DATES SET FOR MURDER TRAIL

A Nova Scotia man arrested in Lunenburg over the summer on a Canada wide warrant for murder has had dates set for his preliminary hearing.

20 year old Robert Harris Lamb of Dartmouth faces a charge of second-degree murder in the death of Jonathan Beaton, who died after a brawl outside a house party in Antigonish on Jan. 1.

Four days were set aside for his preliminary inquiry beginning Jan. 4.

The inquiry will determine if there is enough evidence for the case to go to trial.

ONE FAMILY HOMELESS AFTER APARTMENT FIRE

Nine people from three families escaped without injury after a fire last night damaged a three-unit apartment building in downtown Liverpool.

The Liverpool Fire Department responded to the call at 396 Main Street around 8 o'clock, Friday night.

One apartment was heavily damaged but it’s expected occupants of the other two may be able to return home today after cleanup of smoke and water damage.

The fire is being attributed to an unattended pot of cooking oil.

The Canadian Red Cross arranged emergency accommodations and meals for six people from two units. Occupants of the third apartment stayed with family in the community.

Mi'kmaq History Month

Students from the Nova Scotia Community College’s Lunenburg Campus are celebrating Mi’kmaq History Month by learning about Mi’kmaq burial grounds and traditional drumming and songs. The Heartbeats, a local group that came together to learn Mi’kmaq songs and chants, will perform for the staff and students at the Lunenburg Campus on Wednesday October 13th starting at noon. The performance will be followed by a presentation on Mi’kmaq burial grounds and genealogy by Ellen Hunt, President of the Mi’kmaq Burial Grounds Research and Restoration Association.
The presentations are of particular interest to students in the Natural Resources Environmental Technology (NRET) program. NRET students study Traditional Knowledge and the Environment as part of their program. The courses study Aboriginal communities and their deep understanding of how the components of our environment are interconnected as well as the strong tradition of community that is passed on orally through songs and stories, as well as through actions and observation.

Social Justice Day

The South Shore Regional School Board will be hosting a Social Justice Day for students on Thursday, October 14th. The event will see select students from across the region come together to learn about poverty in their communities. Students are chosen as delegates who will take the information back to their fellow students and educate them on what poverty looks like in Nova Scotia. A special guest speaker will be 12 year old Logan MacGillvary, of Bedford, a grassroots philanthropist who started the Charity, Listen to the Children (www.listentothechildren.net)

Addressing Hunger & Poverty

Addressing hunger and poverty in our communities requires a collective effort. FEED NOVA SCOTIA, a provincial organization that supports your local food banks and meal programs, is hosting an open meeting on October 20 from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. at the Best Western in Bridgewater. Please join us to discuss how we can all work together to more effectively tackle hunger and poverty. All members of the community are welcome. For more information call 902-457-1900.

SHELBURNE COUNTY MAN GUILTY OF ARSON & ASSAULT

A Shelburne County man who tried to burn down a house with his girlfriend inside in January 2009 will be sentenced next month in Nova Scotia Supreme Court.

37 year-old Jonathan Wade Smith has been convicted of arson and assault and the Crown is looking for a prison term.

At the man's trial, the Crown and defence agreed that Smith started the fire in the Woods Harbour home that he shared with Kristie Brannen.

School Bus Safety Week

**Constable Will Creamer wishing the kids a safe trip home as they board the bus at the end of the day**

Stop on RED...Kids Ahead.. is the theme of this years School Bus Safety Week, which runs from October 18th to the 22nd. The theme reminds all drivers that they are required by law to stop when a school bus’s red-flashing lights are activated. Each day about 33 school buses transport more than 1,200 school children within the town of Bridgewater. This year the Bridgewater Police Service will be taking part in School Bus Safety Week.
Failing to stop for a stopped bus exhibiting red lights can be costly. The fine is $397.71 for the first offence, $685.21 for the second and $1260.21 for the third offence.  The driver will have 6 points added to their driver’s license each time and after accumulating ten points will lose their license.  Plus their insurance will go up.

