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Jennifer Stahn
UPDATE: Power back on for nearly 22,000 West Kelowna customers
UPDATE - According to the B.C. Hydro website, power was restored at about 3:30 a.m. to nearly 22,000 customers. There's no word yet on the cause of the outage. WEST KELOWNA - Nearly 22,000 customers have been without power since about 6:30 p.m. thanks to a major hydro outage affecting homes and businesses in Westbank,...
Snow tire season is upon us
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Slushy sections hit the Connector for a brief time Tuesday afternoon and as of Wednesday morning winter tires are a requirement on most B.C. highways. While winter does not officially start until late December snow can fall, especially on mountain passes, a lot earlier and as a result provincial regulations require winter tires...
Interior Health hospitals middle of pack
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - People in the Interior are more likely than other Canadians to drink heavily but they are also more likely to be active, according to recent statistics for the Interior Health Authority that ranked the region in the middle of the pack across the country. A new website compares hospitals, health regions, provinces and...
Wells Gray wetland donated to TRU
KAMLOOPS - A wetland in Wells Gray Park has been donated to the local university in the hopes that research at the site will help in the bid in having the park designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The 160-acre parcel, donated by Roland and Anne Neave, will become an ‘exclusive living laboratory’ and...
ELECTIONS 2014: Let the filing begin
KAMLOOPS - Today is the day the civic elections really get rolling. It is the first day nomination papers can be filed for anyone interested in running for city council, regional director or school trustee. Nomination papers must be filed between Sept. 30 and Oct. 10 at City Hall and by Oct. 20 the candidates...
Province reviewing electoral boundaries
KAMLOOPS - The boundaries commission will be in Kamloops next week as the province looks for input on electoral districts for the next two provincial general elections. The B.C. Electoral Boundaries Commission will be looking for feedback on the area, boundaries and names of provincial electoral districts. The Kamloops districts — Kamloops-North Thompson and Kamloops-South...
Fire bans open up as autumn weather settles in
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Fall does not just mean sweater weather, it also means open fires are again allowed throughout the region as temperatures continue to drop. Open fires will be allowed in the Salmon Arm Fire Zone as of Wednesday, Oct. 1. The ban was lifted for the Clearwater Fire Zone on Sept. 15. B.C. Wildfire...
$6 billion cost of Ajax is ‘intuitive’ study authors say
KAMLOOPS - A figure released earlier this week pegging the cost to taxpayers of the proposed Ajax Mine at $6 billion was a 'conservative estimate,' according the authors of a year-long study. The costs could reach as high as $20 billion, they say. Dr. Dennis Karpiak, an internal medicine and respiratory disease specialist, and Ken...
STAHN: The changing landscape of politics
In some ways it’s amazing to see how the political landscape has changed in recent years and in other ways it’s surprising it’s taken this long. As we watch candidate after candidate step up to throw their hat in the ring of municipal politics, you can’t help but notice the slight shift in how they...
Doctors: Kamloops deserves same protection as Kitimat
KAMLOOPS - A local group of physicians say Kamloops has no more room for pollution and wants the province to provide more funding for air quality control in our city. Since the group formed in 2013, Kamloops Physicians for a Healthy Environment have been questioning the level of fine particulate matter already in the air...
THOMPSON: City focus should be on small business
KAMLOOPS - Yes Ajax is a big issue, but small businesses should be where the city focuses resources according to the most recent candidate to announce he is running for a city council seat. Glen Thompson, 51, moved to Kamloops earlier this year. He has been a community activist for most of his life and...
Kamloops’ Hicketts signs with Red Wings
DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings announced they have agreed to terms with defenseman Joe Hicketts on a three-year, entry-level contract. In accordance with club policy, additional details will not be disclosed. Hicketts, 18, signs his first NHL contract after attending Detroit’s development camp in July and playing for the club last week at the...
Get your fill of culture this weekend
KAMLOOPS - Arts, museums, photography, theatre and music are among the 15 free activities already planned for this weekend as part of the 5th anniversary of Culture Days in Kamloops. From free admission to hands-on workshops and ukuleles to hoop dancing, there will be many activities to help everyone create, celebrate and participate in the...
Labour council lending hand to candidates
KAMLOOPS - Several candidates have received endorsement from the Kamloops and District Labour Council after making it through the first round of interviews. Barb Nederpel, the first vice president of the labour council, says after a round of ‘speed dating’ type interviews with several candidates last week they decided to offer endorsement to Peter Kerek,...
Ajax could cost $40,000 per person?
KAMLOOPS - Economic impact from the proposed Ajax Mine could put the city in the red, to the tune of $6.28 billion, a report being released this week suggests. Dr. Dennis Karpiak, an internal medicine and respiratory disease specialist, and Ken Blawatt, a former university professor, looked at the ‘hidden costs’ of the mine, which...
UPDATE: Bepple wants back on council
KAMLOOPS - Former Coun. Nancy Bepple stepped down from her council seat in March due to health reasons but Wednesday morning she announced her intention to run in the upcoming election. Bepple said her health is now under control and it will not impact her ability to be serve the city. "It was a chronic...
ELECTION 2014: Innovation changes everything in this campaign
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Knocking on doors, shaking hands, advertising and putting up signs: If you ran for council anytime before the last 10 years, that’s how you got exposure. If you ran in 2011, you probably added Facebook and Twitter to your arsenal. But this year, candidates have all the tools of a major political party...
B.C. underwater expedition may have revealed earliest site of human habitation
VANCOUVER – Researchers using a robotic underwater vehicle off British Columbia's northern coast believe they may have found the earliest evidence of human habitation in Canada.
Canada’s big announcement at UN climate summit is to follow the U.S. lead
UNITED NATIONS, – U.S. President Barack Obama didn't just make announcements on behalf of his own country at today's United Nations climate summit — he got to make Canada's, too.
Police officers deliver pizza after delivery driver is injured in Oregon crash
PORTLAND, Ore. – Police officers often deliver citations, and in urgent circumstances they've been known to deliver a baby. Now, here comes pizza.
B.C. privacy responses taking step backwards, says commissioner’s report
VICTORIA – B.C. Information and Privacy Commissioner Elizabeth Denham says provincial government response to access to information requests is getting slower.
Prolific fraudster at it again
KELOWNA - A man known as a serial scammer is believed to be behind the latest string of reports in Kelowna. Police investigators say it appears a 40-year-old Kelowna man with a long list of convictions appears to be at it again, often using the story of a broken down truck or claiming he's a...
Police: 3 people, including gunman, killed in shooting at UPS facility in Birmingham, Alabama
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Police say three people have been killed in a shooting at a UPS facility in Birmingham, Alabama.
Kamloops airport numbers continue to gain altitude
KAMLOOPS - Nearly 20,000 more travellers have passed through the gates at Fulton Field compared to this time last year, keeping the Kamloops Airport on track for another record year. More than 27,400 travellers used the airport in August 2014, up nine per cent over the same month the year before and bringing the year-to-date...