2009-04-28 08:53:56
The South Shore Labour Council will hold a candlelight vigil this evening at the Kinsmen Hall, 1153 King Street to mark the 25th anniversary of the Day of Mourning. A ceremony is being held at Province House to remember, pay tribute to and mourn for the 29 Nova Scotian workers who lost their lives in 2008, the highest number since the Westray disaster.
Tonight's vigil in Bridgewater gets underway at 7 o'clock.
2009-04-28 08:51:53
Bridgewater Town Council has decided not to back an antique auto show projected to draw 10,000 visitors creating a projected economic spinoff of more than $600,000. The Great Atlantic Antique Automotive Show requested $3,000 from Town Council to help market the two day show July 17th to the 19th at the MARC in Dayspring. Mayor Carroll Publicover says Council voted 4 to 3 against referring the request to budget deliberations, partly because they needed an immediate answer, and the request came in late. The group is also approaching the councils of Mahone Bay and town of Lunenburg for support, and has already received considerable support from the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg.
2009-04-28 08:49:30
Queens RCMP are investigating a suspicious fire in Harmony Mills. The fire in the early evening hours of Friday, April 24th, was in a salvage yard behind a ballfield. The North Queens Volunteer Fire Fighters responded to the call and extinguished the fire which consisted of mostly crushed and junked vehicles. The location of the fire posed a significant hazard for the firefighters while attending and putting out the blaze.
On another matter, the Mounties are investigating damage to a vehicle on the Molega Lake Road in Labelle. The owner of a truck reported that the wiring harness on the vehicle was pulled off the engine and left at the scene sometime between April 22nd and the 24th. Anyone having information on either incident is asked to contact the Queens RCMP Detachment. (354-5721)
2009-04-28 05:52:19
South Shore Health is monitoring the Swine Flu situation very closely and is in regular contact with the Departments of Health Protection and Promotion and the Department of Health as well as provincial counterparts.Communications Director Theresa Hawkesworth says locally they are following all recommended guidelines and protocols and are working with Health Promotion and Protection to enhance existing surveillance for respiratory illness in Nova Scotia. They are also working to ensure that heath care professionals get the information they need to identify and manage suspected cases. Hawkesworth says they have had a number of calls from the public with questions and concerns. She says if you've been to Mexico recently and have severe flu-like symptoms, you should isolate yourself and contact your family doctors or other health care professional. Make sure you mention your travel history. People with general questions or concerns should contact Public Health in Bridgewater
2009-04-28 05:50:03
Jo-Ann Grant will be carrying the Liberal banner into the next provincial election in the riding of Chester-St. Margaret's. Described as a women's advocate and community volunteer, Grant won the contested nomination at a meeting on Friday night at the East Chester Recreation Center. Grant is a professional sales manager with a background in small business. She beat Lea Russell for the chance to run for the Liberals against Cabinet Minister Judy Streatch. Grant is a member of the Canadian Women's Foundation and its Women Moving Women program. She is also a member of the Village of Chester Tourism and Development Association and previously sat on the board of the Queens County VON. Liberal leader Stephen McNeil spoke at the nomination meeting.
2009-04-27 06:15:51
The Department of Health Promotion and Protection, working with the Public Health Agency of Canada, has identified four cases of swine influenza in Windsor, Hants County. Dr. Robert Strang, chief public health officer for the province, says there is no reason for the Windsor community or Nova Scotians to be overly concerned. He says the individuals affected have all experienced mild symptoms and are recovering. No one, at this point, has been hospitalized because of this illness. Dr. Strang says the province remains vigilant and is continuing surveillance across the province. Pat Dunn, Minister of Health Promotion and Protection, says he has the utmost confidence in the ability of Nova Scotia's strong public health system and its highly skilled and caring professional staff. Anyone planning to travel to Mexico is advised to get a flu shot. Prevention continues to be the best approach to prevent illness. Nova Scotians are advised to wash their hands thoroughly and often, cough into their sleeves and stay away from the public if they are sick.
