Shelburne monument damaged by vandals

Photo Courtesy of Lisa Crowell/Facebook

A monument in memory of a former Shelburne student has been damaged by vandals. Shelburne RCMP say they are looking for information after a marble stone monument at Hillcrest Academy Elementary School was smashed. The memorial is for Sara Ann Crowell, who died of injuries from an all-terrain vehicle crash 10 years ago. She passed away the day before her 10th birthday. Police say they believe the damage was done between December 16 and December 30. Anyone with information should contact Shelburne RCMP.

Mustangs improve to 1-1 in Gatineau

The South Shore Canadian Tire Mustangs have a notch in the win column at the Kiwanis hockey tournament in Gatineau. Shaun MacEachern scored once and added two assists as the Mustangs earned a 4-1 win Thursday afternoon over Rockland CIHA of Ontario. Josh Shatford, Brandon Challoner and Morgan Messenger also scored while Corey Peterson stopped 22 shots in the win. MacEachern was named the player of the game for the Mustangs. The major midget club gets back on the ice against the Toronto Titans Friday afternoon. For all tournament action, head to http://www.midgetkiwanis.com/en-ca/ .

BREAKING NEWS: Fatal Collision on Highway 210 - UPDATED

A Chelsea woman has died after a collision involving a vehicle and a snow plow. The crash occurred on Highway 210 near Waterloo around 11:30AM. Mounties say the 29 year-old female driver lost control of the vehicle and slid into the path of the oncoming plow.  A 31 year-old male passenger was transported to South Shore Regional Hospital in Bridgewater with undetermined injuries.  Police say roads were slick at the time of the collision due to heavy snowfall and sub zero temperatures. The woman's name or age has not been released. Numerous accidents have been reported along the South Shore today and Mounties are asking motorists to slow down.

Serious Accident on Highway 210 - UPDATED

Emergencies responders are responding to a serious accident on Highway 210. RCMP, EHS and local fire departments from Newcombville and Bridgewater are on the scene. Mounites have told CKBW/HANK FM News they are closing down a portion of the highway near the Waterloo Road. The conditions at the accident scene aren't known at this time. Some snow flurries and freezing temperatures have made for tricky driving conditions this morning. RCMP are advising motorists to slow down until conditions improve. Vehicles have also been seen off the road along Highway 103 near Mahone Bay. No word on the seriousness of those particular incidents.

Flurries Make Driving Tricky in South Shore

A few flurries and sub zero temperatures have made for slick road conditions today in the South Shore. Motorists are being advised to drive with caution until conditions improve. Police report icy and slick roads. There have been reports of some vehicles in the ditch along Highway 103 around Mahone Bay. No word on the severity of those incidents. Mounties are encouraging motorists to slow down.

Mustangs drop opener in Gatineau

The South Shore Canadian Tire Mustangs dropped their opening game at the Kiwanis Midget tournament in Gatineau, Quebec. The Moncton Flyers scored twice in the 3rd period on route to a 3-1 over the South Shore club. Connor Hirtle scored the lone goal for the Mustangs while Jamie Blair had the only assist. Cole Skinner stopped 21 shots and received player of the game honours in the loss. The Mustangs next game will be against Rockland CIHA of Ontario Thursday afternoon at 12:15 eastern time. Follow all the action online at http://www.midgetkiwanis.com/en-ca/ .

Beer and Food Baron Strikes in Windsor

 A hungry, beer guzzling thief has struck near Windsor. RCMP say someone broke into a home in Walton on New Year's Eve but they weren't looking for expensive flat screens, laptops or Ipad's. The thieves were just looking to raid the fridge. Police say all that was stolen was some food and beer while everything else in the home was left untouched. RCMP are looking for information on the crime but its doubtful the goods can be recovered.

Bridgewater Deputy Mayor reaffirms desire to be next Mayor

Deputy Mayor David Walker

A long-time Bridgewater council member is reiterating his desire to be the town's next mayor. Municipal elections are still 10 months away, but David Walker has once again stated his intent to run for the position. He says the timing is right.

"After 20 years and the last seven basically as the Deputy Mayor, if there was a time to offer for mayor, it is now. I think all the cards are lined up and it's the appropriate time to make a decision and I say yeah, I would love the opportunity to serve as the mayor."

Walker has served under three mayors; Tom Bird, Ernie Bolivar and Carroll Publicover. He says the three men have helped prepare him to lead the town.

"All three brought a passion and a love for the community and a desire to improve the community. I've learned from each of them, different things but that's one thing that they all have passed on, to whomever the next mayor is."

