Town Declines MODL Request To Pay Water Bill

The town of Bridgewater has decided against giving money to the Municipality of Lunenburg for unpaid water bills at Osprey Ridge Golf Course. The Municipality was hoping the town would issue a grant for over $25,000 to help offset the funds owed to the Bridgewater Public Service Commission. But, a four member-council just met their quorum last night and chose not to support it. Councillor Wayne Thorburne, Deputy Mayor Bill McInnis and Mayor David Walker all declared conflict of interest because of their involvement at the golf course. Walker wouldn't give comment on his personal opinion.



The Municipality was hoping the town would support them because many of the golf course's members live in Bridgewater.

Chester: Clippers In Need Of Fan Support

The Chester Clippers are enduring one of their best seasons on the ice since they started playing in 2008. The club sits at 19-2 and are in first place in the Nova Scotia Junior 'C' Hockey League. But, all is not well. The president and general manager, Jehad Assaff, says attendance has been weak and they may be forced to re-locate or fold. He says people should check out the team.



Assaff says they have been getting between 80-100 fans for games, and need at least 180 to break even. He hopes people can try and take-in some of their upcoming home games before the start of the playoffs. Chester's next home game will be Thursday night at 7:45 against the Shannon Huskies.

Mustangs Winless At East Coast Ice Jam Tourney

The South Shore Mustangs can't seem to get the bounces. The local major midget hockey club played well over the weekend at the East Coast Ice Jam tournament in Hammonds Plains but weren't rewarded with a win. The Mustangs fell 4-2 to Fredericton and St. John's and tied Miramichi 3-3. The team gets back to regular season play with a game against the top-ranked Valley Wildcats Saturday night in Berwick.

BMO Western Hurricanes Weekend Wins

A couple of wins over the weekend for the BMO Western Hurricanes. On Saturday the major bantam team defeated the Scotsburn Crushers 9-0. Top goal scores for the Hurricanes were Keith Getson with four and Travis Parks with two. Scoring singles were Quinten Johnson, Noah Naugler, and Logan Walters.  Sunday, the Hurricanes continued their winning ways, beating Pro Hockey Life Harbour Storm 6-3 with Keith Getson and Logan Walters leading the way with two goals each.

Shelburne: More Charges In Illegal Smokes Bust

RCMP in Shelburne County have laid additional charges against three men in relation to thousands of contraband cigarettes intercepted near Truro last year. Police seized approximately 140,000 illegal smokes and a 2007 Chevy Impala on October 9th following an extensive investigation. Forty-four year-old Thomas Benjamin Foote and 24 year-old Cody Douglas Garron were arrested at the time and charged with Possession of Unstamped Tobacco. The newest charges are against 25 year-old Logan James Swim. He has been jointly charged with Conspiracy to Commit the Offence of Possession of Unstamped Tobacco. The men also face charges under the Provincial Revenue Act. All three men are Shelburne County residents and are scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.

Chester: Public Hearing Set For "Our Health Centre"

A public hearing will be held next month to discuss a zoning change which would allow for a collaborative health care centre in Chester. The group behind "Our Health Centre" is proposing to build the new centre near Shoreham Village and the current zoning bylaws do not permit such a facility in that area. Organizers are in the midst of a major fundraising drive to raise six millions dollars for the project which would be home to six new doctors offices. The proposed location of the centre needs to be zoned "Institutional" before the project can move forward. The public hearing will be held at the Municipality of the Chester offices on February 6th.

Wedgeport Fisherman Not Wearing Life Jacket

Foul play is not suspected in the death of a 20 year-old lobster fisherman over the weekend near Yarmouth. The vessel was carrying three crew members when Michael Doucette of Wedgeport fell overboard on Saturday evening. A large scale search was organized and included nearly 30 fishermen, two helicopters and a pair of Canadian Coast Guard boats. Sergeant Alain Leblanc called it an unfortunate incident.



The fishing vessel "Row Row" was 33 miles south west of Yarmouth when the incident occurred. The search was scaled back early Sunday morning.

Barrington Bay, Valley Win Lohnes Lumbermen

The Barrington Bay Lightning are the 2013 Lohnes Lumbermen hockey champions. The Lightning defeated the Aucoin Locksmith Blues 6-5 in overtime to win the Labatt's Blue C+ division. Meanwhile in the Buck's Building Centre C division , the local club Eclipse Physio Rusty Blades made it to the semifinals but lost 2-1 to the Valley Bruins. The Bruins then went on to win the final 4-2 over the St. Margaret's Bay Storm. This was the 29th year for the tournament, which held games in Lunenburg and Bridgewater.

Whalen Sets New Provincial Indoor Shotput Record

A Liverpool native has established a new Senior Women's provincial indoor shotput record. Chelsea Whalen erased her own 15.04 metre throw of 2012 with a new personal best of 15.57m. Whalen reached her new PB at the Crimson Tide Indoor Open Track and Field event in Birmingham, Alabama. Whalen, who attends Florida State University finished second at the first indoor meet of the NCAA season.

VIDEO: White Point Quilt Unveiled

Over 500 hands, one stitch at a time. That's what it took to get a quilt created telling the story of White Point's past and present. The quilt is called 'Stitching White Pointers Back Together' and consists of 13 blocks showcasing popular White Point traits like its fireplace, golf course, bonfires and bunnies. Quilter Bev Crouse says she's proud of the work.



Quilters from as far as China, Australia and Sweden made their mark on piece. It will be hung on the wall between the first and second floors of the main lodge. In the video below, Crouse talks about the quilt, each of the 13 blocks and how it was made.

