Town of Bridgewater approached to sponsor Martin's Olympic bid

The town of Bridgewater is mulling over a decision to sponsor Jenna Martin's bid to compete at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England.


Council was approached by Martin's financial planner, Kevin Hayward Monday night, about a chance to support the Canadian Champion's chase for the Olympic dream.

Mayor Carroll Publicover says it will take time to make a decision.

"The actual written request and the brochure and all the financial requirements she has between now and the 2012 Olympics, just came across our desk tonight. I think Council wants a chance to fully digest that fully and understand what sort of financial obligation she has between now and the London Olympics before they make a commitment."

Publicover says Council also wants to think about how infrequent there's an Olympian in a community this size.

Council is expected to make a decision at their September 26 meeting.

Free Brake Inspections

South Shore truckers can take advantage of free brake checks this week, during the annual Brake Safety Awareness Week. Nova Scotia's inspection is Tuesday (September 13th) at the Kelly Lake Vehicle Inspection Station on Highway 102, near the Halifax Stanfield International Airport. Vehicle inspectors from all three Maritime provinces will provide free checks for truckers who stop in from 9:30 a-m to 3 p-m. Inspectors will show drivers how to adjust air brakes and check for other brake-related defects. There will not be any enforcement action taken during the event. Its purpose is education and inspection, and to improve highway safety.

Similar events are being held in New Brunswick and P.E.I. For more information on Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance's Brake Safety Week, visit "here"

Official Re-opening of Shelburne Ship Repair

Shelburne Ship Repair is officially re-opening at 11 o'clock Tuesday morning (September 13). Premier Darrell Dexter and Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Sterling Belliveau will join Jim Irving, CEO, Irving Shipbuilding, and Steve Durrell, president, Irving Shipbuilding, to officially open the facility. The province invested nearly 9 million dollars into getting the ship repair yard up and running again. the money was used to modernize the yard's marine railway and wharf, which date from the Second World War. Eighty percent of the loan is forgivable. The Shelburne yard is owned by the province and leased to Irving.


The event will take place at Shelburne Ship Repair, 29 Hero Rd., Shelburne, and will be followed by a reception on site.

Nova Scotia Hosts 10th Annual OPEN FARM DAY

A number of farms along the South Shore from New Germany to Pleasantville are opening their doors to the public, giving everyone the opportunity to experience life on the farm. More than 60 farms across Nova Scotia will be participating in the province's 10th annual OPEN FARM DAY on Sunday September 18th. Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture Communications Officer Wanda Hamilton, says the event provides a platform for our farmers to share their stories and their passion with members of their community. She says OPEN FARM DAY is a real backstage pass to meet your farmer and have a chance to taste local produce, get to know the animals, and really see where our food comes from.

Visit here for a complete list of participating farms and experience OPEN FARM DAY on Sunday September 18th!

Two South Shore men receiving Minister of Veterans Affairs Commendation

Two South Shore residents are being recognized as exceptional citizens.


Richard Halliday of East Clifford and Gerald Sigrist of Bridgewater are receiving the Minister of Veterans Affairs Commendation during a ceremony Tuesday.

They are among 12 Nova Scotians receiving the award from Parliamentary Secretary Eve Adams.

The ceremony will be held at 12:30 Tuesday afternoon in Halifax.

Mustangs post solid record in Early Bird Tournament

The South Shore Canadian Tire Mustangs went 3-1 this weekend at the Early Bird Tournament in Berwick.

The Mustangs open the tournament Friday afternoon by blanking the Cole Harbour Wolf Pack 2-0 with Cole Skinner recording the shutout.

On Friday night, the Mustangs defeated the Cape Breton Tradesmen 4-1 with Corey Peterson collecting the win.

The Mustangs suffered their only loss on Saturday, narrowly losing a close 4-3 battle with the Valley Wildcats. Cole Skinner took the loss in goal.