Walker says he began thinking about the mayoral decision after current mayor Carroll Publicover announced this would be his final term. He says it's still early but if his health remains the same, he intends to run for mayor of Bridgewater in October's municipal elections.

Liberal Health Critic blasts Dexter Gov't over ER closures

Liberal health critic and MLA for Kings-West is blasting the Dexter government after about a dozen Emergency Rooms in Nova Scotia were hit with closures over the Christmas-New Years period. The closures were a result of too few staff and Leo Glavine says its a disgrace. "We have physician and ER specialists from Nova Scotia that go to Ontario for two 24-hour shifts and we can't keep our own emergency rooms open? There is something dreadfully wrong with that picture," He wants the government to throw in the towel, admit its mistakes and target ways of improving the system. Glavine suggests a provincial database be established to match available doctors with the needs of ERs with vacancies. Glavine calls it a province wide crisis in the rural ER's. He says its only a matter of time before there's a fatality resulting from a patient not getting proper care.

Not for Sale: CIBC Wood Gundy Lumberjacks

The owner of the CIBC Wood Gundy Lumberjacks has shot down rumours the junior club might be up for sale. In an exclusive interview, Ken Petrie told our newsroom he doesn't have any plans to put the Jacks on the market now or in the future. The club is struggling this season and sit in the basement of the Bent Division, but Petrie says the club is young and heading in the right direction. "We've gone through the tough times. We're very much looking forward to moving into a new facility (Lunenburg County Lifestyle Center) building a team this year that will be very competitive in the years ahead...so no...absolutely not...our hockey team is not for sale," Attendance for home games has been somewhat inconsistent this season and Petrie is hoping fans will continue to support the team for the remainder of the season. The Lumberjacks will hit the ice at the new Queen's Emera Place facility next month. Petrie says the club looks forward to playing in Liverpool and introducing the team to some new fans.

New Canadian Forces action figures in Bridgewater

Photo Courtesy of Heroes Force

It's hard to believe the idea hasn't been thought of yet. But, a Truro man is one of three people behind new action figures dawning Canadian military colours. Graphic Artist John Alan Sperry designed the figures in Air Force, Army and Navy clothing. He says it was important to make figures depicting Canada's military.

"It's almost recognition for their efforts. You know, it's just a small action figure but people are actually attaching themselves and seeing this as some significance and some appreciation and notice of people's effort of their family members."

Canadian military member Shannon Thibodeau of Meteghan started the project. Sperry says 6,000 action figures were made and they've been a hit so far across the country.

"We're getting emails all across Canada already, I guess people are just jumping on this thing and really appreciating it and I think that's part of it. There's a Canadian flag actually on the left arm of the figure and I think there's a lot of pride involved."

Sperry says they've sold about half of the action figures so far, with one dollar going to the Soldier on Fund for military personnel and families of injured members. The action figures sell for around $10 and can be found locally at Miller Optical in the Eastside Plaza, Bridgewater.

Bearcats down Lumberjacks

Another game against Truro, another loss for the CIBC Wood Gundy Lumberjacks. The Bearcats scored twice in the first and added two in the third in a 5-2 win. Head Coach Terry Rhindress says a sluggish first period hurt his club.

"After we got the first period in, I thought we competed hard, stayed strong, made it 3-2 late in the game, made a couple mistakes and you know, it ended up 5-2 but overall, I thought after the first period we played hard."

Brennan Saulnier and Nick Guthro scored for the Jacks while Billy Clarke stopped 36 shots in the loss. Truro has won all five of its games against the Jacks this season, outscoring them 36-9. The Lumberjacks will try and halt their six-game losing streak Friday night when they host the Woodstock Slammers.

B & E in Western Shore

It wasn't the best end to the year for a home owner in Western Shore. A home in the area was targeted in a break and enter that ocurred on Friday morning just before the New Year's long weekend. Mounties say various electronics, some musical instraments and a quantity of coins were stolen. Police are hoping someone comes forward with some tips to help with the investigation.

White Point unveils Construction Webcam

White Point Construction Camera at 12:51pm January 3, 2012

A tourist hot spot in Liverpool is giving you a chance to watch them rebuild their historic main lodge. White Point has unveiled a construction webcam that was requested by the public after a devastating fire November 12. The marketing and product development manager at White Point, Donna Hatt, says they didn't anticipate the webcam being available so quickly.

"We were nervous in going live at first with the construction camera purely because people had been grieving the loss of the main lodge and the memories and so many of the pieces and artifacts that were inside, and to show the site completely cleared was quite an emotional time for many people."

