MLA Birdsall endorses Nash as next Federal NDP Leader

Pam Birdsall

The MLA for Lunenburg is throwing her support behind Peggy Nash as the future leader of the Federal NDP party. Pam Birdsall says she chose the Toronto MP because she believes she has all the qualities of a leader.

"She's one of those people, in my mind, who can bring people together, a real consensus builder and I think that's exactly like Jack (Layton) was. He was a man that worked with his team and any of us who knew Jack and knew the way he worked, that was what he was known for and Peggy is very much like that."

Birdsall says Nash would have no problems bucking heads with Prime Minister Stephen Harper because she's a former hard-nosed labour negotiator.

"She was the first female labour union negotiator in North America, you know I mean, that speaks volumes if you know what labour negotiation is all about. So, I mean this is someone who doesn't just say oh well, ok, whatever you say and I think that's a real quality of being able to be not easily provoked and calm under pressure."

Queens MLA Vicki Conrad also announced her endorsement of Nash. The party's leadership convention is slated for March 23-24 in Toronto.

Bridgewater: Huge Support for Cook's Cancer Battle

A benefit breakfast held over the weekend for a resident of Bridgewater was an overwhelming success. The fundraiser at the Bridgewater Fire Hall on Saturday was organized for 35 year-old Jody Cook who is fighting breast cancer. More $8,800 dollars was raised through the sale of 600 breakfast plates in addition to cash donations and tickets sales. Food was donated by local businesses while members of the Bridgewater Fire Department volunteered their time to help out with the breakfast.

Black Bull Resources Report Net Losses in 2011

The future of a Nova Scotia company is unclear following another year of poor market conditions. Black Bull Resources is reporting net losses  exceeding $380,000 for the year ending September 30th. The company owns the White Rock Mine near Shelburne and officials say the company will be placed into hibernation mode until further notice. CEO Joseph MacDonald says the company's focus is to reserve cash by reducing overall expenses. A handful of part-time employees remain at the mine for routine care and maintenance. The White Rock Mine produces a unique, bright white high purity quartz marketed under Scotia White.

Phone Survey planned for town and municipality of Shelburne

The town and municipality of Shelburne are conducting a phone survey to see how physically active members of the community were over the last two years. The survey, conducted by IPSOS Reid Research, will be conducted beginning February 1 until February 13. The physical activity and community school coordinator, Lisa Landry, says the survey will help gather information for the community's physical activity strategy.

"It's a way for us to get input from the community and it's also a follow-up from the survey we did in 2009, so this will give us comparative information so we can gauge the changes in physical activity levels since then."

Landry says they have created more opportunities for people to become active in leisure programs or sports since 2009. She says 300 people will be polled during the phone survey and expects the results to be released by mid-March.

Finance Minister among guests at Rotary Open House

Graham Steele

The Bridgewater Rotary Club is holding an open house Tuesday night to offer people a chance to learn more about the volunteer organization. Current and past members are expected to meet at the Bridgewater Days Inn at 6pm. Nova Scotia Finance Minister Graham Steele is among the guest speakers, as well as incoming District Governor Greg Caldwell and Windsor Rotary Club President Jonathan DeMont.

Pet Food Drive raises over $2,000 for Queens SPCA

Karissa Boudreau

The people came out in droves Saturday to help raise money for the Queens County SPCA. The 4th annual Karissa Boudreau Memorial Pet Food Drive raised $2,048 in cash and an estimated 12-14 shopping carts full of supplies. The president of the Queens County SPCA, Martin Hilliard, says they received a variety of different items.

"Hundreds of pounds of dog food, cat food, toys, treats, all kinds of stuff, it was absolutely overwhelming."

Hilliard says the fundraiser is a huge help because a busy summer and fall season has left a big strain on their finances. One of the organizers, Wendy Whalen, says after four years, it was nice to see people still care so much.The 12-year-old Boudreau will always be remembered as a young girl who loved animals, with aspirations of being a veterinarian. It's expected the last pet food drive will be held next year before organizers move on.

Town of Lunenburg: Not Interested in Shared Services Review

The Town of Lunenburg says its not opposed to sharing some services but council isn't interested in regional governance. Mayor Laurence Mawhinney made the comments as Mahone Bay, Bridgewater and the District of Lunenburg move forward with a detailed review of regional governance and shared services. Mawhinney says he wanted to clear the air because residents have been asking why the town isn't part of the review. "We certainly wish the other three well as they continue their review and discussion, but we were not looking at regional governance per say. We're happy to look at shared services, yes. But a review focused on regional governance as the first step, in our opinion, was not the way He notes the town recently withdrew from a partnership with the three municipal units on the Waste Management Committee. Mawhinney called the venture less than satisfactory and felt the towns views were not considered seriously. The town is currently negotiating with the Municipality of Chester on a new waste disposal agreement at Kaizer Meadow.

