TWO ARRESTED IN SEFFERINSVILLE DRUG RAID

The RCMP have arrested two people in connection with a pot growing operation in Lunenburg County.

The Mounties say they interrupted an outdoor marihuana growing operation when they raided a residence in the Sefferensville area yesterday.

The police seized a quantity of maraihuana during the raid.

The two people arrested in the operation will appear in court at a later date to face numerous charges under the Controlled Drugs and Substance Act.

Age-Friendly Community

The Municipality of Chester is looking at ways to become an "age friendly" community. Warden Alan Webber says Chester is pretty much a retirement community. Council is applying for funding of 5 thousand dollars through the Age-Friendly Communities Grant Program of the Nova Scotia Department of Seniors. The money will be used to assess the age friendliness of the Municipality. Webber says once the assessment identifies barriers or specifics that need to be addressed, the Municipality will be in a better position for future funding opportunities related to senior projects and initiatives.

Grants to Organizations

Over 41 thousand dollars has been approved for grants to organizations by Chester Municipal Council. The amounts range from 100 to 75 hundred dollars. Warden Alan Webber says there's never enough money to fund all the requests every year. He says Council looks at the necessity of the grant request and what the project is. Webber says Council also looks at the amount of money the organization itself is putting into the project . He says they didn't expend all of the money, there's still 33 thousand 500 dollars left in the grants funding. Webber says there's a lot of year left and they know more grant requests will come in.

South Shore in Motion

The South Shore in Motion festival gearing up for this weekend in Bridgewater. Town Council has approved closing a portion of King Street from 6 to 11 p.m. Friday night to accommodate a meet and greet show vehicle display. The street closure takes in the main street between Dominion and Dufferin, and includes the old bridge. Most of the events for the festival are set for the Exhibition grounds between August 6th to the 8th and feature burnouts, truck pulls, celebrity lawn tractor races, a motorcycle poker run and an ATV challenge.

Stockwell Day to Address Chamber

The President of the Treasury Board of Canada will be in town on Friday (Augsut 6th) . Stockwell Day will be the featured guest speaker at a luncheon sponsored by the Bridgewater and Area Chamber of Commerce. Friday's event
is set for at the Days Inn and Convention Centre on North Street in Bridgewater. Tickets are $20.00 for chamber members and $25.00 for non-members. Registration starts at 12:00 and the lunch will start at 12:30. All tickets must be reserved prior to the event. Please email bacc@eastlink.ca or call 902-543-4263 to reserve you seat.

South Shore Exhibtion Seeks More Safety

The South Shore Exhibition is adding new safety features after four people suffered injuries last week.

Organizers will add a new exercise area, in the rear parking lot, for pull horses next year.

South Shore Exhibition Commission Board Member, Christine Sarty, says the "scoot" area will help prevent any further accidents.

She says the board considered adding the pen this year but a lack of government funding hampered their plans.

Sarty says the commission doesn't take accidents lightly and will be discussing more safety measures at next month's board meeting.

Three young girls and a horse handler were injured when a horse became spooked and ran freely through the grounds.

Sarty says this year's fair was a success despite the unfortunate accident.

More than 44 thousand people attended the event, almost twelve hundred more than last year.

FIRE DAMAGES BRIDGEWATER SAVE EASY

Police and officials from the Fire Marshall's office are investigating a fire that took place early Sunday morning at the Bridgewater Shopping Plaza.

They suspect that the fire began after someone set a stack of wooden pallets on fire behind the Save Easy store.

The fire scorched the side of the building and sent flames to the roof before firefighters were able to bring the blaze under control.

There was smoke and water damage to the area of the plaza nearest the fire.

COMPUTER THEFTS FROM PENTZ ELEMENTARY

The RCMP are continuing their investigation into a weekend burglary at a Lunenburg County school.

Thieves made off with a number of items from Pentz Elementary School.

Among other things, they stole a computer laptop and two desktop computers.

Pirates Take Over Town

Pirates will be taking over the Town of Mahone for a three day festival that will be launched this morning. The Mahone Bay Regatta replaces the Classic Boat Festival which attracted approximately 50 thousand tourists last year. The New event will feature dory races, boat displays, historical re-enactments and free family entertainment. A news conference at the Mahone Bay Civic Marina,at 10:30 this morning will officially launch the Regatta.

New Ferry Christened

The new cable ferry on the LaHave River, was officially christened today,(July 29,) as the Brady E. Himmelman to honour a long-time local ferry operator. The $3.5-million ferry can carry 14 full-size cars, two more per trip than its predecessor, the LaHave II. It was designed by E-Y-E Marine Consultants of Dartmouth and built by A.F. Theriault and Son Ltd. of Meteghan River. Mr. Himmelman, who was in charge of the ferry at LaHave from 1948 until 1983, was on hand to witness the christening, which was performed by his wife, Ramona. Premier Darrell Dexter who was also on hand for the ceremony says the projectis one of many that are creating good jobs and growing our economy.

Arrests in West Dublin Fire

A fire last night in Lunenburg County has resulted in charges being laid against three people. RCMP have charged a male and female youth and an adult male with arson, break and enter and theft . The charges are in relation to the blaze that destroyed Risser"s General Store in West Dublin. Firefighters arrived at the scene shortly after 6 last evening and found the building engulfed in flames. RCMP evacuated the area around the fire and blocked-off Highway 331 for a short time as firefighters from several area departments battled the blaze.

