Elevate your local knowledge
Sign up for the iNFOnews newsletter today!
Dana Reynolds
Dana Reynolds is originally from Saskatchewan, but previous to Kamloops lived in Toronto for five years. She is well educated, obtaining her Masters of Arts from York University and Certificate of Broadcast Journalism from Seneca College. Dana has a passion for travel, having worked and studied in three foreign countries. She is a political junkie, especially as pertains the Middle East as she wrote her thesis on Muslim immigration into Europe. Dana is very excited to be in Kamloops and embark on a career in journalism with Info News.
Drought level increased in South Thompson, three other areas of southern interior
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Extremely dry conditions and low stream flows have forced the province to raise the drought level in four areas of the southern Interior today. A Level 4 drought rating has been announced for the South Thompson, Similkameen, Kettle and Skagit areas, July 27. Further declines in stream, lake and aquifer levels could lead...
ELECTION 2015: Green Party picks Kamloops candidate for federal election
KAMLOOPS – The Green Party has chosen candidate Matt Greenwood to represent them in the Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo riding for the upcoming federal election. A member of the party since 2003, this is not Greenwood’s first time running with the Greens. In 2006 he chosen to represent the party in the same riding at the age of...
After 26 years, son finds biological father in less than 24 hours
KAMLOOPS – He spent his entire life never meeting his biological father, but after one Facebook post they were reunited in a matter of hours. “It’s always been at the back of my mind, but I never had the nerve to do it,” Josh O’Connor says of tracking down his biological father. After some gentle...
Councillors for pesticide ban say public and business were appropriately consulted
KAMLOOPS – The decision by Kamloops councillors to approve a ban on pesticides in the city next year was a "foregone conclusion," one councillor says. The issue was all but decided because seven of nine councillors already debated the concept before elections last November, Coun. Donovan Cavers says. “I thought it was a foregone conclusion,”...
150 Kindergarten students not yet registered in Kamloops school district
KAMLOOPS – Registration numbers for Kindergarten students are down significantly from what the school district…
Kamloops road construction goes through the night
KAMLOOPS – Crews will be doing night work as construction continues on the Overlanders Bridge in Kamloops. The bridge will be reduced to a single lane between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., July 24, with traffic control personnel in place, according to a media release from the city. On Monday, the west off ramp at...
NBA star plays some one-on-one with local kids at Riverside
KAMLOOPS – Boston Celtics centre and Kamloops native Kelly Olynyk was in town today to shoot hoops with aspiring young basketball players on the courts at Riverside Park. While the skies were overcast and the wind was brisk, the kids didn’t seem to mind. About 100 showed up for the hour-long event held by the...
Federal and provincial governments announce more funding for Highway 1
PRITCHARD – With three kilometres of highway construction completed, the federal and provincial governments have announced $94.4 million in funding to complete the expansion of Highway 1 from Hoffman's Bluff to Chase Creek. The province is contributing $18.3 million, while $76.1 million is coming from Ottawa. The money is paying to widen a 7.5-kilometre section...
Kamloopa Pow Wow set to begin next week
KAMLOOPS – Just over a week away, the annual Kamloopa Pow Wow is set to take over Kamloops in what is considered on the largest events of its kind in Western Canada. The local pow wow, now in its 36th year, celebrates First Nations culture and traditions. Taking place July 31 through Aug. 2, the...
Early seasonal closure for Canada Games Pool
KAMLOOPS – A break in the main water supply pipe has forced the early closure of the Canada Games Aquatic Centre. The necessary repair has prompted staff to reschedule the centre’s annual maintenance shutdown period, normally Aug. 24 to Sept. 7, to instead July 24 through to Aug. 7. The pool is officially closed as...
Downtown Merchants Market kicks off on a sunny note
KAMLOOPS – The 2015 Downtown Merchants Market kicked off with sunshine and steady crowds yesterday, though there were some scattered showers throughout the day as well. Several blocks on Victoria Avenue were shut-down to vehicles as part of Car Free Day yesterday, July 22. Merchants were selling their wares and there was live music and...
