Bailey breaks 15-year record for Mustangs

Brennan Bailey

A South Shore Canadian Tire Mustang has broken a 15-year-old team record. Brennan Bailey scored two goals Sunday, surpassing Tim Rice as the Mustangs all-time scoring leader for a defenseman. Bailey says he's thrilled about breaking the record.

"Well, it's just a great accomplishment and it's just very nice and one thing I had set in my mind from the start of the season."

Bailey now has 55 career points with the Mustangs, breaking Rice's previous mark of 53 points. The team captain is also chasing down most points by a defenseman in one season. He's currently at 27 with eight games left. Pete Lecain holds the record with 34 points in 1997-98.

Queens Place Gets Grand Opening

The ribbon was officially cut on the new Queens Emera Place in Liverpool this afternoon. The $20 million dollar facility is home to a regulation size arena, fitness centre, walking track and conference space. Premier Darrell Dexter, a native of nearby Milton, says the recreation center will serve as a year round facility for residents of Queens and the surrounding area. He spoke with CKBW/HANK FM News about his memories of the fundraising campaign for the old Queens Memorial Arena more than 40 years ago. "I remember the walk-a-thon to raise money and I remember everyone wearing those little buttons that said 'we want a rink' for the Queens Memorial. At the time, we just wanted something with four walls where we could skate - so this is a huge achievement." Dexter says facilities such at Queens-Emera Place will make life better for residents of the area. He says it will also help attract new people and families to rural communities along the South Shore.

Ribbon Cutting @ Queens Place in Liverpool

It's a big day in Liverpool! The new Queens Place Athletic Centre will be officially opened this afternoon and a large ceremony is planned. District of Queens Mayor John Leefe says the much-anticipated, multi-million dollar facility will allow for a number of community and regional sporting events. "It's a multi-purpose facility. It includes a little over one-thousand fixed seats, we'll also be purchasing a floor to put over the ice surface for non-ice related events. We've already got figure skating and two significant hockey tournaments lined up,"  The new centre will also feature a gymnasium, a walking track, community meeting rooms and other facilities. Opening ceremonies begin this afternoon at 2 o'clock.

Baillie Swings Through South Shore

Conservative leader Jaime Baillie will make a swing through the South Shore today. Baillie is set to meet with management and staff at Michelin in Bridgewater this morning in what he calls a show of support for the company. The visit follows the NDP government's decision to pass a controversial labour law on so called "First Contract Arbitration". Baillie's party voted against the bill and even tabled a letter in the legislative assembly signed by Bridgewater Town Council indicating their concerns over the legislation.  "For the mayor and councillors in Bridgewater who stood up for Michelin and for the employers - they did their job. I can understand if council is frustrated with NDP MLA's representing Lunenburg and Lunenburg West didn't - they put their party's back-room interests in front of jobs in the areas they represent,"  Both the Liberals and Tories maintain the bill isn't needed and will stifle the province's economic competitiveness. Large employers such as Michelin and Sobeys called the legislation a black mark on business in Nova Scotia.

Weekend Sports Wrap

• The CIBC Wood Gundy Lumberjacks are limping into the Holidays. The Jacks lost their fifth in row Sunday, 4-1 against the Commandos in Dieppe. Brennan Saulnier scored the lone goal for the last-place Lumberjacks who head into the Christmas break 11 points out of a playoff spot.

• The South Shore Canadian Tire Mustangs snapped a three game losing skid with a big 4-3 home victory over the Halifax Titans. Brennan Bailey scored twice for the Stangs who handed the first place Titans only their second regulation loss this season. Corey Peterson took the win in goal stopping 23 of 26 shots. The Mustangs head into the Holiday break in 3rd place in the Major Midget standings.

• Another South Shore curling team has earned a spot in the upcoming Provincial Junior Championships. At a qualifying event this weekend, Thomas Raddall of Bridgewater won all three of his games to clinch a berth. The final two junior mens and womens spots will be determined later today in Halifax. The AMJ Provincials are set for the Windsor Club starting December 27th.

• In Nova Scotia Major Bantam Hockey League action, a two game series between first place BMO Western Hurricanes and second place Bay Gulls generated intense end to end action for home crowds at the brand new Queens Place in Liverpool on Saturday and the Chester Arena on Sunday.  The Hurricanes increased their first place lead in the Nova Scotia Major Bantam Hockey Leage with a dominating 7-1 victory on Saturday evening in Liverpool and battled to a 3-1 win on Sunday afternoon in Chester.  The Hurricanes have now won 16 straight games and lead the league with a 20 and 2 record.   The Hurricanes now head into the Holiday break and will resume league play on January 7th.

• The Yarmouth Vikings defeated the Park View J.V. Panthers 79-49 Saturday to claim the championship game of the Days Inn "Holiday Hoop Fest". Luke Nickerson of Yarmouth was selected tournament M.V.P. and teammate Adam Barnett was selected a tournament all-Star. Jake Langille was Park View's representative on the all-star team. Northumberland claimed third place with a 60-53 win over Bridgewater High. Bridgewater's Jonah Comeau was a tournament All-Star. Park View's Division-1 team soundly defeated Memorial 101-78 to claim the consolation final.
  

