Vernon

Machinery running on graveyard shift the night teen worker died was an anomaly

VERNON - A Tolko employee knew two days in advance machines would be running during the ordinarily quiet graveyard clean-up shift to accommodate extra production, a coroner’s inquiry into the death of a Lumby teen heard Thursday. Bradley Haslam, 18, became entangled in a conveyer belt at Tolko’s Lavington mill in June 2013 and died....

Get ready for the snow

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - There have been small amounts of snow on mountain passes already this fall, but it hasn’t lasted long or accumulated enough for many people to really take note. Thursday morning Highway 97C saw warnings of slushy and slippery sections near the Pennask Summit and Environment Canada issued a special weather statement warning of...

UPDATE: RCMP investigate downtown Vernon fatal crash

VERNON – A Kelowna woman is dead and a Vernon woman is in hospital with life-threatening injuries after their car was T-boned by a mini-van in downtown Vernon in the early hours Thursday morning. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says the accident happened around 1:15 a.m. at the intersection of 30 Avenue and 32 Street (Highway...

Students across province prepare to vote

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Students across the province will get a chance to take part in the democratic process this November, from meeting candidates and hosting forums to reading about election issues and casting votes. In Kamloops Westsyde Secondary School students will once again be participating in Student Vote, a program aimed at getting young people involved...

Buddy system now in place at Tolko mill after death of teen, inquiry hears

VERNON - Changes have been made at Tolko’s Lavington mill since the death of a teenage worker, a coroner’s inquest heard Tuesday. Roger Marshall was the supervisor the night Bradley Haslam, 18, became entangled in a conveyer belt and died. Bradley, whose family asked that he be referred to by his first name during the...

Mouth watering three-course meal surprises Vernon homeless

VERNON - With an hour to go before doors open, Chef Vincent Van Wieringen gives the sous-chefs and servers a final pep talk: be light with the drizzle of demi-glace on the braised beef, don’t let a water glass go unfilled, and do not, repeat not, drop a plate. Tablecloths have been smoothed, cutlery laid...

Don’t forget, it’s flu season

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - While the public's attention has been on Ebola and enterovirus D68 recently, Interior Health is preparing for flu season, rolling out influenza vaccines to clinics and phamacies around the region. Dr. Robert Parker says they start getting calls in September but early November is when they typically start offering vaccinations to the general...

Driver with four firearm offences had a sawed-off shotgun and stolen plates

VERNON - A sawed-off shotgun was among the items found during a search after police stopped the driver of a pickup truck and discovered the vehicle had stolen plates. At around 11:20 p.m., Thurs. Oct. 18, Mounties were conducting a check stop in the 4600-block of 27 Avenue. An officer stopped an eastbound, black Dodge...

Just call it Autummer as high temperatures approach records

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - People in the Shuswap enjoyed a record breaking day Sunday and for much of the Thompson-Okanagan region it was a warm day, just not quite hot enough to break records. In Salmon Arm, a temperature of 20.8 Celsius was enough to break a 40-year-old record and was well past the seasonal normal of...

ELECTION 2014 FORUMS: Time to quiz your candidates

VERNON - Dates have been set for area voters to learn more about their municipal candidates. The Vernon Performing Arts Centre will host two forums, one for City of Vernon candidates and the other for District of Coldstream nominees. Both will provide an opportunity for candidates to state their platforms, and for the public to...

Vernon couple starts #redbagchallenge to help raise blood donations

VERNON – Following on the worldwide success of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, a local couple from Vernon have come up with an imaginative way to encourage blood donations. Glenn and Lisa Gallie came up with the idea to donate blood on camera and then nominate three people who would then have to make a...

HELSTON: Don’t miss out on what downtown Vernon has to offer

Downtown Vernon has a charming Main Street framed by quaint cafes, art galleries and boutiques. It has an old fashioned movie theatre, wide sidewalks for strolling, and park benches for those who want to sit awhile. It’s the picturesque street you’d find in movies set in small towns, like The Majestic. The only thing it...

