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Jennifer Stahn
What does a school board trustee do?
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Most people have heard of a school board, and school trustees, but what exactly is the role of a trustee? Nominations have opened in advance of the municipal elections throughout the province on Nov. 15. Keep in mind that school districts are a huge employers with big, taxpayer-funded budgets, so even if you...
Half of all wildfires caused by people this year
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A total of 169, or 49.9 per cent, of all wildfires in the Kamloops Fire Centre have been human-caused this year. Kayla Pepper of B.C. Wildfire says of the 339 fires in the fire centre we are about as close to half as you can get right now, though usually lightning fires outnumber...
So you want to be a city councillor? Here’s what it takes
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Most people realize there is a city council in place to help run the city, but few understand just what goes into being the mayor or a councillor. While the roles can change significantly depending on the city, the council member and the needs of the community at that time, we decided to...
Risk of frost in the forecast
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Cover your fragile plants and get your ice scrapers ready, fall is officially here and with that comes a risk of frost. With highs of 13-15 Celsius Thursday and temperatures expected to dip as low as 2 C overnight at airports throughout the region Environment Canada is calling for a risk of frost...
UPDATE: Power back on for nearly 22,000 West Kelowna customers
UPDATE - According to the B.C. Hydro website, power was restored at about 3:30 a.m. to nearly 22,000 customers. There's no word yet on the cause of the outage. WEST KELOWNA - Nearly 22,000 customers have been without power since about 6:30 p.m. thanks to a major hydro outage affecting homes and businesses in Westbank,...
Snow tire season is upon us
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Slushy sections hit the Connector for a brief time Tuesday afternoon and as of Wednesday morning winter tires are a requirement on most B.C. highways. While winter does not officially start until late December snow can fall, especially on mountain passes, a lot earlier and as a result provincial regulations require winter tires...
Interior Health hospitals middle of pack
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - People in the Interior are more likely than other Canadians to drink heavily but they are also more likely to be active, according to recent statistics for the Interior Health Authority that ranked the region in the middle of the pack across the country. A new website compares hospitals, health regions, provinces and...
Fire bans open up as autumn weather settles in
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Fall does not just mean sweater weather, it also means open fires are again allowed throughout the region as temperatures continue to drop. Open fires will be allowed in the Salmon Arm Fire Zone as of Wednesday, Oct. 1. The ban was lifted for the Clearwater Fire Zone on Sept. 15. B.C. Wildfire...
ELECTION 2014: Innovation changes everything in this campaign
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Knocking on doors, shaking hands, advertising and putting up signs: If you ran for council anytime before the last 10 years, that’s how you got exposure. If you ran in 2011, you probably added Facebook and Twitter to your arsenal. But this year, candidates have all the tools of a major political party...
B.C. underwater expedition may have revealed earliest site of human habitation
VANCOUVER – Researchers using a robotic underwater vehicle off British Columbia's northern coast believe they may have found the earliest evidence of human habitation in Canada.
Canada’s big announcement at UN climate summit is to follow the U.S. lead
UNITED NATIONS, – U.S. President Barack Obama didn't just make announcements on behalf of his own country at today's United Nations climate summit — he got to make Canada's, too.
Police officers deliver pizza after delivery driver is injured in Oregon crash
PORTLAND, Ore. – Police officers often deliver citations, and in urgent circumstances they've been known to deliver a baby. Now, here comes pizza.
B.C. privacy responses taking step backwards, says commissioner’s report
VICTORIA – B.C. Information and Privacy Commissioner Elizabeth Denham says provincial government response to access to information requests is getting slower.
Prolific fraudster at it again
KELOWNA - A man known as a serial scammer is believed to be behind the latest string of reports in Kelowna. Police investigators say it appears a 40-year-old Kelowna man with a long list of convictions appears to be at it again, often using the story of a broken down truck or claiming he's a...
Police: 3 people, including gunman, killed in shooting at UPS facility in Birmingham, Alabama
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Police say three people have been killed in a shooting at a UPS facility in Birmingham, Alabama.
What Monday will look like for back to school
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Schools across the province are set to reopen to students Monday now that the provincial government and teachers have successfully negotiated a new contract. Many districts are adopting ‘normal opening day procedures’ for Monday, Sept. 22 and here is a breakdown of what you can expect in each district. Individual schools may adopt...
The agreement that got teachers back to school
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Teachers agreed to a new contract with the government after more than 18 months of negotiations and while not all the details have been released a picture of the deal is starting to emerge. Negotiations began in February 2013 and by the end of the school year the contract expired. Negotiations continued through...
Final weekend of summer bringing the heat
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The first day of fall is around the corner, but before it arrives, we get the chance to bask in the final weekend of summer. The autumnal equinox falls on Tuesday, Sept. 22 in our part of the world, marking the end of summer and the beginning of fall. Before that can happen...
Teachers vote yes, school back in session next week
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The teachers vote is in and school will be back in session next week. A total of 75 per cent of teachers cast ballots Thursday with more than 27,000 voting to accept the agreement. The number of teachers voting was up significantly from ratification votes in 2006 and 2012 and on par with...
Districts planning for back to school
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - As teachers make their decision today whether to ratify a contract agreement with the province, school boards are busy making plans in the hopes that students will be back in school next week. Several districts have already reached out to parents to let them know the plan for next week and most are...
UPDATE: Historic 6-year term, more teachers part of new agreement
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A tentative deal has been reached between teachers and the province and that means students could be back in school as early as Monday. Kamloops-Thompson Teachers Association President David Komljenovic sits on the bargaining committee for the B.C. Teachers’ Federation. He confirmed following a marathon bargaining session ending early Tuesday morning that Monday...
Teacher strike 2014: The timeline
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A lot has happened since negotiations began on the latest contract for B.C. teachers and it’s easy to lose track of how we got to where we are today. Here we take a look back at the basics, where we are and what steps the B.C. Teachers’ Federation and the B.C. Public School...
Stronger showing of northern lights expected tonight
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - We’re getting a second chance at the northern lights tonight thanks to a second blow from the sun, and this one could be even stronger thanks to the storms combining as they hit the Earth. The National Space Weather Prediction Center says a ‘moderate’ storm hit Earth late Thursday night (in the Pacific...
How to make your night sky photography stand out
5 TIPS FOR BETTER PHOTOS THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – If you’re like many people out there you’d…