Bridgewater's Martin Competing At Indoor Event In Montreal

A change of scenery for Bridgewater's Jenna Martin. The two-time Canadian champion in the women's 400 metres and 2012 Olympian is competing in the inaugural AC Indoor Open. The event begins Friday and lasts until Sunday in Montreal, Quebec. Martin will race in the women's 400 metre invitational on Saturday. She says it's a good opportunity.



This will be Martin's first time competing indoors in Canada. She has experience running indoors while attending the University of Kentucky.

Mahone Bay: Items Needed For Former School Anniversary

The public's help is needed to create a living legacy exhibit of the old Mahone Bay school. A 100th anniversary celebration is in the works and a committee is looking for items to be loaned or donated to the exhibit, which is slated to open June 4. Committee member Bob Sayer is asking people to look in their attics, old photo albums or talk with family members to find items. He says they will accept any materials relating to the old school.



Sayer says some class photos and a desk have been collected already. If people have any items, they're asked to call Bob Sayer in Mahone Bay or email him at bobsoccer@eastlink.ca . A gala weekend is also planned as part of the 100th anniversary celebrations from July 4 to 6.

Tourism Promotion Group Folds

A group promoting tourism on the South Shore is closing up shop. The independent Destination Southwest Nova Association has been overcome by financial problems and members of the group have voted in favour of ceasing operations. The CEO of the Nova Scotia Tourism Agency, Patrick Sullivan, says its a major loss but the industry shouldn't be affected too much in the interim.



Destination Southwest Nova promoted tourism from Hubbards to Yarmouth and around to Digby and the Valley on its website. The group is in debt to the tune of $100,000 and officials say its a result of improper budgeting over several years.

Winter Blahs For Charitable Groups

Many charitable groups on the South Shore have been noticing a decline in donations through the winter. The Salvation Army and its Thrift Store in Bridgewater has especially been affected. Captain Felipe Vega says it took a while to realize the bitter weather was the cause.



Vega says staff at the Thrift Store are beginning to see more donations being dropped off, now that spring is near. He hopes everything will be back to normal and people will be dropping off things as usual.

A Replica Of The Replica Of HMS Bounty Is Planned

A proposal is being floated to build another HMS Bounty! The tall ship, a replica of the original 1700's Bounty, built in 1960 in Lunenburg for the movie "Mutiny On The Bounty", sank in Hurricane Sandy in the fall of 2012 off North Carolina. Now, a consortium of South Shore boat builders is looking at producing another Bounty replica. Lunenburg Mayor Rachel Bailey agrees there's no better place to build such a tall ship than in her town.



Its expected plans for the project and where the money for it will come from will be firmed up later this year.

Bridgewater: Charges Laid After Alleged Hit And Run

An alleged hit-and-run has landed charges against a Bridgewater man. Police say a parked vehicle was struck Wednesday night around 11:15pm at the intersection of Empire and King Streets. The suspect vehicle was located by police near the top of Aberdeen Road a short time later. A 67-year-old man was arrested and charged with impaired driving and breach of a recognizance. He's due in court June 4th.

Big Freeze-Up On The Way

It is a very wet and windy morning all along the South Shore. The rain is creating possible hydroplaning conditions on some roads so drive carefully. As much as 50 mm of rain is forecast before it peters out around noontime. As Environment Canada meteorologist Max descharnais tells us, watch for a big drop in temperatures this afternoon too.



Descharnais also says the wind will be a major factor this afternoon, gusting to 70 km/hr by times.

Small Change Likely Tonight In South Shore Gasoline Prices

Don't expect much of a change tomorrow in some gas prices at South Shore pumps. In New Brunswick this morning, regular self serve is down there by half a cent per litre. Diesel is down a fair bit though. 4 cents a litre. Nova Scotia's Utility and Review Board will set the coming weeks prices at midnight tonight.

Bridgewater: Coast Guard Removing Oil From Cape Rouge

Fuel is starting to be pumped out of the main fuel tank of the Cape Rouge. Most of the ship is now under water after it began sinking Monday afternoon at the Port of Bridgewater. Canadian Coast Guard senior response officer, Keith Laidlaw, says removing all the fuel from the vessel will take several days. They continue to have a boom surrounding the vessel, as well as absorbing pads soaking up fuel. He says their main concern is the environment and feels they're on top of any concerns.



A cause still hasn't been determined. Laidlaw says it's a slow process but the clean-up is a top priority.



The cost also isn't known, but it will be up to the owner to cover the fuel spill and vessel sinking. (Photo Courtesy: Facebook)

Bridgewater: Mayor Welcomes New Municipal Affairs Department

At least one local municipality is giving a thumbs up to the province for creating a stand-alone department for municipal affairs. The mayor for the town of Bridgewater called it wonderful news. The Nova Scotia government is making the adjustment to provide better service to residents. The change is expected to  allow government to provide better tools and guidance to create strong communities. David Walker agrees.



Walker says he's glad to see the province take action and make the switch. The new department is scheduled to be in place April 1.

