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Kamloops
Man with history of distributing child pornography sentenced after breaching condition
KAMLOOPS – A man convicted of sending child pornography to elementary schools got more time added to his sentence today for breaching a condition of his probation order. Lowell Swetman, 49, was convicted of failing to comply with an order to stay away from children under the age of 16. On June 5, 2013, RCMP...
Decision on Stuart Wood expected soon
KAMLOOPS - A report with recommendations on whether the school district should relocate students and shut down Stuart Wood Elementary School will be presented to trustees Monday. In November administration made several recommendations focused on realigning catchment areas to help ease enrolment pressures at some high schools. Following much of the realignment it was suggested...
B.C. Supreme court judge awards $2.4M in car crash law suit
VERNON – A Salmon Arm man was awarded over $2.4 million by a B.C. Supreme Court judge in connection with a car crash near Salmon Arm three years ago. Justice Allen Betton awarded the money to 21-year-old Quentin Hermanson. Hermanson, formerly of Vernon, was a passenger in friend Ryan Durkee’s vehicle. They were driving on...
Cultural centre hit by break and enter
KAMLOOPS - The Japanese Cultural Centre is the latest to be targeted by thieves, this time in an overnight break and enter. On Tuesday, May 20, RCMP went to the Japanese Cultural Centre on Vernon Avenue where a suspect(s) pried open the locked door and forced open a safe taking an undisclosed amount of cash....
Riverside stabbing has police looking for suspect
KAMLOOPS – RCMP are investigating a riverside stabbing which took place on the 100 block of Tranquille Road around 5 p.m. on May 21. According to Cpl. Cheryl Bush, a man went to a tented area to speak with a woman when he was approached and stabbed by another man unknown to him. The victim’s...
Break-in devastating for SPCA
KAMLOOPS – It isn’t the way staff and volunteers at the Kamloops SPCA wanted to spend Victoria Day, assessing and cleaning up the damage from an overnight break-in. RCMP say they were called to the shelter at 6:30 a.m. to find thieves had smashed in the front door. Sgt. Michael Buxton-Carr says it appears the...
Help find this stolen tricycle
KAMLOOPS - Tuesday afternoon a custom tricycle used by a girl with special needs was stolen from a home on Renfrew Avenue. The blue and silver trike was made for the teenage girl and has the word ‘Mission’ on the frame while the pedals have straps on them. The seat is large with a back...
Rivers Trail under water as river rises
KAMLOOPS - By Friday the Thompson River rose enough to warrant concern about flowing debris and now the Rivers Trail is nearly impassable after a long weekend filled with rain. The majority of rain fell north of the city, swelling the Thompson River from just under five metres at the end of last week to...
‘Bin wars’ will not play out in city parks
KAMLOOPS - City parks will not be the site of any ‘bin wars’ in the near future because two charities currently collecting clothes in the city will have to continue collecting on private property. The Canadian Diabetes Association originally approached the city to allow their Clothesline program bins in city parks and the Big Brothers...
UPDATE: Teacher strikes begin Monday
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Teachers announced today they will conduct a rotating strike next week in an effort to move along negotiations with the province. The strike begins Monday, May 26 in School District 67 (Okanagan Skaha) and will be followed by the Central Okanagan (SD23) and North Okanagan-Shuswap (SD83) districts Tuesday. On Wednesday, May 28 teachers...
Petcetera officially closing
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN — There were suspicions and rumours circulating that local stores would be shutting the doors following an announcement in March Petcetera had filed for creditor protection and now we know for sure both Kamloops and Penticton are among the stores to be shut down over the next six weeks. The company announced Monday the...
Changes to handicap parking on Nicola
KAMLOOPS - Complaints over inadequate space for dropping off or picking up of disabled persons at 321 Nicola St. has city staff looking at options for changing the parking in that area. The issue first arose in November when People in Motion complained about the inadequate space, which often left the HandiDart having to stop...
