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Kamloops

This year’s flu vaccine to target relatively vicious strain

KELOWNA – If you feel like this fall has already been worse than others for getting a cold or the flu, Interior Health has some bad news for you. It won’t peak for another month. According to Interior Health medical officer Kamran Golmohammadi the influenza virus and all the other viruses that cause flu-like symptoms...

Ranch hand pleads guilty to stealing employer’s cattle and other thefts

KAMLOOPS - Selling 10 of his employer’s cows worth $35,000, wracking up a work-related credit card and stealing thousands of dollars worth of property could earn a ranch hand  fraudster federal jail time. Jason John McDowell, 38, pleaded guilty to two counts of theft and one count of cattle theft in Kamloops Provincial Court today,...

Sex offender faces longer probation after failing to complete rehabilitation program

KAMLOOPS - A convicted sex offender pleaded guilty in Kamloops Provincial Court today, Oct. 16 to breaching his probation conditions after he was removed from two of his court-ordered rehabilitation sessions. Francis Desmet, 65, was convicted in 2012 of making and distributing child pornography in Kelowna and sentenced to 18 months in jail. After his...

Help these local musicians win the chance of a lifetime

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Your vote could help a local artist win over $100,000 and some serious musical cred. The B.C. Peak Performance Project opens up the public voting portion of its contest today, Oct. 16. Online voting runs until Oct. 23. Two artists from around the Thompson-Okanagan are in the running this year: Vernon’s Corey Myraas...

Deadline to register your off-road vehicles quickly approaching

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Backcountry riders have until Nov. 1 to register their dirt bikes, ATVs and snowmobiles. The new law, which also stipulates several safety regulations while on Crown land, has been voluntary since last November, and back in May the provincial government extended the hard deadline from June 1 to the start of next month....

Fire ban fully rescinded in Kamloops Fire Centre this week

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - As the weather continues to cool off and fire season comes to a close, open burning is now allowed throughout the Kamloops Fire Centre. As of noon today, Oct. 15, the current open burning ban will be completely rescinded in the areas under the Kamloops Fire Centre’s jurisdiction. Many local municipalities are following...

TAYLOR TRIAL UPDATE: Guilty of murdering pregnant 16-year-old girlfriend

KAMLOOPS — It took a jury mere hours to decide Damien Taylor was guilty of murdering his 16-year-old pregnant girlfriend CJ Fowler. After hearing evidence each day for the last two weeks, the 11-person jury in Kamloops Supreme Court was sequestered around 11 a.m. today, Oct. 14 and delivered its verdict before 5 p.m. today....

Ten people injured, one suspect dead after violent altercation in Lillooet band office

LILLOOET - An incident at Lillooet’s Bridge River Indian Band office has left 10 people injured and a male suspect dead. Cpl. Janelle Shoihet, a media spokesperson for the RCMP E-Division, says the incident happened before 8:30 a.m. this morning, Oct. 14. A male entered the band office and used weapons to assault three people....

Kamloops RCMP helicopter is officially moving north

KAMLOOPS - The RCMP helicopter is officially leaving the Kamloops hangar, with a spring 2016 move planned. The local helicopter, which currently covers the Southeast district, will fly to the North District. The move is based on human resources, cost and operational requirements according to Staff Sgt. Rob Vermeulen, a media relations officer for the...

TAYLOR TRIAL: Case wraps, fate of accused in jury’s hands

KAMLOOPS - It's now up to a jury to determine whether or not a Terrace couple's meth-infused multi-day bender ended with Damien Taylor murdering his 16-year-old girlfriend, CJ Fowler in Kamloops nearly three years ago. Taylor’s lawyer Don Campbell and Crown prosecutor Alex Janse each gave their closing submissions to the 11-person jury in Kamloops...

ELECTION 2015: Kamloops Conservative candidate lashes out at local city councillor

KAMLOOPS – In the last week of the federal election campaign, the Kamloops Conservative candidate launched an attack against a local city councillor over a posting to Facebook. Cathy McLeod says she is appalled Cavers had a post on his Facebook page which included a link to a Vancity Buzz story about a social media...

Court delays force judge to stay charge against Kamloops hunter

KAMLOOPS - A Kamloops judge determined a hunter killed outside of his permitted area, but stayed the charge because lengthy delays meant he wasn't getting a fair trial. Abraham John Norman Dougan’s case took over 800 days to wind its way through the court system after the charge was laid in September 2012. Despite determining...

This Salmon Arm artist’s project took her to the Jim Henson studios

SALMON ARM - For her family, it’s getting used to seeing pieces of fluff all over the house, but for Melissa Nasby, being a fibre artist is about seeing what adventure is down the road. In the last six years, Nasby has been working with felt as her medium to create a host of different...

TAYLOR TRIAL: Jurors will hear final arguments next week before deliberating verdict

KAMLOOPS - Both the Crown and the defence have finished presenting their evidence in the Damien Taylor murder trial in Kamloops and jurors will hear closing submissions from lawyers next week. Taylor is charged with second-degree murder in the death of his girlfriend CJ Fowler. The 16-year-old’s body was found December 5, 2012 near a...

Mother accused of murdering infant son in Kamloops to undergo psychiatric assessment

KAMLOOPS - A woman charged with murdering her newborn son will undergo a psychiatric assessment to determine her mental state at the time of the alleged offence. Courtney Fawn Saul made a brief apperance in Kamloops Provincial Court this morning, Oct. 8. She is charged with second degree murder in the death of her infant...

Meteor shower over the Okanagan this week

OKANAGAN - Patient skywatchers will get a chance to view the Draconids meteor shower as it sets to peak this week. The Draconids is a minor meteor shower that runs from Oct. 6 to 10 and produces about 10 meteors per hour, though has been known to produce hundreds or even thousands of ‘shooting stars’...

TAYLOR TRIAL: Accused pretended to be hallucinating during psychiatric exam: Psychiatrist

KAMLOOPS — The forensic psychiatrist who examined the man accused of murdering his girlfriend said he could have suffered from psychosis caused by drug use at the time of the 16-year-old’s death, despite the accused pretending to be schizophrenic during their meetings. Dr. Sunette Lessing conducted eight hours of interviews with Damien Taylor, 24, at...

Blue Rodeo to make Okanagan stop during Canadian tour

KELOWNA - Iconic Canadian band Blue Rodeo is coming to Kelowna early next year. The band announced today, Oct. 7, a cross-country tour in support of their new album Live at Massey Hall. Blue Rodeo first pierced the Canadian conciousness with their 1987 album Outskirts and is planning to release a selection of their albums...

ELECTION 2015: Kamloops councillor brings ‘Heave Steve’ to council meeting

KAMLOOPS - A Kamloops city councillor used a very public outlet to let everyone in town know who he’s not voting for in the upcoming federal election. Donovan Cavers wore a t-shirt during a city council meeting today, Oct. 6, which read 'Heave Steve' with a cartoon Stephen Harper being carried off in in a...

What Interior residents need to know about the killer gas radon

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - It sounds like something from a thriller sci-fi movie - a colourless, odorless radioactive gas that seeps from the ground, infiltrates buildings and kills people. In real life, radon gas is a known carcinogen, the second leading cause of lung cancer accounting for 10 per cent of cases and is found in elevated...