Vernon

It’s not Christmas in Vernon until you’ve seen these 8 things

VERNON - It doesn’t truly feel like Christmas in Vernon until you’ve spotted these classic holiday scenes around town. 1. Downtown Vernon transformed into Whoville. Local merchants decorate storefronts fit for Cindy Lou Who and twinkle lights adorn the sidewalk. %%Image1%% 2. A busy Christmas craft fair or Winter Market. It’s not Christmas without a...

Vernon judge comes down hard on missionary’s ‘corrective’ child beatings

“WHEN CONDUCT BASED ON RELIGIOUS BELIEFS IS CONTRARY WITH THE CRIMINAL CODE OF CANADA, THE CRIMINAL CODE MUST PREVAIL”: JUDGE VERNON - He said he punished his kids so they would never find themselves tangled up in the criminal justice system, like he is now.  The 42-year-old, who met his wife while doing missionary work...

The surprising place Vernon cops discovered a high number of traffic violations

VERNON - Police didn’t have to go far to catch and ticket a dozen drivers for not wearing seat belts. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says officers noticed numerous driving infractions right in front of the police station on 30 Street recently and decided to do something about it. “So they did a little road check...

Police seek information in bizarre Kelowna handgun incident

KELOWNA - Police are looking for a man who allegedly pointed a gun at a pair of Okanagan residents and then offered to help them change a tire. The strange incident happened Nov. 4 around 12:30 a.m. at the Willow Park Church parking lot at 439 Highway 33, states a release from the Kelowna RCMP....

Have you seen this woman?

KAMLOOPS - RCMP are looking for help to find Deseree Smith, who has not been heard from since November. Police say the 33-year-old Kamloops resident is known to frequent Surrey and Salmon Arm but has not made contact with family or friends in those areas. She was officially reported missing Dec. 2 and police are...

So you want to be a wildland firefighter?

NOW IS THE TIME TO APPLY THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The wildfire season is just barely over but the provincial branch responsible for protecting us from wildfires is already getting prepared for next year. This past year crews attended nearly 350 fires, which burned a total of more than 3,800 hectares, in just the Kamloops centre. Across...

Third day of record highs in Interior

COOL DOWN BEGINS THOMPSON- OKANAGAN - For the third day in a row more high temperatures records were set in the region Thursday. According to temperatures recorded by Environment Canada Vernon set a new record with a high of 12.6 Celsius Thursday, more than three degrees higher than the previous record set in 1939, and...

Warm weekend perfect for meteor show

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A mix of sun and cloud, low temperatures of only -2 Celsius and a moon in the last quarter may give us just the perfect conditions to take in the peak of the Geminid meteor shower this weekend. The meteor shower is visible Dec. 4-17 this year but overnight Dec. 13-14 is likely...

HELSTON: What a young Vernon artist showed us all this week

Marie-Anna Michaud didn’t start rinsing paint off a vandalized mural because she was disturbed by the obscenities scrawled there. She didn’t do it to right a wrong, and she didn’t do it out of anger for the perpetrators. No one asked or paid her to do it. Her act of kindness came as a surprise...

Second person arrested after Mountie shooting faces unrelated charges in Vernon

KAMLOOPS – A woman with previous warrants and a connection to last week’s shooting that left a Mountie in hospital will likely be released on bail, as long as she can meet bail requirements. Marquee Jasmin Klim, 28, appeared by video in Kamloops Provincial Court Thursday morning for an obstruction of justice charge from Dec....

More weather records broken in Interior

BACK TO NORMALS BY SUNDAY THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - As temperatures soared as high as 15 degrees above seasonal normals more weather records were broken across the region Wednesday. According to Environment Canada, temperatures reached 15.6 Celsius in Kamloops Wednesday, nearly three degrees higher than the previous record for the second day in a row, while Vernon...

A famous Vernon mural was vandalized, then this happened

"IT WAS AN INCREDIBLE ACT OF YOUTH EMPOWERMENT TO DISCOVER HER CLEANING THE MURAL" VERNON - Without being asked or paid, a young artist took it upon herself to undo the damage a vandal did to one of Vernon’s heritage murals. Marie-Anna Michaud, 19, saw a post by muralist Michelle Loughery on Facebook Monday morning....

