SPORTS: Lohnes adds silver to medal collection in Wales

Whitney Lohnes, left, picked up a silver medal Wednesday  in 48kg seniors division at the 2012 Commonwealth Judo Championships in Cardiff, Wales

Bridgewater's Whitney Lohnes now has a silver medal in Cardiff, Wales. Lohnes lost in the 48kg seniors division final Wednesday afternoon to her opponent from England at the 2012 Commonwealth Judo Championships. The silver will be added to her gold she picked up Tuesday after winning the 48kg junior division. Lohnes is now expected to head to Belgium for another tournament this weekend.

VIDEO: Mustangs to get free ice time from Town

Bridgewater town council is awarding the South Shore Canadian Tire Mustangs with a free ice time. The town is drafting an agreement with the Mustangs to give the team a Friday morning practice from 6:30-8 at no cost. Mayor Carroll Publicover says the club is well-deserving of a free ice time. Publicover says the Mustangs have been in Bridgewater for 27 years and could use the break because of the cost to run the team. Council deferred the team's request in October after requesting the club to make a presentation about the organization and its finances.

SPORTS: Lohnes goes for double gold in Wales

Bridgewater's Whitney Lohnes is going for gold again. She reached the final of the 48 kg senior division at the Commonwealth Judo Championships in Cardiff, Wales. It's not known who she will be competing against. Lohnes took home gold last night in the 48kg under-20 division. The final will be held at 2pm local time and to watch her online, go to http://cardiff2012judo.org/live-video/ .

Support Growing for Lobster Fishermen

The Municipality of Shelburne is rallying behind area fishermen and the lobster industry. Council unanimously passed a motion indicating their support for the industry during a meeting on Monday. CAO Kirk Cox says the municipality wants to work with stakeholders to ensure the long term sustainability of the industry. "A lot of work needs to be done to strengthen the domestic and export markets for the industry. There are also some structural questions within the industry, whether there is too much effort or other aspects of the supply chain. We want to take some time to sit down with the industry and see what they would like us to do,"  He says the municipality could also help as an advocate for the industry on behalf of fishermen. Cox says council also supports the newly formed Professional Lobster Fishermen's Association in their bid to strengthen market prices. The PLFA will host their first meeting in Lunenburg County this afternoon in Chester. The meeting begins at the Legion at 1:30PM.

Shelburne: Public Meeting on Council Size Confirmed

The number of council seats in Shelburne will be the subject of a public meeting next month.  The town wants to reduced the number of seats from six to four plus the mayor. Mayor Al Delaney says the town will need to consult with its residents before re-submitting an application to the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board. A declining population and tax base is the main reason behind the application to reduce the size of council. The public meeting will be held at the Shelburne Community Club on February 7th. It begins at 7:00PM.

VIDEO: Skateboard park lease agreement approved

Bridgewater town council has approved a lease agreement for a new skateboard park on site at the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre. The town, along with the Bridgewater Development Association and the Lunenburg County Multipurpose Centre Corporation have all signed off on the lease agreement. Town council voted in favour during Monday night's meeting, with a few members not happy about an addition made to the agreement. A clause now states "after 20 years, the LCMPCC can request the town to dismantle the skateboard park." Mayor Carroll Publicover says the clause doesn't make much sense.

Councillor David Mitchell echoed the mayor's comments, saying he doesn't like the added clause.

"I don't know why you would need that in there, if it's in good condition and being used, why do you need that clause?"

The BDA's Youth Action team is currently fundraising to have the skateboard park built. Construction of the park won't happen until after the LCLC is completed.

Third Joint Services Meeting held in Riverport

Riverport will host the third meeting for three municipal units to discuss potentially sharing services. The meeting offers the public a chance to see the report and ask questions. Council members from Mahone Bay, Bridgewater and the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg are also expected to be in attendance. The meeting gets underway at 7pm Wednesday night at the Riverport Community Centre.

PLFA Gaining Steam and Memberships

The Professional Lobster Fishermen's Association continues its bid to build its membership from the ground up. Approximately 30 fishermen attended a meeting in Chester yesterday afternoon with a majority satisfied with the direction the group is headed. Fisherman Troy Nickerson spoke with CKBW/HANK FM following the meeting. "The big goal is we're looking toward next year, for that next season. We don't want $3.25 next season and its pretty well known that if we don't get our act together that's what is going to happen - we've pretty much been told that by the other side. The old saying "take the land back step-by-step" well, we're taking the sea back step by step," The movement began almost three weeks ago following a meeting in Barrington. Since the PFLA formed on January 4th lobster prices at the wharf have jumped from $3.25 to $5.50 per pound. The association now sports close to 600 members and plan to meet again in Liverpool next week.

SPORTS: Lohnes wins judo gold in Wales

Whitney Lohnes, far left, with teammates after competing in Cardiff, Wales Tuesday

It was a gold medal performance for Whitney Lohnes. The Bridgewater native took 1st place in the 48kg  under-20 division at the Commonwealth Judo Championships is Cardiff, Wales. Lohnes defeated an Australian women in the final. Her father, Tim Lohnes, watched the fight online and says he's proud of his daughter.

