseload. In a presentation to Vernon city council Monday, May 25, acting RCMP Supt. Jim McNamara said enforcement initiatives were negatively affected by continued resource-draining serious crime incidents and high calls for...

Health authority continues to monitor possible Ebola cases

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If the ongoing Ebola epidemic has a human face within the Interior Health Authority, it’s that of Patrice Gordon, a nurse practioner who returned from West Africa last December and promptly began displaying the early signs of of the disease. Gordon tested negative for the virus, but since then the health authority has...

Vernon’s Green Valley Motel on police and council radars

VERNON - A notorious Vernon motel was thrust under the spotlight at a recent Vernon city council meeting. During a presentation by acting RCMP Supt. Jim McNamara, Coun. Brian Quiring brought up his concerns about the Green Valley Motel on Highway 97 across from Polson Park. “It appears to be a haven for people that...

Car crashes into Vernon business

VERNON - Emergency services are on the scene of a crash near downtown Vernon this afternoon. The Vernon Fire Department is on scene along with paramedics and RCMP after a car crashed into Abakhan and Associates at the corner of 29th Street and 31st Avenue. There are no reports of any injuries. %%image2%% To contact...

Enderby woman wins $1M with free play

ENDERBY - An Enderby woman is celebrating her birthday with the ultimate present — a $1 million Maxmillion prize. Tanya Williams, who celebrates her birthday this week, won a free play and $1 on a previous Lotto Max draw and used that to get another ticket. She found out she was a winner when she...

‘Free until three’ promotion aimed at bringing people downtown Vernon

VERNON - A new promotion allowing people to park free from noon until 3 p.m. on Fridays this summer is geared at creating a more inviting atmosphere downtown. The free parking will be offered in the lead-up to the Avenue Market, which runs on Fridays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Main Street (30...

Vernon woman, 93, wanted help, not a hospital visit

CALLS FOR HELP ANSWERED BY NEIGHBOURS  VERNON - A 93-year-old Vernon woman who fell down, crawled to the door and yelled for help remained adamant she did not want to go to the hospital despite her situation. In the end, she did, and it was thanks to the help of two good samaritans who heard...

Traffic halted on Highway 6 for air ambulance landing

VERNON - Highway 6 was shut down and used as a landing strip for B.C. Air Ambulance over the weekend. The aircraft was picking up a 60-year-old man from Edmonton who hit a deer while riding his BMW bike along Highway 6 near Angel Falls (close to the Needles Ferry) around 3:10 p.m. Saturday, May...

Vernon RCMP seek witnesses in weekend hit and run

VERNON - Police are appealing to the public for information about a hit and run that left a motorcyclist seriously injured. The accident happened around 2:05 p.m. on Saturday, May 23, at Okanagan Landing Road and Fulton Road, RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says. According to a witness, a silver Toyota Celica appeared to stop in...

Okanagan Landing Elementary on lockdown after body found in schoolyard

VERNON - Okanagan Landing Elementary School was in lockdown Monday morning after a body was found in the schoolyard. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says a man’s body was found by some children shortly before school started Monday, May 25. The incident has been deemed a suicide and the B.C. Coroners Service is involved. Molendyk says...

UPDATE: Southern Interior severe thunderstorm watch expanded

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Environment Canada has expanded its severe thunderstorm watch to include the South Thompson, North Thompson and Nicola regions, including the city of Kamloops. The original watch issued early this morning, May 24, covered the Okanagan, Shuswap and Boundary regions, including Kelowna, Penticton, Vernon and Salmon Arm. Forecasters say conditions are favourable for the...

ELECTION 2015: Defence minister takes selfie with North Okanagan cadets

VERNON – Defence Minister Jason Kenny paused for a selfie with cadets at the Vernon Army Cadet Summer Training Centre this morning. The stop in Vernon, May 23, was part of a campaign-style tour of the Okanagan, which included going door-to-door with a Penticton Conservative candidate on Friday. During the Penticton stop Kenny talked about...

Okanagan diners reap the rewards of an early spring

OKANAGN – The early spring across the Okanagan this year is not only good for your tan but for local restaurants and family kitchens as well. Across the valley, farmers are busy harvesting crops which normally wouldn't be ready for weeks. Fruits, berries, veggies and field crops all got a jump start this year, which...

Few answers in head-on collision that killed Vernon boy

VERNON - What caused a vehicle carrying a Vernon boy to swerve across Highway 97 a year ago remains a mystery, even with the findings of a coroners report. The May 4, 2014 accident killed Rodney Michael Boring, 14, on a stretch of Highway 97 going through Lake Country. Boring was the passenger in a...