Hunger Awareness Day

Tomorrow Nova Scotia will stand together for hunger awareness. More than 500 people are expected to gather at 156 York Street in Bridgewater beginning at 11:45am until Noon to hold banners, hand out information and wave to people. In the Province 40 thousand individuals turn to food banks and meal programs each month.

Single vehicle collision over the weekend

Drivers are asked to use caution when traveling through the intersection of Lahave St. and Old Bridge St. as the traffic lights have been disabled. Over the weekend Bridgewater Police were called to a single vehicle collision with a traffic light the intersection. An out of province transport truck cut the corner too close and struck the traffic lights disabling them. Four temporary stop signs have been put up for the time being.

Air Testing at Schools

Air Quality testing will be carried out shortly at New Ross Consolidated and South Queens Junior High Schools. South Shore Regional School Board Superintendent, Nancy Pynch-Worthylake says there's been some ongoing concerns with the building in South Queens so air testing will allow them to check for some levels in that building. She says in New Ross they are using one of the classrooms for regional storage and as part of that they are going to do some testing before they finalize that.
Pynch-Worthylake says this is a response to a request to have some air quality checks and totally separate from the radon tests done at schools. New Ross Consolidated was one of 11 schools in the province tested for the presence of radon, an invisible, odourless gas caused by the breakdown of rock and soil.

Transportation Awards

For the second year in a row, the South Shore Regional School Board has received the Gold Award during the Nova Scotia Pupil Transportation Conference. Superintendent Nancy Pynch-Worthylake says this is particularly impressive given that significant deficiencies were identified by the Utility and Review Board and the Auditor General just over two years ago. The award is presented for high scores in Driver Training, Accident Reporting and Frequency, Fleet Preventative Maintenance, Fleet Body Maintenance, Stops per Mile, Luggage and Passenger Loads, Trips Inspection and Hours of Work, Garage Cleanliness and Safety Practices and Bus Cleanliness and Appearance. The South Shore achieved the lowest mechanical deficiency rating across the province

School Board Approves Budget

The South Shore Regional School Board has approved an 84 million dollar budget . Revenues included the use of 275 thousand dollars in accumulated surplus. Board Chair Elliott Payzant says staff worked very hard to protect classrooms and regional services to students, and they were successful at doing so. The overall pupil/teacher ratio was improved and the number of program support assistants has been increased. Payzant says The Board has maintained or increased classroom teachers, guidance, program support teachers, reading recovery, physical education, alternate programs, adult high school programs, options and opportunities, and cooperative education. As well, as per the Board commitment, regional staff was reviewed in terms of Board goals and efficiency. Staffing for the 2010-11 school year has begun and will continue over the summer. Capital projects, including upgrades to improve efficiency will also take place over the summer.

Clean Air Grants

A number of South Shore businesses and municipalities are receiving more than 570-thousand dollars for projects that will help reduce greenhouse gases and air pollutants. The Town of Bridgewater is getting 106 thousand for solar thermal and heating retrofits to five municipal buildings and upgrade lighting for the Bridgewater Arena . Mahone Bay receives 12 thousand dollars for retrofits of Town Hall and the fire hall. Rainbow Net and Rigging, will receive 94,thousand toward a new facility in Chester to sanitize and repair nylon aquaculture nets.
The Region of Queens Municipality is receiving 137 thousand dollars toward the energy-efficient construction of the new Queens Place Recreation Centre, as well as 10,thousan for an energy audit. The Mersey Tobeatic Research Centre will get 56 thousand to retrofit a field station to demonstrate a carbon-neutral building. And 21 thousand is going to the Town of Shelburne for upgrades to 10 municipal buildings based on energy audits The funding comes from the ecoNova Scotia Fund for Clean Air and Climate Change.

RCMP Investigate Motorcycle Accident

The driver of a motorcycle suffered injuries after a vehicle crossed the centre line on Wednesday. At around 1:40 an unknown driver in a white, late model Cavalier/Sunfire type vehicle drove left of the centre line and caused the motorcycle to go off highway 332 near Bayport wharf. RCMP say the driver may not have been aware the motorcycle left the road but is asking the public's assistance in the case.