Composites Atlantic: Calls Back Some Laid-Off Workers

Composites Atlantic has re-hired five employees that were victims of a mid-November lay-off. At the time, 37 employees were laid off as the result of an unexpected change in delivery schedules from several major customers. President and CEO Claude Baril says their market has picked up over the past few weeks. "Actually when we did lay-off...we had not underestimated but maybe went a bit too far and we re-hired some more people because we were late on some programs and dealing with overtime, so we adjusted," Baril says work orders at the plant will be stable for at least the first six months of this year and the company will re-evaluate later in the summer. The Lunenburg based aerospace plant employs more than 300 people and manufactures lightweight aircraft parts.

Final "Shared Services" Meeting Goes Tonight

Don Downe

The last of 5 public meetings in Lunenburg County discussing the sharing of some services will be held tonight. A report on the feasibility of sharing some municipal services among Mahone Bay, Bridgewater and the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg has recommended .... in favor. The meetings have been designed to get public feedback and help councillors in the communities make their decisions on the proposal. District of Lunenburg Mayor Don Downe says that's important. He says: "We need to make sure we consult and get an idea on how our community feels about it. At the same, we are prepared to show leadership. But I think its important to have them come forward with some very interesting questions that they have about the report and we need to give them the answers." Tonight's meeting begins at 7 o'clock at the Petite Riviere Fire Hall.

Queens County Adds More Protected Lands

Queens County has aquired another 22-hundred hectares of protected land.
Its a gift from Bowater Mersey, part of the rescue package for the mill back in December. District of Queens Mayor John Leefe says saving pristine areas from development is important. About 19 percent, or 44-thousand hectares, of Queens County's total land mass .... is now protected under the World Wildlife Federation's "Endangered Spaces Program". That figure is well above the 12 percent required under the program.

Shelburne Arena ready for next stage of upgrades

Tony Mahaney

The Shelburne Arena is entering phase two of its upgrade stage. The rink is getting roughly $453,000 worth of work done including repairs and replacement of refrigeration equipment, structural upgrades and accessibility issues. The chair of the Shelburne County Arena Association, Tony Mahaney, says they're moving ahead with their next step of renovations.

"We just finished phase one that did $500,000 worth of improvements that took care of a number of issues concerning lighting and part of the refrigeration, as well as upgrading the players' dressing rooms and washrooms. So, this phase is to accommodate the people viewing the games."

Mahaney adds, one way to help people view the games is by making the rink more accessible including building a ramp to get into the main entrance.

"Once you get into the facility, there's some upgrades that are required for the washroom facilities so that they can easily access the washrooms, as well as a small section that will be set aside for a viewing stage or viewing platform for anybody that is requiring accessibility."

Mahaney says he hopes all the upgrades will help give the arena 20-25 years of use before a new rink will be needed. He says he expects phase two will be complete by 2015.

Hockey: Cole Harbour Thumps Mustangs

In Nova Scotia Major Midget Hockey League action last night Cole Harbour dumped the visiting South Shore Canadian Tire Mustangs 6-2. Brendan Nickerson and Alex Nauss scored for Stangs who are back on the ice this morning against the Valley Wildcats. Puck dropped at 10:30 at the Bridgewater Arena.

RCMP charge three for drug trafficking in Shelburne County

A trio of Shelburne County residents face charges after police seized a number of different drugs on route to the area. RCMP members from Yarmouth, Shelburne and Halifax intercepted a package from British Columbia going to a Roseway home and found 460 grams of mushrooms, 490 grams of marijuana and roughly 50 grams of hash. Police also searched two homes in Lydgate and Roseway. A 55-year-old woman, along with two men, aged 27 and 28, have been charged with possession of controlled substances for the purpose of trafficking. The woman and 27-year-old man are scheduled to appear in Shelburne Provincial Court March 28th while the 28-year-old man is scheduled April 11th.

