Autism discussion held on Skype

A psychologist specializing in autism spectrum disorders is available on Skype Tuesday night.


Dr. Tony Attwood will make an online presentation about managing feelings.

The presentation is expected to explain why children and adults with an Autism Spectrum Disorder are more prone to develop mood disorders.

It will also explain strategies that can help such individuals learn about and manage emotions.

It gets started at 7pm at Hebbville Academy.

The event is being held by the Autism Centre Society of the South Shore.

Man released from custody after armed standoff

A man charged after an armed standoff in Chester Basin last month has been released from custody.


Nelson Frederick Bond of New Minas had been in jail since the incident after the prosecutor asked for a forensic psychiatric assessment.

The 47-year-old accused appeared Monday in Bridgewater provincial court.

The Crown agreed to his release under certain conditions, including paying a $10,000 surety and agreed to stay with his brother and sister-in-law.

Bond is not allowed to drink alcohol or take illegal drugs and must stay away from his alleged victim.

Bond faces numerous charges, including three counts of possession of a weapon dangerous to the public peace, one count of pointing a firearm and one count each of forcible confinement and assault.

Bridgewater mayor sounds off on Fairview Inn

The mayor of Bridgewater says he's worried about the safety of the Fairview Inn.


Carroll Publicover says though the building has survey tape surrounding it, kids could still wander inside and injure themselves.

He says he wants round-the-clock security at the Fairview Inn until its demolished, or demolished in a timely fashion.

Publicover also hopes changes can be made to the former car dealership at 99 Aberdeen Road, calling it a blight in the community.

He says he's felt this way for months but decided to make his feelings public during Monday night's council meeting.

White back to school following major brain surgery

A Bridgewater girl is back to class at Hebbville Academy after undergoing major brain surgery in the U.S.


Six-year-old Chelsea White returned to school after post-surgical problems kept her in hospitals in California and Halifax until mid-August.

Chelsea's mother, Shannon Price, says her daughter has been active and in great spirits since coming home.

Price says doctors have told her it could take up to two years for Chelsea's brain to completely heal from the surgery.

She says Chelsea will have to visit neurosurgeons and cardiologists in October, to see if her heart is still enlarged because of extra blood flow.

Medical Unit at South Shore Regional Hospital reopens

The Medical Unit at South Shore Regional Hospital has reopened to visitors.


Visitation has been restricted on the 4th floor since September 6 due to an increased number of patients testing positive for the antibiotic-resistant organism MRSA.

Visitors are asked to check in at the nursing station before visiting and to wash their hands when entering and leaving the hospital, and before and after visiting patients.

Regular and thorough hand washing can help prevent the spread of illness.

Motor Vehicle Collision Involving Pedestrian

Queen's RCMP are asking for public assistance in identifying the driver of a vehicle involved in a collision with a pedestrian. A woman was struck by a grey Chrysler Sunday evening around 6:45 p.m. (September 25th), The pedestrian was walking on the sidewalk adjacent to the parking lot at Lane's Privateer Inn. The suspect vehicle was exiting the parking lot and eventually headed toward downtown Liverpool.   The male driver of the car is described as approximately 55 to 60 years old with short grey hair. He spoke with an accent, possibly British and was travelling with a female companion.

Illegal Drug Seizure

A bail hearing is being held this afternoon for a Yarmouth man facing charges following a seizure of illegal prescription pills and drugs. Fifty-two year old Charles Raymond Blades is facing charges of Possession for the Purpose for Trafficking in Hydromorphone, (commonly known as Dilaudid), Possession of Cannabis Marihuana and Breach of an Undertaking. RCMP Southwest Nova Federal Drug Section assisted by the Shelburne Street Crime Enforcement Unit seized the contraband near Barrington on Friday. (September 23rd)

Minimum Wage to Increase October 1st

You might soon see a difference in your paycheck. As of Saturday, October 1st, the minimum wage is increasing to $10 per hour . This is a 3.6 per cent increase from the present rate of $9.65. The minimum wage for inexperienced workers, with less than three months' experience in the work for which they were hired, will rise to $9.50. After the increase Saturday, future increases will occur in April, beginning in 2012, indexing the minimum wage to the Low Income Cut Off, a figure set by Statistics Canada where people are devoting a significantly larger than average percentage of their income to the basic necessities of food, shelter and clothing. Increases will be based on the national Consumer Price Index from the previous calendar year.

