Vernon

Unsellable donations costing Salvation Army precious funds

VERNON - The Salvation Army Thrift Shop isn’t always getting a good deal when it comes to donations, especially at this time of year. Instead of being sold for funds, some items actually cost the organization to get rid of. For Salvation Army store manager Gary Rich, it’s a weekly frustration that balloons in the...

Spring cleaning on the Coquihalla

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN — If you plan on hitting the highways this week plan for delays as crews clean and fix highways hit hard by a cold, wet winter that left potholes and frost heaves on many roads in the region. Work has already begun on some highways and over the next week drivers can expect to...

In their shoes: Riding along with Vernon bylaw

VERNON - I thought bylaw officers spent all their time shoving parking tickets on my windshield with uncanny timing until I suited up in a protective vest and accompanied them on a typical evening shift. We didn’t go near a single parking meter. On a Friday night, Vernon bylaw officer Russ Lutsenko handed me the...

How one word can turn your life upside down

“ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN, BE GRATEFUL FOR WHAT YOU HAVE” VERNON - Just a few weeks ago, 17-year-old Dennon Leibel was attending his last few classes before graduating high school. Now, he’s in a hospital bed, going through his first round of chemo. The word cancer turned his life, and his family’s, upside down. It was...

Silver Star Road earns gold so far in worst roads survey

VERNON - A stretch of pavement — or lack thereof — in Vernon is topping the list in BCAA’s worst roads survey. Voting opened earlier this week, and it didn’t take long for Vernon’s Silver Star Road to climb to first place. The survey is open until May 26, so results could still change gears....

Suspicious car fire outside law office

VERNON - Investigators are calling a vehicle fire Wednesday evening on Main Street suspicious in nature. Deputy fire chief Jack Blair says the department responded to a fully involved Ford Explorer in the lane way by Nixon Wenger just off 30 Avenue around 6:30 p.m. “Firefighters extinguished it and requested RCMP attend,” Blair says. “They...

GOG: How you can help me help you survive this damn flight

I recently had to be somewhere else in a hurry, and the only way of achieving that is, of course, by flying. It’s been a while since I had to travel by aeroplane, and I had forgotten just how dreadful an experience it is. First one must face the ritual humiliation of “security” where in...

Suspicious fire creates pallet-burning potato chips

VERNON - A suspicious fire is under investigation at a Vernon business. Police were called to MTF Price Matters on 24 Street Monday at 1:20 p.m. to look into a fire that started in a wooden pallet covered in potato chips. “It’s undetermined what the cause of the fire is,” Molendyk says. “A pallet and...

Trial begins for man accused of dangerous driving in death of Kamloops man

VERNON - A Lavington man’s dangerous driving causing death trial began Tuesday, almost three years to the day he was involved in a crash that left a Kamloops man dead. Terrance Edward Brown, born in 1977, faces one count of dangerous driving causing death and one count of dangerous driving causing bodily harm. He was...

Worst Roads survey gets in gear

THOMPSON OKANAGAN - If you’ve got a gripe with a road near you, it’s time to pipe up. Until May 26, B.C. motorists, cyclists and pedestrians can cast a vote for their 'Worst Road' nominee. Voters can pinpoint the stretch of road they feel is the worst in B.C. and specify what infrastructure issue they're...

Shuswap residents still can’t go home

SHUSWAP - An evacuation order is still in effect for some residents located near a debris flow.  The evacuation began last Wednesday for people living around McIntyre Creek near Salmon Arm. According to a geotechnical engineer and environmental geoscientist, a collection of debris is still lodged in the creek. They also identified water pooling around...

Canada Day prep proves tough without Nicol

VERNON - Volunteers are having a hard time pulling together Canada Day celebrations without the leadership of councillor Patrick Nicol. Nicol, who passed away in January after a long battle with cancer, chaired the Canada Day committee for many years and vice chair Ken Barker says his name was “synonymous with the day for more...

Wildfire regulations to limit open burning

KAMLOOPS - Wildfire Management Branch is cracking down on open burning regulations, to help reduce the risk of wildfires in the Kamloops region. The size of open fires will be restricted starting at noon on May 15, 2014 in most areas of the Kamloops Fire Centre. Clearwater and Salmon Arm Fire Zones are excluded from...

Ticked off: How to protect against ticks

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN — Warmer weather is upon us and that means shorts, sandals and maybe even a hike or two, but you may want to stop and rethink wardrobe choices if you're heading out. It's also tick season. “Ticks are most often found in tall grass and wooded areas so covering up before you head outdoors...

Police seek rightful owners of stolen dolls

VERNON - Police are hoping to reunite a collection of dolls with their rightful owners. The six dolls are dressed to represent several different countries, and four appear to be in their original boxes. Police found the dolls in a stolen vehicle last February. The truck had been involved in a single vehicle motor vehicle...

Measles kept at bay in Interior

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Saturday marks the beginning of a nation-wide event promoting immunizations and while the latest outbreak of measles has been kept out of the Interior Health region, people are still encouraged to make sure they are up to date. Dr. Sue Pollock says the Interior Health region strives for a 95 per cent coverage...

Road maintenance goes downhill at Silver Star

VERNON - It may be time to mow your lawn in most parts of Vernon, but snowfall is plaguing those who live and work in the Silver Star area. Silver Star Mountain Resort and year-round residents are sounding the alarm over questionable road maintenance practices following a snowstorm this week. Resident Steve Darby and his...