Vernon

Shipping container doors open to reveal unique Vernon art show

VERNON - The shiny steel doors of Vernon’s new pop-up art gallery open to the public today. The large metal shipping containers donated by BigSteelBox represent the first art gallery of its kind in the Okanagan. Designed to house a portion of the international Okanagan Print Triennial show, the satellite gallery at the corner of...

Coroner releases findings into fatal Easter crash near Vernon

VERNON - A driver who crossed into the wrong lane on Highway 97 two years ago made no attempt to avoid hitting an oncoming vehicle, a coroner’s report into the deaths of three people has found. In her report, Margaret Janzen of the B.C. Coroners Service describes the 2013 Easter Sunday collision that killed Eric...

Silver Star Road, voted worst in B.C., is getting a facelift

VERNON - B.C.’s worst road is getting some love from the provincial government. Silver Star Road in Vernon, voted number one in BCAA’s 2014 worst roads survey, is one of the items listed in a 10-year transportation plan released by the province. Sometime in 2015, the road will be resurfaced as part of an initiative...

Another chance to see northern lights tonight

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you weren’t able to find a clear spot to view the northern lights yesterday, or the day before, tonight might finally be your night. There were major storm intervals in the past 24 hours, according to Natural Resources Canada reports, and the auroras are expected to be active with stormy intervals over...

How a quick call to police helped someone with mobility problems

VERNON - A scooter has been returned it to its owner thanks to a tip from the public. Mounties believe the scooter, valued at $500, was taken overnight on March 8 from a home on 30 Avenue in Vernon, according to a Vernon RCMP media release. The owner of the scooter has mobility problems and...

Auroras flare, northern lights possible tonight

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you can find a break in the clouds tonight you may be able to catch the tail end of a major northern lights storm that started early this morning. Natural Resources Canada reports the auroras were on the verge of a major storm just north of the Thompson-Okanagan earlier this morning and...

Molotov cocktail chucked at Vernon church

VERNON - Police and the Fire Department are investigating after a molotov cocktail was thrown at the Vernon Family Church Monday night. Deputy Fire Chief Lawrie Skolrood says a nearby resident noticed a large flame around 7:30 p.m. outside the church, located on 25 Avenue, and phoned 911. “It’s very fortunate the building was stucco...

Enderby woman’s story highlights WorkSafe B.C. initiative

ENDERBY - It was supposed to be just a regular day out mending a fence on the family farm, but in a fraction of a moment a 21-year-old Enderby woman became entangled in machinery and her life was in the hands of a medical team at Kelowna General Hospital. In a media release this week,...

Money from bad guys goes to the good guys in Vernon

VERNON - A new advocacy centre for abused or neglected children, training for domestic violence workers, educational initiatives around technology issues like cyber-stalking — all brought to you by previously dirty money. On behalf of the provincial government, Vernon-Monashee MLA Eric Foster today announced five grants for three local organizations from the civil forfeiture program,...

Avalanche risk increases on heels of windy, wet weekend

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - With spring break officially underway for students and spring-like temperatures throughout the region it may feel like spring in the valleys but this past weekend proved winter is not over just yet. On Saturday a wind storm ripped through the region, leaving thousands without power, and while B.C. Hydro crews raced to fix...

Windstorm slams BC interior knocking power out to 39,000

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – A major wind storm blew through the B.C. interior Saturday afternoon, March 14, knocking down trees and breaking branches which in turn hit hydro lines cutting the power to about 39,000. In the Thompson-Okanagan area just under 1,000 B.C. Hydro customers are still without power as of 1 p.m., Sunday, March 15 due...

National anti-terrorism bill demonstrations make stops in Thompson-Okanagan

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Demonstrators gathered across the country today to protest the government's proposed anti-terrorism legislation. In the Thompson-Okanagan rallies were held in Kamloops and Vernon. Organizers dubbed the nationwide protests "Defend our Freedom." The Conservative government introduced the legislation, known as Bill C-51, in January and says it will make Canadians safer. Dozens of people...

Don’t forget to book your camping sites this weekend

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you decide to sleep in this Sunday you might miss out on the summer you’ve been dreaming of. The online and call centre reservation system for provincial campgrounds officially opens Sunday, March 15 at 9 a.m. Reservable sites tend to book up quickly, especially at the more popular campgrounds and for long...

Vernon joins Canada-wide rallies against Bill C-51

VERNON - Vernon residents will protest a controversial piece of government legislation at a rally Saturday afternoon. The focus of the protest is Bill C-51, the federal government’s Anti-terrorism Act. The proposed legislation would allow federal authorities to investigate terrorism by accessing the public’s private information, and sharing that information among intelligence and law enforcement...

Another record day in the Interior

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - This will probably come as little surprise, but it was another record day in the Southern Interior, with a handful of communities setting new records Thursday. At 19.6 Celsius Penticton just surpassed a century-old record Thursday while Summerland hit 19 C, well above the previous high temperature record of 16.7 C also set...

This is what happened to that envelope of cash turned in to Vernon RCMP

VERNON - A week after a significant amount of cash was found on a Vernon sidewalk the rightful owner of the envelope of cash has been found. A woman out walking her dog saw the envelope in the area of Bodwell Road and Pottery Road at 8 a.m. on March 4 and turned it in to...

High temperature records continue to fall

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Though the spring equinox is still just over a week away the spring-like weather has resulted in temperatures reaching the mid- to high-teens most days this past week, warm enough for several new records. On Wednesday, March 11, Kamloops hit 19.9 Celsius, shattering previous weather records of 17.8 C last recorded back in...

Road rage suspected in Highway 6 accident

LUMBY - Police believe a case of road rage may have been behind the actions of a driver who they say forced another driver off the road on Highway 6. The driver of a black pickup truck forced a white pickup truck off the road February 27, with the suspect driver then pounding on the...

More high temperature records in Southern Interior

SNOW FORECAST FOR HIGHWAYS THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - One more day of record weather was had this week before temperatures dropped slightly in the Southern Interior. While the entire region hit temperatures in the mid-teens Tuesday, March 10, at 15.6 Celsius, Vernon was one of the lucky ones in setting a new high temperature record for the...

Seasonal flooding unlikely this year

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If the lack of snow, even at alpine levels, is any indication, we could be in for a very dry year. The River Forecast Centre is reporting all but two snow basins are below normal as of March 1. The North and South Thompson basins are near-normal at 96 per cent and 91...

Behind the scenes and stereotypes of one of the last strip clubs around

MOVE OVER GREASY STRIP CLUBS, BURLESQUE IS BACK AND IT ISN'T JUST FOR MEN ANYMORE CONTENT ADVISORY VERNON - Holly Hart has been called many things in her life; easy, a drug addict, a hooker. Certain people think because they know what she does for a living, they know who she is. But those people...

What many dementia patients have in common with the Enderby senior found dead last week

VERNON - More people are living independently with dementia instead of in care homes than you might think, says an Interior Health Authority doctor. That includes people like Barbara Derenowski, 73, who drove off from her Enderby home last week without a valid driver’s licence and was found dead days later on the side of...

New weather records set in Interior

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - With temperatures reaching the high teens this week the spring-like weather we have been experiencing is leaving several new records in its wake. According to Environment Canada temperatures of more than 18 Celsius Monday were enough to set new records in several communities including Kelowna, Summerland and Penticton. With a temperature of 18.1...