         The government is also investing an additional $18.25 million this year to help income assistance clients and low-income Nova Scotians make ends meet. These include a 22 per cent increase per child, per month, to the Nova Scotia Child Benefit, a $15 per month increase in the Income Assistance Personal Allowance, indexing the Affordable Living Tax Credit and the Poverty Reduction Credit to keep up with inflation, and allowing working income assistance clients to keep more money each month.

Residents Seek Less Government Connection to Freedom of Information Office

**Dulcie McCallum**
FOIPOP Information Officer




Residents of St. Margarets Bay are calling for less government control over the provincial Freedom of Information Office. Currently, government employees who process F.O.I. requests work for the departments whose information is being disclosed. Residents' spokesman Sean Kirby says departments shouldn't be able to pick and choose what they release to the public. He says: "The St. Margarets Bay connector road censorship case I think was a real eye-opener for us and a lot of people. Its a terrible example of the government breaking its own Freedom of Information law in order to hide information from residents about the connector road. Our concern is if the government is doing this on our little issue, clearly it must be taking place on other issues as well."  The Freedom of Information review officer issued a scathing report back in June which criticized the government for censoring documents about the St. Margarets Bay connector road. Residents have taken their case to the provincial supreme court and a hearing will be held in mid-January.

South Shore Weather -- Monday, September 26, 2011

TODAY
Sunny. High 24. (((**UV index 6 or high**))).

TONIGHT
Clear. Low 13.

TOMORROW
Sunny. High 20.



THE FIVE DAY FORECAST

Wednesday
Sunny. Low 6. High 16.

Thursday
Sunny. Low 11. High 20.

Friday
Cloudy with a chance of showers. Low 15. High 21.

Saturday
Cloudy with 60 percent chance of showers. Low 15. High 17.

Sunday
Cloudy with a chance of showers. Low 12. High 15.



THE TIDES

High- 7:45am
Low- 2:10pm
High- 8:00pm

Lumberjacks get first win, top Campbellton 5-1

The CIBC Wood Gundy Lumberjacks finally have a notch in the win column.


Michael Crawley led the Jacks with two goals while Billy Clarke made 31 saves as the hometown club earned a 5-1 victory over the Campbellton Tigers.

Head Coach Terry Rhindress says it's a great feeling to get the first win.

"The kids played well today, they stuck together and played another complete 60 minutes. It's nice to get the monkey off our back, a little later than we expected, you know, couple games earlier we should've had a 'W' but we'll take it tonight and we'll move on."

Brad Donaldson, Jake Bullen and Brennan Saulnier also scored for the Jacks.

The Lumberjacks take on the Yarmouth Mariners Thursday night at 7pm in Bridgewater.

Last week for sales at Bridgewater Blockbuster

It's your last week to take advantage of good buys at Blockbuster.


The Bridgewater store is listed to close September 30 and is offering 50-70% off all its stock.

The Bridgewater location is one of 253 remaining stores in Canada that are expected to close their doors by the end of the month.

Up to 10 people are expected to lose their jobs.

Bridgewater Zellers remains unaffected by TARGET sale

Bridgewater Zellers is staying put, for now.


Target Corporation has identified 84 Zellers locations it will take over, as part of an agreement announced in January.

The External Communications Manager for Hudson's Bay Company, Tiffany Bourré, says the Bridgewater Zellers is one of 84 remaining stores continuing to operate while the company reviews its options.

Target has purchased 189 stores from Zellers.

The agreement with Zellers allows Target to buy up to 220 stores for $1.825-billion.

They expect to have their first stores to open in Spring 2013.

