Guilty Pleas In Bridgewater's School Lockdown Case

A Lunenburg County man will be sentenced in just over a month for his role in the lock down of two schools in Bridgewater. Sheldon Earl Bowers entered guilty pleas on six of 11 charges against him following his arrest in January. Bowers pleaded guilty to charges that include possession of cocaine and marihuana, uttering threats and unsafe use and storage of various firearms. He'll be sentenced in relation to those matters April 3rd. In the meantime, the 37 year-old entered not guilty pleas to four charges that include trafficking drugs and uttering threats while he was in custody. Bowers will go to trial on those matters March 28th. Bridgewater Police ordered the lock down of two schools after they received a call regarding a distraught man with firearms at a nearby home January 21.

Liverpool Paramedic Under Police Investigation

A 47-year-old paramedic has been arrested by Queens RCMP after theft and misuse of drugs from an EHS station. Police searched a home last night on Wolfe Street in Liverpool where syringes and medical containers were seized. Officials from EHS alerted RCMP of the allegations late last week. The incidents are alleged to have occurred since 2009. Cpl. Scott MacRae says the man faces a number of theft and drug-related offenses. He is scheduled to appear in Liverpool Provincial Court April 17.

Bridgewater Police Arrest Man During Break And Enter

Bridgewater Police have arrested a 21-year-old man for allegedly breaking and entering into a home on Tuesday. Officers arrested Steven Rhodenizer on the front doorstep of the house entered. He has been charged with two counts of break and enter, having his face masked while committing an offence, theft under $5000, and possession of property obtained by crime. Constable Will Creamer reminds residents to make sure doors to their homes and vehicles are locked at all times. Rhodenizer will appear in Bridgewater court April 17.          

Gold River-Western Shore Residents Lobby To Keep School Open

"School is more than walls and a floor." That's a quote from a song students at Gold River-Western Shore Elementary sang, which played last night during a school review public hearing. Roughly 110 people attended the meeting, while nearly 30 residents stood up and echoed how important it is for the school to remain in the community. However, retired school administrator, Tom Feindel, remains confident after a member of the Chester-St. Margaret's constituency office spoke on behalf of the MLA.




Issues around transportation, participating in extra-curricular activities and after school child-care were discussed if the school were closed and students were moved to Chester. A public hearing scheduled for tonight in New Ross has been rescheduled for February 25.

Region Mourns "The Lost Five" After Search Scaled Back

The massive search for "The Lost Five" fishermen of Woods Harbour has been scaled back. Rescue officials say any hope of finding the men alive has -- quote -- diminished significantly because of the cold water and poor weather. Tributes began pouring in last night on CKBW and HANK FM's Facebook pages shortly after officials announced they had called off the search. The file has now been turned over to the RCMP as a missing persons case. A distress signal from the boat came Sunday at 11 p.m. during a strong storm 120 kilometres southeast of Liverpool. The five young men, all in their 20's and 30's, were fishing for halibut in a 13-metre vessel that capsized in the storm.

MODL: Home Owner Has Until June To Clean Property

The Municipality of Lunenburg is giving a local home owner one more chance to clean up his property. A complaint was received in March of last year and inspections showed old doors, lumber and fencing were on-site at 5 Ashwood Lane in Blockhouse. A building official says very little progress has been made since the complaint was received. However, Mayor Don Downe says they have offered the property owner an extension.



The home owner told council he intends to clean up his property by the June deadline. If he doesn't, the Municipality could do the work and apply the cost to his tax bill. Downe says they want the man to remove garbage off his land and pile wood up neatly.

Fisheries Minister: "Region Praying For A Miracle"

Nova Scotia's fisheries minister says the winter fishing season can be extremely tough and unpredictable. Sterling Belliveau, a former lobster fisherman, was commenting on the ongoing search for five fishermen 120 kilometres off the southeast coast of Liverpool. Crew members of the Woods Harbour based fishing vessel "Miss Ally" punched their emergency locator beacon late Sunday night in heavy seas lashed by high winds. Belliveau says his thoughts are with the missing crew members and the rescue team involved in the search.



Belliveau says a few hundred people attended last night's prayer vigil in Woods Harbour in a show of support for the all those involved in the rescue mission. He says the entire region is praying for a miracle.

Energy Minister Kicks Off "Power Trip" In Bridgewater

Energy Minister Charlie Parker will kick of a province-wide tour promoting his government's energy plan Wednesday in Bridgewater.  The focus of the presentation will centre around the province's plan to continue reducing reliance on fossil fuels and update people on work to date in generating power through various alternative energy sources. Parker says the Muskrat Falls/Maritime Link project and it's benefits will also be a significant talking point.



The presentation will be held tomorrow morning at the Best Western in Cookville beginning at 10 o'clock. The tour will also make a stop February 26 in Yarmouth.

Search For Fishermen Reaching Critical Stage

The search for five missing fishermen is reaching a critical stage. A Coromorant helicopter and two coast guard ships have been searching a vast area of ocean off the coast of Liverpool since a distress call was issued Sunday night by the crew members of "Miss Ally". The five young fishermen have been lost at sea in cold waters for approximately 36 hours. Lieutenant Peter Ryan of the Halifax search and rescue centre says the Cormorant helicopter involved in the search had to return to base last night due to poor conditions, but is heading out again today. He says seas were rough and visibility was poor last night as the hunt for the 13-metre boat continued.

GPS System Helps Police Find Missing Man

A simple wrist bracelet is being heralded as a life-saver. Bridgewater Police were able to find an 83-year-old man within an hour last week after he was reported missing. The man suffers from dementia. Constable Will Creamer says the GPS-type system, known as Project Life Saver, deserves credit.



