NS Gov't Announces Holiday Closures

The holidays are rapidly approaching - here's a quick look at what will be open. All provincial government offices will close at noon on Christmas Eve. They will re-open on December 27. In addition, Registry of Motor Vehicle Offices in Windsor, Shelburne, Liverpool, Sheet Harbour and Guysborough will be closed all day tomorrow. Liquor stores will close at 5 o'clock on Christmas Eve and 6 o'clock on New Year's Eve. All NSLC stores will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

Bridgewater Mayor: Exciting Times Ahead In 2014

The mayor of Bridgewater says he's proud of town council for the steps they've taken in their first term. Five new councillors and a new deputy mayor were elected to council last October in the municipal elections. David Walker was also elected as the town's new mayor. He's been involved with council for nearly 20 years. Walker says he's happy with how things have worked with the group.



Walker says his highlight of the year was the opening of the LCLC. He says its an issue that dates back to 1988 when council first had studies done on the potential for a multi-purpose centre. Walker points to renovations at the mall, the new collaborative health centre, the new marina and the downtown and waterfront master plan as some of the exciting things to look forward to in 2014.

Two South Shore Wind Projects Approved For Next Steps

Two wind projects along the South Shore have got the green light to move forward. The province approved 14 community Feed-In Tariff, or COMFIT program projects to help communities generate renewable electricity. A 0.8-megawatt project in West Green Harbour and a 1.99-megawatt project in the Yarmouth area can proceed to the next phase of development. Energy Minister Andrew Younger says it may include environmental assessments, an impact assessment or an ecological study. He says communities, families and businesses in the province will benefit from the projects.

South Shore Sports Wrap

Lumberjacks

The CIBC Wood Gundy Lumberjacks wrapped up 2013 with a 4-3 loss on the road to the Valley Wildcats. The Lumberjacks also fell 6-4 to the Amherst Ramblers Friday night. Billy Clarke got the win in goal for Amherst, after being traded by the Lumberjacks recently. The Jacks are now on holiday break until January 3 when they host Woodstock.

Mooseheads

Lunenburg's Brennan Bailey had an assist as the Halifax Mooseheads fell 5-4 to the Moncton Wildcats on Friday night. Bailey, who was called up for the weekend, was also named the game's second star. The two teams also met in Halifax Saturday night. Moncton won that game as well, 2-1. The Mooseheads are now off until December 28th.when they take on the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in game one of the Battle of Nova Scotia.

High School Hockey

The Park View Panthers boys team demolished Middleton 15-2 Saturday night. Leading scorers for Park View were Dyson Wood with a hat-trick and Wesley Demone with four goals, three which were scored within 55 seconds. Meanwhile, Friday night the Panthers defeated Horton 3-2. Jake Key was the winning goaltender in both games.

Basketball

The Park View Panther boys won the Holiday Hoopfest tournament. They defeated Harrison Trimble of New Brunswick 67-55 in the final.

Curling

The final two Provincial Scotties tickets were claimed this weekend at the Highlander Curling Club in Antigonish. Mayflower's Heather Smith earned the last spot with a 5-4 win over clubmate Marg Cutcliffe.
The Smith rink, which includes South Shore natives Jill Brothers and Blisse Joyce, stole the winning point in the tenth end. Kelly MacIntosh of Dartmouth also moved on. The Provincial Women's curling championship opens in Sydney on January 7th.

