Fan Noise Frustrates Resident

The complaints are continuing over noise levels from the Shannex long term care complex. Brady Street resident John O'Brien says the noise from an H-VAC system on the north side of Ryan Hall is disrupting his tranquility and calm. He says he can't open his windows because of the noise levels. Shannex has installed a dormer and louvers around the outlet to mitigate and deflect the noise. O'Brien appeared before Town Council and invited members to come to his house and hear the noise themselves. Tests have determined the noise levels are within the acceptable range and Council suggested O'Brien contact Shannex directly to try to reach a suitable arrangement.

Navy Namesake Presentation

The Town of Lunenburg will be honoured this evening as part of the Canadian Navy's 100th Anniversary celebrations. Petty Officer Chris Mosher from CFB Halifax will present the Mayor with a framed pictorial history of HMCS Lunenburg as part of the Canadian Navy Centennial Namesake Project. The picture includes a photograph of HMCS Lunenburg, a picture of the ship's badge and a short history of its service.
The River class frigate HMCS Lunenburg was commissioned on December 4, 1941 Similar namesake presentations are being made across Canada to bring attention to the Centennial of the Canadian Navy. Tonight's ceremony is set for 6:30 p.m. at the Royal Canadian Legion on Duke Street.

Break & Enter

Bridgewater Police are investigating after a break and enter occurred at Sunny Oasis Tanning and Hair Studio over the long weekend.

The break happened between 6:30 Sunday evening and 8 o'clock Monday morning.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Bridgewater Police.

ER-Closure

Fisherman's Memorial Hospital will have two emergency room closures on the weekend.

Tomorrow, May 22nd, Beginning at 2:30pm the ER will be closed and reopen at 7:30am on Sunday. Then close again at 2:30 in the afternoon and reopen on Monday morning at 7:30am.

If you require emergency services you are advised to call 911 or visit South Shore Regional in Bridgewater. Patients with non-emergencies should contact their family physician or call 811.

Long Service Awards for Paramedics

A number of South Shore paramedics among 87 that were presented with long service awards by Health Minister Maureen MacDonald at a ceremony in Halifax yesterday. Among the recipients, John May of Bridgewater Martin Bell, Conquerall Bank; ,Allan Keddy, Blockhouse; Alan Cranton and Joe Gallant of New Germany, Mike Morton, Charleston Mill; Bruce Leaman and Gary Gehue of, Liverpool; Richard Baglole, Chester Basin; Gary Dares and Peter MacPherson, Mahone Bay and Jim Currie, Shelburne;
The Paramedic Long Service Award is based on years of service to Nova Scotia by paramedics and others who provide emergency health services.

Lunenburg County Life Centre joint council meeting

A 2012 end date is still the future for the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre. Today the proposed construction budget and the three year operating budget was approved by Bridgewater and the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg. Chair of the Centre, Paul Belliveau says although they're three months behind on fundraising they still plan to stay on schedule with construction. Belliveau says they are still dealing with the federal government on getting the final details worked out.

Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival

Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival President Marilyn Keddy says volunteers are excited about this year's 25th anniversary festival, following the launch of the performance schedule yesterday in Lunenburg. Two-time Juno Award-winner David Francey will headline this year's Folk Harbour Festival, which runs from August 5th to 8th. Matt Andersen, Old Man Luedecke, Connic Kaldor, and James Keelaghan share the Main Stage bill at the three-day event. The complete schedule of performers at this year's Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival can be found at www.folkharbour.com

CT Scanner Unveiled

The public is invited to attend the official unveiling of a new CT Scanner on Friday, June 4th at South Shore Regional Hospital. The scanner was purchased through the Department of Health as well as donations from the South Shore Health Services and Queens General Hospital Foundations. Health Minister Maureen MacDonald will be on hand for the unveiling which is set to take place at 11 a.m. in the Lecture Room on the third floor of South Shore Regional Hospital..

