Bank Fraud

RCMP are warning citizens of a recent trend of bank fraud taking place throughout the province. Three incidents have been reported to police within Lunenburg and Yarmouth areas within the last month. The fraud involves a male caller indicating he is an employee of a particular Bank and is conducting an internal investigation on an employee. He requests assistance by asking for your participation in an undercover operation by withdrawing large sums of money from your bank. After the cash has been withdrawn, he requests you meet him in a parking lot. Once the money has been handed over, the male asks not to discuss the situation for 72 hours as it would compromise the investigation. Within a few days, the male calls back and the process is repeated with additional cash withdrawn. RCMP believe there are two individuals operating this fraud throughout the province . One of the suspects is described as a white male, 50-60 years old, medium build, wearing a ball-cap. If you suspect or know you are a victim of a fraudulent scam, contact police.

BIX EX D.U.M.B Car

Visitors to the South Shore Exhibition will be among the thousands of people in Atlantic Canada who will learn how to lead safer lives, protect their property and prepare for emergencies, thanks to the Be Smart. Be Safe. Tour developed by the Insurance Bureau of Canada. The interactive exhibit, features The Rain Cycle and driving simulator, the D.U.M.B. Car. The IBC will be making two special presentations tonight at 9 p.m. Lunenburg West MLA Gary Ramey, will receive five Child Safety Link children's storybooks on playground safety - for all of the elementary schools in his riding. As well, Janice Rand of the Lunenburg/Queen Recreation Coordinators/Directors Association will be presented with a donation in support of the valuable work it does for the community.

Slip Slide

The workers at Shelburne Ship Repair are tired of waiting to hear when and if repairs will be made to the slipway. Union spokesman Gary Nickerson says it's at the point now they are not being certified to haul any more ships until major repairs are made. He says talks have been going on forever, and the Union has decided to jump in and try and get the ball rolling. Nickerson says they'll be meeting at 11:30 this morning with MLA Sterling Belliveau in Barrington to present their case and see if things can be speeded up.

Justice Opening

Bridgewater's new Justice Centre on High Street opened for business a month ago, but today there will be a formal ceremony to officially open the centre. Premier Darrell Dexter and Attorney General and Justice Minister Ross Landry will be on hand to officially open the new building at 3 o'clock this afternoon. Public tours of the new building will take place from 3;30 to 5 p.m. The new justice centre was first announced in 2003 with construction not getting underway until 2007. The 49,000-square-foot facility was originally pegged to cost 10 million dollars, but the most recent figures released by the Department of Justice put the cost close to 16.8 million dollars ($20.2 million including land, design and construction management). The building was dedicated in February to Lunenburg M-L-A Michael Baker, just weeks before he died of cancer.

Parkview Parking

A tender will be awarded today to begin work to address the parking problems at Parkview Education Centre. The project as tendered came in at 606 thousand dollars but through reconfiguring some of the components the South Shore Regional School Board came up with cost reductions of 178 thousand, 655 dollars.Board Chair Elliott Payzant says the project will create additional parking and address the safety issue. Parkview was awarded funding of 2 million dollars over three years back in April by then area MLA Carolyn Bolivar-Getson. The announcement was part of a $307 million, seven-year commitment for major school renovations and constructions by the provincial government.

Bridgewater Michelin H-1-N-1

With the word of Pandemic planning comes a confirmed case of H-1-N-1 influenza at the Michelin plant in Bridgewater. An employee tells CKBW there was a staff memo circulated this morning saying the one worker had been diagnosed with the swine flu - but it is described as a mild case. Another plant official unofficially confirms that but says the name of the affected worker is being kept confidential. The medical staff is the only group in the plant who are aware of all of the details. But workers are being directed to follow the precautions that are laid out by the Nova Scotia Health department in their pandemic guidelines. Things like frequent hand-washing, sneezing or coughing into your sleeve or isolating yourself if you feel sick.

