Curling: Arsenault Rink Advance To Scotties

Mary Anne Arsenault has claimed the Provincial Womens Curling championship. In this afternoon's title game in Halifax, the Mayflower rink edged Jocelyn Nix of Glooscap 6-4. The Arsenault foursome, which includes Colleen Jones and Kim Kelly earn a trip to the Canadian Scotties in Kingston, Ontario next month.

Titans Edge Mustangs In Major Midget Action

In Nova Scotia Major Midget Hockey League action in Bridgewater the Halifax Titans edged the South Shore Mustangs 2-1. The game raised $700 for the family of Ryan Shay, a former Mustangs player who was seriously injured in a car accident earlier this month. Captain Riley Strowbridge scored the lone goal for the South Shore while Cole Skinner turned aside 48 shots in the loss. The Stangs play this morning at 11:30 in Cole Harbour.

Curling: Nix Versus Arsenault In Provincial Title Match

There will be a new Provincial women's curling champion this year. Last night Jocelyn Nix of Glooscap topped defending champ Heather Smith-Dacey 6-3 in the Scotties semi final. Nix will face Mayflower's Mary Anne Arsenault in the title game today at 2 o'cock at the Halifax Curling Club. The winner will represent Nova Scotia at the Canadian Scotties in Kingston, Ontario next month. 

QMJHL: Remparts Drop Mooseheads Before Sellout Crowd

A sellout crowd at the Metro Cente last night watched the Quebec Remparts double the Halifax Mooseheads 4-2. The Moose lost for only the fifth time this season despite out shooting their opponents 38-23.

Superintendant: Communication Key During Lock Downs

The superintendant for the South Shore Regional School Board says she's pleased overall with how they dealt with a pair of lock downs last week in Bridgewater. Members of the board met with town police recently for their first debriefing session. Nancy Pynch-Worthylake says there are things they need to improve including communication. She says a lot of rumours evolved around social media that could have been avoided.



Further meetings between the school board, police and media are expected in the near future.

Source For Sports Leaving King Street After 30 Years

It's been a mainstay on King Street in Bridgewater since 1983. But now, the general manager of Cleves Source for Sports feels it's time to move on to bigger and better things. Mike Zinck says they've outgrown their current location and are hoping to move into the Old Bridge Automotive building. He thinks it's an ideal move.



Zinck says they've been looking to move for about a year and are confident the new location will serve customers better. He's hopeful they will open on Old Bridge Street by the summer.

Curling: Arsenault & Nix Share Lead At Provincials

The playoffs are set at the Provincial Womens Curling championships in Halifax. Mayflower's Mary-Anne Arsenault and Glooscap's Jocelyn Nix finished round robin action with 6-1 records. Arsenault was awarded first place because of her round robin win over Nix. Tonight's sudden death semi final pits Nix against defending champ Heather Smith-Dacey of Mayflower. The winner will battle Arsenault in tomorrow's final at the Halifax Curling Club. A trip to the Canadian Scotties in Kingston, Ontario is on the line.

Curling: Log Jam Atop Leaderboard In Halifax

There's a three-way tie for the lead at the Provincial Women's Curling championships in Halifax. Defending champ Heather Smith-Dacey of Mayflower, along with clubmate Mary Anne Arsenault, and Glooscap's Jocelyn Nix are all 5-1 after three days of action. Semi final action kicks off tonight. The championship game goes tomorrow at 2 o'clock at CFB Halifax.

QMJHL: Mooseheads Roll On At Metro Centre

In Q League play at the Metro Centre the Halifax Mooseheads rolled over Sherbrooke 7-2. Stefan Fournier had a goal and two assists for the Moose who host Quebec this evening.

MHL: Bearcats Double Lumberjacks

In MHL action last night in Bridgewater the Truro Bearcats doubled the CIBC Wood Gundy Lumberjacks 4-2. Robert Fraser and Shawn Boudreau scored for the Jacks who have now lost five straight. The Bridgewater club's next game is Friday night when they welcome Miramichi.

Liverpool's Whalen Competes In Arkansas

A Liverpool athlete is in Arkansas this weekend for her second NCAA competition this season. Chelsea Whalen is up against some of last summer's Olympic participants tonight at the Razorback Invitational. The 20-year-old is coming off a second place performance and setting a new provincial senior women's indoor shotput record. Whalen hopes to keep the early momentum going.



Whalen says she's focusing on her technique this weekend after training with her coach. The shotput event is slated to start around 6pm tonight in Arkansas.

Challenges Ahead For Any Operator Of New Yarmouth Ferry Service

Two companies have submitted proposals to set up and run a ferry service between Yarmouth and Maine. When the call for proposals closed yesterday, the province says proposals had been received from "Quest Navigation Incorporated" and "Maritime Applied Physics Corporation".  Yarmouth MLA Zach Churchill says he's concerned about the lack of information on the two companies. However, he says no matter who starts up the service again, they're going to be dealing with some big challenges. Churchill says: "the NDP government cut the subsidy three years ago, cut the service. They cut our ties to that market in New England and now we are really building from scratch which is totally too bad. However, we are where we are so we just have to move forward." The proposals will be evaluated with a decision expected by the end of February. The province has promised to provide up to $21 million over seven years to help kick-start the ferry service that ended in 2009.