Weather record set in Kamloops, Okanagan communities just shy

COULD BE ANOTHER RECORD DAY IN INTERIOR THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Kamloops was among a handful of B.C. communities to set new weather records as temperatures soared to above 14 Celsius Tuesday. According to Environment Canada Kamloops reached a high of 14.2 C Tuesday, 3.6 degrees higher than the previous record that was set in 1896. Today...

Vernon RCMP on the lookout for armed robber

VERNON - Police are turning to the public for help locating the suspect in an armed robbery. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says the Interior Savings Credit Union on 32 Street was robbed by a man with a gun around 4:40 p.m. Tuesday. He made off with an undisclosed amount of cash. The police dog team...

IH secures enough flu vaccine to open postponed clinics

OKANAGAN - Some flu clinics postponed last week have been rescheduled now that Interior Health has secured enough vaccine. An additional 10,000 doses of influenza vaccine means IH can open their doors for public flu clinics starting next week. There are multiple options for those seeking the jab. Kelowna – The December 15 public drop-in...

Vernon city councillor suggests softening up parking rules

VERNON - A Vernon city councillor hopes to make the downtown core a more inviting place by giving shoppers a grace period at the parking meter. Coun. Brian Quiring led a motion to have city staff investigate the possibility of establishing a five minute grace period at expired meters. “I think you should be able...

Fire at Vernon restaurant deemed suspicious

VERNON - Police and the Vernon Fire Department are looking into the cause of a suspicious fire at the New Delhi Restaurant in Vernon. Deputy fire chief Lawrie Skolrood says the fire started inside the building sometime before 3:15 a.m. when the building’s sprinkler system went off and triggered an alarm. Firefighters forced their way...

Iconic Vernon mural hit by vandals

VERNON - It’s an iconic mural many have stopped to gaze at over the past 15 years, but Monday, something else was turning heads. The mural, which depicts a locomotive traveling over a trestle bridge, was vandalized with a series of obscene words, printed at the bottom of this article with viewer discretion advised. Michelle...

Vernon RCMP still looking for driver who ran from accident scene

VERNON - Police continue to investigate a two vehicle accident that left a woman with life changing injuries. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk said an appeal for information generated several tips about the Dec. 3 car crash, which left a 44-year-old woman with numerous broken bones and a fractured spine. She continues to recover at Vancouver...

Freezing rain, warm temperatures in forecast

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - After more than a week of below normal temperatures we finally climbed above 0 Celsius this weekend, and temperatures will continue to warm up over the next few days. Over the past 10 days we went from a heavy snowfall to well below normal temperatures and then this weekend to a couple days...

Police searching for missing 15-year-old boy

VERNON - Police need help finding a 15-year-old boy who went missing from his home a few weeks ago. Dalton James Prasloski-Spencer has indicated he's ok through social media, but his family and police are very worried about his well-being, according to an RCMP media release. He has a history of choosing a high-risk lifestyle....

UPDATE: Power outage persists for some Vernon and Coldstream homes

UPDATE: 1:13 P.M. DEC. 5 Power has been restored to most customers affected by a large outage Friday morning. According to a 12:19 p.m. update on B.C. Hydro's website, only 202 of an original 2,393 customers are still without power. The remaining outages are focused in the area south of Star Road, north of French...

Self harm among Okanagan youth higher than rest of province

OKANAGAN – The results of a province-wide survey on the health of B.C. adolescents shows that young people in the Okanagan are more likely to participate in activities that risk their health than teens in the rest of the province. The study was conducted by the McCreary Centre Society and looked at survey responses from...

Risk of freezing rain extended

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A system bringing freezing rain to the Coquihalla Highway could also bring the hazardous conditions to other Interior cities and highways this weekend. Environment Canada issued a statement Thursday warning of the potential for freezing rain to develop on parts of Highways 5 and 3 and now forecasters are saying it could also...