Martin, Duckworth Receive Funding From New Program

A pair of South Shore athletes will benefit from funding for Atlantic Canadian Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls. The Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic and several businesses have launched Elevate, a program providing assistance to athletes striving for the international podium. Snowboarder Alex Duckworth from Kingsburg and Bridgewater's Jenna Martin are among seven athletes from Nova Scotia and P.E.I. receiving funding. The groups have announced $100,000 in funding will be provided annually over the next four years towards the program. Money will be used to access training facilities, performance professionals, nutritional guidance, leadership and mentoring.

Gutsy Walk Coming To Bridgewater

A walk targeting the end of Inflammatory Bowel Disease is coming to Bridgewater. Gutsy Walk is Crohn's and Colitis Canada's largest national fundraising event. It will be held in Bridgewater and nationwide later this spring. Jody O'Donnell is chair of the local walk. He says IBD is not easy to live with.



O'Donnell's son suffers from Crohn's and he wanted to bring the walk to Bridgewater to help raise awareness. Over 66 events were held last year, helping raise $2.3-million nationwide. The Bridgewater event will be a five kilometre walk or run beginning at Shipyard's Landing June 8. There are hopes it will raise $10,000. For more information on the event or to make a donation or enter your team, click here .

Radiothon Returns For Fourth Year

Another year and the same great cause for the Health Services Foundation of the South Shore. Friday will mark the fourth annual 'Gift for the Heart' radiothon on CKBW and HANK-FM. This year the goal is to raise $100,000 to help purchase a new mobile x-ray unit. Development officer Bernadette Jordan says they're hoping to build off of last year.



Jordan says there are roughly 20 items people can bid on during the live auction. More than 40 volunteers will be involved when the radiothon goes from 8am until 6pm Friday morning. If you're looking to make a donation, you can call 541-3246 or 1-844-842-3246.

EMO Warns: Be Prepared For Possible Flooding

A major rain and wind storm is set to pound the South Shore The Emergency Management Office is warning of potential flooding due to significant rainfall. Environment Canada is forecasting roughly 5cm of snow and between 40 and 50mm of rain. Wind gust will be as high as 100 km/h along parts of the coast. EMO spokesperson Steve Mills says he's been reminding communities to have their storm drains free of ice and snow.



Nova Scotia Power crews will be on standby in case of possible outages due to the wind. The storm should taper by Friday morning.

Gas Prices May Rise Tonight

With word of an increase this morning in gasoline prices in New Brunswick, many South Shore residents will likely be filling up today at the pumps. You can expect gas prices to probably rise overnight across the province including along the South Shore by a couple of cents. Prices are up in New Brunswick today with regular self serve leading the way with a 2.5 cent increase per litre. Diesel is also up by a couple of cents in New Brunswick.

Search In North River Leads To Drug Charges

A man is facing drug charges after police searched a home earlier this week in North River. Police say they found cocaine, ecstasy or MDMA, some pot, cash and firearms. A 30 year old Lunenburg County man is facing possession and trafficking charges. He's also been charged with unsafe storage of a firearm. The matter will be before a judge April 9.

No End To Old Man Winter's "Hits"

Get set for another dose of unrelenting winter weather. Another storm is headed our way later today. This one will be a huge rain and wind event! Snow will begin here late this afternoon followed fairly quickly by rain, and lots of it, and the wind gusts will top 100km/hr by times. Meanwhile, Ming Szto of Environment Canada tells us yet another storm will be moving in on Saturday into Sunday.



There are some indications we could get about 15 centimeters of snow here on the South Shore Saturday night.

Resident Concerned About Speed In East Chester Area

RCMP will use radar and increased patrols to discourage motorists from speeding in the East Chester area. However, it might not be enough. A local resident has requested the Municipality of Chester to change the speed zone along Highway 3 from 80km/h to 50 or 60km/h. Warden Allen Webber says it's a request for the province's Department of Transportation.



Webber expects a response over the next few months.

Burnout Predicted For Liverpool Lab Technicians

Two, full-time hospital lab technicians in Liverpool are being transferred to Bridgewater. South Shore Health says its to help alleviate a shortage of 4-full time and 1 part-timer in the lab at South Shore Regional Hospital. However, Canadian Union of Public Employees local President Dianne Frittenburg says moving them out of Queens General makes little sense.



Frittenburg says the added workload on the remaining 3 lab techs at Queens General will lead to burnout and more sick time. She's requesting a meeting with South Shore Health to discuss options. Frittenburg says the union has been told the transfers will take place in March. She also fears possible closure of the Queens General Hospital lab sometime in the future.

UPDATED: Duckworth Reacts To Olympic Results

There will be no Olympic medals coming to Kingsburg, but there will be a proud Olympian returning home. Alex Duckworth finished 17th in the women's snowboarding halfpipe event in Sochi, Russia after failing to qualify for the finals. Duckworth says she has no regrets after stumbling during her two semi-final runs.



Duckworth says she's proud of the support she received from the South Shore community along with residents across the province and country.

She plans to be a spectator for the rest of the Olympics and hopes to meet fellow Nova Scotian Sidney Crosby.

