Woman Accused of Operating Bawdy House in Bridgewater

A 30 year old woman has been arrested for allegedly operating a brothel in Bridgewater. Police say the woman is from Halifax and will appear in court next month. The investigation into the suspected bawdy house bust also involved members from the Halifax Regional Police Vice Section. Police have not released the woman's name. The accused has been released and is due in court in Bridgewater on May 30th.

Site Preparation work underway at White Point

Crews on site at White Point April 12

The ground is breaking at White Point Beach Resort. Manager Danny Morton tells us dump trucks and excavators arrived Thursday morning to begin site preparation work for the new main lodge. Morton explains what is being done at the moment.

"They are going to be digging out the holes so the foundations can start being laid. I guess there is a lot of fill that needs to be removed, so over the next couple of weeks there's going to be a lot of noise and soil movement just to get the site ready for the foundation pourers."

White Point's main lodge burned down November 12 after a devastating fire at the popular Queens County resort. Morton says they are hoping to have the lodge built by the end of October. You can view the construction online at http://www.novascotiawebcams.com/south-shore/white-point-construction.html .

Mahone Bay says ''no'' to Electronic Voting

The town of Mahone Bay has decided against e-voting for the upcoming municipal elections. Council voted on the matter during Tuesday night's meeting. Mayor Joe Feeney says it didn't make sense to explore the option.

"We're small, its easy for people to get to the polling station, there are lots of opportunities with advanced polling, it does not preclude the option of people voting by proxy vote if they happen to be out of the province. So, we took all of those things into account and decided we weren't going to go there."

Feeney says it would have cost the town just under $2,300 to use electronic voting in October, no matter how many people used the service. He says for now the roughly 550 eligible voters in the community will stick to the paper ballot system.

Mooney: Move Fisheries Jobs to Yarmouth

The mayor in Yarmouth wants the province to consider relocating civil servant jobs to southwestern Nova Scotia when it begins to decentralize some government services. Phil Mooney says the area would be a natural fit for offices or services of the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture. Mooney is hoping to meet with fisheries minister Sterling Belliveau to pitch the town as an option for a decentralized fisheries department. "You know, we have the most lucrative lobster fishing industry in Canada situated right here in Yarmouth. We have an airport, a regional health facility...It would be a natural fit not only Yarmouth but the provincial government," The NDP government announced in its throne speech last month it will relocate department head offices to rural Nova Scotia. Premier Darrell Dexter says more information - like how many positions and where they will be moved - would be released this spring.

Brookside Cemetery now a Heritage Property

There's a new piece of heritage property in Bridgewater. Town council has designated the Brookside Cemetery as a historic site after a recommendation from its advisory committee. Councillor David Mitchell says the decision was a no-brainer.

"There was no question the value of it as a heritage property, the names of the important people from the past in Bridgewater that are in the cemetery and the uniqueness of the stones that are in there made a perfect case for it to be added."

Brookside Cemetery was opened in 1879 by Dean Wile, who was manager of the local carding mill. Among the notables buried in the cemetery are Mather Byles DesBrisay; a judge, politician and author who founded the local museum and Victoria Ernst, the first female doctor in Bridgewater. Mitchell says its a key step after losing two heritage properties last year.

"We lost two last year; one with the de-registration of the Riverview Community Centre and the other with the loss of the Fairview Inn in the fire, so it is important to have some more protected sites within the town because you want to maintain those for generations."

The Holy Trinity Anglican Church on Alexandra Avenue is the only other heritage property in Bridgewater. The town will now register a legal document through the province to recognize the cemetery as a heritage property.

Drugs Charges: Police Raid Home in Lunenburg

A 49 year old Lunenburg man is facing drug charges after police raided a home in the town earlier this week.  Lunenburg County RCMP carried out the search warrant with the help of the Bridgewater Police Service and South Shore Street Crime Unit. During the bust, Mounties seized marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and cash following a search of the home. Gary Benteau of Lunenburg has been charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking. He'll answer to the charge on June 13th.

Court: Buckley Case Delayed Until May

The defence lawyer for an 18 year old Chester Basin man accused of second degree murder has asked for more time to review the case against his client. Pat McEwen told court today he only received full disclosure of the evidence against Jack Buckley yesterday. Buckley is charged in the death of 57-year-old Victoria Brauns-Buckley. Her body was found in her home on the Borgels Point Road on the morning of March 2. Buckley was arrested on March 12 at a hotel in Western Shore. The case has been put over until May 17th when dates will be set for a preliminary hearing. In the meantime, Buckley has been remanded into custody at the Nova Scotia Correctional Centre.

Smith named CEO for three Southwest YMCAs

Yvonne Smith

The CEO for the Lunenburg County YMCA is expanding her role. Yvonne Smith is also the Chief Executive Officer for two more YMCAs in Yarmouth and Cornwallis in the Fundy region. Smith says she wants to incorporate more of a regional service between the three facilities.

"We're all in rural communities and for us to be sustainable and have these YMCAs in these communities, there are a lot of benefit to us working together. So, the big challenge for everyone to really break out of the mode that we are often in where we think of ourselves in isolation and look at the bigger picture and how we can work together."

Smith says she looks forward to the challenges of improving services in Yarmouth and Fundy. She says the model switch has been in the works for a long time. The management system is the first of its kind in Nova Scotia.

Mooseheads face elimination against Quebec

The Quebec Remparts have taken a stranglehold on the Halifax Mooseheads. The Remparts overcame a 3-1 deficit to beat the Moose 5-3 Tuesday night and took a 3-0 lead in their best of seven series. Scoring for the Mooseheads were Matthew Boudreau, Alex Grenier and Konrad Abeltshauser.  Zach Fucale made 32 saves in goal for the Herd, who were outshot 37-22. The Mooseheads look to keep their season alive Wednesday night in game four at the Halifax Metro Centre.