On Sunday, the Mustangs got back on the winning track with a 6-2 win over the Cape Breton West Islanders. Corey Peterson picked up the win.

The Mustangs open the regular season this Friday night in Berwick against the Valley Wildcats before taking on the Islanders in Bridgewater Saturday night and Sunday morning.

Bulldogs win Eastern Canadian Championship crown

Photo Courtesy of Baseball Canada

The Bridgewater Pee Wee "AAA" Bulldogs are the 2011 Eastern Canadian Baseball champions.

The Bulldogs earned a 7-1 victory over Dieppe, New Brunswick to take home the gold medal.

Bridgewater opened the scoring in the third inning when Keith Geston hit an RBI single and later came around to score for a 2-0 Bulldog lead.

After Dieppe got one run back in the top of the fourth, Bridgewater added three more runs in the bottom of the frame to take a commanding 5-1 lead.

Zach Zinck threw 2 2/3 innings and fanned four batters to earn the win while Aiden O’Brien scored three runs for Bridgewater.

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES TO BE AFFECTED BY SCHOOL BUDGET CUTS

A South Shore woman involved in the education system says students with learning disabilities will be the first to suffer from proposed provincial funding cuts.

Cathy Croft of the South Shore regional school board is a learning facilitator for students with severe learning disabilities.
She says if the province cuts 120 million dollars (over the next three years) to education on the south shore, some students will be excluded from the classroom.
Croft says the inclusive classroom model adopted in Nova Scotia will be dismantled when teacher's assistants and specialized programs are cut.
If the proposed cuts become a reality, the South Shore Regional School Board will try to cope by increasing classroom size, and decreasing in-class support and therapies for students with autism, learning disabilities and other behavioural needs.

FINAL DECISION ON SCHOOL "GRAY ZONES" COMING IN NEW YEAR

The South Shore Regional School Board will wait until the new year to make a final decision on student .. gray zones.

The board is hoping to eliminate areas from which students are attending more than one school.
A number of information sessions took place as school officials sought feedback from parents, students and citizens.
The next regular Board meeting is scheduled for January 26th.

Car Fire on Aberdeen Road

A car fire on Aberdeen road  this afternoon played havoc with traffic.  The call came in around 1:30.  A car was on fire in front of 129 Aberdeen Road in front of the building which houses MP Gerald Keddy's office.  Smoke was seen billowing from under the engine bonnet and the car was fully engulfed in flames.

New Crown Attorney for Bridgewater

Susan Bour is the new senior Crown attorney in Bridgewater. Her appointment was announced  today,
Thursday, December 9th by Director of Public Prosecutions Martin Herschorn . Bour is originally from the United States. She is a 1989 graduate of the University of New Brunswick law school and articled with an Ottawa law firm. Since 1995 she has been in Halifax with the Atlantic regional office of the Public Prosecution Service of Canada conducting federal statute prosecutions in Nova Scotia, primarily under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

New Access Ramp at South Shore Regional Hospital

  
Area residents now have easier access to South Shore Regional Hospital with the installation of a ramp. The 55 thousand dollar project officially opened yesterday, was funded by the Hospital Auxilliary. The ramp will make it easier for people using wheelchairs, pushing strollers or carts or who have difficultly using stairs to access the building. Over the past 10 years, Auxiliary members have raised and contributed over $1.6 million to help improve the care and comfort of patients at South Shore Regional Hospital. The Auxiliary's fundraising efforts include the Daisy, Gift Shop, and ShoreLines Gallery.

Fishermen's Memorial in Dr. Ross ER Report

The Fishermen's Memorial Hospital in Lunenburg is one recommended to be used as a collaborative assessment room for emergency (CARE) centre. Mayor Laurence Mawhinney says  the report on emergency care by Dr. John Ross is a very positive document. He says in a sense, to some extent they may already be doing some of the things in Lunenburg recommended by Dr. Ross. Mawhinney says the report seemed to be very positive about what was going on at Fishermen's Memorial Hospital, but as council they have not sat down and talked about it.

