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Got News Network has learned that, as the result of yesterday’s traffic incident on Highway 20, the drivers dog is missing.

The dog, a black border collie with one white foot, was in the truck at the time of the incident. It ran away from the commotion, but has since been spotted in the area by family members who have been actively searching for it. The dog is wearing a white collar and may be dragging leash. It may be hanging around the site of the accident, or may be heading west to make its way ‘home’.

RCMP members have searched for the dog, as well as members of Central Cariboo Search and Rescue, and will continue to do so throughout the day and evening. Measurements have been taken to entice the dog back to the spot it was last seen, based on the experience and advice of the Williams Lake SPCA.

Tragically, the driver of the vehicle involved in a single-vehicle incident on Highway 20 yesterday morning has died as a result of injuries sustained.

The Toyota pick-up the young woman had been driving east bound left the roadway, drove into the south side ditch, overturned and hit a tree. The collision caused extensive damage to the cab of the truck.

Two other occupants in the vehicle were taken to hospital in Williams Lake with unknown injuries.

Williams Lake RCMP are still on scene of a very serious crash that happened at approximately 12:00pm this afternoon on Highway 20approximately 17 kms west of Williams Lake.

The Highway was closed at that location for some time during the initial assessment and investigation. Flagging personnel did an excellent job of controlling traffic, and the road was opened to single lane alternating traffic at last report.

BC Ambulance Service and the Central Cariboo Search and Rescue highway rescue team were also on scene.

The Williams Lake Fire Department had a busy afternoon with virtually back-to-back calls. The first one was a small fuel spill on Johnson Street near the intersection of 6th Avenue North.

A pick-up with two large storage fuel tanks on the back had parked on a steep hill and some of the fuel leaked out.  Members of the fire department cleaned up the scene quickly and traffic was inconvenienced for only a short time.  The Williams Lake RCMP were also on scene. It is not known if a violation was issued for this incident.

The BC RCMP supports the National Prescription Drug Drop-Off Day, Saturday, May 11th and is extending it's support by accepting prescriptions for a full week till May 17, to ensuring these drugs are disposed of safely.

If you wish to drop off prescription drugs on Saturday, May 11th or Sunday May 12th, please ensure you use the phone outside the detachment in order to turn over your prescription drugs to a police officer.

At their most recent meeting, Williams Lake City Council received a report outlining the new public communication steps to be taken on the place brand initiative.

Alan Madrigga, Manager of Economic Development, explained that the resolution from last month was to communicate to the public about the place branding rationale and overall process plus some of the results. “We propose utilizing the existing project website and utilizing local media to drive people to that website,” said Madrigga. “We’re going to shoot for that to take place during the last week of this month.”

“In terms of the financial aspect – there did not seem to be any appetite for additional costs, and to a large extent, much of the project is complete,” Madrigga continued. “So, the branding company has agreed to or offered to work with us to gather additional input and look at some new slogan ideas, and those kinds of things at no cost. So, in terms of budgeting, I guess the only City financial issues will be just staff time.”

Along with the nice weather, the Quesnel RCMP have noticed an alarming increase in the numbers of people who are driving while impaired.

In the last 25 days, members of the Quesnel RCMP and the Cariboo Chilcotin Traffic Services - Quesnel have processed 18 impaired drivers.

Ten of these were processed via the 90 day Immediate Roadside Prohibition (IRP), one was processed criminally, one received a 24 hour prohibition for drugs and six received 3 day immediate roadside prohibitions for alcohol.

Mayor and Council are considering amendments to Willams Lake's current False Alarm Bylaw, to improve its overall effectiveness.

The primary change to the false alarm bylaw is to remove an exemption from a fee in cases where the alarm has been cancelled prior to the RCMP or Williams Lake Fire Department arrival and within five minutes from the time of dispatch to the RCMP patrol unit or the Fire Department.

All false alarms, whether cancelled immediately or not, will be assessed a fee. Within the first five minutes after an alarm, a response has already been initiated and expenses have already been incurred.

On the morning of April 25, the City of Williams Lake contacted 9-1-1 due to a bomb threat hoax at the Public Works Yard on 2nd Avenue. A bomb look-alike was discovered at about 8:00am. Police and emergency services attended. There were no injuries.

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Although this was a hoax, the City takes threats to employee and public safety very seriously. As it would in any similar serious incident, the City acted appropriately by calling 9-1-1 and evacuating the site.

The City appreciates the prompt response from emergency services, and thanks the public for their patience during this incident.

The fire danger rating west of the Fraser River has increased to moderate with certain areas at high due to the warm, dry weather.

Yesterday, the smoke was sitting low in the valley near Sheep Creek Bridge caused by three wildfires currently burning west of Williams Lake.