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.