Gas up, diesel down slightly in Nova Scotia
Gas prices went up overnight in Nova Scotia, but diesel prices went down. Gasoline prices rose by 6.1 cents per litre to 175.2 cents per litre locally, and diesel prices fell overnight by 2.0 cents per litre to 202.9 cents per litre in the local area.
COVID-19 infections in Nova Scotia may have peaked: chief medical officer
A senior health official says the latest wave of COVID-19 infections in Nova Scotia may have peaked. Dr. Shelley Deeks, deputy chief medical officer of health, says infections have stabilized in terms of lab-confirmed cases and outbreaks at long-term care facilities. Asked how long it will take before the numbers start coming down, Deeks says that might not happen for at least another month. For the seven-day period ending April 18th, the province reported. 13 deaths related to COVID-19, and there were 75-hundred positive PCR lab tests.
Man facing firearm charges after incident in Glencoe
RCMP photo (submitted)
Pictou County District RCMP have charged a man with firearms offences after an incident in Glencoe. On the afternoon of April 12th, RCMP responded to a report of a man pointing a firearm at a woman at a home on East River West Side Rd. When they arrived, police learned that the woman had fled to a neighbouring home and was safe and uninjured. The woman told police that the man had pointed the firearm at her and pulled the trigger, but it wasn’t loaded. Initially, the man did not respond to police, but eventually they made contact with him and he was safely taken into custody. A search of the home saw police seize six handguns, seven shotguns, eight rifles, a crossbow and various gun parts. A WWI bazooka was also seized and turned over to the Royal Canadian Navy’s Fleet Diving Unit Atlantic. Daren Douglas Loucks, 55, of Glencoe, has been charged with the following:
- careless use of firearm
- using a firearm in the commission of an offence
- pointing a firearm
- uttering threats and
- unsafe storage of a firearm
Loucks was kept in custody and is set to appear in Pictou Provincial Court on April 27 at 9:30 a.m.
N.S. government plan for health care to be released today
The Nova Scotia government is set to release its long anticipated plan to fix the province’s ailing health care system today. Premier Tim Houston says the plan will incorporate much of what was heard during a fall public tour by government officials who sought feedback from health professionals. He says it will also “lay out” what the government believes is possible to do within its mandate. The Tories have promised to increase the number of family doctors and nurses, bolster the mental health system and significantly increase the number of long-term care beds in the province.
Another 400 homes in Nova Scotia are to get access to high-speed internet under two new contracts signed with the province. The Nova Scotia Internet Funding Trust has approved 1.7 million dollars for the projects, with another 446-thousand dollars from private sector investments. Eastlink is to expand access to 66 more homes and businesses in the Annapolis Valley under one contract, while Bell will expand access to 333 more homes and businesses in smaller areas across the province under the other. By the end of next year it’s expected 99.5 per cent of the province’s homes and businesses will have access to high-speed internet.
Paper Excellence has announced a $50,000 donation to United Way, $15,000 of which is being awarded to United Way of Pictou County. The United Way of Pictou County partners with local programs and services that address and alleviate barriers that children and youth are facing in their community—the child poverty rate in Pictou County is over 26%. United Way of Pictou County Executive Director Ellen Fanning says that because of the support from Paper Excellence, United Way can re-invest the dollars back into vital youth focused community programs in Pictou County.
Local sports note:
At the U18 AAA Female Atlantics in Tyne Valley, PEI, the Northern Subway Selects beat the Eastern Icebreakers from Newfoundland 10-1. Today, the Selects face the host Western Wind from PEI.