Legion Renovations

The Bridgewater Legion will receive nearly 23 thousand dollars in federal funding under the New Horizon's for Seniors Program . The money will be used to carry out renovations to the facility including repairing a leaking foundation wall, replacing water damaged interior walls and flooring and repairs to the kitchen. The renovations will contribute to the well being of the Legion and those it serves

Keep your car doors locked

A 14 year-old boy will face three charges of breaching his Undertaking, and a charge of Possession of Stolen Property today in Bridgewater court.

The boy was arrested yesterday after numerous sightings by the public of a boy entering unattended vehicles.

The youth, who is already facing charges from a number of incidents that occurred early in the month will appear in Bridgewater Court this afternoon.

Police are reminding vehicle owners the best preventative measure to avoid thefts from vehicles is to keep your vehicles locked when parked and to never leave valuables in an unattended vehicle.

International Theatre Festival

The 10th Annual Liverpool International Theatre Festival kicks off today with a stellar line up of performances. Along with four outstanding Nova Scotian troupes, amateur theatre groups from around the globe will converge on Liverpool to compete at the festival. Along with the lineup of five days of play LITF invites the public to attend one of the many theatre craft workshops being offered between shows, Coffee Critique" discussions of the previous days performances, nightly entertainment and the opening and closing ceremonies. For more information at the International Theatre Festival visit the website at www.litf.ca .

NGRHS Students to Receive Lt.Gov. Medals

Two Grade 11 students at New Germany Rural High School will be presented with the 2010 Lieutenant Governor's Education Medal on Wednesday, May 26th. The medals are presented to one boy and one girl from Grade 11 in each school who have demonstrated leadership and service in their school and community while maintaining their academic standing. Students are nominated by their school annually. Lieutenant Governor Mayann Francis traditionally visits two school board districts in the province to present the awards, with the remaining awards being presented by their school administration.

**Photo, courtesy of Gov't.of Nova Scotia**

LCLC Operating Budget

A draft three year budget for the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre will be unveiled this week. A special joint council meeting of Bridgewater and the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg will be held Thursday afternoon at 1:30 in the Municipal Council Chambers on Aberdeen Road. Both councils will conduct separate meetings to receive a recommendation from the Joint Councils regarding the proposed budget.
The meetings are open to the general public. The 32 million dollar Lifestyle Centre will include a library, indoor pool and single ice surface. Site work will start later this fall with a target completion date in late 2012.

Bridgewater Legion Gets Federal Funding

Ottawa is contributing close to 23 thousand dollars for improvements to the Bridgewater Royal Canadian Legion- Branch 24. The improvements to the facility will benefit seniors in the community.The capital funding is being provided from the federal governments New Horizons for Seniors Program. South Shore-St. Margaret's M-P Gerald Keddy will present the funding during a ceremony at the Legion on Churchill Street at 1 o'clock Wednesday.May 19th. The Maitland and District Community Recreation Centre is also receiving 9 thousand 900 dollars in federal funding from the program for facility renovations

Lunenburg Jr. High School

The public can find out more about the new Lunenburg Jr. High School at a public information session this evening. The South Shore Regional School Board will host a presentation regarding the new Bluenose Academy in Lunenburg. Architects will be on hand to share details of the new school design and will answer questions from the public. The information session is set for 7pm, this evening at the Lunenburg Community Centre.

Bridgewater post-office opened

The new post-office in Bridgewater had its official opening today. The ribbon cutting ceremony took place this morning to open the new facility located at 135 north street, that will take place of the old post office that was located on King Street. Mayor Carroll Publicover was on hand for the event and says the building on King Street is an iconic building and will never be forgotten. The Bridgewater Heritage and Historical Society was on the scene at the opening to recognize over 100-years of Canada-Post service to the town.

Mahone Bay Assault

Two Mahone Bay men are scheduled to appear in Bridgewater court next month after allegedly assaulting a man over the weekend.

The two were arrested after they broke a window at the residence of the complainant, then assaulted him when he came outside.

June 30th is when the two are scheduled to appear in court.

Court date for Truro man

A Truro man will appear in Bridgewater court today after allegedly stealing cheques from a church in Liverpool and attempting to cash them in Bridgewater.

William Lewis will appear on charges of Uttering a Forged Document, Possession of Stolen Property and Breach of Probation.

Lewis was wanted by other police agencies in Nova Scotia and will answer to those charges today.