Slow Down: Highways Treacherous

The highways are very slippery this morning and an example of this is Highway 210 in Bangs Falls near Greenfield. A tractor trailer slid across the road and stalled and the highway was closed for an hour or so.
The driver wasn't hurt. The RCMP advise all drivers to slow down this morning... the driving is treacherous in many areas. Highway 103 between Hubbards and Halifax is very dangerous this morning with lots of slippery patches. Meanwhile, depending on where you live, the weather through yesterday and into this morning has ranged across the region from heavy snow, to rain and freezing rain and high winds. Along the South Shore, we escaped much of the snow and most of the freezing rain too. New Brunswick and Northern Nova Scotia received up to 25 centimeters of snow. There's been freezing rain in southern New Brunswick and power outages there as a result. Dozens of flights at airports across the region were delayed or cancelled on one of the busiest travel weekends of the year. Further west in Quebec and Ontario, a massive freezing rain storm downed trees and power lines knocking the power out to hundreds of thousands of residents. It could be days before the power's back on for many people and the mess of downed branches and trees is cleaned up.

Public Fury Expected Over Postal Cuts

The Federal government and Canada Post will receive a huge public backlash if they tinker with the postal service in this country! That prediction from the President of the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour. Rick Clarke tells us seniors and the disabled will be particularly impacted by the move to cut door to door mail delivery. He says its reminiscent of a by-gone era.



Clarke says he's seen one on-line petition with more than 60-thousand names on it and thats only a week since the issue began. He predicts hundreds of thousands of Canadians, including labour groups, will chime-in on the debate through the winter and into the spring. Clarke says it'll be something the Harper government and Canada Post won't be able to ignore.

Bailey Called Up To Halifax Mooseheads

Brennan Bailey has been called up to the Halifax Mooseheads. The Quebec Major Junior Hockey Club have a depleted roster because of injuries and players attending the World Junior Hockey Championships. The captain of the CIBC Wood Gundy Lumberjacks is expected to dress for both games this weekend during a home and home series with the Moncton Wildcats. The 19-year-old has eight points in 29 games with the Lumberjacks this season. The Mooseheads are on the road tonight, before returning home to play again Saturday night at the Metro Centre.

MODL: Downe Understands Concern Around Fire Services

The mayor of the Municipality of Lunenburg says there's been concerns from the public around fire services for years. Don Downe is responding after a resident appeared before council and asked them to consider more amalgamatiion of fire stations in central areas. He says there are legitimate concerns.



Downe says the public appreciates the fire service and the job they do, but he feels people are worried about costs. A meeting is expected to be held in January to review fire services in the municipality.

Beware Of Christmas Scammers While Shopping Online

Its the busiest shopping weekend of the year! Millions of Canadians will be heading to the malls to finalize their Christmas shopping. Many will also be clicking online, looking for bargains and express delivery.
Jill Atkinson of the Maritime Better Business Bureau is warning about scam artists preying on Christmas shoppers. She says make sure your on-line purchases are secure.



Atkinson says watch out for suspicious "special offers" that seem to good to be true, read each site's privacy policy, document all your orders and pay with a credit card for proof of your purchases if they don't show up at your door.

Salvation Army Hopes Its Kettles Will Runneth Over

The Salvation Army in Lunenburg County hopes its Christmas Kettle Campaign will achieve its goal by Christmas Eve. The goal is 57-thousand dollars but its still about 16-thousand short. However, the Lunenburg County chapter's Captain Felipe Vega is optimistic Saturday's Fill the Kettle Drive by Walmart coast to coast will help quite a bit.



All Walmart outlets are involved, including the Bridgewater store. Nation-wide, the Salvation Army Kettle campaign is 8-million dollars short of its goal. Funds raised assist needy families through the year.

Former Mustang Scores Twice, Helps Valley Beat South Shore

A former player with the Charlie's Pizza South Shore Mustangs came back to haunt the club Thursday night. Stone Harnish scored two goals to pace the Valley Wildcats to a 2-0 win over the Mustangs. Harnish spent the last two seasons with the South Shore club before joining the Wildcats earlier this year. The Mustangs are back on home ice Sunday evening when they host Cole Harbour at 4pm at the Clearwater Seafoods Arena.

Minor Hockey Hoping To Fill The Rink For Lumberjacks Game

A push is on to try and fill the rink for the final Lumberjacks game before the holiday break. The Bridgewater club is home to the Amherst Ramblers tonight. All players in the South Shore Minor Hockey Association will receive free admission to the game in they wear their team jersey. Association President Mike Conklin says they want to stand behind the Junior 'A' team.



