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Kamloops
Date set for Slide the City in Kamloops
KAMLOOPS - The chance to pick up a ticket for this summer's epic slip 'n slide event is coming soon. The first Slide the City Kamloops will take place Saturday, July 18, and ticket registration opens Tuesday, May 26. The family-friendly event will feature food, drinks, live music and a 1,000-foot water slide covering Hillside...
WolfPack announces fall addition to women’s soccer roster
KAMLOOPS - Marisa Mendonca of Penticton, B.C. will join the Thompson Rivers University women’s soccer team this August. She played for the Penticton Pinnacles U-18 and U-21 sides and is an attacking midfielder. “My strengths are shooting, running with the ball and beating defenders,” Mendonca said. “I am able to play the ball through the...
Hot weather ahead for the Thompson-Okanagan
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Dig out your sunscreen and your flip-flops because B.C.’s Interior is in for some unseasonably hot weather over the coming week. Although the average temperature for the region is in the low 20s from Kamloops all the way south to Penticton, residents can look forward to highs of 29 C with only occasional...
Stealing fund raising money is thirsty work and it cost him seven months
KAMLOOPS - A minor indulgence at the crime scene led to the arrest of a man who eventually pleaded guilty to robbing the Kamloops Curling Club of fundraising money, cash floats and alcohol. Kamloops Provincial Court Judge Chris Cleaveley sentenced Jeffrey Mark Balmes, 47, today, May 19, after the accused pleaded guilty to stealing more...
Police asking for public’s help in missing person case
KAMLOOPS - Police are asking for the public’s assistance in the search for a man reported missing May 18. Cpl. Cheryl Bush, a spokesperson for the Kamloops RCMP detachment, says the police helicopter, the dog unit and Kamloops Search and Rescue spent the evening searching the area where the man’s truck was located. Agency members...
Province promises funding for senior kitchen
KAMLOOPS – A unique concept connecting seniors with their greater community is getting some support from the province. The province kicked in $150,000 to support a neighbourhood kitchen that will provide meals in Kamloops to seniors and non-seniors, alike. The funding will go to the Centre for Seniors Information to expand its kitchen space. Currently,...
Check out all your summer camps before you sign up
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – A first-of-its-kind kid’s camp expo coming to a community near you is your chance to get a taste of all the fun activities available to keep your little ones busy all summer long. Campapalooza is a chance to meet counsellors and see what all the great summer camps offer for toddlers to teens...
Kamloops Search and Rescue on standby in search of missing man
KAMLOOPS - Victoria Day was a busy one for Kamloops Search and Rescue as members assisted an injured hiker and remain on standby in search of a missing man. Alan Hobler with the service said the team rescued an injured woman on a trail near Paul Lake. Hobler said the woman slipped on small pebbles...
Man with handgun arrested
KAMLOOPS - Police took three people into custody Monday afternoon in response to reports of two males fighting involving a handgun. Investigators responded to the 100 block of Columbia Street for the fight when they were told about a third man who may have a handgun used a possible threat, said Staff Sgt. Dave Lucas...
Lake Country family bringing anime to the Okanagan
"THERE'S ALWAYS THAT 'YOU'RE A NERD THING', BUT THAT'S CHANGING." KELOWNA – A family from Lake Country has opened a store in Orchard Park Mall which has no competition anywhere in the Okanagan. The product they sell may be unfamiliar to most people, but it’s a marketgaining in popularity around the world. Anime, the broad...
WASELENKOFF ACQUITTED: Why police sometimes fail to get fingerprints
KAMLOOPS — When he acquitted a retired Kamloops school teacher of possession of child pornography, a Kamloops Supreme Court justice said the Crown provided no direct link between Jerry Waselenkoff and a stack of compact discs stashed in the floorboards below his apartment. Police managed to get fingerprints off the CDs but unlike typical crime...
B.C. ROAD TRIP: Where to go, when you need to go
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Road trips are a great way to see this magnificent province of ours but need to be planned out carefully, especially if you have little ones. Not only do you need to have snacks, drinks and activities to help keep them from getting cranky, you need to plan regular bathroom and stretching breaks....