The Bell is Back

RCMP have recovered the Roseway United Church bell swiped from a Shelburne cemetery. The historic church bell has been found at a scrap metal yard some 230 kilometres away. The large brass bell and its assembly were recently stolen some time between September 29th and October 2nd.
RCMP Corporal Nancy Mason of the Shelburne detachment says tips from the public were received by police following media reports of the theft. Mason says she drove to the city on Wednesday and recovered the church bell and believe it was destined to be scrap metal. Charges are expected to be laid in the next week against a suspect, who is not from Shelburne Country.

Charges in 5 Year Old Break-Ins

A Shelburne County man has been charged with several counts of break, enter and theft which occurred during a five year period in Yarmouth County. Twenty-nine year old Michael Jordan Wamback of Clark's Harbour is charged with seven counts of break, enter and theft as well as two counts of theft. During the last five years, numerous break and enters were reported in the Argyle area of Yarmouth County. Wamback has a court date of December 7th. The investigation is continuing and several other charges of break, enter and theft are expected.

Parent Alert Sessions

The Lunenburg County RCMP are holding "Parent Alert" sessions beginning tonight in New Germany. The meetings will be held at the firehall beginning at 7 p.m. Constable Ashley Levy, the School Safety Resource Officer says all sessions are directly related to issues youth are having in the area. The meetings will deal with Internet Safety, Drugs and Alcohol Addictions, Parenting Strategies and Sexual harassment and Relationship Abuse.

No Parking Signs to be Installed

A neighbourly feud has been somewhat settled by Lunenburg Town Council. One resident requested the Town to post "No Parking" signs on both sides of Hill Street because her neighbours are blocking off her driveway. A recommendation from the Town Engineer and Traffic Authority concurred the signs be installed on Hill Street from Cumberland Street to Lincoln Street. Council was asked to reconsider that recommendation at its Tuesday night meeting. A motion to delay installing the signs until the end of November in hopes the neighbours could work out a compromise was defeated by Council. Mayor Laurence Mawhinney says after much discussion and debate, Council decided to stick with its original decision. The signs will go up as soon as they arrive.

DOORS LEFT UNLOCKED FOR LOCAL THIEF

Bridgewater Town Police are warning residents to lockup.

Police say there were a number of thefts from vehicles on St. Phillips street, last Friday.

On Saturday night, four vehicles left unlocked in Hebbville, Wileville and Upper Branch had items stolen from inside.

Both Bridgewater Town Police and Lunenburg County RCMP are seeking information on these crimes.

QUEENS FUNDING DRIVE A SUCESS

The two million dollar fundraising drive for Queens Place Recreation Facility is well underway.

One third of the remaining facility cost has been accounted for in the first day of the campaign.

More than 785,800 dollars in donations were announced yesterday.

Former resident, Valerie Dyer, Dartmouth resident, Frances Inglis, Ulf and Barb Snarby, the Raddall family, Council members and numerous anonymous donors contributed to the healthy sum.

The facility, which plans on opening its doors in January, will contain an NHL size ice rink, an indoor walking track, a fitness centre, and a community room.

BEARS IN BRIDGEWATER

Bridgewater Town Police are advising citizens to watch out for wildlife.

A black bear and her cub were spotted in town, on Aberdeen Road yesterday afternoon.

Both animals had fled the area by the time police and Natural Resources officials responded to the call.

Deputy Chief John Collyer with Bridgewater Police says there are real concerns over safety when people and wild animals meet.

"If this is a bear and a cub, mom would obviously be very protective of the cub. And anytime that momma bear feels confronted, or feels that her cub is at risk, there could be risk to life and limb for anybody coming in contact," says Collier.

Collyer says citizens who see a bear near a residential area should contact Police or Natural Resources right away.