Creamer says the device is activated if someone is reported missing and police and ground, search and rescue members can find the person quickly. This was the first time the Bridgewater Police have had to use the system.

O'Regan's, Memories Cafe Among Business Award Winners

O’Regan’s South Shore Automotive has claimed this year's large business award in Lunenburg-Queens. The Business Excellence Awards were handed out last night in Western Shore. O'Regan's took home the honour ahead of J&H Industries Ltd and Sure Courier. Also, Gary Gables Bed and Breakfast received the hospitality award and Terra Beata Cranberry Farms was tops in export achievement. Other award winners include The Gold River Marina for small business of the year , LaHave Forests in the entrepreneurial category and Memories Cafe as best new business. Six awards were handed out in all. A gathering was held last night at Atlantica Hotel & Marina in Western Shore.

RCMP Investigate Upper LaHave Home Invasion

RCMP say a man is in hospital after an apparent home invasion in Upper LaHave. Police responded to a break and enter at a home along Highway 332 early Saturday night. They say a 27-year-old man woke up after he heard glass breaking. The man was then confronted by four people in disguise.The suspects allegedly assaulted the man and fled the scene. The victim was taken to South Shore Regional Hospital where he remains with serious but non-life threatening injuries. Police believe this is not a random incident. Anyone with information is urged to call Lunenburg County RCMP.

UPDATED: Search Continues For Five Fishermen

A cormorant helicopter from Greenwood along with two Canadian Coast Guard vessels continue to search for five fishermen off the southwest coast of Nova Scotia. Navy spokesman Lieutenant Peter Ryan says the 45-foot boat, known as the "Miss Ally", went down 120 kilometres southeast of Liverpool. Ryan says the boat sent out a distress signal last night shortly after 11pm.
 


Ryan says a U.S. Coast Guard aircraft spotted a life-raft early this morning, but couldn't offer any other details. He says the fishing vessel is based out of Shelburne County. A prayer vigil for the five missing fishermen will be held tonight at the Calvary Baptist Church in Woods Harbour at 6pm.

Excellence Awards Honour Local Businesses

This year's Lunenburg-Queens Business awards will go ahead as scheduled this evening. Officials say the show won't be stalled by weather conditions. Six awards will recognize local groups in categories including hospitality, export achievement, new business and entrepreneurial. Meanwhile, LaHave Paving and LaHave River Chiropractic and Health Centre of Bridgewater and the Gold River Marina are up for small business of the year. O’Regan’s South Shore Automotive, J&H Industries Ltd and Sure Courier are nominated for Large Business of the year. The awards get underway at 6pm tonight at Atlantica Hotel & Marina in Western Shore. A full list of nominees can be found here.

School Review: Hebbville Meeting Postponed

A public hearing surrounding the school review process at Hebbville Academy has been postponed due to weather conditions. The South Shore Regional School Board had scheduled the meeting for tonight but it's since been rescheduled to February 28. Meanwhile, three other pubic hearings will still take place later this week. Members of the local school board will host their next public hearing Tuesday evening at Gold River/Western Shore Elementary. School review meetings will also be held Wednesday in New Ross and Thursday at Petite Riviere. All of those meetings begin at 6:30PM.

Fishing Vessel Runs Into Distress - Rescue Mission Underway

CKBW/HANK FM News can confirm the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre is involved in a rescue mission to locate crew members of a fishing vessel in distress. An official with the Canadian Coast Guard indicates their efforts are focused "quite a bit offshore" in the southwestern part of the province. There are reports five people were on board the vessel when they made a distress call before 6 o'clock this morning. There's no word on the exact location of the rescue mission or the status of those on board. We'll update this story as more information becomes available.

Snow, High Winds Closes Schools

Tricky driving conditions are the norm this morning in many areas of the South Shore. About 11-thousand people lost electricity in Nova Scotia early today. Most of those outages are in Digby, Kings and Yarmouth counties. Winds whipping up to 90 kilometres per mixed in with some snow has reduced visibility and caused snow drifts in some areas. It's forced officials with the South Shore Regional School Board and Tri-County Regional School Board to cancel classes for the day. Also, NSCC campus in Lunenburg, Shelburne and Yarmouth are closed for the day.The forecast calls for highs wind and blowing snow to continue until about mid-day. Winds are expected to taper off near noon.

Bailey Notches First 'Q' Goal In Moose Win

A memorable day for a South Shore hockey player as the Halifax Mooseheads dumped the PEI Rocket 5-2 Sunday on the island. Playing in just his second league contest, Lunenburg native Brennan Bailey notched his first career "Q" goal. The win was the third in as many days for the red-hot Herd.

Weekend Fires Leave 11 Temporarily Homeless

Two weekend fires in southwestern Nova Scotia have left 11 people homeless. In a media release, the Canadian Red Cross says a woman and six children in Wedgeport lost most of their belonging in a fire on Saturday afternoon. The children ranging in age between 4 and 17 all escaped unhurt. The other fire occurred Friday afternoon in Lockeport. The agency indicates a home belonging to a couple and their two children was significantly damaged. The causes have not been officially released. No injuries were reported in either fire. 

Yarmouth Man Arrested & Charged After Evading Police

A 26 year-old man faces multiple charges of impaired driving and possession of a stolen vehicle after an incident yesterday in Lunenburg County. Police say they were notified mid afternoon Saturday of a possible impaired driver in a stolen vehicle moving along Highway 103. RCMP say they arrested the man after he tried to evade police and got the truck stuck in the woods around Jungle Road and River Road. The Yarmouth man is facing seven charges including dangerous driving, flight from police, impaired driving and possession of a stolen vehicle. The accused is set to appear before a judge Monday in Bridgewater.