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Vernon
ICBC to mail letters and refunds to users following database error
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – ICBC is ready to pay-up after over-charging some car insurance users over the past six years based on incorrect vehicle descriptions. The investigation has concluded after two external reviews. They checked 24 million individual optional insurance transactions and now the company will mail 441,000 letters and applicable refunds to its customers. The average refund...
Cause of barn blaze remains a mystery
VERNON - An investigation into the cause of a devastating barn fire continues to turn up few answers. Deputy fire chief Jack Blair says they still don’t know what led to the July 31 blaze on Pottery Road, on the outskirts of the City of Vernon. “There’s so much damage it’s hard to pinpoint the...
HELSTON: A rail trail might be easier than we thought
While the scenic, lakeside railway between Vernon and Kelowna rolls closer to being put on the market, the fact remains there’s not much prospective buyers could do with the property. The land, which carves its way through several Okanagan communities past lakes and parks, comes with a few strings attached. The City of Kelowna has...
Okanagan Indian Band describes chief and council roles
VERNON - After releasing its chief and council pay, the Okanagan Indian Band is explaining the responsibilities behind the money. Infonews.ca ran a story last week comparing band council salaries and expenses with its counterparts at the City of Vernon, as well as their respective populations. Band chief Byron Louis issued a statement in response...
Australia to send support for B.C. Wildfire
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Several wildfire specialist management teams from Australia will touch down in Vancouver this weekend to help respond to several wildfires across the province. “The high number of active wildfires in the province is stretching our firefighting resources,” said Minister of Forests Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Steve Thomson. “In addition to the support...
No helmet and no lights earns cyclist a broken bike and a ticket
VERNON - A cyclist was hit by a car and ticketed for letting it happen Monday night. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says the 29-year-old man was riding west on 30 Street around 8:45 p.m. when he collided with a white Acura Integra driven by a 40-year-old Vernon resident. The driver was also traveling west on...
Nakusp woman killed in Highway 6 crash
VERNON - Police believe a Nakusp woman was speeding when her SUV rolled into the ditch on Highway 6. The 52-year-old Nakusp woman died at the scene while a 15-year-old girl believed to be her daughter was moved to Vernon Jubilee Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The accident happened Sunday about 9 a.m. roughly 41...
Drowsy drivers do have options
THOMPSON - OKANAGAN - July and August are peak months for driver fatigue-related incidents. While you may be bumper to bumper with everyone else rushing for the best beach spot, it’s important to recognize the signs of tired driving. “Living in Kamloops, I know how hot B.C. summers can get,” says B.C. Minister of Transportation...
Heading for the hills this weekend? Here are 11 ways to keep it safe
THOMPSON - OKANAGAN - If you're looking to dodge the tourists and get a more peaceful outing on your long weekend, a hike or a campout in the backcountry may be the best way of achieving a relaxing getaway. To keep it safe, members of the Central Okanagan Search and Rescue team have some tips...
Okanagan and Splatsin band financial records revealed
VERNON - The Okanagan Indian Band’s chief and council were paid double what City of Vernon elected officials received in remuneration and expenses last year. This is the first year First Nations are required to disclose their financial information as part of the new First Nations Financial Transparency Act. It’s resulted in some eye opening...
The last time you looked for a pay phone, you probably couldn’t find one
VERNON - Like rotary dial devices and the flip phones that came after them, the once ubiquitous telephone booth is vanishing from society. You probably haven’t noticed their gradual disappearance over the past several years— not unless you found yourself in the strange position of needing one. Maybe you dropped your phone in the toilet?...
Body recovered from truck submerged since June
VERNON – After waiting a month and a half for the Shuswap River to calm the South East district dive team recovered the body of a man whose truck plunged into the water. The 1994 Ford truck sank in the river on the evening of June 14. A witness said the driver veered off the...
