Vernon

Food shortage worries Vernon soup kitchen staff

VERNON - A local agency that helps people in need is reaching out for some community support. Supplies at the Upper Room Mission soup kitchen—which serves around 300 meals a day this time of year—are extremely low. Fundraising director Lisa Anderson says the cupboards are emptier than they’ve been in a very long time. “The...

Vernon voters welcome cultural diversity to city hall

"THIS IS AN ACCOMPLISHMENT AND A FEAT" VERNON - Vernon’s rich cultural diversity is being reflected and celebrated on the community’s new city council. In the 2014 civic election, voters elected Akbal Mund for mayor and Dalvir Nahal for city councillor, making them the first individuals of South Asian heritage to sit on Vernon city council....

Heavy snow continues on Coquihalla, 97C

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Mother Nature seems determined to let us know we are well on our way to winter with yet another round of heavy snow expected to hit area highways today. The system currently over the Interior will continue to drop heavy snow on mountain passes through tonight though the snow will start to mix...

Dierks Bentley headlining in Merritt

MERRITT - Country star Dierks Bentley is the first big act to sign up for Riverfest 2015 in Merritt. Bentley recently released his eighth album, Riser, featuring hit singles I Hold On and Drunk On A Plane. The award-winning star is the first act signed to the music festival, which will run July 30 through...

Municipalities granted one week extension to submit rail trail proposal

KELOWNA – The consortium of municipalities hoping to buy the decommissioned CN rail corridor between Kelowna and Vernon have been granted a one week extension to submit their value assessment proposal to the Canadian Transportation Agency. The acquisition team – made up of Kelowna, Lake Country, Coldstream, North Okanagan and Central Okanagan Regional Districts –...

Crews locate missing Vernon hunters

VERNON - Two overdue hunters have been located following a search mission Monday.  The men aged 48 and 54, went missing in the Beau Park area off Westside Road over the weekend. Vernon search manager Leigh Pearson says they were supposed to return home by 9 p.m. Sunday. When they didn’t come back on schedule,...

Strange sight prompts call to Vernon RCMP

VERNON - Two men pulling a trailer with a quad on it by hand, late at night, drew some unwanted attention to themselves.  A good citizen noticed the unusual scene at 16 Street and 30 Avenue and tipped off police around 11:20 p.m. Friday. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says police went to the area and...

Massive Vernon house party leads to arrests

VERNON - Police spent several hours breaking up a noisy party in a vacant house Saturday night. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says bylaw notified police around 10:35 p.m. of a loud party in the 6200 block of Rimer Road in the BX. When officers arrived, they estimated there were roughly 250 youth and adults there....

Heavy snow to continue on highways

NEAR-RECORD HIGHS EXPECTED MID-WEEK THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you are hitting the highways today, beware: Warnings of compact snow and slippery sections have been issued for many areas and more than 30 centimetres has fallen on several mountain passes over the past few days. Now another 15 cm is being forecast over the next 24 hours...

Vernon firefighters prepare to torch pine beetle deadfall

VERNON - The Vernon Fire Department is planning to fight fire with fire this month. In conjunction with the Ministry of Forests, Vernon Fire and Rescue Services will be burning 500 acres above the Rise Golf Course, extending back toward Canadian Lake Estates. The property has a large build-up of deadfall from mountain pine beetles...

Cross country skiing off to a late start in Vernon

VERNON - Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre is all set for this year’s cross country ski season—the only thing missing is snow. Don Wylie, the centre’s interim general manager, says the facility would normally be open by now. “It’s a little unusual,” Wylie says. “We’re just playing it day by day.” The tentative opening date was...

Heavy snow hitting the highways

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you plan to head out on the highways this weekend make sure you have your brain switched to winter driving. Several Interior highways are already covered with compact snow and slushy sections and another 20 centimetres of snow is expected by Saturday morning. A system heading over the Interior will bring heavy...

Fire crews fight flames at Kal Tire Place

VERNON - A large fire outside Kal Tire Place has been deemed suspicious in nature. Deputy fire chief Lawrie Skolrood says a trailer containing a large pile of tires appears to have been set on fire sometime before 7:30 p.m. Thursday. “With the temperature and time of night, there is no other real means,” Skolrood...

Candidates have up to seven days to remove signs

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The elections are over but there are still some of those brightly-coloured election signs lying around. They should all be gone soon though, candidates are required to remove them by this weekend. The Ministry of Transportation has the strictest regulations, requiring signs to be removed the next working day after the general voting...

Candidates have up to seven days to remove signs

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The elections are over but there are still some of those brightly-coloured election signs lying around. They should all be gone soon though, candidates are required to remove them by this weekend. The Ministry of Transportation has the strictest regulations, requiring signs to be removed the next working day after the general voting...

Candidates have up to seven days to remove signs

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The elections are over but there are still some of those brightly-coloured election signs lying around. They should all be gone soon though, candidates are required to remove them by this weekend. The Ministry of Transportation has the strictest regulations, requiring signs to be removed the next working day after the general voting...

Ski season begins this weekend

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you are the kind of person who dreams in white, longs for the feeling of cold wind whipping your face and lives for snow days — you are in luck. Opening day at area ski hills is nearly here. Beginning this Saturday, ski resorts around the province will begin to open. Sun...

Snow hits Kamloops, forecast for Okanagan

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Snow has already fallen in Kamloops this morning and more is on the way as a system moving through the region warms the air. A light snow and temperatures hovering near the freezing mark have led to multiple crashes in the city and Kamloops RCMP asking drivers to slow down and drive for...

What would happen if the Vernon vote was left up to high school students

VERNON - Vernon’s newly elected council would look a bit different if left up to a group of high school students. According to Student Vote—a province-wide program giving youth under the voting age a chance to learn about democracy and voting—Vernon Secondary School students had some different ideas about who should sit on council. The...

Penticton, Kelowna renters spending nearly 30% of income on housing

KAMLOOPS, VERNON NOT MUCH BETTER THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A new study shows people renting in the region are spending, on average, 24-29 per cent of their income on rent and utilities, putting the rental landscape in the poor to severe category. The B.C. Non-Profit Housing Association released the Rental Housing Index, in partnership with Vancity Credit...

Snow heading to town

SYSTEM COULD CLEAR SMOKE FROM AIR THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Snow has already been accumulating on some highway passes and this week we may see some of the white stuff hit valley bottoms as a system moves over the region. Environment Canada is calling for warming temperatures through the weekend as cloud cover moves in. Highs of...

Set your alarm clocks, Leonid meteor shower peaking

TUESDAY MORNING SHOW IF CLOUDS KEEP AWAY THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If the clouds part and the smoke clears, we could be in for a great showing of the Leonid meteor shower early Tuesday morning. While the moon, currently in the waning crescent phase, is not expected to interfere with viewing the storm, increasing cloudiness overnight could...

Interior Health employee investigated for alleged sexual assault of ‘vulnerable’ resident

NOT THE FIRST ALLEGATION: POLICE VERNON - Interior Heath Authority is reviewing an employee who was investigated by police for an allegation of sexual assault on a 'vulnerable' care facility resident. Interior Health informed police of the allegations in July 2014 but the incident happened some time before. Vernon RCMP says interior health didn't report...

Air quality advisory remains in place

WAITING ON THE WEATHER TO CHANGE THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - It is mid-November and yes, that is smoke in the air. Unlike the summer when large wildfires in northern B.C. caused air quality advisories the smoke visible throughout the region is due to open burning. “There are hundreds of burn registrations issued,” Kayla Pepper of B.C. Wildfire...