☀️ 3.3°C, Mainly Clear · High 12°C / Low 1°C · ☀️ 6:47 AM–7:27 PM · AQHI 1 (Low) · Environment Canada

📰 News

The Blazers are back in the playoffs — and Game 1 didn't go their way. Memorial Cup host Kelowna took the opener 3–1 at Prospera Place on two goals from Vojtech Cihar. Jacob Dumansky spoiled Harrison Boettiger's shutout bid with five seconds left. (Castanet) (KamloopsBCNow)

TRU's board blinked on the Williams Lake closure — but only partly. Governors voted Friday to delay a final vote until June and launch a two-year planning process, but Williams Lake's mayor says the city was blindsided. (Castanet)

Royal Inland Hospital's cardiac care unit — shut down during COVID — needs 20-plus nurses before it can reopen. The four-bed unit has been dark for years, and Interior Health says specialized recruitment isn't going well. Executive director of clinical operations Gerry Desilets put the staffing gap "in the teens to twenties." (CFJC Today)

A three-pound black bear cub found crying and unresponsive near Heffley Lake earlier this week was driven about 1,000 kilometres to a wildlife facility in Smithers. Northern Lights Wildlife Society made the run after no closer facilities could take it. (CBC)

🏛️ City Hall

Downtown parking is about to get more expensive — and the North Shore could be next. A strategy heading to committee of the whole proposes higher rates, new meters, and stiffer fines downtown, with North Shore paid parking in a five-year rollout. (Castanet)

TNRD locked in its 2026 budget Friday: a 5.3% tax requisition increase. That's about $3 more for an average Kamloops home. Staff trimmed it from an initial 6.7% using $1.3 million in surpluses. (CFJC Today)

Interior Health has paused a long-term care business case in Kamloops, citing provincial direction. Coun. Katie Neustaeter, who sits on the hospital district board, said the city is "already behind on our needs for long-term care beds." (CFJC Today)

🚨 Safety

An RCMP emergency response team raided a home in Merritt's 2600-block of Nicola Avenue yesterday, seizing drugs, cash, firearms, and items consistent with drug trafficking. Multiple people were arrested and released pending investigation. (Castanet)

📅 Events

AltiTunes Après Ski Music Fest hits Sun Peaks April 3. (Castanet)

Flights & Bites is back at Monte Creek Winery on April 3 — wine flights paired with small plates at the vineyard just east of town. (Castanet)

🛣️ Roads & Weather

A mix of sun and cloud today with a high of 12°C; chance of showers Sunday. Sunrise 6:47 AM, sunset 7:27 PM.

🚧 Hwy 1 (Grand Blvd to Miners Bluff Rd, Kamloops): Road sweeping eastbound — watch for slow-moving vehicles and crews.

🚧 Hwy 1 (Old Ferry Rd to Squilax Turtle Valley Rd, east of Kamloops to east of Chase): Road sweeping through Apr 17, weekdays 6 AM–3 PM. Moving work zone.

(DriveBC)