Wednesday, May 27, 2026

☕ Good Morning

Wednesday, May 27 is about what changes when plans meet real life: a prison-adjacent neighbourhood gets a smaller second try, bus fares move up sooner, two crowded schools look for faster classroom space and downtown has a very visible empty corner to solve.

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📰 News

A 7-Eleven-sized question just opened downtown. Radio NL reports the Seymour Street and Sixth Avenue store closed Tuesday, May 26, along with another Kamloops location on Summit Drive in Sahali. Downtown Kamloops BIA interim executive director Jeremy Heighton said early conversations with the City have already started about what could happen to the property, including concerns about leaving such a visible corner boarded up for months. (Radio NL)

The school crowding fix may come in prefab form. Castanet reports SD73’s latest capital request puts modular additions for Sa-Hali Secondary and Pacific Way Elementary at the top of the list. Board chair Heather Grieve said full school builds can take four to six years after ministry approval; secretary-treasurer Kim Morris said modular additions could be in place in less than a year or two. (Castanet)

The Japanese beetle fight is moving west. Castanet reports a new quarantine zone is planned for Westsyde after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency found nearly 800 invasive Japanese beetles in Kamloops last year, most of them outside the first regulated area downtown. The City has been applying larvicide in Westsyde and Exhibition Park, with federal monitoring expected from June to October. (Castanet)

Baseball is back at Norbrock on Friday, May 29. Castanet reports the NorthPaws open their fifth West Coast League season against the Corvallis Knights, with Riley Jepson back for a second season as head coach and six returning players expected to give Kamloops some continuity after a three-year playoff drought. (Castanet)

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🏛️ City Hall

Kenna Village is back, smaller and more industrial. Council voted 7-1 Tuesday, May 26 to send the proposal beside Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre to public hearing. Castanet reports the revised plan cuts more than 400 homes from the January version, removes medium-industrial zoning and expands the light-industrial area after the first application was rejected. (Castanet)

Bus fares are going up sooner than planned. CFJC Today reports council voted 5-4 to move a planned September 2027 fare increase to September 2026 and a planned September 2029 increase to September 2028. A regular ride is set to rise from $2.25 to $2.50 in September 2026, then to $3 in September 2028. (CFJC Today)

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🚨 Safety

A 29-year-old Kamloops man died in a North Shore motorcycle crash. Castanet reports an RCMP officer came across the collision between a motorcycle and pickup truck at Tranquille Road and 12th Street around 10:50 p.m. Monday, May 25. Police said the pickup driver remained at the scene, no charges have been laid, and the investigation is still in its early stages. (Castanet)

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📅 Events

Fragments is Saturday, May 30 at Kelson Hall. Bass-baritone Micah Schroeder and pianist Frances Armstrong perform at 7:30 p.m. in a Kamloops Symphony-presented recital built around opera and art song. (Castanet)

Paint Your Pet Night is Sunday, May 31 at Yew Street Food Hall. The pet portrait night starts at 4 p.m.; bring the pet-photo energy and leave with something for the wall. (Castanet)

Kidney Walk Kamloops is Sunday, June 7 at McDonald Park. Registration starts at 10 a.m. and the walk starts at 11 a.m., raising money for kidney-health support, advocacy and research. (Castanet)

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🛣️ Roads & Weather

🌤️ Heat before the shower chance: Environment Canada’s May 27 forecast has clearing and a high of 29 C, then 32 C Thursday, May 28 with a chance of showers. AQHI is low.

🚧 Highway 1 bridge work is the one to remember in town: DriveBC says construction between Pacific Way and Summit Drive continues until Monday, June 15, with traffic reduced to one lane each way in the westbound lanes, a 50 km/h speed limit and overnight detours from 10 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. (DriveBC)

🚧 Highway 1 work west of Chase is still active: DriveBC lists maintenance between Chief Neskonlith Drive and Shuswap Chase Creek Road until Friday, May 29, plus maintenance between Willow Road and Old Highway until Thursday, May 28. Expect delays in those work zones. (DriveBC)

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🎮 Daily Game

Worldle — guess the country from its shape, with distance and direction hints after each try.

KamloopsContractors.ca is a free local directory I made to make it easier to find Kamloops-area contractors by trade.