2009-04-27 06:13:14
Police have identified Terry Lee Zwicker as the drowning victim of a canoe accident on a river in Queens county. RCMP Const. Allan Nickerson says the 46 year old's floating body was found after a search of the Mersey River, near Dam No. 2. Zwicker, from Queens county, was declared deceased after being taken to Queens General Hospital on Friday evening. Police say the other man in the boat managed to swim to shore and was unharmed. RCMP say the men had been fishing and were not wearing life-jackets, although two were found in the canoe. Emergency Health Services received the call at 12:38 p.m. Friday that two men were in the water and sent two ambulances.
2009-04-27 06:11:08
The province has announced 100,000 dollars in funding to the Nova Scotia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Minister of Agriculture Mark Parent, says the funding will support the S-P-C-A's work implementing the new Animal Protection Act, which will be proclaimed in the coming months. The new act shifts responsibility for farm animals from the SPCA to the Department of Agriculture. It will allow the SPCA to focus on the protection of non-farm animals. The funding will allow the SPCA to focus on improving investigations by providing operational funding and additional training.
2009-04-24 14:03:20
Country music is coming back to the airwaves in Bridgewater. CKBW has received approval from the CRTC to operate a second radio station. Jim MacMullin, Vice-President of Acadia Broadcasting says the company is extremely pleased and excited about the successful application for a new country music station for the south shore approved today. MacMullin says "in addition to the country music, Acadia's community involvement and local news coverage will only continue to get better because we'll be adding staff to the new station which we truly hope to have on the air by early 2010 at the latest."
2009-04-24 09:42:24
Two literacy programs in Shelburne county are getting a boost from the RCMP Foundation. More than $570 is being given to the WOW Reading Challenge taking place in area elementary schools and for the Boys Night Out program at the Barrington Municipal Library. Both programs are a partnership between regional library branches in Barrington and Clark's Harbour and the Barrington Detachment of the RCMP. Detachment Commander Sergeant Bob Forbes believes strongly in the RCMP's active partnership with Western Counties Regional Library in the two youth literacy programs. He says youth who get involved with these programs are less likely to run afoul of the law, are more likely to have a positive relationship with the police and may even be drawn to the RCMP as a career. The RCMP Foundation was created in 1994 to support community initiatives in which local RCMP members are involved.
2009-04-24 06:12:50
Starting this September, the beginning of the new school year there will be a change in bus routes and bell times for the Chester area family of schools. Board Chair Elliott Payzant says by and large the proposed changes which have been in the works for years are widely supported . Recommendations included changing daily beginning and ending bell times from 9:25 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 8:45 a.m. and 2:40 p.m. Bus runs in the morning and afternoon would also be reduced for a total of 8 fewer runs Bus routes were also designed to be the most direct routes possible to reduce travel time for the students in the extremities of the Municipality.
2009-04-24 06:11:22
The Nova Scotia Nature Trust is announcing the permanent protection of a very special piece of southwest Nova Scotia. The 62 acre conservation lands on Cameron Lake, Queens County, provide habitat for 2 nationally endangered species—Redroot and the Eastern Ribbonsnake. The only surviving habitat in Canada for the Redroot plant is found on a few lakes in southwest Nova Scotia. Most of these lakeshores face intensive cottage development. Nature Trust incoming president, Nil d’Entremont, commented, “The Nature Trust is delighted with this important conservation achievement, and the irreplaceable contribution it makes to protecting Canada’s biodiversity.” The land acquisition was supported with funding from Nova Scotia’s Crown Share Land Legacy Trust Fund, Environment Canada’s Habitat Stewardship Program, Aveda and many other community supporters and Nature Trust members.
2009-04-23 11:13:55
It's a chance to hear more about what could be the budget that launches us into the next Provincial Election. Finance Minister Jamie Muir will deliver the third in a series of pre-budget addresses across the province tomorrow on the south shore. Muir will be speaking to the Bridgewater and Area Chamber of Commerce tomorrow morning as part of a breakfast meeting. The event is being held at the Days Inn on North Street. Opposition parties have been critical of the MacDonald government's piecemeal release of financial details over the past month. They want to see the budget document introduced and debated in the Legislature, not in the public through the media. Either the Liberals or New Democrats will have to support the budget to keep the minority government from falling to a non-confidence vote.
