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Jennifer Stahn
Teachers give strike notice
JOB ACTION BEGINS APRIL 23 THOMPSON-OKANAGAN — The teachers union and the province are still very far apart in negotiations and as a result teachers have served 72 hour notice for stage one job action. On Wednesday, April 23 teachers will begin a ‘low level’ stage one, which means teachers will no longer be doing...
NHL playoffs filled with Rockets, Blazers, Vees and Vipers
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN — The National Hockey League playoffs began this week and all but three of the 16 teams that made it to the first round have a player that at some point played for Kamloops or Kelowna during their Western Hockey League career. In total, 17 former Blazers or Rockets are playing in the playoffs...
Heavy snow on highways for long weekend
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN — If you plan on travelling during the Easter long weekend allow for extra time—highway passes are expected to get heavy snowfall before the time Good Friday rolls around. A Pacific cold front moving across the Interior will bring precipitation this morning and up to 10 cm of snow to the higher summits including...
Annual meteor shower lights the sky this week
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Next week do yourself a favour and spend an early morning under the falling stars. The annual Lyrid meteor shower, during which you could see dozens of 'shooting stars', runs from about April 16-25 this year. While there is a chance of seeing the meteors on the days leading up to and after...
Evacuations rescinded, fires turned over to local crews
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - In total five homes were evacuated by the Bridge River Indian Band while 21 firefighters and two helicopters worked to control a 17 hectare wildfire burning north of Lillooet Monday evening. Fire Information Officer Kayla Pepper says the evacuation has since been rescinded and crews were able to leave the site with minimal...
Art, heritage merger unwelcome
KAMLOOPS - It's a showdown between the arts and heritage commissions—staff want them to merge to help offset low meeting turnouts but some members say they are concerned their voices won't be heard if it goes through. Council was set to discuss the merger earlier this month but heritage commission members are concerned it will...
Slick thief gets away after robbery at adult store
KAMLOOPS — A lone man quickly got away after robbing an adult shop on the North Shore just before 10 p.m. Sunday night. Police say a caucasian man with his face covered by a white winter jacket and wearing blue jeans entered Adultz at 253 Tranquille Rd. just prior to closing. Armed with an X-acto...
Chocolate is better when it comes to bunnies
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN — Easter is just around the corner and for those of you trying to figure out what to get the kids this holiday the B.C. SPCA wants you to think stuffed and chocolate rabbits, not live ones. Live rabbits, chicks and ducks do not make good Easter gifts, and often go neglected soon after...
Evacuations issued as wildfires near homes by Merritt, Lillooet
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN — The first evacuations of the season took place this afternoon as a quick moving wildfire closed in on four homes near Lillooet. Initial attack crews make up the majority of the 21 firefighters on scene and are being aided by two helicopters and a water tender as they work to keep the fire,...
Mayor not surprised by time spent on budget items
KAMLOOPS - News last week showing council's preoccupation with small-time items in this year's budget discussions may have raised a few eyebrows, but not Mayor Peter Milobar. The Kamloops Mayor says the relationship between time and dollar value is pretty common across all municipalities. “Fundamentally it doesn't surprise me, the inverse relationship between time and...
Canada Post cutbacks continue
KAMLOOPS — Canada Post services in Kamloops have been altered by the restructuring of the downtown retail office and now some outlying offices will also see changes. Beginning the week of May 5 the offices at Heffley Creek and Savona will no longer offer Saturday retail service. A reduction in hours at the McLure office...
Seeing red – eclipsed moon and mars both visible tonight
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN — A lunar eclipse is expected to make an appearance overnight and those willing to wait up for it will be treated to a rare treat, a red moon. Mars will come within 92.4 million km of Earth tonight, the closest approach to our planet since January 2008. The ‘red planet’ will resemble a...
Thieves targeting different neighbourhoods
KAMLOOPS — Theft from vehicles is not new, but it is happening in Kamloops and people are taking notice. Thieves have been targeting a different area of the city every night, breaking into vehicles and stealing whatever they can get their hands on. “Two nights ago in Pineview we had three vehicles broken into,” Cpl....
Direct flight to Edmonton a go
KAMLOOPS — Just a couple weeks after the city asked Air Canada to consider a direct flight between Edmonton and Kamloops WestJet has announced they will be launching that exact service early next year. A daily non-stop direct flight via WestJet Encore will begin Feb. 15, 2015 and will arrive at Kamloops at 3:15 p.m....
UPDATE: Power restored to more than 5,700 customers
KAMLOOPS — Expect a few people late to work and school this morning because some alarm clocks didn't go off this morning. Many people in Kamloops woke up to no power. B.C. Hydro reported two outages affecting the Aberdeen, Upper Sahali, Knustford and Rosehill areas as well as customers further south along Highway 5A. In...
Citizens recognized for their contributions to the community
Kamloops – A reception will be held tonight at Hotel 540 to honour the recipients of the City of Kamloops Distinguished Service Award. Mr. Jeff Arnold, Mr. Charlie Bruce, Mr. Edward Erickson, Mr. Raymond Jolicoeur, Mrs. Claire Moreau, Mr. Andrew Philpot, Mrs. Helen Saemerow and Ms. Janice Yeung were nominated by their peers for their...
Law Week 2014 | Access to Justice: What does it mean to YOU?
The Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch (CBABC), is pleased to announce Law Week 2014; a week of province-wide celebrations, including public education law classes, courthouse tours, mock trials, Legal Health Check, and a public speaking contest for high school students. Law Day, April 10, 2014 is a national celebration of the signing of Canada’s Charter...
Monster Trucks one of several movies planned for 2014
KAMLOOPS — The current movie being filmed in Kamloops, Monster Trucks, is just one of several large productions expected to be in the city this year. Thompson-Nicola Film Commission Executive Director Vicci Weller says while she cannot talk about the movie that is filming around town she is excited to have some big stars walking...
Most housing numbers up over last year
KAMLOOPS - March was a strong month for housing in Kamloops with 24 single family dwelling building permits issued, triple the number issued in 2013. In total 72 residential units were approved in March, more than triple the number in 2013, bringing the year over year total for the first three months of 2014 to...
Budget 2014: Time is not money for city councillors
HOW COUNCILLORS SPENT TIME DEBATING BUDGET KAMLOOPS — Councillors spent 75 per cent of this year's budget debating just 15 per cent of expenditures. We know, because we've been tracking the 275 minutes councillors spent publicly debating the city's supplementary budget—their wish list above fixed costs of running the city. We suspected—and confirmed—councillors would spend...
Teacher suspended following assault
KAMLOOPS — A South Kamloops Secondary School teacher began a two-week suspension this week following a November 2012 assault on a Grade 9 student. The school district reported the incident Nov. 26, 2012, just over three weeks after Andrew Russell Coates used physical force on a student following an altercation with the student in the...
Public to weigh in on food trucks
KAMLOOPS — Locally owned food trucks could soon be the norm downtown if a pilot program gets the nod from the public. Council has approved a public hearing to discuss the idea, which has come up on request from current food truck operators and local business associations. In January Kamloops Central Business Improvement Area General...
How not to complain to city hall
KAMLOOPS – In the world of social media it appears some people may assume if…
Big industry wants bigger tax breaks
KAMLOOPS - The heavy industry players in Kamloops have been asking for a tax break for almost eight years and while council agreed to hold the line this year the four big companies still want to see more done. Last year council agreed to a last minute change in the budget, allowing a small break...