HOLIDAZED

The Bridgewater and Area Performing Arts Society takes to the stage in an off-beat Christmas musical comedy on Wednesday, December 15th. Holidazed is performed as a radio play in front of a live audience, much the way radio's Vinyl Cafe or television's This Hour has 22 Minutes do their shows.  Song titles include "The 12 Pains of Christmas", "Wreck the Malls", and "It's the Most Fattening Time of the Year". The performance takes place at the Best Western Bridgewater Hotel & Convention Centre at 7:30pm.The production is the first annual fund raiser for BAPAS, dedicated to promoting the performing arts in and around Bridgewater.

Slim Town

Liverpool could be the star of an upcoming CBC series.

The town is now in the top three locations selected for the TV show 'Village on a Diet"

The series documents a community over the course of ten weeks as residents work to slim their waistlines and improve their health.

Economic Development Officer for the Region of Queens Municipality, Phaedra Charlton-Huskins says Liverpool fits the criteria well: town residents town may struggle with physical fitness but their sense of community is strong and healthy.

South Shore Schools Brace for Funding Cuts

The South Shore Regional School Board is bracing for provincial budget cuts.


Fiscal planning for next year will account for provincial deductions of three percent.

Board Chair, Elliott Payzant says school officials to need prepare for the severe ramifications of funding reductions.

"If there are additional cuts, then I'm looking to the government or the Department of Education to tell us where to make those cuts because they'd be made in programs that are so worth while that I cant see how a decision could be made without being devastating to the whole system," says Payzant.

Approximately twelve million dollars could be cut from South Shore schools over the next three years.

If the reductions are real, Payzant says student success will be sacrificed for the sake of a deficit.

School Locations Kept Secret

The Department of Transportation is considering three secret locations for Liverpool's new school.

The South shore Regional School Board's "The School Steering Team" made the recommendations this week.

The committee was established to help a new school location, layout and design.
Chairman Elliot Payzant says the team is keeping the three spots secret for now.

"The value of private land if it's being looked as a school all of a sudden escalates tremendously, so that's the reason those kinds of things are not made public until such time the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal has had a chance to look at them because they make the final decisions on those," says Payzant.

The new facility will replace the aging South Queens Junior High.

The design, completion date and cost of the project will be determined during the early phases of planning.

Police Chase

Police were in hot pursuit of one South Shore driver late last night.


The male driver was heading towards Northfield Road when he failed to pull over for an officer.

The driver then ditched and totalled his car at 1311 Pine Grove Road

The grey 2004 Taurus station wagon was allegedly stolen from New Germany .

Police were unable to find the male suspect after fled into the woods.

Christmas Trees Donated

The province is promoting its Christmas tree industry in an annual tradition where three donated trees from the Lunenburg County Christmas Tree Producers Association are given to local  charitable organizations. Lt.-Gov. Mayann Francis donated her tree to the Mission of Seafarers, Premier Darrell Dexter donated his to the Home of the Guardian Angel - Single Parent Centre and John MacDonell, Minister of Natural Resources, donated his tree to Adsum House, a temporary emergency shelter for women and their children.
Natural Resources Minister John MacDonell says Christmas trees are an important part of the festive tradition for many Nova Scotian families. More than 1.5 million trees are exported annually to other provinces, the United States and overseas, providing $30 million to the economy and about 500 full-time and 2,500 seasonal jobs.

Aquaculture Award

A Shelburne area crew is this years recipient of the Platinum Scale Award, the highest honour that Cooke Aquaculture awards to its salmon growers . The Platinum Scale Trophy represents excellence and dedication to both the farm and the environment.   It also takes into account factors such as fish health, fish quality, growth rates, feed conversion efficiency and environmental performance. In Nova Scotia, Cooke operates nine salmon farms, six of which are currently active. The company is working on expansion plans in the province that include additional marine sites, a processing plant and a new fish hatchery.