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Kamloops
Students across province prepare to vote
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Students across the province will get a chance to take part in the democratic process this November, from meeting candidates and hosting forums to reading about election issues and casting votes. In Kamloops Westsyde Secondary School students will once again be participating in Student Vote, a program aimed at getting young people involved...
Rescued bears named after contest on social media
REVELSTOKE – The two rescued grizzly cubs are now safe and sound at the Northern Lights Wildlife Society – their sanctuary in Smithers. The rescue with its unforeseen challenges garnered media attention after the society’s manager, Angelika Langren posted a call for help on the society’s Facebook page. Langren posted another call on the Facebook...
School enrolment on upswing in Kamloops
KAMLOOPS - For the first time in recent memory the Kamloops-Thompson School District may actually see a net positive count in student enrolment. Supt. Karl de Bruijn says while they are still verifying the final numbers it appears elementary schools saw an increase of more than 260 students while secondary schools saw a decline of...
Budget meetings start now in Kamloops
KAMLOOPS - Last year the city decided to begin hosting budget meetings earlier than normal to help engage residents and separate the core budget from the additional requests. This year they are beginning even earlier — this week, in fact. City service levels will be up for discussion at two different sessions on Wednesday, Oct....
Trial date set for man accused of killing 16-year-old CJ Fowler
KAMLOOPS – The jury-trial for a man accused of murdering his 16-year-old girlfriend is slated to begin next September. Damien Taylor has been in custody since his arrest for the death of CJ Fowler in January of this year. He is charged with second-degree murder. In December of 2012, Fowler’s body was found by a...
Police looking for driver after crash near Overlanders bridge
KAMLOOPS – RCMP members are asking the driver of a dark blue '90s-model Honda prelude involved in an incident near the Overlanders Bridge Sunday afternoon to come forward. The incident happened at around 2:15 p.m. Mounties say a motorcyclist crashed his bike after a vehicle allegedly made an unsafe lane-change in front of him on...
Election signs popping up
KAMLOOPS - It is that time again. The time when election signs pop up at nearly every intersection in the city. It can look a little messy when you have nearly 50 candidates vying for a vote in the civic election — though not all are installing signs — and the city has few regulations...
Don’t forget, it’s flu season
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - While the public's attention has been on Ebola and enterovirus D68 recently, Interior Health is preparing for flu season, rolling out influenza vaccines to clinics and phamacies around the region. Dr. Robert Parker says they start getting calls in September but early November is when they typically start offering vaccinations to the general...
New Pineview school a priority in five year plan
KAMLOOPS - Nearly $150 million in upgrades, additions and new builds are identified in the Kamloops-Thompson School District five year capital plan, including a brand new school in the Pineview Valley area. A new school is named as one of the top priorities for the school district in the five year capital plan, along with...
Kamloops RCMP detachment needs more officers
KAMLOOPS – The local RCMP detachment currently has 112 boots on the ground, eight shy of 120 funded positions. Kamloops RCMP Supt. Brad Mueller told the police committee in a City Hall quarterly meeting Monday morning that while there are some pressures on staff, it’s not out of the ordinary across the province. “We are...
Kamloops merchants asked to take precautions against this scam
KAMLOOPS - Local merchants are being asked to take extra precautions if approached by a man asking to check debit and credit card processing machines. The Kamloops Chamber of Commerce has issued a warning about a man feigning as an account review specialist. His business card states he is from Central Processing Canada, yet both...
Just call it Autummer as high temperatures approach records
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - People in the Shuswap enjoyed a record breaking day Sunday and for much of the Thompson-Okanagan region it was a warm day, just not quite hot enough to break records. In Salmon Arm, a temperature of 20.8 Celsius was enough to break a 40-year-old record and was well past the seasonal normal of...
ELECTIONS 2014: Candidate handing out prizes to voters. Can he do that?
KAMLOOPS - While other candidates are figuring out ways to raise funds or organize ‘meet the candidate’ events, one city council candidate is instead offering prizes for online interaction. Bob Dieno has taken to Facebook to interact with voters. While many other candidates have also done so, Dieno is the only one offering prizes if...
UPDATE: Missing dirt biker found injured
KAMLOOPS - Search and rescue members were called out Saturday night to look for a missing dirt biker in the Duffy Lake and by early Sunday morning the rider had been found. According to Search Manager Alan Hobler, Kamloops Search and Rescue was called out Saturday when the rider did not return to Duffy Lake...
How you build a corn maze in Kamloops
KAMLOOPS – It takes a lot of work to create a masterpiece in a corn maze, but Tranquille Farm Fresh took up the challenge again this year and developed a puzzle the whole family can enjoy. “It’s a lot of work to do the maze properly,” manager Annette McLeod says. It takes roughly a week...
ELECTIONS 2014: Vision Kamloops building off individual strengths
KAMLOOPS - The loosely knit alliance Vision Kamloops says they will be helping each other by sharing their strengths, but will also be focused on their own campaigns as we head into the November election. The members of the group all identify as being against the proposed Ajax Mine but do not list that as one...
Longboarders fly down new track in Kamloops for grand opening
KAMLOOPS – The official grand opening of the Kamloops Longboarding Park was packed with riders Saturday. The Kamloops Longboarding Club held a Slide Jam to mark the park’s opening in the Aberdeen neighbourhood above Pacific Way Elementary School. The park cost property taxpayers $160,000 and was built about a year behind schedule. The off-road track...
The altruism of Facebook: How a rescue of two bear cubs was aided by strangers
REVELSTOKE – Angelika Langren and her husband Peter have rescued so many bear cubs through the years, it's become a regular routine. But their planned trip to Golden had several hangups last Thanksgiving weekend when they picked up two grizzly bear cubs. Despite the challenges, the couple learned a few lessons about the kindness of...
Teachers upset over missing day of pay
KAMLOOPS - Kamloops teachers are among the minority in the province not getting paid for the day they spent preparing their classrooms for the first day of school. Kamloops Thompson Teachers Association President David Komljenovic says teachers showed good faith by showing up on the Friday before school was set to start, as well as...
Vernon couple starts #redbagchallenge to help raise blood donations
VERNON – Following on the worldwide success of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, a local couple from Vernon have come up with an imaginative way to encourage blood donations. Glenn and Lisa Gallie came up with the idea to donate blood on camera and then nominate three people who would then have to make a...
SUV crashes through Columbia Square storefront
KAMLOOPS - Workers at the Columbia Square Scotia Bank are thankful no one was hurt after an SUV drove through the bank windows around 10 a.m. Friday morning. Linda Candido, a customer relations representative, said she was only a minute away from heading to the branch’s front desk before the vehicle pulling into a parking...
STAHN: Making Ajax an election issue
Ajax will be an issue in this local election campaign whether city council candidates want it to be or not, and whether the city really has any say or not. Enough members of the voting public are asking about it and even those candidates who are not willing to take a stance are making it...
ELECTIONS 2014: Where to hear from the candidates
KAMLOOPS - As we get closer to electing a new council and school trustees, several groups are doing their part to ensure we get the chance to get to know the candidates and where they stand on several key points. The Council of Canadians kicked off the forums with an event in October and then...
UPDATE: Police locate youth
UPDATE: Daniel James Munro has been found and is safe. KAMLOOPS - Police are searching for Daniel James Munro, a 17-year-old youth from Kamloops who was last heard from Oct. 11. Munro called his caregiver around 9:30 p.m. last Saturday to say he was on his way home but never showed up - his wearabouts...