Playground Pitch

A Bridgewater couple is hoping the town uses the vacated Visitor Information Center lot for something other than a building. A large structure, they contend, will greatly hamper the view plane from their land on Aberdeen and Elm Street. Patricia and Fazal Rahman have written council asking them to build a playground for young kids on the lot next to North Street. They write the North side of town has been grossly underserved, especially for younger children. They point out there are three fair sized playgrounds and parkspace on the opposite side of the river. And the Rahman's say the concrete slab where the building used to sit has been covered with dirt so all they would need to do is put up a fence and equipment. Also, they say more open space and recreation facilities would be welcome. The site has been vacant since the building was removed from the lot several weeks ago.

Monumental Task

In a small town, you may think that everyone knows everyone. But, in Mahone Bay with 900 residents, there is little known about the 39 soldiers whose names are on the cenotaph in the middle of town. Now, Mahone Bay is working at identifying and paying homage to the men from the community who died for Canada in the Great War, World War II and the Korean War. Mayor Joe Feeney is organizing a group to establish a Celebration of Honour for the 39 fallen soldiers. Feeney says they are hoping to publish a booklet giving information about each of the men. And he says they want to hear from people in the Mahone Bay area who may have information about the men. He adds there is some information available for the World War I veterans but less available for the World War II or Korean War soldiers. He's asking people to get in touch with him or town staff if they can help shed some light on their identities and connections to the community.

Golden Dozen

An editorial urging people to rein in the rumours about a murdered 12 year old girl has given Vernon Oickle a spot on the Golden Dozen. The award recognizes the best non-daily opinion writing in North America through the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors. Oickle tells CKBW the Karissa Boudreau story was tough but there were things that needed to be said. This year's winners were selected from 81 entries. Hear more with Vernon and Sheldon this weekend on South Shore Sunday Morning.

Jail Time

Being involved in a home invasion has landed a Bridgewater man five years behind bars. Twenty year old Timothy Charles MacKenzie entered guilty pleas to robbery and breach of an undertaking. He was scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Friday but entered the pleas instead. Mackenzie was one of three people initially charged in the invasion of a Churchill Street apartment last October 24th. Meantime there are still court appearances pending for 19 year old Matthew James Chase who is due in court July 15th, and a September trial has been scheduled for 19 year old Joshua Lamont Mosher. Charges have also been laid against three others for being parties to the crime even though they didn't enter the home. Twenty three year old Timothy Barry Stewart returns to court July 13th, while a preliminary hearing has been set for November for 23 year old Sean Andrew Ivany. A warrant has been issued for 23 year old Matthew Kevin Glavine who failed to show for an earlier court appearance.

LEED School

Wherever the new P to 9 school is located in Lunenburg, it will be LEED silver certified. LEED is a rating system used by the Green Building council of Canada to rate new buildings on their energy and environmental features. Three recommended sites approved by the South Shore Regional School Board have been sent to the Minister of Education who will who will request a formal review of the sites by the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal. The School Steering Team for the new facility also reviewed the School Space Allocation Program and at it's next committee meeting will review possible amendments to the program.

Woodlot Winner

To say Rex Veinot is excited might be understating it - he says he's still walking on the ceiling. The Veinot Family, who own a 142-hectare property in Maplewood, is being recognized as Woodlot Owner's of the year. It's the second time the property has been given the honour by the Department of Natural Resources in the 20 years since the program started. Veinot says the family has been on the land since 1890. A presentation will be made to the family at their Lunenburg county farm on October 3rd.

Motorcyclist Funeral

A motorcyclist killed in an unusual and tragic accident will be laid to rest tomorrow afternoon. The funeral service for Gregory Allen Naugler is being held at St. Paul's Lutheran church in Bridgewater. The Captain with the Oakhill Volunteer Fire Department was killed when his bike hit another motorcycle on Highway 325. Two other people, a man and woman also in their 50's are still in hospital. Investigators are still at a loss to explain exactly what happened that night. The collision happened about 8:15 and the bikes were travelling towards each other when somehow Naugler's ended up crossing the centerline. Police say speed doesn't appear to have been a factor. And neither were alcohol or drugs.

History Winners

Two South Shore teenagers have been selected as the Nova Scotia delegation of 8 students to attend the 15th annual National Historica Fair in Ottawa from July 7 to 13. The National Historica Fair will bring together 100 students from across Canada for a week of learning and adventure that includes a public display of their history projects on Thursday, July 9th, at the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Fifteen year old Jean Clarke, , from Lunenburg,has a project entitled Fisherman’s Suits, while 14 year old Haleigh Atwood from Shelburne will be there with a project entitled New France: The Electric City. The 100 National Fair delegates were selected from among the over 250,000 students in more than 1,000 communities who participated in local and Regional Historica Fairs in April and May.

Bike Collision

Questions still remain about what exactly happened to cause a head-on crash between two motorcycles that killed a Lunenburg County man. The accident happened on Friday night on Highway 325 in Oak Hill, just outside Bridgewater. R-C-M-P say a preliminary investigation shows that one motorcycle crossed the centre line and hit the other one. The driver of the motorcycle that crossed over -- a Lunenburg County man in his 50s -- was pronounced dead in South Shore Regional Hospital. He has been identified as Gregory Naugler of Pine Grove. The male driver of the other bike and a female passenger were injured. Their names have not been released yet.

