Vernon News
Another big day for attendance at the Interior Provincial Exhibition in Armstrong
26,575 people went through the gates Thursday, raising the two day total to almost 51,000.
Thursday's total was up ten thousand from the same day last year.
The event appears on pace to meet or beat the 2008 attendance record of 151, 324.
Fair manager Bryan Burns (pictured) says there's a good lineup today.
"The Iron Chef contest is absolutely awesome to go watch. It's going twice a day at 1pm and 5pm. The mini chuck wagons go again today. We've got Rick Tippe playing the main stage after the rodeo, and of course, the Wrangler Tour Final. It is absolutely electrifying to watch the rodeo."
This is Spirit of Canada day, with visitors asked to wear red and white.
A couple of former caretakers at the Chickadee Ridge Farm in Armstrong have been fined $250 each, and been given six months probation.
The sentencing this week in Vernon court arose from SPCA charges that the two had been cruel to animals on the farm.
As part of their conditions, Jim Tullett and Sandra Magyar must also to allow SPCA inspections of any animals in their care.
Both plead guilty to one criminal animal cruelty charge of "wilfully causing or, being the owner, wilfully permitting to be caused unnecessary pain, suffering or injury to an animal or a bird."
The two had leased from the owner of the property, but lost their business license after the charges were laid in 2008.
Police say it appears the Salmon Arm teen who died in a highway crash north of Enderby Wednesday night, was not to blame for the accident.
The victim's name was released today: 17 year old Donovan Pippus.
Vernon RCMP Sgt Keith Ferguson says an investigation has determined a southbound Dodge pickup truck crossed the center line and collided with Pippus' Pontiac car.
A second pick up truck then ran into the other truck.
The two other drivers, men from Armstrong (30 years old) and Kelowna (38) , suffered minor injuries.
Ferguson told KISS FM police are not releasing details at this point about which of the two truck drivers may have been at fault, by crossing the centre line.
A downtown Vernon building is coming down to make room for publicly owned green space.
Crews began demolishing the former medical building on 31st Avenue, next to the Greyhound bus depot, Thursday.
Mayor Wayne Lippert watched the excavators knock down some walls.
"I expect it will be down, and people will see it gone very shortly, within the next day or two."
He says asbestos and other hazardous materials were removed some time ago, and much of the building will be recycled.
"There will be a very minimal amount that goes into the landfill."
The city bought the site a few years ago to turn it into park space, possibly connecting the civic complex with Cenotaph Park.
Photo: The former Vernon Medical Clinic building on 31st Ave is being demolished to make way for city owned green space (P.McIntyre)
Workers at Tolko's Armstrong and Williams Lake stud mills will stay off the job for a third straight week.
Armstrong site manager Pat Donnelly says the 315 workers are caught in market conditions.
"We are continuing to monitor the market and the take-away has not been good. The U-S housing market has not come back the way everybody had hoped it would."
The workers have now been off the job since mid August.
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