Construction Site Theft

Bridgewater Police are looking into a theft from a construction site at 280 Jubilee Road. Sometime between 5;15 p.m. May 26th and 7:45 a.m. May 27th, thieves stole an 850 watt generator and precision laser from the site. The Spectra laser is in a yellow case. Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Bridgewater Police Service at 543-2464

Rewards Store Closing Out

Rewards Department Store is closing it's doors at the end of July. Manager Roland O'Brien says unfortunately the landlord has decided not to renew the store's lease in favour of another tenant with a long term lease. O'Brien says the store will not be relocating elsewhere in Town. Rewards has been located in the Bridgewater Plaza for the last 11 years. The final day of business for the store will be July 31st.

M-V-A Goes to Hospital

A 58-year-old lobster fisherman is in hospital following an early-morning highway accident in Lunenburg County. The mishap took place this morning when a half-ton truck left Highway-103 in Middlewood and drove into the ditch. The Middlewood and District Fire Department received a call to to the scene shortly after 5:30 this morning. Firefighters had to open the door of the half-ton truck before "Emergency-Services" personnel could transport the man by ambulance to the "South Shore Regional Hospital".

Student medal Winners

A dozen South Shore students received the 2010 Lieutenant Governor's Education Medal during a ceremony presentation at New Germany Rural High School on Wednesday afternoon. The recipients were presented with the medals by the Honourable Mayann Francis, the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia. The medals are presented to one boy and one girl from Grade 11 in each school who have demonstrated leadership and service in their school and community while maintaining their academic standing. Students are nominated by their school annually.

BRIDGEWATER JUNIOR SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Evan William Lawrence Buck
Rebecca Rose Jordan

FOREST HEIGHTS COMMUNITY SCHOOL
Nathan Ronald Wayne Shatford
Shalan Lori Armstrong

LIVERPOOL REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Megan Lynn Himmelman
Joel Thomas Smith

NORTH QUEENS RURAL HIGH SCHOOL
Elijah Lem Hunt
Katelyn Dawn Mansfield

PARKVIEW EDUCATION CENTRE
Adam Robert Mertens
Emma Elizabeth Harlow

NEW GERMANY RURAL HIGH SCHOOL
Alexander Perry Knickle
Olivia Lynn Emino

Pavement Projects

A number of Bridgewater streets will be getting fixed up shortly. Town Council has approved 400 thousand dollars for a short list of pavement management projects throughout the Town. The funding has been allocated in this years budget. The 45 projects on the short-list includes crackseal, overlay, spreader patch and local repairs. Tenders will be issued June 1st. The work is done most successfully during July and August when the weather is warm.

Bridgewater's New Highway Signs

Flashy new signs promoting the Town of Bridgewater will soon be going up on Highway 103. The new signs will replace the current green industrial billboard type at Exits 11 and 13. Town Council budgeted 15 thousand dollars for the design, print and installation of the two signs. Local animation artist Mark Cappello came up with the graphic design which features an orange sky.

Parkview Parking Problems

Parking problems at Parkview Education Centre could soon be solved. The school is in the initial stages of a project to build an access road to the community filed located behind the school. The road will provide better access to the facility without having to drive through school property and will afford students a safer place to park their vehicles. A number of partners have come on-board the project. Bridgewater Town Council has approved a request for in-kind design work for the project. The Municipality of the District of Lunenburg has given the school the rights to a strip of land on the south side of the school property. And 143 Construction Engineering Flight will clear the property. Currently dozens of vehicles park on the gravel shoulder of North King Street in front of the school.

Education Medal presentation

Lieutenant Governor Mayann Francis will be visiting the South Shore today for a special presentation. The 2010 Lieutenant Governor’s Education Medal will be presented to South Shore Regional School Board students at New Germany Rural High School at 1 o'clock this afternoon.
These medals are presented to one boy and one girl from Grade 11 in each school who have demonstrated leadership and service in their school and community while maintaining their academic standing. Students are nominated by their school annually.

