Fawson Seeking Second Term On MODL Council

The current deputy mayor of the District of Lunenburg is looking for a second term on council. Frank Fawson will try and retain his seat in the October 20 election. Fawson has been on council since 2008. He says he's glad members are involved in "Your Council - Your Ideas" sessions to help councillors meet with the public. Fawson says he has work to be done.



Fawson expects sustainability, sewage in the LaHave River and renewable energy to be pressing issues for council in the near future. He says one council highlight includes reducing the overall debt by $2-million, with no new borrowing. He is running for District three councillor, serving constituents in Dayspring, Rhodes Corner and Crouses Settlement.

Lumberjacks Announce Co-Captaincy For 2012-13

A pair of 20-year-olds will lead the CIBC Wood Gundy Lumberjacks on the ice this season. Michael Crawley and Jacob Conrad have been announced as the co-captains this year. Head Coach Terry Rhindress says he isn't sure how a co-captaincy will work yet.



Rhindress says the two players will be expected to help younger players develop their games. Crawley led the Jacks with 78 points last season while Conrad rejoins the team after spending the previous three years with Gatineau in the Quebec league.

Shelburne: Border Services Intercept Illegal Weapons

A Shelburne County man faces charges after three packages containing illegal stun guns and pepper spray were intercepted by the Canada Border Services Agency. The packages - bound for an address in Shelburne County - were flagged at the Vancouver International Mail Centre in December. After a lengthy investigation, 23 year-old Scott Nickerson was arrested earlier this month. Manager of Criminal Investigations for the CBSA, Albert Price says 32 stun guns were seized along with ten cans of pepper spray.



In total, Nickerson is facing 20 charges including five smuggling related offences under the customs act. He is due in court June 14th in Halifax.

Governor General To Visit Yarmouth

The town of Yarmouth is gearing up to host the Governor General. David Johnston will visit the area Wednesday afternoon after he takes in a few events in Halifax Tuesday. The Governor General will visit mayor Phil Mooney, meet with education, business and environment representatives, visit a lobster pound, go lobster fishing in the town's harbour and present awards during an evening reception. He will also visit West Pubnico Thursday.

Chester Curling Club To Host Three Provincial Events in 2013

The Chester Curling Club will be a busy spot next season with three provincial events scheduled to hit their ice. The AMJ Campbell Provincial Junior championship rolls into the Village between Christmas and New Year's followed by the under-18 play downs in late February. In early March, the provincial mixed event will be in the spotlight. Bridgewater will host one Provincial bonspiel in 2013; the Under-13 Youthspiel championship in mid-February. The Molson Coors Mens Tankard is pegged for Truro next year while the Scotties has been awarded to the Halifax Club. The locations were announced at the Nova Scotia Curling Association's AGM over the weekend in Halifax.

Whalen Qualifies For NCAA Championships

Chelsea Whalen

A Liverpool native has punched her ticket to the NCAA Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. Chelsea Whalen had a javelin throw of 46.44 metres this past weekend at the East Preliminary Round in Jacksonville, Florida. Whalen's throw placed her ninth in a field of 48. She is currently ranked 21st in the nation heading into the competition, which will be held June 6-9 in Iowa.

Open Meeting For Potential School Board Candidates

A meeting will be held this week for people thinking about becoming a school board member this October. The regional school board is hosting the information session. The meeting is expected to provide potential members with an indication of what it means to be part of an elected School Board. It will also include information like how to run a campaign, the highlights and challenges of being a School Board member, and the role of governance and management. The meeting will be held Wednesday from 6:30-9pm at the School Board office in Bridgewater.

Facts And Folklore: Book to Be Launched

A book with quips and quirks about the South Shore will be launched Saturday at the Bridgewater Mall. South Shore Facts and Folklore was written by Vernon Oickle and talks about some of the region's history, culture and people. Oickle says the book is full of useful information.



The book is dedicated to current region of Queens Mayor and former teacher John Leefe. Oickle says Leefe taught him and inspired his interest in local history. The book will be launched at COLES Book Store from 1-3pm.

Slight Drop In Gasoline Price

The recently slumping price of oil is headed up again. After gaining 76-cents yesterday, oil is up another 50-cents this morning to trade at $91.16 U-S a barrel. Still, oil is down 13 per cent so far this month. Here on the South Shore this morning, gasoline prices are down a bit. The URB set the price overnight for regular self serve at $1.29 per litre. Thats a penny less than yesterday's price.

Air Cadets Celebrate 60th Anniversary in Queens

The 545 Air Cadets will celebrate 60 years in Queens County this weekend. It's a big milestone for the squadron which will culminate with a celebration at Queen Place in Liverpool on Sunday. The cadets have been busy preparing for the gala event - set to feature demonstrations, displays and visit from Premier Darrell Dexter. Commanding Officer Brian Oickle believes the anniversary is a great opportunity to show case the program.



The air cadets are in the midst of moving their program to the former South Queens Junior High facility in hopes of becoming more visible in the community. Events begin at 2 o'clock on Sunday afternoon.

Soccer Club To Manage Centre Fields

The Lunenburg United Soccer club will be managing the fields they play on. The Municipality of Lunenburg has entered into an agreement with the club to look after the former Centre school soccer fields this season. Club secretary Rachel Bailey says the fields are crucial to their operation.




Club members were concerned about the future of the fields in February because Centre school was pegged to close. Bailey says it will be business as usual for this season.