St.Phillips Street Broken Water Main

Some residents on Saint Phillip's Street have to do without water during most of the day.

The loss of water-pressure lies between the Centennial Trail and Victoria Road.

S spokesman for the "Bridgewater Public-Works Department" says they hope to have the water-service restored by 2:00 o'clock this afternoon.

Official Opening of New Bwtr Post Office

Official ceremonies are set for this morning for the grand-opening of the new Bridgewater post-office.

The Bridgewater Heritage and Historical Society will be on the scene to recognize over 100-years of postal services to the town.

The official Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony is set for 11:00 o'clock this morning at the new Canada Post site at 135 north Street in Bridgewater.

U-S Man Faces Assault Charges in Lower Clark Harbour Incident

An American man appears in court today to face charges stemming from an alleged assault in Shelburne County.

The Barrington RCMP responded on Friday morning to a call to a residence in Lower Clark's Harbor.

The Mounties were told that an argument on Thursday night between a U-S couple visiting their seasonal-residence in Lower Clark's Harbor had turned physical.

The 66-year-old woman was transported by neighbors to the Yarmouth Regional Hospital, where medical-pesonell determined that the woman had suffered a broken arm during the incident.

A 65-year-old man remains in custody and will face a charge of "assault causing bodily harm" when he appears today at Provincial Court in Yarmouth.

Earth Day challenge results

Everything from coffee cups with coffee still in them to pop bottles that were twenty years old were picked up on Earth Day this year.

Over 2500 people were involved in this year's Earth Day Challenge in the Province.

Every year Region 6 Solid Waste Management in Liverpool and the Earth Day Planning Committee teams up with Clean Nova Scotia and their The Great Nova Scotia Pick-Me-Up program.

Emergency room closures first annual report

Fisherman's memorial hospital is working to enhance collaborative practice to reduce emergency room closures.

Approximately 19-thousand hours was the results of emergency room closures in the Province last year.

With Fisherman's having 158 hours of unscheduled closure.

Vice President in medicine for the health authority and the acting CEO, Dr Peter Vaughan, says they're working with physicians, nurse practitioner and other help care providers to enhance collaborative practice.

Three people apprehended after 1250 lbs of gaspereau found

Three people were apprehended last night after fisheries officers caught them with illegal gaspereau.

Bridgewater Fisheries officers seized around one-thousand, 250 pounds of gaspereau.

The officers found the three on the Gaspereau Lake system in Kings County.

The investigation is ongoing as officers continue to gather evidence.

Municipality of Shelburne involved in wind energy plan

One of the South Shore Municipalities has been chosen to be involved in a unique pilot project involving wind energy.

The Municipality of the District of Shelburne wants to develop a wind energy plan and bylaw to help the province reach its sustainability measures by 2020.

Shelburne's Chief Administrative Officer, Kirk Cox says this project allows the Municipality of Shelburne to take the first step to facilitate development that is in the best interests of residents and involves them in the process.

The project will run from now until December.

Oceans Wild comes to Lunenburg

Students at Centre Consolidated School in Lunenburg will be getting up close and personal with marine life today.

Oceans Wild Educational Entertainment will be visiting the school to teach students about marine conservation issues.

Students will have the opportunity to walk through a 65 - foot life size fin whale model, see a variety of real shark specimens and a number of other ocean creatures.

The Oceans Wild Team will be on site from 9:00am – 3:00pm.

For more information go to: http://www.oceanswild.com

Lunenburg Preliminary Budgets

The town of Lunenburg has received many of the preliminary budgets for the 2010-2011 fiscal year. The mayor says that they have not yet begun the process of reviewing those budgets. Lawrence Mawhinney says however they plan to begin that process on the 20th of this month. At that time, the council is inviting submissions on those budgets, which are now available at the Lunenburg town hall.Mayor Mawhinney says the council wants to hold the line on expenditures. He says preliminary indications are that they may be able to do that while maintaining previous tax-rates and levels of service.

Upgrade town's infrastructure

The mayor of Bridgewater says his council continues to upgrade the town's infrastructure through capital investment.