Foundations Fund Hospitals

South Shore hospitals have benefited by more than a million dollars a year through funding by the hospital's Foundations and Auxiliaries. At a recent Hospital Board meeting, VP Operations Phil Langford provided an overview of equipment and infrastructure funding. The Health Services Foundation of the South Shore, Queens General Hospital Foundation, South Shore Regional Hospital Auxiliary, Queens General Hospital Auxiliary and Fishermen's Memorial Hospital Auxiliary have contributed approximately 1 million per year. The Department of Health has provided 7 million in equipment and 12 in infrastructure during the same time period. The Board commended the members of the volunteer organizations for their spirit, enthusiasm and energy.

Fan Noise Frustrates Resident

The complaints are continuing over noise levels from the Shannex long term care complex. Brady Street resident John O'Brien says the noise from an H-VAC system on the north side of Ryan Hall is disrupting his tranquility and calm. He says he can't open his windows because of the noise levels. Shannex has installed a dormer and louvers around the outlet to mitigate and deflect the noise. O'Brien appeared before Town Council and invited members to come to his house and hear the noise themselves. Tests have determined the noise levels are within the acceptable range and Council suggested O'Brien contact Shannex directly to try to reach a suitable arrangement.

Navy Namesake Presentation

The Town of Lunenburg will be honoured this evening as part of the Canadian Navy's 100th Anniversary celebrations. Petty Officer Chris Mosher from CFB Halifax will present the Mayor with a framed pictorial history of HMCS Lunenburg as part of the Canadian Navy Centennial Namesake Project. The picture includes a photograph of HMCS Lunenburg, a picture of the ship's badge and a short history of its service.
The River class frigate HMCS Lunenburg was commissioned on December 4, 1941 Similar namesake presentations are being made across Canada to bring attention to the Centennial of the Canadian Navy. Tonight's ceremony is set for 6:30 p.m. at the Royal Canadian Legion on Duke Street.

Break & Enter

Bridgewater Police are investigating after a break and enter occurred at Sunny Oasis Tanning and Hair Studio over the long weekend.

The break happened between 6:30 Sunday evening and 8 o'clock Monday morning.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Bridgewater Police.

ER-Closure

Fisherman's Memorial Hospital will have two emergency room closures on the weekend.

Tomorrow, May 22nd, Beginning at 2:30pm the ER will be closed and reopen at 7:30am on Sunday. Then close again at 2:30 in the afternoon and reopen on Monday morning at 7:30am.

If you require emergency services you are advised to call 911 or visit South Shore Regional in Bridgewater. Patients with non-emergencies should contact their family physician or call 811.

Long Service Awards for Paramedics

A number of South Shore paramedics among 87 that were presented with long service awards by Health Minister Maureen MacDonald at a ceremony in Halifax yesterday. Among the recipients, John May of Bridgewater Martin Bell, Conquerall Bank; ,Allan Keddy, Blockhouse; Alan Cranton and Joe Gallant of New Germany, Mike Morton, Charleston Mill; Bruce Leaman and Gary Gehue of, Liverpool; Richard Baglole, Chester Basin; Gary Dares and Peter MacPherson, Mahone Bay and Jim Currie, Shelburne;
The Paramedic Long Service Award is based on years of service to Nova Scotia by paramedics and others who provide emergency health services.

Lunenburg County Life Centre joint council meeting

A 2012 end date is still the future for the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre. Today the proposed construction budget and the three year operating budget was approved by Bridgewater and the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg. Chair of the Centre, Paul Belliveau says although they're three months behind on fundraising they still plan to stay on schedule with construction. Belliveau says they are still dealing with the federal government on getting the final details worked out.

Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival

Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival President Marilyn Keddy says volunteers are excited about this year's 25th anniversary festival, following the launch of the performance schedule yesterday in Lunenburg. Two-time Juno Award-winner David Francey will headline this year's Folk Harbour Festival, which runs from August 5th to 8th. Matt Andersen, Old Man Luedecke, Connic Kaldor, and James Keelaghan share the Main Stage bill at the three-day event. The complete schedule of performers at this year's Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival can be found at www.folkharbour.com

CT Scanner Unveiled

The public is invited to attend the official unveiling of a new CT Scanner on Friday, June 4th at South Shore Regional Hospital. The scanner was purchased through the Department of Health as well as donations from the South Shore Health Services and Queens General Hospital Foundations. Health Minister Maureen MacDonald will be on hand for the unveiling which is set to take place at 11 a.m. in the Lecture Room on the third floor of South Shore Regional Hospital..

