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Vernon

Man arrested following taser incident

VERNON - An altercation involving a man with a taser at Lake City Casino led to an arrest last week in Vernon. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says officers were notified of a man with a weapon at the casino around 11:30 p.m. Friday.  “Our officers attend and learned there was a minor altercation with a...

Police continue to investigate suspected meth lab

VERNON - The suspects arrested in last Friday’s drug bust have been released without charges while police continue to investigate the suspected meth lab. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says members of the Vernon detachment alongside the clandestine lab team scoured a home in the 1700 block of 41 Avenue and found items consistent with cooking...

Garbage truck contents catch fire during morning run

VERNON - A truck driver dumped a load of flaming garbage in the parking lot of a Vernon high school Monday morning.  Vernon Fire Capt. Reinhard Mann says a Waste Management employee had picked up a load of garbage elsewhere in Vernon when he noticed smoke billowing out from the back of the truck.  He...

Looking for a forever home, Vernon SPCA pets of the week

Spot My name is Spot and I hope you can spot me amongst the other kittens at the B.C. SPCA shelter in Vernon. I am so very loving and just waiting for that human lap to lay in and purr for hours on end. Please ask the Vernon SPCA staff if you are interested in...

Liquor added to wares peddled at Vernon Farmers Market

VERNON – The City of Vernon is following the lead of other municipalities in the province and allowing the local farmers’ market to sell alcohol products. City council voted this week to amend the city policy to allow the sale, and sampling, of liquor at the market. Breweries, distilleries, meaderies and wineries have all expressed...

Catastrophic electrical failure sparks Coldstream mill fire

COLDSTREAM - Employees at a lumber mill in Coldstream saw sudden, lightning-like flashes followed by flames after an electrical malfunction almost burnt down the entire facility. Investigators believe they have found the cause of Tuesday’s vicious fire at Coldstream Lumber, just off Highway 6 on Ricardo Road. Coldstream fire chief Shane Code says a combination of...

Take a bite out of the grasshopper population

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - With the abundance of grasshoppers in our yards and parks right now it’s the perfect time to try a new recipe. The leaping insects are common cuisine in many countries so get your nets and mason jars and get to catching some of these tiny treats. They can be baked, deep fried and...

Grasshoppers take over the Interior

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - While they are an important food source in parts of Africa the overwhelming number of grasshoppers gracing our yards, parks and roads have not been nearly as welcome in the Southern Interior. Karla Hoffman, Integrated Pest Management Coordinator for Kamloops says while the city itself is not dealing with the grasshoppers as a...

High-risk traffic stop intercepts dangerous driver

VERNON - Police conducted a high-risk traffic stop near the Vernon Army Camp Monday to intercept a group of individuals seen leaving a Lake Country pub with a gun in the car. Vernon RCMP were alerted around 7:30 p.m. to keep an eye out for a blue Ford Taurus. Reports said the vehicle was spotted...

UPDATE: Severe thunderstorm watch ended

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - UPDATE: 8:49 p.m., Aug. 14 The severe thunderstorm watch for the South and North Thompson and Nicola regions has ended. Short-lived storms passed through the region late afternoon and early evening, but no major damage has been reported. UPDATE: 6:07 p.m., Aug. 14 The severe thunderstorm warning has been downgraded back down to...

The cat who can open doors

While Mulder's owner may not be so impressed by his kitty's talents, many are fans of his ability to open doors - even when there's risks involved. Watch this cat take on his owner's tricks. Then on trending now, check out a family's way to cheer up their grandfather as he deals with the death...

Friends of Kal Park step up efforts against Ministry proposal

VERNON - A local advocacy group is determined to quash a Ministry of Transportation initiative aimed at Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park. The Friends of Kal Park has launched an online petition — now with over 600 supporters — as part of ongoing efforts to halt the Ministry’s application to move the park’s boundary. The change would...

UPDATE: Severe thunderstorm watch ended, again

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - For the second day in a row the risk of severe thunderstorms in the Interior passed before any damage could be done. Much of the region received at least some rain overnight or this morning. While it stopped by mid-morning, a 30-40 per cent chance of showers remains tonight. Environment Canada issued the...

Sentencing delayed for missionary guilty of assaulting wife and kids

VERNON - The sentence hearing for a missionary found guilty of assaulting his wife and children was postponed Tuesday so he could receive a psychiatric assessment. The 42-year-old was supposed to be sentenced on charges of assault, assault with a weapon and sexual assault Tuesday afternoon in Vernon Supreme Court but a last minute order...

UPDATE: Smoky skies advisory ends

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - After more than a week under a smoky sky advisory, the smoke has finally cleared. There have been more than 1,100 wildfires this year and more than 252,000 hectares have burned. Six of those fires have been more than 10,000 ha in size with the largest reaching more than 88,000 ha. Smoke from...

Child lurer enticed victims by saying he was a modelling agent

VERNON - A Vernon man lured Okanagan girls via Facebook by telling them he was a modeling agent looking for young talent, said the Crown. David Clayton Willerth, born in 1974, is scheduled to enter expected guilty pleas for 25 counts, including communicating by computer to lure a person under 16, making or publishing child...

UPDATE: Severe thunderstorm watch ended

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A system threatening to bring strong winds and heavy rain to the region this afternoon is no longer a concern according to Environment Canada. Meteorologists warned the system, which was developing over Washington, could produce wind gusts in excess of 70 kilometres per hour and dump 15 millimetres of rain in a short...

Missionary found guilty of assaulting wife and children

VERNON - A  former missionary and pastor who 'corrected' his children by beating them with a comb and who forced himself on their mother was found guilty of assault with a weapon and sexual assault in Vernon Supreme Court Monday. The North Okanagan man, aged 42, met the complainant while the two were doing missionary...

Perseids peak tonight

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A nearly full moon may make it difficult to see the full impact of the Perseids meteor shower tonight, but one of the best meteor showers of the year is still worth staying up for. The Perseids are visible from July 17 through Aug. 24 and produce longer trails and fireballs as an...

Vernon officials investigate suspicious backyard grass fire

VERNON - Authorities in Vernon are investigating another suspicious fire, this time in a resident’s backyard. Fire crews were called to the 800 block of Mt. Bulman Place about 2 a.m. Monday to fight a backyard grass fire. Deputy fire chief Jack Blair says the fire was quickly contained and the only damage was to...

Second supermoon lights up the sky

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Full moons often catch a photographers eye but supermoons seem to bring out the photographer in everyone. Sunday night the second of three consecutive supermoons filled the sky. A supermoon also made an appearance in July and another is set for Sept. 9. A supermoon occurs when the full moon is about 50,000...

Heat, rain in forecast

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Have both your sunscreen and umbrella on standby, we are expecting two more days of high heat but then we are heading to below normal temperatures and rain later in the week. Monday we are looking at temperatures of 34 to 36 Celsius across the region and while Tuesday's temperatures for most of...

City Hall holds the key to booze at farmers markets

VERNON - You’ll be able to pick up your artisanal cheese, baking—and booze—with a one-stop shop to the local farmers market, as long as Vernon city council okays it. The Vernon Farmers Market at Kal Tire Place and the Avenue Market on 30 Avenue are asking the City of Vernon to amend its policies to...