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Lytton

UPDATE: Mushroom picker last seen Saturday near Lytton located

KAMLOOPS - A mushroom picker last seen near Lytton on Saturday was found safely this early this afternoon. Kamloops Search and Rescue were called in to assist Merritt Search and Rescue members, along with Logan Lake Search and Rescue, in looking for the person in the Botanie Valley area near Lytton. Kamloops Search Manager Alan...

More controlled burns planned for Lytton area

LYTTON - With a goal of reducing interface wildfire risk and restoring natural ecosystems B.C. Wildfire will be in the Lytton area over the next two weeks performing prescribed burns. This year work will be done in a subdivision above Loring Way east of Lytton, in Skihist Provincial Park and in an area northwest of...

UPDATE: Highway 12 reopens following second rock slide

LYTTON - Highway 12 has reopened after being closed for the second time in as many days because of a rock slide. Less than eight hours after Highway 12 reopened following the removal of a large boulder on the highway, it was once again closed in both directions between Lillooet and Lytton because of a...

Murder trial begins for Lytton man accused of stabbing friend 73 times

KAMLOOPS – The second-degree murder charge against a Lytton man boils down to a number, according to Crown Prosecutor Frank Caputo. “This case is about 73 stab wounds,” Caputo told the jury of eight men and four women during his opening statement in Kamloops Supreme Court today, Jan. 19. Cory Peter Bird, born 1987, faces...

UPDATE: Highway 12 reopens after giant boulder cleared

LYTTON – A huge boulder that fell onto Highway 12 in a rockslide on the weekend has been cleared and the highway has reopened. The highway was closed between Lytton and Lillooet until early Monday afternoon after the boulder fell, blocking much the roadway. The Drive B.C. website noted the Ministry had to wait on...

ELECTIONS 2014: Results from around the region

KAMLOOPS - Voters have spoken and while there are only two new faces around the council table in Kamloops there are a slew of new faces around the rest of the region. Council tables in both Clinton and Sun Peaks will remain unchanged with all incumbents unchallenged but in Ashcroft, Barriere, Chase, Lillooet and Merritt...

Band financials for neighbouring Kamloops areas

KAMLOOPS – The July 29 due date has passed for First Nations to submit reports on financials including chief and council salary, remuneration and expenses as part of the First Nation Financial Transparency Act. So far, InfoNews has reported on the numbers for bands near Osoyoos, Enderby, Vernon and Kamloops. Numbers for the Penticton Band have...

Botanie Creek fire further contained, staff moving to larger fires

KAMLOOPS - The fire camp for B.C. Wildfire workers is downsizing day-by-day as the Botanie Creek fire comes closer to extinction. Colette Fauchon, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Forests says the fire is now 65 per cent contained, and is currently mapped at 1,240 hectares. She says the fire will be turned over to...

Botanie Creek wildfire evacuation alerts dropped

KAMLOOPS – The people living near the Botanie Creek wildfire north of Lytton are no longer under an evacuation alert. The Thompson-Nicola Regional District has rescinded the alert for the 120 people who were evacuated because of the blaze and allowed to return home just last week. It has also been dropped for those properties...

Crews reach 50% containment on Lytton fire

KAMLOOPS - Hydro has been restored, people are allowed to return home and crews are now able to work on hot spots in the interior of the 1,389 hectare Botanie Creek fire, which as of Thursday afternoon sits at 50 per cent contained. “The wet weather is a good thing all around,” Fire Information Officer...

Evacuation order lifted for Botanie Creek

LYTTON – An evacuation order for Botanie Creek Road north of Lytton has been lifted by the Thompson Nicola Regional District. The nearly 150 residents were staying in and around Lytton to evade a wildfire near the area. While an evacuation order has been rescinded, an evacuation alert remains in effect. Residents can return home,...

Power back on at Botanie Creek, fire now 25% contained

KAMLOOPS - Power is back on to the 45 properties affected by the Botanie Creek fire north of Lytton while more than 170 firefighters remain on the scene fighting the wildfire that is still 75 per cent uncontrolled today. B.C. Wildfire Fire Information Officer Melissa Klassen says the fire, which was discovered last Tuesday, remains...

Lytton community comes together for displaced Botanie Creek residents

LYTTON - Residents of Botanie Creek Road gathered at the Anglican Parish Hall Tuesday afternoon didn’t get the news they were hoping for, but what they did get garnered a round of applause. They hoped to be allowed to return home but after six days away from their homes, hearing that power was going to...

Gaining ground on aggressive Lytton fire

KAMLOOPS - Crews were successful in gaining ground on the Botanie Creek fire Monday and now believe the nearly 1,400 hectare fire is 15 per cent contained. “The objectives for today are for ground crews and equipment to continue to reinforce fire guards,” Fire Information Officer Melissa Klassen says. Klassen says no further structures have been...

District to hold public meeting on wildfire for Lytton residents

LYTTON – A public meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday afternoon for Lytton residents to hear more information regarding the Botanie Creek wildfire. Various agencies involved with the wildfire will attend to answer any questions. On Monday afternoon the blaze was mapped at 1,389 hectares. Members from B.C. Wildfire say one home has already been...

One house lost as crews work to contain Botanie Creek fire

KAMLOOPS - Firefighters were able to contain a small area of the wildfire north of Lytton this weekend, but not before a house was consumed by the uncontrolled blaze. “There are two properties affected,” B.C. Wildfire Fire Information Officer Melissa Klassen says. “Unfortunately one was a house. It’s devastating. The resident has been notified by...

Cooler, wet forecast could help Thompson-Okanagan fire crews

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A little help is in the forecast for fire crews this week as Mother Nature dials down the temperatures and throws in a little rain. While temperatures will be near normal (26-29 Celsius) across the region for the next two days we can also expect to see rain today with a 40 per...

UPDATE: Wildfire near Lytton continues to roar out of control

THOMPSON-NICOLA - The ‘highly aggressive’ Botanie Road wildfire continues to threaten people's homes. The local regional district declared a state of emergency on Thursday and issued an evacuation order because of the immediate threat of the fire. About 150 people are out of their homes. The Botanie Road fire is 1.5 square kilometres in size...

Story of Lytton manslaughter comes to close 15 years later

KAMLOOPS - A man who beat his friend to death and successfully hid the body in a shallow grave for nearly 13 years before finally being discovered, was sentenced to nearly eight year in jail, in Kamloops Supreme Court Tuesday afternoon. Earlier this year, a jury convicted William Robert Smith, born 1967, of beating Sandy...

Lytton man awaits sentencing for killing friend nearly 15 years ago

KAMLOOPS – After killing his friend, burying his body and keeping it a secret for nearly 13 years, a Lytton man is expected to spend another six to nine years in prison. In 1999, when the two friends were drinking, William Robert Smith, born 1967, beat Sandy Charlie to death in 1999 after hearing he...