Brendan Shykora

This screen shot of a YouTube video posted by Big Tree View shows Vernon School District staff and board members walking out of a board meeting while a protester sounds off. The video was posted Dec. 15, 2023, two days after the school board’s most recent meeting. (YouTube image)

VIDEO: Protesters shut down B.C. school board meeting

A recently published YouTube video shows a woman going on a lengthy diatribe at a Vernon school board meeting

This screen shot of a YouTube video posted by Big Tree View shows Vernon School District staff and board members walking out of a board meeting while a protester sounds off. The video was posted Dec. 15, 2023, two days after the school board’s most recent meeting. (YouTube image)
An up-close view of the sensors. So far, 60 of them have been installed in Vernon. (Brendan Shykora - Morning Star)

VIDEO: Early wildfire detection system tested, launched in Vernon

The system, by SenseNet, uses sensors and cameras to detect anomalies and alert firefighters to wildfires faster

An up-close view of the sensors. So far, 60 of them have been installed in Vernon. (Brendan Shykora - Morning Star)
Workers at the Sephora store in Kamloops’s Aberdeen Mall are set to hold a strike vote Dec. 21 and 22, 2023. (Alex Passini photo)

Workers at Sephora cosmetics in Kamloops to hold strike vote

The workers’ union is preparing to take on the cosmetics giant ahead of the holiday shopping rush

Workers at the Sephora store in Kamloops’s Aberdeen Mall are set to hold a strike vote Dec. 21 and 22, 2023. (Alex Passini photo)
(Brendan Shykora - Morning Star)

Explosive device found in Vernon could have caused ‘serious injury’: RCMP

The device was found in a parked vehicle on 43rd Avenue while police were making an arrest

(Brendan Shykora - Morning Star)
Corey Akerman and Diane Thiessen are getting married Dec. 30, 2023, at O’Keefe Ranch after winning an all expenses paid shotgun wedding contest put on by the ranch and wedding specialist Dee Cristante. (Brendan Shykora - Morning Star)

Winners of B.C. shotgun wedding contest ready to tie the knot

Corey Akerman and Diane Thiessen marriyig before a live public audience at Vernon’s O’Keefe Ranch

Corey Akerman and Diane Thiessen are getting married Dec. 30, 2023, at O’Keefe Ranch after winning an all expenses paid shotgun wedding contest put on by the ranch and wedding specialist Dee Cristante. (Brendan Shykora - Morning Star)
A petition to allow a Vernon family to live on a farm in a fifth wheel has garnered 4,121 signatures as of Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. (change.org photo)

B.C. city reconsidering ban on people living in RVs on agricultural land

Possible change of heart comes after Vernon couple’s lengthy battle with over farm living arrangement

A petition to allow a Vernon family to live on a farm in a fifth wheel has garnered 4,121 signatures as of Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. (change.org photo)
The Vernon North Okanagan RCMP offered tips for protecting delivered gifts this holiday season Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. (RCMP photo)

RCMP offer advice for keeping gifts safe this holiday season

With online shopping and deliveries set to ramp up, so too is the risk of thieves stealing from doorsteps

The Vernon North Okanagan RCMP offered tips for protecting delivered gifts this holiday season Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. (RCMP photo)
Vernon’s Rose the Jack Russell mix is featured in the month of June on the national 2024 Companions for Change calendar. (Beacon Communications photo)

Paddleboarding B.C. pup featured in fundraising calendar

Rose, a Jack Russell mix, appears in 2024 Companions for Change calendar

Vernon’s Rose the Jack Russell mix is featured in the month of June on the national 2024 Companions for Change calendar. (Beacon Communications photo)
A petition to allow a Vernon family to live on a farm in a fifth wheel has garnered 4,121 signatures as of Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. (change.org photo)

Petitioners rally for B.C. family living ‘unlawfully’ in RV on family farm

A petition for the city to allow the family to live in a fifth wheel on a family farm has eclipsed 4,000 signatures

A petition to allow a Vernon family to live on a farm in a fifth wheel has garnered 4,121 signatures as of Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. (change.org photo)
The Sterling Centre walk-in clinic in Vernon is set to close permanently Nov. 15, 2023. (Brendan Shykora - Morning Star)

Offer on the table from province to keep Vernon’s only walk-in clinic open: MLA

Harwinder Sandhu did not provide details about the offer

The Sterling Centre walk-in clinic in Vernon is set to close permanently Nov. 15, 2023. (Brendan Shykora - Morning Star)
Adult Western corn rootworms feasting on a corn plant. The insects, which are highly destructive to corn crops, were discovered in the North Okanagan and Shuswap for the first time in August 2023. (B.C. Ministry of Agriculture photo)

