Chester-Municipal Chamber Needs Grant Money Swiftly

The Chester-Municipal Chamber of Commerce is looking for its grant money from the municipality in a more timely fashion. The funds are used to operate the Visitor Information Centre in the summer and have been transferred from the municipality in August. However, President Ben Wiper says he'd like to see the money come through by the end May. He says the organization has been forced to use it membership dues to operate the VIC until the grant money is available. "Because otherwise we end up operating the VIC for three or four months without knowing the money is coming and yet we are already spending money we don't have. We're using the membership dues for our chamber and not all of our members agree with that - it's already been a bit of a contentious issue for us - not overly but for some members it is," The chamber is also asking for a multi year funding commitment from the municipality in addition to an increase in its grant funding to $25,000 - an increase of $4,000 compared to last year. Chester Council deferred the decision to its budget deliberations and will re-visit the request in the coming weeks.

Busy Intersection in Lunenburg Needs Upgrades

The Town of Lunenburg is hoping the province will anti up some money to widen a busy intersection near Bluenose Academy. Mayor Laurence Mawhinney says he's met with MLA Pam Birdsall to discuss the Green Street-Tannery Road intersection. Council is concerned the intersection isn't wide enough to handle buses, trucks or 18 wheelers. Mawhinney says the intersection is so narrow, big rigs need to cross over into the centre line when they attempt to make a turn."As we've talked here at council, we may have to expand the road width towards the water so there is more space for trucks, buses and large vehicles to pass each other," Mawhinney says something needs to be done to improve the intersection. He admits the town may have to foot the entire cost to widen the road.

LaHave Manor & Town of Bridgewater Find Common Ground

The LaHave Manor Corporation and Town of Bridgewater found common ground for a new group home for disabled people on Evergreen Road. The two sides met today to discuss the future of the property. Following the meeting, the corporation announced they will proceed with plans to buy the home after the town agreed to tweak some of their bylaws to allow for the development. The town states it will consider amending its Land-Use Bylaw to allow for five occupants of the home in that neighbourhood. Currently, their bylaw allows for three disabled people to occupy a residence. Both sides aren't saying much and declined interview requests. The property on Evergreen Road is owned by a World War II Veteran and already features a wheel chair ramp and can accommodate people with disabilities.  The LaHave Manor would not disclose the cost of purchasing the home.

On Tap: Judge in Eisnor Case to Issue Decision on Tuesday

A decision is expected to come tomorrow on whether a New Germany man is fit to stand trial on a charge of first degree murder. Forty-nine year-old Wayne Paul Eisnor is accused of shooting and killing his wife before turning the gun on himself in June of 2010. He was originally deemed unfit to stand trial because of a mental impairment caused by the self-inflicted gunshot wound. However, during a two-day fitness hearing last month, Crown lawyer Alonzo Wright argued Eisnor's condition had improved significantly since the shooting. Judge Gregory Lenehan will issue the decision in Bridgewater Provincial Court Tuesday morning. Eisnor is being held in the East Coast Forensic Hospital, pending a determination by the court.

"Yarmouth Has Won, No Matter How You Look At It!" : Mayor

The community of Stirling-Rawdon, Ontario is the winner of this year's Kraft Hockeyville competition.  Yarmouth was in the running for it too.  Even though it lost in the final voting, mayor Phil Mooney says the town won as far as community spirit is concerned.  The town's "Mariner Centre" also picked up a prize.  Mayor Mooney says:  "We have picked up a cheque for 25 thousand dollars. Hopefully, we will have some community input on what they want to do with it. They're looking at a variety of things pertaining to the management board. It will be well used and well needed!"  Three other Canadian communities were also in the competition ... Kelowna, BC; Amos, Quebec and Ducklake, Alberta.  By the way, Yarmouth garnered more than 1-million-600 votes in the competition, about 2.5 million less than the winner.

Two Lunenburg County Residents Charged In Recent B & E Spree

There have been arrests and charges laid in connection with numerous break and enters in a Lunenburg County community.  A 27 year old man from the Pleasantville area faces 12 charges and appears in court this week.  A 20 year old woman from Chester has also been charged, released on conditions and will be in Bridgewater court in May.  Over the past several weeks .... homes, seasonal residences, cottages and garages in Pleasantville have been broken into.  Tools, electronics, jewellery, gaming systems and exercise equipment have been stolen.  Police say they have recovered few of the items.

MHL Final: Mariners set to face Slammers

The Yarmouth Mariners are headed to the finals of the Maritime Hockey League. Before a home town crowd, the team shutout the Amherst Ramblers 2-nothing over the weekend to win the 7th and deciding game of their Bent division series. Matt Tomah and Colin Campbell were the goal scorers. Charles Grant stopped all 23 shots he faced. Yarmouth will now face the Woodstock Slammers in the MHL final series.