Legion Renovations

The Bridgewater Legion will receive nearly 23 thousand dollars in federal funding under the New Horizon's for Seniors Program . The money will be used to carry out renovations to the facility including repairing a leaking foundation wall, replacing water damaged interior walls and flooring and repairs to the kitchen. The renovations will contribute to the well being of the Legion and those it serves

Keep your car doors locked

A 14 year-old boy will face three charges of breaching his Undertaking, and a charge of Possession of Stolen Property today in Bridgewater court.

The boy was arrested yesterday after numerous sightings by the public of a boy entering unattended vehicles.

The youth, who is already facing charges from a number of incidents that occurred early in the month will appear in Bridgewater Court this afternoon.

Police are reminding vehicle owners the best preventative measure to avoid thefts from vehicles is to keep your vehicles locked when parked and to never leave valuables in an unattended vehicle.

International Theatre Festival

The 10th Annual Liverpool International Theatre Festival kicks off today with a stellar line up of performances. Along with four outstanding Nova Scotian troupes, amateur theatre groups from around the globe will converge on Liverpool to compete at the festival. Along with the lineup of five days of play LITF invites the public to attend one of the many theatre craft workshops being offered between shows, Coffee Critique" discussions of the previous days performances, nightly entertainment and the opening and closing ceremonies. For more information at the International Theatre Festival visit the website at www.litf.ca .

NGRHS Students to Receive Lt.Gov. Medals

Two Grade 11 students at New Germany Rural High School will be presented with the 2010 Lieutenant Governor's Education Medal on Wednesday, May 26th. The medals are presented to one boy and one girl from Grade 11 in each school who have demonstrated leadership and service in their school and community while maintaining their academic standing. Students are nominated by their school annually. Lieutenant Governor Mayann Francis traditionally visits two school board districts in the province to present the awards, with the remaining awards being presented by their school administration.

**Photo, courtesy of Gov't.of Nova Scotia**

LCLC Operating Budget

A draft three year budget for the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre will be unveiled this week. A special joint council meeting of Bridgewater and the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg will be held Thursday afternoon at 1:30 in the Municipal Council Chambers on Aberdeen Road. Both councils will conduct separate meetings to receive a recommendation from the Joint Councils regarding the proposed budget.
The meetings are open to the general public. The 32 million dollar Lifestyle Centre will include a library, indoor pool and single ice surface. Site work will start later this fall with a target completion date in late 2012.

Bridgewater Legion Gets Federal Funding

Ottawa is contributing close to 23 thousand dollars for improvements to the Bridgewater Royal Canadian Legion- Branch 24. The improvements to the facility will benefit seniors in the community.The capital funding is being provided from the federal governments New Horizons for Seniors Program. South Shore-St. Margaret's M-P Gerald Keddy will present the funding during a ceremony at the Legion on Churchill Street at 1 o'clock Wednesday.May 19th. The Maitland and District Community Recreation Centre is also receiving 9 thousand 900 dollars in federal funding from the program for facility renovations

Lunenburg Jr. High School

The public can find out more about the new Lunenburg Jr. High School at a public information session this evening. The South Shore Regional School Board will host a presentation regarding the new Bluenose Academy in Lunenburg. Architects will be on hand to share details of the new school design and will answer questions from the public. The information session is set for 7pm, this evening at the Lunenburg Community Centre.

Bridgewater post-office opened

The new post-office in Bridgewater had its official opening today. The ribbon cutting ceremony took place this morning to open the new facility located at 135 north street, that will take place of the old post office that was located on King Street. Mayor Carroll Publicover was on hand for the event and says the building on King Street is an iconic building and will never be forgotten. The Bridgewater Heritage and Historical Society was on the scene at the opening to recognize over 100-years of Canada-Post service to the town.

Mahone Bay Assault

Two Mahone Bay men are scheduled to appear in Bridgewater court next month after allegedly assaulting a man over the weekend.