Queens Fish Show

Fishing enthusiasts will get a glimpse of Queens county later this year. The Dimestore Fisherman is filming as they fish for small mouth bass with Dennis Lavender and Ken Maynard and for maco shark with Peter Cook and Myles Winters. It's the first time in the 11 years the Calgary-based fishing show has been on the air that they host has gone shark fishing. In addition to the fishing components of filming, Jim Hoey and his crew will also be filming local attractions for the "How the heck do you get here?" portion of their show which will promote and advertise tourism in Queens County. In a news release, Mayor John Leefe calls it a great opportunity to send the message across North America that the Region of Queens is a great place to visit, live and invest. The fishing show will be filming in the area until Monday.

Big Exhibit

An Exhibit on Canadian Engagement in Afghanistan will be on display at the South Shore Exhibition this week. Visitors will have the opportunity to see the Afghanistan360 exhibit featuring stories from the field and short video segments on the training and development projects that Canada supports in Afghanistan. You will also be able to record 15-second video messages to our civilians and soldiers serving in Afghanistan. The exhibit offers Canadians the opportunity to learn about progress in the six focused areas in which Canada is providing assistance in Afghanistan. It also showcases Canada's three signature projects in Afghanistan.

Rudy Retires (a bit)

It's the end of an era for a Visionary Environmentalist. Tonight will see Martin Rudy Haase stepping down as Executive Secretary of the Friends of Nature Conservation Society - a group he founded in Maine in 1954. Haase emigrated to Nova Scotia, forming a Canadian Chapter in 1967. Federal Green Party leader Elizabeth May will be at Monday night's meeting. Rudy will be Sheldon's special guest this weekend on South Shore Sunday Morning.

Tucker's Tripdate

It's been almost seven weeks on bicycle crossing Canada to raise awareness for Amnesty International for a South Shore father and son. After 22 biking days in Ontario, Bob and Tucker Mertens are now in Winnipeg. Tucker tells CKBW he's pleased with the amount of money they've raised so far - $2,000. The father and son are trying to make it to BC before the start of the school year travelling a hundred kilometers a day. They've been updating their adventure on the website www.tuckersbike.blogspot.com . You can hear an update about the trip from Tucker on this weekend's South Shore Sunday Morning.

Green Bin Blaze

Another green bin fire. And there's a warning from RCMP. Thursday evening a bin in a private driveway near Blockhouse was burning when neighbors called 9-1-1. Lunenburg and District firefighters responded. The bin was destroyed but there was no other damage to the property or to the nearby properties. This is the second green bin fire in just over a week. And police are encouraging you to keep the bins away from the side of your home or other structures. And they are asking you to report any suspicious activities.

Festival Funding

Another event on the south shore is in line for federal dollars. Gerald Keddy announced $13,200 in funding for the South Shore in Motion Festival Society. The event will be held at the Exhibition Grounds in Bridgewater from August 7 to August 9, 2009. Charlie Horstman says the grant from Canadian Heritage has allowed South Shore in Motion to expand its regular events to include a chance for Bridgewater to showcase some of the accomplishments of current and former residents and businesses of the area. He says this year they've invited local artists to display their works and local musicians to perform for festival goers. The first edition of this event was organized in 2005. Activities will include an exhibition of contemporary visual art and folk art created from car parts, lawn tractor races, truck pulls, emergency vehicle show and shine and musical performances by local artists.

BBBS Golf Event

No major rain, but it was a perfect day for support to pour in for South Shore Big Brothers and Big Sisters. The organizers held their eighth annual golf tournament yesterday. The event this year was held at Richard Homburg's Sherwood Golf and Country Club on a misty Thursday afternoon. And after expenses, the event raised 15-thousand-250 dollars. 28 teams participated with the winners - Sun Life - coming in at 13 under par. Big Brothers and Big Sisters needs to raise 80 percent of its funding requirements through events like their golfing and bowling events. Sheldon wants to thank his teammates John Collyer, Earl Lantz, Jason Mailman and Mike Dunham. We finished four under - with credit going to Big Mike for the loooong ball.