Banner Year for VIC

The numbers are in and it was a banner year for the Bridgewater and area Visitor Information Centre at Exit 12. The VIC opened in June and the last day of operation was Friday, September 23rd. Manager Dan Hennessey says it has been a tremendous year for visitors with 4 thousand 750 people coming through the doors, almost twice the number of the year before.  Hennessey says there are two keys to success for a Visitor Information Centre, accessibility and visibility.   The Town of Bridgewater and Municipality of the District of Lunenburg jointly funded the temporary centre for two seasons while they work to finding a long term solution. A regional partnership is one of the options being discussed

Memory Project

Second World War and Korean War veterans will be able to have their stories preserved thanks to the the Memory Project. On Wednesday September 28, the veterans will gather in Bridgewater to take part in a nation-wide oral history project. An initiative of The Historica-Dominion Institute, The Memory Project Archive is creating an unprecedented record of Canada's participation in the Second World War and Korean War as seen through the eyes of thousands of men and women who were there. It is providing every living veteran with the opportunity to preserve their memories through recorded interviews and digitized memorabilia. Their stories are available, in both official languages, at www.thememoryproject.com.

          The sessions will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Best Western Hotel, Bridgewater.

Premier Opens Bay Side Home

Seniors in the Barrington area will receive better care and have the option to continue living in the community they call home thanks to an expansion at the local long-term care facility.  Premier Darrell Dexter joined residents and employees of Bay Side Home today, (Friday Sept. 23) to celebrate the opening of the expanded facility. Before the expansion, the Barrington facility was dedicated to mentally challenged and physically disabled residents. Forty new beds were added to the existing 22-bed home, nearly tripling its size and adding the capacity to care for elderly residents.
       The facility features four new households, each with 10 resident rooms that follow the same layout and design as the existing facility. The home has private rooms and bathrooms, combined dining, kitchen and living room space, accessible gardens and spa facilities. The design also allows couples who both require nursing home care to live together in the same household. An outdoor garden can be accessed from the hallway of each household. Clients at Bay Side Home have access to 24-hour nursing care, medical services, nutrition services, pharmacy services, recreation, occupational therapy and physiotherapy. The facility has hired 60 new staff, many of whom live in the Barrington area to provide care and manage the facility.

34th Nova Scotia 4-H Show

South Shore 4-H members will join their provincial counterparts at the 34th annual Nova Scotia 4-H Show being held in Bible Hill from September 30th to October 2nd. The event is hosted by the Eastern Region 4-H Leader's Councils.  Agriculture Minister John MacDonell says the 4-H program has a long history of developing excellent agriculture, community and business leaders. 4-H members, age nine to 21, are eligible to compete at the Nova Scotia show after achieving top honours at a local exhibition with life skills or livestock projects. Highlights include livestock auctions, a public speaking competition, dog obedience and handling trials, tug of war competition, bake-off, fashion show and cattle selections for the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto.
           The free event at the Nova Scotia Provincial Exhibition Grounds is open to the public.

Gas Prices Down Again

The price of gasoline is down again this morning at South Shore pumps.

The Utility and Review Board has set the price for a litre of regular self serve gas at $1.23.7.

Thats down 3 and a half cents from yesterday.

Shelburne County man facing child abduction charge

A Shelburne County man is expected to be in court Friday morning after an alleged domestic dispute with his wife earlier this week.

Colin Lawrence is in custody and facing charges of forcibly abducting his own baby.

Police say a man had taken his 11-day-old baby from the mother without her consent around 4pm Wednesday afternoon.

Police located the man seven hours later, around 11pm on Highway 104 near Oxford, roughly 350 kilometres from Shelburne.

The baby has been returned to her mother.

Lawrence was charged with child abduction and mischief in Bridgewater Provincial Court Thursday afternoon and remanded in custody.

He's scheduled to make a another court appearance at 9:30 Friday morning.

Bay Side Home opening 40 new beds

Premier Darrell Dexter says the opening of 40 new beds at Bay Side Home in Barrington has been talked about for too long.

He says he remembers at least three elections that the beds were promised, and also believes preliminary talks first began in the 1970s.

Dexter says the expansion is a big asset for Shelburne County.

"It's going to supply them with a high quality facility that means that seniors in that area, the loved ones of that part of Shelburne County are going to have a place that they can go and stay near there families."

Dexter calls the Bay Side Home expanision a significant increase, basically tripling its size.

The opening will be held at the Home at 1pm Friday afternoon.