Bridgewater Council defers disabled man's request

A disabled man will have to wait at least another month before knowing if Bridgewater Town Council will waive an $800 planning application fee. Dylan Robar is looking to apply for an amendment to Bridgewater's Land Use By-Law, which if approved, would allow his family home to be converted from a single-unit to a two-unit dwelling. He has requested that the application fee, which is primarily used to cover required advertising costs for notices, be waived. Robar requires the conversion of his family home to a two-unit dwelling in order to be eligible for a funding program administered by the province, which would assist in paying for renovations. Councillor David Mitchell says he would like to see changes made to the requirements of the funding program, eliminating the need to change Bridgewater's Land Use By-Law. The issue is expected to be back in front of council in January.

Holliday Hoopfest Wraps Up

The Yarmouth Vikings defeated the Park View J.V. Panthers 79-49 to claim the championship of the Days Inn Holiday Hoop Fest. Luke Nickerson of Yarmouth was selected as the tournament M.V.P. and   teammate Adam Barnett was selected as a tournament all-Star. Jake   Langille was Park View's representative on the all-star team. Northumberland claimed third place with a 60-53 win over Bridgewater High. Meanwhile, Bridgewater's Jonah Comeau was a tournament All-Star. Park View's Division 1 team soundly defeated Memorial 101-78 to claim the consolation final.

ED Closure in Lunenburg this Weekend

Officials at the Fisherman's Memorial Hospital in Lunenburg say their emergency department will be closed for the remainder of the weekend. The ED will reopen on Monday morning at 7:30AM. The closure is necessary due to a shortage in staff.  Anyone with a medical emergency during these times is asking to dial 9-1-1 or visit the South Shore Regional Hospital in Bridgewater.

SSH: Holding Tender on QGH Project in Liverpool

South Shore Health will wait until spring to award a work contract that's connected to the Queens General Health Project. Heavy rain over the past few weeks has made working conditions difficult on a parcel of land adjacent to the hospital where clearing work was set to take place. The land will eventually serve as a lay-down area for material during construction of the project. Spokesperson Barb Johnson says it would cost an additional $60,000 to install proper drainage on the site which would send the project into the red. She says the work will be now included as part of a larger tender which is anticipated to be issued in a few months. The $16 million dollar QGH Project includes the creation of a new primary care clinic and redevelopment of the 22-bed in-patient unit at the hospital in Liverpool.

Fire in Northwest Harbour destroys Processing Plant

Damage is estimated at close to 200-thousand dollars as a result of a fire last night in the Clyde River area. A herring and lobster processing plant at "AJY Fisheries" in Northwest Harbour went up in flames. Fire fighters from Barrington, Northwest Harbour, Clyde River and Ingomar fought the blaze which completely destroyed the large facility. Investigators suspect faulty electrical wiring was responsible. The fire happened at a particularly busy time with the annual lobster season well underway. However. the company expects to quickly rebuild and hopes to be back up and running again in a few weeks.

Denied Bail: Lower Northfield Resident Accused of Luring

A Lower Northfield man accused of trying to lure teen girls for sex via text message and social media has been denied bail. Thirty year-old Bradley Ronald Whynot will remain in police custody pending the outcome of his trial. Whynot faces three counts each of luring a child, invitation to sexual touching and sexual interference. He is also facing various drug related charges and one count of possessing a prohibited weapon. A publication ban has been imposed on evidence and arguments from this week's hearing. Whynot is scheduled to return to court December 21.

Holiday Hoopfest tips off in Bridgewater

Local basketball players lace'em up for the Holiday Hoopfest, beginning Friday morning. The tournament begins at 10am and features Park View and Bridgewater teams, as well as Yarmouth, Hants North, Memorial, J.L Ilsley and Northumberland. The coach for the Division-1 Park View team, Eric Whynot, says he hopes the tournament can help turn around his club. Games will be played Friday and Saturday in the Park View and Bridgewater gyms.

FRIDAY Dec. 16


10:00am Game 1 Park View J.V. vs Memorial

12:00pm Game 2 Bridgewater vs J.L. Ilsley

2:00pm Game 3 Yarmouth vs Hants North

4:00pm Game 4 Park View vs Northumberland

6:00pm Game 5 Winner Game 1 vs Winner Game 2
Bridgewater Game at B.H.S.

6:00pm Game 6 Loser Game 1 vs Loser Game 2
other game at P.V.E.C.

8:00pm Game 7 Winner Game 3 vs Winner Game 4
Park View game at P.V.E.C.

8:00pm Game 8 Loser Game 3 vs Loser Game 4
other game at B.H.S.


SATURDAY DEC. 17

10:00am Game 9 Loser Game 6 vs Loser Game 8

12:00pm Game 10 Winner Game 6 vs Winner Game 8

2:00pm Game 11 Loser Game 5 vs Loser Game 7

4:00pm Game 12 Winner Gsme 5 vs Winner Game 7 Championship

Lumberjacks host Miramichi

The CIBC Wood Gundy Lumberjacks will try and snap a two-game losing skid Friday night when they host the Miramichi Timberwolves. The Jacks will be without Shawn Boudreau, who was called-up to the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Major Junior League earlier this week. The Lumberjacks have won both meetings against Miramichi this season. Puck drop is 7pm Friday night at the Bridgewater Memorial Arena.

