Vernon

Salmonella outbreak proof that monitoring system works: Buckerfield’s CEO

KELOWNA - The recent spike of salmonella cases connected to live poultry sales is a good news story, proof the system works rather than an indictment of its failings, according to a local business. “Fourteen cases is a very small number and it was detected and caught and the public was actually protected from what...

United Airlines drops service to Kelowna

KELOWNA – After less than a year of service between Kelowna and San Francisco, United Airlines has departed for good. The carrier first started service to Kelowna in October of last year and according to airport spokesperson Jenelle Hynes had already decided in December that it just wasn’t economically feasible to continue the once-daily flights...

Vernon woman shows what Lyme disease really looks like

VERNON - A young Vernon woman battling Lyme disease hopes you’ll share her story. It couldn’t have been easy to tell, and it’s not always easy to watch, but 21-year-old Amy Soranno’s two-year story of pain and unanswered questions is now laid out in a documentary called Amy’s Complex Case. The video, which can be...

North Okanagan neighbourhood begs for police presence on dangerous road

ARMSTRONG - After seeing police action taken on a stretch of road known for having a problem with speeders, people in other North Okanagan neighbourhoods are lining up for the same treatment. Mounties conducted a road check on Otter Lake Road May 19 after residents expressed concerns about people speeding to police and city council,...

Local woman uses social media to find long lost father

"IT'S GOING TO BE MY FIRST FATHER'S DAY IN 46 YEARS WHERE I ACTUALLY KNOW WHO MY FATHER IS." KELOWNA – A local expert in social media found out the power of Facebook last weekend when she used it to find and meet her father for the first time in 46 years. And even though...

Wet weather closes Vernon sports fields

VERNON - All baseball diamonds and soccer pitches in Vernon have been closed because of the rain. In a release today, June 2, the City of Vernon says all city fields along with Areas B and C and sub-regional sports fields are closed for the day. Beach volleyball is still scheduled for tonight. A total...

Vernon RCMP use creative tactic to send message about distracted driving

VERNON - Police in Vernon tested drivers with an unusual distracted driving campaign Monday afternoon involving a cardboard sign that read: ‘I am not homeless.’ If you kept reading, you’d see the sign went on to say, ‘RCMPolice looking for seatbelt/cell phones.’ RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says in a media release the sign was part...

Injunction fails, Okanagan Rail Trail land purchase goes ahead

KELOWNA - The last real hurdle to the purchase of the CN Rail corridor purchase was removed this morning in B.C. Supreme Court where an injunction sought by the Okanagan Indian Band blocking the sale was denied. “With no injunction in place CN is within its right to sell the corridor lands,” City of Kelowna...

Vernon man falls off boat after losing balance and hits propeller

VERNON - Police are looking into what role alcohol may have played in a weekend boating accident which left a Vernon man badly injured — and they’re not investigating the driver of the boat. Police believe a 21-year-old Vernon man who fell off the bow of a boat and struck the propeller might have been...

Cool, wet weather to hit Okanagan

NEAR-RECORD HEAT EXPECTED BY WEEKEND OKANAGAN - The warm weather we’ve been having is about to step aside to make room for cooler temperatures and rain, lots of rain, over the next few days. Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for all of the Okanagan Valley as well as the Shuswap, Nicola and...

Is this your diamond ring? RCMP looking for owner

VERNON – RCMP are trying to find the owner of a diamond ring found in downtown Vernon earlier this month. Police say the ring was found near Community Futures on 33 Street during the first week of May and was turned into the RCMP detachment in Lake Country. “Police records indicate the ring does not...

VIDEO: Spring car cruise attracts automotive fans from across B.C.

OKANAGAN – An annual car cruise which started a few years ago as a way for friends and car enthusiasts to show off their rides, has grown to include hundreds of 'tuners' from across the province. Tyson Noel organized the first Kelowna Spring Cruise and has seen it go from fewer than 50 cars to...

No one to organize this year’s Terry Fox Run in Vernon

VERNON - Vernon does not yet have an organizer for this year’s Terry Fox Run, and that’s putting the event in jeopardy on its 35th anniversary. The Terry Fox Foundation is spreading the word there is currently no run organizer in Vernon after the previous volunteer stepped down for work and personal reasons. The event...

Those red light cameras? Apparently they work pretty well

THOMSON-OKANAGAN - There’s no question drivers run red lights on the highways and byways of the Southern Interior but compared to the Lower Mainland, they’re amateurs. A story this week in the Vancouver Sun shows the worst 25 intersections for red-light running out of the 140 intersections where ICBC operates red-light cameras account for more...

Southern Interior water beat by Chilliwack in tap water taste test

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Waterworks staff in the Okanagan and Kamloops will be drowning their sorrows tonight after losing out to Chilliwack in a tap water taste test which wouldn’t have looked out of place at a winery. “It’s a clear winner,” joked Tanja McQueen, CEO of the B.C.Water and Waste Association, who hosted the tasting and...

Blood found outside Vernon school connected to stabbing incident

SUSPECT ARRESTED VERNON - Police have determined the blood found outside Ellison Elementary School in Vernon is connected to a stabbing incident. Officers had a portion of Fulton Road and Okanagan Landing Road outside the school cordoned off on Wednesday, May 28 while they investigated the scene and collected evidence. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk said a man...

Local bands seek musical peak in B.C. contest

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Two bands from the Thompson-Okanagan are in the running for the musical opportunity of a lifetime. This year’s chosen dozen for the Peak Performance Project include Vernon-based artist Windmills, and Kamloops-based Van Damsel, the only musicians from the B.C. Interior. The rest of the Top 12 are dominated by artists in the Lower Mainland...

Nine salmonella victims in B.C. Interior contracted from live chicks

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The Interior Health Authority is bearing the brunt of a B.C. salmonellosis outbreak connected to live poultry distributed from a hatchery in Alberta. The health authority has dealt with nine of 13 confirmed cases within the province and one of the two that required hospitalization, according to Althea Hayden, a public health physician....

Laundry privatization decision expected this summer

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Hospital Employee Union members who filled the Interior Health Authority board meeting yesterday to show their concern about laundry service privatization got a polite but firm message from chairman Erwin Malzer. “Thank you very much for bringing your concerns to us but no decision will be made until we receive the request for...