Wet long weekend could be filled with rainbows
KAMLOOPS - May long weekend could be filled with showers but it is set to be punctuated by the sun on holiday Monday, great news for anyone looking to take in one of the many outdoor activities happening in Kamloops. For those searching for adventure Friday, rain late in the afternoon or evening might cause...
Kamloops man sentenced to U.S. prison
LOS ANGELES – A Kamloops man found guilty of operating a gang-related cocaine-smuggling operation from Mexico received an 11 and a half year jail sentence in the United States on May 12, according to the Vancouver Sun. U.S. District Court Judge George H. Wu delivered the sentence to John Darrel Krokos, 43, of Kamloops, B.C....
RCMP seize extensive cache of firearms, stolen property
KAMLOOPS – Cocaine, marijuana, a crossbow, flat-screen TVs, dozens of guns, ammunition and more are the latest cache grab stored at the Kamloops RCMP detachment. Insp. Brad Mueller shared the results of a three-month investigation into what RCMP believe are gang-related drug activities and led to seven arrests May 7 and 8. Six were released on...
Police hunt for man wanted for child porn charges
KAMLOOPS - A man wanted on child pornography charges may be lurking around Kamloops. Joseph Samuel Sackaney, 49, is wanted by Prince George RCMP after failing to show up for court. He's wanted on possession of child pornography, possession of child pornography for the purpose of distribution and accessing child pornography. Police believe Sackaney, formerly...
Gas prices skyrocket for long weekend
THOMPSON OKANAGAN - Gas prices have skyrocketed just in time for the long weekend. Many pumps across the Thompson-Okanagan are advertising a ten cent jump today. In Vernon, many gas stations are selling at 143.9 cents per litre. It’s the same story in Kelowna, with most places selling at 143.9 and one, the Superstore on...
Teacher negotiations moved forward
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN — The province announced Thursday it would remove the 10-year term from the table and the teachers’ union president says it’s a relief to finally see it off the table. “It shows the government is willing to get more serious about it and we are happy about that,” B.C. Teachers’ Federation President Jim Iker...
Infotel contest winner plans family trip
KAMLOOPS - Eva Ujiye and her family were not planning a big trip this year, they couldn’t think of what to do. So when she was named the grand prize winner of the InfoTel Multimedia’s houseboat vacation contest she knew it was the perfect opportunity for a family getaway. “I’m so excited,” she says. “We...
UPDATE: Power largely restored
KAMLOOPS - Traffic lights were not working and more than 1,400 customers were without power in downtown Kamloops following a large power outage this afternoon. The first outage came just before 2:30 p.m. and hit the area of Sahali Terrace and Pemberton Terrace. More than 70 customers are affected in that area. B.C. Hydro identified...
High school trades students face delays
KAMLOOPS - A significant number of students will be affected by a delay in the construction of the new NorKam Trades Centre of Excellence. School District 73 Superintendent Terry Sullivan says they were expecting the centre to be ready for the beginning of the school year but construction delays mean it won’t be ready until...
Chase man drowns after capsizing
KAMLOOPS — A 74-year-old Chase man is dead after the boat he was in capsized in the frigid waters of Niskonlith Lake Monday afternoon. Walter Sylvester Oleksyn was fishing about 30 metres off shore with a family member on May 12. The14-foot aluminum skiff overturned and they were tossed in the lake. The other person...
Traffic, noise top casino concerns
KAMLOOPS - Concerns heard from those who attended the open houses for the proposed Aberdeen casino are much in line with what the company was expecting to hear and was already planning to look in to, according to a company spokesperson. Tanya Gabara, the Director of Public Relations for Gateway Casinos, says attendance has been...
UPDATE: Temporary North Shore payment office approved
KAMLOOPS - McArthur Island residents won't need to travel to City Hall this year to pay taxes after a pilot project for a local payment site was approved. Staff asked council to approve the project allowing for a payment processing site at McArthur Island Sport and Event Centre for the 2014 property tax season. Part...