A look at your long weekend weather, dry lightning expected
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Make sure to keep a watchful eye under those sunshades this weekend; despite sunny forecasts, B.C. Wildfire is expecting dry lightning to hit the area. “We’re heading into a period now where we’re seeing the potential for more naturally occurring wildfires to pop up, but with lightning tracking in the region it’s common...
Investigators scour aftermath of barn fire
VERNON - Firefighters and police remain at the scene of a large barn fire that broke out early Thursday morning. Neighbours in the 1100 block of Pottery Road alerted authorities to the large fire around 4:30 a.m. Resident Serena Gosselin awoke when she heard yelling out on the street. “We came outside to look, and...
Search continues for Coldstream man who jumped off bridge into Revelstoke Lake
REVELSTOKE – Local RCMP members along with Revelstoke Search and Rescue are continuing their search for a Coldstream man who never resurfaced after jumping into Revelstoke Lake. B.C. ambulance received a call Wednesday evening around 7:30 p.m. and received a report of a 28-year-old man jumping off the Laforme Creek Bridge. The man’s name is...
UPDATE: Head-on crash sends 4 to hospital
VERNON – The investigation continues into the cause of a head-on collision on Highway 97 south of Vernon near the landfill. A large SUV towing a camper trailer and an SUV crossover hit near Westridge Road around 6:00 a.m. Thursday. Four people were rushed to Vernon Jubilee Hospital with traumatic but non-life threatening injuries, according...
Local man finds pilot of crashed float plane
VERNON - First, Ed Rougeau heard a plane engine thrumming in the sky over his home on the rural, west side of Okanagan Lake. Then the engine cut, and over his shoulder Rougeau saw the Cessna 180 float plane crash into the forest. It was loud as the plane knocked its way through the trees,...
Sexual assault charges laid against Armstrong man
VERNON - Police have charged an Armstrong man with sexual assault in a two-month-old investigation. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says charges have been laid against Joseph Vance Caron, 45. “This investigation required a great deal of time to complete, and required forensic evidence to assist in the identification of their suspect,” Molendyk says. Caron is...
Some Vernon drivers have lead-foot syndrome
VERNON - A trio of novice drivers were each whacked with $483 fines this weekend for excessive speeding downtown Vernon. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says it appears the three individuals were racing each other down 27 Street around 8 p.m. Sunday. Two were in cars — a blue Honda Prelude and a red Mustang —...
VIDEO: Smith Creek fire from above and by the numbers
KELOWNA - Take a guess: How much water have fire crews dropped on the Smith Creek fire over the past week and a half? Would you believe more than 1.2 million litres? As of Monday morning helicopters had flown more than 100 hours, skimmers had dropped more than 300 loads of water and foam and...
Meteor shower to peak early next week
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Grab a date, a blanket and a bottle of wine and prepare to spend a night gazing up at the sky during the peak of a month-long meteor shower early next week. The Delta Aquarids meteor shower runs annually from July 12 to Aug. 23 and this year the peak will occur in...
UPDATE: Power restored after storm cut off thousands of residents
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Power has been restored to most customers in the Thompson-Okanagan following widespread outages affecting over 16,000 customers at their peak. Sabrina Locicero with B.C. Hydro says power in the Thompson-Okanagan and Shuswap regions is back on for the vast majority of customers. Only ten customers remained without power as of Friday morning. B.C. Hydro...
Flood of support for local business damaged in storm
VERNON - This week’s flash rain storm led to major water damage at a Vernon business, but staff aren’t letting it dampen their spirits. Samantha Edwards, the manager at Mary-Claris hair extensions on 30 Avenue, looks up at the gaping hole in the ceiling and the torn up flooring and sighs. It’s been a stressful,...
Mother Nature bringing the heat
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - This week brought stormy skies but next week will once again bring the heat as temperatures are set to soar into the mid-30s. “The good news is it’s over,” Environment Canada Meteorologist Doug Lundquist says of the heavy rains and thunderstorms that passed through this week. “And then the ridge builds next week...