Merritt Herald, May 31, 2012

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SEIB RESIGNS FROM RCMP PAGE 3

RCMP WARNS GRADS PAGE 5

TRIATHLON A HIT PAGE 15

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THURSDAY, MAY 31, 2012 • MERRITT NEWSPAPERS

No serious injuries in collision

RCMP officers, firefighters and ambulance services responded to a two-vehicle collision at the corner of Nicola Avenue and Voght Street last Thursday. One passenger was taken to hospital, though there were no serious injuries. Jade Swartzberg/Herald

No one was seriously injured in a two-vehicle collision that occurred shortly before 9 a.m. last Thursday at the corner of Nicola Avenue and Voght Street. RCMP report that the accident occurred when the driver of a truck turning left onto Voght Street failed to yield and struck a white truck travelling east from Lower Nicola. In the process, the first truck struck a pole on the corner. There were three people in the first truck and two in the white truck when the collision occurred. RCMP Cst. Doug Stone said there were no serious injuries though one passenger was taken to hospital.

“That was just precautionary to make sure there were no neck injuries since the air bags were deployed,� said Stone. The RCMP has not issued any tickets yet, though the matter is still under investigation, he said. Seven firefighters from the Merritt Fire Rescue Department and several City of Merritt Public Works employees also attended the accident. While auto extrication wasn’t required, firefighters assisted the ambulance services with tending to the patients. “We helped package the patients and helped public works clean up some of the debris and fluids that were spilt,� said Merritt Fire Chief Dave Tomkinson.

Conservation euthanizes black bear on Bench Residents should report sightings, say local officers By Jade Swartzberg THE HERALD

newsroom@merrittherald.com

Conservation officers are encouraging Merritt residents to report residential bear sightings,

rather than try to handle the situation themselves, after a black bear ran towards a member of the public. “When the public takes it upon themselves, they have no idea where the bear will run, so it needs to be handled by a professional,� said Conservation Officer Jeff Hanratty. “When I try and push a bear out of town, I have tools to help me if something goes wrong.� Hanratty said people are some-

times hesitant to call conservation because they don’t want bears to die, but he said people need to let the trained officers make that decision. In this recent case, the bear was eventually euthanized on May 28 behind Mountain Road on the Bench. Hanratty said the same cinnamon-coloured male black bear was responsible for numerous complaints over the last two weeks and

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12 p.m. and he was determined to get into town, so that factored into my decision,� he said. “He had an easy escape route — he could have left at any time.� Bears become conditioned to garbage and other food sources like fruit in the fall, and it trains them to overcome their fear of people, said Hanratty. Conservation officers do have

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had been moving across town from Parker Drive to the Ramada Hotel and even down to the Fir Avenue and Walnut Avenue area. On Monday morning Hanratty heard the report on an RCMP radio and found the bear in the bush behind Mountain Road. The bear tried to pass Hanratty and two police officers to get into town four times before Hanratty made the decision to euthanize him. “It was between 11 a.m. and

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