Doors Open At Bridgewater And Area Family Health Centre

A new collaborative health centre has been officially opened in Bridgewater. Premier Stephen McNeil cut the ribbon this morning at the Glen Allen Drive site, near South Shore Regional Hospital. McNeil says the centre is an important addition to the health care community, making doctors, nurse practioners and specialized services more readily available.

Family doctors, nurse practitioners and other health-care providers have been seeing patients for roughly the last month. South Shore Health CEO, Dr. Peter Vaughan, says the goal is to hire three new family doctors over the next few years.

The province is offering up to $240,000 a year to support the centre. It is expected to provide health-care to more than 8,000 patients once it is fully staffed.

Waldorf School Among Contest Finalists

A South Shore Independent school is looking to win a national contest and bring home a stack of cold, hard cash. The Waldorf School in Blockhouse is up against similar facilities in the National Trees of Knowledge competition. Waldorf School parent, Anastasia Malay, is spearheading the campaign and is hoping to win first prize, $20,000. She says it will go toward setting up an outdoor classroom.



The contest closes May 4th. Voters could also win $10,000 just by visiting the competition's website here . As of today, Waldorf is in sixth place in the voting.

SiRT: No Grounds For Charges After Fatal Crash In Blockhouse

The province's Serious Incident Response Team says no charges will be laid against a Lunenburg County police officer following a fatal crash last fall. The incident happened on November 22 on the Cornwall Road in Blockhouse. The driver of a small car sped away from the police officer before crashing into a ditch, killing the 23-year-old man. The incident covered approximately two kilometres and lasted less than two minutes. In the report, SIRT says the police vehicle was well behind the small car at the time of the accident. The car was estimated to be travelling at a minimum of 130 km/h when it left the road after attempting to pass another vehicle.  SIRT says the driver had recently suffered from some mental health issues, which may have caused him to feel panicked by the situation.

South Shore Gas Pump Shocker

A reality check at South Shore gas pumps this morning!  Prices for the mainstream grades have increased overnight by a considerable amount. Regular self serve is selling this morning for $1.39.3 per litre.  Thats a hike of 5.3 cents.  High test is up by the same to $1.48.2.  However, diesel is down almost a cent, selling in most places at $1.38.6.

Keddy Remembers Flaherty

The member of parliament for South Shore - St. Margaret's is remembering former colleague Jim Flaherty. Gerald Keddy says Flaherty was an intelligent man, with a good sense of humour and always had a smile on his face. The former finance minister passed away Thursday afternoon at his Ottawa condo. He was 64. Keddy says there was a lot of emotions as MPs learned about the news in the House of Commons. He believes Flaherty will be sorely missed.



Flaherty spent eight years as finance minister before stepping down from cabinet last month.

South Shore In Motion Returning To Exhibition Grounds

South Shore in Motion will be returning to the South Shore Exhibition grounds in August. Group members held a special meeting Thursday night and approved a new rental agreement with the Exhibition. It was a dramatic change after the group decided recently that it would not use the Exhibition for their ten year anniversary. Chairperson Darren Wentzell says a lot of people weren't happy, but he's glad to see a deal get done.



Wentzell says it's a better deal than they originally asked for, allowing them to use equipment and have the grounds for the amount of time they wanted. The festival goes from August 8-10 in Bridgewater.

Chester Youth Charged After School Threat

A 17-year-old boy from Chester has been charged after threatening a student at Chester Area Middle School. Lunenburg County District RCMP say the boy was at the school just after noon on Wednesday with a crowbar looking for a student. Communications Manager with the South Shore Regional School Board, Trish Smith, says the school was under a hold-and-secure mode for a short amount of time for precaution while the incident was occurring. The Mounties arrested two boys close to school property. An 18-year old from Hubbards was released. The 17-year-old was charged with possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. He will appear in youth court in Bridgewater on April 16.

Liverpool Boy Charged After Pulling Knife At School

A teenage boy has been charged after pulling knife on another student at Liverpool Regional High School. The incident happened on Tuesday. The two students got into a disagreement before one of the boys revealed a knife. RCMP Corporal Sandi Merrell says a female student diffused the situation by convincing the boy to hand over the weapon. He was then taken into police custody. Merrell says the boy appeared in court on Wednesday. He's been charged with possession of a weapon, uttering threats and possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking. The student will be back in court May 20th.

South Shore In Motion, Exhibition Discuss New Agreement

It's considered a last ditch attempt to keep a popular summer event in Bridgewater. Board members with the South Shore Exhibition met with officials from South Shore in Motion Tuesday night. The two sides discussed a new agreement. South Shore in Motion will hold a meeting tonight to try and make a decision. The festival is still hoping to hold their event this August. This year is their tenth anniversary.

South Shore: Crime Prevention Groups Secure Funding

Groups that work to prevent and reduce crime are getting provincial support to help make communities safer. The annual one-time grants were announced this week. Southwest Nova Transition House and King Street Family Resource Centre in Shelburne are among the successful applications. Justice Minister Lena Diab commends the organizations for collaborating to strengthen ties in their communities, making them a better place to live. Other recipients include community schools and the private sector. A grant can reach a maximum of $5,000 for successful applications.

Queens: No Injuries After Car Fire

A car fire near Brooklyn shut a section of Highway 3 last night in Queens County. Fire crews spent 40 minutes trying to put out the fire on the highway. Police say the older Chev was damaged pretty bad. No injuries were reported.