Federal NDP Forum held in Tantallon

Denise Peterson-Rafuse

The MLA for Chester-St. Margaret's is welcoming her federal friends for an evening in Tantallon. Denise Peterson-Rafuse is hosting the eight NDP leadership hopefuls at a public gathering at the St. Margaret's Centre. Peterson-Rafuse says its a chance for people to meet and talk with candidates running to replace the late Jack Layton.

"We're not having long speeches by each candidate, we felt the best way for people to have a decision-making option was to have the leaders there that you could personally go up and talk to them and ask your questions."

There are eight remaining candidates including the president of the Sackville-Eastern Shore NDP riding association, Martin Singh, the lone Nova Scotian in the leadership race. The discussion gets underway at 4:30 Saturday evening.

Sea Kayak Festival gains support in Shelburne

The Town of Shelburne will move forward with plans to host its first Sea Kayak Festival this summer. Officials held a meeting earlier this week to see if there was enough community interest to support the event. Organizer Jerry Locke says he was pleased with the turnout and the event looks like it will happen. "So we are starting to take a serious look at it and we're looking at a bunch of possibilities for programming and activities to take place. We're still exploring but I'm quite confident we'll go forward with it," Locke says the organization committee will continue to recruit volunteers for the festival and are set to meet again sometime to February. The event will be held at he Islands Provincial Park from August 17th-19th.

Lumberjacks cut down Crushers

A three goal second period helped propel the CIBC Wood Gundy Lumberjacks to a 5-1 win over Pictou County. The Jacks got some third and fourth line scoring from Cody Coffin, who potted two goals and added an assist. Luke Warner also chipped-in with a goal and an assist while Luc Ramey had four assists. Shawn Boudreau and Brennan Saulnier also had goals while Billy Clarke turned aside 28 shots. The Jacks will head to Liverpool for a special South Shore match-up against Yarmouth at the new Queens Place Emera Centre Thursday night at 7:30.

Police investigating St.Phillips Street assault

Bridgewater Police are investigating an assault on St.Phillips Street near Victoria Road. The incident took place early Thursday evening between two pedestrians and the driver and passenger of a vehicle. Police allege an altercation occurred and Cst. William Creamer confirms one person pulled a knife. The passenger received minor injuries after being assaulted but did not need medical attention. Bridgewater Police brought in their K-9 unit but no one is in custody at the moment.

Weather Closes Schools - Pushes Back Exams

Due to the impending storm conditions (snow and ice pellets), all SSRSB schools will be closed today.  In some schools, this will affect high school exams.   Please note that any exam which was to be written today (Friday, January 27) will be written on Monday, January 30.

Pet Food Drive in honour of Karissa

A young girls love for animals and her aspirations to become a veterinarian are always remembered around this time in January. The 4th Annual Karissa Boudreau Memorial Pet Food Drive goes Saturday and this year the event is helping the Queens County SPCA. Organizer Wendy Whalen says the day is one to reflect, remember and honour Karissa Boudreau.

"It's not a sombre event at all. This is a really positive and happy time for us and it's really an  uplifting and inspiring experience, you know, we'd be happy to see everyone come out and show their support."

People are asked to donate pet food, toys, beds or any other items towards the cause. T-Shirts will also be sold, with funds also being donated. The pet food drive will be held near the Zellers Entrance at the Bridgewater Mall from 10am to 6pm.

VIDEO: Joint Services Meeting held in Bridgewater

A few nay-sayers spoke out during Thursday night's joint services meeting at Bridgewater High School. Several people in the crowd of roughly 30 say they don't believe the report was put together very well and that the towns of Mahone Bay and Bridgewater along with the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg need to work together more before developing a Regional Services Board. Bridgewater resident Mark Furey says he was expecting more from the report.

The last of five public meetings will be held January 30 at 7pm at the Petite Riviere Fire Hall.

VIDEO: SSRSB preparing to decide on School Review

The South Shore Regional School Board has received the school utilization reports. Now, the next step is for staff to prepare the school identification reports for Board Member Judith Sullivan-Corney before the next meeting February 22. At that meeting, its expected Sullivan-Corney will present staffs recommendations on which schools should be reviewed. The board will then respond to the recommendations during its March 21 meeting before school review information has to be forwarded to the Department of Education by March 31. Sullivan-Corney says because there were no schools reviewed last year, she's worried that may hurt the board's chances of receiving any capital funding for 2012-13. The Board has three opportunities to tap into capital funding for 2012-13 to make additions or alterations in schools, capital repairs and any design or scoping work needed. The three capital funding projects total $16-million and all school board's in the province are able to apply for the funding.

