School Board To Receive Study Committee Reports

The South Shore Regional School Board has called a special meeting tonight to formally receive reports from study committee's for the six school's under review. The committee's have held meetings over the last month to engage with the public about their concerns with their school under review. Board Chair Jennifer Naugler says there's plenty of work left once they receive the reports.



Once board members receive the reports, they will be available to read on the school board's website. Tonight's meeting gets underway at 7pm at the school board office in Bridgewater.

Chester Councillor Feels Tough Decision Awaits

A councillor in Chester says he's interested to see how much the municipality can invest into a proposed health centre project in Shoreham Village. Andre Veinotte believes there is a need for a collaborative health centre in the community and says the project could be a good thing for the area. However, Veinotte says he needs to take a hard look at the budget figures after the group behind "Our Health Centre" requested $1 million dollars for the project.



Our Health Centre would be home to six doctors offices along with a combination of other health related services. A local community group is trying to raise nearly $6 million to support the new health centre in Chester.

Bridgewater Man Charged After Allegedly Stealing Laptops

A 29-year-old man has a spring court appearance for allegedly stealing a number of laptops from the Bridgewater Mall. The Bridgewater Police Service says four laptops were stolen January 31. Constable Will Creamer says the man faces charges for theft under $5,000 and possession of stolen property. All of the computer equipment has since been recovered. The Bridgewater man is expected to appear in court in mid-May.

SPTS-Local Weekend Hockey Results

The South Shore Mustangs and Valley Wildcats will resume their Major Midget Hockey League playoff series tomorrow night (Tuesday) in the Valley. The Wildcats lead the best of seven set 1-0 after a 1-0 home win on Saturday. Game two, scheduled for yesterday, was postponed because of the storm, and will now go tomorrow night at 8 in Berwick. Games three and four are slated for this weekend in Bridgewater.
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The BMO Western Hurricanes are the 2013 Spud Hockey Tournament champs. The South Shore Triple "A" Bantam squad completed the Charlottetown event over the weekend with a perfect 4-0 record after knocking off St. John's 5-2 in the final.
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Boys high school hockey .... Parkview defeated Middleton 10-1. Fletch Selig, Fabian Sund, Liam Fullerton, and Wesley Demone all had 2 goals in the win. Jake Key was the winning goal tender.
Corey Sabean had the lone goal for Middleton.

MLA Peterson-Rafuse Re-Offering For Office

The NDP MLA for Chester-St. Margaret's says she will re-offer for the position when the next provincial election is called. Denise Peterson-Rafuse says it was an easy decision to make because she feels there's work left to be done for her constituents. She was first elected in 2009 and is responsible for two cabinet positions as the minister for community services and minister for seniors. Peterson-Rafuse says she still has the passion to do the job.



She points to work done by the province including buying back the Bowater land and designating the Old Stone Bridge as a heritage site as very rewarding experiences to be a part of. Peterson-Rafuse says she's like everyone else and guessing when the next provincial election will be called.

Bridgewater: Non-Urgent Health Care Clinic Ready To Open

A non-urgent health care clinic will open this afternoon at the regional hospital in Bridgewater. The clinic will tackle issues such as minor cuts, bumps, sore throats, sinus problems and prescription refills. It's being provided by South Shore Health to help ease the congestion in their emergency departments. Spokeswoman Theresa Hawkesworth says the clinic is the start of a solution.



The clinic will be open Mondays and Wednesdays this month from 3-9pm. It is located on the main floor of the hospital. People are required to make appointments during those days from 10am-noon by calling 527-5815.

SPTS-Lohnes Loses Belgium Matches

Whitney Lohnes lost a pair of matches at an international junior judo competition in Belgium over the weekend. The Bridgewater native fell to opponents from Germany and France in the 48-kilogram class.

Storm Centre: RCMP Ask Drivers To Prepare For Tricky Conditions

Nova Scotia RCMP are reminding motorists to take extra precaution on the roads and highways during winter storms. The forecast is calling for 20 centimetres of snow for Lunenburg, Queens and Shelburne counties today. With winter weather driving conditions expected, the RCMP say motorists should expect slippery conditions and remind drivers of the challenges those conditions can create for drivers of all types of vehicles traveling on the many road ways including the 100-series highways. 

To prevent incidents from occurring RCMP are reminding road users of the following:


· Monitor local weather reports for changing conditions before traveling;

· Please avoid any unnecessary travel. Listen for advisories or road condition updates;

· Ensure an emergency kit is prepared and in your vehicle;

· Ensure cell phones are charged and ready for use in the event of an emergency;

· Adjust your driving according to the conditions;

· Allow extra time to arrive at your destination;

· Maintain a safe distance between your vehicle and those in front of you; and

· Ensure other motorists can see you. Turn on your headlights.

South Shore: Snowfall Warnings Issued

South Shore residents should brace for another blast of winter weather that could bring up to 20 centimetres of snow on Sunday. Environment Canada has issued snowfall warnings for Lunenburg, Queens and Shelburne with 15 to 20 centimetres of snow expected by late Sunday evening. Meteorologist Ted Mclldoon says a small low pressure system will bring about five centimetres of snow on Sunday morning. He says snowfall warnings could extend into the Halifax and Cumberland areas. A snowfall warning has also been issued for Colchester county. In eastern parts of the prvince, snow is expected to change to rain and could change to freezing rain late in the day on Sunday.

