Vernon

Gas prices going up in the Okanagan

OKANAGAN - Gas prices are rising throughout Canada and the Okanagan is no exception. According to GasBuddy, an online tracking system for gas prices, only about a dozen stations remain below 130 cents per litre this afternoon, Aug. 13, in Kelowna while about seven stations sit at 129.9 cents per litre. Many stations have jumped...

Vernon woman remembered for taking her job seriously, and her life lightly

VERNON - If you’re from Vernon, there’s a good chance Brenda Hala took your picture at one time or another. The longtime Vernon resident and professional photographer captured special moments for many different people over the years, a legacy that will live on despite her passing Monday, Aug. 10, after a battle with ovarian cancer....

Vernon council decides town hall meetings aren’t needed

VERNON - Elected representatives believe Vernon residents have all the opportunities they need to raise issues with the city.  That’s why council has opted against hosting periodic town hall meetings in which citizens can bring up any topic they wish to discuss. Councillors voted 5-2 at a meeting Monday, Aug. 10, to keep things status...

Kelowna councillor seeks change to council meeting schedule

KELOWNA - City councillor Charlie Hodge needs more homework time and wants to move council meetings to another day. “This is what I get Friday morning in my agenda package,” Hodge says, brandishing a three-inch thick stack of reports. “I’m supposed to know all this by Monday morning or at least have an understanding of...

Feast of Fields has new location for farm to table festival

KELOWNA – The 7th annual festival celebrating locally grown food is happening in Kelowna this weekend. Okanagan Feast of Fields is one of three chapters started by FarmFolk CityFolk, a Vancouver organization dedicated to celebrating sustainable, local foods. Feast of Fields, which also takes place in Vancouver and on Vancouver Island, is a four-hour wandering gourmet...

Premier meteor shower to light up the sky this week

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - One of the best meteor showers of the year is set to peak this week, sending up to 60 shooting stars through the sky every hour. The Perseids meteor shower is visible from July 17 to Aug. 24 every year and is set to peak overnight Wednesday, Aug. 12 this year. Environment Canada...

Police tail prolific offender across Okanagan Lake, into the bush

VERNON - A police chase by both land and water ended with the arrest of a prolific offender in Vernon this morning. The pursuit began just after 6:15 a.m. Monday, Aug. 10, after police received a report of a suspect on Okanagan Lake near Lakeshore Road. The man had commandeered a Zodiac boat and was...

Fire destroys shed, vehicles on Vernon property

VERNON - A pillar of black smoke rising from a Vernon property Sunday afternoon was the work of a vigorous shed fire.  The blaze broke out just before 2 p.m., Aug. 9 in the 4200-block of 27 Avenue, and appears to have started in or around a plastic garden shed, deputy Vernon fire chief Jack...

Okanagan set to break record temperatures this week

OKANAGAN - Grab your sunscreen, hat and a cool drink, we have a hot, sunny and likely record-breaking week ahead of us in the Okanagan. Temperatures soared above the 30 Celsius mark over the weekend, well above the 27 C seasonal normal high for this time of year, but we can expect things to get...

Fat bikes, new terrain coming to Silver Star this winter

VERNON – The ever growing Silver Star Mountain Resort has announced several big changes this year, including more than 100 acres of new skiable terrain. Tree skiing for intermediates and experts will get more than 90 acres of new terrain to try and areas from Putnam Creek to Silver Woods will also be expanded. In...

Big fires down but not out in Kamloops Fire Centre

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The only two wildfires of note in the Kamloops Fire Centre have been downgraded to patrol status. Shelter Cove fire off Westside Road near Kelowna and Bolean Lake fire near Falkland were downgraded August 5 and will now be monitored by crews of five firefighters. “Patrol status means they are done active fire...

Canadian Tire to reinvent former Vernon Target space by next spring

VERNON - Shoppers will have to wait until at least next spring to see inside the former Target space in the Vernon mall. Scarce details are being released from the Canadian Tire Corp., which announced it was buying 12 real estate leases, including the Vernon location, last May. Canadian Tire spokesperson Joscelyn Dosanjh says in...

VIDEO: Be the ball with this new sport

KELOWNA – Soccer just got a whole lot safer, and a whole lot more fun, with a sport which lets you feel what it’s like to be the ball. Bouncing Soccer Kelowna is behind the Okanagan’s newest and craziest outdoor sport. Started by Kelowna residents Rebeca Espinosa and her husband David Corbo, Bouncing Soccer lets...

Warm, sunny weekend on tap for the Okanagan

OKANAGAN - After a break from the heat we will need to again dig out the sunscreen for a hot and sunny weekend. While temperatures were in the low- to mid-20s the last two days, just below seasonal normal highs of 27 Celsius, and were accompanied by up to eight millimetres of rain, we can...

Mark your calendars: North Okanagan-Shuswap all candidates forum happening next month

VERNON - North Okanagan and Shuswap residents will get a chance to learn more about their federal election candidates at an upcoming forum. It’s still a month away, leaving ample time to mark the free event on your calendar. Local candidates in the federal election will state their platforms and take questions in written form...

Whooping cough on the rise across Interior Health region

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - An increase in cases of whooping cough across the Interior Health Authority, but primarily in the Central Okanagan, has prompted a warning from public health officials. Medical health officer Dr. Kamran Golmohammadi says in 2015 there has already been 58 confirmed cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, with 36 of them...

Driver in hospital after truck flips, lands on roof in Vernon

VERNON - A man is considered lucky to be alive after his truck crashed and rolled on a busy Vernon thoroughfare. Emergency crews responded to the single vehicle crash around 2 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 5, at the intersection of 58 Avenue and 27 Street. Deputy fire chief Jack Blair says the overturned vehicle was found...

Credit card skimmer discovered at Vernon gas station

DEVICE IS DIFFICULT TO DETECT VERNON - A device used to skim credit card information from unsuspecting victims might have been used at a Vernon gas station. Staff at the Esso Gas Station at 3400 32 St. in Vernon discovered the device Friday, July 31, and reported it to the RCMP.  “The device was on...

Drought levels worsen in Okanagan and North Thompson

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Drought conditions are worsening in the region, enough according to the government to increase the drought rating for both the Okanagan and North Thompson regions by one level. The Okanagan Region is now enduring level four drought conditions while the North Thompson is facing level three, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources....

RCMP volunteer candidates sought in Vernon

VERNON - If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be part of the RCMP, or if you’ve ever wanted to do your part to help prevent crime, now is your chance to get involved. The RCMP volunteer program is recruiting new candidates for September training in Vernon. “For more than 25 years, this community-based...

New film ‘The Orchard’ shooting in the Okanagan

KELOWNA – An independent film company has chosen the Okanagan for an upcoming production that starts filming this weekend. Vancouver-based Mutant Films, Inc. starts shooting The Orchard, on Aug. 10 The film stars Matt Angel of R.L Stine’s The Haunting Hour, CSI Miami and CSI NY, and Morgan Taylor Campbell of Super Natural, Spooksville, and The Killing. It is written and...