Queens County Woman Charged with Public Mischief

An 18 year-old Queens County woman charged with public mischief will appear in court next month in relation to the death of the Brandon Wentzell.  The 19 year-old died February 5th from a lethal combination of the painkiller Dilaudid and vodka. Charges were laid following an extensive police investigation surrounding a bogus relationship between Wentzell and a girl named Clarissa. Their relationship was built through an online dating website, however, the girl never existed and the relationship was a hoax. It's believed the women charged was behind the hoax. The pair had made numerous attempts to meet but each time their date was cancelled at the last minute. The last time a meeting was supposed to happen was Super Bowl Sunday. Later that night, Wentzell began drinking and taking drugs. Soon after his death, Wentzell's mother received multiple text messages from someone claiming to be Clarissa's mother. The texts stated Clarissa had committed suicide after learning of Brandon's death. That led Bridgewater police to expand their investigation. The woman accused of being behind the hoax will enter a plea to the charges on April 18th in Bridgewater.

Changes in Mandatory Hemelt Use at Lunenburg Arena

Helmets will be mandatory next year for anyone under the age of 12 who is skating at the Lunenburg Arena. The age is being bumped up by two years. Town of Lunenburg councillor Jamie Myra says it's a safety issue and a proactive change. "We've always said that there has been times at public skate or at other times over there where we were surprised nothings ever happened and to my knowledge there really hasn't been any incident that has brought this forward. We just felt we should be proactive and put this into place,"  Myra says he would not be surprised to see helmet use mandatory for all ages at the arena down the road. The town will promote the change more in the fall in hopes it will give skaters time to buy some head gear if they don't already own a helmet.

Town approves amendments for off-leash Dog Park

Now that one is all but confirmed, Bridgewater's mayor says there's room for another. Town council approved amendments to its municipal planning strategy and land use by-law to permit leash-free dog spaces in certain areas of Bridgewater. The move is the next step to building a leash-free space in Generations Active Park. Carroll Publicover believes another leash-free park could be built in the Municipality of Lunenburg. He says there are a number of potential locations.

"There's lands around the MARC that I think might be suitable, Miller Peace Park; I don't know how big it is, but maybe, and maybe there's certain times when that could be a leash-free park and the rest of the time a place to walk, and you know, we have the other side of the 103, our lands, former industrial lands that are there, I think there are sites all over the place."

Councillor David Mitchell says the off-leash space at Generations Active Park could be ready sometime this summer if its grubbed and has proper signage.

Former SSRSB member pursuades MODL to support nine-seat board

A former school board member is persuading the Municipality of Lunenburg to endorse a nine-seat option for the boards electoral boundaries. Karen Reinhardt spoke with council members Tuesday explaining a nine-seat choice would be the best practice to follow; losing only one seat from the previous school board and allowing for wide representation through the region. The school board has endorsed a six seat option as their first choice, plus two seats for the the African and Mik'maq representatives. Reinhardt says that option would create problems including increased workloads for members.

"With those few members, you're not going to have a lot of different viewpoints, a lot of different experience, a lot of different expertise around the board table which is really important for the kind of decisions and discussion that go on there."

The Municipality has deferred a decision until their next committee meeting. Meanwhile, the Utility and Review Board will hold a public hearing on electoral boundaries May 2 at the school board office.

Support for Yarmouth-Maine Ferry Growing in South Shore

The Town of Lunenburg will explore making a one-time contribution to help support efforts to re-establish the Yarmouth to Maine ferry. A campaign is underway to have the service restored but organizers say it will require government funding for the first couple of years. Mayor Laurence Mawhinney says council received a funding request from an advocacy group in Yarmouth hoping to build momentum to restore the ferry service. "They've come forward and said 'can we count on you' and 'can we also ask for your support' and I think it's a reasonable request because I do think Nova Scotia's attractiveness has been diminished without the ferry service," Mawhinney says it's no secret tourism operators across the South Shore took a hit when the ferry ceased operation more than three years ago. He says if municipal units rally behind the ferry it might encourage the province to get involved.

Mawhinney: Seeks Another Term in Lunenburg

A long time political figure in the South Shore says his health is good and he will seek another term in office. Laurence Mawhinney has held the mayoral seat in the Town of Lunenburg for more than three decades. He was first elected in 1976 and has been a member of council for 36 years. Even after another lengthy council meeting last night, Mawhinney says he still find the job both interesting and challenging. "We've got a number of challenging issues before us as a community, not the least of which is what happens with the future of Lunenburg Academy, how do we continue the restoration of the waterfront and how do we continue to build this UNESCO site - there are things that are still not yet complete," Mawhinney says his spirit is strong and adds there are many projects he'd like to see through before retiring. Municipal and school board elections will be held province wide this October.

