Vernon

Malicious honk from passing driver sends Vernon horseback rider to hospital

VERNON – A competitive show jumper was seriously injured by the thoughtless and dangerous actions of an unknown motorist near Armstrong this week. Kristen Marie Pym, 20, was out for a relaxing ride on her seven-year-old black and white mare Lilly on a warm, early fall evening Sept. 30. Pym was riding Lilly in a...

North Okanagan locked into recycling system, says MMBC director

VERNON - Those demanding changes to the North Okanagan’s recycling system appear to be out of luck. Allen Langdon, the managing director for Multi-Material B.C., says the new program is working well in the North Okanagan Regional District and, overall, generating few complaints. “We had some around the launch but in the last few months...

Disagreement over use of Vernon dog park has council at end of leash

VERNON - City officials continue to spar over the use of a green space near Marshall Fields as an off-leash dog park. Residents have been using the area, which runs alongside Marshall Fields by the Lakers Clubhouse, to let their dogs run off leash for years, but now the City of Vernon is now tightening...

Orange Shirt Day remembers residential school victims

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you saw someone wearing orange today, don’t assume they are supporters of the federal NDP. “Orange Shirt Day is a reminder of the pain and anguish of residential school survivors and their families,” Rose Caldwell says. “For the ones who made it through and the ones who never came home.” Caldwell is...

Woman reunited with Diego the dog more than a week after Vernon car accident

VERNON - He’s hungry, dehydrated, and a bit scratched up, but Diego is home. The five-year-old Chihuahua went missing Sept. 21 after jumping out a window during a car accident in Vernon. His owner, Tonya Olson, spent the last nine days desperately searching for him, holding out hope that he was alive. On Wednesday, Sept....

Vernon business frustrated as robbers walk free

VERNON - A Vernon business owner is fed up after two robberies at their store in the last year, and no arrests. Aman Sudan and her husband bought the local Mac’s Convenience Store franchise on 27 Street about a year ago. Since that time they’ve been robbed twice; the first time in January 2015 when...

Clock ticking on Vernon ice sheet referendum

VERNON - It’s crunch time for local government officials looking to hold a November borrowing referendum for a new Vernon ice sheet. The City of Vernon wants to decommission the aging Civic Arena and add a second ice sheet to Kal Tire Place — but has had to jump through some hoops just to bring...

Charges pending against erratic Kelowna driver who side-swiped cars on route to Vernon

‘HE TOLD POLICE HE DIDN’T UNDERSTAND WHY HE WAS BEING STOPPED’ VERNON - Charges of dangerous driving and possession of a controlled substance are being recommended against a Kelowna man who went on a wild drive from Lake Country to Vernon last week. The 38-year-old was arrested in downtown Vernon after making his way from...

Suspects uncooperative after Vernon shooting that had ‘potential for great tragedy’

VERNON - Police say two groups of people with ties to criminal activity were involved in an alleged shooting incident last week in Vernon. One group got away, and the other has been less than cooperative with investigators.  According to Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy, neighbours called 911 last Wednesday, Sept. 23, to report shots fired at...

Man makes off with more than $50,000 in drive-thru ATM theft in Vernon

VERNON - Police are investigating after a man broke into a drive-thru ATM in Vernon and made off with tens of thousands of dollars. RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says the Interior Savings Credit Union drive-thru ATM building at 4301 32 St. was broken into just after 10 p.m. Sept. 24. “An unknown male gained entrance...

Kick it to the curb: Vernon councillor says get rid of new recycling program

“I HAVEN’T HEARD ONE PERSON SPEAK IN FAVOUR OF IT” VERNON - A Vernon city councillor is saying put it back to how it used be when it comes to recycling pick up. Coun. Scott Anderson says he’s heard hundreds of complaints from Vernon residents about the new Multi-Material B.C. system, which saw plastic bags...