No injuries after flue fire in Upper Northfield

No injuries to report after a major flue fire Thursday night in Upper Northfield. Three trucks responded to the blaze from Northfield and District Fire Department shortly before 10pm. The fire happened at 3918 Northfield Road. The house was full of smoke and firefighters fought embers, sparks and cinders from the chimney when they arrived at the scene. Fire crews doused the blaze and cleared the scene in just under an hour.

PLFA Building Membership-Support

The Professional Lobster Fishermen's Association continues to build its membership from the ground up. Approximately 30 fishermen attended a meeting in Chester yesterday afternoon with a majority satisfied with the direction the group is headed. Fisherman Troy Nickerson spoke with CKBW/HANK FM following the meeting. "This is a chance to do something. The big goal is we are looking to next season. We don't want $3.25 next season. It's known that if we don't get our act together that's what going to happen. I'm confident we're going to be able to do it little by little, the old saying taking the land back step by step...well...we're taking the sea back...step by step," The movement began almost three weeks ago following a meeting in Barrington. Since the PFLA formed on January 4th lobster prices at the wharf have jumped from $3.25 to $5.50 per pound. The association now sports close to 600 members and plan to meet again in Liverpool next week.

Massive Wind Farm Planned between Chester and Windsor

Lunenburg County will be soon be home to the largest wind farm in the province. A trio of companies have a proposal to construct the South Canoe Wind Project. The project would consist of 33 to 50 turbines and produce enough power to heat approximately 28-thousand homes. Minas Basin Pulp and Paper and Oxford Frozen Foods have partnered with Nova Scotia Power on the project which will help the province meet its renewable energy targets. John Woods, vice-president of energy development for Minas Basin, says getting the site ready would create about 100 jobs. The project will be located between Windsor and Chester and span 6,400 hectares. The award group will be announced in April while the wind farm will be operation by 2015. A public meeting will be held in Chester in the near future to unveil project details to their residents. Meanwhile, another public forum will be held at the Vaughn Fire Hall on February 11th from 2-5PM.

Joint Services Meeting in Bridgewater

The fourth gathering in a series of five public meetings regarding a joint services report goes Thursday night in Bridgewater. Council members from the town, Mahone Bay and Municipality of Lunenburg are expected to take in the event as well consultants from Marathon Human Resources Group. The public is urged to come to the event and ask questions to help the councils learn more about the report and the impact it could have on the three areas. The meeting gets underway at 7pm Thursday night in the Bridgewater High School cafeteria.

Changes needed to accommodate Bridgewater leash-free dog space

The town of Bridgewater will hold a public participation meeting to discuss proposed amendments to its Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use by-law for a leash-free dog park. The town approved the Master Plan for Generations Active Park in principle December 12 and are looking to make changes to their MPS and LUB to allow a leash-free dog space in the park. The Planning Department is also hoping Parks, Recreation and Culture will create a leash-free dog park program to address issues like hours of operation, rules for users and fencing requirements. The public meeting will be held February 8 at 6pm in council chambers.

Fisheries Minister Reacts to "No Show" Comments

Fisheries Minister Sterling Belliveau says he's been monitoring a series of rotating meetings but explains he's never been formally invited to attend any of them.  He made the comments after he was accused of being a "no-show" at a recent meeting in Digby hosted by the Professional Lobster Fishing Association. In an interview with CKBW/HANK FM News, Belliveau says the industry faces some serious challenges and the government is paying attention. He says several working groups are set to begin consultations within industry via the Lobster Council of Canada. "There's four or five working groups that's going to go across Nova Scotia and our neighbouring provinces over the next few weeks. They will have a lot of discussion and consultation with the industry, there a lot of working going on and I think the industry needs to understand this," The council is expected to report its findings sometime in April.

Bridgewater High Principal: Students to blame for Broken Sprinkler Head

The principal of Bridgewater High is disciplining one or more students after an incident at the school Monday afternoon. Chuck McLellan says it has been determined that students are at fault after a broken sprinkler head caused the Bridgewater Fire Department to respond to a fire alarm sounding at the school. McLellan says he is not allowed to say who is involved, the gender or the ages because of the school's confidentiality framework and the protection of privacy act. He also isn't allowed to confirm the nature of the punishment. No damage was done to the school after an unknown amount of water sprayed out of the broken sprinkler head.

