Kamloops

Fires rage across province

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Firefighting resources are being juggled and reassigned as British Columbia's Wildfire Management Branch handles several blazes, including one that forced about 2,500 people from their homes. The Smith Creek fire near West Kelowna raged to an estimated 400 hectares by Friday morning, only a day after an evacuation order was issued for the...

Evacuation information: What you need to know

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - During fire season, it’s always best to keep an emergency plan in place in case you are under evacuation alert. An alert doesn’t mean you have to leave your home right away, but it’s time to get personal items at the ready in case the alert becomes an evacuation order. DURING AN EVACUATION...

UPDATE: Aggressive Murray Lake fire partially contained

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - An aggressive fire south of Merritt near Murray Lake is now 30 per cent contained, though an evacuation order for all properties adjacent to the lake remains. The Thompson Nicola Regional District issued the state of emergency and evacuation order around 9 p.m. Wednesday due to the potential threat. The evacuation order covers...

STAHN: Tax payers should find another way

The City of Kamloops spent $45,000 this year on a temporary tax office just to help residents who insist on paying their tax bills in person avoid the construction taking place outside of City Hall.  Does that make sense in 2014? Only 2,600 people used the temporary office at McArthur Island working out to a cost...

Air quality health advisory issued due to smoke

KAMLOOPS – The Ministry of Environment has issued an air quality advisory for Kamloops thanks to the smoke from forest fires burning in northern B.C. The air quality health index reading is currently a seven out of ten. The higher the number on the scale signifies a higher risk. A seven is considered a high health risk...

Heroin withdrawal won’t get plea withdrawal

KAMLOOPS – A Kamloops Supreme Court judge turned down a man’s application to withdraw his guilty pleas after claiming his plea was to get out of jail long enough to obtain heroin and see his dog. Last November, James Arthur Bellerose, born 1976, pleaded guilty to possession charges in front of a supreme court judge....

Police continue search for evidence after cyclist shooting

SPENCES BRIDGE – Police are searching for evidence relating to the investigation of a shooting which injured a Burnaby cyclist during the Cache Creek 600 cycling marathon. Craig Premack, 59, was shot on the side of the highway near Spences Bridge when he was biking the overnight marathon around 1 a.m. on June 1. The suspect allegedly...

More weather records fall, rain finally in forecast

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - While most of the Interior saw temperatures soar above the mid-30s Wednesday only a few communities actually saw old records broken. Penticton, Osoyoos and Clinton all set new records for July 16 but Osoyoos saw the biggest jump with a temperature of 39.6 Celsius, up nearly three degrees from the previous record set...

Young artist adds visual impact to city park

KAMLOOPS - A recent high school graduate is beautifying the city one concrete barrier or utility box at a time. Haley Hughes has volunteered her time and talent to help add colour and life to the more mundane objects at Riverside Park, the objects often targeted by graffiti tags. The 18-year-old just graduated this year...

Smoky skies advisory for Interior

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Fires to the north of us are causing smoky conditions and the Ministry of Environment is now warning people to take additional precautions because of the smoke. A smoky skies advisory was issued today for the Thompson, Shuswap, Okanagan, Similkameen, Nicola, Boundary and Fraser Canyon areas. Similar advisories have also been issued for...

Kamloops SAR team aids in search for missing hiker

KAMLOOPS - Search and rescue crews from around the province are helping to search for a hiker not seen since July 8 in the Comox Valley area of Vancouver Island and as of Wednesday six Kamloops members are among the searchers. Kamloops Search and Rescue Search Manager Alan Hobler says six team members, along with...

Fires becoming more aggressive

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - There have been more than 25 wildfires in the Kamloops Fire Centre in the past two days but most of the smoke in the air is coming from the more than 36,000 hectares burning in northern B.C. Just yesterday crews battled fires at Apex Mountain in Penticton, Mt. Boucherie in West Kelowna and...

Swinging wood in the parking lot leads to arrest

KAMLOOPS – Police members have a 37-year-old man in custody after he was arrested for mischief Wednesday morning. The male was reported to be swinging a large piece of wood around in the Seymour 7-Eleven location parking lot. He also reportedly yelled and struck the side of a delivery truck with the wood. When RCMP...

Sniffing out a new sport

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - There’s a new sport gaining popularity in the Interior and as long as you have a dog, you can do it. Nosework is gaining popularity as a sport that can be done competitively or for fun with any dog, and it’s the ‘any’ part that keeps a lot of dog owners coming back...

Environmental response on Ajax ‘not good enough for the city of Kamloops’

KAMLOOPS — Council united in frustration Tuesday afternoon as they approved two separate motions asking for the Environmental Assessment Office to step up and help the residents of Kamloops better understand the proposed Ajax mine. Back in May, city councillors asked the office to host a public session to provide clarity on the process for Ajax...

Story of Lytton manslaughter comes to close 15 years later

KAMLOOPS - A man who beat his friend to death and successfully hid the body in a shallow grave for nearly 13 years before finally being discovered, was sentenced to nearly eight year in jail, in Kamloops Supreme Court Tuesday afternoon. Earlier this year, a jury convicted William Robert Smith, born 1967, of beating Sandy...

UPDATE: Aggressive fire near Coquihalla toll booth prompts evacuation alert

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - An evacuation alert has been issued and B.C. Wildfire is keeping crews off of a fire three kilometres west of the old toll booth along the Coquihalla Highway because it's just too dangerous. “It’s displaying aggressive behaviour, a rank five. It has an organized flame front and is spreading quickly,” Fire Information Officer...

Construction numbers continue to climb

KAMLOOPS - Residential construction continues to build on last year’s success but we are still a long way from seeing record numbers The total permit numbers for June 2014 went up slightly to a total of three compared to June 2013, but there's a major decrease (138) in the number of multi-family permits issued this...

Victim not speaking to police after being run over by his father

KAMLOOPS – It’s unclear why a father was driving his son to Royal Inland Hospital in the first place, but police are saying the altercation between the two suggests the son had changed his mind once they arrived. On Monday afternoon, the two had a verbal dispute in the emergency drop-off zone before the father...

Judge rebukes ‘unacceptable conditions’ for teen held in Kamloops cells

KAMLOOPS - A provincial court judge let a 15-year-old Victoria girl out of a potential three-month jail sentence because she was improperly held in Kamloops city cells for five days in “unacceptable conditions,” her lawyer says. The girl was locked up in city cells for five days without seeing a judge, in part because Kamloops...

Son hit by a car after fight with father

KAMLOOPS – RCMP members are looking for answers after a Kamloops father ran over his son after the two had a disagreement at the Royal Inland Hospital. Police believe the father was trying to bring his son to the hospital when the two began fighting. When the father tried to leave, the son was struck...

Campfire bans begin Wednesday

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - B.C. Wildfire is issuing a campfire ban beginning Wednesday, July 16 following a perfect storm of hot, dry and stormy weather. The ban, which begins at noon Wednesday, covers the entire fire centre and is in place until further notice. The majority of the fire centre is sitting at a high to extreme...

Kilts under the sun

KAMLOOPS - As if lugging around a big drum or set of bagpipes while wearing a wool kilt wasn't enough, those attending the Highland Games in Kamloops this past weekend also had to deal with 39 Celsius heat. Pipers, dancers and strongmen (and women) returned to McGowan Park for the annual Highland Games Saturday, July...

Hazy sky likely from northern fires

KAMLOOPS - It could just be a haze in the sky today but it is more likely smoke from more northern fires we are continuing to see fill our valley. B.C. Wildfire information officer Melissa Klassen says the smoke in the air could be attributed to the more than 15,000 hectares of fires north of...