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Vernon news
Preschoolers tackle racial tensions using locally-designed dolls
ENDERBY - A troop of handmade, multicultural dolls called the Backpack Kids have been deployed to local childcare centres where they are bringing a message of diversity and acceptance to young children. The life-sized puppets, each representing a Canadian kid with a different cultural background, are part of a newly launched teaching curriculum designed to...
Provincial support for Okanagan rail trail may sway voters, but not Okanagan Indian Band
VERNON - While a recent funding announcement from the provincial government may entice some Lake Country voters towards a yes vote in an upcoming borrowing referendum, the Okanagan Indian Band is warning governments not to celebrate just yet. Premier Christy Clark announced a $7.2 million pledge for the acquisition of the Okanagan Rail corridor the...
UPDATE: Police say man sought in ‘inappropriate’ pictures did nothing wrong
LAKE COUNTRY - Photos found on a second-hand camera purchased in Lake Country had RCMP looking for the man found among ‘inappropriate’ photos, but after finding him yesterday, say he was not related. A Lake Country woman called police when she ‘discovered some inappropriate photos’ on a child's camera she purchased it second-hand on March...
Lake Country referendum could prove pivotal in closing CN Rail corridor deal
KELOWNA - The provincial government recently pledged more than $7 million for the CN Rail corridor purchase but it does nothing to solve Lake Country’s shortfall of $2.6 million. It may also have created a new problem — voter apathy in Lake Country where a yes vote for the purchase is still critical to the deal...
Vernon Search and Rescue deploys helicopter to injured hiker
VERNON - A seriously injured hiker in Kimberly has Vernon Search and Rescue to thank for getting him to the hospital in record time. Leigh Pearson, with Vernon SAR, says the group’s helicopter winch rescue team was deployed on Friday, April 3, for a mutual aid call in Kimberly. After navigating around some bad weather,...
Man brought into custody after five hour standoff with Vernon RCMP
VERNON - A 70-year-old man was taken into custody Friday morning after a five-hour stand-off. Officers were called to a fourplex in the 4900 block of Old Kamloops Road just before 1 a.m. April 10 for a report of a distraught man, police said this morning. “He’d had a confrontation with a neighbour and then...
What Vernon firefighters hope you do differently to prevent another tragedy
VERNON - Conditions at a fire scene this week gave crews flashbacks to conditions that killed an Enderby firefighter several years ago, and the Vernon Fire Department is now issuing a public warning in the hopes of preventing another tragedy. Crews responded to a dumpster fire around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 8, on 14 Avenue,...
Vernon motel could be yours for just over $1M
VERNON - A downtown motel familiar to most Vernon residents is up for sale. The Green Valley Motel on Highway 97 across from Polson Park is on the market for $1,195,000. Built in 1965, the motel features 27 units currently rented out by the month. A description of the listing suggests it has lots of...
Rail corridor in doubt as Okanagan Indian Band takes land claim to court
VERNON - The Okanagan Indian Band is filing a notice of claim in B.C. Supreme Court, asserting aboriginal title to a portion of the discontinued CN rail corridor between Lake Country and Vernon. It’s part of the same rail corridor local municipalities are working towards purchasing for conversion into a trail, but Okanagan Indian Band...
The mountain snow formation that attracted, nearly killed (and probably saved) an Enderby teen
VERNON - An 18-year-old skier from Enderby ducked under a boundary fence in the Goat’s Eye Mountain area of Sunshine Village Ski Resort, near Banff March 27. He found himself on what looked like solid ground but when it gave way, he dropped some 500 metres—much of it free fall. That's like falling from the...
Video shows Sicamous man up close and personal with an avalanche
VERNON - If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be swept up in an avalanche, a Sicamous man is sharing his terrifying experience after catching it on camera. Curtis Johnson was sledding in the Blue Lake area near Sicamous with a camera strapped to his head when an avalanche came rushing down the mountain....
Five generations of local family inducted into Cowboy Hall of Fame
"THEY DON'T HEM AND HAW OR DO ANYTHING HALF WAY" VERNON - They may be in their 70s and 80s, but the Louis brothers still head to a rodeo nearly every weekend, continuing a long standing tradition that now bridges five generations. Born and raised on the Okanagan Indian Band Reserve near Vernon, the nine...
Vernon teen pulled over for drunk driving before he even has his license
VERNON - A drunk teenager was slapped with an Immediate Roadside Prohibition over the long weekend, and he doesn’t even have his driver’s license yet. The 17-year-old was caught driving erratically in the Kalamalka Road area of Coldstream on Friday, April 3, around 10:30 p.m., RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says. An officer patrolling in the...
Vernon couple wins $5.8M
VERNON - A Vernon couple officially received their part of the $35 million Lotto 6/49 grand prize Tuesday afternoon, walking away with $5.8 million and a more relaxed outlook on life. Albert and Margaret Greening had one of six winning tickets in the April 1 draw, the other five were purchased in Ontario and Quebec....
Vernon Breastfeeding demonstration made larger point
“I REALLY DO THINK WE HAD A POSITIVE OUTCOME FROM THIS NEGATIVE EXPERIENCE” VERNON - What began as a negative experience for a Vernon mother quickly became an opportunity to spread a positive messages about breastfeeding, says the organizer of a feed-in at the Village Green Centre. A few days after Megan Deuling was shamed...