The two were arrested after they broke a window at the residence of the complainant, then assaulted him when he came outside.

June 30th is when the two are scheduled to appear in court.

Court date for Truro man

A Truro man will appear in Bridgewater court today after allegedly stealing cheques from a church in Liverpool and attempting to cash them in Bridgewater.

William Lewis will appear on charges of Uttering a Forged Document, Possession of Stolen Property and Breach of Probation.

Lewis was wanted by other police agencies in Nova Scotia and will answer to those charges today.

St.Phillips Street Broken Water Main

Some residents on Saint Phillip's Street have to do without water during most of the day.

The loss of water-pressure lies between the Centennial Trail and Victoria Road.

S spokesman for the "Bridgewater Public-Works Department" says they hope to have the water-service restored by 2:00 o'clock this afternoon.

Official Opening of New Bwtr Post Office

Official ceremonies are set for this morning for the grand-opening of the new Bridgewater post-office.

The Bridgewater Heritage and Historical Society will be on the scene to recognize over 100-years of postal services to the town.

The official Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony is set for 11:00 o'clock this morning at the new Canada Post site at 135 north Street in Bridgewater.

U-S Man Faces Assault Charges in Lower Clark Harbour Incident

An American man appears in court today to face charges stemming from an alleged assault in Shelburne County.

The Barrington RCMP responded on Friday morning to a call to a residence in Lower Clark's Harbor.

The Mounties were told that an argument on Thursday night between a U-S couple visiting their seasonal-residence in Lower Clark's Harbor had turned physical.

The 66-year-old woman was transported by neighbors to the Yarmouth Regional Hospital, where medical-pesonell determined that the woman had suffered a broken arm during the incident.

A 65-year-old man remains in custody and will face a charge of "assault causing bodily harm" when he appears today at Provincial Court in Yarmouth.

Earth Day challenge results

Everything from coffee cups with coffee still in them to pop bottles that were twenty years old were picked up on Earth Day this year.

Over 2500 people were involved in this year's Earth Day Challenge in the Province.

Every year Region 6 Solid Waste Management in Liverpool and the Earth Day Planning Committee teams up with Clean Nova Scotia and their The Great Nova Scotia Pick-Me-Up program.

Emergency room closures first annual report

Fisherman's memorial hospital is working to enhance collaborative practice to reduce emergency room closures.

Approximately 19-thousand hours was the results of emergency room closures in the Province last year.

With Fisherman's having 158 hours of unscheduled closure.

Vice President in medicine for the health authority and the acting CEO, Dr Peter Vaughan, says they're working with physicians, nurse practitioner and other help care providers to enhance collaborative practice.

Three people apprehended after 1250 lbs of gaspereau found

Three people were apprehended last night after fisheries officers caught them with illegal gaspereau.

Bridgewater Fisheries officers seized around one-thousand, 250 pounds of gaspereau.

The officers found the three on the Gaspereau Lake system in Kings County.

The investigation is ongoing as officers continue to gather evidence.

Municipality of Shelburne involved in wind energy plan

One of the South Shore Municipalities has been chosen to be involved in a unique pilot project involving wind energy.

The Municipality of the District of Shelburne wants to develop a wind energy plan and bylaw to help the province reach its sustainability measures by 2020.

Shelburne's Chief Administrative Officer, Kirk Cox says this project allows the Municipality of Shelburne to take the first step to facilitate development that is in the best interests of residents and involves them in the process.

The project will run from now until December.

Oceans Wild comes to Lunenburg

Students at Centre Consolidated School in Lunenburg will be getting up close and personal with marine life today.

Oceans Wild Educational Entertainment will be visiting the school to teach students about marine conservation issues.

Students will have the opportunity to walk through a 65 - foot life size fin whale model, see a variety of real shark specimens and a number of other ocean creatures.

The Oceans Wild Team will be on site from 9:00am – 3:00pm.

