Today, voters in Pictou West will take to the polls in a riding that voted decisively Tory in the 2021 provincial election.  Nova Scotia Legislature Speaker Karla MacFarlane announced her retirement last month, and two weeks later Premier Tim Houston called for a byelection to fill the vacant seat.  MacFarlane had held the riding since 2013, and easily retained the seat for the Progressive Conservatives in the 2021 general election, taking nearly 64 per cent of the vote.  Four candidates are on the ballot, including Marco MacLeod for the Progressive Conservatives, Mary Wooldridge-Elliott for the Liberals, Melinda MacKenzie for the New Democrats and Clare Brett for the Green Party.  Regular polls open today at 8 a-m for the nearly 12-thousand registered voters in the district.

 

On Saturday, shortly after 12 noon, New Glasgow Regional Police received a report of a man with a knife at a business on Westville Road New Glasgow.

When police arrived on scene, they immediately evacuated a business and continued to evacuate the Highland Square Mall.  A complete search of the area was conducted and the man was immediately located and arrested on Westville Road. Police say he appeared to be under the influence of a narcotic, and did not display a knife during the incident.  The 25-year-old man was charged with Theft under $5000; Possession of Stolen Property; and Resist Arrest.

 

Trial dates have been set for four youths charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of a Halifax high school student.  The sixteen-year-old victim was found badly injured near the Halifax Shopping Centre on April 22nd, and he died later in hospital.  Lawyers for the four accused appeared in Nova Scotia’s youth justice court to confirm that the trial for all four will begin on September 23rd.  The accused — two 16-year-old boys, a 14-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl — were all arrested in the days immediately following the stabbing and they’ve been held in custody ever since.

 

The Town of New Glasgow is advising that the Intersection of Victoria St. & Stewart St. will be closed to traffic through to Wednesday, May 29 at 7:00pm.

As part of the intersection closure, streets that are blocked include:

● Victoria St. (Glasgow St. – East River Road),

● Stewart St.(Edward St. – Victoria St.)

● Glasgow St. (MacLean St. – Victoria St.)

There are also some other area streets that will have some restrictions in effect.  The closure is necessary to install new wastewater infrastructure.