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Monday, April 12, 2010

Dunedin Residents Get a Compromise











(Mike Start Adresses Mayor and Councilors)
         (Photo by Jim Hennessy)

Home-owners on Dunedin Road in Rothesay are happy with a resolution reached with Mayor and Council.

With work set to get started to extend a water line to Kennebecasis Park, residents are worried the work will kill 90-year old Maple tree's lined along their road.

As a compromise, a resident committee and town staff will meet over the next two weeks to make sure both sides are getting what they need.

Mike Start has lived on the street for 12 years and tells CHSJ News, this is what they were looking for.


Mayor and councilors are also happy with the compromise but realize time is of the essence as the project must be finished by March of next year for funding of the project to qualify.

Flooding Issue in Oakville Acres











(Grace Murphy Adresses Rothesay Council)
            (Photo by Jim Hennessy)

A small victory for residents of Oakville Acres plagued with flooding problems over the past couple of years.

They made a presentation to Rothesay Council last night, pleading for help and asking to get a look at an engineer's report with recommendations to finding a solution.

The report will be posted to the town web-site and Grace Murphy tells CHSJ News, her home has flooded three times in just over a year and even if she wanted to move, who would buy her property.

Murphy adds she is desperately hoping town officials will live up to their word and fix the problem.

Total cost of the project is $3.5 million which the town hopes to get some help from Ottawa and or Fredericton but so far, no cash on either end.

High marks for JDI on environmental forest management practices

J.D. Irving Limited is getting high marks from an independent third party report card on it's
environmental forest management practices.

The company has achieved top marks for its forest management work in Maine, Nova Scotia and in this province.

The audits review the practices and environmental management systems for sound forest management including measures to protect water quality and wildlife habitat.
The audit team also reviewed the operations of 7 private woodlot owners who supply wood to JDI.











Events at West side arena tonight will proceed despite ammonia leak


City fire crews responded to an ammonia leak at the Hilton Belyea arena on the west side this afternoon.

District Chief of Special Operations Lou MacDonald tells CHSJ News some work was being performed on a compressor and a small amount was released and exhaust fans were not working at the time.

No one was hurt but, the Hazmat team was called in as a precaution and the building was ventilated.
All events planned for the Hilton Belyea arena tonight will go ahead as planned.




Disruption to Traffic Flow is Coming











(Shot of the New Ramp for One Mile Interchange)
                   (File Photo)

Thing are going to slow down as work continues on the One Mile Interchange.

Work will take place on the Crown Street Exit off of Route 1 at the Alison Road and Wright Street Intersection starting Tuesday, April.13th/2010.
This work is expected to take about 6 weeks to finish and is necessary to install under-ground duct work.
 
Traffic will not be detoured but officials say drivers should expect delays.

Students are Showing Signs of Improvement

Students around the province are making important gains in a number of key areas.

That is the latest information coming from the Province in area's identified by the When Kids Come First education plan from the 2008-2009 school year.

It shows Grade 8 francophone students improved in reading compared with the previous year and that they had achieved steady progress in English since 2005-06.
Anglophone students made improvements in their second-language skills as well as in reading and writing.

First Nations students in Grade 2 significantly improved in reading and are now at the same level as students in the anglophone sector.

City Police Officers Receive Funding














Four officers from Saint John make up the ten from around the Province as recipients of the Police Cadet Graduate Bursary program.

It comes from the Department of Public Safety where each receives a $3,000 bursary which is awarded to each of the successful candidates chosen by the police forces.


The four from Saint John are Constables Donald Shannon, Shawna Doiron, Owen Hatt and Rheal Levesque.

Also, two bursaries will be presented to cadets hired later this year by the Fredericton Police Department.

Energy Minister Keir Not Going Anywhere














(Energy Minister Jack Keir)
        (File Photo)

Is the provincial Energy Minister stepping down?


That is the latest speculation making the rounds that Jack Keir will resign and try to make the leap into federal politics.
Keir tells CHSJ News, that couldn't be any further from the truth and is looking forward to the race against Conservative Candidate Dr. Jim Parrot.
Keir admits he is tired after the long debate over the NB Power-Hydro Quebec proposal but walking away isn't his style. Ed Hoyt is the Independent candidate for the riding.

Road to Recovery Continues for Elsie Wayne














(Former MP and Mayor Elsie Wayne)
             (File Photo)

It has been awhile since we've heard her voice, but a former MP and mayor is speaking since suffering a stroke in November.
Elsie Wayne has been home since February, still under-going physio but tells CHSJ News, all of the well-wishes during her recovery are a huge help and thanks everyone for their cards, calls and other ways of sending their love.
Wayne says she has no memory of her time spent at the Regional but is grateful to be home is getting out for some exercise with the help of a walker.
Wayne adds she really misses going to the Seadogs games but is following their play-off run from home.

