Monday: Repeat Drunk Driving Case In Court

A 49 year old Bridgewater man is due in court Monday on drunk driving charges. Police say he's already been convicted eight times for impaired driving. Kevin Wheaton was pulled over and arrested January 2 in Bridgewater. He's being held at the Burnside Correctional Centre. Police say Weaton was also driving without a license.

LaHave Ferry Still On Dry Land

Here's a picture of the LaHave Ferry. This was posted on Riverport's Facebook page.The ferry broke free from it's cables late Friday night. It's now resting on the shore of Oxner's Beach in Lunenburg county. No injuries to report. Two crew members and a passenger were on board when the ferry started to drift down river. They were safely removed from the ferry.

LaHave Ferry Cables Break, Drifts Down River

No injuries to report after the LaHave Ferry broke free from its cables last night. An official with the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal confirmed the report late Friday night. The ferry began drifting down the river with two crew members and a passenger on board. The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, RCMP and local volunteer fire departments all assisted in making sure the ferry wasn't lost. The ferry ran aground on a sand bar in Dublin Bay, Lunenburg County. The cable ferry is operated by the province along with three others in Nova Scotia. The 14 car cable ferry connects LaHave to East LaHave. 

DOT: Visbility Poor, Roads Snow Covered

It's a good old fashioned winter blizzard. The first storm of 2014 is packing a punch with more than 30cm of snow, white out conditions and localized flooding in some communities. It has led to cancellations closures and dangerous conditions on the highway. Steve MacIsaac of the Department of Transportation says the ploughs are out in full force and their crews are attempting to keep things running.



Environment Canada says the heavy snow should ease up this evening but the windy conditions will continue. Meanwhile, temperatures are brutally cold. The weather agency says the wind chill will make it feel like -28 this evening.

QMJHL: Mooseheads Match Postponed

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League contest scheduled for tonight in Halifax has been postponed. The Mooseheads were slated to host the Charlottetown Islanders. A makeup date will be announced at a later date.

Curling: Provincial Men's Qualifer Underway

Today's storm hasn't stopped the Provincial Mens Curling Qualifier at the Dartmouth Club. Nineteen teams are battling for five spots in the upcoming Molson Coors Tankard in Halifax. After three draws, eight teams remain unbeaten, including Allan O'Leary, Chad Stevens, Ian Fitzner-LeBlanc, and Mark Dacey. Action continues through Sunday.

Former Premier Says Bowater Closure Was One Of His Darkest Hours

The closure of the Bowater mill near Liverpool in 2012 and the loss of hundreds of jobs was a dark time for former Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter.  In his first media interview since his October election defeat, Dexter tells CKBW and HANK-FM News, he saw the writing on the wall long before the shutdown but hoped the paper industry would turn around.  However, it didn't and Dexter says his next move was to seek certain guarantees.



Recently back from vacation down south, the former premier says he's ready to begin the next chapter in his life, possibly working in economic development with the Region of Queens, where he grew up. As for his re-election campaign back in the fall, Dexter says it was efficient, well-managed and he doesn't harbour any grudges against the Liberals and Tories in helping defeat his party.

Former Premier Looks Back & To The Future

 Former Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter says he has no regrets!  In his first media interview since his election defeat in October, the former premier tells CKBW and HANK-FM News, he's proud of the work his NDP government did in trying to improve the economy over 4 and a half years.  Dexter says his re-election campaign was efficient and well-run. However, he says there was a change in the mood of the electorate sweeping the province, fueled by the opposition parties.



Recently back from vacation down south, the former premier says he's now ready to begin the next chapter in his life!  He tells us he's ready to put his experience over 4 and a half years to work to help in the economic development of the South Shore.



Dexter says he has no regrets and doesn't harbour any grudges against the Liberals and Tories in helping defeat his party at the polls.

Bridgewater Man Facing 9th Alcohol Related Driving Conviction

Bridgewater Police are charging a man in what could turn out to be his ninth conviction for driving while impaired. Police say they pulled over a car January 2 on Aberdeen Road in Bridgewater. Kevin Wheaton was arrested at the scene and charged with impaired driving anf driving while his license was suspended. The 49 year-old is currently being held at the Burnside Correctional Facility. If found guilty, it would be his ninth conviction for an alcohol related driving offense. He's due back in court January 6.

Oil Spill Detected In Milton Being Cleaned Up

Nova Scotia Power is testing some water wells in Queens County after a late December oil spill. "Nova News Now" was first to report the story. The spill was detected at a substation owned by Nova Scotia Power in the Milton area. It's not known exactly when it happened, but it's believed about 5,000 litres of crude was spilled. The company is working with the Department of Environment to ensure the site is properly remediated and fully cleaned up. The contaminated soil is being taken for disposal. A few people live around the substation, but its not believed they will be impacted or see any affects by the spill. Nova Scotia Power is testing the wells as a safety measure.

