Coldstream Creek fire completely contained, crews mopping up
ASHCROFT - The Coldstream Creek fire between Ashcroft and Logan Lake is now 100 per cent contained while B.C. Wildfire crews focused on mop up efforts today. Kelsey Winter, a fire information officer with the province, says crews spent the day, July 27, cleaning up the perimeter of the 250-hectare fire and falling damaged trees...

Kamloops dental surgeon appeals regulator decision, issues counter claim in medical malpractice suit
KAMLOOPS - A dental surgeon accused of causing a patient’s severe brain injury will fight the allegations against him in two separate tribunals after announcing his plan to appeal a dental regulator's decision prior to his penalty hearing. On July 17, Dr. Bobby Rishiraj indicated his plan to appeal the decision made by the College...

Kamloops RCMP victim services program under review, lacking volunteers
KAMLOOPS - The RCMP victim services program in Kamloops is undergoing a review as the program struggles to meet the 24-hour, seven day a week demand. The program, which coordinates support for victims of crime, has a complement of roughly 30 volunteers according to Kamloops RCMP staff sergeant Brad Mueller. The commanding officer says it’s...

Love to hate Shakespeare at upcoming Kamloops show
KAMLOOPS - If you want to see Shakespeare in a different light, take the time to watch Western Canada Theatre summer students perform their play I Hate Shakespeare at the end of the month. The play is a new take on Shakespeare's famous features and includes a bit more pizzazz, from ghosts to cheerleaders to a...

UPDATE: Kal Park wildfire under control
COLDSTREAM - Firefighters from B.C. Wildfire already have a fire in Kalamalka Provincial Park under control after reports of a smoke plume around Juniper Bay earlier this afternoon. Fire information officer Kelsey Winter says Coldstream Fire Department crews are on the scene along with an initial attack crew from B.C. Wildfire. Winter says the rank...

Finding ice time in Kamloops could be a challenge next season
KAMLOOPS - It’s hard to think about ice time during summer heat, but those who booked theirs in advance can consider themselves lucky; next season's peak skating times are now booked solid following a private arena’s closure. Jeff Putnam, the city’s civic facilities manager, says the city’s six sheets of ice continue to book up...

Watch out for Canada Revenue fakers in latest phone scam to hit Kamloops
KAMLOOPS - That suspicious message you received from the Canada Revenue Agency, yes, it's a scam. Const. Jason Epp, a spokesperson for the Kamloops RCMP, says the calls are a notification that after a completed audit, the resident owes back taxes to the agency. Epp says the fraudster then asks for immediate payment or a...

Union says recycling strike could last longer; city not paying Emterra
KAMLOOPS - Locals should brace themselves for even lengthier delays in recycling service; five weeks after Emterra Environmental workers began their strike, seats are still empty at the bargaining table. Marty Gibbons, the Kamloops chapter president of the local United Steelworkers union that represents the workers, says staff are digging in its heels for the...
Crews tackling three wildfires of note near Kamloops
KAMLOOPS - Three fires of note in the Kamloops Fire Zone are in various stages following recent suppression activities by fire crews. The Coldstream Creek fire between Ashcroft and Logan Lake is 250 hectares in size. Fire information officer Kelsey Winter says crews managed to block structures threatened by the fire near Highway 97C. The...

Information on Sun Peaks hit and run could net you $10,000 reward
KAMLOOPS - The family of a man who was hit by a vehicle on Sun Peaks Road last Sunday is appealing to the public and offering a $10,000 reward in exchange for information on the driver who fled the scene. The vehicle — a dark older model Chevy S-10 pickup truck — hit a man...

There’s a new piano in downtown Kamloops
RED IS THE NEW BLUE KAMLOOPS - There’s a new piano on the corner of Third Avenue and Victoria Street, but this one will look a little different. The Kamloops Central Business Improvement Association worked to find a replacement after a vandal destroyed the blue piano of Downtown Kamloops earlier this month. Tanya Orozco with...

Coldstream Creek fire near Ashcroft mapped at 250 hectares
ASHCROFT - A lightning-caused wildfire between Ashcroft and Logan Lake has been mapped at 250 hectares while residents at 28 properties nearby are under evacuation alert. Kayla Pepper, a fire information officer with B.C. Wildfire, says the fire west of Coldstream Creek was estimated at 600 ha last night July 20 but once crews mapped the...

UPDATE: Coldstream Creek fire near Ashcroft grows, evacuation alert issued
ASHCROFT - B.C. Wildfire crews are battling an aggressive lightning-caused wildfire south of Ashcroft today and locals are now on evacuation alert. The fire was called in around 1 p.m. this afternoon, July 20, and quickly grew to 120 hectares. By 6 p.m. the fire had grown to 600 ha. Properties on North Road, Landon...

Petition calls for improvements on stretch of highway where Clearwater couple died
CLEARWATER - Following multiple crashes along a portion of the Yellowhead Highway, including two that resulted in people having to be airlifted to Royal Inland Hospital last week, locals are asking for more safety measures to be implemented along the highway. Three days ago, Hettie Buck created an online petition to call on the Ministry...

More inspections warranted after Kamloops patient sustains heart attack, brain injury: Dental regulator
KAMLOOPS - The regulatory board for dental surgeons will continue operating on a complaint-based system for incidents, but plans to broaden its scope of inspection for sedation facilities after one Kamloops dentist’s failures caused a patient’s severe brain injury in 2012. Last month, the College of Dental Surgeons of British Columbia posted their decision to...