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Kamloops
Kamloops man banned from courts after misrepresenting himself as lawyer: Law Society
KAMLOOPS - The Law Society of B.C. took action against over a dozen people falsely representing themselves as legal professionals this year, including a Kamloops man who is now banned from the courts. In a media release today, Nov. 30, the society provided the list of those prohibited from practicing law. Between March 1 and...
Cattle rustler convicted in Kamloops starved cows to cover up theft: Rancher
KAMLOOPS - Ranch hand Jason John McDowell was sentenced in Kamloops earlier this month for defrauding his Cache Creek employer and stealing cows from an Alberta ranch owner. But somehow the sentencing judge never heard half the most damning allegations: He didn’t just sell his boss’s cattle, he nearly starved off his entire herd to...
Construction worker remains in critical condition after 20-foot fall
KAMLOOPS - A construction worker remains in the intensive care unit at Royal Inland Hospital following a 20-foot fall at a local worksite. The 45-year-old man from Vancouver was working on a construction project in the 1800-block of Highway 5A on Nov. 25 when he fell from a scissor lift to the concrete floor. Staff...
City of Kamloops may consider adding another sheet of ice after packed schedule for recreation groups
KAMLOOPS - Administrators at the City of Kamloops have managed to accommodate all recreational groups in need of ice time, although the schedule remains packed after one rink closed indefinitely earlier this year. Civic facilities manager Jeff Putnam says even though peak skating times were already booked by the summer, he’s happy to report all...
What a Kamloops man discovered about himself on a long and difficult road
KAMLOOPS – Hal Bennett shouldn’t be alive. For years, he ignored his own diabetes and destroyed his kidneys with decades of alcohol, heroin and cocaine abuse. At one time, he couldn’t even stay clean long enough to save his own life and remain eligible for a transplant. But this fall, with nearly four years’ sobriety,...
Brent Butt to make only B.C. stop in Kamloops on cross-Canada tour
KAMLOOPS - Canadian comedian Brent Butt will make a stop in Kamloops next year for a stand-up show. The creator and star of CTV sitcom show Corner Gas will perform at the Sagebrush Theatre on March 20. The Kamloops show will be the last stop on his cross-Canada tour and is the only stop scheduled...
Breast feeding cafes help local moms connect
KAMLOOPS - After a positive experience with a Breast Feeding Cafe in Penticton, Sage Thomas felt motivated to start a similar group in Kamloops when she moved here over a year ago. "It’s just a drop in group where we can get together and hangout and talk. Babies and siblings are welcome and even pregnant...
Operation Red Nose will give you a ride home in Kamloops
KAMLOOPS – The car service that helps you get home safely after having a little too much to drink is back. Operation Red Nose kicks off the annual service tonight, Nov. 27, in Kamloops and will accept calls for rides from 9 p.m. until 3 a.m. program coordinator Katie Klassen says. “Last year we gave...
Suspects in Merritt car-jacking face assault charges in court
MERRITT - Two suspects arrested after an alleged car-jacking turned into a police standoff at a Merritt hotel are in court today. Samantha Kathleen Vleeming, born 1990, and Cory Claudio Battilana, born 1984, were arrested Nov. 25 after police followed up on a report of an attempted car-jacking at gunpoint. A man allegedly offered two...
Kamloops and Salmon Arm filmmakers receive $10,000 for digital shorts
KAMLOOPS - Two aspiring filmmakers from Kamloops and Salmon Arm were selected to receive $10,000 each from Telus to produce short films. Kamloops native Simon Ryder and Tabatha Golat from Salmon Arm were chosen to be part of 15 finalists in the company's Storyhive project, a funding program for film shorts. Ryder worked as a...
Police use DNA evidence to identify and arrest suspect in Kamloops sex assault case from 2009
KAMLOOPS - Police have been able to identify and arrest a suspect in connection with a sex assault case from 2009 with DNA evidence. After issuing a Canada-wide warrant for Taylor James Howard Matchett on Nov. 25 the suspect was picked up in Edmonton the following day. Matchett is charged with sexual assault involving a...
Inmate busted after checking in to jail with $600 worth of meth
KAMLOOPS - An inmate at Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre will spend an extra four months in jail after he was found to be in possession of methamphetamine. Christopher Robert Hubley, 30, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a controlled substance today, Nov. 26 in Kamloops Provincial Court. Federal Crown prosecutor Anthony Varesi said when...