For more information go to: http://www.oceanswild.com

Lunenburg Preliminary Budgets

The town of Lunenburg has received many of the preliminary budgets for the 2010-2011 fiscal year. The mayor says that they have not yet begun the process of reviewing those budgets. Lawrence Mawhinney says however they plan to begin that process on the 20th of this month. At that time, the council is inviting submissions on those budgets, which are now available at the Lunenburg town hall.Mayor Mawhinney says the council wants to hold the line on expenditures. He says preliminary indications are that they may be able to do that while maintaining previous tax-rates and levels of service.

Upgrade town's infrastructure

The mayor of Bridgewater says his council continues to upgrade the town's infrastructure through capital investment.

Mayor Carroll Publicover says the new budget they approved last night shows they have stood by their intention to maintain current levels of service to town residents.

He says the council also wants to upgrade the town's infrastructure.

Mayor Publicover says the main one is the "Lunenburg County Lifestyle Center" that replaces three aging capital investments -- the arena, the pool and the library.

He says their five-million-dollar investment takes advantage of the fact that the provincial and federal governments pay the rest of the proposed facility's price-tag.

Budget has been set

Bridgewater has set its budget for the 2010-2011 fiscal year.

Town councillors approved the new budget last night by a vote of six-to-one.

The total "Operating Budget" came in at 17-million, 254-thousand, 515-dollars, with a "Capital Budget" of 5.8-million-dollars.

Tax rates are up 2.5-per-cent over last year.

In direct terms, that is up 4.1-cents.

Tax Rates

Bridgewater Town Council hopes to be able to set the tax rates at tonight's council meeting. In the draft version Council had proposed a 2 and a-half percent increase. The residential rate currently sets at
$1.62 per 100 dollars of assessment while the commercial rate is
$3.72 per 100 dollars. Council is looking at a 17 million dollar budget with 6.7 million of that for capital expenditures. Six engineering items include sanitary and storm sewer projects totalling a million dollars.

Police Week Celebrations

Bridgewater Police Service have a number of events planned to celebrate Police Week which kicks off Sunday May 9th. May 14th, is recognized internationally as Peace Officer Memorial Day. An Open House and BBQ will be held on Tuesday, May 11th. The public are invited to tour the police station and enjoy hotdogs and cold drinks. Proceeds from the BBQ will go to South Shore Big Brothers Big Sisters.
On Thursday May 13th, Bridgewater Police Service and community partners will hold a display at the Bridgewater Mall. Auxiliary Cst. Creig Veinot will also be present with Reba, the Police Service Dog. Police week began in 1970 with collaboration between the Government of Canada's office of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada and its provincial counterparts.

Financial Safety for Seniors

An information session for seniors on financial health and safety will take place this Wednesday (May 12th) at the Bridgewater Fire Hall from 10am till noon. The topic is financial health and safety: how to protect yourself from financial abuse— from telemarketing fraud to misspending of your money by well-meaning family and friends. Specific topics covered will include wills, power of attorney, internet fraud, property transfers, and grandparents’ rights. Participants will receive a copy of the publication, "It's in Your Hands"developed by the Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Centre on Aging at Mount Saint Vincent University. The publication will increase seniors’ understanding of the issues to consider when planning and arranging their legal and financial affairs.
For more information on the publication and info session, please visit www.legalinfo.org or call 902-454-2198.

Torch events get underway in Lunenburg

Lunenburg will be the first community in the Province to host the kick-off celebrations for the Halifax 2011 Canada Games torch program.

On Monday, May 10th the torch events will begin at the Atlantic Fisheries Museum parking lot.

The torch will arrive aboard the HMCS Glace Bay at 2pm and be carried on a relay through the town.

Bluenose Academy Public Meeting

The public can find out more about the new Lunenburg Jr. High School at a public information session May 18th. The South Shore Regional School Board will host a presentation regarding the new Bluenose Academy. Architects will be on hand to share details of the new school design and will answer questions from the public. The information session is set for 7pm, Tuesday May 18th at the Lunenburg Community Centre.

Beware of Bears

Homeowners are being encouraged to take the necessary steps to reduce encounters with bears. The animals have awoken from their winter hibernation and need to be discouraged from searching for food in residential areas. Although the numbers of recorded nuisance bear sightings are down this year, homeowners should still take precautions. Those include storing garbage inside or in metal bear-proof containers, and keeping barbecue grills clean and grease-free. To report bear sightings in your neighbourhood, contact the local Natural Resources office. To learn more about how to prevent bear incidents and what to do when seeing a black bear, visit the Natural Resource's website.

