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Jennifer Stahn
OFFICER DOWN: A timeline of the last three days in Kamloops
KAMLOOPS – It’s been three days of shock, fear, concern, heart-ache, anger and finally, maybe even a little relief as the City of Kamloops and its detachment of RCMP officers came to grips with the shooting of an RCMP officer. Cpl. Jean-René Michaud, a 40-year-old father of two, was carrying out perhaps the most basic...
Risk of freezing rain extended
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A system bringing freezing rain to the Coquihalla Highway could also bring the hazardous conditions to other Interior cities and highways this weekend. Environment Canada issued a statement Thursday warning of the potential for freezing rain to develop on parts of Highways 5 and 3 and now forecasters are saying it could also...
Freezing rain to hit the Coquihalla tonight
SNOW FORECAST FOR IN TOWN THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you are hitting the highways tonight beware, Environment Canada is calling for a risk of freezing rain. There is a chance of snow on the Coquihalla from Merritt to Hope and Highway 3 from Princeton to Hope this afternoon and evening, but as a Pacific system moves...
Kenneth Michael Knutson charged with attempted murder of police officer
THREE WOMEN ALSO ARRESTED KAMLOOPS - Kenneth Michael Knutson has been named as the man accused of shooting an RCMP officer on Wednesday morning and will appear in court later this month. Charges against the 36-year-old, who is well-known to police, include attempted murder, aggravated assault of a peace officer, possession of a firearm while...
Kamloops RCMP will not be investigated
KAMLOOPS - The independent investigations office will not be investigating after a suspect was injured following the shooting of an officer Wednesday morning. Cpl. Jean-René Michaud was shot around 2:45 a.m. during a routine traffic stop and a backup officer who happened to be nearby exchanged fire with the suspect before the suspect got away. When...
UPDATE: Trans Canada reopens after fatal crash near Chase
KAMLOOPS - A fatal crash just west of Chase closed the highway in both directions for several hours Thursday. Three vehicles were involved in the crash on Highway 1, five kilometres west of Chase, according to an RCMP media release. An eastbound logging truck and westbound car collided, leading to another collision when a tractor-trailer...
Charges yet to be laid in officer shooting
ALL BATCHELOR HEIGHTS RESIDENTS ALLOWED HOME KAMLOOPS - RCMP still have not charged the main suspect in yesterday's shooting of a police officer while the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. said today it is considering ending its own investigation of the police officers involved. Police arrested a 36-year-old man yesterday afternoon, nearly 13 hours after...
Former Kamloops Mountie: Shooting brings back bad memories
KAMLOOPS - Former RCMP officer Rob Creasser is reliving his nightmare after a Mountie was shot not far from his home in Batchelor Hills Wednesday morning. Creasser was conducting a routine traffic check in the Monte Creek area in 1991 when he was shot at. “A vehicle was actually pulled over and it was a...
Just a few more days of cold
WARMER WEEKEND EXPECTED THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - We are beginning to see a break in the cold weather and by Sunday the entire region should finally be above 0 Celsius. Environment Canada was originally calling for Friday to be the day we would see temperatures rise to above normal, after a week of well-below normal temperatures. Now...
City asks permission to use land for waterpark, event centre
KAMLOOPS - The weather is cold outside but the city is looking ahead to warmer weather as staff continue to plan for the future of the Tournament Capital Ranch property — a future that could include a water park, exhibition centre, nature trail and picnic area in addition to agricultural uses. The nature trail and...
UPDATE: RCMP stopped traffic for 6 hours in Kamloops because of this ‘suspicious package’
KAMLOOPS - Police have received a tip to help them identify a package that closed an off-ramp on Overlanders Bridge Saturday, November 29. The Hillside Scouts Group was responsible for the construction of a red box with the letters TNT written on it as part of a Minecraft-inspired float, but the group did not plant the...
New council sworn in
DUDY LOOKS FORWARD TO FIRST TERM KAMLOOPS - A short ceremony Monday night was the first official business of the newly elected city council and with it the first day of a four-year term began. The nine newly-elected council members were led on stage by RCMP members in official red serge and and two bagpipers...