Municipality of Lunenburg: No More Dog Tax

It's good news for dog owners. The Municipality of Lunenburg voted in favour of eliminating a yearly dog tax and are allowing a one time tag purchase for the life of a dog. However, councillor Lee Nauss says the move doesn't make sense. "I think we are going way back and there's no way I could support this because it's a backwards step,"  Council agreed the dog tag purchase would be implemented as a voluntary system. The existing by-law will now be amended and a communication strategy will be developed to inform the public of the change.

Bridgewater: Town & LaHave Manor set to Meet

Bridgewater's mayor is chiming in on LaHave Manor's potential move to Evergreen Road. Carroll Publicover says council hasn't been called on to make a decision on the issue. He believes the town has demonstrated it is an inclusive community. 'We've gone out of way to find ways to include the poor, marginalized and the people who need help. We've lifted up people whenever we can, you know, this is another case, we have group home and small options apartments throughout the town and lots of very nice neighborhoods they could be accommodated,"   The two sides are in disagreement over the Evergreen property. The town says it can't be turned into a group home because of its location in Bridgewater. A meeting between the town and Manor is scheduled to take place later today.

Municipal Elections: Chester to Introduce Evoting

Chester will move towards evoting when residents head to the polls during municipal elections this fall. Residents will be able to vote over the phone or by computer for the advance poll only. Warden Allen Webber says the municipality is very traditional and council wanted to maintain the paper ballot in some capacity. "As much as we like to be forward thinking, we are also very traditional in this municipality. The older population is used to going to the polls - we may reduce the number of polls in future years, but its unlikely it will be anything we will completely eliminate," Webber says the ultimate goal is to increase voter turnout and he hopes the change will appeal to younger voters.

Mawhinney: Schools Need More Maintenance Funds

The South Shore Regional School Board will hand the keys to Lunenburg Academy back to the town at the end of the month. Town staff and school board officials have completed a walk through of the historic building in an effort to survey the condition of the facility. Mayor Laurence Mawhinney says the building will need some maintenance work and during council this week, had some sharp criticism for past provincial governments. He says regardless of the political stripe - school boards have been grossly under funded to keep up maintenance at schools across the province. "The monies being provided to look after the 27 or 28 buildings operated by the school board in Lunenburg county was just not adequate to keep them in a state that was going to carry them forward. Anyone who owns a home and looks after it properly knows you have to do maintenance every year. That was not happening at our school properties - the academy is but one,"  Mawhinney stresses he's not blaming the Regional School Board. However, with a number of new schools opening across the province - he's is hoping the trend will be reversed. The 117 year-old Academy, owned by the Town, housed grades one through twelve until 1965 when a new high school was built. It was home to elementary students up until this month when the new Bluenose Academy opened in Lunenburg.

Gasoline Prices Rise Again

The price of regular gasoline at South Shore pumps has taken another overnight jump. A litre of self serve regular is selling today for $1.43.5.  Thats a little over 3.5 cents more than yesterday.  The increase, granted by the Utilities & Review Board, follows a similar increase in New Brunswick yesterday.

Common Ground: Changes to "Race Week" Pub Nights

Some noise complaints have forced the Municipality of Chester and organizers of "Race Week" to find some common ground. The traditional pub nights at the Yatch Club will continue, however, live music will be shut down at 1AM. The change was in response to numerous concerns raised by people who reside near the Yatch Club. Chester Council made the decision during their meeting on Thursday. Randy Stevens is Commodore of the facility. "It works for both parities, it works for us as the Yatch Club and it works for the Municipality. We are an integral part of the community as I mentioned to council and we certainly want to make everybody as happy as we can - I think it was a good compromise," The organization will still allow guests to remain on the property until 2AM as normal. Warden Allen Webber also thought it was a fair decision as well."The neighbors that live in the area have a legitimate concern with the noise. We found a compromise but we need the live music shut down at 1 o'clock. They can keep the bar open and they will be some noise associated with that but it's a reasonable compromise," Chester Race Week is held August 15-18.

Queens County Woman Charged with Public Mischief

An 18 year-old Queens County woman charged with public mischief will appear in court next month in relation to the death of the Brandon Wentzell.  The 19 year-old died February 5th from a lethal combination of the painkiller Dilaudid and vodka. Charges were laid following an extensive police investigation surrounding a bogus relationship between Wentzell and a girl named Clarissa. Their relationship was built through an online dating website, however, the girl never existed and the relationship was a hoax. It's believed the women charged was behind the hoax. The pair had made numerous attempts to meet but each time their date was cancelled at the last minute. The last time a meeting was supposed to happen was Super Bowl Sunday. Later that night, Wentzell began drinking and taking drugs. Soon after his death, Wentzell's mother received multiple text messages from someone claiming to be Clarissa's mother. The texts stated Clarissa had committed suicide after learning of Brandon's death. That led Bridgewater police to expand their investigation. The woman accused of being behind the hoax will enter a plea to the charges on April 18th in Bridgewater.