Kent Cup Final: Yarmouth drops game four; down 3-1 in finals

The Woodstock Slammers are one win away from being MHL champions. The Slammers edged the Yarmouth Mariners 2-1 Tuesday night to take a 3-1 lead in the Best of 7 Kent Cup Final Series. Robert Visca led the Slammers with 1 goal and 1 assist. Andrew Wigg scored the lone goal for Yarmouth. Matt Murphy stopped 31 shots for the win while Charles Grant stopped 21 shots in the loss. Game five goes Friday in Woodstock.

South Shore Health CEO Annouces Retirement

The CEO of South Shore Health is set to retire. After four years at the helm, Alice Leverman says she is ready to do some other things and enjoy retired life. Leverman spent eight years as Vice President of Community Health before moving to the CEO's role in 2009. She is credited with strengthening the health authority and its ability to deliver services through budgets cuts, restructuring of services and management. Leverman says she has been blessed to work with a great team and adds the decision wasn't easy. "It is a difficult decision to make, but important to do it at a time when hopefully one will have good years ahead to do others things in life," In a media release, Board of Directors Chair Roxie Smith thanked Leverman for her many years of service. Dr. Peter Vaughn has been promoted as the new CEO effective July 1st.

RCMP: Theft in Cherryhill

RCMP say thousands of dollars worth of jewelry has been taken from a Lunenburg County home. A break in was reported at a home along Highway 331 in Cherryhill on Friday. Police say various other items were also stolen. Anyone with leads on the crime is asked to call police or Crime Stoppers.

On Tap: Chester Basin Murder Case back in Court

The case of an 18 year-old charged with second degree murder resumes on Wednesday in Bridgewater. John (Jack) Buckley is charged in the death of 57-year-old Victoria Brauns-Buckley. Her body was found in her home in Chester Basin on the morning of March 2. The case was adjourned last month to give the Crown and defence lawyers time to review evidence and police reports. Buckley's lawyer Pat McEwen told reporters his client maintains his innocence and will fight the charge. The relationship between the accused and the victim has yet to be confirmed.

Mooseheads look to strike back in game 3

It's a must-win situation for the Halifax Mooseheads. The herd are down 2-0 heading into Tuesday night's game three battle against the Quebec Remparts. The Moose suffered a pair of losses on the road and return home to the Metro Centre where they are undefeated so far in the playoffs. Puck drops at 7pm at the Halifax Metro Centre.

Kent Cup Final: Slammers Edge Mariners in Game 3

The Woodstock Slammers have grabbed the upper hand in the MHL's Kent Cup Final. Last night, in front of a sellout crowd in Yarmouth, the Slammers edged the Mariners 1-0 to take a 2-1 lead in the best of seven championship series. Nick Huard scored the game-winner late in second period while Matt Murphy turned aside 31 shots for the shutout. Game four is tonight at 7:30 at the Mariner Centre.

Kent Cup Final: Sellout for Game 3 in Yarmouth

A sellout crowd is expected in Yarmouth this evening for Game 3 of the Kent Cup Final. The Yarmouth Mariners and Woodstock Slammers split the first two games in New Brunswick before the long-weekend. Puck drops at the Mariners Centre at 7:30PM.

On Tap: Public Meeting on South Queens Middle School

It's a chance for the public to learn more about the future South Queens Middle School. An information session will be held Tuesday night to update the community on planning for the new facility. A conceptual design for the new school will be reviewed followed by an informal question and answer session with School Board and Department of Education staff.  The meeting will be held in the cafeteria at South Queens Junior High School starting at 6:30pm. The new South Queens Middle School is expected to replace the current Junior High. It's expected to be built by September 2013.

RCMP: Impaired Driving Charges in Chester

RCMP in Chester have charged two people after an incident in the village over the Easter weekend. According to police, they received a call on Sunday night regarding two men who piled into a car after having a few drinks at a local business. Soon after, Mounties got another call about a single vehicle collision in the same area. When police arrived at the scene they arrested the two men and charged them both with impaired driving. The men have also been charged with providing misleading information while one of the accused resisted arrest. Both have been released and will appear in court at a later date.

Solid Start: 1688 Lobster Fishermen's Association

It's been a good winter for the newly formed "1688 Professional Lobster Fishermen's Association". President James Mood says the PLFA's membership features more than 800 lobster license holders from Shelburne to Digby. He says the association experienced a lull in new memberships periodically over the winter but the trend has reversed. "What has happened here in the last week is the cheques have started coming in again. I think the reality is they (license holders) had a chance to think things over - they know they have to have a voice. Without a voice and being united - you'll get nowhere," The price of lobster at the wharf has jumped from $3.25 to $6.00 per pound since the PLFA formed in January.  As of last week in Woods Harbour, the price of lobster touched $6.25 per pound.

Mixed Reaction: Tax Cut for Small Business

The President of the Chester Municipal Chamber of Commerce has mixed feelings over a tax cut for small businesses in the province. Ben Wiper says the extra money will help business owners going forward but cautions the province remains in a position where spending exceeds revenues. He says while the cuts are welcome, but come with a price. "Basically our business tax cut is being financed by deficit spending and being a business owner that's something most business owners don't like to do - because it's not sustainable. We can't just keep spending without matching revenues coming in," The provincial government announced a reduction of half a percentage point in the small business tax rate in its budget last week. Finance Minister Graham Steele says the tax break will translate into another $10-million back into the hands of small businesses in Nova Scotia.