Kamloops

Kamloops RCMP to get new inspector after Easter

KAMLOOPS – After a year without one, local RCMP will finally get a new inspector after the Easter holiday. The new inspector, Sunny Parmar, was selected after a separate candidate was unable to sell his house in Nova Scotia to secure his move to Kamloops.  “We decided we needed to move forward,” Mueller says. “That...

$1,000 to cure headache from month-long party

KAMLOOPS – Two men who drowned out numerous noise complaints with loud music from a month-long eviction party narrowly avoided criminal records, but did earn fines. Last March, it took 15 neighbour complaints, three tickets for loud noise, one RCMP search warrant and a $4,000 stereo seizure before Rudy Marcel Raphael Marini, 22, and Alex...

No one came even close to Milobar in election spending

KAMLOOPS - The mayor outspent his closest competitor by nearly $37,000 and the top-spending councillor candidate fell more than 1,100 votes short of securing a council seat, according to financial disclosure records made available today, Feb. 23. Councillor candidate Mike O’Reilly was the biggest spender behind Mayor Peter Milobar, coming in at nearly $20,000. More...

Serial gas thief on the loose in Westsyde

KAMLOOPS – Someone began siphoning gas from vehicles in Westsyde last weekend and police are now on the lookout for the gas thief, or thieves. According to Cpl. Cheryl Bush she is aware of five vehicle owners who have come forward to report they had fuel drained from their gas tanks on Feb. 15. She adds...

Orchards Walk turns focus to seniors

KAMLOOPS - A development at the east end of Valleyview continues to grow at a quick rate with a 193-unit seniors' housing development next on the agenda for the ever-growing neighbourhood of Orchards Walk. The independent living complex, which developers are currently seeking a development permit for, will be situated on just over 15 hectares...

Convicted gunman gets prison time credited through appeal

KAMLOOPS – A drug dealer who was convicted of shooting a man in the shoulder won his appeal to have each day he spent in jail awaiting trial count as a day and a half towards his total sentence. Brandon “Cheddar” Clifford Schell, was one of five convicts who had their sentences changed by the...

Police took his stuff without a warrant, now he is fighting to get it back

KAMLOOPS – A Kamloops man went before a provincial court judge today with an unusual request—he wants his marijuana plants back. A Kamloops RCMP officer removed ten plants after she found them in Henry Rhode’s apartment while dealing with an unrelated matter involving his daughter, last summer. He was never charged, despite the fact his...

Suspicious bag leads to firearm arrest

KAMLOOPS - One man is in custody and another expected to face charges after RCMP found a duffle bag with a loaded firearm inside. Cpl. Cheryl Bush says RCMP noticed two males, one carrying a duffle bag, along the frontage road in the 1800 block of East Trans-Canada Highway round 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19....

Aging willow removed from Riverside Park

KAMLOOPS - An iconic tree, known for its graceful boughs that provide enough shade for several families next to Riverside Water Park, is no longer. City of Kamloops parks crews are removing the 50-year-old willow because it was quickly dying and posing a risk to public safety. “It was a beautiful tree… But over the...

Kamloops Fire sees busiest season ever

220 FIRES, NO FATALITIES KAMLOOPS - A total of nearly 160 staff members took on more than 9,400 calls to service in 2014, including 220 fires and nearly 5,200 medical responses, making last year the busiest season ever for Kamloops Fire Rescue. While it was a busy year Fire Chief Dale McLean considered the year...

Spring-like weather may be interrupted by snow

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - We’ve been experiencing spring-like weather here in the Southern Interior and while that is not set to change we may see another blitz of snow before Saturday. Environment Canada is still calling for above seasonal normal temperatures during the day but with overnight lows close to seasonal normals of -3 Celsius and a...

Anti-tethering activists to take another shot at Kamloops council

KAMLOOPS - A petition asking city council to impose a time limit on tethering of dogs has garnered more than 2,200 signatures and is set to be presented to council Feb. 24. At the beginning of January council members discussed the practicality of looking into an anti-tethering bylaw. A letter from Claudine Sleik was the...

City gets more room to grow

COMMUNITY GARDEN PROGRAM EXPANDING KAMLOOPS - More than 80 new community garden plots are in the works and if approved, we may even see a community orchard, public greenhouse and additional workshops. Shelaigh Garson, the community garden program coordinator for Interior Community Services, says the city has approved two new locations for community gardens and...

Detective mom still waiting to hear back from RCMP

KAMLOOPS - After tracking down her stolen wallet all on her own Alyssa Parent received a lot of praise on social media but still has yet to hear back from the officer investigating the file, even after supplying all the information she gathered to the RCMP. “I definitely haven’t heard anything at all from them,”...

City hopes to solve quorum issues with technology

KAMLOOPS - Last year the city tried to fix an ongoing problem of getting enough members to show up for the meetings by merging the arts and heritage committees but when there was pushback staff was asked to look at another way to fix the problem. Now city committees do have another tool in their...

Security tightened at ministry office

KAMLOOPS – Enhanced security, including locked doors and a security guard, was put in place at a Brocklehurst ministry office recently but officials are staying tight-lipped as to what led to it. The Ministry of Children and Families office on Southill Street had 'enhanced security' for an undisclosed period. “Based on information received by the...

UPDATE: Missing woman found

MERRITT - The missing woman the Upper Nicola Band and Okanagan Indian Band were in search for has been located. Before she was found, Annie Joe Gottfriedson, 20, of the Upper Nicola Band was last seen Feb. 16 at noon near Nicola Street in Merritt. “Our concerns run deep for Annie Jo and her family,”...

Tokyo Police Club coming to Sun Peaks

KAMLOOPS – Canadian band Tokyo Police Club will be at Sun Peaks next month for the Dew Tour Am Series competition. The concert will take place at the base of the mountain after two days of slopestyle and big air competitions on March 27 and 28.  “The weekend will be absolutely packed with talent, both...

Accused in Clearwater murder case awaiting bail review

KAMLOOPS – A man accused of murdering his former common-law wife and taking their three children hostage will find out if he is eligible for bail in a week. Iain Drummond Scott, born 1972, appeared for a bail review last week in Kamloops Supreme Court. Details of the hearing are covered by a publication ban...

How long will this spring weather last?

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - We saw several high temperatures records broken over the weekend and while the record breaking weather is likely over, the warm temperatures should stick around a while longer. Lisa Coldwells of Environment Canada says looking into the early part of March arctic air will stay on the other side of the Rockies and...

Rockets and Blazers to host Super Series games

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The 2015 Super Series is again bringing high-level hockey to the region, with the Rockets and Kamloops set to host the two opening games. The Canadian Hockey League announced today, Tuesday, Feb. 17, that Kelowna and Kamloops are among the six host cities for the 2015 Subway Super Series, set to be played...

How boring is your office?

KAMLOOPS - There's some stiff competition when it comes to dull work spaces in Kamloops, if the submissions to a current contest are to be believed. There's only a week left in the Boring Office Contest, which was started Feb. 5 by the Kamloops Art Gallery so workers could spotlight their sad work space and potentially win...

New high stack design to reduce impact of Domtar emissions

KAMLOOPS - Though a major project has been delayed by nearly a year, Domtar is well on the way to living up to its promise to reduce emissions by 68 per cent by 2016. As part of the air permit process Domtar assumed the obligation, through purchasing the mill in 2007, to achieve a 61...