First month of 2019 sees lakecity mom and children recover from terrifying crash, fire truck donated to McLeese Lake and students enjoy visit with Carey Price in Montreal.
Lakecity mother and young children recovering after ‘terrifying’ crash
Jan 2
A Williams Lake mom is reminding other women of the importance of seatbelts for young children after the family escaped serious injuries in a crash just outside of Williams Lake.
Robyn Lee is recovering in hospital from her injuries including chest trauma and knee bruising while her six-month-old baby and two-year-old toddler received bumps and bruising where their seatbelt straps held them in after a truck swerved into her lane, causing her to T-bone the vehicle, Saturday, Dec. 22 at about 3 p.m.
Lee was traveling from Wildwood to Williams Lake when the incident occurred near the Fox Mountain Road turn off.
“I never thought this would happen to me,” Lee told the Tribune. “Absolutely terrifying especially with two babies in the back.”
McLeese Lake Volunteer Fire Department gifted new truck
Jan 14
A friendship forged during the 2017 wildfires has resulted in the McLeese Lake Volunteer Fire Dept. being gifted a fire truck.
Vicky Ortiz, a first responder and secretary for the fire dept. said the Western Canadian Powerstrokes (WCP) emergency response team from Alberta purchased the truck and delivered it on Saturday, Jan. 12.
“It’s a 1988 or 1990 vintage, but so much better than our trucks,” Ortiz told the Tribune Monday. “We have a couple of quite vintage trucks and every time we have to go on a call there’s some issue.”
Ortiz said the WCP’s “wildfire angels” purchased the truck from the South Green Lake Volunteer Fire Dept. and Jason Klapstein with WCP went to pick it up and drive it McLeese Lake.
Marie Sharpe student can’t wait for ‘trip of a lifetime’ to meet Carey Price
Jan 16
It will be a dream come true for 10-year-old Sireasha Alphonse when she gets the chance to travel to Montreal to meet Montreal Canadien’s goaltender Carey Price next month.
“I’m really excited,” said Alphonse, who was selected as the Breakfast Club of Canada and Air Canada’s Shooting for the Stars contest winner from her school, Marie Sharpe elementary.
“I get the chance to fly to Montreal and I’ve never been on a plane before. My grandma’s pretty excited, too.”
Sireasha’s grandma, Brenda Cahoose, will accompany her on the trip. They are scheduled to be in Montreal from Monday, Feb. 4 to Friday, Feb. 8.
Sireasha’s mom, Rhianna Cahoose, went to school with Price while growing up in Anahim Lake, where Alphonse was also a student for her first year of school.
Prolific offender sentenced three years for 2018 New Year’s Day stabbing
Jan 23
Blake Bob Johnny, was sentenced to a three-year federal term in Williams Lake Supreme Court Tuesday, for stabbing and attempting to steal the truck of a single father in his 50s who had stopped at Comer Store to grab a jug of milk on New Year’s Day 2018.
“It is indeed fortunate the victim was not more seriously injured,” said Judge Marguerite Church during the sentencing.
She said Johnny expressed remorse and regret for his actions and his wish to apologize in person to the victim, who did not attend the court proceedings and said through a victim impact statement he was still afraid from the attack.
Church said while in jail, Johnny has remained sober, completed courses to better himself, and expressed a willingness to attend addictions counselling and address the underlying causes of his alcoholism.
Hoyer becomes three-time X Games medalist
Jan 26
Williams Lake’s own Brock Hoyer took home a hard-fought bronze medal at the X Games in Colorado Saturday, Feb 2.
Hoyer now boasts an X Games trifecta having won gold in 2017, silver in 2018 and bronze this year in 2019. The Williams Lake snow bike and dirt bike rider has been competing in the snow bikecross event since its inception three years ago and trained for months before Saturday’s race at Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen, CO.
While Hoyer said he was slightly disappointed in the result, he added any time you can bring home a medal from X Games is a win.
“I’m truly grateful and happy for it,” he told the Tribune. “I worked really hard, and I’ve been kind of beating myself up over it because I made a mistake — just an error on my part — but everyone on my team did a great job and to bring home a medal is satisfying.”
news@wltribune.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
