Merritt

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...

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...

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...

Award-winning film shot near Kamloops now available on DVD

KAMLOOPS - A local film shot in the Thompson Nicola Regional District is now available on DVD after making the rounds at film festivals around the world. Shana: The Wolf’s Music was filmed in locations close to Merritt by Swiss director Nino Jacusso. The film’s leading cast members were from the Scw’exmx branch of the...

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...

Suspects in Merritt car-jacking face assault charges in court

MERRITT - Two suspects arrested after an alleged car-jacking turned into a police standoff at a Merritt hotel are in court today. Samantha Kathleen Vleeming, born 1990, and Cory Claudio Battilana, born 1984, were arrested Nov. 25 after police followed up on a report of an attempted car-jacking at gunpoint. A man allegedly offered two...

UPDATE: Chaos on the Coquihalla as crashes close highway

MERRITT – Two separate crashes on the Coquihalla Highway completely closed the route from Merritt to Hope for several hours today and people posting to social media describe a chaotic scene with overturned vehicles and frustrated drivers. Teresa Seibel was driving north on the Coquihalla when she was stopped for over an hour shortly outside...

Crash on Okanagan Connector leaves one person dead

MERRITT – A car crash on the Okanagan Connector today has left one person dead and closed the route in both directions. Merritt Fire Rescue Capt. Sky McKeown says a tractor trailor collided with a passenger vehicle, Nov. 16., closing Highway 97C, about 10 kilometres east of Merritt. There is no estimate from Drive B.C. on...

Two separate crashes close Coquihalla south of Merritt

MERRITT - Two separate crashes on the Coquihalla Highway have shut down the route this morning from Merritt to Hope. The first crash occurred around 9:45 a.m. at the Coldwater Interchange, exit 286, at the south end of Merritt, closing down the southbound lanes. No detours are listed by Drive B.C. and an estimated time...

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...

Rollover on Coquihalla north of Merritt; one person injured

MERRITT – A single vehicle rollover closed the northbound lanes of Highway 5 between Merritt and Kamloops this morning and sent one person to hospital. The crash happened at about 8:55 a.m., Nov. 8, about 28 kilometres north of Merritt, according to Merritt RCMP. A pickup towing a trailer overturned and blocked the northbound lanes...

Crash on Okanagan Connector kills three people

MERRITT – Three people in a U-Haul van were killed last night on the Highway 97C when it slammed into the back of a semi transporting crushed cars. The crash happened at about 8:45 p.m., Nov. 6, about six kilometres east of Merritt, according to a media release from RCMP Central Interior Traffic Services. “The...