40 YEARS AGO
Thirty slow pitch teams were scheduled to compete over the weekend in Clearwater in the fifth annual Weyerhaeuser Softball Tournament. Teams would come from Vavenby, Kamloops, Merritt, Princeton, Okanagan Falls and Lumby.
ted MacKenzie retired from Clearwater Timber Products after 40 years with the company.
A slide show was put on for children to explain aspects of the Salmonid Enhancement Program. The slide show was sponsored by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
35 YEARS AGO
A poll conducted by reporter Keith McNeill showed the majority of people were opposed to the construction of privately-owned fish camps and lodges in Wells Gray Park. Of those polled, 85 per cent were against helicopter, float-plane or snowmobile access by commercial operators into the park, with 60 per cent strongly opposed.
The Sportsplex manager still has a job, even though there may have been some confusion over the matter. TNRD Area ‘A’ director Paul Caissie said he doens’t believe the Sportsplex needs a manager, something the rest of the board disagreed with. In addition, the controversy led Caissie to write a letter explaining his actions.
Closely-monitored, pilot sport fisheries opened on portions of the Shuswap, Bowron, Quesnel and Clearwater Rivers for two days a week. The daily limit was four chinook of which only one may be greater than 50 centimetres long.
30 YEARS AGO
A fourth referendum on mosquito-larvae control was scheduled. Voters will be asked if they are in favour of a control program using the biologically-based insecticide Vectobac only.
Weyerhaeuser Canada’s Vavenby sawmill and planer will shut down for one week at the end of August to install a double arbor gang saw.
Stray dogs struck again for the Johnson family of Greer Road. After a pack of dogs killed their Llama, they came back nine days later and killed a yearling ewe, injured another ewe and drove off a bottle-fed lamb that had since gone missing. The canines also killed a number of pheasants and wild turkeys belonging to one neighbour and some pigs belonging to another.
Three mountain bikes stolen from high school entrepreneur Pierre Vezina were found behind a garbage container at the Clearwater Post office.
25 YEARS AGO
A concern about a water shortage in Barriere was just over usage, said Barriere Improvement District chairman Bill Kershaw. A petition circulating demanded an accountability meeting with BID trustees, but Kershaw said they “have no facts or figures” to support their claims. He added in May and June 500 gallons per household was used and that number jumped to 2,000 gallons by mid-July.
The BID notified the public of water restrictions and anyone cheating on the water restrictions would have their supply turned off at the curb and would have to pay $50 to get it back.
Construction of the final link in a new forest service road route that will take logging road traffic from the TFL to Highway 5 away from the downtown area of Clearwater and out of the busy Wells Gray intersection will begin in about one month’s time.
20 YEARS AGO
Heavy rains cut the road to Wells Gray Park, stranding several hundred travellers and local residents. The road has previously been closed July of 1999 when culverts at Spahats Creek washed out. It was also closed in July of 1997 when 100 feet of roadway disappeared down First Canyon.
The members of Fleetwest Midget Wildcats boys softball team wore number 14 on their sleeves for Barriere’s Peter Eustache who was a member of the Wildcast the previous season. Eustache was killed when he fell out of the back of a pickup truck. The Wildcats won silver medals at the Midget B championships the previous weekend. Softball B.C. gave an extra medal to the team for Eustache.
15 YEARS AGO
International Ranger Corp. was halted in it’s tracks by the B.C. Securities Commission when a cease trade order was placed on the company’s shares. IRC trades in Pink Sheet stocks, which are over-the-counter securities that do not meet the listing standards required to trade in major stock exchanges. The reason for the cease trade was IRC’s “long list” of improprieties.
A high-speed chase resulted in a crash on Highway 5. Four person from Edmonton, Alta., were charged after the incident that saw a vehicle and gas stolen in Blue River. RCMP eventually set up a spike belt just north of Clearwater but the suspect managed to avoid it.
Two youngsters won prizes from the Clearwater Sportsplex colouring contest. Cole Clark, 7, won a week of hockey school and Jesslyn Bordeleau, 8, won a season of figure skating for one day a week.
10 YEARS AGO
Mike Wiegele said a tourism plan is needed for the North Thompson Valley, and should be long-term, 50 years at least. He added it should involve all of what he calls the “Yellowhead Corridor” — the communities from Kamloops to Mount Robson. He felt tourism has the potential to provide an economic base that is more sustainable and more consistent than the resource industries.
Tiffany Rennick and Amara Janssens travelled through the North Thompson Valley as part of a province-wide tour to promote recycling of used oil, oil containers and oil filters. The message Warsaw promoted for the British Columbia Used Oil Management Association.
5 YEARS AGO
Simpcw First Nation will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the removal of band members from Tete Jaune Cache to Chu Chua. Participants will meet at the corner of Blackman Road and Highway 5 in Valemount to walk, run, ride, cycle or drive to Tete Jaune.
Several complaints of roosters crowing came to the District regular meeting. One resident reportedly had guests leave because they were so loud. A recently-adopted animal bylaw brought forth some ways to remedy the concerns.
Research by Toby Spribille and co-authors changed what lichenologists thought of lichens, that they are composed of three organisms. According to a news report, Spribille’s research was inspired by an essay written by local lichenologist Trevor Goward.