Found Kids

It was a frantic five hours for an Ohio family visiting the south shore. But it ended with the nine-year old boy and five year old girl being reunited with their overjoyed family last evening. Lunenburg county RCMP say the family had just arrived in Rhodes Corner and were visiting with relatives when the kids wandered off from the back yard. They were last seen around 3:30 yesterday afternoon. Family and neighbours spent several hours looking for them before they called the RCMP. That was just before six last evening. A huge effort went into action with RCMP, a police service dog, members of the Lunenburg County Ground Search and Rescue team, Natural Resources workers and a D-N-R helicopter all responded. The kids were found before dark. They were found walking on a woods road about a half a kilometer from the Lunenburg County home. Both the boy and girl were in good condition when they were reunited with their parents just after 8:30 last night.

Farmer's Market

It's the return of the Farmer's Market to Bridgewater this weekend. Councillor David Mitchell says 15 vendors are confirmed and you'll be able to buy meat, produce and breads, crafts, pottery, jams and flowers. The market will be open on the town-leased parking lot on King Street, between Empire Street and Dominion Street. It will open rain or shine. There is no admission fee. The market will stay open Saturdays during the same time frame throughout the summer season, likely until October.

Privateer Funding

While the weather may not look the greatest for Privateer Days, the economic forecast is a little brighter today. Gerald Keddy was on hand for last night's opening ceremonies, and he had more than 20-thousand dollars in federal booty ($20,800). The Conservative Member of Parliament for the area says the Government is proud to support Privateer Days - something that celebrates our shared history. Anne Langille - the Chair of the event this year - says the money will help to bring back local entertainment to Privateer Days and celebrate the history of Queens county and it's privateering heritage. 2009 marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of Liverpool Township. The festival runs right through the weekend.

New Tourism President

A tough job ahead with declining numbers and a struggling tourism economy. A new president is in place for Destination Southwest Nova. Dan Myers of Oak Island Resort has been appointed by the association's board. He's been an active member of the group for the past two years and has been very involved with the marketing committee. Myers chaired the first meeting of the new board saying he believes in a regional approach to marketing the area. And he is looking forward to helping the Association build strong partnerships that will lead to increased visitation. Past President Rick Welsford helped lead the regional tourism industry association through the complicated amalgamation in 2006 but recently stepped down. The board thanked him for his leadership, hard work and commitment to the industry.

Health Workers

Two former recipients of the South Shore Health Bursary Program ,one RN and one LPN, have completed their return-for service agreements and are now working for South Shore Health. The program was established in 2006 and has provided funding to students from Lunenburg and Queens Counties who are interested in pursuing a career. The Bursary Program is funded by the Health Services Foundation and the Queens General Foundation and last year receivedadditional funding from the Fishermen’s Memorial Hospital Auxiliary. Successful recipients are required to enter into a return-for-service agreement with the District equal to the number of years supported by the program. This year, there are 6 recipients graduating from their chosen field of study: 4 RN's; 1 Medical Laboratory Technologist; and 1 Medical Radiology Technologist. Five of the recipients have or will begin their return-for service agreement over the next several months. The District is currently supporting 3 RN's and 1 Physician and hope to support an additional 5 students in 2009-2010.

Pavement vs Classrooms

A South Shore School Board member feels the province is putting asphalt ahead of student programming. Gary Mailman says the former government announced 2 million over 3 years for Parkview Education Centre and almost $250-thousand of that is to be used to construct a parking lot. Mailman says Parkview wasn't even identified as a Board priority, and he feels the money should be put into the Skills/Trades program. Mailman says New Germany Elementary and South Queens Junior High were overlooked by the province even though both schools were on the South Shore School Boards priority list.

Mahone Bay Taxes

An increase in the Mahone Bay's residential assessment means a decrease in tax rates. Overall assessments are up more than five percent to almost 107 million. Most homeowners will pay about the same tax bill as last year. Council was able to drop the residential tax rate down to a dollar 18 cents. Commercial rates increased by nine cents to 2.83 to cover the business occupancy tax phase out. Mahone Bay's budget this year is worth 1.96 million dollars.

Privateer Booty

Federal dollars are being made available for Privateer Days. The funding will be announced on Thursday at the Queens County Museum, just as the festival is getting underway. South Shore St. Margaret's MP Gerald Keddy will be making the presentation on behalf of the Conservative Government.

CKBW's Wiles Winner

Describing it as a junior farm system, Dave Bannerman says CKBW and Acadia Broadcasting are helping young people get into the broadcasting business. Bannerman is an instructor with the NSCC's Waterfront Campus. He says John Wiles has been named National Broadcaster of the year by the Broadcaster Educators Association. CKBW's station manager John Wiles was recently presented with an award recognizing him and the radio station for their continued support of broadcast students. He is a native of Liverpool who has worked in broadcasting in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia over his 30 year career.

Tuition Winners

Four Nova Scotia high school students have each won five thousand dollars in tuition for a Nova Scotia university or college of their choice through the online game Mission Tuition. Mission Tuition was designed to encourage more high school students to plan careers in Nova Scotia, by making them aware of the range of successful business and job opportunities here at home. More than 23-hundred people played the interactive online game on a website telling Nova Scotians about opportunities in growth sectors such as aerospace, finance, skilled trades, IT and health. The four winners are: David Cann, Riverview Rural HighSchool (Sydney); Kelsie Johnston, Sackville High School; Alessandra Pagnottella, Sacred Heart School (Halifax); and Allison Rand, Bridgewater Junior and Senior High School. They were randomly chosen from more than 900 entries.

Health CEO Deputized

South Shore Health CEO, Kevin McNamara, has been appointed acting deputy minister of the Department of Health. Premier Darrell Dexter in making the announced today says McNamara understands the unique challenges of Nova Scotia's health-care system and will be able to help government prepare to address those challenges. The appointment will take effect Friday (July 3rd) and will last about three months.