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Jennifer Stahn
Festival full of art, entertainment and food
KAMLOOPS - The sights, sounds and smells of the annual downtown Spring Festival will take over the downtown core this week. The festival kicks off the summer-long Festival of Experiences and during these first three days many retailers will be holding sales and special events such as live music, children’s activities, information booths, yoga and...
Help find this stolen tricycle
KAMLOOPS - Tuesday afternoon a custom tricycle used by a girl with special needs was stolen from a home on Renfrew Avenue. The blue and silver trike was made for the teenage girl and has the word ‘Mission’ on the frame while the pedals have straps on them. The seat is large with a back...
Rivers Trail under water as river rises
KAMLOOPS - By Friday the Thompson River rose enough to warrant concern about flowing debris and now the Rivers Trail is nearly impassable after a long weekend filled with rain. The majority of rain fell north of the city, swelling the Thompson River from just under five metres at the end of last week to...
‘Bin wars’ will not play out in city parks
KAMLOOPS - City parks will not be the site of any ‘bin wars’ in the near future because two charities currently collecting clothes in the city will have to continue collecting on private property. The Canadian Diabetes Association originally approached the city to allow their Clothesline program bins in city parks and the Big Brothers...
Petcetera officially closing
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN — There were suspicions and rumours circulating that local stores would be shutting the doors following an announcement in March Petcetera had filed for creditor protection and now we know for sure both Kamloops and Penticton are among the stores to be shut down over the next six weeks. The company announced Monday the...
Changes to handicap parking on Nicola
KAMLOOPS - Complaints over inadequate space for dropping off or picking up of disabled persons at 321 Nicola St. has city staff looking at options for changing the parking in that area. The issue first arose in November when People in Motion complained about the inadequate space, which often left the HandiDart having to stop...
Wet long weekend could be filled with rainbows
KAMLOOPS - May long weekend could be filled with showers but it is set to be punctuated by the sun on holiday Monday, great news for anyone looking to take in one of the many outdoor activities happening in Kamloops. For those searching for adventure Friday, rain late in the afternoon or evening might cause...
Teacher negotiations moved forward
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN — The province announced Thursday it would remove the 10-year term from the table and the teachers’ union president says it’s a relief to finally see it off the table. “It shows the government is willing to get more serious about it and we are happy about that,” B.C. Teachers’ Federation President Jim Iker...
Infotel contest winner plans family trip
KAMLOOPS - Eva Ujiye and her family were not planning a big trip this year, they couldn’t think of what to do. So when she was named the grand prize winner of the InfoTel Multimedia’s houseboat vacation contest she knew it was the perfect opportunity for a family getaway. “I’m so excited,” she says. “We...
Two days of searching for lost man ends well
KAMLOOPS - A Kamloops Search and Rescue member says luck and teamwork were the biggest factors in rescuing an avid outdoorsman lost near Clinton this week. Mike Ritcey, a long time member of and dog handler with the local rescue group, says they were called out around 1 p.m. Tuesday when a caretaker failed to...
UPDATE: Power largely restored
KAMLOOPS - Traffic lights were not working and more than 1,400 customers were without power in downtown Kamloops following a large power outage this afternoon. The first outage came just before 2:30 p.m. and hit the area of Sahali Terrace and Pemberton Terrace. More than 70 customers are affected in that area. B.C. Hydro identified...
High school trades students face delays
KAMLOOPS - A significant number of students will be affected by a delay in the construction of the new NorKam Trades Centre of Excellence. School District 73 Superintendent Terry Sullivan says they were expecting the centre to be ready for the beginning of the school year but construction delays mean it won’t be ready until...
Chase man drowns after capsizing
KAMLOOPS — A 74-year-old Chase man is dead after the boat he was in capsized in the frigid waters of Niskonlith Lake Monday afternoon. Walter Sylvester Oleksyn was fishing about 30 metres off shore with a family member on May 12. The14-foot aluminum skiff overturned and they were tossed in the lake. The other person...
Chamber & TD call for Kamloops citizens to nominate their favourites
KAMLOOPS — The Kamloops Chamber of Commerce and TD Bank Group announced today that the call for nominations has officially begun for the 2014 Business Excellence Awards. “It’s time again for everyone to nominate the business or person that has gone above and beyond within our community,” stated Aleece Laird, President of the Kamloops Chamber...
Traffic, noise top casino concerns
KAMLOOPS - Concerns heard from those who attended the open houses for the proposed Aberdeen casino are much in line with what the company was expecting to hear and was already planning to look in to, according to a company spokesperson. Tanya Gabara, the Director of Public Relations for Gateway Casinos, says attendance has been...
UPDATE: Temporary North Shore payment office approved
KAMLOOPS - McArthur Island residents won't need to travel to City Hall this year to pay taxes after a pilot project for a local payment site was approved. Staff asked council to approve the project allowing for a payment processing site at McArthur Island Sport and Event Centre for the 2014 property tax season. Part...
Coop coup at council
KAMLOOPS - Six hens are being allowed to roost at their Heffley Creek home a little longer thanks to some chicken-loving council members. Lyann Wourms lives in a semi-rural area in Heffley Creek. Her property backs onto a large treed portion of crown land and about a year ago she brought home six laying hens....
Kamloops residential construction continues to grow
KAMLOOPS - Kamloops continues to be a leader in single family building permits for 2014, up by about 65 per cent over the same time period last year. There was a slight gain in permit numbers in April over last year, up to 14 from 12. The year to date numbers sit at 48 this...
School district bans e-cigarettes
KAMLOOPS - Without much discussion the school district board easily passed an amendment to the smoke-free policy banning e-cigarettes and related items on school grounds. Staff recognized the need to change the policy, which is intended to keep the school grounds smoke-free, to include electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) based on advice from health agencies. “They’re not...
Oil spill drill
KAMLOOPS - Kinder Morgan runs regular emergency response training exercises for staff and this year they decided it's time for a lesson on how to clean up the river in an oil spill. On Wednesday, May 14, Kinder Morgan staff, local officials, emergency planners, first responders and First Nations representatives will be on hand at...
Help these kittens get the care they need
KAMLOOPS - While staff and volunteers at the local B.C. SPCA branch rally to work towards the goal of $40,000 in the City Challenge fundraiser, several cats in dire need of special, and expensive, care have come into the shelter recently, increasing the need for those funds even more. Wesley came in with a fractured...
Water rising in Kamloops
KAMLOOPS - Rising and rushing water has the city asking people to be careful near smaller tributaries as well as near ditches and culverts. Peterson, Tranquille and Campbell creeks are among the creeks already affected by high water flow and this fast moving water not only makes the water unsafe, it also can cause the...
Incentives to build affordable housing
KAMLOOPS - Builders in Kamloops now have even more incentive to provide affordable housing thanks to a city initiative meant to help eliminate homelessness in our community. The city, in partnership with the Kamloops Homelessness Action Plan and HomeFree, is now offering packages for developers providing affordable housing. The package outlines all the current incentives...
Screams deter would-be robber
KAMLOOPS — A woman's screams warded off an armed man who tried to rob her Sunday evening. The woman was talking on her phone while waiting for the bus on Columbia Avenue near Greenstone Drive around 7 p.m. on Mother’s Day when a man with a knife demanded she hand over her purse and phone....