Gary L. Wentzell Hockey Tournament Back For Sixth Year

Local hockey teams are gearing up for one of the biggest tournaments on the South Shore. The Gary L. Wentzell March Break tournament opens up play Thursday and goes all weekend in Bridgewater, Lunenburg and Liverpool. Fifty-two teams will play in this year's event, the most-ever in the tournament's short six year history. The first year, it had just four teams. One of the organizers, Devan Naugler, says they try and create an enjoyable time.



Teams are coming from as far as Cape Breton and New Brunswick for the event. A skills competition and a pair of auctions will also be held during the hockey tournament.

Economist Predicts Higher Prices At South Shore Retailers

Stagnant wage and employment growth combined with higher energy costs and a weak dollar will result in higher retail prices this year at South Shore retail stores and those elsewhere in the country. That prediction from the Chief Ecomist at CIBC. Avery Shenfeld says little's changing for lower wage earners. However, high-paid workers are receiving steep increases in their salaries and its all reflected in what both sides are buying.



Shenfield predicts inflation will climb to 2 percent this year, there will be a slight increase in interest rates and the Canadian dollar will remain lower.

Chester: Cost Savings Expected With Blue Bag Switch

Chester is gearing up to start saving roughly $60,000 by switching blue bag processors. The municipality recently approved the recommendation to send their recyclable material from the Annapolis Valley to Bayers Lake. The municipality currently pays about $130 per ton. The new provider in Bayers Lake is expected to charge just under $70 per ton. Warden Allen Webber expects some additional cost savings.



Webber says it good news to find a more cost-effective solution. The new agreement is with the Halifax Regional Municipality.

Bridgewater Snow Removal Budget Way Over

Bridgewater's snow removal budget has taken a major hit from all the winter storms! It's projected to be now about $135,000. over and counting and winter isn't quite finished yet. The town's Director of Finance Dawn Kaizer says if there aren't many more storms, there should be a safe way around the dilemma.



Kaizer says another snow storm could push the cost for the year to more than $500,000. The town will deal with the situation when budget deliberations go into high gear in April.

Big Rainfall Ahead

Its the middle of the week and there is yet another storm about to bear-down on us! Big difference for our area this time though! Meteorologist Bruno Marquis of Environment Canada tells us we're going to get a big downpour of rain instead of snow.



There will also be strong gusty winds through tonite and into tomorrow.

South Shore Soccer Coach Calling It Quits After 50 Years

A soccer guru on the South Shore is calling it a day after 50 years. Bob Sayer has decided to retire from coaching. The Mahone Bay native has enjoyed the ups and downs of the South Shore United Football Club including guiding 10 teams to the nationals. Sayer also founded the Lunenburg District Youth Soccer Association and the first Atlantic Canadian to be elected vice-president of the Canadian Soccer Association. He says the time has come to pass the torch.



Sayer began coaching in England before bringing his knowledge to the South Shore. He was inducted into the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame in 1992 as the first inductee for the sport of soccer. He says he will continue refereeing the game and working with the South Shore United Football Club.

Coast Guard Investigating Cause Of Sinking Ship

The Canadian Coast Guard says the cause behind a ship taking on water in Bridgewater remains unknown. The vessel, known as the Cape Rouge, is continuing to leak fluids. However, the Coast Guard has setup additional booms with absorbent pads that soak up fuel and not water. The ship began sinking Monday at the Port of Bridgewater. Canadian Coast Guard senior response officer, Keith Laidlaw, says they're working to stabilize the vessel and remove all pollutants.



Laidlaw has been told estimates of between 3,700 and 7,500 litres of fuel is on board the ship. He says the Coast Guard will be on top of the situation until the vessel is no longer an environmental threat.

No Trace Of Stolen Greenfield Flight Equipment

An investigation is continuing. However, nearly three months after they were stolen, there is no sign of equipment taken from a hanger at the Greenfield airport. A Cesna-172 aircraft (seen in photo) was damaged and 2 GPS systems, a headset, antennae and welding equipment were stolen over Christmas. Barry Mercer of the Bluenose Flying Club says not a trace of the gear has been found but his fellow members are watching.



The total price tag for what was taken is around $4,000. Meanwhile, the flight club is installing better security including cameras and stronger hanger doors. Members are also watching the Internet in case the stolen gear shows up there for sale.

Mooseheads Add Bailey For Remainder Of Season

The Halifax Mooseheads have added a familiar face for their playoff run. The herd called up CIBC Wood Gundy Lumberjacks captain Brennan Bailey. The Lunenburg native is back in moose country after playing 48 games with the Lumberjacks this season. He notched three goals and 11 assists. Bailey was part of the Mooseheads Memorial Cup winning season last year.

LaHave Resident Pleased With MasterChef Experience

A LaHave resident says competing in MasterChef Canada was a great experience. Trevor Jessome made it into the top 50 of the television show before losing out. He cooked grilled tenderloins of lamb with a potato gnocchi, a kale pesto and ribbons of zucchini and red onion. Jessome says it was a risky dish but he wanted to make an impression.


He needed two votes from the three judges to move on, but only received one. Jessome recently returned home. He is a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force and was deployed overseas just before the show started. Jessome says he will continue cooking with his wife and catering locally.