Bridgewater Councillor discusses town history

Patrick Hirtle

A Bridgewater town councillor is swapping hats to be a history teacher for a night. Patrick Hirtle will read from and discuss his book "Going Against the Grain, the Rise of Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, 1812-1899." Hirtle says it will give people a chance to learn more about a significant time in the town's history.

"It talks a lot about a really important time in Bridgewater's history. It's a period when the community really rose to prominence in Lunenburg County and really pushed itself into a position to challenge Lunenburg as the unofficial shire town of the county."

Hirtle hopes to see people of all ages attend Thursday night's discussion. The event gets underway at 7pm at the Desbrisay Museum.

SPORTS: Lohnes adds silver to medal collection in Wales

Whitney Lohnes, left, picked up a silver medal Wednesday  in 48kg seniors division at the 2012 Commonwealth Judo Championships in Cardiff, Wales

Bridgewater's Whitney Lohnes now has a silver medal in Cardiff, Wales. Lohnes lost in the 48kg seniors division final Wednesday afternoon to her opponent from England at the 2012 Commonwealth Judo Championships. The silver will be added to her gold she picked up Tuesday after winning the 48kg junior division. Lohnes is now expected to head to Belgium for another tournament this weekend.

VIDEO: Mustangs to get free ice time from Town

Bridgewater town council is awarding the South Shore Canadian Tire Mustangs with a free ice time. The town is drafting an agreement with the Mustangs to give the team a Friday morning practice from 6:30-8 at no cost. Mayor Carroll Publicover says the club is well-deserving of a free ice time. Publicover says the Mustangs have been in Bridgewater for 27 years and could use the break because of the cost to run the team. Council deferred the team's request in October after requesting the club to make a presentation about the organization and its finances.

SPORTS: Lohnes goes for double gold in Wales

Bridgewater's Whitney Lohnes is going for gold again. She reached the final of the 48 kg senior division at the Commonwealth Judo Championships in Cardiff, Wales. It's not known who she will be competing against. Lohnes took home gold last night in the 48kg under-20 division. The final will be held at 2pm local time and to watch her online, go to http://cardiff2012judo.org/live-video/ .

Support Growing for Lobster Fishermen

The Municipality of Shelburne is rallying behind area fishermen and the lobster industry. Council unanimously passed a motion indicating their support for the industry during a meeting on Monday. CAO Kirk Cox says the municipality wants to work with stakeholders to ensure the long term sustainability of the industry. "A lot of work needs to be done to strengthen the domestic and export markets for the industry. There are also some structural questions within the industry, whether there is too much effort or other aspects of the supply chain. We want to take some time to sit down with the industry and see what they would like us to do,"  He says the municipality could also help as an advocate for the industry on behalf of fishermen. Cox says council also supports the newly formed Professional Lobster Fishermen's Association in their bid to strengthen market prices. The PLFA will host their first meeting in Lunenburg County this afternoon in Chester. The meeting begins at the Legion at 1:30PM.

Shelburne: Public Meeting on Council Size Confirmed

The number of council seats in Shelburne will be the subject of a public meeting next month.  The town wants to reduced the number of seats from six to four plus the mayor. Mayor Al Delaney says the town will need to consult with its residents before re-submitting an application to the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board. A declining population and tax base is the main reason behind the application to reduce the size of council. The public meeting will be held at the Shelburne Community Club on February 7th. It begins at 7:00PM.

VIDEO: Skateboard park lease agreement approved

Bridgewater town council has approved a lease agreement for a new skateboard park on site at the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre. The town, along with the Bridgewater Development Association and the Lunenburg County Multipurpose Centre Corporation have all signed off on the lease agreement. Town council voted in favour during Monday night's meeting, with a few members not happy about an addition made to the agreement. A clause now states "after 20 years, the LCMPCC can request the town to dismantle the skateboard park." Mayor Carroll Publicover says the clause doesn't make much sense.

Councillor David Mitchell echoed the mayor's comments, saying he doesn't like the added clause.

"I don't know why you would need that in there, if it's in good condition and being used, why do you need that clause?"

The BDA's Youth Action team is currently fundraising to have the skateboard park built. Construction of the park won't happen until after the LCLC is completed.

Third Joint Services Meeting held in Riverport

Riverport will host the third meeting for three municipal units to discuss potentially sharing services. The meeting offers the public a chance to see the report and ask questions. Council members from Mahone Bay, Bridgewater and the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg are also expected to be in attendance. The meeting gets underway at 7pm Wednesday night at the Riverport Community Centre.

