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Glynn Brothen
Kamloops youth psychiatry unit helps families deal with mental illness, one child at a time
KAMLOOPS - A space dedicated to supporting children and their familes while they deal with mental health crisis has been providing better support since it was revamped a year ago, according to administrators at Royal Inland Hospital. "We have space that’s more welcoming for kids. There’s more room for confidentiality, more room to move around...
Changing speed limit signs on the way for B.C. highways
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Highway drivers will start seeing variable speed signs later this winter as the Ministry of Transportation begins installing them this week, though they won't be functioning until early in the new year. The pilot project, which is currently in its testing phase, will include signs on sections of the Trans-Canada, Sea to Sky...
North Shore community policing office to close until spring
KAMLOOPS - The North Shore community policing office will be closed starting Friday, Dec. 11. The closure precedes the transition to a new location, the former Kia dealership at 880 Eighth St., which is expected to open in spring of 2016. The renovations of the building are underway and are expected to cost more than...
Inspired by music, this Kamloops tree lights up when it feels the beat
KAMLOOPS - You might have noticed the festive lights strung across several trees on Victoria Street, but there’s one tree different than the rest. The tree, in front of Blenz Coffee shop, will only light up when a passerby connects its sensor to an instrument. “It’s actually very simple,” developer Aras Balali Moghaddam says. “The...
Kamloops artists sound off on Syrian conflict through music, spoken word
KAMLOOPS - Local artists are sharing their gifts to provide both commentary and support following ongoing conflict in Syria and the upcoming arrival of refugees to the area. Singers and songwriters Deandra Dey and Timothy Brookbanks recently produced a track, Wait and See, and are hoping to donate funds received from their song toward refugee support....
Male released from custody without charge in Lee Creek suspicious death investigation
LEE CREEK - A man taken into custody in relation to a suspicious death in Lee Creek has been released without charge while police continue to investigate. Officers attended a home in the 2500 block of Squilax-Anglemont Road to follow up on a report of shots fired Saturday evening, Nov. 28. After arriving on scene, police...
The Sheepdogs set to rock Vernon and Kamloops in early 2016
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Canadian band The Sheepdogs will be making two stops in the Southern Interior on its cross-country tour next year. The tour follows the latest album, Future Nostalgia, released by the Juno award-winning rock band from Saskatchewan. Tickets will go on sale this Friday, Dec. 4, for the Feb. 17 show at Cactus Jacks next...
Chase RCMP searching for suspects after armed bank robbery
CHASE - Police are searching for two suspects after staff at a bank in Chase were robbed at gunpoint this afternoon. RCMP Sgt. Gary Heebner says officers were busy investigating a false report of shots fired in the North Shuswap when a man holding a long-barrelled gun entered the Royal Bank branch at around 1:20...
Safer driving on Trans Canada near Cherry Creek with new left-turn lane
KAMLOOPS - Locals, tourists and commercial drivers can now feel safer turning left onto Highway 1 at Gardi Road near Cherry Creek thanks to a newly built left-turn lane. “Left-turn lanes have been proven to reduce collisions by eliminating the conflict between turning and through traffic,” Minister of Transportation Todd Stone said in a media...
United Way seeking donations to help Syrian refugees coming to Kamloops area
KAMLOOPS - An urgent fundraiser for Syrian refugees is underway by the United Way Thompson Nicola Cariboo. Money raised by the United For Refugees charity will be going towards the group Refugees and Friends Together which is sponsoring the arrival of four families to the Kamloops area. “One of our national focus areas is strong...
Kamloops man banned from courts after misrepresenting himself as lawyer: Law Society
KAMLOOPS - The Law Society of B.C. took action against over a dozen people falsely representing themselves as legal professionals this year, including a Kamloops man who is now banned from the courts. In a media release today, Nov. 30, the society provided the list of those prohibited from practicing law. Between March 1 and...
Cattle rustler convicted in Kamloops starved cows to cover up theft: Rancher
KAMLOOPS - Ranch hand Jason John McDowell was sentenced in Kamloops earlier this month for defrauding his Cache Creek employer and stealing cows from an Alberta ranch owner. But somehow the sentencing judge never heard half the most damning allegations: He didn’t just sell his boss’s cattle, he nearly starved off his entire herd to...
