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Vernon news

Money from bad guys goes to the good guys in Vernon

VERNON - A new advocacy centre for abused or neglected children, training for domestic violence workers, educational initiatives around technology issues like cyber-stalking — all brought to you by previously dirty money. On behalf of the provincial government, Vernon-Monashee MLA Eric Foster today announced five grants for three local organizations from the civil forfeiture program,...

Speed traps make law breakers see double over the weekend

VERNON - RCMP used a cunning technique to nab speeders along Highway 97 south of Vernon over the weekend. Officers with the traffic section set up two separate speed operations within five kilometres of each other on the highway between Vernon and Winfield on March 14 and 15. Drivers who thought they'd put the pedal...

Water service interruption scheduled this week

VERNON - Water service will be interrupted Tuesday and Wednesday in areas of Vernon while the city conducts repairs. The city is replacing mainline valves and some customers will be without water from 8 a.m. Tues., March 17 to 4 p.m. Wed., March 18, according to a media release.  The areas affected  include: 621 to...

Windstorm forces Lumby residents from their homes

VERNON - Lumby residents were evacuated from their homes over the weekend due to a major windstorm. Around 7 p.m. Saturday, Mar. 14, RCMP officers were called to a home in the 400 block of Mabel Lake Road in Lumby for a hydro hazard caused by the wind. “The wind blew a portable carport up...

Vernon Mounties catch well armed break-in suspect

VERNON – An eagle-eyed neighbour played a role in the apprehension of a break-and-enter suspect in Vernon on the weekend. The man noticed someone rummaging through his neighbour’s truck on Mt. Fosthall Drive, Sunday, March 15, and called police. RCMP say a person matching the suspect’s description was spotted on a bicycle near the 7-Eleven...

More cuts on the horizon for Vernon School District

VERNON - More cuts are on the way in the Vernon School District. The provincial government requires $437,000 of cuts in non-instructional costs at School District 22 next year, rising to $814,000 in 2016/17. “Our School District has suffered many cuts in funding in recent years. We’re proud that we’ve kept much of the cost...

Windstorm slams BC interior knocking power out to 39,000

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – A major wind storm blew through the B.C. interior Saturday afternoon, March 14, knocking down trees and breaking branches which in turn hit hydro lines cutting the power to about 39,000. In the Thompson-Okanagan area just under 1,000 B.C. Hydro customers are still without power as of 1 p.m., Sunday, March 15 due...

Major snowfall for mountain pass highways in Thompson-Okanagan

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Winter appears to be reluctant to release it’s icy grip on the mountain pass highways in the Thompson-Okanagan. Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement warning of 10 to 20 centimetres of snow by Monday morning. Meteorologist Ross Macdonald says a strong front over Washington State combined with falling freezing levels will...

Cause of Vernon apartment fire under investigation

VERNON – Investigators are looking into the cause of an apartment fire in Vernon early Saturday morning, although it’s not considered suspicious in nature. The fire broke out at around 1:16 a.m., Saturday, March 14 in the closet of one of the units at the building in the 3600-block of 27 Avenue, just south of...

National anti-terrorism bill demonstrations make stops in Thompson-Okanagan

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Demonstrators gathered across the country today to protest the government's proposed anti-terrorism legislation. In the Thompson-Okanagan rallies were held in Kamloops and Vernon. Organizers dubbed the nationwide protests "Defend our Freedom." The Conservative government introduced the legislation, known as Bill C-51, in January and says it will make Canadians safer. Dozens of people...

Don’t forget to book your camping sites this weekend

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you decide to sleep in this Sunday you might miss out on the summer you’ve been dreaming of. The online and call centre reservation system for provincial campgrounds officially opens Sunday, March 15 at 9 a.m. Reservable sites tend to book up quickly, especially at the more popular campgrounds and for long...

Vernon joins Canada-wide rallies against Bill C-51

VERNON - Vernon residents will protest a controversial piece of government legislation at a rally Saturday afternoon. The focus of the protest is Bill C-51, the federal government’s Anti-terrorism Act. The proposed legislation would allow federal authorities to investigate terrorism by accessing the public’s private information, and sharing that information among intelligence and law enforcement...

How a group of North Okanagan teachers took funding into their own hands

NORTH OKANAGAN - It’s not always easy in cash-strapped times for teachers to find spare change for programs, but a group in the North Okanagan has found a way to think outside the box. The Outdoor Learning program in the North Okanagan and Shuswap, unlike many other courses in School District 83 such as the cancelled adult...

Spring break ideas to keep the kids busy in Vernon

VERNON – There is no shortage of things to do with the children over the two-week spring break in Kelowna. Spring break kicks off Monday, March 16 before wrapping up on Friday, March 27 with all kinds of activities and day camps planned by various organizations around town. The best advice is to pre-register for...

Witness to deadly B.C. boat crash recalls tears from man on trial

KAMLOOPS - A man whose speedboat crashed on a B.C. lake cradled the head of a dying houseboat operator and cried as he waited for help to arrive, a witness has testified. Lubomir Vitanov, who was a passenger on the houseboat on July 3, 2010, said he saw Leon Reinbrecht holding the victim's head after...

A place to call home at Vernon Jubilee Hospital

VERNON - Medical students now have a place to call home after the new medical space promised for Vernon Jubilee officially opened this week. University of British Columbia Southern Medical Program students will have access to centralized education areas, two video conferencing rooms designed for learning and training, as well as a clinical skills room....

HELSTON: What we can learn from an Enderby senior’s tragic death

What caused Enderby senior Barbara Derenowski to start the ignition in her old pick-up truck and drive, knowingly without her licence, more than 70 kms from her home up a remote, unplowed road where her body was eventually found, remains a mystery. We know from her neighbours she was a sweet, friendly, self-reliant woman who...

School District 83 facing yet another budget shortfall with little left to cut

NORTH OKANAGAN - Deeper cuts are on the way in the North-Okanagan Shuswap School District.  At a board meeting Mar. 10, secretary-treasurer Sterling Olsen said the district must find $1.8 million in savings to balance next year’s budget. “It is a very challenging financial picture and it looks like we have a number of years...

Vernon art project asks, Who are you?

VERNON - Queer, real, stereotyped. Victorious over victimization. Fragile and fighting back. These are some of the words and phrases you’ll find painted alphabetically on large boards as part of a project called Respect Lives Here, sponsored by the Social Planning Council for the North Okanagan. Participants from the Vernon Women’s Transition House, Vernon District...

This is what happened to that envelope of cash turned in to Vernon RCMP

VERNON - A week after a significant amount of cash was found on a Vernon sidewalk the rightful owner of the envelope of cash has been found. A woman out walking her dog saw the envelope in the area of Bodwell Road and Pottery Road at 8 a.m. on March 4 and turned it in to...

Lumby man beaten by five youths

LUMBY - It wasn't much of a Valentine's Day for a Lumby man who police say was beaten by five youths wearing hoodies. Officers arrived at the scene just after midnight February 14 and saw the youths running away, according to an RCMP media release. The man received an injury to his eye during the...

Road rage suspected in Highway 6 accident

LUMBY - Police believe a case of road rage may have been behind the actions of a driver who they say forced another driver off the road on Highway 6. The driver of a black pickup truck forced a white pickup truck off the road February 27, with the suspect driver then pounding on the...