Prizes will be awarded to minor hockey players. The game starts at 7pm at the Clearwater Seafoods Arena.

Lower Gasoline Prices

As expected, South Shore gasoline prices fell overnight. Regular self serve is down almost 2 cents to $1.29.4. High-test is down by the same amount to $1.38.3. Diesel is at $1.40., down almost two cents as well.
If you're travelling to HRM and need to get gas there, prices are about 1/2 cent less.

Whalen: NS Facing $481 M Deficit - No HST Cut

Nova Scotia is facing a $481 million deficit for the upcoming fiscal year end. Finance Minister Diana Whalen confirmed the shortfall during a fiscal update - the first since the Liberals took office back in October. The largest contributor to the deficit is a drop in income tax revenues of $71 million and a one-time pension adjustment of $300 million to account for the unfunded liability in the public service pension. Whalen says the government is also calling on all departments to reduce spending by 1 percent - excluding health and education. Meanwhile, Whalen says Nova Scotians will not be getting their cut to the HST this spring. She says the province simply can't afford it now. She estimates the annual revenue for the province will be $9.3 billion. That's $158 million less than the target in the budget.

Park View, Bridgewater Face Off In Alumni Game

Old rivals are preparing to square off before Christmas. An alumni hockey game has been set up between former players with the Park View Panthers and the Bridgewater Vikings. One of the organizers, Michael Hubley, says proceeds will go to the Bridgewater Interchurch Food Bank.



Admission will be three dollars. The game will be held Monday night (December 23) at 6pm at the Bridgewater Memorial Arena.

Ups And Downs For South Shore Housing Market

Some ups and downs in the housing market on the South Shore. The Nova Scotia Association of Realtors Multiple Listing Service shows housing sales are down nearly 10 per cent between September and November this year, compared to 2012. Meanwhile, listings have increased over the three month period by about seven per cent. President Gary Mailman says there could be some reasons to explain why sales have dropped.



Mailman says final figures for 2013 will be released in January. He's optimistic there will be more activity in the real estate market in 2014.

Liverpool: Federal Dollars For Astor Theatre

The Astor Theatre in Liverpool is getting some financial help from Ottawa to modernize their experience for movie goers. MP Gerald Keddy announced $50,000 to help the theatre install a digital projection unit. The money will help the Astor reach its fundraising goal of $100,000. Upgrades to the sound system and lighting will also be made. The Astor is the oldest operating theatre in Canada.

Fears For Seniors/Disabled If Door To Door Mail Delivery Ends

There are fears for the safety of seniors and the disabled on the South Shore and elsewhere if Canada Post eliminates home delivery of mail. The President of the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities, Kentville Mayor David Corkum, says bad weather makes it especially difficult to get mail at a community mailbox.



The UNSM is suggesting Ottawa fund a special program that would enable the physically-challenged to hire someone to pick up their mail. It intends to pressure the federal government to ensure timely mail delivery for seniors and the physically-challenged.

Bridgewater Fire Chief: Check Your Space Heaters

The Red Cross has come to the aid of two people forced from their apartment home in Bridgewater yesterday morning by a fire. Emergency housing and food have been provided for the woman and child affected by the blaze in an apartment behind KO's Restaurant. Bridgewater Fire Chief Michael Nauss says an electric heater caused a small section of a wall to catch fire. The chief says the incident serves as a good reminder for people to keep an eye on their heating sources.



The woman and her daughter were not hurt.

Gas Prices Expected To Fall Tonight

Just in time for Christmas! South Shore gasoline prices will likely take a tumble when the coming week's prices are set tonight by the provincial utility and review board. In New Brunswick this morning, the price of self serve regular is down by more than 4 cents a litre. Diesel is also costing less by almost 3 cents a litre.