New Water Treatment Facility on Line

The water is now running through the new water treatment facility in the Town of Lunenburg. The 7 million dollar plant began pumping water through the distribution system earlier this week. The open reservoir has been taken off line and Council will have to decide what to do with it later. The pre-existing water treatment equipment will be retained for some time to ensure redundancy. Work on the standpipe will soon be completed which will enable the utility to lower chlorine treatment to less noticeable levels, while still meeting treatment standards. Council is looking to hold a public opening ceremony at the new facility in July

Fishmen caught using illegal bait

Two individuals from Port Mouton were apprehended yesterday after being caught fishing with illegal bait.

Fishery officers in Liverpool caught the two failing to release their by-catch and using cod fish and rock crabs as bait.

The two, who can not be named will appear in Liverpool Court at a later date.

For more information on fishing in Nova Scotia visit: http://www.gov.ns.ca/snsmr/paal/fish/paal190.asp

Home Invasion Charges

A Lunenburg County man will remain in jail until May 12th after being arrested and charged in connection with a home invasion last year. Twenty-eight year old Jonathan Joseph Arenburg appeared in Bridgewater Provincial Court Tuesday and was remanded in custody until his next court appearance. Arenburg is charged with robbery and being unlawfully in a dwelling house relating to an incident in West Dublin last September. RCMP say an elderly man was in his kitchen when two people walked into his home demanding money. They allegedly stole cash from his wallet and shoved the 80 year old to the floor before fleeing the house.

Rescue Unit Replacement Requested

The Bridgewater Fire Department is pushing to have a new rescue truck included in this years budget at a cost of 610 thousand dollars. Fire Chief Wayne Thorburne says replacing the truck has been identified since 2000. He says the Fire Department has worked to hold the line on budget and to defer the purchase for another year would only increase the debt load. Chief Thorburne says the truck is going on 23 years old, it's hard to get parts and is a specialized piece of equipment that takes 9 to 11 months to build. The Rescue Unit is used mostly for Mutual Aid. It contains the "Jaws of Life" and is used at accident scenes and as a fire support vehicle. The last new purchase for the Fire Department was a new aerial ladder truck in 2007 at a cost of 951 thousand dollars. The ladder truck it replaced, was 25 years old and was donated to the Nova Scotia Firefighters School in Waverly.

Assessment Roll Numbers

The Town of Bridgewater seeing a 6.3 percent residential increase to the assessment roll for 2010. Commercial is slightly down by about 1.4 percent and within the Town, Business Occupancy with the phase out has decreased about 70 percent. The numbers were made known during a recent presentation to Bridgewater Council by members of the Property Valuation Service Corporation. For 2010, PVSC sent out 36 hundred and 54 assessment notices to the Town. Of that number, 25 hundred and 54 properties are receiving the CAP which is set at zero percent this year. The Property Valuation Service Corporation was formed in 2008 with a mandate to provide market valuation and other property-related services . PVSC which is chaired by Bridgewater Mayor Carroll Publicover is responsible for sending out property assessments to Nova Scotia

Tour for the Cure

The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation's big pink bus will be making stops throughout the South Shore this month.

Cheryl Hill, Manager of Logistics for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation's Tour for the Cure says the bus will be making its first stop today at the Wellness Centre in Chester Basin.

Visiting the bus will help you learn how to take care of your breasts, talk with you about any concerns you might have and encourage you to book an appointment for a mammogram right away.

For more information visit: http://www.tourforthecure.ca

Fisherman caught with cooked lobster meat

A commercial Lobster fisherman and 3 crew members were apprehended this morning, in the Lockeport area for possession of illegal off shore meat.

A bag of cooked lobster meat and cooking utensils were seized.

Charges are being considered for all individuals.

It's illegal for lobster fishermen to be in possession of any claw, tail or meat that has been separated from the body of the lobster in a lobster fishing area.