Friday, May 1, 2026

📰 News

BC Hydro repairs will close First Avenue near City Hall for seven weeks. Pedestrian access will be maintained, parking on the east side of City Hall will be inaccessible, and public parking on the north side will remain open. (CFJC Today)

The hospital board says it has spent more than a year trying to get cardiac-care data. The requested information includes catheterization timelines and mortality rates for local residents who access cardiac care in Kelowna. (CFJC Today)

Summer-like heat is raising wildfire concern as May begins. Kamloops is expected to surpass 30 C to start the month, and the BC Wildfire Service says the severity of the 2026 season will largely depend on how much rain falls in May and June. (Castanet)

Thousands of plastic turtles hit the South Thompson River Sunday, May 3. The 26th annual VW Turtle River Race raises money for the Kamloops Brain Injury Association, with races planned for 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. (Castanet)

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🏛️ City Hall

A court hearing over the mayor’s unpaid legal bills was delayed Thursday. Castanet reports Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson is being taken to court again over more than $43,000 owed to former lawyer Daniel Coles, with the hearing likely to be rescheduled in May. (Castanet)

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🚨 Safety

A stolen Kamloops city bus ended in a downtown crash. RCMP say a 55-year-old from Vancouver was arrested Saturday night after the bus hit a pickup truck. No one was physically injured; a bail hearing is set for May 5. (CBC)

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📅 Events

A concert built around Beethoven’s legacy lands Saturday, May 2 at Fairfield by Marriott. The program features Byström’s A Walk to Beethoven. (Castanet)

An earring-themed art fundraiser for the Kamloops Women’s Shelter opens Saturday, May 2 at 7 Seymour St W. The Lost Earring Project runs through May 30 — blinged out and bedazzled, as advertised. (Castanet)

Friends of the Gardens holds its annual plant sale Saturday, May 2. The listing says annuals, perennials, vegetables and herbs will be available. (Castanet)

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🛣️ Roads & Weather

🌦️ Weather: Chance of showers Friday, with a high of 24°C and a low of 7°C Friday night. AQHI is low.

🚧 Highway 1: Maintenance between Six Mile Hill Rd and Tunkwa Lake Rd for 9.2 km. Until Fri May 1. (DriveBC)

🚧 Highway 5: Pavement patching underway between Battle St and Shuswap Rd for 1.0 km in Kamloops. Until Sat May 2 at 7:00 AM PDT. (DriveBC)