HIT AND RUN

Bridgewater Police are investigating after a hit and run on the corner of Queen and Dominion Streets.

Police say the driver fled the scene of an accident on Thursday afternoon.

The vehicle is described as a rusted, off-white Honda or Pontiac Grand Am with visible damage to the exterior.

Anyone with information on the crime is asked to contact Bridgewater Town Police or Crime Stoppers.

FEED THE METER

Those of you who park in downtown Bridgewater will soon have to feed the meter a little more if a bylaw passes second reading.

Town council has some new regulations in the works that will see parking meter fees and fines increase by at least double their current amount.

Metered parking will double to 50 cents per hour.

Violations will start at fifteen dollars, increasing to 25 if left unpaid for more than a week.

Mayor Carroll Publiclover says the changes could see parking revenues increase by over a third.

SOUTH SHORE HOUSING MARKET 'UNPREDICTABLE'

More properties are being listed on the South Shore real estate market as the cost of owning a home in Canada continues to increase.

And one local real estate agent is noticing some fluctuations in the housing market.

Exit Realty agent, Gary Mailman says increased taxation by municipalities and decreased lending by local banks is making for some concerned customers.

"Buyers are, this year especially, have been very cautious when making a purchase. They really are doing their homework which is good. They're very careful not to overpay, " says Mailman.

Mailman says he had a rough start to the year but his business has picked up.

According to the Nova Scotia Association of Realtors, both South Shore home listings and prices are up about 5 percent from last year while sales in our region are up 10 percent from 2009.

Mailman says you would need a crystal ball to predict how the market will fare in the future.

NEW MOTION HAS COUNCIL CELEBRATING

Are you celebrating your golden years, or your silver, gold or platinum wedding anniversary?

Well, it's guaranteed you'll be getting at least one letter of recognition in the mail this year.

Bridgewater Town Council has passed a motion that will see the town commemorating birthdays of town residents who are ninety years old or older, every year.

Additionally, couples will be recognized for twenty five years of marriage and every five years thereafter.

Councillors say they brought in the motion to ensure all major milestones are remembered.

Drug Seizure

Another seizure of drugs in Lunenburg County. RCMP with the assistance of the South Shore Integrated Crime Unit searched a residence in the New Canada area on Thursday September 30th. Police seized a small amount of marijuana, a small amount of cocaine, a 22 calibre rifle and ammunition. A male was arrested and will appear in Bridgewater Provincial Court next week.

Public Tours of Oak Island

If you've never seen it up close and personal but have harboured a long standing desire to visit Oak Island, you will get your chance this weekend. The Friends of Oak Island Society is holding another weekend of tours of the famous Island. Society spokesman Charles Barkhouse says Oak Island and the legend of Captain Kidd's buried treasure is known world-wide but the locals are somewhat lacking in THEIR knowledge about it. He says it's under appreciated by Nova Scotians in general. Barkhouse they want to bring more awareness about the island and they have the cooperation of the owners as far as opening it up to the public to let people see what the story is all about. The Society hosted an earlier weekend tour in July and Barkhouse says there was an overwhelming response. This weekend's tours will be at 10am, 2 and 5pm Saturday and Sunday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! FROM BRIDGEWATER TOWN COUNCIL

Are you frustrated with family members who forget your birthday?

Sick of reminding your spouse of the date of your anniversary?

Well, the Town of Bridgewater won't forget.

A new policy by town council will commemorate certain birthdays and special occasions.

Town residents, ninety years and up, can expect a letter in the mail.

Also...couples married for twenty-five years will be recognized on their silver anniversary and every five years thereafter.

Councillors say they brought in the motion to ensure everyone's milestones are remembered.

DRUG BUST IN KEMPT YIELDS POT PLANTS AND CHARGES

A 47-year-old man faces drug charges after police seized 285 marijuana plants and nine pounds of processed marijuana earlier this week.

Members of the South Shore Integrated Crime Enforcement Unit along with Queens District RCMP and Bridgewater Police executed a search warrant at a residence on New Grafton Road in Kempt.

The man faces charges of illegal production of marijuana and possessing marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.

No court date has been set yet.

The investigation continues.

HEBBVILLE SENIOR BUSTED FOR ALLEDGEDLY SELLING ILLEGAL SMOKES

A police search of a residence in Hebbville has resulted in the seizure of thousands of illegal cigarettes and charges laid against a 65 year old man.

The South Shore Integrated Street Crime Enforcement Unit with the assistance of Lunenburg County RCMP and Bridgewater Police executed a search warrant at a residence on Highway 3 in Hebbville.

Police seized 6-thousand illegal cigarettes.

The suspect faces charges under the Federal Excise Act and the Provincial Revenue Act when he appears in Bridgewater Provincial Court on December 1st.

SHELBURNE COUNTY ACCIDENT INJURES NORTHWEST HARBOUR MAN

The driver of a small pickup truck has been injured in a two vehicle crash on highway 103 in Clyde River.

Shelburne RCMP say the pickup was pulling out of the Ultramar service station and was T-boned by an on-coming small milk-delivery vehicle.

The driver of the pickup, a 36 year old man from Northwest Harbour, was sent to Roseway Hospital with undetermined injuries, thought to be NON-life threatening.

The driver of the delivery vehicle wasn't hurt.

Shelburne RCMP Sgt. Barry MacLellan says there may have been two contributing factors that caused the crash ... thick fog at the time of the crash and a transport truck parked in front of the service station that obstructed the view of the driver of the pickup.

MacLellan says charges may be laid against the tractor trailer driver.