Pest that devastates corn crops found at North Okanagan, Shuswap farms

The Western corn rootworm causes over $1 billion of damage to U.S. corn crops each year

Adult Western corn rootworms feasting on a corn plant. The insects, which are highly destructive to corn crops, were discovered in the North Okanagan and Shuswap for the first time in August 2023. (B.C. Ministry of Agriculture photo)
A COVID-19 outbreak was declared at Vernon Jubilee Hospital Monday, Aug. 28, 2023. (Jennifer Smith - Morning Star)

COVID outbreak at B.C. hospital results in one death

Four people have been infected since the outbreak was declared Monday, Aug. 28

A COVID-19 outbreak was declared at Vernon Jubilee Hospital Monday, Aug. 28, 2023. (Jennifer Smith - Morning Star)
The McDougall Creek wildfire burns on the mountainside above houses in West Kelowna, B.C., on Friday, August 18, 2023. Canadian insurers are grappling with higher risk of wildfires amid a record-breaking season, and experts say rising premiums are just one part of how the industry is seeking to adapt to an ever-changing new normal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

More West Kelowna residents heading home as evacuation order downgraded to alert

The change is for the Tallus Ridge, Shannon Woods Drive and Rainbow Road areas

The McDougall Creek wildfire burns on the mountainside above houses in West Kelowna, B.C., on Friday, August 18, 2023. Canadian insurers are grappling with higher risk of wildfires amid a record-breaking season, and experts say rising premiums are just one part of how the industry is seeking to adapt to an ever-changing new normal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
BC Wildfire Services continue to battle the McDougall Creek wildfire that’s been burning since Tuesday, Aug. 15. (BC Wildfire Services)

Evacuation order lifted for some Westbank First Nation properties

Properties on Lindley Drive and Lindley Road have been downgraded to an alert

BC Wildfire Services continue to battle the McDougall Creek wildfire that’s been burning since Tuesday, Aug. 15. (BC Wildfire Services)
The Clarke Creek wildfire in Lake Country started Aug. 18, 2023 (Contributed)

UPDATE: No change in size of McDougall Creek wildfire in West Kelowna

‘People must remember, the fire is being held, the fire is not out,’ Lake Country’s mayor cautioned

The Clarke Creek wildfire in Lake Country started Aug. 18, 2023 (Contributed)
Evacuation orders have been downgraded in the Shuswap Friday afternoon, Aug. 25, 2023. (CSRD photo)

Evacuation order lifted for more Shuswap areas

Residents can now make their way home, but are still under an evacuation alert

Evacuation orders have been downgraded in the Shuswap Friday afternoon, Aug. 25, 2023. (CSRD photo)
The BC Wildfire Service continues to respond to the McDougall Creek wildfire in the Central Okanagan Friday, Aug. 25, 2023. (BC Wildfire photo)

BC Wildfire conducting aerial ignition on McDougall Creek wildfire

Crews are working to strengthen control lines in the northern portion of the McDougall Creek wildfire

The BC Wildfire Service continues to respond to the McDougall Creek wildfire in the Central Okanagan Friday, Aug. 25, 2023. (BC Wildfire photo)
The Walroy Lake wildfire sits at 794 hectares going into Wednesday, Aug. 23 and continues to display low fire activity. (Mark Rogers/Facebook)

Feelings of elation as Walroy Lake wildfire held, Kelowna evacuees to return home

Residents can visit cordemergency.ca for the latest updates to evacuation orders

The Walroy Lake wildfire sits at 794 hectares going into Wednesday, Aug. 23 and continues to display low fire activity. (Mark Rogers/Facebook)
A total of 90 properties have been partially or fully damaged by the McDougall Creek wildfire in the North Westside, fire chief Ross Kotscherofski said in a media conference Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. (Sharon Smith/Facebook)

90 properties damaged by wildfire in North Westside

Fire chief says rain, cooler temperatures have made firefighting easier

A total of 90 properties have been partially or fully damaged by the McDougall Creek wildfire in the North Westside, fire chief Ross Kotscherofski said in a media conference Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. (Sharon Smith/Facebook)
An evacuation order has been issued for the Celista area in the North Shuswap up to Evans Road Friday, Aug. 18, 2023. (CSRD photo)

Evacuation order expanded in North Shuswap community

The Celista area up to Evans Road is under an evacuation order due to Lower East Adams Lake wildfire

An evacuation order has been issued for the Celista area in the North Shuswap up to Evans Road Friday, Aug. 18, 2023. (CSRD photo)