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Salmon Arm

Nurses union sounds alarm after third care-home death

SALMON ARM - The dementia patient who attacked a fellow resident at a Shuswap care home had already assaulted people at the facility, including a nurse, and was flagged as aggressive, says a spokesperson for the B.C. Nurses Union. That patient’s name has not been released, but the name of the man who wandered into...

Hells Angel found guilty on weapons charges

KELOWNA – The public may never know what would have happened had four armed men not been pulled over for speeding two years ago—but what police found inside the vehicle that night was enough to convict two of them of almost a dozen charges. Full patch Hells Angel Joseph Bruce Skreptak and alleged gang associate...

Bad news for Roots and Blues Music Fest

SALMON ARM - A summer music festival that has become synonymous with the City of Salmon Arm is in financial peril, and next year’s event hangs in the balance. The popular Roots and Blues Festival has been a staple of summer music in the Shuswap for 22 years, but currently doesn’t have enough money to...

Charges laid in connection with death of Armstrong woman

ARMSTRONG - A Salmon Arm man has been charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of an Armstrong woman. Jillian McKinty, 27, was found deceased in her home on Wolfenden Terrace in Armstrong Nov. 27, 2013. She was a mother of two. “The circumstances surrounding Jillian’s death were suspicious in nature,” RCMP spokesperson Gord...

Accused in drive-by shooting granted bail

KAMLOOPS – One of two men accused in a fatal drive-by shooting in Salmon Arm was granted bail Friday morning in Kamloops Supreme Court. Jeremy Davis, 24, was released on a $100,000 surety. He and Jordan Larry Barnes, 27, are charged with the second degree murder of Nicolas Larsen, 24. RCMP statements say Larsen was...

Trio of children arrested for setting fire to elementary school

SALMON ARM - An arson at a Salmon Arm elementary school was made even more troubling by the fact its perpetrators were children. Salmon Arm RCMP arrested a six, eight and 10-year-old in connection with a fire at South Broadview Elementary. The kids were picked up by police shortly after the 1:30 p.m. blaze on...

UPDATE: Power restored after storm cut off thousands of residents

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Power has been restored to most customers in the Thompson-Okanagan following widespread outages affecting over 16,000 customers at their peak. Sabrina Locicero with B.C. Hydro says power in the Thompson-Okanagan and Shuswap regions is back on for the vast majority of customers. Only ten customers remained without power as of Friday morning. B.C. Hydro...

Intense storm dropped record rain at rapid rate

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Several rainfall records were broken Wednesday but a local meteorologist says it is the rate of the rainfall that is the big story. “A record rain doesn’t really tell the story, the real story is the speed which it came out of the clouds,” Doug Lundquist of Environment Canada says. “You can have...

Tropical Tuesday comes close to records

VERNON TOPS PREVIOUS HIGH THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - With temperatures soaring into the mid-30s yesterday, it was a close call for many communities but Vernon was alone in setting a new record. With temperatures reaching a high of 34.8 Celsius, Vernon beat the previous record of 34.4 C, set in 1920. Vernon will be a bit cooler...

Arrests made in three year old drive-by murder case

KELOWNA – A pair of arrests have been made in a drive-by shooting that left a Shuswap man dead in 2011. Jeremy Wayne Davis, 24, of Williams Lake and Jordan Larry Barnes, 27, of Mission, have both been charged with second degree murder for the killing of Nicholas Larsen, 24, who was shot while driving...

Entire Kamloops Fire Centre to be under prohibition

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Starting Sunday the annual open fire prohibition will encompass all of the Kamloops Fire Centre as Salmon Arm and Clearwater fire zones are also shut down. The open burn ban is to help prevent human-caused wildfires as we head into a season when lightning ignited fires pick up. “We will likely see more...

A student’s thoughts on the teacher strike

“I AM SCARED TO ENTER A PROFESSION HATED BY THE PUBLIC” SALMON ARM - An anonymous high school student in Salmon Arm has a message for teachers. “What I want to say to each and every one of you is that I appreciate you and everything you do for your students,” wrote the grade 12...

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...

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...

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...

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...

North Okanagan school district axes positions and prepares for the next tough decision

SALMON ARM - The North Okanagan school district is looking at closing schools and reducing the number of trustees on its board to settle ongoing financial challenges in the operating budget. Those ideas surfaced at a board meeting Tuesday as trustees passed a preliminary budget for the 2014/15 school year that would involve laying off teachers...

Debris from Kingfisher landslide endangers boaters

SHUSWAP - Debris from the massive landslide east of Enderby has made its way into Mara Lake. It’s been almost two weeks since a massive deluge of logs, mud and water washed out a portion of Mabel Lake Road and the bridge over Cook Creek. Some of that debris flowed downstream into Mara Lake and...

Mounties honoured for rescue efforts in Wood Lake crash

LAKE COUNTRY - Two local Mounties received a special honour this week for their attempts to rescue a woman who crashed into Wood Lake more than a year ago. Cpl. Mike Loerke (retired) and Const. Carl Stene, both of Lake Country RCMP were among 12 people receiving Canada Bravery Bronze Medals from the Lieutenant Governer...

Halley’s Comet debris trail sets the sky aglitter tonight

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A peak at the annual debris trail from Halley’s Comet may be possible tonight and early Tuesday morning if skies clear. Every spring bits of the debris trail burn up resulting in the annual Eta Aquarid meteor shower. This year the peak will occur tonight, Monday, May 5, through Tuesday morning. The bright...

Spring cleaning on the Coquihalla

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN — If you plan on hitting the highways this week plan for delays as crews clean and fix highways hit hard by a cold, wet winter that left potholes and frost heaves on many roads in the region. Work has already begun on some highways and over the next week drivers can expect to...

Shuswap residents still can’t go home

SHUSWAP - An evacuation order is still in effect for some residents located near a debris flow.  The evacuation began last Wednesday for people living around McIntyre Creek near Salmon Arm. According to a geotechnical engineer and environmental geoscientist, a collection of debris is still lodged in the creek. They also identified water pooling around...

Wildfire regulations to limit open burning

KAMLOOPS - Wildfire Management Branch is cracking down on open burning regulations, to help reduce the risk of wildfires in the Kamloops region. The size of open fires will be restricted starting at noon on May 15, 2014 in most areas of the Kamloops Fire Centre. Clearwater and Salmon Arm Fire Zones are excluded from...