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Sunday, June 23, 2013

Norton Man Dies In Crash

Sussex RCMP are looking into a single vehicle crash on Saturday where a 24 year-old man died.

Just before 4pm yesterday, the driver of the vehicle was heading westbound on Church Avenue when he lost control of the vehicle and struck a tree. Wesley Stevens died at the scene.

A 34 year-old passenger was sent to hospital to be checked out. 

RCMP say alcohol, speed and aggressive driving may be factors in the crash.

Lunch Program That Involved Donnie Snook In Turmoil

A lunch program that gives hot meals to kids could be folding in the aftermath of a scandal involving a former director Donnie Snook.

Judith Arsenault runs the lunch program at Saint John the Baptist School, formerly the Chicken Noodle Club, and she tells CHSJ news they desperately need volunteers and donations, as well as key items like sufficient dishes, despite the $25,000 donation the program recieved from PotashCorp back in December.

She says many people assumed the programs closed after the events of last January but that's not the case and they are still trying to feed hundreds of kids who might otherwise go hungry.

The program at Hazen White St. Francis has already had to close due to lack of volunteers.

Quispamsis Launches Residential Tree Planting Project

If you've ever wanted a tree of your own, a new planting-program in the valley is offering you the opportunity to lay claim to one, all while greening up the community. 

Through Streetscape, you can buy a tree for $30, and it would be planted in the municipal right-of-way this Fall. Quispamsis Mayor Murray Driscoll tells CHSJ News residents are able to sponsor the trees, having one as their own to to weed, feed and take care of.

 You have until June 28 to submit your application. For a list of the types of trees you can buy, click here. For a link to the application form, click here.

Benefit For Daughter Of Murdered Woman Underway

A fundraiser for the daughter of a murdered woman is now underway.

Deanna King and Terri Kingston organized the event for Cheyenne Shand, the daughter of 33-year-old Tanya Shand, who died in May in her Dolan Road apartment. The benefit runs until 5pm today at the qplex in Quispamsis. 

There's a live auction, a silent auction, dog show, a play about ending domestic violence being performed by teenagers as part of the Silent Witness project, and more.

They've set up an account in Cheyenne Shand's name at the TD bank. You can make a donation at any branch.

East Side Shed Fire

A stand-alone storage shed on the east side going up in flames.

The Fire Department's Division Chief Mark Wilson says when they arrived to 2623 Golden Grove Road just before 9pm, the shed was completely engulfed in fire. They were able to keep it contained so it didn't spread to any nearby buildings

How the fire started is now being investigated by fire and police.

Atlantic Red Cross Team Helping Alberta Flood Evacuees

The Canadian Red Cross says a volunteer team from the Maritimes is helping flood evacuees from across Alberta. 

The volunteers are staffing call centres in Saint John, Moncton and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. As of noon on Saturday, 500 calls had been processed at the three operations centres. John Byrne of the group says the centres collect information from flood victims such as where they live and the best way to contact them. 

Several volunteers are on stand-by to be deployed to the flood-ravaged province to manage evacuation and reception centres if need be. 

To support the Red Cross response, you can do so with a financial contribution online at redcross.ca or by calling toll-free 1-800-418-1111 and specifying your donation is for the “Alberta Flood Response.”

Apartment Vacancy Rate Increases - So Does Average Rent

Saint John is posting the highest apartment vacancy rate in the country according to a survey from Canada Mortgage and Housing. 

The survey shows the city's vacancy rate at 10.4-percent at the end of April compared to Edmonton and Calgary where the vacancy rate is 1.2-percent - the lowest in Canada.

As far as average rents are concerned - we appear to be in the middle with an average monthly rent of 703-dollars for a two bedroom apartment.

Vancouver is the most expensive with a two bedroom going for 1255-dollars a month while Saguenay in Quebec posted the lowest average at 560-dollars a month.