Local history comes to life in bigger, better book

OKANAGAN-SIMILKAMEEN – One of the regions longest running traditions is back, bigger and better than ever before. The Okanagan Historical Society Annual Report is a collection of essays that explores the varied and rich history of the valley. David Gregory is the editor of the publication and he says the 78th issue is one of...

Facebook page offers a window into Vernon’s past

VERNON - History fanatic Deena Lehoux admits one of her reasons for creating a Facebook page all about old photos of Vernon was a selfish one. “I wanted to see what everybody else had,” she says. “I’ve always been fascinated with the history of Vernon. I can’t drive downtown without trying to envision the way...

The next location for this closing Vernon shop will be online

VERNON - Customers who walk through the door of Lather Up downtown Vernon are greeted by the scents of ylang-ylang, tea-tree and sandalwood. They get to open tester lids, sniff products and try them out. But with a shift to online-only sales, that’s all about to change. Lather Up Canada Body Care owner Connie Adams...

Keeping the Civic Arena running won’t come cheap

VERNON - It will cost the City of Vernon $75,000 in repairs alone to keep the Civic Arena running until a replacement ice sheet is built. City representatives had little choice but to provide the money for arena upgrades at a council meeting Tuesday. A referendum on decommissioning Civic Arena and borrowing funds for an...

Open burn ban to be fully lifted

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The Kamloops Fire Centre received calls of open burns in areas still under prohibition this long weekend, but staff are happy none led to wildfires. Fire Information Officer Kayla Pepper says a 13.7 hectare fire just north of Lytton this weekend is believed to be human-caused, but not a result of open burning....

ELECTIONS 2014: Your Vernon candidates

VERNON - Nominations for the upcoming municipal election officially closed at 4 p.m. Friday, leaving the following candidates vying for seats. Five are running for mayor of Vernon: Victor Cumming, Jamie Morrow, Akbal Mund, Mary-Jo O’Keefe, and Klaus Tribes. The 14 who tossed their hat in for one of the City of Vernon’s six councillor...

Greater Vernon may appeal arena referendum veto

VERNON - Greater Vernon officials may appeal a ruling from the province forbidding a referendum on borrowing money to replace the Civic Arena. The question was set to be on the November municipal election ballot, but the Inspector of Municipalities refused to approve the referendum due to concerns about the North Okanagan Regional District borrowing...

The Okanagan as seen from the eyes of someone falling from the sky

OKANAGAN - They look like sky ninjas or superheroes soaring above the clouds, and you might recognize their birds eye view of the ground below. Skydiving enthusiast Chris Ellom captured some incredible footage of his favourite sky dives this past August and September taken as much as 11,000 feet above the Okanagan Valley, high enough...

Surrendered dog in animal cruelty case stolen from SPCA

PENTICTON - One of the dogs under the care of the SPCA following an animal cruelty investigation in Vernon was stolen Wednesday night. South Okanagan/ Similkameen branch manager Corinne Ross says staff arrived Thursday morning to feed the dogs and realized one of the surrendered carlin pinschers was gone. “Someone had taken wire cutters and...

Arrest of alleged drug traffickers ruled ‘unlawful’

KELOWNA - Drug charges against three men are in doubt after a Kelowna Supreme Court Justice ruled RCMP officers, after committing resources to a lengthy investigation, erred in their arrests of three men believed to be trafficking heroin. Justice Gordon Funt, in his Oct. 2 voir dire ruling, ruled the arrests of Joshua David Lambrecht...

Okanagan hockey refs flee burning car

ENDERBY - Three Okanagan hockey referees are lucky to be alive after an off-ice collision Friday night. Jeremy Silzer, 24, of Vernon says he and two other refs, one from Winfield and one from Kelowna, were returning home from a Junior B hockey game in Sicamous around 10 p.m. They were just rounding a corner...