Norovirus complaints traced back to Kamloops restaurant
KAMLOOPS - Fourteen people fell sick with norovirus after eating at a North Shore restaurant earlier this month, but Interior Health Authority says restaurant staff followed corrective measures suggested by investigators to prevent a re-occurence. After eating at Minos Greek Restaurant the weekend of May 1 and 2, three groups of diners came forward to...
Premier asks you to burn responsibly this May long weekend
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – In light of the unseasonably hot and dry conditions throughout the province, Premier Christy Clark is asking residents to be extra cautious this long weekend. "Every summer, the risk of fire increases. With many parts of the province facing unseasonably warm and dry weather, that risk increases even more — putting people's homes...
Hospital laundry workers deliver petition to province in attempt to save jobs
KAMLOOPS – Members of the Hospital Employees’ Union took stand on the steps of the provincial legislature in an attempt to save almost 200 jobs. Yesterday morning, May 14, the laundry workers presented a petition of over 12,000 signatures to three NDP MLAs including opposition health critic Judy Darcy prior to it being tabled during...
WASELENKOFF TRIAL: Retired teacher not guilty of possessing child porn
KAMLOOPS - While a Kamloops Supreme Court Justice acknowledged the testimony of a retired teacher was "carefully woven" in his trial for possession of child pornography, he delivered an acquittal today, May 14. Jerry Waselenkoff was charged with one count of possessing child porn after a downstairs neighbour, Frans Van Der Woning, located four cases...
Your low-down on the May long weekend weather
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Environment Canada is calling for some pretty spectacular weather this May long weekend. Across the Thompson-Okanagan there will be sunny skies for much of the weekend, with highs getting up to 26 Celcius. Those in Vernon can expect sunshine and a high of 26 C on Saturday, followed by a reprieve from the...
WASELENKOFF TRIAL: Porn sites redirected him to child porn, accused says
"I DON'T WANT PEOPLE THINKING I'M A PERVERT HERE. I'M QUITE WITHIN THE NORM." KAMLOOPS - A Crown prosecutor accused a retired teacher of lying to a Kamloops Supreme Court Justice May 13, after interrogating him on how four disk cases with child pornography ended up underneath the floor of his McGill Road apartment. Jerry...
Electoral boundary changes go to public hearing in Kamloops, Vernon
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Changes are being recommended in many electoral areas across the province and this week you can get your say in on those changes at three meetings throughout the region. The B.C. Electoral Boundaries Commission held public hearings in the fall and earlier this year a report outlining the recommended changes was released. In...
UPDATE: Kamloops teen located
UPDATE: 3:28 P.M., MAY 12, 2015 RCMP say 15-year-old Kyla Spijksma has been located and is safe. 11:06 A.M., MAY 12, 2015 KAMLOOPS - Police are asking for help locating a teen last seen by her family Monday evening. Kamloops RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Cheryl Bush says Kyla Spijksma, 15, was last seen by her family...
WASELENKOFF TRIAL UPDATE: Accused challenges neighbour’s accusations
KAMLOOPS - The relationship between a man charged with possessing child pornography and a neighbour who testified against him was far different than what court heard, according to the accused. Retired teacher Jerry Waselenkoff took the stand as a defence witness Tuesday, May 12 to say he and his neighbour Frans Van Der Woning had...
Fire danger ratings reach extreme
OPEN BURNING RESTRICTIONS START FRIDAY THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Open fires were already set to be restricted in many parts of the Kamloops fire centre beginning May 15 but with unseasonably warm and dry weather well under way, the entire fire centre will now be put under restrictions beginning this weekend. The Clearwater and Salmon Arm fire...
WASELENKOFF TRIAL: UPDATE: Computer expert recovered deleted child porn links
KAMLOOPS – Two investigators who examined compact disks and a laptop allegedly belonging to a retired teacher found elements of child pornography on both, according to testimony in Kamloops Supreme Court today, May 11. Cpl. Barry Salt searched Jerry Waselenkoff’s laptop for child pornography after police seized it from the accused's apartment on McGill road...
Columbia Street construction costs going up
KAMLOOPS – Work hasn't even started on Columbia Street and the construction project is already set to cost the city more than originally anticipated. Based on the bids that were submitted the project is now expected to cost roughly $4.8 million, nearly $900,000 more than the city originally allocated. Now staff is asking council to...