Vernon

Vandalism spree leaves 74 Vernon parking meters damaged

VERNON - The City of Vernon is looking for information after numerous parking meters were vandalized, resulting in thousands of dollars in damage. Communications officer Tanya Laing Gahr says 74 meters were damaged in total, with the clocks from 72 broken or removed over the weekend. Damage is estimated at around $20,000.  There was no...

Driver flees scene after flipping car in Vernon

VERNON - Emergency responders in Vernon were unable to locate the driver after a single vehicle accident last Friday. Deputy fire chief Lawrie Skolrood says the department responded to the Orchard Hill Road accident, near Bella Vista Road, about 10:51 p.m., Nov. 27. “It was a rollover down an embankment,” Skolrood says. “No one was...

Vernon Farmers’ Market disappointed with arena vote

VERNON - The manager of the Vernon Farmers' Market believes some vendors will feel the squeeze as the group downsizes for upcoming arena construction. Manager Ingrid Baron is expecting the market will need to shrink by a third to fit into reduced parking lot space at Kal Tire Place while the facility is expanded. Greater...

Diamond ring found in Vernon Walmart glove returned to rightful owner

VERNON – A woman from Lake Country quickly bought a pair of gloves at the Walmart in Vernon as she and her daughter headed to the city’s Downtown Light Up event Friday evening, Nov. 27. When Tanya Krcmar put on the gloves, one of her fingers slipped through what she says felt like a ring....

Police presence outside Vernon apartment building

VERNON - There was a police incident at a Vernon apartment building today, but RCMP are tight-lipped about exactly what is going on. Cruisers were parked outside a complex in the 4000 block of 20 Street for much of the day Nov. 27, but police won’t divulge what brought them there. “It’s still under investigation,”...

Vernon School District asked to vacate city-owned building

VERNON - The Vernon School District has been asked to vacate a city-owned building currently home to the Open Door Education Centre. According to a memo from the superintendent’s office, the 29 Street building owned by the city and leased by the district is getting demolished next summer. The district has been asked to vacate...

Cold snap continues in the Okanagan

OKANAGAN - While the temperatures continue to remind us why the stereotype of all Canadians living in parkas and igloos exists, it is nowhere near the record lows recorded in the Okanagan. Environment Canada is calling for temperatures to remain well below zero all weekend but is forecasting the mercury to hit near seasonal normal...

HELSTON: How I fared for a day without a car

There are many things we neglect to do in our own hometowns, and for me, one of those things was riding the bus. Before this week, I had never used Vernon’s public transit system. So, after a recent trip to Vancouver in which I relied on buses and skytrains, I decided it was time to...

Vernon photographer creates magical Disney photos featuring her daughter

VERNON - A Vernon photographer brought a little magic home from Disneyland. It all started with an elaborate Elsa dress Camillia Courts bought her daughter Layla, who was five years old at the time, during a family trip to Disneyland last year. “When we brought it back home, I was thinking where the heck is...

Migrant workers safe and with families in Mexico after going missing in the Okanagan

VERNON - Four temporary foreign workers who went missing in the Okanagan this past summer are back home in Mexico, the country’s consulate confirmed today, Nov. 26. Vernon RCMP reported the men missing in July 2015, nearly a month after they were last seen taking a cab into Vernon to cash some cheques. They arrived...

Voters to decide fate of Vernon arena project in coming days

VERNON - Voters will have their say on a new arena this Saturday, but as they prepare to head to the polls, over 2,000 people have already cast their ballots in advance polls. “I think those numbers are even better than the general municipal election we had,” Vernon mayor Akbal Mund says. “That’s encouraging in...

Kokanee numbers keep rising in Okanagan

OKANAGAN - Kokanee numbers are up from last year in all of the big valley lakes, the provincial government says. Wood Lake’s kokanee population continues to recover from a disastrous 2011 when poor in-lake conditions lead to a huge increase in fish mortality of all ages, according to a media release. Over 20,000 returned to spawn...

Area director worried about lack of consultation for cutblock near Vernon

VERNON - A local politician has concerns about a proposed cutblock near Vernon — primarily that he wasn’t even notified about it. Electoral area C director Mike Macnabb says he wasn’t consulted about four proposed cutblocks covering a total of 261 acres on Vernon Mountain, even though the land is in area C. Macnabb has...

Plans underway to fill health care gap left behind by Vernon walk-in closure

VERNON - As one walk-in medical clinic in Vernon closes, the door to a new one may soon be opening. Plans are quietly developing around the possibility of a new walk-in medical clinic in Vernon following news that the Vernon Family Doctors Walk-In Clinic at the Fruit Union Plaza is closing March 19, 2016. Few...

Questions and concerns over proposed cutblocks near Vernon

VERNON - A proposed cutblock in the Coldstream area has the City of Vernon asking more questions. The city received notice from B.C. Timber Sales in September regarding proposed cutblocks covering 261 acres within the BX Community Watershed, just east of Vernon in electoral area C.  The area is located on Vernon Mountain and while...

Merchants air mixed feelings about downtown Vernon market

VERNON - Vernon has some hard data on how downtown merchants feel about the summertime Avenue Market, and while it's not all good there is support to keep the market going. Survey results show businesses have mixed feelings about the market, which runs on Friday evenings on 30 Avenue during the summer. Of 143 surveys sent...

Dream Auction one for the record books

VERNON - It will go down as one of the most successful dream auctions in the last three decades. This year’s Kalamalka Rotary Dream Auction, the 31st annual event, raised more than $204,000, an all-time record according to organizers. “The success is due to the enthusiastic donors who support the effort every year and of...

Woman pursues driver suspected of vehicle theft in Vernon

VERNON - A member of the public went above and beyond by tailing a driver who allegedly stole a truck earlier this week. Vernon RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says police got a heads up around 7:20 p.m. Nov. 22 that a community member was following a 2001 Dodge Dakota pickup truck she’d just witnessed stolen...

Mounties calling for more manpower to police Vernon streets

VERNON - More RCMP boots on the ground seems to be the answer to a recent wave of safety concerns in the downtown core, but mounties say more boots requires more bodies. Sgt. Kara Triance spoke of the need for an increase of two police officers during a presentation to Vernon City Council Monday, Nov....

Advocate likens cost of a new Vernon arena to a monthly cup of coffee

VERNON - A number of businesses, sports groups and community members came out to show their support for a new arena in Vernon. Representatives from the Vernon Vipers, Greater Vernon Minor Hockey, the Vernon Figure Skating Club, the Prestige Hotel, Super 8 and Village Green, among others, came together at a news conference Monday, Nov....

Community group created to welcome refugees to the North Okanagan

VERNON - A group of community organizations, local residents and faith groups are coming together with a common vision — welcoming refugees and settling them in the North Okanagan. The recently created North Okanagan Refugee Committee is already mobilizing to bring international refugee families to the area. “It is important that refugees are welcomed, supported...

Vernon resort makes case for contentious marina on Okanagan Lake

VERNON - Those pushing for a new marina on Okanagan Lake say safety is at stake if the project is blocked. The proposal for a 72-slip marina for the Outback Resort has been a controversial one. A neighbourhood group called the Friends of South Bay are fiercely opposed, citing environmental impacts, water quality concerns and...

Vernon loses one of three walk-in medical clinics

VERNON - Access to medical care in Vernon is shrinking as a walk-in clinic closes its doors.  The Vernon Family Doctors Walk-In Clinic at the Fruit Union Plaza on Highway 6 has announced it’s closing permanently on March 19, 2016. The clinic is encouraging patients to attend their regular family physicians, and for those without...