BREAKING: Duckworth Advances To Olympic Semi-Finals

Kingsburg's Alex Duckworth advanced to the semi-finals of the women's half-pipe snowboarding event in Sochi, Russia. The 26-year-old had a clean second run, scoring a 69.75. She finished 7th overall in the first heat. Duckworth scored a 42.25 on her first run after stumbling near the end. Duckworth was on twitter before competing saying she was " Giggly, excited and jacked up on nerves." Now, she is one step away from making it to the finals and challenging for a medal. She will be back in action at 11 o'clock this morning. You can follow the CKBW twitter (@ckbwradio) and HANK-FM twitter (@HANK_FM) along with the facebook pages for updates.

Mustangs Eliminate Valley After Game 5 Victory

The Charlie's Pizza South Shore Mustangs are heading to the next round of the playoffs. Travis Parks scored on a third period penalty shot, which held up for the game winner as the Mustangs beat the Valley Wildcats 4-3 Tuesday night in Berwick. The Mustangs won the series four games to one. Jordan Messenger and Mitchell Baker added a goal and an assist while Christian Tufts added the other goal. Nick Dawe turned aside 43 shots. The Mustangs are waiting for other series' to finish to determine who will be their next opponent.

South Shore: Another Storm Expected Thursday

Another large winter storm is expected to pound the region this week. However, instead of the "regular" Wednesday storm, this system will arrive on Thursday. Environment Canada is advising residents to pay attention to the weather as the storm approaches the region.  The last two mid-week storms to hit the South Shore carried about 20 centimetres of snow. Three weeks ago an intense blizzard arrived mid-week and brought about 25 centimetres of snow.

Bridgewater: Mayor Concerned About Security At Town Hall

Bridgewater's mayor wants to tighten down security at town hall. David Walker says he's concerned about staff safety because people are able to walk into the building freely without checking in. He says the town has discussed the issue for years but hasn't done anything about it. Walker would like to see identification tags used to access parts of the building.



Walker says he hopes to have a meeting this week to talk about the issue. He also hopes to add the item to the upcoming budget talks for 2014-15.

Bridgewater: Snow Removal Projected "In The Red"

Snow removal costs are expected to be in the red for the town of Bridgewater. Director of Finance, Dawn Kaizer, says they're currently projecting snow removal to be $91,000 over budget. However, there is still lots of winter remaining and more snow in the forecast for this week. Kaizer remains optimistic things will be alright.


The snow removal budget is $356,000 and is projected to be at $447,000 at last look. Kaizer says a decision will be made to tap into the snow reserve fund once final budget numbers are known.

How To Make Life Easier For The South Shore's Learning Disabled

South Shore parents of students with learning disabilities will meet tomorrow night (Wednesday) with officials who are knowledgeable on the subject. The school board will hold an information night to explain what LD is all about and how better to support students afflicted by it. There are currently 460 students diagnosed as learning disabled within the local school system. Cindy Kowalyk is an LD Services facilitator. She says Ipads and similar high-tech devices are helping make things easier for students.



Some parents are providing the tablets themselves for their children. Others are being donated. Its all in the name of making life easier for these kids who face their disability every day. Wednesday evening's information meeting begins at 6:30 at South Queens Middle School in Liverpool.

Duckworth Set To Compete At Olympics

The dream of competing at the Olympics will soon be realized for Alex Duckworth. The 26-year-old from Kingsburg will take on the best in the world in the women's snowboarding half-pipe event. The qualification round begins at 6 o'clock local time Wednesday morning. She will compete in the first heat. It's scheduled to be shown on Rogers Sportsnet. Duckworth is ranked as the top Canadian and is competing at the Olympics for the first time. She was an alternate for the 2010 games in Vancouver. If she qualifies for the semi-finals, she will compete again at 11am local time Wednesday morning. CKBW and HANK-FM will be providing updates on twitter and facebook before, during and after the race.

Haven Returns For Fifth Season

A popular television show based out of Chester is returning and the warden couldn't be happier. Haven is coming back for a fifth season with 13 episodes expected to air this fall and another 13 in 2015. The show employs some local residents. The production also helps bring in $1-million to the area. Allen Webber says the support adds up.


Webber says it also provides a tourism boost with the television program showcasing parts of the municipality. Season four of the supernatural drama series averaged 2.3 million total weekly viewers.

Lunenburg: Unexpected ER Closure

The emergency room at Fishermen's Hospital in Lunenburg will close at 5:00p.m. It's an unexpected closure due to nursing shortages. The ER will re-open tomorrow morning at 7:30a.m. Emergency services will resume at the hospital at that time.

Funding Will Hire New Staff For Sexual Abuse Victims

Victims of sexual abuse will have better options to receive support in Lunenburg County. The Nova Scotia government has unveiled $110,000 in funding for community based projects to help those who have been sexually abused. Each organization will receive $55,000 a year for the next two years. Elizabeth Bailey is with the Second Story Women's Centre in Lunenburg. She says the funding will help hire staff to work in the hospital.



Bailey says offering rape kits in hospitals is an alternative option for those not ready to talk to police. Other community groups receiving funding include The Red Door in Kentville and Tri-County Women's Centre in Yarmouth.