Merritt News

How swears, Shane Koyczan and a Nazi joke left a Merritt Grade 5 teacher in hot water

MERRITT - A teacher who made his students uncomfortable with his jokes and used swear words to discuss bullying with his Grade 5 students has been disciplined by the B.C. Teachers Regulation Board. Peter Schmid, a Grade 5 teacher at Diamond Vale Elementary, was referred to the board for incidents in the months of May and...

Children ejected from vehicle when California tourist crashes near Merritt

MERRITT - A California man has been charged after a single vehicle accident on Highway 97C resulted in several young children being ejected from his SUV earlier this week. The driver, a 47-year-old man, was on vacation with his and one other family from California. Witnesses told police that four of the nine people in...

Crash closes Connector between Merritt and Highway 5A

MERRITT - The Okanagan Connector was closed between Merritt and Highway 5A after a car crash this afternoon. Details are limited but multiple emergency vehicles responded to the vehicle incident, Dec. 28, including a B.C. Ambulance helicopter. Some reports on social media said the crash was a rollover. Drive B.C. says Highway 97C, east of...

More snow for the Coquihalla Highway this weekend

MERRITT – If you’re planning a road trip between the Southern Interior and the Lower Mainland this weekend be prepared for winter road conditions on the mountain highways. Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement today, Dec. 19, for the Coquihalla Highway between Merritt and Hope with between 10 to 20 centimetres of snow...

UPDATE: Crash on Coquihalla Highway south of Merritt

MERRITT – A two-vehicle crash on the Coquihalla Highway south of Merritt closed the northbound lanes for a few hours this morning, Dec. 19. Highway 5 has reopened following the crash at Larson Hill on Highway 5, according to Drive B.C. A semi and a van were involved in the crash and B.C. Ambulance dispatched...

VIDEO: How we deal with rock slides in B.C.

LYTTON - A rock slide on Highway 12 between Lytton and Lillooet on the weekend shut down the highway, but with a little drilling and blasting crews were able to reopen the roadway Monday. The rock slide was discovered Sunday, Dec. 13, and by Monday afternoon a single lane had opened to alternating traffic. By...

UPDATE: Highway 12 near Lytton reopens following rock slide

MERRITT – The highway between Lytton and Lillooett has reopened after a rock slide closed the route on Sunday. Highway 12 reopened to single lane, alternating traffic about 10 kilometres north of Lytton this afternoon, Dec. 14, according to Drive B.C. The highway is expected to be fully open by 5 p.m. A geotechnical assessment was...

Penticton man identified as victim in fatal Okanagan Connector crash

KELOWNA – The first big winter storm on the Okanagan Connector and Coquihalla highways proved deadly early this month. A car crash claimed the life of a Penticton man on Highway 97C around 1:30 p.m., Nov. 16, according to a media release from the B.C. Coroners Service. Martin Lewis Schultz, 44, was the driver and...

UPDATE: Camper missing in Merritt area found

MERRITT – A barefoot camper missing in the bush northeast of Merritt has been found. Search and rescue teams from Kamloops and Merritt were called to the Plateau Lake area, Sunday, June 7 to look for the missing man who had been last seen at around 7 p.m. on Saturday. Plateau Lake is about 50 kilometres...

Merritt man charged with chainsaw theft in Savona remains in custody

KAMLOOPS - A Merritt man remains in custody on theft charges after his arrest in Savona over the weekend. John Robert Beauchemin, 29 was arrested on Nov. 8 after a man reported a suspect stealing his chainsaw. The suspect left the scene in a vehicle, crashed it and then attempted to flee on foot before he...