Merritt
Several accidents caused by weather on highway north of Merritt
KAMLOOPS - A 45 kilometre stretch of road North of Merritt is reopened after partially being closed due to several accidents caused by poor road conditions. Logan Lake and Merritt RCMP are on Highway 5 to assist emergency personnel as they tend to accidents on the roads. There is no official word from Mounties on...
Audit shows company had issues prior to crash on Coquihalla
"SERIOUS FALSE STATEMENTS, DRIVING OVER DAILY AND CUMULATIVE HOURS NEED TO BE ADDRESSED" KAMLOOPS – The company which owns the bus involved in August's multiple injury crash on the Coquihalla had a history of spotty record-keeping before the incident, according to a recently released government audit. Tourists were travelling to Vancouver on a Western Bus...
Just call it Autummer as high temperatures approach records
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - People in the Shuswap enjoyed a record breaking day Sunday and for much of the Thompson-Okanagan region it was a warm day, just not quite hot enough to break records. In Salmon Arm, a temperature of 20.8 Celsius was enough to break a 40-year-old record and was well past the seasonal normal of...
Victim’s name from fatal crash near Merritt released
MERRITT - The coroner's office has released the name of the Coquitlam passenger who died in a fatal car accident near Merritt on Sunday. She was Elizabeth Joan Savoie, 27. The driver of the vehicle, a Mazda 3 rolled the car several times before it rested in a ditch. The accident took place around 7...
UPDATE: Coq reopened after tour bus crash, 43 injured
MERRITT - A rollover has injured 43 people on board a tour bus and shut down the Coquihalla Highway between Merritt and Hope Thursday afternoon. Kelsie Carwithen of B.C. Ambulance Service says they got the call at 3 p.m. of an incident 30 kilometres south of Merritt involving a tour bus. They dispatched six air...
UPDATE: Severe thunderstorm warnings end
UPDATE: A severe thunderstorm warning reissued for the Okanagan Valley has now ended. Twice today, Environment Canada has warned the storms could produce strong wind gusts, dime to nickel sized hail and heavy rain. All weather warnings have now ended for the South Thompson, Nicola, Shuswap and North Thompson regions that were under warnings earlier...
Murray Lake evacuation rescinded
KAMLOOPS - An evacuation notice for 35 properties at Murray Lake will be lifted at noon Thursday as the fire risk continues to decrease in the area. The 340 hectare Maka-Murray fire, south of Merritt and west of the Coquihalla Highway, is now 45 per cent contained and some heavy equipment has been pulled from...
Crews slowly containing Murray Lake fire
KAMLOOPS - A 340 hectare fire burning south of Merritt just off the Coquihalla Highway is now 40 per cent contained and crews continue to build on the guards already in place. Crews continue to make progress on the fire, which was just 30 per cent contained Monday, and today more than 100 crew members...
UPDATE: Aggressive Murray Lake fire partially contained
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - An aggressive fire south of Merritt near Murray Lake is now 30 per cent contained, though an evacuation order for all properties adjacent to the lake remains. The Thompson Nicola Regional District issued the state of emergency and evacuation order around 9 p.m. Wednesday due to the potential threat. The evacuation order covers...
Guilty pleas can’t be withdrawn because of ‘confusion’
KAMLOOPS – A Kamloops Supreme Court judge dismissed a man who wants to take back the guilty plea he made because he was “confused” and didn’t understand his criminal record could lead to a harsher sentence. Last week, Craig Robert Cecil Ferguson learned he will face sentencing on charges stemming from an assault he committed...
Fire destroys old downtown buildings in Merritt
MERRITT - A fire that broke out Monday night in downtown Merritt destroyed two old buildings and left another block of buildings with smoke damage. Mayor Susan Roline says there were no significant injuries but the fire did displace several businesses and residents. She notes the ‘very old buildings’ did not have a firewall separating...
Former co-accused in smuggling case will be paid to testify
KELOWNA - A Supreme Court Justice ruled Friday that a West Kelowna man living in Manitoba will be reimbursed for expenses incurred while testifying in a criminal trial in Kelowna. Barry Ready, now 53, was at one time a co-accused in the trial of Clifford Roger Montgomery and Tariz Mohammed Aslam of Surrey. Both men...
Halley’s Comet debris trail sets the sky aglitter tonight
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A peak at the annual debris trail from Halley’s Comet may be possible tonight and early Tuesday morning if skies clear. Every spring bits of the debris trail burn up resulting in the annual Eta Aquarid meteor shower. This year the peak will occur tonight, Monday, May 5, through Tuesday morning. The bright...
Spring cleaning on the Coquihalla
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN — If you plan on hitting the highways this week plan for delays as crews clean and fix highways hit hard by a cold, wet winter that left potholes and frost heaves on many roads in the region. Work has already begun on some highways and over the next week drivers can expect to...