Glynn Brothen
No injuries in train derailment north of Kamloops
KAMLOOPS - Rocks fell onto train tracks north of Kamloops Sunday afternoon, leading to two locomotives and nine car bodies derailing. The incident happened near McLure, about 25 minutes north of Kamloops yesterday, April 19. Chad Graham, a resident in the area, said he spotted the derailed cars near his property around 5 p.m., about...
Crown appealing sentence for man who fooled police and lawyers with fake name
KAMLOOPS - It’s common for criminals to operate under an alias, but it’s very unusual for someone to be tried, convicted and sentenced under a fake name. That’s what happened with Eric Bradley Charlie, born 1983, who told police in 2013 he was James Rocky Whitford, born 1990, one of 18 known aliases on his...
City plan to fill in sculpture is ‘breaking the law for artistic expression’
KAMLOOPS - The artist behind a rock sculpture in Riverside Park is concerned about the city’s plan to alter his piece of work to prevent others from entering the space beneath it after a woman died there last month. Bill Vazan, a Montreal-based artist, was commissioned to carve his granite stones piece Raven’s Nest in...
Thompson Rivers University issues apology after accidentally accepting all 504 nursing program applicants
KAMLOOPS - You might want to rethink that party you're planning to celebrate your acceptance to nursing school at Thompson Rivers University, at least if you’re one of the 401 students accepted in error. Officials at the university issued an apology and a retraction to the hundreds of nursing program hopefuls who received acceptance letters...
Judge dismisses Crown appeal on fake name case, cites lengthy delays
KAMLOOPS - Police and prosecutors failed to confirm the identity of a man who was charged, tried, convicted and sentenced under the wrong name and now one more failure is on the books. A Supreme Court Justice denied the Kamloops Crown an opportunity to fix its mistakes because they waited too long to bring it...
Kamloops university students get creative with science projects
KAMLOOPS - If you ever found yourself wondering how a zebra got its stripes or how bees communicate, check out some of the latest video projects from science students at Thompson Rivers University. In their first-year biology class, students were told to answer an odd science question in an entertaining way. The topics range from...
Overlanders Bridge construction to begin next week
KAMLOOPS - Prepare to either be patient or seek alternative routes as construction begins on the Overlanders Bridge next week. Phase one of the $9.3-million construction project begins Monday, April 20, and will have the southbound curb lane, west sidewalk and the Tranquille Road exit ramp closed to start. The bridge's overpass will be...
Traffic court on its way out with new e-ticketing system
WILL THE DECISION RELIEVE BACKED UP PROVINCIAL COURTS AND SAVE MONEY OR WILL IT STRIP YOU OF YOUR RIGHTS? KAMLOOPS - A critic of a new amendment to the Motor Vehicle Act — which will introduce driving notices instead of tickets and remove provincial traffic courts for disputes — calls the move unconstitutional and plans...
Artist and city to decide together on safety changes for rock sculpture
KAMLOOPS - A city supervisor says before potential changes to the Raven’s Nest sculpture in Riverside Park move forward a structural engineer’s report will be brought forward to the artist. Changes were proposed by Kamloops’ parks department after a woman caught fire in the small space beneath the sculpture’s five large carved boulders last month. Parks...
Kamloops park fire death ‘a ritual gone horrifically wrong’
KAMLOOPS - While authorities are still investigating how and why a woman was set on fire early Tuesday morning in a Kamloops park — and later died in hospital — people close to her say it was a pagan ritual gone wrong. The Uji Feature Garden rock formation, where the woman was found, remains blocked...
Former RCMP officer calling on Kamloops Mounties to make informed union vote
KAMLOOPS - A retired RCMP officer is asking for Mounties to take the time to educate themselves on collective bargaining before voting to make a decision that could change the future of the force’s relationship with its employees. “First and foremost, members have to be educated about what choice they can make,” spokesperson for the...
No Kamloops neighbourhood immune to car break-ins
KAMLOOPS - Car owners in Westsyde have been dealing with a series of car break-ins over the last week, but a spokesperson for the RCMP says it's not out of the normal for thieves to hit several vehicles in one neighbourhood before moving on to a different one. Westsyde residents living on Bissette Road, Oak...
The pitch for quidditch at TRU campus
MAGICAL SPORT GETS CANADIAN MAKEOVER KAMLOOPS - Once a year Owen Paetkau and his buddies run around their university campus with plastic shovels between their legs as they throw dodgeballs and handballs around. One guy has a tennis ball hanging from his pants while another player chases him. At first glance it might look like...
Psych results in: Accused murderer will stand trial
KAMLOOPS - A man accused of the only murder in Kamloops in 2014 was deemed fit for trial by a Provincial Court Judge Wednesday afternoon after results of a court-ordered psychiatric assessment. On April 15, Judge Stephen Harrison announced Christopher Frank Butler will stand trial on a second-degree murder charge. Butler was charged after Deanne...
Superman to stand trial during Kamloops Law Week
KAMLOOPS - If you’ve ever been curious about the city’s courthouse or the players within it, the Canadian Bar Association of B.C.'s Law Week is the chance to learn more. On Wednesday, April 15, members of the public are invited to the Kamloops courthouse where guests can meet representatives from justice agencies like the law...