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Windstorm slams BC interior knocking power out to 39,000

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – A major wind storm blew through the B.C. interior Saturday afternoon, March 14, knocking down trees and breaking branches which in turn hit hydro lines cutting the power to about 39,000. In the Thompson-Okanagan area just under 1,000 B.C. Hydro customers are still without power as of 1 p.m., Sunday, March 15 due...

Major snowfall for mountain pass highways in Thompson-Okanagan

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Winter appears to be reluctant to release it’s icy grip on the mountain pass highways in the Thompson-Okanagan. Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement warning of 10 to 20 centimetres of snow by Monday morning. Meteorologist Ross Macdonald says a strong front over Washington State combined with falling freezing levels will...

Another record day in the Interior

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - This will probably come as little surprise, but it was another record day in the Southern Interior, with a handful of communities setting new records Thursday. At 19.6 Celsius Penticton just surpassed a century-old record Thursday while Summerland hit 19 C, well above the previous high temperature record of 16.7 C also set...

Last minute ideas for spring break in Kamloops

KAMLOOPS – There is no shortage of things to do with the kids, or places to send the kids, over the new and improved two-week spring break in Kamloops. The Thompson-Nicola school board voted to extend spring break from one to two weeks last year. Spring break kicks off Monday, March 16 before wrapping up on...

Witness to deadly B.C. boat crash recalls tears from man on trial

KAMLOOPS - A man whose speedboat crashed on a B.C. lake cradled the head of a dying houseboat operator and cried as he waited for help to arrive, a witness has testified. Lubomir Vitanov, who was a passenger on the houseboat on July 3, 2010, said he saw Leon Reinbrecht holding the victim's head after...

No charges recommended against RCMP in parkade death

KAMLOOPS – A Kamloops RCMP officer has been found not criminally negligent after he tasered an 18-year-old man who jumped from the Royal Inland Hospital parkade last summer.  On June 11, 2014, two police officers responded to a report of a youth who left the hospital and was in distress. Officers tried to convince Jacob...

Spences Bridge loses its bridge

SPENCES BRIDGE – The old Spences Bridge has finally been dismantled after its closure more than a year ago.  Representatives from the Ministry of Transportation had originally agreed to close the bridge off to vehicles but keep it open so foot traffic and bicycles from the neighbouring community could cross the Thompson River. However, after...

Illegal dumping in Lac du Bois ‘everyone’s problem but nobody’s problem’

KAMLOOPS – The illegal dumping happening in parkland behind a city neighbourhood has been an issue for a number of years, and one city manager says the garbage represents a social issue more than a financial one. Streets and Environmental Services Manager Glen Farrow says while tipping fees at the city dump have increased and...

Don’t forget to book your camping sites this weekend

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you decide to sleep in this Sunday you might miss out on the summer you’ve been dreaming of. The online and call centre reservation system for provincial campgrounds officially opens Sunday, March 15 at 9 a.m. Reservable sites tend to book up quickly, especially at the more popular campgrounds and for long...

National anti-terrorism bill demonstrations make stops in Thompson-Okanagan

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Demonstrators gathered across the country today to protest the government's proposed anti-terrorism legislation. In the Thompson-Okanagan rallies were held in Kamloops and Vernon. Organizers dubbed the nationwide protests "Defend our Freedom." The Conservative government introduced the legislation, known as Bill C-51, in January and says it will make Canadians safer. Dozens of people...