Gold River-Western Shore Elementary To Close This Summer

Gold River-Western Shore Elementary School will stay on the chopping block for this summer. The board decided not to accept the education minister's recommendation to delay school closures for a year, instead, choosing to stay the course with all decisions made at its March 27 meeting. Chair Jennifer Naugler says the education minister put the board in a tough spot.



Naugler says the minister's recommendation created a lot of turmoil and stress on communities, and she recognizes it's difficult on them. She says she's glad decisions have been made and the matter has been dealt with. However, the decision didn't sit well with parent Terri Lynn Melvin, who says they will continue to stand tall for the school.



Some Gold River and Western Shore residents have decided to protest to show their support for the community. The protest is planned to be at the board office at 9am Friday morning.

Three Chester Groups Get Federal Funding

Three organizations in the Municipality of Chester have received funding from the local member of parliament. Gerald Keddy has announced roughly $46,000 for the East Chester Recreational Association, the Chester Art Centre and the Helping Hands to Enrich Learning and Lifestyles Programming Society in Fox Point. The recreational association is getting $20,000 to repair its hall floor and joists. The floor has never been replaced since the building was built in the 1800s. President Betty Gagnon says the funding is important for their space.



Work is expected to start by the fall. Meanwhile, the Chester Art Centre received $19,786 to offer mobile art workshops for seniors and the Helping Hands to Enrich Learning and Lifestyles Programming Society got just over $6,120 to offer weekly fitness sessions and monthly speakers for seniors.

Crews On Scene At Yarmouth Fire

Fire crews from Yarmouth and several other departments remain on scene at structure fire in the town. The blaze began earlier this morning at 61 Waverly Street. Firefighters arrived on scene to find smoke coming from the roof. It is owned by W.L. Nelson's Furniture and the owner confirms it is used as a warehouse. Jim Nelson says there is a major loss of appliances, furniture and bedding. No injuries have been reported. The cause of the fire is not known.

Cooke Aquaculture Preparing New Sites In Jordan Bay

Cooke Aquaculture is putting the finishing touches on their new fish farms in Jordan Bay. The New Brunswick based company received approval from the Nova Scotia government to install the fish cages last summer. Cooke has already hired 16 people to oversee the project and will have room for 27 employees at full capacity. The sites should be up and filled with fish by the end of this month. Cooke Aquaculture is also working toward opening a new fish processing site in Shelburne County. The plant would be home to 320 employees at full capacity. They are also building a new salmon hatchery in Digby, and expanding a feed mill in Truro.

Pump Prices Down In New Brunswick

Could be good news for South Shore drivers when they wake up tomorrow. Gas prices in New Brunswick have taken a dive.  The price for regular self-serve is down 5.1 cents per litre to a maximum price of a $1.28 per litre. Diesel is down 6.8 cents to $1.32 per litre. Meanwhile, the price of furnace oil has dropped 3.5 cents per litre.

School Board: Special Meeting Called For Gold River-Western Shore School

The South Shore Regional School Board will reconvene Thursday evening to discuss the future of Gold River-Western Shore Elementary. A board member brought forward a motion Wednesday night to amend the decision to close the school later this year and delay its closure until 2015. SAC co-chair at Gold River-Western Shore, Sarah Swinamer, says their hopeful a decision will be made in their favour.



The common theme among the board was the feeling of uncertainty and confusion around the minister's recommendation to delay school closures for a year. A special board meeting will be held Thursday night at 7pm.