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Kamloops
City spent nearly $1,300 for each person who attended budget meetings
THE HIGH COST OF TRYING TO INCREASE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT KAMLOOPS - The City spent nearly $60,000 trying to get citizens involved in budget discussions this year and only got 44 people to public meetings—or roughly $1,300 per person— and most councillors said that was too much. “$57,000 for 44 people to come to a budget...
Retired teacher charged with possession of child pornography to stand trial next year
KAMLOOPS – The trial for a retired special education teacher charged with possession of child pornography won’t take place until next year. Jerry Waselenkoff was scheduled for a preliminary hearing by Provincial Court Judge this week. On Tuesday, he elected to be tried by a Supreme Court judge alone. He has pleaded not guilty to...
Cold snap on the way
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - As heavy snow continues to fall in parts of the region Wednesday and city crews work to keep up with the melt as temperatures move several degrees above seasonal normals we are being warned a cold snap is on the way. Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement warning a ‘drastic cold...
UPDATE: SNOWED IN: Weather wreaks havoc on roads, power
SNOWFALL WARNING ISSUED FOR NORTH THOMPSON THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Heavy snow has fallen throughout the region and another 25 centimetres is expected in the North Thompson and Columbia regions by Thursday morning, though the snow will change to rain late tonight or Thursday morning in the more southern regions. While parts of the region struggle with...
Heavy snow falls on Kamloops, rain on way
TRAFFIC STRUGGLING ON STEEP ROADS KAMLOOPS - Heavy snow has caused traffic backups this morning in Kamloops but no major problems, according to the city, RCMP and the school district. A light rain began at the airport around 5 p.m. Tuesday, with light snow falling in the valley much of the night. At higher elevations,...
Kamloops actor credited on Anthony Hopkins film
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Kamloops residents can expect to see a familiar face in the latest Hollywood picture filming in the Okanagan. Local actor Dennis Cound garnered a small credit as the “sleepy man” in Go With Me – a suspense movie being filmed in Vernon and Enderby among other locations. Anthony Hopkins and Julia Stiles are...
“Do you have any idea how much blood there was?”
PROSECUTOR QUESTIONS MAN ON TRIAL FOR MURDER KAMLOOPS – A Kamloops jury watched today as a prosecutor aggressively cross-examined a man who said he bludgeoned his girlfriend to death in self defence. In Kamloops Supreme Court on Tuesday, Crown prosecutor Iain Currie asked question after question, often repeating himself and taking Robert Donald Balbar through...
Christmas season kicks off this week in Kamloops
KAMLOOPS - Mother Nature has begun decorating for the holidays and this week the city will kick off holiday festivities with the Lights in the Night celebration and the Santa Claus Parade. On Thursday Downtown Kamloops will host the annual Lights in the Night festival, an annual kickoff to the Christmas season. The event will...
Accused in home invasion released on bail
KAMLOOPS – One of the accused charged in a North Shore home invasion was released on bail Monday afternoon. Kamloops Provincial Court Judge Len Marchand released Jason Joseph Robertson on a $100,000 bail on the conditions that he not contact any resident of the home and be available to his probation officer. Robertson and Steven...
Public to get look at changes coming to Columbia Street
CONSTRUCTION SET TO START SUMMER 2015 KAMLOOPS - It is a construction project that got a lot of people talking when it was first unveiled and this week the public will get another chance to take a look at the planned changes for Columbia Street before the project begins next summer. In February the city...
Heavy snow continues on Coquihalla, 97C
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Mother Nature seems determined to let us know we are well on our way to winter with yet another round of heavy snow expected to hit area highways today. The system currently over the Interior will continue to drop heavy snow on mountain passes through tonight though the snow will start to mix...
Dierks Bentley headlining in Merritt
MERRITT - Country star Dierks Bentley is the first big act to sign up for Riverfest 2015 in Merritt. Bentley recently released his eighth album, Riser, featuring hit singles I Hold On and Drunk On A Plane. The award-winning star is the first act signed to the music festival, which will run July 30 through...
Accused in murder case said he embellished confession to impress crime boss; acted in self-defense
KAMLOOPS – The man who confessed to an undercover officer posing as a crime boss said he embellished some of his facts to convince him he was was a trustworthy employee of a false criminal organization. Robert Donald Balbar is on trial for the second-degree murder of his girlfriend Heather Hamill. After Crown wrapped its...
Canada’s Smartest Person from Kamloops
KAMLOOPS - A 22-year-old law student has claimed the title of Canada’s Smartest Person after beating out seven other finalists in the CBC game show in the Sunday finale. Braden Lauer is a law student at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver but grew up in Kamloops. As one of only six British Columbians...
Crews locate missing Vernon hunters
VERNON - Two overdue hunters have been located following a search mission Monday. The men aged 48 and 54, went missing in the Beau Park area off Westside Road over the weekend. Vernon search manager Leigh Pearson says they were supposed to return home by 9 p.m. Sunday. When they didn’t come back on schedule,...
Heavy snow to continue on highways
NEAR-RECORD HIGHS EXPECTED MID-WEEK THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you are hitting the highways today, beware: Warnings of compact snow and slippery sections have been issued for many areas and more than 30 centimetres has fallen on several mountain passes over the past few days. Now another 15 cm is being forecast over the next 24 hours...
Pathologist describes victim’s fatal head wounds
KAMLOOPS – Autopsy photos of at least nine blows to a murder victim's head were presented by a forensic pathologist in Kamloops Supreme Court Friday. Robert Donald Balbar is charged with the second-degree murder in the death of his girlfriend Heather Hamill. Earlier in the trial, court heard Balbar’s video recorded confession when he told...
Joint effort to aid mental health clients continues in Kamloops
KAMLOOPS – The mental health crisis program, a joint service from the Kamloops RCMP and Interior Health Authority, has been renewed for the next four years. After being deemed a priority, Car 40 received an additional officer to its evening watch to respond to emergency calls from those who may be having a mental health...
Heavy snow hitting the highways
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you plan to head out on the highways this weekend make sure you have your brain switched to winter driving. Several Interior highways are already covered with compact snow and slushy sections and another 20 centimetres of snow is expected by Saturday morning. A system heading over the Interior will bring heavy...
Catholic schools closed in Kamloops Friday
KAMLOOPS - St. Ann's Academy and Our Lady of Perpetual Help catholic schools will be closed Friday in memorium of a deceased music teacher. Robert Petersen died in hospital after a vehicle turned in front of his bicycle last Saturday. At 11 a.m. family, friends and students of Petersen's will attend his funeral mass Friday...
STAHN: Why is voter turnout so low?
In Kamloops we saw voter turnout for the 2014 civic election hit just above the provincial average once again, this time with 33 per cent of voters taking to the polls. This was barely a 3.3 per cent increase over the 2011 civic election, which was a small increase over the 2008 election when we...
Candidates have up to seven days to remove signs
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The elections are over but there are still some of those brightly-coloured election signs lying around. They should all be gone soon though, candidates are required to remove them by this weekend. The Ministry of Transportation has the strictest regulations, requiring signs to be removed the next working day after the general voting...
Candidates have up to seven days to remove signs
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The elections are over but there are still some of those brightly-coloured election signs lying around. They should all be gone soon though, candidates are required to remove them by this weekend. The Ministry of Transportation has the strictest regulations, requiring signs to be removed the next working day after the general voting...
Candidates have up to seven days to remove signs
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The elections are over but there are still some of those brightly-coloured election signs lying around. They should all be gone soon though, candidates are required to remove them by this weekend. The Ministry of Transportation has the strictest regulations, requiring signs to be removed the next working day after the general voting...