"She's on the mat all the time, she loves it, so to see her actually get on the podium at an international event is just excellent."

Lohnes says his daughter has been training hard since moving to Montreal to go to school at Concordia. Next up for Whitney will be the seniors category Wednesday followed up by a tournament in Belgium this weekend.

Cash Stolen from Lahave Bakery

Thieves are believed to have taken some cash from a bakery shop in Mahone Bay. The Lahave Bakery on Edgewater Street was broken into sometime overnight on Sunday. RCMP are investigating the incident and are asking the public for tips. Mounties believe the break in occurred between 6PM on Sunday night and 8:30AM Monday morning.

South Shore Housing Numbers Jump in 2011

Gary Mailman

More homes were sold on the South Shore last year than in 2010. Stats from the Multiple Listing Service show 895 homes were sold in 2011, a 9.5% increase from the previous year. The vice-president of the Nova Scotia Association of Realtors, Gary Mailman, says he's not surprised by the figures. He believes people are changing the way they sell their homes.

"It could have been in 2010, there could have been more private sales gone through where in 2011, there may have been less private sales and those people who used private means in the past or for sale by owner companies may have chosen to use the realtor route."

MLS stats also show 3,020 homes were listed in 2011, compared to 2,871 in 2010; an increase of 5.2%. The average price for a South Shore home in 2011 also jumped by 7.8%, to sit at $174,785. Mailman says he's not sure why the price went up. But, he says the area's waterfront properties could be helping the spike.

"The South Shore does have a number of high-priced waterfront properties and a few of those had sold in 2011 and that would help drive the price upwards as well because it is an average of all the sales on the South Shore."

Mailman says the South Shore stats affect homes from Hubbards to Shelburne.

New Lobster Association to hold meeting in Chester

Lobster fishermen, business officials and the public are invited to a meeting in Chester Wednesday. The newly-formed Professional Lobster Fishermen's Association will be moving its recruiting campaign east from Shelburne, Yarmouth and Digby Counties. The group's goal is to force an increase in prices. South Shore lobster fisherman Kevin Ernst says years of low prices at the wharf have created hardship for many.

"You can't go to sea and catch lobsters for $3.25 or $3.50 a pound, even at $5.00 a pound, we're only breaking even and nobody is making a profit out of that, and I know we all go to work each day in order to make money and support our families and its been a tough go."

Prices have risen from $3.25 a pound earlier this month to about $5.00 now. Wednesday's meeting of the Lobster Fishermen's Association runs between 1:30 and 2:30pm at the Chester Legion Hall.

VIDEO: Parking Meter by-law heads to second reading

Bridgewater town council has pushed their proposed parking meter by-law to second reading. Members voted unanimously in favour of going ahead but not without some clarifications. Councillor Bill McInnis was concerned with enforcement if a parking ticket isn't paid after seven days. There was nothing in the proposed by-law saying residents would face a higher fine if the ticket wasn't paid. Mayor Carroll Publicover says it's a change that needs to be made.

Members also clarified another clause that states 'Parking in excess of time allowed.' Publicover says the rule suggests parking meter users would no longer be able to feed the meters.

"If I put $0.50 an hour in the metre over the course of a day, I'm going to spend less than I would to rent a parking spot somewhere and that's taking up a spot that would be used by shoppers and people that want to do business downtown. I can't imagine it, but I guess there are people that would do that and so that has to be prevented."

Publicover says people who studied the by-law made the recommendation to put the clause in place. Council will proceed with second reading of the proposed by-law at their February 27 council meeting.

Broken Sprinkler Head causes evacuation at Bridgewater High

Students at Bridgewater High had a chance to take in some of Monday afternoon's nice weather. Members of the Bridgewater Fire Department were called in after a fire alarm went off shortly before 2pm. Fire Chief Wayne Thorburne says it was a minor mishap.

"When I got on scene, I found that the sprinkler system was activated. It appears somebody broke a sprinkler head under the stairwell on the front of the building and charged the system...and the building was completely evacuated."

Thorburne says he's not sure how the sprinkler head was broken. He says staff on-hand did a quick job cleaning up the water and Principal Chuck MacLellan says students were back inside the building within 10-15 minutes.

Fauxburg car accident sends one person to hospital

A two vehicle accident in Lunenburg County Monday afternoon has left a pair of people with minor bumps and bruises. The collision occurred around 1488 Northwest Road in Fauxburg, just before 1:20pm. Lieutenant Tony Hunt with the Lunenburg and District Fire Department says one person was taken to South Shore Regional Hospital to get checked out. He says it appears one person wasn't paying attention behind the wheel and rear-ended another vehicle.