MLA Birdsall Speaks Out On Power

The MLA for Lunenburg says the future of power lies with the Lower Churchill project. Emera, the parent company of Nova Scotia Power, has an agreement with Nalcor Energy in Newfoundland to provide power to our province once the project is complete. Pam Birdsall believes the project will benefit the province when its ready.


Nova Scotia Power has asked the province’s Utility and Review Board for rate hikes of three per cent in each of the next two years for residential customers. Meanwhile, Birdsall says the opposition brought up deregulating the energy market during the spring session of the Legislature. She says Nova Scotians shouldn't travel down that road.

The first phase of the proposed $6.2-billion Lower Churchill project is expected to be completed by 2017.

URB To Hold School Board Hearing In June

A date has been set for a public hearing on the size of the next South Shore Regional School Board. Judith Sullivan-Corney announced Wednesday night the province's Utility and Review Board will hold the hearing June 18 at the board office in Bridgewater. The meeting will begin at 10am. The province decided to make changes to the Education Act in April to allow the opportunity for smaller school boards. The amendment will require school boards to have at least five members, along with two at-large members representing African Nova Scotian and Mi'kmaq communities.

VIDEO: Tattoo's New Events & Performers 2012

The Royal International Tattoo will feature more than national and international performers this year. They will host a new Nova Scotia Webcam to give fans a backstage peek of rehearsals and set up of the Halifax Metro Centre. On Canada Day, Tattoo events will air on PBS, and former Tattoo members are set to get married during the show. Artistic Director Ian Fraser says they put the event together as a fast moving package with lots of variety.



The show will also feature 3 sub themes: The Titanic, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the War of 1812. And after 12 years, the Naval Gun Race will return. There will also be free pipe and drum workshops. The annual Tattoo hits the stage on July 1st.

Jennex Nixes Moratorium On School Closures

The province's Education Minister is saying "no" to a moratorium on school closures in Nova Scotia. Ramona Jennex turned down the request during a meeting with District of Lunenburg mayor Don Downe Tuesday in Halifax. Downe was hoping for a moratorium because three schools have been closed in the municipality and are now their responsibility. He's calling on the government to take action.




Downe presented three options to the minister which includes a provincial position on the impact of school closures in rural communities, reviewing and revising the 1982 agreement between the Department of Education and Municipalities to transfer ownership of schools to the province to reflect the change in municipal units borrowing powers and reviewing the school review process. The two sides are expected to come together in the next few weeks.

PC Leader Embarks On South Shore & Valley Tour

Nova Scotia's Progressive Conservative Leader has embarked on a two day tour of the western part of the province.  Jamie Baillie is concentrating on the South Shore, Yarmouth and the Valley as he prepares for a provincial election, which could happen next spring.  His tour is aimed at the fishing, farming, forestry and tourism industries. 

He tells us South Shore residents deserve to know his beliefs and his party stands.

Baillie has meetings lined up with business and community leaders and citizens at large. He will be touring fish plants, the Shelburne ship repair facility and the restoration project at White Point Beach resort.



Baillie will wrap up his swing through the area when he speaks Thursday night at the nomination meeting in Bridgewater for new-minted Lunenburg-West PC candidate David Mitchell.

Staying The Course: MODL Says "No" To E-Voting

The Municipality of Lunenburg is sticking to their guns when it comes to voting. Council members decided against a motion to watch a presentation on e-voting for the upcoming municipal elections. Deputy Mayor Frank Fawson attended a meeting recently with the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities and says roughly 70% of municipalities in the province will be using some form of e-voting. Councillor Martin Bell says its too late to try and establish e-voting with only four months before the October elections. Bridgewater and Chester have both indicated they will use electronic voting for their advance polls.

South Shore: Bogus Money Floating Around

Police are trying to figure out if there is a connection between phony money floating around Halifax and the South Shore. Three cases have been reported in Bridgewater and Lunenburg in the last week where counterfeit bills were passed. Three other cases were spotted over the last week in the Halifax Regional Municipality. The bills seized were mainly $50's and $20's and are the older series paper currency as opposed to the new polymer banknotes. Constable Will Creamer of the Bridgewater Police Service says his office is working with the Financial Crime Unit in Halifax to see if the cases are connected. A Dartmouth man has been charged in relation to the incidents in Halifax. Counterfeit bills have also turned up recently in Windsor and Amherst.

Municipality of Lunenburg Sets Tax Rates

The Municipality of Lunenburg is holding the line on their residential tax rate. Council approved its 2012-13 budget Tuesday night. The residential rate remains at $0.81 cents per 100 of assessment while the commercial tax rate dropped $0.10 cents from $2.05 to $1.95. Mayor Don Downe says they plan to stay the course.



Residents will also continue to be taxed the two-and-a-half cents for the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre. The municipality has a capital budget of just over $3.4-million while its operating budget is $29.8-million.

600 New Patients For Nurse Practitioners

Bridgewater's two new nurse practitioner's had a busy first week. They've accepted over 600 new patients. Spokesperson for South Shore Health Liz Finney says that even though the phone lines were busy, the first week has gone very well.




New patients will only be accepted after July 16th if they don't have a family physician. This will give the nurse practitioners time to intake their current new patients and arrange follow up appointments. The new hires are the first step towards Bridgewater's proposed Collaborative Health Centre.