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DE K A M L O O P S
Aberdeen townhouse proposal goes to public hearing Page A5
THURSDAY
Thursday, April 19, 2012 X Volume 25 No. 32
Kamloops, B.C., Canada X 30 cents at Newsstands
THIS WEEK
Fate of convicted pedophile David Caza in hands of judge Page A15 Thompson River Publications Partnership Ltd.
Arson cited in death of family dog By Tim Petruk STAFF REPORTER tim@kamloopsthisweek.com
Thompson Rivers University student Emma Whanstall expects to see fewer people than signed up for the Friday, April 20, event to darw attention to the plight of child soldiers under the control of Joseph Kony. Whanstall will lead a door-to-door campaign to raise awareness. Dave Eagles/KTW
From Cover the Night to trick-or-treat By Andrea Klassen STAFF REPORTER andrea@kamloopsthisweek.com
As the Kony 2012 campaign’s day of international action draws nearer, it’s looking likely the Tournament Capital will be left uncovered. Kicked off by a YouTube video that went viral in early March, the campaign focuses on Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony, whose Lord’s Resistance Army abducts and enslaves children for use as soldiers. The initiative to “make Kony famous” — and increase pressure on world governments to have him arrested — is set to culminate on Friday, April 20, when thousands of people plaster posters of Kony throughout major cities. According by Facebook, more than
3,000 people are planning up to attend two Cover the Night rallies planned for Kamloops. In reality, one of the gatherings has shifted focus due to a lack of municipal support, while the other is being called off altogether. Though nearly 1,500 people are listed as “attending” her Cover the Night rally, high school student Sophia de Zeeuw said the number of people who still seem committed to the campaign has dwindled. “I put a message on Facebook two weeks ago and asked people to click ‘like’ on it if they were going to be attending and I only got about 11 people,” she said. “I decided a rally wasn’t really worth it, so people can just organize their own groups.” Thompson Rivers University student
Emma Whanstall, whose event is still proceeding, also expects to see fewer people than originally signed up. Right now, 20 people are committed to her event and she hopes to get at least 100 involved by Friday. Both point to a wealth of bad press and criticism Kony 2012 has received since the rallies were planned as the main reason for waning interest. Invisible Children, the charity behind the campaign, has been accused of oversimplifying the Kony story. Not long after the video’s launch, one of the charity’s cofounders, Jason Russell, was arrested in San Diego for vandalizing cars in the nude after suffering a breakdown. X See PLIGHT A16
The house fire that gutted part of a North Kamloops duplex last week and left a family dog dead was set on purpose — and police have made an arrest of a teenage boy. Kamloops RCMP Const. Bernie Ward said Mounties are recommending charges of break and enter, arson and breach of conditions against the teen, whose age Ward refused to disclose. Ward would not offer any further details about the suspect. However, the fact investigators are recommending a breach charge indicates the teen has been involved with police in the past. Ward also refused to comment on whether investigators believe the arson could be linked to dozens of suspicious fires in Kamloops in the last 12 months, other than to say police “feel he [the suspect] is a risk to the public.” “The Kamloops RCMP have been very concerned about arson problems,” Ward said. “At this point, we’re going to look at this individual.”
Ward refused to say if the alleged arson was a random act or if the suspect had any links to the home. He also would not elaborate on the circumstances of the incident or how the suspect is believed to have gained entry to the home. Kamloops Fire Rescue crews were called to the duplex, in the 600-block of Clearwater Avenue, at about 2:30 p.m. on April 12. Firefighters extinguished the blaze, which was confined to a room in the home’s basement. The suite was occupied by a single father and his two children. No people were home at the time, but the family’s dog, Buddy, died as a result of the fire. According to Ward, the incident should serve as a reminder to homeowners to take steps to prevent arson attacks. “We’ve actually implored people to take a look around the residence, take a look around the yard,” he said, noting combustible materials should be removed. Ward said the suspect was slated to appear in Kamloops provincial court yesterday (April 18).