Traffic was re-routed around the accident scene for about an hour.

The investigation continues.

Interrnational Epilepsy Conference at White Point

An international conference dealing with epilepsy wraps up today at White Point Beach Resort in Queens County. The two day conference focused on advanced neuro-imaging techniques in new onset epilepsy. The conference features a number of clinical scenarios,group discussions and interactive learning. Delegates are attending from Canada, The U.S., Brazil, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Riverfront Celebration

There's a kick off tomorrow to celebrate the riverfront development. Work has been underway on the revitalization since 2004. Improvement efforts include interpretative panels along the banks of the LaHave River, a major renovation to King Street Court, a riverfront park in the downtown core and a fountain in the river between the two bridges. The celebration is free and will run from 9:30 am to 2 pm including an official opening at 10 a.m.

EVENT SCHEDULE

8am King Street (Empire – Dominion) closed to vehicles
8am- 9:30 Celebration set up
9:00 am Cheer Intensity Demo (King Street Court)

MAIN STAGE KING STREET COURT
9:30 – 9:55 Fireman’s Band

10:00 OFFICIAL OPENING:

Piper Ron Leblanc, Town Crier, Ozzie Stiles,
ACOA – Government of Canada – MP Gerald Keddy,
NS Department of Health Promotion & Protection,
MLA Gary Ramey
Mayor Carroll Publicover (Mr Maughan)
Darren Lipsett, BDA Chair
Barb Thompson, Interpretive Panels

10:15 – 10:45 Bridgewater Firemen’s Band
10:45 – 10:55 Cheer Intensity
10:55 – 11:40 South Shore Ukulele Concert Group
11:40 – 11:55 Kipper’s Gymnastics demonstration
11:55 – 1:00 Twist of Fate
1:00 – 1:15 Kick Boxing demonstration
1:00 – 2:00 Naming the Twins

KING STREET & KING STREET COURT GAZEBO
Farmer’s Market ,Face painting,Clown on Stilts,Buskers
Food Vendors,Wine Tasting,
Demonstrations (kick-boxing, skateboarding, gymnastics)
Prizes,Intrepretive panels

Possible Use for Fox Point School

The Municipality of Chester has received a request for the use of the old Fox Point school. Warden Alan Webber says Council had determined that when the daycare moved out, the school would be put on the market to try to recover some of their money Webber says Council now has two requests to consider.. both from community based organizations.GPIAtlantic, founded in 1997 is an independent, non-profit research and education organization. It is committed to the development of the Genuine Progress Index, a new measure of sustainability, well being and quality of life. The group will return with a more formal presentation to Council next week.

Octoberfest Funding

An annual fall event at the Forties Community Centre getting a cash infusion from the federal government. MP Gerald Keddy announced a grant of 25 hundred dollars to support the annual Octoberfest. The funding is provided through the Building Communities through Arts and Heritage program. Phillip Broome, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Forties Community Centre says the funding will assist in the celebration of German Heritage of Lunenburg County. Oktoberfest takes place from October 11th to 24th, at the Forties Community Centre in New Ross.

Needs a Lift

A request has been submitted to the Department of Health for funding for upgrades to the existing elevators and for the addition of a third elevator at South Shore Regional Hospital. Both elevators were down and out of service on August 23rd.
C-E-O Alice Leverman says the elevators are original to the hospital when it was constructed 22 years ago. She says they are proposing the project be done in two phases. Phase 1 would be the construction of the third elevator which would cost approximately 1.7 million, while Phase 2 would be the upgrades to the existing elevators at an estimated cost of 350 thousand.

Sea Cadets/Information & Registration

Lunenburg Sea Cadets will be holding an information presentation and registration next week. Interested individuals are asked to meet at the Lunenburg Corps headquarters building at 93 Victoria Road, next to the bowling alley at 7 p.m. on October 6th. Sea Cadets open to those aged 13 to 18 offers a program that included leadership and citizenship training, development of public speaking skills, physical fitness, sailing, seamanship,marksmanship, music and biathlon.

School Mischief

They're calling it an act of mischief rather than vandalism. Queens County RCMP are investigating an incident at the Milton Centennial School. Sometime overnight on Tuesday, September 28th, a piece of playground equipment was broken . A leg was also broken off an ornamental cement bench. Anyone having information regarding the incident is asked to contact the Queens RCMP Detachment or CRIMESTOPPERS.

VP Health Services Appointed

Janet Simm has been appointed to the position of V-P Health Services at South Shore Health. Simm is currently Director of Policy, Planning and Decision Support with health Association, Nova Scotia. She has extensive knowledge of health system issues and experience in acute care and community health settings and has developed strategic partnerships at both the provincial and national level. Her appointment takes effect October 18th.

Dial-for-Dining

It's not like being in a five star hotel, but South Shore Health patients will be able to Dial for Dining next month. Food and Nutrition Services are in the process of implementing a room service model for patient meal service. The program will improve quality and client satisfaction my offering patients more choice and flexibility. C-E-O Alice Leverman says Dial for Dining allows patients to eat what they want , when they want, which will greatly reduce food waste. Patients will be able to order during selected hours from a standard menu. The service which will start at South Shore Regional Hospital October 16th, will also be expanded to Fishermen's Memorial in Lunenburg and Queens General in Liverpool.

Land Conservation

An official partnership agreement to conserve land in Mahone Bay will be formally signed Thursday, September 30th. John MacDonell, Minister of Natural Resources, will sign an agreement with the Mahone Islands Conservation Association to acquire and protect more land in Mahone Bay. The signing will take place at 3 p.m. at the Mahone Bay government wharf.