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Kamloops
Westsyde students among those walking out Wednesday
KAMLOOPS - Students are sick of being played as pawns and at least a handful of students at Westsyde Secondary will protest Wednesday morning in an effort to get both sides of the labour dispute to think about the students stuck in the middle. “This walkout is to tell both the government and the teachers...
South Thompson up, North Thompson down
KAMLOOPS - River levels north of and within Kamloops are down while the South Thompson River at Chase continues to rise. At Chase the river sits at a one in two year flow level of almost 1,000 cubic metres per second, which is up more than 100 cubic metres per second just a last week...
Wildfire season expected to heat up
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - With just 13 wildfires reported in May it was a ‘pretty average’ spring month for B.C. Wildfire but the amount of rain that falls over the next month will play a big part in whether predictions of a heavy fire year are correct. Melissa Klassen with the Kamloops Fire Centre says of the...
UPDATE: Neil Snelson granted bail
"I’M WORRIED THAT HE MIGHT REOFFEND AGAIN” KAMLOOPS — A Kelowna man awaiting a manslaughter re-trial in the death of a Kelowna teen in 1993 has been granted bail provided he comes up with $75,000 surety. Neil George Snelson, 47, was once tried and convicted of the manslaughter of 19-year-old college student Jennifer Cusworth. He...
Snelson seeks bail before manslaughter re-trial
KAMLOOPS – A Kelowna man is seeking bail in a hearing tomorrow in advance of his second trial for the 1993 rape and murder of a college student. Neil George Snelson, 47, is awaiting a new trial ordered by the B.C. Court of Appeal. His trial was delayed again today. Snelson requested more time for...
Accused Clearwater murder suspect appears in court
KAMLOOPS – A Clearwater man charged with first degree murder in the death of his…
Theft stops Shuswap business in its tracks
SHUSWAP - A local business owner is calling a theft from her business planned and devastating. “They broke into the compound, smashed into the truck… moved the trailer and cut all the locks… it was planned for sure,” Barb Rivest of Shuswap Unique Adventure Tours says. “It was my whole business right there, so that...
Second arrest in gangland murder
KAMLOOPS – A second man has been arrested in connection with the murder of Archie LePretre, 23, over three years ago. LePretre, of Vancouver, was in Kamloops visiting a cousin when they were attacked at the Stuart Wood Elementary School basketball court on March 22, 2011. Taken to hospital with stab wounds, the he was...
Teachers have choice to attend grad, field trips
KAMLOOPS — Superintendent Terry Sullivan has been dealing with calls from irate parents as teachers announce cancelled school events and he wants to make it very clear, the district has not prohibited their participation, the choice to take part is up to each teacher. “We’re not cancelling anything,” Sullivan says. “If teachers are supervising the...
Leaded gloves used to assault her victim
KAMLOOPS – A local woman with a lengthy criminal record will have her sentencing for two separate guilty pleas in June. Mary Lynn Dyson, born in 1984, is facing sentencing from two separate incidents. The first is from a break and enter in 2012. For her involvement, Dyson was charged with assault, use of weapon,...
School trips cancelled because of strike
KAMLOOPS - Grade 5-7 students around the district have been looking forward to year end camping trips but this year many of them have been cancelled because of the teacher strike. Several schools have cancelled year-end camping trips to Eagle Bay Camp because of the strike upsetting students and their parents who helped raise money...
Elementary teacher encourages phones in class
KAMLOOPS - They have them, so why not use them? That is the mentality of one teacher who is trying to show young students how to use smartphones and tablets as more than just an entertainment device. Teacher Jason Sandhu has always loved technology and is constantly looking for ways to bring it into his...
Two green thumbs up for public plant project
KAMLOOPS - Locals are welcome to loan a garden-gloved hand to the MacDonald Park Public Produce Plant Up this Sunday. The Kamloops Public Produce Project is a community organization working with the Kamloops Food Policy Council to grow greenery and healthy food locally. On Sunday, the group plans to plant seedlings and several trees. Anyone...
Heat coming your way this weekend
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN — Get your sunscreen ready: the cool, wet week has a reprieve in store for us with higher temperatures for a water park or beach this weekend. Today highs will reach near normals of 21 C to 23 C across the region with a 30-40 per cent chance of thundershowers or storms this afternoon...
River levels receding
KAMLOOPS — A flood watch for the Clearwater River has been downgraded and the high streamflow warning for the North Thompson River has ended after heavy rainfalls did not materialize in most areas Wednesday. A total of 5-10 mm fell throughout the region over the past couple days, significantly less than the 10-20 mm expected...
B.C. Lions invite public to Fanfest
KAMLOOPS - It's time once more for fans of the B.C. Lions to head out to Hillside Stadium for a special day that's all about them. The City of Kamloops and B.C. Lions are holding Fanfest again, from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 8. The team will host a practice and clinic, encouraging fans...
Not the first time baby suffered brain trauma, doctor suggests
KAMLOOPS – An infant victim in an assault and neglect case suffered head injuries from “violent forces” and it wasn’t the first time, a B.C. Children’s Hospital pediatrician suggested today. Dr. Margaret Colbourne told Kamloops Supreme Court Justice Hope Hyslop today the baby she examined in early 2012 had symptoms “more in keeping with abusive...
Community, not ore bodies, guided Ajax move
KAMLOOPS - The external affairs manager for KGHM Ajax Mining says they listened to community concerns over placement of the proposed Ajax Mine facilities but at least one group says the move announced earlier today does not fully address their concerns. “It alleviates the concerns somewhat, but it doesn’t come anywhere near meeting all our...
Martial Arts community kicks back at “offensive” remarks by Vernon council
VERNON - The mixed martial arts community is in an uproar over what they feel were offensive and uneducated comments made about their sport earlier this week by Vernon councillors. The City of Vernon wants to ban mixed martial arts (MMA) events because, as Coun. Bob Spiers put it, “the association with the type of...
Water parks open this weekend in Kamloops
KAMLOOPS - It may not feel like summer is around the bend with the wet, cool weather lingering over Kamloops these past few days, but the city isn't about to let kids down. They're opening water parks at the end of the month. Starting Saturday, May 31, all City of Kamloops water parks will be...
Two locals to receive Order of B.C.
KAMLOOPS - Two local men will be among the 25 British Columbians to be appointed to the Order of B.C. this year. Roger Barnsley and Hon. Leonard Marchand are among those who will receive the award, given to people who have contributed to the province in extraordinary ways. Barnsley, as president of the University College...
Ajax moving some facilities south, pit to remain
KAMLOOPS — The tailings facility is being moved away from the Coquihalla Highway and the waste rock facility is being moved farther away from the city but the open pit will remain about two kilometres from the closest existing property. “This new plan is an important adjustment to the Ajax Project that address community concerns...
Teacher strikes to continue next week
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN — If you have kids, be prepared to find alternate plans next week because the teachers’ union has announced a second week of rotating strikes, set to take place next week. Students in the Central and North Okanagan School Districts (SD23 and SD83) will be home Monday, June 2. On Tuesday, the strikes rotate...
The fishy case of the stolen boat
KAMLOOPS – The buyer and seller of a stolen boat were in Kamloops Supreme Court this afternoon explaining how a vehicle priced well below market value—and without proper registration papers—didn’t raise any red flags. Kevin Peel, born in 1964, of Pinantan Lake, B.C. faces one charge of possessing stolen property over $5,000 and another of...