PLFA Gaining Steam and Memberships

The Professional Lobster Fishermen's Association continues its bid to build its membership from the ground up. Approximately 30 fishermen attended a meeting in Chester yesterday afternoon with a majority satisfied with the direction the group is headed. Fisherman Troy Nickerson spoke with CKBW/HANK FM following the meeting. "The big goal is we're looking toward next year, for that next season. We don't want $3.25 next season and its pretty well known that if we don't get our act together that's what is going to happen - we've pretty much been told that by the other side. The old saying "take the land back step-by-step" well, we're taking the sea back step by step," The movement began almost three weeks ago following a meeting in Barrington. Since the PFLA formed on January 4th lobster prices at the wharf have jumped from $3.25 to $5.50 per pound. The association now sports close to 600 members and plan to meet again in Liverpool next week.

SPORTS: Lohnes wins judo gold in Wales

Whitney Lohnes, far left, with teammates after competing in Cardiff, Wales Tuesday

It was a gold medal performance for Whitney Lohnes. The Bridgewater native took 1st place in the 48kg  under-20 division at the Commonwealth Judo Championships is Cardiff, Wales. Lohnes defeated an Australian women in the final. Her father, Tim Lohnes, watched the fight online and says he's proud of his daughter.

"She's on the mat all the time, she loves it, so to see her actually get on the podium at an international event is just excellent."

Lohnes says his daughter has been training hard since moving to Montreal to go to school at Concordia. Next up for Whitney will be the seniors category Wednesday followed up by a tournament in Belgium this weekend.

Cash Stolen from Lahave Bakery

Thieves are believed to have taken some cash from a bakery shop in Mahone Bay. The Lahave Bakery on Edgewater Street was broken into sometime overnight on Sunday. RCMP are investigating the incident and are asking the public for tips. Mounties believe the break in occurred between 6PM on Sunday night and 8:30AM Monday morning.

South Shore Housing Numbers Jump in 2011

Gary Mailman

More homes were sold on the South Shore last year than in 2010. Stats from the Multiple Listing Service show 895 homes were sold in 2011, a 9.5% increase from the previous year. The vice-president of the Nova Scotia Association of Realtors, Gary Mailman, says he's not surprised by the figures. He believes people are changing the way they sell their homes.

"It could have been in 2010, there could have been more private sales gone through where in 2011, there may have been less private sales and those people who used private means in the past or for sale by owner companies may have chosen to use the realtor route."

MLS stats also show 3,020 homes were listed in 2011, compared to 2,871 in 2010; an increase of 5.2%. The average price for a South Shore home in 2011 also jumped by 7.8%, to sit at $174,785. Mailman says he's not sure why the price went up. But, he says the area's waterfront properties could be helping the spike.

"The South Shore does have a number of high-priced waterfront properties and a few of those had sold in 2011 and that would help drive the price upwards as well because it is an average of all the sales on the South Shore."

Mailman says the South Shore stats affect homes from Hubbards to Shelburne.

New Lobster Association to hold meeting in Chester

Lobster fishermen, business officials and the public are invited to a meeting in Chester Wednesday. The newly-formed Professional Lobster Fishermen's Association will be moving its recruiting campaign east from Shelburne, Yarmouth and Digby Counties. The group's goal is to force an increase in prices. South Shore lobster fisherman Kevin Ernst says years of low prices at the wharf have created hardship for many.

"You can't go to sea and catch lobsters for $3.25 or $3.50 a pound, even at $5.00 a pound, we're only breaking even and nobody is making a profit out of that, and I know we all go to work each day in order to make money and support our families and its been a tough go."

Prices have risen from $3.25 a pound earlier this month to about $5.00 now. Wednesday's meeting of the Lobster Fishermen's Association runs between 1:30 and 2:30pm at the Chester Legion Hall.

VIDEO: Parking Meter by-law heads to second reading

Bridgewater town council has pushed their proposed parking meter by-law to second reading. Members voted unanimously in favour of going ahead but not without some clarifications. Councillor Bill McInnis was concerned with enforcement if a parking ticket isn't paid after seven days. There was nothing in the proposed by-law saying residents would face a higher fine if the ticket wasn't paid. Mayor Carroll Publicover says it's a change that needs to be made.

Members also clarified another clause that states 'Parking in excess of time allowed.' Publicover says the rule suggests parking meter users would no longer be able to feed the meters.

