Kamloops
Tax rate increase currently sitting near 2.6%
KAMLOOPS - With many budget requests from staff and the public yet to be decided on, the average homeowner can already expect to pay an additional $35 in property taxes this year. That $35 is based on the 1.91 per cent mill rate increase set out in the core services budget, but Assistant Finance Director...
Supporters flock to sign petition for Kamloops birder
KAMLOOPS – One Kamloops resident has taken her support online to rally behind a man who faces fines for feeding crows in his Valleyview neighbourhood. “Please support Toby Jackson as he champions our liberty to care for our fellow beings,” writes Emmy Logan on a petition website. “(He) is being persecuted by a single complainant...
Retail vacancy rates set to climb in Kamloops
KAMLOOPS - Once Target shuts down, the retail vacancy rate in the Sahali, Southgate area will jump to 9.66 per cent from 3.38 per cent two years ago. Katie Martin with Colliers Kamloops points out several larger shops have closed up in the past two years also, including the Dollar Store by Walmart, Petcetera and...
RCMP: Chase woman’s death in fire not crime-related
KAMLOOPS – RCMP investigators in Chase say they don’t believe the trailer fire which claimed a woman’s life on Jan. 16 was crime-related. “We have absolutely no information that it’s criminal,” Sgt. Gary Heebner said Monday, Jan. 19. Heebner added that the Fire Commissioner out of Victoria and fire investigators from Surrey have conducted a...
Young designer hopes Kamloops fashion show takes him to New York school
KAMLOOPS — Quentin Collier proved once again why he is well on his way to becoming a household name as he showcased his latest fashion collection in a packed room of about 300 people. Collier has been working on his collection, Noir by QTC, for several months already and spent the last several weeks pulling...
UPDATE: Highway 12 reopens following second rock slide
LYTTON - Highway 12 has reopened after being closed for the second time in as many days because of a rock slide. Less than eight hours after Highway 12 reopened following the removal of a large boulder on the highway, it was once again closed in both directions between Lillooet and Lytton because of a...
Stop signs featuring Secwépemc would not meet standards
KAMLOOPS - The Secwépemc language is featured around the Thompson Rivers University campus but drivers will not likely see the word on city stop signs in the near future. In July, city council enquired about adding ‘estil,’ the Secwépemc word for stop, to appropriate signs within Kamloops. After reviewing the regulations and standards for both...
Murder trial begins for Lytton man accused of stabbing friend 73 times
KAMLOOPS – The second-degree murder charge against a Lytton man boils down to a number, according to Crown Prosecutor Frank Caputo. “This case is about 73 stab wounds,” Caputo told the jury of eight men and four women during his opening statement in Kamloops Supreme Court today, Jan. 19. Cory Peter Bird, born 1987, faces...
How one school is trying to tighten up its dress code
"HAIR COLOUR, INCLUDING HIGHLIGHTS, MUST BE WITHIN THE FOLLOWING SPECTRUM..." KAMLOOPS — If you think your school is strict, have a look at this draft dress code for a private school in Kamloops which explicitly says: No tie dye, no ‘bling’ on belts, no multiple pockets, solid colour socks only and no "whacky" hair. This...
Facing fines for a different kind of murder
KAMLOOPS – It all started with giving a few birds some peanuts on a morning walk. Now, Toby Jackson faces $300 in fines and a possible court case. Jackson started feeding some of the neighbourhood crows after doing some research on the birds’ intelligence. Beyond the ability to use tools, Jackson says the breed of...
More snow is on its way; heavy snow for mountain passes
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – The forecasters at Environment Canada are predicting heavy snow for mountain passes on the Coquihalla and the Hope-Princeton highways. The 20 to 30 centimetres of snow will start to fall late Saturday and continue overnight into Sunday, according to a Special Weather Statement. “A warm front will bring copious amounts of moisture to...
Kamloops’ teenage designer preparing for fashion school
QTC LABEL CONTINUES TO GROW KAMLOOPS - Gold, fur and stars, the essence of the '70s spirit and '80s edge. The latest collection from a local fashion designer features all this and more and will be on display for Friday night during the teenager’s latest fashion show. Quentin Collier has been designing clothes since Grade...
Transportation Minister moved to tears by letter from girl whose family died in car crash
KAMLOOPS – Transportation Minister Todd Stone says his ministry is responding to the concerns of a seven-year-old girl who made highway improvement suggestions after her family died in a car crash near Lillooet earlier this month. Stone was reminded of the latest high priority section of Highway 12 earlier this week when he received a...
More snow on the way this weekend
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The temperatures are warming up but we are not out of the woods when it comes to snow just yet, Mother Nature may add another layer of the white stuff before the weekend is over. According to Environment Canada people in Kamloops can expect snow today, Friday, Jan. 16, and Saturday along with...
Accused cop shooter hires lawyer, still awaits bail hearing
KAMLOOPS - The man accused of shooting a Kamloops RCMP officer has hired a lawyer for his bail hearing on Jan. 29. Kenneth Michael Knutson, 36, was supposed to have his bail hearing today, Jan. 15, but the matter was remanded to later this month. Since his last court date, Knutson hired Victoria-based lawyer Jordan...