Bridgewater: Suspected Shoplifter In Deep Trouble

A shoplifting incident in Bridgewater turned into a much bigger deal for a West LaHave woman. Police say an off duty officer saw the woman take something from a business in the town yesterday afternoon. The 42 year-old was questioned outside the store before she left in her car. Police later tracked her down near the intersection of Queen and Empire Streets. However, they also found prescription pills and some pot. She is charged with possession and trafficking charges in addition to theft of under $5,000. The woman will appear in court June 18.

Contamination Order Issued For Clam Harvesting

A bacterial contamination order has been issued for people looking to harvest clams along the South Shore. Local federal fisheries officers have set up signs along roughly five kilometres of shoreline in Lunenburg, Queens and Shelburne counties. Supervisor Noel d'Entremont says there are several factors that caused the order.



d'Entremont says they have no timeline for how long the contamination order will be in effect. Environment Canada is in charge of lifting the order, once the situation clears up. People can be prosecuted under the Fisheries Act if they're found harvesting clams under the contamination order.

Bridgewater: Mayor In Favour Of Amalgamation

Bridgewater's mayor feels amalgamation could be the future of Lunenburg County. David Walker says local towns and municipal units are barely keeping their head above water and believes more talks need to be held on the subject. Walker points to issues including the recent dissolution of towns including Springhill as warning signs. He feels amalgamation should happen sooner rather than later.



The town of Bridgewater, Municipality of Lunenburg and town of Mahone Bay have been working together on garbage collection. Walker says its time to start looking at options that will work better for residents.

Security Threat Knocks Down Electronic Tax Filing System

You won't be able to e-file your tax returns for the next little while. The Canada Revenue Agency has temporarily shut down public access to its electronic services website over security concerns. The precautionary move is related to the "Heartbleed Bug" - a newly discovered software that can swipe passwords and your personal information. In a message posted online, the agency states it has temporarily closed its services site "to protect the security of taxpayer information." Spokesperson for H & R Block, Cleo Hamel says they can still prepare tax returns but just can't send them into the CRA.



The CRA is hinting extensions could be granted if the problem lingers until the end of the month. The agency will provide daily updates until the situation is resolved.

Distracted Driving More Concerning To Canadians Than DUI

RCMP and town police forces across the province are banding together to promote undistracted driving. Driving a vehicle while distracted is now the number-one road safety concern in Canada, even more so than drunk driving! Cell phones, lap tops, GPS and other electronic gadgets have found their way into cars and trucks. RCMP Corporal Scott MacRae says it doesn't take much for a driver to lose control.



However, Bridgewater Police Chief John Collyer says its not just electronic items that can distract drivers.



If you're caught texting, using a phone or other devices while driving, you could be fined close to $200.
Bridgewater Police and the RCMP are focussing attention on the issue this month and randomly stopping vehicles as part of their education campaign.

How To Avoid Being Phone Scammed

South Shore Kijiji shoppers are being advised to wary of a scam that is making the rounds on the popular buying and selling website. The way it works is the scammer goes to any mobile phone shop and takes advantage of one of those deals where you get a free phone if you sign a contract. The person then sells the phone which technically has not been paid for and now becomes the buyer's problem. Jill Atkinson of the Maritime Better Business Bureau says people can easily get fleeced by the scam.



Police forces on the South Shore and the Better Business Bureau say the easiest way to avoid being taken by the scam is to meet the seller at any mobile phone service provider. The provider can check to see if the phone has a dubious history, if its been flagged in their database.

Provincial Parks Open For Bookings

You can start planning trips to provincial parks this summer. They are open between May 17 to October 14. On the South Shore, new serviced sites and a new administration building will open this season as a result of renovations at Graves Island Provincial Park. Meanwhile, serviced sites are being made available for the first time at Rissers Beach. Further information on the parks availability and services can be found at www.novascotiaparks.ca

Bridgewater: Premier Speaking At Chamber Of Commerce Luncheon

The premier will make a stop along the South Shore this week. Stephen McNeil will be a guest speaker for the Bridgewater Area Chamber of Commerce on Friday from 11:30am until 1:30pm. McNeil will focus on the province's budgetary plans with an emphasis on growing Nova Scotia's economy and population. Manager Dan Hennessey says they're excited to have McNeil back.



Friday's talk will be held at the Osprey Ridge Golf Club. Tickets are available through the chamber website here . The Liberal leader will also be in town for a health-related announcement at 10:45am.

No Major Tax Hikes In Queens County

Good news for residents and businesses in Queens County. Residential and commercial tax rates will remain the same over the coming year and there will be no cutback in services. Region of Queens Council approved the budget this morning. Mayor Christopher Clarke says its taken a lot of penny-pinching and watching every dollar being spent to maintain the status-quo.



The Mayor says in fact the residential rate in a few locations like Liverpool will actually be slightly lower in the coming year. The capital budget for the municipality will be $1,740,000. The residential tax rate in Districts 1-12 is 97 cents per $100. assessment and the commercial is $2.07 per $100. assessment. District 13 has a residential rate of $1.85 and $2.95 for commercial. The 2014-15 Region of Queens Municipality Budget is posted on the Region's website:
www.regionofqueens.com/finance/financial-statements/budget.