Wedgeport Lobster Fisherman Presumed Drowned

A 20 year old lobster fisherman is missing and presumed drowned after falling overboard in waters near Yarmouth. RCMP say Michael Doucette of Wedgeport went overboard around 5:50PM on Saturday. Nearly 30 fishermen, two helicopters and a pair of Canadian Coast Guard vessels helped searched for Doucette at the height of the rescue efforts. The search was called off at 9AM on Sunday. Mounties are investigating the matter.

Hockey: 'Jacks Lose In Amherst

The Amherst Ramblers exploded for four goals in the final period to down the visiting CIBC Wood Gundy Lumberjacks 6-2 last night. The Ramblers were nursing a slim 2-1 entering the final frame. Ex-Jack Jacob Conrad had a goal for his new team while Brandon Gaudet and Connor Hilton replied for Bridgewater. The Jacks now begin a stretch of seven straight home games starting Tuesday when the Weeks Crushers come to town. Meanwhile, in "Q" action at the Metro Centre the Halifax Mooseheads overcame a 2-0 deficit to edge the PEI Rocket 4-3.

Camperdown: Two Charged After Drug Bust

Lunenburg County RCMP have laid charges after a drug bust in Camperdown late last week. Police say seized marijuana, drug paraphernalia and cash while carrying out a search warrant at the home on Thursday. A 39 year old man was taken into custody and released. He's facing possession and trafficking related charges. Meanwhile, a 26 year old woman was also arrested and is facing similar charges. They will both appear in court in the spring.

Bridgewater: Two Men Caught With Prescription Drugs

Two men face charges after police in Bridgewater seized prescription drugs during a traffic stop. The men, aged 22 and 53, were arrested following a traffic stop. They are facing a variety of drug related charges including trafficking prescription drugs and possession for the purpose of trafficking. In a release, RCMP Corporal Bill Wilcox says officers are working hard to eliminate drug trafficking from the South Shore, regardless of the commodity. Both of the accused will appear in court on March 27th.

RCMP Investigating Mahone Bay Church Break-In

Lunenburg County RCMP are investigating after a break and enter at the Trinity United Church in Mahone Bay. Mounties say the break-in happened sometime between Thursday night and Friday morning. Thieves stole money and other church items. Anyone with information is asked to contact RCMP.

Off-Leash Dog Park Opens At Exhibition Grounds

Dogs can now run free in Bridgewater with the opening of a part-time off-leash park. A group of volunteers is offering a fenced-off space for canines at the South Shore Exhibition grounds in exchange for monetary donations of any amount. The funds will help go towards a number of initiatives including rescuing dogs from the Dominican Republic, helping send kids to school as well as providing them with clothing and supplies. Organizer Colleen Baker says there are rules to follow including male dogs have to be neutered, no toys and owners should watch their pets.



The park is open twice a week, Wednesday and Sunday from 3pm-5pm.

VIDEO: Rally In Support of First Nations/Idle No More

Natives and non-native members joined the South Shore Council of Canadians for a rally at Gerald Keddy's Bridgewater office this afternoon. The council planned the rally to support First Nations in their efforts to have the Federal Government respect their treaty rights. The protest comes on the heals of a planned meeting between the prime minister and First Nations chiefs. Chapter member Linda Loth says we have a long way to go to bridge the gap between natives and non-natives.



Rallies have been planned across the country today. The South Shore rally supported both First Nations and the Idle No More movement. Check out the video of the event below.

Strathcona Cup Hits Chester And Bridgewater

The Strathcona Cup tour begins its South Shore run at the Chester Curling Club this morning. The Chester teams are now set. Coordinator Ron Ternoway says the teams are as follows:

 - Jose Teixeira, Thomas Avery, Nathan Reid, Jim Mason
 - Ian Phinney, Dave Foster, Dave Wall, Doug Ross
 - Rhys Harnish, Paul Green, Paul Avery, Andy Hare
 - Terry Atherton, Ron Ternoway, Bill Hilchey, Dave Jessome

Games start at 10am and will be eight ends each with a break for lunch for the curlers after the fourth end. Spectators are welcome. The winner of the Cup will be the side, Scotland or Canada, scoring the most total points across all the games in the tour, as many as 400 games. The Bridgewater Curling club has announced their teams for the Strathcona Cup. They are as follows:

Rink 1: Brian Carver, John McIntoch. Don Stewart, Bob Forbes (Skip)
Rink 2: David MacAuley, Lloyd Ernst, John MacLean, Keith Warren (Skip)
Rink 3: Ron Hotchin, Sherman Creaser, Al Wilwand, Bob Barnes (Skip)
Rink 4: Dave Rose, Jim Smith (Team Captain), Royce Boss, Baxter Noel (Skip )

Those teams will compete against Scottish curlers at the Bridgewater Curling Club at 3pm.

Lumberjacks Lose Game With Miramichi

In Maritime Hockey League action last night in Liverpool, the Miramichi Timberwolves topped the CIBC Wood Gundy Lumberjacks 3-1. Jeremy Butterworth scored Bridgewater's lone goal on the power play late in the second period. The Jacks next game is tomorrow night in Amherst.

Gasoline Prices Down

Gasoline prices on the South Shore are down this morning. The Utility and Review board set the coming week's prices at midnight last night. Regular self serve is down just over a cent to $1.28.9 per litre. Diesel is down as well to $1.35.4 per litre. That's a drop of about 1.5 cents.