Police are also advising that compost piles and garbage heaps be kept under lock and key.

COURT TO ASESS EVIDENCE OF MURDER

A Nova Scotia man arrested in Lunenburg over the summer on a Canada wide warrant for murder has had dates set for his preliminary hearing.

Twenty year-old Robert Harris Lamb of Dartmouth faces a charge of second-degree murder in the death of Jonathan Beaton, who died after a brawl outside a house party in Antigonish on January. 1st.

Four days were set aside for his preliminary inquiry beginning January 4th.

The inquiry will determine if there is enough evidence for the case to go to trial.

ARREST IN EASTERN PASSAGE

Two young men are facing multiple charges after an arrest in Eastern Passage.

Halifax Regional Municipal RCMP responded to a call of a break and enter at a residence on Megan Drive in Lawrencetown yesterday morning.

A neighbour was able to give the RCMP member a description of the vehicle and license plate.

Later that day, an RCMP member on patrol in Eastern Passage spotted the suspect vehicle on Cowbay Road.

A sixteen-year-old and an eighteen-year-old were arrested and will appear in Bridgewater Court at a later date to face charges of Break and Enter and Possession of Stolen Property.

The RCMP are investigating the possibility that the suspects have committed multiple break and enters in the region.

LOBSTER BOAT CREW RESCUED NEAR LIVERPOOL

Three crewmen including the captain of a South Shore lobster vessel are safe, sound and dry after being rescued earlier this morning.

The lobster vessel ... Brute Force ... out of Baccarro ... was pushed on to rocks at Coffin Island near Liverpool by a heavy surf and efforts to refloat the vessel failed.

Around 5 o'clock this morning, with several fishing boats standing-by, a search and rescue helicopter lifted the three men off the vessel to a waiting Coast Guard ship.

The men have since been transported to port.

At last word, Brute Force was still stuck on the rocks.

FIRE INVESTIGATION ONGOING

In light of some new information, Lunenburg County RCMP are seeking the public's assistance with an ongoing investigation in Lower Branch.

An unidentified male was seen in the area of the South Shore Truck Centre on North King Street shortly before two semi tractor trucks were engulfed in flames.

The vehicles were destroyed by the suspicious fire on August 22nd, causing two-hundred thousand dollars in damage.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Lunenburg County RCMP or Crime Stoppers.

BRASS BELL STOLEN FROM CEMETERY

A Shelburne woman says thieves who stole an antique brass bell from Roseway Cemetery have desecrated her ancestors resting place.

The relic that dates back to 1912 was stolen sometime between last Wednesday and Saturday.

Nan Holden was shocked to discover it missing.

"Disbelief. Total disbelief that somebody would actually remove that bell from the cemetery. It's sort of like knocking over tombstones...It's very personal to all of us in this community and people far beyond this community who have history with the church and the bell," says Holden.

Holden says the bell would ring out to parishioners every Sunday from Rosewood United, until the church was decommissioned in 1993 and torn down.

Shelburne RCMP say the bell, weighing hundreds of pounds would be no small feat to steal.

Sea Cadets Experience Thrill

Sea Cadets from Chester and Barrington Passage are among a group experiencing the excitement and challenges of life at sea. The cadets are on board HMCS St. John’s as the ship returns to Halifax after several weeks at sea conducting a Lieutenant Governor’s Cruise and providing assistance to communities along the Newfoundland’s Burin Peninsula in the aftermath of Hurricane Igor. The cadets are fully integrated into the Ship’s Company while on board, performing duties such as look-out and helmsman, while also assisting with food preparation and serving, engineering, supply, administration, and damage control.
The South Shore cadets include 16 year old Petty Officer Second Class Faith Richardson, 16, 327 Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps, Barrington Passage, and 14 year old Master Seaman Chelsea Collicutt, , 351 Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps, Chester. Only about 120 sea cadets across Canada take part in the experience annually.