Faculty association asks TRU to engage in ‘productive bargaining’ with threat of strike
KAMLOOPS – After 45 minutes of bargaining, it appears Thompson Rivers University has staved off a strike for another week. The university’s faculty association met with the school's administration on Wednesday, Nov. 24 and the talks were described by the association as "respectful" leaving them with the opinion an agreement could be reached. According to the...
Teller at Kamloops bank under house arrest for stealing thousands from employer
KAMLOOPS - A former Bank of Montreal teller will spend the next four months under house arrest after stealing more than $16,000 from his employer to gamble at the casino. David Somyos Hammond, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of theft over $5,000 today, Nov. 26, in Kamloops Provincial Court. Hammond, a Thompson Rivers University...
Bizarre crime spree involving arson, dangerous driving nets Kamloops man four months in jail
KAMLOOPS - A local man says he was going through a ‘very traumatic year’ before he went on a bizarre crime spree which involved playing chicken with fellow drivers and setting a man’s truck on fire. Kamloops Provincial Court Judge Chris Cleaveley sentenced David Kevin Moen, 46, to roughly four months in jail after he...
New Life focuses on Christmas programs and looks to do even more
KAMLOOPS – A Kamloops community organization is hoping to reach out and help more people this Christmas. New Life Community Kamloops, previously called the New Life Mission, wants to focus on the social aspect of the holiday season says executive director Stan Dueck. Christmas dinner is still planned for the Dec. 24 but Dueck says...
Get in the Christmas spirit with these holiday events around Kamloops
KAMLOOPS - If the unseasonably cold weather isn’t enough to help send you into a panic that Christmas is getting close, the holiday events starting this week should give you the boost of Christmas spirit you need to get through the next month. The official kick off to the holidays starts Thursday night, Nov. 26,...
Construction worker in hospital after 20’ fall in Kamloops
KAMLOOPS - A construction worker is in hospital with critical injuries after a fall from about 20 feet this afternoon. The 45-year-old Vancouver man was working at a construction site in the 1800-block of Highway 5A, near Original Joe’s restaurant, around 3:45 p.m. today, Nov. 25, when he fell about 20 feet from a scissor...
Photo of Kamloops teen jokingly asking PM Trudeau to prom goes viral
KAMLOOPS - A local high school student is learning the power social media has after posting a photo of her inviting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to be her prom date. After breaking up with her boyfriend last Friday, Nov. 20, Kashlee Taylor-Proulx, 17, decided she needed a joke to make her smile. Now without a...
Judge dismisses accused’s claim fight was ‘consensual’ in Kamloops domestic assault case
KAMLOOPS - A man who said he and his girlfriend had a consensual fight which caused him to head butt, choke and bite her is now convicted of assault after a provincial court judge said she didn’t believe his testimony as an excuse for his violence. Kamloops Provincial Court Judge Stella Frame called Ricky Alexander...
Kamloops man acquitted of gun charges on rights violation
KAMLOOPS - A man accused of running a chop shop in a Westsyde trailer was acquitted of all charges after a Kamloops Supreme Court Justice determined police violated several charter rights when they conducted two searches and seized multiple weapons. Charles Gerald Patrick, born 1956, was arrested Dec. 11, 2013 after police pulled him over...
Smoking ban for Kamloops parks and civic building properties approved
KAMLOOPS - Smokers enjoying a break in Riverside Park or outside City Hall will soon be required to butt out, though the mayor doesn't believe the new regulation will actually be enforceable. A smoking ban in parks was originally discussed by councillors in July but was tabled to give staff time to look into it. Council wanted...
City looking at other problem areas following diesel spill in North Thompson River
KAMLOOPS - A diesel spill in the North Thompson River near a North Shore neighbourhood was contained and cleaned up, but city staff are being asked to look at other areas of the city where potentially harmful product could be entering sewer drains. “It seems like the product got spilled at the North Shore Bus...
Kamloops council asking Trudeau government for federal panel review on Ajax Mine
KAMLOOPS - For the third time city council is asking the federal government to consider a federal panel review of the proposed Ajax Mine. With a new federal government in place, Coun. Dieter Dudy asked council to again request the review. He says it’s a more thorough evaluation and would give residents greater confidence in the outcome...