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Heroic life-saving effort falls short at BC Seniors Games Page A23
THURSDAY
Thursday, August 29, 2013 X Volume 26 No. 69
THIS WEEK
Mounties on trail of those who made explosives threat By Dale Bass STAFF REPORTER dale@kamloopsthisweek.com
• Kelowna • Penticton • Salmon Arm • Valleyview • Rutland • West Kelowna • Vernon • North Kamloops • Sahali
Thompson River Publications Partnership Ltd.
Record summer in the parks
A PRANK THAT BOMBED For five hours on Tuesday, Aug. 27, the Ramada Inn at 555 Columbia Street West housed just a few occupants — RCMP officers and a specially trained dog responding to a phone call from within the hotel that there was a bomb in the building. For those long hours — Mounties were called at about 10 a.m. and released the scene at 3:30 p.m. — staff and guests of the hotel, along with others in the area, were left to watch as police and the dog, brought in from the Kelowna detachment, searched for something they hoped they wouldn’t find. In the end, after those 330 minutes of anxious waiting and wondering, all that was uncovered were three notes, the contents of which police aren’t about to reveal. All police will say on the matter comes from a press release sent out to media later on Tuesday from Cpl. Cheryl Bush that simply states: “RCMP have seized evidence from within the building and will be continuing their investigation into this matter in efforts to identify the person responsible.” KTW asked Bush what it cost to investigate what appears to be little more than a prank. Bush replied in an email that the detachment isn’t interested in providing the information for the simple reason it might “satisfy the people who do this type of thing.” She explained the dog was brought in from Kelowna “because that was the closest dog with an explosive-detection profile.” In response to ways to avoid this kind of incident happening again, Bush replied: “How do you stop people from doing such things, other than educating them that they can be criminally charged?” While it’s up to Crown to make the final decision on charges, Bush said any laid would likely include public mischief — something which, if a person is convicted, could result in a prison term of no more than five years, but would more likely see a fine imposed. Staff at the hotel were told by the owner, who lives in Alberta, not to talk to the media about the incident, but said the request would be forwarded to him. In an email, Dodie Costain, who deals with sales and marketing for the hotel, declined to answer any questions, but said “our only comment is that we took care of our customers’ needs and we have nothing but praise for the RCMP.” Bush said about a dozen of the hotels rooms were occupied at the time and had to be evacuated.
River challenge Page B1
Mounties were extra-careful when responding to a bomb threat at the Sahali Ramada Inn on Tuesday, Aug. 27, after a call came from inside the building. No explosives were found, though police are examining three notes for evidence. For more photos from the scene, go online to kamloopsthisweek.com. Dave Eagles/KTW
An exceptionally sunny, dry summer helped push BC Parks to an all-time record number of reservations at provincial campgrounds. More than 115,000 camping reservations were made through the province’s Discover Camping service, up 12 per cent from last year. Campers were allowed to make reservations at more campsites and campgrounds, including Kleanza Creek, Martha Creek, Chilliwack Lake, Mable Lake and Bowron Lake, increasing the number of reservable sites to more than 5,000 at 95 parks. While Labour Day is the traditional end to the regular camping season, BC Parks officials are trying to pump up shoulder-season camping. They say campsites are quieter in the fall, with attractions like spawning salmon in some areas. It’s also the time of year when long-stay camping is permitted, allowing campers to stay four to six weeks at reduced rates in select parks. Seniors over 65 also get camping discounts from Sept. 3 to June 14 next year.