Experts frustrated in search for man presumed drowned in Kal Lake

VERNON - Another search has failed to turn up answers in the months-long search for Curtis Wilson, a Lethbridge man presumed drowned in Kalamalka Lake. Wilson, 24, was last seen June 27 and a series of air, land and water searches have been unable to locate him. The friend he was with, Shane Letkeman, was...

Lumby company’s hemp-base doggie chews to hit shelves by end of month

VERNON - Dog lovers are lapping up a new hemp-based pet product made by a North Okanagan company. True Leaf Medicine International Ltd. launched its nutritional dog-chews, which contain hemp, at a pet industry trade show in Toronto Sept. 20, and CEO Darcy Bomford said pre-orders are already bounding in. “The last two weeks have...

Construction worker needs help with recovery after severe spinal injury on the job

WEST KELOWNA - Cole Bernier, a construction worker injured last week in a workplace accident, is facing a lengthy recovery after being crushed under some roof trusses. “Cole is someone you’ll never see without a smile on his face and if he’s frowning, it is typically because you changed his music or didn’t leave enough...

Super moon, eclipse delights Okanagan sky watchers

OKANAGAN - Across most of the region the skies cleared in time to catch at least part of the rare super moon and lunar eclipse event Sunday evening, Sept. 27. A supermoon occurs when a full or new moon makes its closest approach to the Earth and appears slightly larger and brighter than normal. A...

Sunny and warm end to September in the Okanagan

OKANAGAN - The weekend was filled with typical autumn weather, and a few cooler nights, but we can expect it to warm up a bit during the week as September comes to a close. Environment Canada is calling for temperatures to reach as high as 22 C this week. The mercury is expected to reach...

Two Okanagan communities will host upcoming B.C. 55+ Games

OKANAGAN – Vernon and Kelowna have been selection to host upcoming B.C. 55+ Games. The 2017 games will be held in Vernon, supported by the Armstrong and Spallumcheen, and the 2019 games will be in Kelowna. Cranbrook and Kimberley in the East Kootenays will host the games in 2018. Vernon hosted the inaugural games in...

Hundreds of North Okanagan deer heads still needed for disease study

“WE HAVE A THREE YEAR LIMIT ON THE PROJECT AND WE STILL NEED OVER 200 SAMPLES” CHERRYVILLE - They might be off-putting to some, but to a group of government researchers, deer heads from the Cherryville area are the key to stopping a potential disease outbreak in its tracks. Analyzing the lymph nodes found in...

Mounties investigate shots fired in Vernon

VERNON - Vernon RCMP have launched an investigation after a report of shots being fired at a townhouse complex. RCMP Sgt. Dave Evans says in a media release police were called to a townhouse in the 1600-block of 43 Avenue Wednesday, Sept. 23 around 3:40 a.m. A preliminary investigation led police to believe a confrontation...

First fall weekend warm and sunny in the Okanagan

OKANAGAN - The first weekend of autumn will be a typical one in the Okanagan, with warm days and cool nights. Environment Canada is calling for temperatures to be just above the seasonal normal high of 17 Celsius throughout the Okanagan, though overnight we can expect things to cool off a bit more than normal....

Mail thefts in Lumby and Cherryville

LUMBY - Residents are being warned to regularly pick up their mail after several mail thefts were reported in Lumby and Cherryville over the past week. Canada Post has reported several incidents of theft from mailboxes throughout the two communities since Sept. 17 and Lumby RCMP is now asking residents to be diligent in picking...

Vernon man reunited with VW beetle after 35 years

VERNON - A Vernon man’s spunky 1962 Volkswagen Beetle has found its way back home. It’s the car John Deak, a realtor with Century 21 in Vernon, learned to drive on back in 1980 in Williams Lake. His parents bought the bug from a neighbour for $900. At 16, Deak took his driving test in...

Cities aim for the 21st century with Internet advertising law

KELOWNA - Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran is leading the charge to drag the way municipal governments communicate with citizens into the 21st century. Kelowna is sponsoring a resolution at the annual Union of B.C. Municipalities convention underway in Vancouver, which would allow so-called statutory notifications - information cities are currently required by law to publish in...