Mayor Carroll Publicover says the new budget they approved last night shows they have stood by their intention to maintain current levels of service to town residents.

He says the council also wants to upgrade the town's infrastructure.

Mayor Publicover says the main one is the "Lunenburg County Lifestyle Center" that replaces three aging capital investments -- the arena, the pool and the library.

He says their five-million-dollar investment takes advantage of the fact that the provincial and federal governments pay the rest of the proposed facility's price-tag.

Budget has been set

Bridgewater has set its budget for the 2010-2011 fiscal year.

Town councillors approved the new budget last night by a vote of six-to-one.

The total "Operating Budget" came in at 17-million, 254-thousand, 515-dollars, with a "Capital Budget" of 5.8-million-dollars.

Tax rates are up 2.5-per-cent over last year.

In direct terms, that is up 4.1-cents.

Tax Rates

Bridgewater Town Council hopes to be able to set the tax rates at tonight's council meeting. In the draft version Council had proposed a 2 and a-half percent increase. The residential rate currently sets at
$1.62 per 100 dollars of assessment while the commercial rate is
$3.72 per 100 dollars. Council is looking at a 17 million dollar budget with 6.7 million of that for capital expenditures. Six engineering items include sanitary and storm sewer projects totalling a million dollars.

Police Week Celebrations

Bridgewater Police Service have a number of events planned to celebrate Police Week which kicks off Sunday May 9th. May 14th, is recognized internationally as Peace Officer Memorial Day. An Open House and BBQ will be held on Tuesday, May 11th. The public are invited to tour the police station and enjoy hotdogs and cold drinks. Proceeds from the BBQ will go to South Shore Big Brothers Big Sisters.
On Thursday May 13th, Bridgewater Police Service and community partners will hold a display at the Bridgewater Mall. Auxiliary Cst. Creig Veinot will also be present with Reba, the Police Service Dog. Police week began in 1970 with collaboration between the Government of Canada's office of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada and its provincial counterparts.

Financial Safety for Seniors

An information session for seniors on financial health and safety will take place this Wednesday (May 12th) at the Bridgewater Fire Hall from 10am till noon. The topic is financial health and safety: how to protect yourself from financial abuse— from telemarketing fraud to misspending of your money by well-meaning family and friends. Specific topics covered will include wills, power of attorney, internet fraud, property transfers, and grandparents’ rights. Participants will receive a copy of the publication, "It's in Your Hands"developed by the Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Centre on Aging at Mount Saint Vincent University. The publication will increase seniors’ understanding of the issues to consider when planning and arranging their legal and financial affairs.
For more information on the publication and info session, please visit www.legalinfo.org or call 902-454-2198.

Torch events get underway in Lunenburg

Lunenburg will be the first community in the Province to host the kick-off celebrations for the Halifax 2011 Canada Games torch program.

On Monday, May 10th the torch events will begin at the Atlantic Fisheries Museum parking lot.

The torch will arrive aboard the HMCS Glace Bay at 2pm and be carried on a relay through the town.

Bluenose Academy Public Meeting

The public can find out more about the new Lunenburg Jr. High School at a public information session May 18th. The South Shore Regional School Board will host a presentation regarding the new Bluenose Academy. Architects will be on hand to share details of the new school design and will answer questions from the public. The information session is set for 7pm, Tuesday May 18th at the Lunenburg Community Centre.

Beware of Bears

Homeowners are being encouraged to take the necessary steps to reduce encounters with bears. The animals have awoken from their winter hibernation and need to be discouraged from searching for food in residential areas. Although the numbers of recorded nuisance bear sightings are down this year, homeowners should still take precautions. Those include storing garbage inside or in metal bear-proof containers, and keeping barbecue grills clean and grease-free. To report bear sightings in your neighbourhood, contact the local Natural Resources office. To learn more about how to prevent bear incidents and what to do when seeing a black bear, visit the Natural Resource's website.

