Kamloops

Date set for Snelson retrial

KAMLOOPS – After several delays and a successful bail, a date has been set for Neil George Snelson’s re-trial. Snelson, 47, was already tried and convicted of manslaughter in the death of Jennifer Cusworth in 2011. He appealed his conviction and won a second trial set to take place in Kamloops Supreme Court next year....

Support for firefighters heats up on social media

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Firefighters have been working hard to battle blazes across the province. Many residents have taken the time to thank the B.C. Forest Service and municipal fire crews for fighting day and night.  Below are some helpful lines of support and thank you's from the public.  Did you know? B.C. Wildfire has a specific...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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....

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...