THE www.keremeosreview.com PM Agreement #40012521
Review Vol.16 Number 5
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Serving the communities of Keremeos, Cawston, Okanagan Falls and Kaleden
$1.15 including GST
ECONOMIC ACTION
Mayor and chamber tour downtown with provincial economic official See page 3 Photo by Steve Arstad
BUSY WEEK FOR POLICE
Two of three vehicles caught in a rock slide on Highway 3 remain at the scene on January 27. The slide took out power lines, cutting power to many Similkameen residents for up to an hour around noon Monday. Highway crews began clearing the debris Tuesday, but were forced to stop after addiditonal slides made the area too dangerous.
Rockslide injures one, cuts power By Steve Arstad news@keremeosreview.com
Police investigate accidents, assault See page 5
STUDENT SAMPLE THE CULINARY TRADES
Trades exploration day at Similkameen Elementary Secondary School See page 8
Highway 3 was closed indefinitely after a rockslide covered four lanes of the road with debris around noon Monday, January 27. Police, Argo Road Maintenance, Fortis and Telus officials attended the scene, located about one kilometre west of the Crossings youth addiction treatment facility, approximately 11 kilometres west of Keremeos. Boulders the size of pickup trucks presently cover four lanes of Highway 3. Several large boulders also crossed the highway into the river, damaging high voltage power lines on both sides of the highway. RCMP on scene said the highway will remain closed until a geotechnical inspection of the mountain slope above the road is completed. Moving rock high above the roadway
raised dust plumes on the mountain Monday afternoon, as the unstable, steep slope continued to make the area extremely dangerous. Two of three vehicles caught in the slide remained on scene, as police cordoned off several hundred metres of roadway on either side of the slide, which is itself approximately 150 metres wide. One woman was reported to have been taken to hospital with non life threatening injuries after driving her car through the slide as it was coming down. Several Upper Similkameen residents working in Keremeos - as well as Lower Similkameen residents working in Princeton - said they would detour up Nickle Plate Road to Apex and Green Mountain Road in order to return to their homes while the road remains closed. A rockfall on June 24, 2013, which occurred about two kilometres east of Monday’s slide, brought down power
lines and caused a grass fire, in addition to littering the highway with boulders. Residents of the Similkameen were also without power for up to an hour Monday, afternoon after the slide damaged power lines between Hedley and Keremeos. Student seating had to be hastily rearranged at Similkameen Elementary Secondary School after the senior gym was plunged into darkness on the first day of exam week. Principal Cate Turner said students were moved into classrooms to complete their exams before power was restored about 20 minutes later. Downtown businesses in Keremeos had to temporarily close their doors, without access to debit or credit card services. The power outage was apparently widespread, as reports of power out was received from as far west as Princeton, north to Apex and east to Oliver.