Welcome Home gathering planned for Youth Olympian Nickerson

Residents of Cape Sable Island and surrounding areas are preparing to welcome home Youth Olympian bronze medalist Brendan Nickerson Tuesday. Nickerson, who hails from South Side, Cape Sable Island was one of 17 hockey players under the age of 16 chosen to play on Team Canada’s men’s ice hockey team, which competed at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria. The young Canucks defeated the U.S.A. 7-5 Saturday for the bronze medal. Well wishers are planning to line the route through the business district to the Cape Sable Island Causeway with flags and signs to welcome Brendan and his mom Candace home and to show their pride for the hometown boy. All are welcome to attend and show their support Tuesday. A time has yet to be announced. Local hockey players are encouraged to wear their jerseys. Brendan Nickerson was the only athlete from Nova Scotia to compete at the Youth Olympic Games, which attracted more than 1,000 athletes from over 70 nations.

Mahone Bay hosts first Joint Services public meeting

The first of five public meetings around a Joint Services report will be held Monday night. The towns of Bridgewater, Mahone Bay and Municipality of Lunenburg agreed to receive the report January 16, with hopes that the public would provide feedback either online or through the meetings. Mahone Bay CAO Jim Wentzell says the public is urged to give their input.

"The difficulty for council would be is if they don't get a lot of feedback from the public, it makes councils job harder to make decisions on the recommendations."

Wentzell says representatives from Marathon Human Resources Consulting Group Ltd. will make a presentation to council members and the public, then people will have a chance to ask questions. The meeting will be held at the Mahone Bay Fire Hall at 7pm and is open to anyone. Meanwhile, the executive director of the Lunenburg Queens Regional Development Agency welcomes the report. Andrew Button says it's early but he's happy to see the three municipal units working together.

"I mean, the devil is in the details and how they decide to implement some of those recommendations and if they decide to implement them, I mean, at this stage of the game, they've really only accepted the report and are considering those recommendations. But, anytime you can get a group of people and municipal units together working on things, I think it's a positive thing."

He says people need to attend the five public meetings and ask questions to help the local councils make their decisions on the report.

SPORTS: Weekend Wrap

Lumberjacks

Jake Bullen's highlight-reel overtime goal gave the CIBC Wood Gundy Lumberjacks a 5-4 win over Amherst Sunday night in Bridgewater. Bullen's fourth marker of the game gave the Jacks their second straight home win in one of the most entertaining tilts of the season. The Power Dempsey Leefe and Ready 3 stars for the game against Amherst were:


1st star - Jake Bullen
2nd star - Jordan Escott
3rd star - Shawn Boudreau

Mustangs

Shaun McEachern's first period goal held up as the South Shore Canadian Tire Mustangs edged the Cape Breton Tradesmen 1-0 in Major Midget hockey action Sunday in Sydney. Corey Peterson made 31 saves to earn the shutout.


Nickerson earns Bronze at Youth Winter Olympic Games

A Shelburne hockey player has returned to Nova Scotia with a bronze medal from the 2012 Youth Winter Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria. Brendan Nickerson, a defenseman with the South Shore Mustangs, helped Canada beat the U.S. 7-5 in Saturday's third place game. The 15-year old Nickerson was the only Nova Scotian on the Canadian team.


Whalen breaks Nova Scotia record

Chelsea Whalen of Liverpool erased a 10-year-old Nova Scotia senior womens shotput record with a throw of 15.02 meters. She set the mark in Birmingham, Alabama Saturday. Whalen is the first female shot putter in Nova Scotia Track and Field history to break the 15 meter mark. She did this on the same day she was named the 2011 junior female track and field athlete of the year. Whalen who attends Florida State University is currently ranked 1st in Canada and 1st in the ACC Divison with that throw.


Stevens qualifys for Tankard

There will be a South Shore team at next month's Molson Mens Tankard. Chester's Chad Stevens earned the final spot with a 9-4 win over Kyle Schmeisser Sunday night in Dartmouth. Ian Fitzner-Leblanc and Brent MacDougall of Mayflower also advanced over the weekend. They'll join five other rinks at the Provincial Mens Curling championships starting February 8th at the Bridgewater Curling Club.


Bantam Hurricanes

The BMO Western Hurricanes Major Bantam Hockey Club won both their Nova Scotia Major Bantam Hockey League weekend games against the Cole Harbour Storm. With a 5-1 victory Saturday evening in Liverpool and a 4-2 road win on Sunday afternoon, the Hurricanes have increased their first place lead in the Nova Scotia Major Bantam Hockey League. The Hurricanes now lead the league with a record of 23 wins and only 4 loses.

Blast of Winter before Weekend Arrives

A blast of winter made for some tricky driving conditons today for at least a few hours. A couple of single vehicle accidents this afternoon, the first was near Robinson's Corner in the Chester area while emergency responders were called to a minor accident in Whynott's Settlement. Things should be clear for the rest of the night. A few flurries are expected Saturday afternoon.

SPORTS: Mustangs/Valley game postponed

The South Shore Canadian Tire Mustangs won't be heading to Kentville Friday night. The major midget hockey game against the Valley Wildcats has been postponed because of weather conditions. No makeup date has been announced. The Mustangs are expected to hit the road Saturday for back-to-back games against the Cape Breton Tradesman. Games will be played Saturday night and Sunday morning.