RUNAWAY HORSES INJURE 4 AT "BIG EX"

Four people, including three girls between the ages of seven and 13, have been injured by a runaway team of horses at the South Shore Exhibition.
Police were called to the exhibition grounds around 5 p-m.
The horses' handler and two of the girls suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to South Shore Regional.
The third girl was airlifted to Halifax as a precaution and was listed in stable condition last night.

Charges in Car/Pedestrian Accident

A 54 year old man is facing charges resulting from a motor vehicle/pedestrian accident with injuries last Thursday.. The man is charged with " Backing a Vehicle When Unsafe" and will appear in court for plea September 15th. The accident happened at the Apple Berry Farm Market July 22nd around 5:45 pm. A 74 year old man was struck by a vehicle and was taken to South Shore Regional Hospital with
non-life threatening injuries. Police are continuing their investigation.

Church Vandalism

It's becoming all too common...another local church has been damaged by vandals. Lunenburg County RCMP is investigating a complaint of damage to the United Church in First South. The incident happened sometime between noon on July 18 and 9 a.m. July 25th. A knife was thrown at the front of the church multiple times causing damage. This particular church has been targeted by acts of vandalism in the past. RCMP is asking the public for assistance to come forward with any information they may have regarding the incident.

Legion Funding Announced

Royal Canadian Legion branches in the province will benefit from improved infrastructure under a new program announced today.( July 26.) The Legion Capital Assistance Program is a $100,000 provincial funding program. The application-based program will provide funding for repairs to existing legion buildings. Eligible projects include upgrades to wastewater and water systems, bathrooms, kitchens, heating systems and repairs or replacement of windows and roofs. The funding program will provide up to 50 per cent of eligible costs to a maximum of 10-thousand dollars for approved projects. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Minister Ramona Jennex was on hand for the announcement at the Bridgewater Legion Branch 24, on Churchill Street.

Lunenburg Break-Ins

Lunenburg RCMP are investigating three break and enters in the Town over two nights. Nellie's Take Out on Falkland Street was broken into overnight on July 11th. A small amount of produce was taken. Nellie's was again broken into overnight on July 12th, and again the only item taken was a small amount of produce. Later that same day the owners returned home after a night away, and reported their residence on the west end of Pelham Street had been broken into. A person of interest has been interviewed and the RCMP are continuing to investigate the three break-ins.

RDA Gets Immigrant Funding

Lunenburg/Queens Regional Development Agency has received 33 thousand dollars to help immigrants settle and integrate in the region. Funding totalling 306 thousand dollars is being provided to seven regional development authorities through the Office of Immigration. The RDA's will use the funding to provide direct support to immigrants to help them find the programs and services needed in the areas of assessment, orientation and referrals. They will also work with individual communities to help ensure a welcoming environment for immigrants that is inclusive and supportive.

Farmer's Dairy Strike Update

Farmer's Dairy is thanking its customers for their support and patience through-out a strike which was Launched July 10th by union members. While the company acknowledged experiencing a few disruptions in getting some products to its customers on time, Farmers shipped over 94 percent of the products its customers ordered during the first week of the strike. Vice-President of Marketing, Derek Estabrook says The work is being done by trained, qualified, and experienced non-union plant employees in accordance with stringent Canada Food Inspection Agency standards. Estabrook says Farmers Dairy remains committed to reaching a settlement that is fair and reasonable for union members and ensures the company can remain competitive. Farmers Co-operative Dairy Limited has been a part of communities in Nova Scotia for over 80 years. Owned by more than 125 Atlantic Canadian dairy farmers, Farmers is a local co-operative that provides Atlantic Canadians with quality dairy products made locally in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.

Islands Protected

**Photo by Department of Natural Resources**
Two South Shore islands are receiving protection from the Nova Scotia Nature Trust. Great Island and Selig Islands are located in Medway Harbour, halfway between Lunenburg and Shelburne. At 120 hectares, Great Island is the largest island ever protected from development off mainland Nova Scotia. The islands were owned by Bill Zimmerman and Susan Hauer, who sold the smaller island to the trust in 2009. This week, the couple signed a conservation agreement over Great Island.

John Ernest (Jack) Irving Passes Away

John Ernest (Jack) Irving, of Saint John, New Brunswick has died at the age of 78. He passed away today,(July 21st) following a short illness. Born January 1, 1932 he was a son of the late K.C. Irving and Harriet Lila “née MacNarin” Irving.
John E. Irving joined his father's business in 1952 and he worked all his life, along-side his brother Arthur in Irving Oil. In addition, John E. Irving was a Director of all Irving businesses and was responsible for and managed a number of the companies within the varied Irving enterprises.He was a Member of the Order of Canada, a Companion of the Order of The Business Hall of Fame, an inaugural member of the New Brunswick Business Hall of Fame. Irving is survived by his wife Suzanne
Heather Cameron “née Farrer”, three children and six grandchildren. A funeral service will take place Saturday morning (July 24th) at 11:00am, at Trinity Anglican Church. A private family interment will take place at a later date.