Hatt says the webcam will provide a day-to-day view of the construction process over the next 10 months.
The webcam went live December 31. You can visit the construction webcam at www.novascotiawebcams.com/south-shore/white-point-construction.html .

New Year's Baby: Healthy Girl Born in Bridgewater

A Bridgewater couple is ringing in the New Year with a little bundle of joy. Melissa and Steve Bishop are the proud parents of the South Shore's first new born of 2012. Lucy Maria Bishop was born at 9:09AM on New Year's Day at the South Shore Regional Hospital in Bridgewater. Lucy weighed-in at six pounds, twelve ounces. Her father, Steve, says they have a very healthy little girl and adds mom is doing just fine and resting at home.

Dexter: On Track to Eliminate Deficit

Nova Scotia is on track for better economic times within a year or two. That prediction from premier Darrell Dexter as he talked about the economy during a year-end interview with CKBW/Hank FM News. The premier says his government will work this year to make the province more economically competitive despite dismal uncertainty elsewhere. "Every economic forecast says that we are on track to lead Atlantic Canada and likely to lead some parts of the rest of the country in terms of economic growth and that will be the first time that's happened in 20 years," The premier says any help for the middle class will have to wait until the province balances its books on a projected 365 million dollar deficit. The premier tells us the government is still on track for 2014.

McNeil: Premier Should Check Facts

Liberal leader Stephen McNeil disagrees with the premier's "better times are ahead" forecast. In his year-end interview with CKBW/HANK FM, McNeil says Darrell Dexter should check the facts. "We have some of the highest taxes in the country, high power rates and the list goes on - it's going to make it more difficult to maintain employment and we're haring that in practically ever community we go through in Nova Scotia. I mean we lost 6,600 jobs last year and the trend looks like it's going to continue," McNeil reiterates his call for reducing taxes and power costs to make the province more competitive.

Ballie: Focus on Health Care/Education

A way has to be found to heal the ailing health care system, according to Conservative leader Jamie Baillie. In a CKBW/Hank FM News interview, Baillie says one task that should be undertaken in this new year is to look at cutting ballooning bureaucratic budgets and putting that money into better things."Do we really need in a province of 900,000 a health system that has ten district health authorities, ten CEO's, 72 vice presidents, 152 executives directors and so on...maybe there is a better way to manage health care to get some of that cost out of the bureaucracy and reinvest in front line care and even reduce our deficit," On another issue of 2011, Baillie says firing the entire South Shore Regional School Board was a drastic measure taken by the education minister to solve what appears to have been a chronic problem. He says it should have been left up to the electorate to decide when the next municipal election rolled around.

Ramey Talks First Contract Legislation and Michelin Bill

The NDP MLA for Lunenburg West is setting the record straight on his decision to support first contract legislation in Nova Scotia. Both the Tories and Grits opposed the labour bill and hyped up the legislation as a bad move that would hurt future investment in the province. However, Gary Ramey says he believes it's a case where Nova Scotians were mainly misinformed or didn't even read the legislation. "First of all, I got very few calls, four or five emails and two or three letters on the issue. On a daily basis I probably get fifteen to twenty calls about roads, ditches, bushes - that sort of thing and I got a number of calls from people who supported it," Ramey says another reason behind his government's decision to bring forward the bill is to ensure Nova Scotia's $25 billion dollar Shipbuilding Contract goes smoothly. "What we didn't want to happen is if there ever were a glitch along the way we didn't want to be in the position where we were introducing this legislation when there was already a problem. It's still not any easier to get a union started, you still have to have a union vote and go through the entire process," Ramey says first contract legislation won't impact the status of non-unionized companies such as Michelin because of Nova Scotia's long standing law referred to as the "Michelin Bill".

On Tap: Bridgewater's LCLC Project and Amalgamation

A majority of Bridgewater councillors say the loss of the Fairview Inn was the town's biggest story in 2011. However, some members have a different opinion. Mayor Carroll Publicover believes the biggest story was the beginning of a 10-year study of potential joint services and amalgamation between Mahone Bay, Bridgewater and the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg. He says the study could impose some change in Lunenburg County. "I think its long overdue that we in an objective manner and a subjective manner look at the benefits of doing business together and possibly being one-government down the road," Meanwhile, Deputy Mayor David Walker feels the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre was a big achievement for 2011. "Bringing that to fruition, bringing us closer with the municipality in partnering in that and delivering something that the community identified as a real need is one of the highlights for me, I've been around here long enough to know that we have a lot of studies about a multi-purpose so that's a big one for me," Construction of the LCLC is expected to begin in March.