Support for Yarmouth-Maine Ferry Growing in South Shore

The Town of Lunenburg will explore making a one-time contribution to help support efforts to re-establish the Yarmouth to Maine ferry. A campaign is underway to have the service restored but organizers say it will require government funding for the first couple of years. Mayor Laurence Mawhinney says council received a funding request from an advocacy group in Yarmouth hoping to build momentum to restore the ferry service. "They've come forward and said 'can we count on you' and 'can we also ask for your support' and I think it's a reasonable request because I do think Nova Scotia's attractiveness has been diminished without the ferry service," Mawhinney says it's no secret tourism operators across the South Shore took a hit when the ferry ceased operation more than three years ago. He says if municipal units rally behind the ferry it might encourage the province to get involved.

Mawhinney: Seeks Another Term in Lunenburg

A long time political figure in the South Shore says his health is good and he will seek another term in office. Laurence Mawhinney has held the mayoral seat in the Town of Lunenburg for more than three decades. He was first elected in 1976 and has been a member of council for 36 years. Even after another lengthy council meeting last night, Mawhinney says he still find the job both interesting and challenging. "We've got a number of challenging issues before us as a community, not the least of which is what happens with the future of Lunenburg Academy, how do we continue the restoration of the waterfront and how do we continue to build this UNESCO site - there are things that are still not yet complete," Mawhinney says his spirit is strong and adds there are many projects he'd like to see through before retiring. Municipal and school board elections will be held province wide this October.

Search "Scaled Back" For Missing Men Off Cape Sable Island

The search for three men missing from a yacht disabled off Cape Sable Island has been turned over to the R-C-M-P as a missing persons case.  Officials at the rescue centre in Halifax decided late last night to withdraw a Hercules aircraft and two Cormorant helicopters from an area about 150 kilometres south of the Island.  The missing men were not wearing survival suits when they went into the frigid waters early yesterday. Ottawa says the tragedy may be a failed attempt at human smuggling.  Public Safety Minister Vic Toews (TAVES) says some of the five men rescued are claiming refugee status -- and are said to be from Russia, Ukraine and Georgia.

Bridgewater council unsure about Healthy Eating Policy

It's an initiative to make healthy foods more available in recreation and municipal settings across the South Shore. A partnership featuring a number of groups including Lunenburg Queens Recreation, Public Health Services and Health and Wellness are trying to implement a healthy eating policy to have more nutritious foods at arenas or municipally-organized special events. The group was looking to target such local festivals in Bridgewater including the Canada Day and Christmas on the LaHave events. Mayor Carroll Publicover says council isn't quite convinced about the idea. He says they want to consult with committee members from the two local festivals, exchange thoughts and discuss the policy at their next meeting. The Municipality of Chester has approved the policy while the District of Lunenburg is discussing it further.

Business as usual for Bridgewater Zellers

Its business as usual for the time being at Bridgewater Zellers. The local store is one of about 60 in Canada that has not been purchased by Target. External communications manager for Hudson Bay company, Tiffany Bourre, says they are reviewing there options and hope to have a strategy in place later this spring. Bourre could not confirm what would happen to the store once the strategy is determined but can confirm workers have not received notices saying the store is closing because they don't have a closure date. Roughly 40 full and part-time employees work at the local retail store.

Josephson, Team NS lead at Canadian Masters

Team Nova Scotia keeps rolling at the Canadian Masters curling championship in Quebec. The Dartmouth club featuring Bridgewater's Glenn Josephson notched two more wins Tuesday to improve their record to 3-0. The team beat New Brunswick 5-4 and British Columbia 9-3 to move into first place in the competition. The Nova Scotia squad will play Manitoba and Yukon Wednesday.

Hockey game raises over $2,000 for echo system

Another successful fundraiser for the Health Services Foundation of the South Shore. The Health Care Hustlers narrowly beat the Park View Lady Panthers 21-20 in a shootout to win the 3rd annual Head to Head for Health hockey game last Friday night. Bernadette Jordan says this year's event raised roughly $2,100 to go towards the Health Foundations campaign for a new Echo system. She says they are still in need of about $40,000 to reach their goal for the new Echo. Jordan adds, they don't anticipate any changes for next year, but its still early.