"If I put $0.50 an hour in the metre over the course of a day, I'm going to spend less than I would to rent a parking spot somewhere and that's taking up a spot that would be used by shoppers and people that want to do business downtown. I can't imagine it, but I guess there are people that would do that and so that has to be prevented."

Publicover says people who studied the by-law made the recommendation to put the clause in place. Council will proceed with second reading of the proposed by-law at their February 27 council meeting.

Broken Sprinkler Head causes evacuation at Bridgewater High

Students at Bridgewater High had a chance to take in some of Monday afternoon's nice weather. Members of the Bridgewater Fire Department were called in after a fire alarm went off shortly before 2pm. Fire Chief Wayne Thorburne says it was a minor mishap.

"When I got on scene, I found that the sprinkler system was activated. It appears somebody broke a sprinkler head under the stairwell on the front of the building and charged the system...and the building was completely evacuated."

Thorburne says he's not sure how the sprinkler head was broken. He says staff on-hand did a quick job cleaning up the water and Principal Chuck MacLellan says students were back inside the building within 10-15 minutes.

Fauxburg car accident sends one person to hospital

A two vehicle accident in Lunenburg County Monday afternoon has left a pair of people with minor bumps and bruises. The collision occurred around 1488 Northwest Road in Fauxburg, just before 1:20pm. Lieutenant Tony Hunt with the Lunenburg and District Fire Department says one person was taken to South Shore Regional Hospital to get checked out. He says it appears one person wasn't paying attention behind the wheel and rear-ended another vehicle.

Welcome Home gathering planned for Youth Olympian Nickerson

Residents of Cape Sable Island and surrounding areas are preparing to welcome home Youth Olympian bronze medalist Brendan Nickerson Tuesday. Nickerson, who hails from South Side, Cape Sable Island was one of 17 hockey players under the age of 16 chosen to play on Team Canada’s men’s ice hockey team, which competed at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria. The young Canucks defeated the U.S.A. 7-5 Saturday for the bronze medal. Well wishers are planning to line the route through the business district to the Cape Sable Island Causeway with flags and signs to welcome Brendan and his mom Candace home and to show their pride for the hometown boy. All are welcome to attend and show their support Tuesday. A time has yet to be announced. Local hockey players are encouraged to wear their jerseys. Brendan Nickerson was the only athlete from Nova Scotia to compete at the Youth Olympic Games, which attracted more than 1,000 athletes from over 70 nations.

Mahone Bay hosts first Joint Services public meeting

The first of five public meetings around a Joint Services report will be held Monday night. The towns of Bridgewater, Mahone Bay and Municipality of Lunenburg agreed to receive the report January 16, with hopes that the public would provide feedback either online or through the meetings. Mahone Bay CAO Jim Wentzell says the public is urged to give their input.

"The difficulty for council would be is if they don't get a lot of feedback from the public, it makes councils job harder to make decisions on the recommendations."

Wentzell says representatives from Marathon Human Resources Consulting Group Ltd. will make a presentation to council members and the public, then people will have a chance to ask questions. The meeting will be held at the Mahone Bay Fire Hall at 7pm and is open to anyone. Meanwhile, the executive director of the Lunenburg Queens Regional Development Agency welcomes the report. Andrew Button says it's early but he's happy to see the three municipal units working together.

"I mean, the devil is in the details and how they decide to implement some of those recommendations and if they decide to implement them, I mean, at this stage of the game, they've really only accepted the report and are considering those recommendations. But, anytime you can get a group of people and municipal units together working on things, I think it's a positive thing."

He says people need to attend the five public meetings and ask questions to help the local councils make their decisions on the report.

SPORTS: Weekend Wrap

Lumberjacks

Jake Bullen's highlight-reel overtime goal gave the CIBC Wood Gundy Lumberjacks a 5-4 win over Amherst Sunday night in Bridgewater. Bullen's fourth marker of the game gave the Jacks their second straight home win in one of the most entertaining tilts of the season. The Power Dempsey Leefe and Ready 3 stars for the game against Amherst were:


1st star - Jake Bullen
2nd star - Jordan Escott
3rd star - Shawn Boudreau

Mustangs

Shaun McEachern's first period goal held up as the South Shore Canadian Tire Mustangs edged the Cape Breton Tradesmen 1-0 in Major Midget hockey action Sunday in Sydney. Corey Peterson made 31 saves to earn the shutout.