2009-04-23 09:54:23
It was a police dog that finally netted an alleged drunk driver who smashed into three cars and a building in Bridgewater. Police say they got a call about a hit and run around nine last night. A vehicle was struck on LaHave street. They say a grey-coloured Cavalier that was involved drove off when an off-duty RCMP officer approached. The constable followed in his personal vehicle. Police say the Cavalier was involved in another accident, hitting a Honda Accord on Aberdeen Road. The car kept on going, heading south on Hirtle Drive and eventually hitting a house on Hollingsworth Drive and damaging a parked car in the lot of Eastside Manor Rest Home. The Cavalier went off the road on Stretch Drive and the driver jumped out and ran off. A police services dog was brought in and tracked the suspect to his home where he was arrested. He had to be taken to South Shore Regional Hospital for treatment of minor injuries police say were not the result of his arrest. The man is facing charges of drunk driving, leaving the scene of an accident, damage to property and dangerous operation of a vehicle. He has a court date set for June 24th in Bridgewater. And Bridgewater police are asking to hear from anyone who witnessed any part of the string of events that happened last night.
2009-04-23 06:16:20
Two Chester brothers caught in a drug bust by the South Shore Integrated Street Crime Unit have been sentenced in Bridgewater Provincial Court. The search of a Commons Road residence last October netted almost 15 pounds of processed marijuana. Forty-one year old Paul Onald Graves pleaded guilty to charges of producing marijuana and processing marijuana for the purpose of trafficking. He was placed on a 12 month conditional sentence, the first 6 months to be served on house arrest. That will be followed by a year on probation. Graves was also ordered to undergo substance abuse counseling, submit a DNA sample, is prohibited from having firearms for 10 years and is restricted to having only one person in his residence at any given time except for family members. His younger brother, 33 year old David Scott Graves pleaded guilty to an included offence of simple possession while the Crown withdrew a charge of production. Police seized 6,878 grams of marijuana during the search last October 15th.
2009-04-23 06:14:52
It was listed as a top priority on the capital projects list by the South Shore Regional School Board, but the province nixed a new school to replace the South Queens Junior High. Board Chair Elliott Payzant says members are quite disappointed in the province's allocation of funding for school projects. The Board approved a motion to request a meeting with Education Minister Judy Streatch to express their disappointment and concerns and determine the future direction.
2009-04-23 06:13:57
Students from African Canadian Studies at Bridgewater Junior Senior/High School are hosting a freedom quilt art exhibition today (April 22th) as part of provincial Education Week. The class will display paper replicas of freedom quilts they designed with help from local artist Rebecca Fisk. Fisk says the students are discovering their artistic potential. She says they're mixing textures and colours and coming up with beautiful designs. Bridgewater Junior/Senior High received an ArtSmarts grant, through the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and funded by the Office of African Nova Scotian Affairs.
2009-04-22 06:45:58
South Shore schools are faring well in a report that grades educational facilities and academic achievement in the Maritimes. The AIMS report card was released yesterday and the high school in Barrington Passage was third overall on the list for Nova Scotia Schools. The think-tank gave a grade of A-minus for Barrington Municipal High School.
Coming in 24th with a B-minus is Park View Education Centre in Bridgewater. And with the same grade are number 26 Shelburne Regional High School and number 27 Bridgewater Junior-Senior High. Liverpool Regional High School ranked 46th and Forest Heights Community School was 50th, both with a c-plus grade. Eighteen other schools are unranked on this year's list. AIMS says the fundamental belief that schools could get better, over time, that led to the launch of the first AIMS Annual Report Card on Atlantic Canadian High Schools in 2003. Visit http://www.aims.ca for the complete report.
2009-04-22 06:11:33
Fishery officers from Liverpool have charged a Lunenburg county fisherman for an incident last Friday. The man is from Dublin Shore. He was arrested for possession female crabs while fishing for lobster. A court date is set for June 10th in Bridgewater.
2009-04-22 06:10:02
The Region of Queen's isn't buying into the Buy Back Nova Scotia coalitions' concern over the Irving's private sale of 170 thousand acres. The lands are located in Annapolis, Digby and Yarmouth counties. Mayor John Leefe says the paranoia associated with possible foreign ownership is unfounded. He calls it a typically Canadian condition. And Mayor Leefe says what better way to extract a high price than to create a public demand for the government to belly up to the bar and buy the lands. Leefe says it was only around 15 years ago that the Irvings purchased most of the land now for sale, from Bowater/Mersey for 34 million dollars.