Changes in Mandatory Hemelt Use at Lunenburg Arena

Helmets will be mandatory next year for anyone under the age of 12 who is skating at the Lunenburg Arena. The age is being bumped up by two years. Town of Lunenburg councillor Jamie Myra says it's a safety issue and a proactive change. "We've always said that there has been times at public skate or at other times over there where we were surprised nothings ever happened and to my knowledge there really hasn't been any incident that has brought this forward. We just felt we should be proactive and put this into place,"  Myra says he would not be surprised to see helmet use mandatory for all ages at the arena down the road. The town will promote the change more in the fall in hopes it will give skaters time to buy some head gear if they don't already own a helmet.

Town approves amendments for off-leash Dog Park

Now that one is all but confirmed, Bridgewater's mayor says there's room for another. Town council approved amendments to its municipal planning strategy and land use by-law to permit leash-free dog spaces in certain areas of Bridgewater. The move is the next step to building a leash-free space in Generations Active Park. Carroll Publicover believes another leash-free park could be built in the Municipality of Lunenburg. He says there are a number of potential locations.

"There's lands around the MARC that I think might be suitable, Miller Peace Park; I don't know how big it is, but maybe, and maybe there's certain times when that could be a leash-free park and the rest of the time a place to walk, and you know, we have the other side of the 103, our lands, former industrial lands that are there, I think there are sites all over the place."

Councillor David Mitchell says the off-leash space at Generations Active Park could be ready sometime this summer if its grubbed and has proper signage.

Former SSRSB member pursuades MODL to support nine-seat board

A former school board member is persuading the Municipality of Lunenburg to endorse a nine-seat option for the boards electoral boundaries. Karen Reinhardt spoke with council members Tuesday explaining a nine-seat choice would be the best practice to follow; losing only one seat from the previous school board and allowing for wide representation through the region. The school board has endorsed a six seat option as their first choice, plus two seats for the the African and Mik'maq representatives. Reinhardt says that option would create problems including increased workloads for members.

"With those few members, you're not going to have a lot of different viewpoints, a lot of different experience, a lot of different expertise around the board table which is really important for the kind of decisions and discussion that go on there."

The Municipality has deferred a decision until their next committee meeting. Meanwhile, the Utility and Review Board will hold a public hearing on electoral boundaries May 2 at the school board office.

Support for Yarmouth-Maine Ferry Growing in South Shore

The Town of Lunenburg will explore making a one-time contribution to help support efforts to re-establish the Yarmouth to Maine ferry. A campaign is underway to have the service restored but organizers say it will require government funding for the first couple of years. Mayor Laurence Mawhinney says council received a funding request from an advocacy group in Yarmouth hoping to build momentum to restore the ferry service. "They've come forward and said 'can we count on you' and 'can we also ask for your support' and I think it's a reasonable request because I do think Nova Scotia's attractiveness has been diminished without the ferry service," Mawhinney says it's no secret tourism operators across the South Shore took a hit when the ferry ceased operation more than three years ago. He says if municipal units rally behind the ferry it might encourage the province to get involved.

Mawhinney: Seeks Another Term in Lunenburg

A long time political figure in the South Shore says his health is good and he will seek another term in office. Laurence Mawhinney has held the mayoral seat in the Town of Lunenburg for more than three decades. He was first elected in 1976 and has been a member of council for 36 years. Even after another lengthy council meeting last night, Mawhinney says he still find the job both interesting and challenging. "We've got a number of challenging issues before us as a community, not the least of which is what happens with the future of Lunenburg Academy, how do we continue the restoration of the waterfront and how do we continue to build this UNESCO site - there are things that are still not yet complete," Mawhinney says his spirit is strong and adds there are many projects he'd like to see through before retiring. Municipal and school board elections will be held province wide this October.

Search "Scaled Back" For Missing Men Off Cape Sable Island

The search for three men missing from a yacht disabled off Cape Sable Island has been turned over to the R-C-M-P as a missing persons case.  Officials at the rescue centre in Halifax decided late last night to withdraw a Hercules aircraft and two Cormorant helicopters from an area about 150 kilometres south of the Island.  The missing men were not wearing survival suits when they went into the frigid waters early yesterday. Ottawa says the tragedy may be a failed attempt at human smuggling.  Public Safety Minister Vic Toews (TAVES) says some of the five men rescued are claiming refugee status -- and are said to be from Russia, Ukraine and Georgia.