Kamloops wineries look for support through petition
KAMLOOPS – A petition aimed at getting city council to drop a motion aimed at limiting where alcohol can be sold in Kamloops is slowly gathering support. The Kamloops Wine Trail has started a petition in an attempt to lobby city council to vote against a proposed motion that would place distance parameters between liquor...
Slide the City could return to Kamloops next year
KAMLOOPS – Even after less than perfect execution, Slide the City could return next year. “We haven’t set our calendar for 2016 yet, but we’re definitely not brushing anybody off the table,” Rachel Thomas, an event director with Slide the City, says. Thomas acknowledges the event began an hour behind schedule. This led to major...
Expect some lane closures for the Kamloops Marathon this weekend
KAMLOOPS – The Kamloops Marathon this weekend will span roughly 42 kilometres and that means lane closures and probably some traffic tie-ups. Colleen Lepik, transportation coordinator with the city, says runners will use road shoulders and multi-use paths where possible Sunday, July 26. The majority of closures will be confined to sections of Halston Avenue...
Clearwater motorcycle crash victim named
CLEARWATER - The man who died after a motorcycle incident near Clearwater on July 17 has been named. The B.C. Coroners Service has confirmed Joseph Albert Rene Laurent (Larry) Lamarche, aged 70, of Kamloops died after colliding with a pickup truck south of Clearwater last week. Lamarche was heading northbound on Highway 5 at roughly...
Preparing pets for fire evacuations
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – With forest fires encroaching ever closer to homes around the province, the B.C. SPCA is encouraging animal owners to re-evaluate their emergency pet preparedness. Wildfires can quickly lead to evacuation orders and states of emergency, forcing people to leave their homes as quickly as possible. “When you’re ordered to evacuate, you need to...
General Grants feeling the fall out from Emterra strike
KAMLOOPS – The recycling is piling up in Kamloops as the Emterra Environmental strike enters its fifth week. While people have been asked to store what they can, the balconies and garages of residents are no competition for the influx General Grants in Sahali is currently seeing. “I had 26 pallets, and they left four...
UPDATE: Overlanders Bridge project forces Summit ramp closure
KAMLOOPS – If summer construction hasn’t affected your commute yet, then get prepared for the next three weeks. The the south exit ramp to Summit Drive will be closed as of Monday, July 27 until approximately mid-August. This is the newest phase of construction on the bridge project, which began April 20. It was originally...
Pedestrian struck in Sun Peaks hit and run this weekend
SUN PEAKS – A pedestrian was struck by a pickup truck that left the scene in Sun Peaks early Sunday morning. A group of three males were walking along Sun Peaks Road around 3 a.m. on Sunday, July 19, when a dark, older model Chevy S-10 pickup truck struck one male in the group, Kamloops...
One kilometer between liquor vendors in Kamloops a “ridiculous” idea
KAMLOOPS – Pitting the people who sell wine against those who make it, a public hearing will help Kamloops city council decide if there needs to be a kilometer between liquor vendors. The debate was started by Tracy Gray who owns Discovery Wines in Kamloops. She contends the city would be hit a “tsunami” of...
What to expect on the Kamloops commute
KAMLOOPS – This upcoming week marks some big road construction challenges for commuters in Kamloops, especially as it pertains to the Overlanders Bridge. Starting Monday, July 27, the west off ramp at the south end of the bridge will be closed for roughly three weeks. During the closure, detour signage will direct all southbound traffic...
An exclusive sneak-peak into a unique home fit for a king
PRITCHARD – You have to go out of the way to find it, but nestled among the pastures and ranches of Pritchard is perhaps the most unique home in the area, if not the B.C. Interior. Scratch that, it’s not so much a home — it’s a castle. The 5,000 square foot stone and concrete...
Union hopeful jobless teachers will be employed come fall in Kamloops
KAMLOOPS – It’s middle of summer but laid-off teachers are already looking to the fall…
Businesses question how City of Kamloops handled pesticide ban
KAMLOOPS – Local lawn care businesses, directly affected by the new city pesticide ban, question the process which led to Kamloops city council’s decision. The City of Kamloops issued a ban on cosmetic pesticide use on Tuesday, July 14. As of January 1, 2016, pesticide use is no longer permitted on residential lawns, flower beds...