Thorburne re-elected as Bridgewater Fire Chief

Bridgewater Fire Chief Wayne Thorburne

Bridgewater's Fire Chief has been re-elected to another term. Wayne Thorburne successfully retained his office after defeating Captain Reid Whynot for the position. Thorburne says he's happy to stay on as Fire Chief.

"I'm very pleased. It's a busy department and I enjoy the work and I enjoy the people and I enjoy the community and I just love doing what I'm doing."

He says he would like to increase membership in the department in 2012. Currently, the Bridgewater Fire Department has 43 members and Thorburne is hopeful they can reach 50 in the new year.

'Darksiders' expand to Bridgewater

Bridgewater's police chief is calling for calm despite the fact a Dartmouth-based biker gang with ties to the Hells Angels have expanded to the South Shore. John Collyer says the biker-group - known as the Darksiders - are currently renting a space on King Street in Bridgewater but adds they haven't done anything wrong to cause alarm. However, Collyer says police will keep an eye on the situation "To this point they haven't created any kind of criminal activity here and they haven't caused any problems. We treat them like we treat any other citizen of Bridgewater and we will continue to monitor the situation,"  Police were made aware of the gangs intentions to move into Bridgewater for about three months because the group has local members. Collyer says police are working with RCMP in Halifax and Dartmouth to gather information about the biker group.

Friday Power Outage: Town of Lunenburg

Some residents within the Town of Lunenburg will be without power for a short time Friday morning. Officials are making some emergency line repairs between 5AM and 6AM. Customers affected include those living on Green Street Dufferin, Brook, Maple Avenue, Tanyard Road, Knickle Road, the North Side of Harbour View Drive and Mason's Beach Road. The outage should only last an hour. Be sure to put some batteries in your alarm clock or use your cell phone for a wake-up.

South Shore RCMP Battle Impaired Driving

RCMP across the South Shore are ramping up efforts to put a halt to impaired driving this holiday season. In Lunenburg County, Constable Rob James says Mounties will be conducting stop checks on a regular basis leading up to Christmas in an effort to keep the roads safe. James explains it's a constant battle for police and an offense that carries steep consequences. "You wouldn't be able to just run out to the store and grab something, you wouldn't be able to drive your kids to soccer practice, you wouldn't be able to drive yourself to work. You would need to depend on someone else to get all of these things done. Not to mention, a lot of employers would frown on the fact you don't have a drivers license," James says impaired driving is not only limited to alcohol consumption but also applies to those who choose to operate a vehicle under the influences of drugs. The same charges and fines apply.  On average, 22 Nova Scotians die each year in alcohol related collisions.

Lunenburg woman turns lemons into $250,000

Call it a dream come true for Glo McNeill. The 82-year-old from Lunenburg turned her recipe into riches Wednesday night, taking home the Food Network's grand prize of $250,000. McNeill says she just kept believing she would win. Her Luscious Lemon Pudding Cakes received the most votes during a three day voting period last week. McNeill says she plans to use the money to fix up her house, put it on her mortgage and maybe take a vacation. You can catch the full interview on this weekend's South Shore Sunday Morning.

Bridgewater Councillors take aim at local MLAs

Councillor Bill McInnis

Councillor David Mitchell

A pair of Bridgewater councillors are sounding off about local MLAs voting in favour of First Contract Arbitration. Bill 102 passed late last week in the Legislature with Lunenburg MLA Pam Birdsall and Lunenburg West MLA Gary Ramey supporting their government's decision. Bill McInnis had some advice for the two politicians.

"I think those two MLAs should seriously consider resigning for what they've done to our town, potentially what they have done to our town."

McInnis says it was a very serious decision and should not have been supported by the local MLAs. Meanwhile, Councillor David Mitchell also chimed in, saying it was a questionable decision.

"It's pretty clear that they weren't necessarily listening to the people and as MLAs, their job is to be the representatives of the people at the provincial level."

Mitchell says he's concerned because the decision could halt Michelin's investment into their provincial plants including the South Shore.

Local Author to give Lecture on Swissair 111 Crash

A Chester Basin author is bringing his theory about what may have brought down Swissair Flight 111 to Mahone Bay. Paul Palango, widely known for three books about the inner workings of the RCMP, will lead a lecture on the 1998 disaster this afternoon. The crash was attributed to a fire caused by faulty wiring in the attic of the plane but Palango suggests that terrorists were responsible for the crash and the fire on the plane wasn't accidental. Palango says his interest in the crash peaked a few years ago when he was contacted by the lead forensics investigator on the disaster. "I wasn't really that interested in the beginning because I thought it would be some kind of conspiracy theory but as I went through the documents and the scenarios involved it became clear to me and others who I shared this with that there was something else going on here," The lecture will take place at the Mahone Bay Centre at 2 PM.