New Water Treatment Facility on Line

The water is now running through the new water treatment facility in the Town of Lunenburg. The 7 million dollar plant began pumping water through the distribution system earlier this week. The open reservoir has been taken off line and Council will have to decide what to do with it later. The pre-existing water treatment equipment will be retained for some time to ensure redundancy. Work on the standpipe will soon be completed which will enable the utility to lower chlorine treatment to less noticeable levels, while still meeting treatment standards. Council is looking to hold a public opening ceremony at the new facility in July

Fishmen caught using illegal bait

Two individuals from Port Mouton were apprehended yesterday after being caught fishing with illegal bait.

Fishery officers in Liverpool caught the two failing to release their by-catch and using cod fish and rock crabs as bait.

The two, who can not be named will appear in Liverpool Court at a later date.

For more information on fishing in Nova Scotia visit: http://www.gov.ns.ca/snsmr/paal/fish/paal190.asp

Home Invasion Charges

A Lunenburg County man will remain in jail until May 12th after being arrested and charged in connection with a home invasion last year. Twenty-eight year old Jonathan Joseph Arenburg appeared in Bridgewater Provincial Court Tuesday and was remanded in custody until his next court appearance. Arenburg is charged with robbery and being unlawfully in a dwelling house relating to an incident in West Dublin last September. RCMP say an elderly man was in his kitchen when two people walked into his home demanding money. They allegedly stole cash from his wallet and shoved the 80 year old to the floor before fleeing the house.

Rescue Unit Replacement Requested

The Bridgewater Fire Department is pushing to have a new rescue truck included in this years budget at a cost of 610 thousand dollars. Fire Chief Wayne Thorburne says replacing the truck has been identified since 2000. He says the Fire Department has worked to hold the line on budget and to defer the purchase for another year would only increase the debt load. Chief Thorburne says the truck is going on 23 years old, it's hard to get parts and is a specialized piece of equipment that takes 9 to 11 months to build. The Rescue Unit is used mostly for Mutual Aid. It contains the "Jaws of Life" and is used at accident scenes and as a fire support vehicle. The last new purchase for the Fire Department was a new aerial ladder truck in 2007 at a cost of 951 thousand dollars. The ladder truck it replaced, was 25 years old and was donated to the Nova Scotia Firefighters School in Waverly.

Assessment Roll Numbers

The Town of Bridgewater seeing a 6.3 percent residential increase to the assessment roll for 2010. Commercial is slightly down by about 1.4 percent and within the Town, Business Occupancy with the phase out has decreased about 70 percent. The numbers were made known during a recent presentation to Bridgewater Council by members of the Property Valuation Service Corporation. For 2010, PVSC sent out 36 hundred and 54 assessment notices to the Town. Of that number, 25 hundred and 54 properties are receiving the CAP which is set at zero percent this year. The Property Valuation Service Corporation was formed in 2008 with a mandate to provide market valuation and other property-related services . PVSC which is chaired by Bridgewater Mayor Carroll Publicover is responsible for sending out property assessments to Nova Scotia

Tour for the Cure

The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation's big pink bus will be making stops throughout the South Shore this month.

Cheryl Hill, Manager of Logistics for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation's Tour for the Cure says the bus will be making its first stop today at the Wellness Centre in Chester Basin.

Visiting the bus will help you learn how to take care of your breasts, talk with you about any concerns you might have and encourage you to book an appointment for a mammogram right away.

For more information visit: http://www.tourforthecure.ca

Fisherman caught with cooked lobster meat

A commercial Lobster fisherman and 3 crew members were apprehended this morning, in the Lockeport area for possession of illegal off shore meat.

A bag of cooked lobster meat and cooking utensils were seized.

Charges are being considered for all individuals.

It's illegal for lobster fishermen to be in possession of any claw, tail or meat that has been separated from the body of the lobster in a lobster fishing area.

Inspiring Lives Award

Hastings Guy Jr. of Shelburne is among the recipients to be presented with an Inspiring Lives Award presented to Nova Scotians living with mental illness. Nominated by Shelburne Mental Health, Guy Jr. spent the better part of his life dealing with a chronic post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of severe childhood trauma-except he didn't know it.
Four years ago, after decades of suffering from low self-esteem and an inability to sustain relationships, Hastings started doing some research. He was able to self-diagnose his illness, which was later confirmed by mental health professionals Since then, Hastings has been faithful in his recovery. He quit using drugs and alcohol and dedicated himself to maintaining good mental health. Each day, Hastings is battling the stigma of mental illness by speaking publicly about his own experience. By sharing his story, he inspires others to persevere in their challenges with mental illness and get the help they need. The awards will be presented to 12 Nova Scotians at the 6th Annual Inspiring Lives Award luncheon this Thursday, May 6th at the World Trade and Convention Centre, Halifax.