NS Firms Ready To Tap Into Shipbuilding Contract

Premier Darrell Dexter says Nova Scotia firms are well positioned to take advantage of a $25 billion opportunity under the federal government’s National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy. The province commissioned Duke University's Center for Globalization to compile a study detailing how home-grown companies could become suppliers to the shipbuilding program. More than 100 Nova Scotia firms were named in the study including Allendale Electronics in Lockeport and the Lunenburg Industrial Foundry. However, Dexter says the report focuses more on opportunities for local companies rather than guaranteeing work.



The report cost $135,000 to compile but Dexter says it's a relatively small amount when you look at the overall amount of the shipbuilding contract. He says ship designs could be announced by Ottawa in the near future with work tentatively set to begin in mid 2015.

Mustangs Host Titans In Support Of Shay Family

The South Shore Mustangs fell 6-2 last night to the Valley Wildcats. Jordan Messenger and Riley Donaldson scored for the Mustangs while Cole Skinner allowed six goals on 48 shots in the loss. Meanwhile, the club is looking for local support this weekend in their second to last game at home this season. The team hosts the Halifax Titans on Saturday. Canadian Tire has donated a $200 barbecue to be raffled off. All proceeds from the game and raffle go directly to the family of Ryan Shay, a former Mustang player who was seriously injured in a car accident earlier this month. The game goes Saturday night at 8pm in Bridgewater.

Bridgewater: More Charges After School Lock Down

Police have laid more charges against a 37 year-old man at the centre of Monday's school lock down in Bridgewater. Sheldon Earl Bowers is now facing nine charges in total. Bowers was arrested earlier this week at his York Street home after police ordered the lock down of two nearby schools. Officers seized eight guns and drugs including an undisclosed amount of cocaine after a search of a home. The new charges include careless use of a firearm in relation to allegations of shots being fired and threatening a witness. Bowers is also facing allegations of uttering death threats, careless storage of a firearm and various possession and trafficking offences. Police say their investigation is still active and more charges could be laid. Bowers is due back in court on January 30.

More Money Needed For Maintenance: Operations Director

The director of operations for the South Shore Regional School Board is looking to increase the maintenance budget for schools. Steve Prest indicated recently they have about $7-million worth of work to do on 33 schools and the figure keeps growing. The work ranges anywhere from electrical to sprinkler systems and ventilation. Prest is proposing an increase of $330,000 for the 2013-14 maintenance budget. But, he knows, it's a difficult decision.



Prest says their three year average for maintenance spending is around $890,000, which he says is at the low end of industry standards. The board didn't make a decision on the request.

Two Companies Interested In Yarmouth Ferry

Two companies have submitted proposals to set up and run a commercial ferry service between Yarmouth and the United States. The Nova Scotia government says that proposals were received from Quest Navigation Incorporated and Maritime Applied Physics Corporation. The request for proposal to restart the ferry closed on Thursday afternoon. The proposals will be evaluated with a decision expected on by the end of February. The province has promised to provide up to $21 million over seven years to help kick start the defunct ferry service which hasn't been running since the government cut its subsidy in 2009.

New Clinic To Help With Non-Urgent Health Care

South Shore residents are getting help to access non-urgent health care. A new, six hour clinic will begin running early in February to give patients dealing with issues like minor cuts, sinus problems or prescription refills a chance to see a doctor. CEO for South Shore Health, Peter Vaughan, says the new clinic is a small step towards addressing what has become an urgent need for doctors in the community. The new clinic begins February 4 at the regional hospital in Brdgewater. A doctor will be available to see patients by appointment from 3-9pm every Monday and Wednesday next month. Residents will have to book appointments with the doctor between 10 and noon on the day of the clinic for that day only.

MODL To Further Discuss Potential Skate Park

The Municipality of Lunenburg will check their finances before deciding to support a future skate park  Council heard from proponents of the skate park earlier this week, who are asking for almost $6,000 towards construction design. The group is also asking for a four-year commitment from the municipality at $25,000 each year.  Mayor Don Downe says they will talk more about the issue.



The park is pegged to be located near the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre. The matter will go to the municipality's budget/finance committee for further discussion.

South Shore Hockey Team Helps Food Bank

The Bantam Major BMO Western Hurricanes hockey team played the Bubba Ray Gulls this past weekend at Queens Place-Emera Centre in Liverpool. Admission to the game was in Support of the local Food Bank.

A good turnout of fans helped the team in drumming up one hundred bags of groceries and one hundred and twenty-five dollars in cash donations. The Western Hurricanes team and management would like to thank everyone for their support. By the way, the Hurricanes and Bubba Ray Gulls tied their game at 3-3.