Search "Scaled Back" For Missing Men Off Cape Sable Island

The search for three men missing from a yacht disabled off Cape Sable Island has been turned over to the R-C-M-P as a missing persons case.  Officials at the rescue centre in Halifax decided late last night to withdraw a Hercules aircraft and two Cormorant helicopters from an area about 150 kilometres south of the Island.  The missing men were not wearing survival suits when they went into the frigid waters early yesterday. Ottawa says the tragedy may be a failed attempt at human smuggling.  Public Safety Minister Vic Toews (TAVES) says some of the five men rescued are claiming refugee status -- and are said to be from Russia, Ukraine and Georgia.

Bridgewater council unsure about Healthy Eating Policy

It's an initiative to make healthy foods more available in recreation and municipal settings across the South Shore. A partnership featuring a number of groups including Lunenburg Queens Recreation, Public Health Services and Health and Wellness are trying to implement a healthy eating policy to have more nutritious foods at arenas or municipally-organized special events. The group was looking to target such local festivals in Bridgewater including the Canada Day and Christmas on the LaHave events. Mayor Carroll Publicover says council isn't quite convinced about the idea. He says they want to consult with committee members from the two local festivals, exchange thoughts and discuss the policy at their next meeting. The Municipality of Chester has approved the policy while the District of Lunenburg is discussing it further.

Business as usual for Bridgewater Zellers

Its business as usual for the time being at Bridgewater Zellers. The local store is one of about 60 in Canada that has not been purchased by Target. External communications manager for Hudson Bay company, Tiffany Bourre, says they are reviewing there options and hope to have a strategy in place later this spring. Bourre could not confirm what would happen to the store once the strategy is determined but can confirm workers have not received notices saying the store is closing because they don't have a closure date. Roughly 40 full and part-time employees work at the local retail store.

Josephson, Team NS lead at Canadian Masters

Team Nova Scotia keeps rolling at the Canadian Masters curling championship in Quebec. The Dartmouth club featuring Bridgewater's Glenn Josephson notched two more wins Tuesday to improve their record to 3-0. The team beat New Brunswick 5-4 and British Columbia 9-3 to move into first place in the competition. The Nova Scotia squad will play Manitoba and Yukon Wednesday.

Hockey game raises over $2,000 for echo system

Another successful fundraiser for the Health Services Foundation of the South Shore. The Health Care Hustlers narrowly beat the Park View Lady Panthers 21-20 in a shootout to win the 3rd annual Head to Head for Health hockey game last Friday night. Bernadette Jordan says this year's event raised roughly $2,100 to go towards the Health Foundations campaign for a new Echo system. She says they are still in need of about $40,000 to reach their goal for the new Echo. Jordan adds, they don't anticipate any changes for next year, but its still early.

Riverport: New Fire Hall has Community Support

A new fire hall has strong support among residents of Riverport. A community group is leading efforts to develop the former Riverport Elementary School property. The Riverport School Site Committee met with about 50 residents last night to discuss potential future use for the old school property. Spokeswoman Debra Hofrichter says their proposal has enough support to move forward and submit the draft plan to the municipality. The group is also pitching the idea of a constructing a skilled trade facility, multi-use civic centre or creating greenspace. Hofrichter says the committee will send out surveys in the near future to gauge which proposal has the most support. The group would need to acquire the property from the municipality and the school would then be demolished. However, she says the entire plan is contingent on an environmental assessment of the property.

Casey Calls For Education Review

Liberal MLA Karen Casey

Nova Scotia's education system is in dire need of over-hauling and not for the sake of finding ways of cutting back.  Thats how Liberal education critic Karen Casey sums up the situation and the impact of budget cuts following a public meeting in Bridgewater last night.  Casey, Liberal leader Stephen McNeil and health critic Leo Glavine hosted the event.  Following the session last night, Casey tells CKBW/Hank-FM News, she's more determined than ever to strive for a better way of making the system more affordable.  She says: " we have a situation where we need to look at a review of the whole public education system: what we deliver, how we deliver it, the models that we use and make sure that we protect what is working and protect what is necessary for our students to be successful."  Liberal leader McNeil says his party wants to formulate a strong education plan, geared more toward students and their families.  The meeting last night in Bridgewater was the first of several the Liberals are holding around the province in the coming weeks.