Lunenburg Looks to Set Tax Rate in June

Residents of Lunenburg will find out their tax rates for this year in June. Mayor Laurence Mawhinney says Council is dealing with the budget document section by section this month . Council will hold three meetings to receive public input before tabling the budget sometime in June. Mawhinney says staff has been directed to prepare a budget with no general increase in expenditures. However, he says there are certain items the Town has no control over. Costs such as education and policing which are mandated by the province. Despite an increase in assessments last year , Town Council was able to drop the residential tax rate for a sixth straight year setting the rate at $1.30 per 100 dollars of assessment.

Foley Lane Not on List

Once again this year Foley Lane has been left off the capital list of projects in the Town's draft budget. Former Town Councillor and Bridgewater Fire Chief Bill Rhodenizer has been lobbying for the last four years to have the street included for upgrades. Foley Lane located off North King Street is paved but has no storm sewer, sidewalks or curbing. The street was pulled from last years budget when a tender for the project came in almost 200 thousand dollars over job estimates. Mayor Carroll Publicover says a point system is used to determine the urgency of the capital project and Foley Lane keeps missing the cut. He says Council needs another strategy to make sure they're addressing streets to some degree so at least they can get started on some of the needs.

Court date this afternoon for Robbery complaint

The 28-year-old, former Lunenburg County man that was arrested for Robbery with Violence last fall will appear in Bridgewater Provincial Court this afternoon.

The arrest came after a Robbery complaint involving an 80 year old West Dublin man at his residence in September of 2009.

Police believe a second, unidentified male was involved in the incident and are asking for the assistance from the public.

Charges Laid in Last Year's Accident

The R-C-M-P have laid a charge in connection with a traffic-accident last year.
The Mounties have charged a Riverport man following their investigation into a mishap in which a motor-vehicle struck a pedestrian in Rose Bay in December.
The 68-year-old woman was taken to the "South Shore Regional Hospital" and later
air-lifted to Halifax with serious injuries . The 45-year-old man appears in court on July 7th to face a charge of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm."
---

Historica Fair at Liverpool Regional High School

Students will present projects featuring Canadian history and heritage at the South Shore Regional School Board Regional Historica Fair, at Liverpool High School this Friday.(May 7th). Many students who have been selected from schools across the region will be drawing personal and family links to their topics. About 80 projects will be featured at the Fair. Public viewing is set for 1 p.m. with awards to be handed out at 1:30 p.m

White Point Chef Wins Competition

White Point's Executive Chef is a winner. Alan Crosby took the title honour at the 2nd Annual Taste of Nova Scotia Cutting Edge Culinary Competition held at Saltscapes Expo 2010 over the weekend. The nine competitors were given a "black box" of ingredients and had 45 minutes to create a dish. Marks were given for presentation, taste of dish and entertainment value during the process. Crosby finished with a score of 90.1. Chef Terry Vassallo of Trattoria della Nonna in Lunenburg tied for second place with 87.5 points.

Septage User Fees Stink

Proposed user fees to dump septage at the Whynott's Settlement Waste site stink according to some Lunenburg Town Councillors. The town is one of four partners that manage the site but feel they're being treated unfairly. A new lagoon is set to open at the waste site next January and while Lunenburg will be sharing in the capital cost it will be charged a user fee of 22 dollars per ton for dumping septic waste. That could mean an additional 80 thousand dollars expense for the Town. Mayor Laurence Mawhinney says Council will be looking at what other options are available to the Town including shipping the waste to another facility.

Teen Faces Assault Charges on Child

A Liverpool teen has been charged with assault with a weapon on a five year old. The charge was laid as a result of an investigation into an alleged child abuse complaint involving a five year old girl last month. The male who will appear in Liverpool Provincial Court May 18th. has been released on conditions, including he have no contact with the child.

