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Kamloops
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...
Eyes to the sky: Full moon and meteor shower this week
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - An annual meteor shower is set to put on a display this week and it looks like Mother Nature is going to cooperate with warm temperatures and clear skies this time around, but the full moon will likely put a damper on the show. The Delta Aquarids meteor shower runs annually for about...
PHOTOS: Centre of Gravity 2015
KELOWNA – More than 20,000 people attended the 8th annual Centre of Gravity extreme sports and music festival in Kelowna over the weekend, but despite having the best lineup of talent of any previous year, rainy weather kept ticket sales down slightly. In past years they have sold out, however event organizer Scott Emslie said...
You face multiple fines for that one cigarette butt or campfire, even if it doesn’t start a wildfire
KAMLOOPS - That cigarette butt tossed on the ground, the sparks from your off-road vehicle, that campfire you were sure was safe. You can be fined by multiple agencies for any of these transgressions if you’re caught. And in the midst of a major fire season, the agencies in charge of fining you are not...
UPDATE: Serious, multi-vehicle crash on Coquihalla south of Kamloops
KAMLOOPS – Emergency crews were on the scene of a crash involving multiple vehicles on the Coquihalla Highway south of Kamloops Sunday, which sent six people to hospital. RCMP say just before 11 a.m., July 26, they were called to the series of crashes in the northbound lanes of Highway 5 near the Inks Lake...
BY THE NUMBERS: This week in wildfires
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – The big news this week was, you guessed it, wildfires. If you weren’t…
Friend of cop charged with child porn says accuser-wife showed pornography after child’s birthday party
"IT WAS EXTREMELY GRAPHIC." KELOWNA – A friend of a former Vernon cop and his ex-wife Valerie Little, who accuses him of downloading child pornography, says she believes Little was trying to get pregnant to have a better chance at taking sole custody of their kids. She also testified Little accidentally played a pornographic video...
Crews make gains on Coldstream Creek fire
ASHCROFT – A four-day old fire that was exhibiting aggressive behaviour earlier in the week…
Health authority hard hit by influenza last season
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The Southern Interior was hard hit by influenza last season with a jump in confirmed cases and deaths. But at the same time, the flu season here in the Interior Health Authority was typical of what the rest of Canada experienced. Dr. Gillian Frosst, an epidemiolgist with the heatlh authority, told the board...
Extreme drought results in fishing bans for Nicola rivers
SALMON RUN AT RISK THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - An extreme drought rating has been issued for the Nicola region, resulting in fishing restrictions and a request for residents to conserve water. Staff from the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources say extreme dry conditions and warming water temperatures calls for a fishing suspension on the Nicola...
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...
An exclusive sneak-peak into a unique home fit for a king
PRITCHARD – You have to go out of the way to find it, but nestled among the pastures and ranches of Pritchard is perhaps the most unique home in the area, if not the B.C. Interior. Scratch that, it’s not so much a home — it’s a castle. The 5,000 square foot stone and concrete...
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...
Be fire safe, not sorry, when you use your tools and toys in the bush
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you plan on being a lumberjack or ripping around on your ATV in the bush this weekend, B.C. Wildfire Management is asking you to take into account the fire risk before firing up a chainsaw or starting up the quad. “If members of the public or industry personnel plan to do any...
Bringing the heat in the Okanagan this weekend
OKANAGAN - Mother Nature gave us a bit of a reprieve this week, but the temperatures will be back into the 30s again this weekend. After several weeks of intense heat and then a week of near-normal temperatures, the Okanagan will again see temperatures reach the low- to mid-30s Saturday through Tuesday. Environment Canada is...
Province to review bus industry after two Coquihalla crashes
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Two major bus crashes in the last year resulted in serious injuries and now the provincial government is moving forward with a safety review on the motor coach industry. Minister of Transportation Todd Stone says the review will include examining safety statistics, analyzing vehicle inspections and vehicle licensing. It will also compare the...
Canada Post to cut door to door mail service in Kamloops next year
KAMLOOPS - Mail carriers will no longer be delivering mail door to door in Kamloops starting next year, according to the president of the local postal workers’ union. Lara Plummer and others from the Kamloops local union chapter found out today, July 16, Canada Post will create banks of mailboxes for over 25,000 recipients and...
Kamloops RCMP member may face charges after independent investigation
KAMLOOPS - The independent investigation office of B.C. delivered a report to Crown counsel following an RCMP incident which left a man with serious injuries to his spine last year. Investigators with the office independently examine cases when members of the public sustain injuries after coming in contact with RCMP members. According to members of...
Solve the clues and find the treasure at Kamloops’ newest attraction
KAMLOOPS - You and three friends enter a parlour decorated with antiques and cat-themed trinkets. The door closes behind you, the clock starts and you hear the voice of a lady named Margaret. She tells you she has an estate, and the clues leading to her fortune are in the very room you’re standing in....
Aboriginal forestry business gets boost from federal funding
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Aboriginal-owned forest sector companies in B.C. and Alberta will soon enjoy technical support and business advice from Western Economic Diversification Canada. Western diversification minister Michelle Rempel announced during a press conference at the Westbank First Nation corporate offices in West Kelowna that private company FP Innovations would receive $1.8 million to deliver educational...
Fire danger rating climbs back up despite rainfall
CAMPFIRE RESTRICTIONS STILL IN PLACE THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Fire danger ratings are back to a high rating for the majority of the province’s interior, with some pockets still rated as extreme. B.C. Wildfire information officer Kayla Pepper says a bit of rain lowered the rating to a low to moderate risk over the past week or...
Mountain Equipment Co-op coming to Kelowna
KELOWNA - Outdoor enthusiasts will soon have another option when shopping for outdoor gear, Mountain Equipment Co-op has announced it is coming to Kelowna next spring. The legendary Vancouver outdoor outfitter will open a 20,000-square-foot location in the former Future Shop location in Orchard Plaza Shopping Centre in Kelowna. In addition to its outdoor products,...
Judge in hate speech trial won’t hear free speech charter argument before trial
QUESNEL - The hate-speech versus free-speech debate continues in a Quesnel courtroom after a judge decided to wait until the end of trial to hear constitutional arguments from the accused charged with promoting hatred. Roy Arthur Topham, born 1947, is charged with promoting hatred against those of the Jewish religion or ethnic group on his...
In Kamloops, tossing a cigarette butt will cost you
KAMLOOPS - Fair warning, smokers: If you discard your cigarette out the window, expect a ticket. Kamloops RCMP Const. Jason Epp says police got about a dozen calls about people discarding their cigarettes. So far, four have already been ticketed; more are on the way. Rain over the weekend lowered the fire danger rating in the...