Inside
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NEW HISTORY BOOK P. 2 EDITORIAL P. 6
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NEW GOLD RECOGNIZED P. 5 HIGH CRIMES STATS P. 7
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RCMP regard two deaths as suspicious
Rehearsal for heroes
In the frigid waters of Sinkut Lake, Dave Banham, left, Mike Elwert and Kevin Moutray, volunteer members of the Nechako Valley Water Rescue Team, practice a three-to-one haul system on Sunday, Jan. 13. See page 8 for more photos.
Aviator calls on women to bring back a downed industry Cameron Ginn Omineca Express Amy Somers disembarks from one of two state-of-the-art flight simulators at the College of New Caledonia (CNC) on Wednesday, Jan. 10. After a jarring 10-minute test flight, this reporter has just crash landed a single-engine Cessna onto the Vanderhoof Municipal Airport runway, the layout of which has been programmed into the simulator’s hard drive.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
He’s a bit dizzy, his stomach is turning and his heart rate is elevated. “No wonder,” says Somers. “Those were some dramatic turns you were doing up there.” Somers, a charter pilot and flight instructor for Guardian Aerospace in Vanderhoof, spends an average of five hours in the simulators each week, helping aspiring pilots practice maneuvers and read instruments under the auspices of the Aviation Business program at CNC. Furnished like airplane cockpits, the simulators replicate reality with stun-
Two people were found dead inside a home in Vanderhoof on Sunday, Jan. 13. The North District Major Crime Unit identified the victims as Blaine Albert Barfoot, 29, and Tara Lee Ann Williams, 40. The couple was known to live a high-risk lifestyle and the Vanderhoof RCMP had attended the home for other reasons in the past, said Constable Lesley Smith, media relations officer for the North District RCMP. The North District Major Crime Unit secured the home as a crime scene on Sunday and subsequently launched a criminal investigation, said Smith. The RCMP regard the deaths as “suspicious.” Due to the ongoing investigation, the RCMP have not indicated how or when Barfoot and Williams died. “We are in the very early stages of this investigation and investigators are working to find out what happened inside the residence,” Smith said in a statement on Sunday at 7:51 p.m. “The RCMP Forensic Identification Unit continues to process the scene as Major Crime investigators try to determine what transpired at the residence.”
ning precision, displaying on a panoramic view of computer screens the digital landscape of the Nechako Valley. Hydraulics imitate turbulence and speakers emit the drone of a propeller. There’s even an ignition key. “They’re tremendous training aids,” said Ty Roberts, a seasoned pilot and flight instructor who directs the CNC program, a two-year course providing aviation training and career opportunities to people in northern B.C. Continued on page 3
Winter wonder
Almost 10 inches of snow fell in Vanderhoof between Jan. 7 and Jan. 8. The public works department even contracted private companies to help dispose of all the snow. “in my time here, that has probably been the largest snowfall in one sitting,” said Paul Carver, superintendent of public works.
Community Telephone Directory 2013 Serving Vanderhoof, Fort St. James, Fraser Lake, Fort Fraser, Cluculz Lake, Tachie and area ADverTise your business or serviCe in The Telephone DireCTory. echako
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