Natural Resources Panel

A dozen Nova Scotians have been appointed to guide the development of a new natural resources strategy for the province. The appointments were recommended by a steering panel chaired by former Chief Justice Constance Glube. The four expert panels will soon begin the job of consulting with stakeholders, and their findings will be reported to the steering panel late this fall. Jonathan Porter, of Liverpool, the manage of Forestry and Fibre Resources, Abitibi Bowater has been appointed to the Forestry Panel as has Donna Crossland, the senior park warden of Kejimkujik National Park.

Furey Returns

His journey from top cop to politician and back again is completed. RCMP Senior Management have officially returned Mark Furey to the job of District Commander for the Lunenburg County RCMP. He officially started his duties as Staff Sergeant on Monday. Furey left his job on April 15th on unpaid leave to run as the Liberal candidate in Lunenburg West. He finished third with 25 percent of the popular vote in the June election where Gary Ramey was elected MLA. Two-term MLA Carolyn Bolivar Getson finished second. Furey is a 29-year veteran of the RCMP and is back in the saddle again.

Jubilee Accident

One person was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries and another is facing charges after an accident on Jubilee Road. Bridgewater Police say it happened just before nine last night. A vehicle was overturned with two people in it. Fire Chief Wayne Thorburne says they were out by the time their trucks rolled up. A news release from police says the passenger was taken to South Shore Regional and the driver was treated at the scene. They say the 21-year old man was then released into police custody. He is charged with impaired driving and impaired driving causing bodily harm. He has a court date set for September 23rd in Bridgewater. The 20 firefighters were on scene until around 11:30 last night.

Lumberjacks Chugging

It might be the middle of summer but Bridgewater's Junior A Hockey team continues to chug along. The Nauss Timbermart Lumberjacks have announced a couple of major events for next month. The club will host a golf tournament at Osprey Ridge on August 20th and they'll be conducting a summer hockey school at the Bridgewater Arena during the final week of August. Training camp will open for the Jacks' on August 29th and their first exhibition contest will be against the visiting Yarmouth Mariners on Monday, August 31st. Newly-hired coach and GM Jim Bottomly says players not willing to give one hundred percent commitment to winning will not make his squad. Bottomly has also hinted that a trade or two might take place prior to training camp.

No Plea

A Bridgewater man facing a number of charges relating to a series of hit and run crashes in April still hasn't entered pleas. Forty year old Stephen Richard Burton appeared in Bridgewater Provincial Court yesterday and his case was set over to August 12th. His lawyer says he's still awaiting outstanding disclosure from the Crown. Burton is charged with impaired driving, dangerous driving, failing to stop at the scene of an accident and one count of property damage. The charges were laid following a string of collisions in Bridgewater back on April 22nd. That night around 9 p.m. a grey Chev Cavalier struck a vehicle on LaHave Street. An RCMP officer off duty at the time approached the driver of the Cavalier who fled the scene. The Mountie followed in his own vehicle. The Cavalier then struck another vehicle on Aberdeen Road, turned onto Hirtle Drive and ended up smashing into a residence on Hollingsworth Drive and damaging a car that was parked in the lot at Eastside Apartments. The Cavalier eventually went off the road on Streatch Drive where the driver ditched the car and fled on foot. Burton was arrested at his residence a short time later.

Shelburne Job Concerns

Union members with Shelburne Ship Repair have started a petition to gather public support as well as taking their concerns to local politicians in Shelburne county. Municipal Warden Sherm Embry says council has written to Irving Shipbuilding and the Premier's office to ask for help in resolving outstanding issues. Embry says the municipal interest is advocacy for jobs in the Municipality of Shelburne. Irving currently leases the property in the Shelburne Industrial Park from Nova Scotia Business Inc.

Mahone Bay Parade

Mahone Bay's Classic Boat festival is coming up on the first weekend of August. And again this year, there will be some traffic issues in and around the community for the street parade. Clearway street will be shut down from 10 until 11:30 on Saturday August 1st as they line up for the annual trek through town. And Main street will shut down to traffic between 11 and noon. Side street traffic will also be held back until the event finishes.