Elevate your local knowledge
Sign up for the iNFOnews newsletter today!
Kamloops
How fines are replacing jail for drunk driving
KAMLOOPS – In 2012, Lee Michael Wilson blew a warning on the breathalyzer after a police officer pulled him over in Kamloops. Police gathered no evidence beyond that and he was found guilty on the spot. He was issued a three-day immediate roadside prohibition, a non-criminal penalty that may result in the loss of a licence...
What’s keeping one group from enjoying a favourite spot in Kamloops
KAMLOOPS – A small group in Kamloops is working together to clean up one of their favourite locations in Kamloops, behind the Batchelor Heights neighbourhood, that is being continually trashed by people illegally dumping junk. “There’s garbage strewn throughout the whole area,” Tearia Parsons says. “We just figured we’d go and start cleaning it up.”...
Watching the watchers – Interior Health Authority measures journalist’s opinions with media survey
KELOWNA - Is the Interior Health authority a transparent and open government organization, readily accessible to the media, or an impenetrable bureaucracy with a tightly controlled and scripted media message? It depends which side of the divide you’re on. On Tuesday, Darshan Lindsay, manager of public affairs for the Interior Health Authority, took board members...
Accused in murder case to act as own lawyer, claims mental disorder
KAMLOOPS – The man accused of murdering a 26-year-old in his Cherry Avenue apartment says he will represent himself in his trial to pursue a not criminally responsible due to mental disorder defence. Christopher Frank Butler, born 1973, made a brief video appearance in Kamloops Provincial Court Monday morning where he told a Justice of...
Former mayoral candidate facing assault charges
KAMLOOPS - A mayoral candidate from last year's municipal election is facing an assault charge in Kamloops Provincial Court. Piero Luigi Filisetti, born 1959, is facing one count of assault with a weapon after he allegedly assaulted Brandon Burke with bear spray on Jan. 17. Filisetti, who is more commonly known as Pierre, had his...
Police identify suspect in shooting case
KAMLOOPS - Kamloops RCMP are on the lookout for a 26-year-old man believed to be involved in a shooting that put a second man in hospital Friday, March 6. Cpl. Cheryl Bush says investgators from the Serious Crime Unit have determined there was an "altercation" between two men at a North Shore residence Friday night, adding both...
Tragically Hip announces Kamloops stop on tour
KAMLOOPS - The Tragically Hip's upcoming tour destinations now includes Kamloops. The Canadian band will play the Interior Savings Centre on September 27. The tour was sparked by the re-issue of the Hip's 1992 album Fully and Completely Pre-sale tickets will begin selling tomorrow, March 10 via ticketmaster.ca. Other Canadian destinations include Windsor, Jan. 17; Victoria,...
Near-record temperatures to continue
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Clocks sprung forward and temperatures soared into the mid-teens this weekend and while the spring-like weather did not result in any record-breaking temperatures the warm weather will continue as we get closer to the official start of spring. For the most part temperatures fell a couple degrees shy of records, though a high...
Kamloops man in hospital with suspected gun shot wound
KAMLOOPS - An investigation is underway after a man was assaulted and sent to hospital with what police believe is a gun shot wound Friday night. Kamloops RCMP Sgt. Michael Buxton-Carr says a 27-year-old Kamloops man is at Royal Inland Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, including a suspected gun shot wound, suffered during an aggravated...
Controversial ‘hate flyer’ comes to Kamloops
CHRISTIAN ANTI-GAY, ANTI-ABORTION ACTIVIST BILL WHATCOTT IN TOWN? KAMLOOPS – The hate speech versus free speech debate has landed literally on the doorsteps of Kamloops. Last Saturday, Ben Gayfer says he was at the Northland Apartment complex on Nicola Street when a one-page pamphlet was slipped under the door. The pamphlet, signed by Christian anti-gay...
How the school district plans to handle snow days
KAMLOOPS - After Kamloops students received unprecedented snow days at the beginning of January some parents and staff were left frustrated with a lack of clear policy, but with an emergency procedure policy set to be adopted next week expectations on future snow days should be a little more clear cut. School District 73 is...
