With wildfire smoke hanging over the Okanagan this long weekend and possibly beyond, Interior Health advised people take care of their mental health and wellness.The health authority stated one of the best ways a person can ease their mind during wildfires is to create emergency plans and kits for themselves, family me...

Smoke drifting into the Okanagan Valley have triggered air quality warnings.An Orange Warning was issued for the North Okanagan and a Yellow Warning was put in place for the Central Okanagan shortly before noon on Friday.The smoke caused the air quality health index rating to rise to Very High in the North Okanagan, an...

The Regional District of North Okanagan has urged the province to not allow new groundwater wells be dug due to Kal Lake water supply concerns.Early results from a study into the groundwater in the Coldstream Valley showed wells impact the supply at Kalamalka Lake, both directly and through low flows at Coldstream Cree...

Local Mounties have asked the public for help locating a missing man.Vernon RCMP said Riley Kelly, 40, left his residence on 41st Avenue in Vernon at around 7:30 a.m. Thursday and had not been seen or heard from since.Police and Kelly's family are concerned for his wellbeing.Kelly was described as standing 6'0" ta...

Vernon RCMP have asked the public for help locating a wanted man.Police said 37-year old Roman Ooley is wanted for possession of stolen property and for failing to comply with a probation order.Ooley was described as standing 5'8" and weighing 150 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. Roman Ooley was wanted for p...

Firefighting crews in the area have increased their capability in responding to wildfires.Firefighters from Vernon, Coldstream, Lake Country and North Westside partook in a join exercise on Tuesday where they practiced using a fire boat to provide water for fire engines operating on shore.The training gave fire crews a...

Several more properties have had their water sources switched.The RDNO and Greater Vernon Water said properties in Coldstream and Lavington had been moved from the Duteau Creek water source and onto the Antwerp Deep Well. Properties that had been moved from Duteau Creek tot he Antwerp Deep Well (Image Credit: GVW / RDN...

Several more properties have had their water sources switched.The RDNO and Greater Vernon Water said properties in Coldstream and Lavington had been moved from the Duteau Creek water source and onto the Antwerp Deep Well. Properties that had been moved from Duteau Creek tot he Antwerp Deep Well (Image Credit: GVW / RDN...

The program to transfer water from one North Okanagan agricultural property to another has seen some positive results so far.In response to the unprecedented drought conditions and water shortage, resulting in water restrictions for all properties including farms, the Regional District of North Okanagan allowed agricul...

The quality of the water coming out of the Antwerp Deep Well continues to be monitored as it's tapped for use this summer.Due to the water scarcity in the region and under Stage 3 Water Restrictions, many properties in Coldstream and Lavington were moved from the Duteau Creek source onto the well water.People may have ...

A person known to police was taken into custody after being found in a stolen vehicle Tuesday.Local Mounties were on patrol in Coldstream at around 3:30 p.m. when a person approached them and said their stolen vehicle was seen parked at a nearby gas station.Officers arrived on the scene and when they approached the veh...

Funds have been approved to cover the costly repairs of the Lavington Outdoor Pool.On Monday, July 27, Coldstream Council received a report that showed a gutter-drain pipe was damaged, allowing gravel to enter the pool's circulation system.To address this issue a new 35' long pipe would need to be installed, along with...

Coldstream's new dog beach will be getting a fence.Coldstream Council agreed to spend $3,000, plus tax, to install a chain link fence around the designated dog area of Pumphouse Beach.The fence, funded through the Lake Access Improvement Reserve, would be 3' high but mounted atop concrete barriers placed on the beach e...

A major infrastructure project in Vernon will be getting a boost thanks to an injection of federal funding.Distributed through the Union of B.C. Municipalities Strategics Priority Fund, $3-million from the federal Build Communities Strong Fund will be given to the city to help deliver active transportation and safety i...

The Okanagan has reached the apex of the drought severity scale, and is facing a significant water scarcity issue.The B.C. River Forecast Centre said that as of Thursday, July 30, the Okanagan was at Drought Level 5, the highest rating on the scale.The Okanagan was also facing a "high" water scarcity level, w...

The local museum, historic house and art gallery will host a celebration to mark what would have been Sveva Caetani's 109th birthday.The Caetani Centre will hold a birthday celebration event to honour the life, legacy and vision of the artist from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, August 7.The event will feature 2-for-1 tours, ...

Tickets are now on sale for the North Okanagan Hospice Society's major fundraising event.The Dancing with the Vernon Stars gala goes Oct. 3 and will feature games and draws, a silent auction, dinner and drinks, a Wine Wall of Mystery, and, of course, dance performances.The event is in support of the Hospice Society's e...

A Rotary-led campaign in support of a new invasive mussel detection tool has surpassed its goal.Groups across the region raised more than $109,000 in support of an environmental DNA mussel detection system. That brought the fundraiser total up to $584,000, well above the goal of $475,000.The funds will go to support a ...

Vernon will be going ahead with a plan to use reclaimed water to support agriculture.The province has granted approval to connect the city's reclaimed wastewater system to the Regional District of North Okanagan's non-potable irrigation system in the Bella Vista and West Swan Lake service area, allowing the reclaimed w...

The City of Vernon will be joining a valley-wide campaign aimed at conserving water.At the request from Councillor Brian Guy, City Council was asked to join the Make Water Work initiative.Overseen by the Okanagan Basin Water Board, the campaign sees people, municipalities, First Nations and irrigation districts commit ...

Vernon is exploring new wayfinding sign options for the community.At the meeting on July 20, Vernon City Council directed staff to run a pilot project that would see new signage installed along the 30th Street and 29th Street active transportation corridor from Highway 6 to the Village Green Shopping Centre. The signs ...

A drug alert has been issued for a substance found circulating in Vernon.Interior Health warned that fake Percocets or perks found in the North Okanagan community does not contain oxycodone but instead contains Fentanyl or its analogues.These drugs pose a high risk of overdose."Fentanyl is up to 75 times stronger ...

Local Mounties are looking for a suspect who broke into a business then crashed their way out in a stolen vehicle. Vernon North Okanagan RCMP said a thief broke into a business in the 4600-block of 27th Street in Vernon at around 3 a.m. Monday, July 27.An alarm was triggered at the business and the owner called police,...

A community leader and senior project manager is looking to earn a seat on Vernon City Council.Diana Wilson, a fourth generation Vernon resident, announced she would seek a seat in the council chambers in the fall municipal election."I love Vernon, and I believe our community has tremendous opportunities ahead. At...

A local highschooler will be getting some financial aide in his post-secondary education.The Cmolik Foundation announced that Blake Varga, a graduate of Vernon Secondary School, will receive a $60,000 scholarship to support him in pursuing an education in electrical engineering.The foundation, which supports students i...

A former mayor of Vernon and family doctor is looking to get back in the council chambers.Rob Sawatzky announced he will run for a City Council seat in the fall election.Sawatzky served as Mayor of Vernon from 2011 to 2014, and said he and council accomplished a lot and developed some progressive programs during that t...

The local MLA has urged people conserve water as work continues to find a solution to the water scarcity issue in the North Okanagan.In a media release, Harwinder Sandhu said the water scarcity concern in the North Okanagan is raising concerns for the agricultural sector, but work is underway to try to alleviate those ...

Saturday 9 p.m.The La Casa Wildfire was measured at 5.18 hectares late Saturday. In an update, Central Okanagan Emergency Management said while significant progress has been made on the blaze, residents in the area will continue to see flames, smoke and firefighting activity as BC Wildfire continues ground and aerial o...