Kamloops

Half of all wildfires caused by people this year

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A total of 169, or 49.9 per cent, of all wildfires in the Kamloops Fire Centre have been human-caused this year. Kayla Pepper of B.C. Wildfire says of the 339 fires in the fire centre we are about as close to half as you can get right now, though usually lightning fires outnumber...

So you want to be a city councillor? Here’s what it takes

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Most people realize there is a city council in place to help run the city, but few understand just what goes into being the mayor or a councillor. While the roles can change significantly depending on the city, the council member and the needs of the community at that time, we decided to...

Risk of frost in the forecast

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Cover your fragile plants and get your ice scrapers ready, fall is officially here and with that comes a risk of frost. With highs of 13-15 Celsius Thursday and temperatures expected to dip as low as 2 C overnight at airports throughout the region Environment Canada is calling for a risk of frost...

Soldiers finding the warmth of home in the middle of nowhere

CHILCOTIN – Fantasizing about a hot coffee and a fresh piece of cake is normal for any soldier mowing down rations on three hours of sleep. Fulfilling the craving in the middle of an army training camp is something else entirely – but not impossible thanks to Bud and Jean Barlow, a retired couple living...

IN TWEETS: It’s October already

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Autumn may have officially arrived with the fall equinox Sept. 22, but for many, it’s the first day of October that really feels like the start of a new season.  Oct. 1 delivered sunny skies across the valley and warm enough temperatures to still get away with shorts and a T-shirt. But on...

Snow tire season is upon us

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Slushy sections hit the Connector for a brief time Tuesday afternoon and as of Wednesday morning winter tires are a requirement on most B.C. highways. While winter does not officially start until late December snow can fall, especially on mountain passes, a lot earlier and as a result provincial regulations require winter tires...

Biologist announces bid for a seat on council

KAMLOOPS – Scientist, health professional and mother-of-three Cheryl Phippen has announced her run for a spot on Kamloops City Council. Fiscal responsibility, city improvements, open communication for the public, removal of “antiquated” dog by-laws in public spaces and an environmentalist approach to Ajax are Phippen’s key platform issues. If elected, she plans to change council’s...

Public to have another chance at comment on Ajax

KAMLOOPS – Following proposed changes to the Ajax mine, members of the public will get a second chance to comment this November. Members of the public and Kamloops city council have been requesting more information since a series of open houses held by KGHM Ajax last June. In addition to public comment forums, the Environmental...

Shopping without cash: The Kamloops Barter Kings

KAMLOOPS – Bartering is a little like trying to make money – you don’t have much to work with in the beginning. Jason Blyth got into trading online with a piece of exercise equipment he didn’t use anymore. He swapped it for patio furniture. Then he started looking around the house for other items to...

Stock up your home library on the cheap; there’s a book sale coming

KAMLOOPS – If you’re one of the many readers itching to catch up on bestsellers, you’ll have the chance to search for favourite authors and crack some book spines on Wednesday. The Thompson-Nicola-Regional District Library System is having its annual sale. Aberdeen Mall will provide space for a host of fiction and non-fiction titles, CD’s and...

Interior Health hospitals middle of pack

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - People in the Interior are more likely than other Canadians to drink heavily but they are also more likely to be active, according to recent statistics for the Interior Health Authority that ranked the region in the middle of the pack across the country. A new website compares hospitals, health regions, provinces and...

Wells Gray wetland donated to TRU

KAMLOOPS - A wetland in Wells Gray Park has been donated to the local university in the hopes that research at the site will help in the bid in having the park designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The 160-acre parcel, donated by Roland and Anne Neave, will become an ‘exclusive living laboratory’ and...

ELECTIONS 2014: Let the filing begin

KAMLOOPS - Today is the day the civic elections really get rolling. It is the first day nomination papers can be filed for anyone interested in running for city council, regional director or school trustee. Nomination papers must be filed between Sept. 30 and Oct. 10 at City Hall and by Oct. 20 the candidates...

Suspects in custody after break and enter at fast food restaurant

KAMLOOPS - Police members took two suspects into custody after a break and enter at the North Shore Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant on 8 Street. Officers responding to the scene determined the front door was smashed. Suspects accessed the cash register.  The male suspects were arrested nearby on Tranquille Road. One is a 25-year-old male...

VIDEO: Possible space debris falls near Kamloops

KAMLOOPS - A local resident shot a quick video from Kamloops' Labyrinth Farm when they saw something falling from the sky.  "I kept filming after it disappeared and thought to myself... is this it... is this the end of the world as we know it... but nothing happened," wrote the administrator of the Labyrinth Farm...

Province reviewing electoral boundaries

KAMLOOPS - The boundaries commission will be in Kamloops next week as the province looks for input on electoral districts for the next two provincial general elections. The B.C. Electoral Boundaries Commission will be looking for feedback on the area, boundaries and names of provincial electoral districts. The Kamloops districts — Kamloops-North Thompson and Kamloops-South...

Fire bans open up as autumn weather settles in

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Fall does not just mean sweater weather, it also means open fires are again allowed throughout the region as temperatures continue to drop. Open fires will be allowed in the Salmon Arm Fire Zone as of Wednesday, Oct. 1. The ban was lifted for the Clearwater Fire Zone on Sept. 15. B.C. Wildfire...

$6 billion cost of Ajax is ‘intuitive’ study authors say

KAMLOOPS - A figure released earlier this week pegging the cost to taxpayers of the proposed Ajax Mine at $6 billion was a 'conservative estimate,' according the authors of a year-long study. The costs could reach as high as $20 billion, they say. Dr. Dennis Karpiak, an internal medicine and respiratory disease specialist, and Ken...

Neighbour posts videos of alleged thief breaking into vehicles

KAMLOOPS - A resident of Juniper Ridge is doing his own police work by taking advantage of some surveillance video and social media. The security cameras on Mark Lane’s home have caught images of a man stealing from his neighbour’s vehicles along Similkameen Place. Lane has posted the videos to his Facebook page and YouTube...

STAHN: The changing landscape of politics

In some ways it’s amazing to see how the political landscape has changed in recent years and in other ways it’s surprising it’s taken this long. As we watch candidate after candidate step up to throw their hat in the ring of municipal politics, you can’t help but notice the slight shift in how they...

Guns, grenades and tear gas: How the Rocky Mountain Rangers keep their edge

KAMLOOPS - It’s an odd sight to see in town – 14 armed men and women standing in a line firing their unloaded rifles at a set of five matching trucks parked outside the armoury. The guns have triggered an RCMP response before but luckily not today. For the Rocky Mountain Rangers, an infantry reserve...

Doctors: Kamloops deserves same protection as Kitimat

KAMLOOPS - A local group of physicians say Kamloops has no more room for pollution and wants the province to provide more funding for air quality control in our city. Since the group formed in 2013, Kamloops Physicians for a Healthy Environment have been questioning the level of fine particulate matter already in the air...

Convicted pedophile labelled dangerous offender, handed indeterminate federal jail sentence

KAMLOOPS – With a lengthy criminal history including five sexual offenses, most of which were against children, a Kamloops Provincial Court judge labelled a convicted pedophile as a dangerous offender and gave him an indeterminate jail sentence Thursday morning. After reviewing the extensive criminal history of David Bruce Jennings, 51, Provincial Court Judge Len Marchand...

THOMPSON: City focus should be on small business

KAMLOOPS - Yes Ajax is a big issue, but small businesses should be where the city focuses resources according to the most recent candidate to announce he is running for a city council seat. Glen Thompson, 51, moved to Kamloops earlier this year. He has been a community activist for most of his life and...