Close Call For Senior in Hampton














This story will serve as a reminder that no matter where you live or whether your home, it never hurts to keep your doors locked.


A 72-year old woman in Hampton got quite a scare yesterday when she walked into her living room and found two men standing there.
They told her they were there to ask about a vehicle she had for sale in her yard.
They didn't wait for an answer, jumped into the green half ton pick-up they were driving and took off toward Norton.
One man is described as 60-years old and wearing a plaid shirt and a black ball cap. The other man is 40-years old and was wearing an orange and white t-shirt.

A Visit From Seven Wonders Director

The Bay of Fundy continues it's push for the number one spot with seven months left before the final vote.
The Director of the New7Wonders Foundation will visit the Hopewell Rocks on Wednesday afternoon.
He will meet with regional and national tourism representatives to discuss strategies and identify opportunities for in this international campaign.
This is the first time the Organization has been to Canada since the Bay of Fundy was announced as a global finalist in the New7Wonders of Nature Campaign.
The winner will be announced on November.11th.

Second Anniversary of Cross Canada Journey

His cross country marathon is over but the journey for Ramish Ferris to eradicate polio continues.


You might remember Ferris as the man, with his specially designed bicycle who made his way from coast to coast to bring attention to vaccinating for polio.
Ferris lost the use of his legs when he was an infant and tells CHSJ News, today, he unveils his book re-calling the journey titled, ""Better Than a Cure which can be found on amazon.ca.


Ironically, Ramish also began his cross country journey two years ago today, raising over $300,000 dollars.



Fire Crews Called To East Side High Rise

A fire late yesterday afternoon on a 7th floor balconey at the Skyline apartment building on Mystery Lake Drive. District Chief Gerry Morris says fire crews had to force their way into the apartment because no one was inside at the time. The blaze was contained to the balcony but the 7th floor filled up with smoke and the tenants were not allowed back until it was ventilated. There was another fire later last night at 342 Duke Street West. It was confined to the second floor with damage being minor and no injuries.

Premier Says Cost Of Replacement Power Skyrocketing While Lepreau Refurbishment Is Delayed












                       (Premier Shawn Graham)
                                (File Photo)

Besides a funding agreement for the Harbour Bridge when he goes to Ottawa, Premier Shawn Graham also wants a resolution to the additional costs being racked up with the delay in refurbishing the Point Lepreau nuclear power plant. Premier Graham says the cost of replacement power while the plant is offline has risen to 800 million dollars and growing daily. Graham warns that additional cost has not been reflected yet in the electricity bills of New Brunswickers and he doesn't think people in this province should have to pick up the tab.
The Premier contends the federal government has not honoured the contract on the Lepreau project and, as such, has to pay up with legal action still not out of the question.







Saint John M-P Accuses Mayor Of Political Partisanship















             (Saint John M-P Rodney Weston)
                               (File Photo)

Saint John M-P Rodney Weston is accusing Mayor Ivan Court of being too partisan on the issue of the Harbour Bridge when he was dismissive of the federal offer now on the table. Weston says it's no secret that the Mayor is a Liberal.
Weston maintains Saint John has not seen as many federal dollars since the days of Gerry Merrithew when he was a member of the Mulroney cabinet. Despite his rift with the mayor, Weston vows he won't let that stand in the way of doing all he can to bring even more federal funding to Saint John.

The Big Rothesay Read Is Approaching

The Second Annual Big Rothesay Read is coming up on April 21st. It is a community reading event where as many people as possible are encouraged to read the same book at the same time. Spokes-person Mary Ann Gallagher tells CHSJ News, the book they have chosen this year is an award winner and should be enjoyed as much as last year's title. Gallagher adds the Rothesay Read is unique to similar events across the country because the book will be made available to every high school student. Those receiving the book have six weeks to finish it and then the author will speak at Rothesay High on June.2nd.

Oakville Acres Flooding to Come Up Tonight Before Rothesay Town Council

Rothesay Town Council will be hearing tonight from a group of residents in Oakville Acres who have been plagued with flooding when it rains heavily. Gary Howard of the Oakville Acres Citizen's Committee tells CHSJ News the time for action has come even though fixing the problem won't come cheap. The estimated price tag is 3 million dollars. The residents want to know if the town will still move ahead even if it doesn't get funding help from the province or federal government. They're also not happy with what they perceive as an unresponsive and uncooperative attitude on the part of town management. Howard warns if action isn't taken immediately, the construction season will be missed and the homeowners will be vulnerable to the heavy rains that usually arrive in late summer.