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Jennifer Stahn
Their dream would put Kamloops voters on top
KAMLOOPS - A group is sharing their dreams of having half of all eligible voters actually vote in the upcoming municipal elections, which would put Kamloops in the top third of all B.C. communities for voter turnout. In 2011 only 29.76 per cent of the more than 65,000 eligible voters in Kamloops cast ballots. In...
Endless summer in B.C…. snow in Alberta?
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Mother Nature is welcoming some Alberta kids back to school in Canadian style today — with a snow storm. The southeast corner of Alberta, from Brooks to the B.C. border, is currently under a heavy rainfall warning but combined with temperatures hovering not much above zero some areas are instead seeing wet snow....
What you can do to prevent bear conflicts this fall
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Hide your picnic baskets and tuck away your garbage cans, it’s high season for bears as they look to take in about 20,000 calories per day before settling in to hibernate for the winter. WildSafeBC Provincial Coordinator Frank Ritcey says bear sightings in the month of August were more than the four previous...
At least someone’s getting a laugh over the teachers’ strike
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - It appears someone working for the provincial government's web department has added a little ironic wit—if not annoying editorial—to the rhetoric on the teachers strike. When all hope of ending the teachers strike before Sept. 2 was lost on the weekend, the B.C. government opened up its website so parents can register to...
Small fire forces evacuation at Mission Meadows
KELOWNA - A small fire in the kitchen of a first floor condo on Casorso Road forced the evacuation of the Mission Meadows complex Tuesday. The building's fire alarm system notified Kelowna Fire at 11:39 a.m. at the same time a neighbour noticed smoke coming from unit 108 directly opposite the main entrance and lobby. Captain...
Internet video purports to show beheading of US reporter Steven Sotloff by Islamic State group
BEIRUT – An Internet video posted online Tuesday purported to show the beheading of U.S. journalist Steven Sotloff by the Islamic State group, which called it retribution for continued U.S. airstrikes in Iraq.
McLachlan adds Kamloops stop
KAMLOOPS - Love Sarah McLachlan but are disappointed you cannot make the Kelowna show? Not to worry, a Kamloops date was announced this week and tickets are set to go on sale Friday. McLachlan’s Shine On tour will be heading through B.C. the last half of October and while most tour dates were announced back...
STAHN: One more loss to the teachers strike
I always loved back to school time as a kid. It meant new clothes, new school supplies and getting to see all my friends again after what seemed like forever. This year students have been stripped of that experience and parents have been denied the ability to plan and schedule based on a normal school...
‘Secret’ new bike trail system creating conflicts
KAMLOOPS - The Coal Hill area linking Aberdeen and Pineview Valley has been a popular place to hike and bike for a number of years. Now a group is quietly working to establish some official trails but not everyone is happy about it. The Kamloops Performance Cycling Center, the group that runs the Bike Ranch...
Summer winding down with long weekend activities
KAMLOOPS - This weekend marks the unofficial end of summer for many people and with it also brings the end of several notable summer activities, including Music in the Park and alpine hiking at Sun Peaks. The final weekend of Music in the Park brings Sabrina Weeks to the McDonald Park stage Friday night and...
Keep control of campfires this weekend
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Most campfire bans have been lifted heading into the Labour Day long weekend but that does not mean you should be careless with your fires while camping. B.C. Wildfire is reminding people to use extreme caution while out camping or in the backcountry. Last weekend, just days after the campfire ban was lifted...
UPDATE: Coq reopened after tour bus crash, 43 injured
MERRITT - A rollover has injured 43 people on board a tour bus and shut down the Coquihalla Highway between Merritt and Hope Thursday afternoon. Kelsie Carwithen of B.C. Ambulance Service says they got the call at 3 p.m. of an incident 30 kilometres south of Merritt involving a tour bus. They dispatched six air...
Local teachers’ union called out for lack of harassment policy
KAMLOOPS - A lack of policy to deal with harassment and bullying has the local teachers’ union in hot water with WorkSafe B.C. The Kamloops Thompson Teachers’ Association was handed an order in April for not having a policy in place, which came after WorkSafe looked into a complaint about bullying. David Komljenovic says it...
Hot Wednesday hits records, cools off for long weekend
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - It was the last hot day of August Wednesday with temperatures soaring into the 30s across the region, and while several cities closed in on record highs only Vernon hit the mark. Yesterday Vernon hit 33.5 Celsius, hot enough to tie the record set in 1986, and Kelowna also came close but couldn’t...
Royalty to visit Kelowna wineries
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you are enamoured by royalty mark Sept. 16 on your calendar, the Earl and Countess of Wessex will be in Kelowna as part of a whirlwind tour of B.C. The tour will begin Sept. 12 in Victoria with a review of the Guard of Honour from the Royal Canadian Navy and on...
Teachers asked to ‘voluntarily stand down’
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - In an effort to get negotiations moving, Education Minister Peter Fassbender met with the lead negotiators today and asked teachers to ‘voluntarily stand down and let classes start while the parties are in mediation.’ Fassbender met with B.C. Teachers’ Federation President Jim Iker and B.C. Public School Employers’ Association representative Peter Cameron Wednesday...
Glover looks for city council seat
KAMLOOPS - After 18 years as a school trustee, Annette Glover is looking to make the jump to city councillor in the next election. She made the announcement this week as nomination forms became available for pickup. Glover, a former medical lab technician, has also been involved with different city committees and a volunteer with...
Manhunt for report of armed man ends quickly
KAMLOOPS - A man police believed was armed with multiple guns was the subject of a brief manhunt in Kamloops this afternoon. RCMP Cpl. Cheryl Bush says police responded to a complaint of 'an individual (who) is somewhat distraught (and) may be in the possession of a firearm’ around 12:30 p.m. Bush says they were...
UPDATE: Severe thunderstorm watch ends
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A severe thunderstorm watch issued this morning has been lifted for Kamloops, Vernon and the Shuswap. Environment Canada issued the watch for nine different regions, include the North and South Thompson, the North Okanagan and the Shuswap, this morning. The watch extended north through the Cariboo and east to the Alberta border in...
Crews chasing abandoned campfires after ban ends
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The first weekend after the campfire ban was lifted, B.C. Wildfire crews were called to put out abandoned campfires across the region that could have resulted in much larger fires. “We had nine abandoned campfires, we definitely did see the number of calls go up,” Fire Information Officer Kayla Pepper says. “It is...
Kamloops teachers back to picket lines
KAMLOOPS - The pickets are back up as we close in on the last week of summer break, and with that the hope of being able to start school on time is dwindling. After a break over the summer, teachers hit the pavement again Monday and plan to be there every day until a deal...
Heartland stars rolling through town
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you are a fan of Heartland get your cameras ready, the stars of the hit Canadian show tour Southern B.C. raising funds for Sophie’s Place during a six-day motorcycle marathon. The Cruise with a Cause marathon began Monday and first stopped in Whistler. Tuesday the stars will make their way to Cache...
Budget talks begin early
KAMLOOPS - It is only August but Kamloops city staff are getting a jump on the 2015 budget discussions by asking council to approve several items for the upcoming budget requests. It does not mean these items will be be part of the budget, it simply means staff was asking council to approve them to...
Sun Peaks saying goodbye to summer with style
KAMLOOPS - The Arkells, Hey Ocean! and Elliott Brood will be among those taking to the stage as part of the Sun Peaks Summer Send-off weekend. The free concerts will take place Aug. 30-31 on the main stage, slope side of the Village Day Lodge, while other free events and performances will take place at...