Construction worker remains in critical condition after 20-foot fall
KAMLOOPS - A construction worker remains in the intensive care unit at Royal Inland Hospital following a 20-foot fall at a local worksite. The 45-year-old man from Vancouver was working on a construction project in the 1800-block of Highway 5A on Nov. 25 when he fell from a scissor lift to the concrete floor. Staff...
City of Kamloops may consider adding another sheet of ice after packed schedule for recreation groups
KAMLOOPS - Administrators at the City of Kamloops have managed to accommodate all recreational groups in need of ice time, although the schedule remains packed after one rink closed indefinitely earlier this year. Civic facilities manager Jeff Putnam says even though peak skating times were already booked by the summer, he’s happy to report all...
Brent Butt to make only B.C. stop in Kamloops on cross-Canada tour
KAMLOOPS - Canadian comedian Brent Butt will make a stop in Kamloops next year for a stand-up show. The creator and star of CTV sitcom show Corner Gas will perform at the Sagebrush Theatre on March 20. The Kamloops show will be the last stop on his cross-Canada tour and is the only stop scheduled...
Breast feeding cafes help local moms connect
KAMLOOPS - After a positive experience with a Breast Feeding Cafe in Penticton, Sage Thomas felt motivated to start a similar group in Kamloops when she moved here over a year ago. "It’s just a drop in group where we can get together and hangout and talk. Babies and siblings are welcome and even pregnant...
Suspects in Merritt car-jacking face assault charges in court
MERRITT - Two suspects arrested after an alleged car-jacking turned into a police standoff at a Merritt hotel are in court today. Samantha Kathleen Vleeming, born 1990, and Cory Claudio Battilana, born 1984, were arrested Nov. 25 after police followed up on a report of an attempted car-jacking at gunpoint. A man allegedly offered two...
Kamloops and Salmon Arm filmmakers receive $10,000 for digital shorts
KAMLOOPS - Two aspiring filmmakers from Kamloops and Salmon Arm were selected to receive $10,000 each from Telus to produce short films. Kamloops native Simon Ryder and Tabatha Golat from Salmon Arm were chosen to be part of 15 finalists in the company's Storyhive project, a funding program for film shorts. Ryder worked as a...
Police use DNA evidence to identify and arrest suspect in Kamloops sex assault case from 2009
KAMLOOPS - Police have been able to identify and arrest a suspect in connection with a sex assault case from 2009 with DNA evidence. After issuing a Canada-wide warrant for Taylor James Howard Matchett on Nov. 25 the suspect was picked up in Edmonton the following day. Matchett is charged with sexual assault involving a...
Inmate busted after checking in to jail with $600 worth of meth
KAMLOOPS - An inmate at Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre will spend an extra four months in jail after he was found to be in possession of methamphetamine. Christopher Robert Hubley, 30, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a controlled substance today, Nov. 26 in Kamloops Provincial Court. Federal Crown prosecutor Anthony Varesi said when...
Teller at Kamloops bank under house arrest for stealing thousands from employer
KAMLOOPS - A former Bank of Montreal teller will spend the next four months under house arrest after stealing more than $16,000 from his employer to gamble at the casino. David Somyos Hammond, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of theft over $5,000 today, Nov. 26, in Kamloops Provincial Court. Hammond, a Thompson Rivers University...
Bizarre crime spree involving arson, dangerous driving nets Kamloops man four months in jail
KAMLOOPS - A local man says he was going through a ‘very traumatic year’ before he went on a bizarre crime spree which involved playing chicken with fellow drivers and setting a man’s truck on fire. Kamloops Provincial Court Judge Chris Cleaveley sentenced David Kevin Moen, 46, to roughly four months in jail after he...
UPDATED: Duo smashes door at Kamloops apartment building
KAMLOOPS - Crime Stoppers is asking for the public’s help to identify two suspects who smashed an apartment complex door last week. Around 8:30 p.m. Nov. 18, a man and a female entered the door of a complex at 1900 Tranquille Rd. after one of them shattered it. A release from Crime Stoppers says it's...
Photo of Kamloops teen jokingly asking PM Trudeau to prom goes viral
KAMLOOPS - A local high school student is learning the power social media has after posting a photo of her inviting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to be her prom date. After breaking up with her boyfriend last Friday, Nov. 20, Kashlee Taylor-Proulx, 17, decided she needed a joke to make her smile. Now without a...