Another Gas Price Hike This Morning

Gas prices have increased overnight at South Shore pumps. Regular self serve up almost 2 cents to $1.35.8 a litre. High test is now $1.44.8. Diesel also up in price this morning.

Storm Far From Over

Local police and the RCMP are warning drivers to stay off the highways today. As yet another snowstorm blows through the region, driving is dangerous. They're snow covered with icy patches underneath. Environment Canada says the worst is yet to come, with another 10 to 20 centimetres of snow expected today along the South Shore mixed with strong winds and causing whiteout conditions. There are no power outages to report. However, there are flight delays and cancellations at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport. Also, numerous government offices and businesses are closed today. So are the NSCC campuses in the area.

Friday: Lumberjacks Game Postponed

The impending blizzard has forced the postponement of tomorrow night's MHL game in Bridgewater.  The CIBC Wood Gundy Lumberjacks were scheduled to host the Woodstock Slammers at the Clearwater Seafoods Arena at 7 o'clock. The contest will be re-scheduled at a later date. The Jacks' first game of the New Year is now slated for New Glasgow against the Pictou County Weeks Crushers on Saturday evening.   

Watchdog Group: Use Gas Taxes To Improve The 103

There will probably be no change overnight tonight in gasoline prices at South Shore pumps.  Canadian Taxpayers Federation Atlantic Director Kevin Lacey says thats a good thing. However, he says gas would be a lot cheaper without the tax on tax at the pumps.  Lacey says money collected through all those taxes though should be used to improve our roads, particularly the dangerous highway 103.



Lacey says directing gas tax money to improve the 103 would not only boost driver safety but also improve the local economy.

Wanted: Health Care Professionals, South Shore & Beyond

Nova Scotia's health minister expects to unveil a committee in the coming few weeks to look at ways of recruiting doctors to the province. In a CKBW and HANK-FM News interview, Leo Glavine says thats not all that is the focus of attention at the health department these days.



Glavine has been warned the province could face alarming shortages across a range of professions in the health-care system.  That as workers approach retirement, which includes a shortage of 800 nurses within five years.  In briefing notes when he first became minister, the notes tell Glavine professions requiring close monitoring include physicians, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, continuing care assistants and lab and diagnostic imaging staff, to name a few.

MODL: Mayor Pleased Old Schools Will Be Reviewed

A South Shore mayor is pleased the provincial government is looking at taking the pressure off municipalities when schools are closed. Under the current system, when a school closes it reverts back to the municipality and in some cases causes financial pressure for taxpayers and council. Don Downe says he welcomes the news given the Municipality of Lunenburg took control of three former schools over the past few years.



However, Downe says the news isn't all bad as the facilities in Riverport, Blockhouse and Centre each have potential. He says council is involved in discussions with a number of potential tenants for those former schools.

School Review Meetings Begin Next Week

Meetings to discuss the way schools are closed in Nova Scotia will be held this month. Nine public sessions will be held including stops in Bridgewater, Yarmouth, Halifax and Berwick. Bridgewater's meeting will be January 13 at Park View Education Centre. Yarmouth's meeting will be the next night at Yarmouth Consolidated Memorial High School. All meetings will be held from 7-9pm. The first meeting of the process will be held January 6 in Sydney. The meetings will examine the school review process and look into what's done with old schools when they are closed or new facilities are built. A consultations committee is gathering input from the public, school boards, the teachers' union, and municipalities on the school review process. The feedback will be used to develop recommendations that will be given to the education minister by the end of February.

South Shore: Kraft Hockeyville Contest Underway

Residents of the South Shore can nominate their community or town for the Kraft Hockeyville contest. The wildly popular contest brings hockey communities together in the quest to receive $100,000 in arena upgrades from Kraft Foods and the NHL. Also, the successful community gets to host an NHL pre-season game. Last year, Yarmouth made it through to the second last round of voting. The top 16 communities that will compete for Kraft Hockeyville will be revealed on Hockey Night in Canada on March 8th. The winner will be announced in April. You can nomination your community here

Chester Rink Captures Provincial Title

A team based in Chester is off to the Canadian Junior Curling Championships. Mary Fay's rink captured the provincial title on New Years Eve. She beat defending champ Mary Myketyn-Driscoll of Truro. Final score was 9-4 at the Lakeshore Curling Club. The curling championships kick off January 18th in Liverpool.

Big Snowstorm Headed Our Way

For all you winter weary folks, as if we haven't had enough in recent weeks, get set to be dumped upon yet again by lots of snow. An added feature this time will be very high wind gusts. Environment Canada has issued a blizzard warning for the South Shore and most of the province. It's expected we could get a total of between 20 and 35 centimeters of heavy snow over the next day or so. It should peter out on the weekend with sunshine for cleaning up on Saturday and temperatures above zero on Sunday and Monday.