One Dead, Three Injured In Yachting Incident Off Cape Sable Isle



One person is dead and two injured after a yacht broke down and was drifting about 128 kilometres south of Cape Sable Island.  A Cormorant helicopter is looking for three other people who are in the water.
Three other people were taken off the vessel by a passing tanker and are en route to Saint John, New Brunswick.  The rescue centre says nine people were on board the vessel and early indications are they are foreign nationals.  There is no information on whether the three missing people are in a life-raft. The two injured and the body of the dead person were being airlifted to a hospital in Yarmouth.

Men Rescued From Yarmouth County Lake

Five men were plucked last night from the cold waters of a lake in Yarmouth County.  The Halifax search-and-rescue co-ordination centre says a Cormorant helicopter flew to Great Pubnico Lake after receiving a call at 9:30 last evening that the men were in the water.  The helicopter reached the scene in about 25 minutes.  The men were hoisted out of the water and treated for hypothermia. The rescue centre says they're in good condition despite their ordeal.  The boat they were in ...sank.

Bridgewater Woman Found Guilty of Aggravated Assault

A Bridgewater woman has been found guilty of stabbing her former boyfriend ... a dozen times on New Years Day 2011.  Although Katelyn Leigh Whitney-Joudrey claimed self-defence, saying she feared for her life, Judge Jim Burrill found she was not under threat of grievously bodily harm or death when she drove a knife into Kiel Naugler's neck so deeply it went into his vertebrae.  The 22-year-old Whitney-Joudrey was found guilty yesterday of aggravated assault by trying to end Naugler's life, aggravated assault for wounding him and assault with a knife, though the judge will consider staying the last two charges during sentencing in June.  The judge described the couple's relationship as one of "co-existence with one another in scoring their next hit of drugs.''  Whitney-Joudrey will be sentenced June 4th.

Liberals Formulate Education Plan, Starting On South Shore

The state of our education system was front and centre last night at a public meeting in Bridgewater.  Nova Scotia Liberal Leader Stephen MacNeil, education critic Karen Casey and health critic Leo Glavine were hosts.  McNeil says his party wants to formulate an education plan thats geared more toward students and their families.  In a CKBW and Hank-FM News interview, McNeil says: "as we've had successive budgets where this government has been cutting from education, we want people to express how thats been impacting on their children and schools and also help us form a plan for the future of education in Nova Scotia."  Similar meetings are planned right across the province.
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Meanwhile, getting back to last night's meeting, education critic Karen Casey says she has found in talking with many South Shore parents they are still smarting from the elimination last year of the reading recovery program in area schools. She tells us: "(They feel) there did not seem to be any rationale for taking away a program that had already been researched based proven as one-on-one intense instruction to help our struggling readers learn to read."

Zellers leaving Bridgewater?

If Zellers is leaving Bridgewater, its news to the property manager of the Eastside Plaza. Jim Chambers of Chambers Developments says Zellers has approximately 10 years left on their lease. Chambers says nothing has been said to indicate Zellers is leaving.

"We have no information whatsoever that they intend to leave. It's their lease, they will tell us if that's what they want to do, but we have had no information to that effect whatsoever. They have an operating clause that says they're going to operate, so this could go on for a long time."

He says there are many rumours floating around the town.

"The truth is that out of 280 stores, Zellers has sold the leases to all of them, except for about 50 or 60, so its only allowing us to assume that they may want to sell this lease, but we have had no information whatsoever."

He says Zellers will continue to operate until the tenant and landlord make an alternate agreement.

Bridgewater Mayor welcomes buyer for former Post Office

The mayor of Bridgewater welcomes a new tenant for the old Canada Post building. CKBW and HANK-FM News first reported the potential sale of the property last week after a company spokesperson confirmed negotiations are underway. Carroll Publicover says its good news for the town.

"I think it would be wonderful to see the building put back into use, you know, it's an historical icon; 109-years-old, it's one of the most outstanding visual properties on King Street."

There's been no word on how negotiations are going. Publicover says he doesn't know who the buyer is or if anything will happen to the building.

Martin finishes 4th at Florida event

A solid result for Olympic hopeful Jenna Martin. The defending 400 metre Canadian Champion finished 4th over the weekend at the UCF Invitational in Orlando, Florida. Martin finished less than a second behind Mary Wineburg of USA, who was ranked in the top ten in the world in 2011. The Bridgewater native competes again April 6 and 7 at the Florida Relay's at the University of Florida.