Nickerson earns Bronze at Youth Winter Olympic Games

A Shelburne hockey player has returned to Nova Scotia with a bronze medal from the 2012 Youth Winter Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria. Brendan Nickerson, a defenseman with the South Shore Mustangs, helped Canada beat the U.S. 7-5 in Saturday's third place game. The 15-year old Nickerson was the only Nova Scotian on the Canadian team.


Whalen breaks Nova Scotia record

Chelsea Whalen of Liverpool erased a 10-year-old Nova Scotia senior womens shotput record with a throw of 15.02 meters. She set the mark in Birmingham, Alabama Saturday. Whalen is the first female shot putter in Nova Scotia Track and Field history to break the 15 meter mark. She did this on the same day she was named the 2011 junior female track and field athlete of the year. Whalen who attends Florida State University is currently ranked 1st in Canada and 1st in the ACC Divison with that throw.


Stevens qualifys for Tankard

There will be a South Shore team at next month's Molson Mens Tankard. Chester's Chad Stevens earned the final spot with a 9-4 win over Kyle Schmeisser Sunday night in Dartmouth. Ian Fitzner-Leblanc and Brent MacDougall of Mayflower also advanced over the weekend. They'll join five other rinks at the Provincial Mens Curling championships starting February 8th at the Bridgewater Curling Club.


Bantam Hurricanes

The BMO Western Hurricanes Major Bantam Hockey Club won both their Nova Scotia Major Bantam Hockey League weekend games against the Cole Harbour Storm. With a 5-1 victory Saturday evening in Liverpool and a 4-2 road win on Sunday afternoon, the Hurricanes have increased their first place lead in the Nova Scotia Major Bantam Hockey League. The Hurricanes now lead the league with a record of 23 wins and only 4 loses.

Blast of Winter before Weekend Arrives

A blast of winter made for some tricky driving conditons today for at least a few hours. A couple of single vehicle accidents this afternoon, the first was near Robinson's Corner in the Chester area while emergency responders were called to a minor accident in Whynott's Settlement. Things should be clear for the rest of the night. A few flurries are expected Saturday afternoon.

SPORTS: Mustangs/Valley game postponed

The South Shore Canadian Tire Mustangs won't be heading to Kentville Friday night. The major midget hockey game against the Valley Wildcats has been postponed because of weather conditions. No makeup date has been announced. The Mustangs are expected to hit the road Saturday for back-to-back games against the Cape Breton Tradesman. Games will be played Saturday night and Sunday morning.

SPORTS: Fever Postponed

All Fever Weekend basketball games that were scheduled for Friday night have been cancelled because of the weather. Saturday's schedule will remain the same; however the "seniors presentation" will be made before the Park View/Shelburne game at 4:30.  See remaining schedule below.
 







FRIDAY JANUARY 20th

CANCELLED - Park View J.V. vs Bridgewater

CANCELLED - Park View Senior Night Presentations

CANCELLED -  Park View D1 vs Sir John A. MacDonald


SATURDAY January 21st

10:00am Sir John A. MacDonald vs SHELBURNE

12:00pm Sir John A. J.V. vs Park View J.V.

1:45pm Printer?s Corner 2 Ball Contest

2:30pm Bridgewater vs Sir John A. MacDonald

Park View Senior Night Presentations

4:30pm SHELBURNE vs PARK VIEW D1

Council Size Reduced in Barrington

The next municipal council in Barrington will have a heavier work-load and more constituents to represent. The Nova Scotia Utility and Review board has given the green light on a request from the municipality to reduce the number of seats on its council from seven to five. The URB application deals primarily with the number of polling districts within the municipality.  The number of voters in each of the five new polling districts range from 1,200 to 1,500 residents. The new boundary changes will be in effect when residents head to the polls in October for this fall’s municipal elections.

LaHave River nominated as Great Neighbourhood

LaHave River

The LaHave River has been nominated as a great neighbourhood in Canada. The river which runs through Bridgewater was nominated along with nine other locations across the country. Ken Forrest with the Great Places in Canada contest says winners will be announced at the end of April. He says winners receive a plaque and raise their community profile across Canada.

"What it does, as well, is it creates a lot of awareness for people across the country that the place exists and we've actually found, after the fact, that people were using the website as a way to kind of plan different stops on peoples summer vacations, so, good for tourism, good for community pride."

The LaHave River is the lone Nova Scotia location in the contest so far. Nominations can be made until January 31, with voting taking place until February 29. To nominate, vote or get more information on the contest, visit www.GreatPlacesInCanada.com .