PHOTOS: Top decorating tips for the holidays
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - You have a tree. You have some ornaments. Maybe you even have some garland and ribbon. But if you are not sure what to do next, do not worry, we have some of the hottest tips from local designers to make sure your home is looking its best this holiday season. Kathy Underwood...
Cold snap still on, weekend to be warmer
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Yes, it is still cold outside. Colder than we want to admit and definitely colder than seasonal normals, but that will change by the weekend when the mercury finally rises above 0 Celsius again. After a heavy snowfall mid-week temperatures plummeted well below normal over the weekend, dropping to around -20 C plus...
Preview of Overlanders Bridge project plans
SET FOR SPRING CONSTRUCTION KAMLOOPS - Resurfacing of the Overlanders Bridge was originally set to take place in 2014 but when it was realized the sidewalk needed work too the project was put off a year. Now the city is ready to move ahead and will be hosting an open house to share the design...
Shaver reappointed as TRU president
KAMLOOPS - Alan Shaver remains at the helm of Thompson Rivers University with his reappointment as President and Vice-Chancellor, the board of governors at the university announced Friday. Students, faculty, staff and the community were surveyed in October and the board took the surveys, and the recommendation from the Presidential Review Committee, into consideration while...
IN PHOTOS: Holiday season officially begins
KAMLOOPS - Christmas lights have been making an appearance around the city since the beginning of the month — then Mother Nature coated the city in snow — and now, with the lighting of the Christmas tree at St. Andrews on the Square the holiday season is officially upon us. Dozens of people braved the...
Deep freeze begins
EXPECT COLD AND WIND THIS WEEKEND THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The system forecast to bring cold temperatures, wind and some snow to the region has engulfed Kamloops this morning and will fully reach Penticton by Saturday. Strong winds began in Kamloops Thursday afternoon and temperatures dropped to -7 Celsius by this morning. Over the day Friday temperatures...
New casino ups ante, looks to open by summer 2015
KAMLOOPS - An aggressive timeline has become even more aggressive as Gateway Casinos looks to relocate Lake City Casino from downtown to Aberdeen in time for a July 2015 opening. Gateway Casinos was originally looking at opening in October 2015 but with the recent approval of the necessary zoning requirements the company now hopes to...
Avalanche risk high this weekend
BACKCOUNTRY WARNING ISSUED THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A warning has been issued to all backcountry users this weekend as the risk of avalanche increases with the quick weather change headed our way. Avalanche Canada has issued a warning for mountains throughout the Interior, including Kootenay Boundary and the North and South Columbia ranges. The warning extends north...
Hundreds seek clarity on environmental assessment process
MORE CURIOSITY THAN OPPOSITION FOR AJAX KAMLOOPS - More than 860 people attended information sessions this week and even though the proposed Ajax Mine was the topic there were no protests, picket lines or large groups gathering at the Coast Hotel. While many were seeking more information on the environmental assessment process many more were...
UPDATE: Power restored after outages in downtown Kamloops
KAMLOOPS - About 90 customers were without power in the Lansdowne Village area of downtown Kamloops this afternoon. B.C. Hydro reported two separate outages along Lansdowne Street. The majority of customers lost power just before noon while another six lost it around 12:20 p.m. The initial outage was due to an equipment failure and was...
Snow Angels shovelling for seniors
KAMLOOPS - A program aimed at helping seniors with snow removal is in desperate need of volunteers after the heavy snow that fell on the city Wednesday. Rachel Verity with OnCore Central Services says they have been inundated with calls from seniors looking for help today. “We’ve had quite the flow of calls today,” Verity...
City spent nearly $1,300 for each person who attended budget meetings
THE HIGH COST OF TRYING TO INCREASE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT KAMLOOPS - The City spent nearly $60,000 trying to get citizens involved in budget discussions this year and only got 44 people to public meetings—or roughly $1,300 per person— and most councillors said that was too much. “$57,000 for 44 people to come to a budget...