Wildfire risk a concern this weekend
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - People are urged to be cautious with any open burning this weekend as we get set to experience warmer temperatures and a continued early drying trend. With temperatures set to hit the double digits every day over the next week, B.C. Wildfire warns there is an increased 'preventable' wildfire risk heading into the...
Body pulled from Thompson River west of Kamloops
KAMLOOPS - An investigation is underway after a body was found in the Thompson River just west of Kamloops Thursday afternoon. RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Cheryl Bush says the body was found "on a sand bar west of the Tranquille farm area" on March 5. Coroners retrieved the body by boat with help from Kamloops Fire...
Warmer weather on the way
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - We’re back above seasonal normals as temperatures continue to climb into the double digits, though we are unlikely to break any warm weather records this weekend. According to Environment Canada temperatures in Kamloops and Penticton will reach 14 Celsius by Saturday while in Vernon and Kelowna temperatures will hit that mark by Sunday....
STAHN: Why we need more controlled burns in urban areas
Let me start by stating a simple fact we all need to understand — fire is natural. Not only is it natural, it is a much needed part of the ecological cycle. Regular fire is needed to keep noxious weeds at bay, to help encourage new growth and to keep wildfires from getting out of...
Former white supremacist and propagandist tells his story through counter propaganda resource
KAMLOOPS – A former proponent and recruiter for the white supremacist movement in Western Canada is now working against terrorist organizations by telling his story through short documentary films to counter extremist propaganda online. Through the Extreme Dialogue project, launched last month, Thompson Rivers University law school student Daniel Gallant, 39, recalls the abuse and...
IN PHOTOS: Controlled burns helping Kenna ecosystem
KAMLOOPS - Highly visible prescribed burns are underway at Kenna Cartwright Park and two local natural resource professors are happy the work is finally being done. Wendy Gardner and John Karakatsoulis both say the burns are necessary to bring the park back to its natural state and allow native vegetation to flourish. “This park is...
Construction starts and real estate sales remain strong
KAMLOOPS - A warm start to 2015 has led to a brisk pace in both residential and commercial construction and the number of building permit issued continues to blow 2014 numbers out of the water. Permits for residential units increased by 80 per cent in February 2015, compared to the year before, though at $8.3...
March Music Madness underway at Sun Peaks
SUN PEAKS - The weather is warmer in the valley but it is still ski season at Sun Peaks and the resort is making March even better with live music all month long. The ski resort is bringing in more than 20 musical acts this month, including DJs, bands and acoustic performers. The music begins...
You’ve been saying ‘MOVE THE F&#@ OVER!’ and the government listened
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Signs telling drivers to stay right except when passing have graced B.C. highways for years but after community feedback suggested slow drivers were still dawdling in the passing lane the province has opted to give RCMP officers more ways to crack down. Following a study and public survey, the Ministry of Transportation announced...
Dog poo in parks ‘a bit of a tradition’
KAMLOOPS - Calling cards, doggie doo-doo, dog mess, dog kabobs… no matter what you call it the people of Kamloops are sick of seeing it in our city parks but there is little that can be done about it. Kamloops is considered a dog friendly city by many standards. We have several dedicated dog parks...
Gas prices on the rise in Kamloops
KAMLOOPS - Hopefully you filled up the car yesterday, because if you waited until today you could be paying at much as 10 cents more per litre after yet another price spike at the pumps. We saw gas prices drop below 90 cents per litre at many stations for a couple weeks in January before...
Kamloops plant set to layoff staff and close this summer
KAMLOOPS – After operating in Kamloops since the 1960s, Arclin Canada Limited is set to close its local plant, laying off seven employees by early summer. The closure was brought on by a decline in housing development in Canada and the United States. Resin manufactured by the plant was used in wood productions and construction...
The trouble with female prisoners in Kamloops city cells
KAMLOOPS - Last July a judge decried the conditions for a 15-year-old girl held in Kamloops RCMP cells for five days as “unacceptable” and eight months later, little has changed. For five days the girl, who cannot be named by court order, slept on a bench under 24-hour lighting, had no access to a shower...