Elevate your local knowledge
Sign up for the iNFOnews newsletter today!
Jennifer Stahn
What Monday will look like for back to school
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Schools across the province are set to reopen to students Monday now that the provincial government and teachers have successfully negotiated a new contract. Many districts are adopting ‘normal opening day procedures’ for Monday, Sept. 22 and here is a breakdown of what you can expect in each district. Individual schools may adopt...
Candidate pro-business, anti-Ajax
KAMLOOPS - A candidate for Kamloops city council says he can provide the fresh eyes needed to help promote innovative ideas for the city. Andrew Miller questions decisions made by the current council, from parking kiosks to the temporary tax office and the pay increase. “I believe it is the duty of each and every...
The agreement that got teachers back to school
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Teachers agreed to a new contract with the government after more than 18 months of negotiations and while not all the details have been released a picture of the deal is starting to emerge. Negotiations began in February 2013 and by the end of the school year the contract expired. Negotiations continued through...
Final weekend of summer bringing the heat
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The first day of fall is around the corner, but before it arrives, we get the chance to bask in the final weekend of summer. The autumnal equinox falls on Tuesday, Sept. 22 in our part of the world, marking the end of summer and the beginning of fall. Before that can happen...
STAHN: Will being emotional pay off for Cavers?
As we head into civic elections this year, most politicians try to keep their heads down, avoid controversy and charm voters. But Coun. Donovan Cavers—never shy about voicing his opinions and feelings—seems to be taking the contrarian view. He's getting more vocal. In each of the past two council meetings, Cavers has spoken out against...
Teachers vote yes, school back in session next week
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The teachers vote is in and school will be back in session next week. A total of 75 per cent of teachers cast ballots Thursday with more than 27,000 voting to accept the agreement. The number of teachers voting was up significantly from ratification votes in 2006 and 2012 and on par with...
Budget ramped up for John Tod centre
KAMLOOPS - The finishing touches are being installed as a crew hustles to complete the conversion of John Tod from a school to a community centre — and now a parking lot has been added to the 2014 to-do list. Work began on the $2.2 million conversion earlier this year but the city planned to...
Speed dating for candidate support
KAMLOOPS - If it works for dating why not for candidate endorsement? The Kamloops and District Labour Council chose to use a ‘speed dating’ style evening to interview city council candidates this week. Barb Nederpel, first vice president of the council, says they had five city council candidates and one school board trustee candidate attend...
Districts planning for back to school
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - As teachers make their decision today whether to ratify a contract agreement with the province, school boards are busy making plans in the hopes that students will be back in school next week. Several districts have already reached out to parents to let them know the plan for next week and most are...
Young politician seeks council seat
KAMLOOPS - The former student union president of Thompson Rivers University has tossed his hat in the ring this week in the hopes of adding a more youthful presence to the city council table. Dustin McIntyre recently graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree and works as a community support worker for adults with special...
Another Kamloops church getting into residential real estate development
KAMLOOPS - Just a week after a downtown church officially broke ground on a residential development, council a similar development is in process on the North Shore. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of All Saints on 8 Street is looking to rezone a portion of its property to allow for the construction of a four-storey building...
UPDATE: Historic 6-year term, more teachers part of new agreement
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A tentative deal has been reached between teachers and the province and that means students could be back in school as early as Monday. Kamloops-Thompson Teachers Association President David Komljenovic sits on the bargaining committee for the B.C. Teachers’ Federation. He confirmed following a marathon bargaining session ending early Tuesday morning that Monday...
Mixed feelings over Cavers’ ‘incompetent’ comment
KAMLOOPS - Today is the first council meeting since Coun. Donovan Cavers was called out by his colleagues for a personal attack fuelled by the Ajax mine debate. Since then, Cavers has refused to back down while a vocal minority shared their opinions of his tactics. Cavers was upset with a response from the province's...
Teacher strike 2014: The timeline
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A lot has happened since negotiations began on the latest contract for B.C. teachers and it’s easy to lose track of how we got to where we are today. Here we take a look back at the basics, where we are and what steps the B.C. Teachers’ Federation and the B.C. Public School...
Weekend of art, fishing and running
KAMLOOPS - You can tell it’s fall when community events start to move back indoors, but there are still a couple outdoor events this weekend to help you enjoy the slightly above normal temperatures and sunshine we are expecting. You can kick off a fresh-air weekend with the Lure a Cure Fishing Derby up at...
Stronger showing of northern lights expected tonight
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - We’re getting a second chance at the northern lights tonight thanks to a second blow from the sun, and this one could be even stronger thanks to the storms combining as they hit the Earth. The National Space Weather Prediction Center says a ‘moderate’ storm hit Earth late Thursday night (in the Pacific...
Strong month for residential permits
KAMLOOPS - It was a good month for single family construction in Kamloops with twice the number of permits issued this August over the same month in 2013. With 22 single family dwelling permits issued at a value of $6.7 million, we saw a significant jump from the 11 permits valued at $3.9 million issued...
How to make your night sky photography stand out
5 TIPS FOR BETTER PHOTOS THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – If you’re like many people out there you’d…
Premier Christy Clark coming to Kamloops
KAMLOOPS - Premier Christy Clark is on her way to Kamloops to talk about business and community issues. The Kamloops Chamber of Commerce is hosting a luncheon on Sept. 17 with Clark and the members of cabinet, but you need to register by noon on Friday, Sept. 12. Clark will speak at the luncheon and...
Keep your eyes to the sky Thursday night
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If the skies stay clear, and they are supposed to, we could be in a for a great northern lights show Thursday night. The National Space Weather Prediction Center says a ‘moderate’ storm is expected to hit Earth late Thursday night (in the Pacific time zone) before downgrading to a ‘minor’ storm in...
‘Stomp in the Mission’ a huge success
Kelowna – RCMP Auxiliary Constable Program raises $8,401 through the “Stomp in the Mission” and gives to local charity. On Friday, Sept. 5 the Kelowna Auxiliary Constable Program hosted a local event called the “Stomp in the Mission” that included a dance and silent auction, where all funds raised were given to the Pathways Abilities...
Can Kamloops beat Kelowna?
KAMLOOPS - What better way to increase voter turnout than by placing a wager on it? Coun. Arjun Singh is a supporter of the Kamloops 50 initiative, a group looking to increase voter turnout in the November election to 50 per cent from just under 30 per cent as happened in 2011, and he's extending...
Zombie Shuffle part of 2014 Torch Run
KAMLOOPS - Local RCMP officers are gearing up for the second annual Torch Run and to spice things up this year they are including zombies. The Bridging the Gap Law Enforcement Torch Run is put on by the local RCMP detachment and is set to raise money for Special Olympics B.C. Last year about $2,500...
Cavers shoots the messenger before council takes away his gun
KAMLOOPS - Mayor and councillors may disagree with the lack of additional public input being provided for the proposed Ajax Mine but refused to endorse one councillor's personal attack over the issue. In a recent letter to council, Scott Bailey with the Environmental Assessment Office, agreed to host a public information session on the environmental...