Bridgewater: Skate Park Funding Goes To Budget Deliberations

The town of Bridgewater will wait to decide if they will further endorse a skateboard park near the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre. Council has sent a funding request for a future skatepark to their budget deliberations. The group is asking for $25,000 each year for four years starting in 2013. Mayor David Walker says the town will try and figure out if they can help.



The town already provided $8,500 last year towards the construction design of the project. The group has also approached the Municipality of Lunenburg for the same four-year commitment of funding.

UPDATED: Crews Contain Broad Cove Fire

It's been a long day for several fire crews in Lunenburg county. Firefighters representing eight departments spent most of today battling a house fire in Broad Cove. The blaze began shortly after seven o'clock this morning in a vacant home. The all-clear was given shortly after three o'clock this afternoon. More than two dozen were on scene trying to keep the fire under control. It's not known how it started. No injuries have been reported.

Fire Fighters Battle Blaze In Broad Cove

Fire fighters are battling a house fire this morning in Broad Cove. The United Communities Fire Department got the call around 7:15 this morning. The fire involved a vacant house that's been up for sale. An investigation is expected to determine the cause. No injuries to report.

Chester: Million Dollar Question For Health Care

Councillors in Chester have a big decision to make after the group behind a collaborative health center project requested a million dollars to help fund their proposal. Members of "Our Health Centre" made their pitch to council before a packed chambers last night in Chester. The group also told council they don't want to see a hike in taxes to cover the cost of their request. However, Deputy Warden Floyd Shatford says that's nearly impossible to do.




"Our Health Centre" will be a multi-use facility and provide primary health care to a population of 15,000 in Chester, Hubbards and Tancook Island. The project is estimated to cost roughly $6 million and would be located near Shoreham Village.

Large Increase In Gasoline Prices

We begin the new month with what else but ... a jump in gas prices ... and a sizeable one at that. Regular self serve is up almost 6 cents a litre at South Shore pumps at $1.35.4. High test is about 7 cents higher than that. Diesel is also up in price this morning by a couple of cents at $1.41.3 per litre.

Power Outages: Busy Day For NSP Crews

High wind gusts have knocked out power to roughly 23,000 Nova Scotia Power customers. On the South South, more than 650 residents have lost their power in Bridgewater, another 110 in the Chester area are without power. There is a wind warning in effect for Lunenburg and Queens with winds gusting to 90 kilometres per hour. Wind warnings have ended for Shelburne and Yarmouth. High winds and rain are the cause for a majority of outages in the province. For the latest information on outages in your community check out the Nova Scotia Power outage map or phone 1-877-428-6004.

Queens: Council Supports Skateboard Park

The Region of Queens has thrown their support behind a skateboard park in the area. Council unanimously decided to give the Queens County Skateboard group $200,000 plus roughly $35,000 worth of land by Queens Place. Mayor Chris Clarke says the funding is being provided from a special reserve fund.



Clarke says project stipulations include they want construction to start before July 1, 2016 and the group needs to collect at least 90 per cent of the money needed before it can start building. He says its a worthwhile venture that the group has been lobbying behind for a number of years. The group is expected to ask the provincial and federal governments for further funding towards the project. The project is expected to cost around $780,000.

Wind Energy Group Seeks Investors In Lunenburg

A wind energy group will be in Lunenburg tonight to look for potential investors for two new projects in Nova Scotia. Wind4All Inc. will hold a public meeting at the Fisheries Museum. The group is consulting people across the province to raise roughly $5.5-million for wind energy projects near Sydney and in Gaetz Brook. Vice-President, John Brereton, says it's a chance for people to invest in local initiatives.



The meetings will discuss information about the company, the locations for the project and how people can invest and the return they could get. Tonight's meeting will go from 7-9pm. There will also be a meeting in Bridgewater February 5 at the Best Western. More details can be found here .

"Normal" Returns To NSCC Campus After Gas Leak

There was a scare this morning at the Lunenburg campus of the Nova Scotia Community College in Bridgewater. There was a propane gas leak. It forced the evacuation of the campus, the YMCA and an adjoining daycare centre. The leak was traced to a tank behind the YMCA. Cst. Will Creamer is media relations officer with Bridgewater Police. He says a propane company quickly got the leak under control and everything was back to normal within an hour.



No one was hurt and classes resumed by 9:30.

Bridgewater: Draft Plan Reveals Big Change For Downtown And Waterfront

The amount of parking and the possibility of a new bridge were the highlights of a meeting discussing the future of Bridgewater's downtown and waterfront. Ekistics Planning and Design released a draft plan in front of roughly 80 people Wednesday night at the Days Inn. Some of the ideas floated around include removing the south parkade, turn Old Bridge into a pedestrian promenade and building a new bridge to join Maple Street to the mall and empire theatres. There was also a suggestion about angle parking along King Street. Business owner Jim Rofhie is sceptical about the idea.



Other suggestions include improved signage in the town, more prominent green space around Riverside Park and roundabouts at North and Aberdeen and King and Victoria. The draft plan will be posted to the town of Bridgewater's website for people to view. Residents are encouraged to make suggestions over the next four weeks before a final plan is revealed in April. People can provide their input here .

Get Set For Even Higher Gas Prices!

Don't be surprised if South Shore gasoline prices take a jump overnight tonight when the utility and review board sets the coming week's numbers. In New Brunswick, which is a pretty good indicator of what may happen here, gasoline prices are up 4 cents a litre today. If that happens here, that'll push the price to about $1.33 or $1.34 a litre.