Body found in Shelburne County

An autopsy is planned for a body that was found last week in the Brier Hill Road area of Welchtown in Shelburne County.

On Friday, April 30th around one in the afternoon, two people were fishing when they discovered the body of a 78-year-old resident of Newelton in a the box of his pick up truck under an ATV.

The RCMP suspect he was either in the process of removing the ATV from the truck or loading it back on when he became trapped underneath.

The Medical Examiners office will be conducting an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.

Bridgewater Man Fined for Poaching

A Bridgewater man has been fined almost 3 thousand dollars for poaching deer out of season. Fifty-six year old Michael Rex Oickle was initially charged with 18 counts under the wildlife regulations and criminal code but pleaded guilty to three offences while the remainder were withdrawn by the Crown. Oickle was fined a little over 24 hundred dollars fro hunting deer during the closed season, 225 dollars for possessing deer parts and 340 dollars for unlawfully having a rifle in a wildlife habitat. Along with the fines Oickle is banned from having a hunting licence for at least five years.

Own Your Own Courthouse

A hundred and 50 thousand dollars will buy you your own courthouse. That's the asking price for the former justice centre on Pleasant Street. The building is owned by the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg, and a realtors sign has gone up on the property. The title was transferred back to the Municipality in January. The Municipality declared the property surplus and offered to sell it to the Town of Bridgewater, but there was no interest in a purchase. The former court house was replaced by the new Bridgewater Justice Centre on High Street which officially opened last July 30th.

Inn from the Cold

Depending on how you measure success, the Inn from the Cold Bridgewater program hosted 100 overnight stays to 15 individuals ranging from 13 to 75 years of age. Eighty volunteers participated with 8 different churches for the first season of operation of the Inn from the Cold Shelter in Bridgewater.The Bridgewater Police and the RCMP also provided partnership and support. Support and food was provided by Bridgewater Baptist Ministerial, 10 businesses, Bridgewater Town Council, Community College, teachers and many individuals. The program ran from December 1st to until April. Baptist Minister, Reverend Eric Campbell who organized the program says one large gap in assistance that became obvious throughout the season is for those aged 16 - 18 years old, no longer children, but not yet adults. He says It would be wonderful to see more proactive help - to keep those on the 'edge' from falling off. Too many live each month on inadequate Social Assistance - leaving them permanently at risk."

Commuity Demands New School

Nothing less than a new school to replace South Queens Jr./High will satisfy the South Shore Regional School Board and community at large. Vernon Oickle is chair of the SAC of Liverpool Regional High and a member of South Queens SAC. He says the Junior High was listed as a priority to be replaced several years ago . Oickle says the SAC supports the Boards push for a new stand alone building saying renovations are not economically sound . Oickle says it's an important issue for the community. They're not asking for a new school because they want it, they need it and it's the right thing to do for the community and the kids. Board Chairman, Elliott Payzant says a renovation and not having a school that meets 2010 standards is just sentencing the students in the Junior High in South Queens to second class citizens for the next 10 to 15 years and that's simply not acceptable

High Liner Buys Back Shares

High Liner Foods is buying back shares held by Nova Scotia Business Inc. for 4-million-dollars. The Lunenburg based seafood giant gave notice to shareholders earlier this month that it would buy back non-voting common shares. In 1984, the province invested 5-million-dollars in High Liner Foods, now the country's largest value-added seafood company. The shares have earned the province 5-point-3-million-dollars in dividends. High Liner employs 325 people in Nova Scotia.

Shed Fire in Blue Rocks

Several fire departments were out early this morning to battle a structure fire in Lunenburg County.

The Lunenburg Fire Department received a call at around 3:00 o'clock to a blaze at a shed behind 48 The-Lane in Blue Rocks.

They called in the Blockhouse Fire Department for a pumper, tanker and crew; Dayspring for a tanker and crew; the Riverport Fire Department for a pumper and crew; and the Oakhill department for a tanker.

The Mahone Bay Fire Department was also called for a pumper and crew to remain on "standby" at the Lunenburg Fire Hall.