MAN AND WOMAN ARRESTED IN STELLARTON ON DRUG CHARGES
The local Integrated Street Crime Unit, with help from Stellarton Police, has arrested a man and woman as part of a lengthy investigation, where they seized a quantity of hydromorphone and drug paraphernalia. That took place at a home in Stellarton yesterday. (Thursday) The suspects arrested are a 63-year-old man and a 37-year-old woman, both from Pictou County.
They’re each charged with Possession for the purpose of trafficking hydromorphone. Police have released the pair on strict conditions and they’ll be appearing in Provincial Court at Pictou on April 26th.
NOVA SCOTIA POWER ASKS LOCAL STUDENTS TO APPLY FOR ITS BURSARIES BY APRIL – FREE TUITION MONEY IN 28 CATEGORIES !!
Nova Scotia Power would like parents and others who know our local grade 12 and other students to let them know that the corporation has 28 bursaries to bestow on people who qualify this year. Eligible students need to be enrolled in trades and degree programs. The categories include: Emerging Leaders; The Mi’kmaq Bursary; Women in Trades, Engineering and Technology; African Nova Scotian; and the Nova Scotia Power Family Award. These Scholarships are awarded based on number of criteria, including academic achievement, community leadership and demonstrated financial need.
For over 20 years, Nova Scotia Power been offering scholarships, and the deadline for this year’s applications for one is April 19th. For more information, applications and deadlines, visit Scholarships from Nova Scotia Power | Nova Scotia Power (nspower.ca)
NS GAS AND DIESEL PRICES ARE HIGHER THIS WEEK
This is the 4th week in a row that gas prices have increased in the local zone. They’re up by 2.7 cents per litre, to $119.4 for regular self-serve. Diesel is up by 2 cents this week, hitting $116.2.
JUDGE DENIES MAN’S BID FOR SEPARATE TRIAL AFTER NEW GLASGOW POLICE RAID CONNECTS TO CRIMINAL ALLEGATIONS FROM 2016
One of four men accused of beating a man and leaving him for dead in a pickup truck on a Cape Breton road has been denied his request to be tried separately from the other three accused. Donald Melborne Messenger was apparently pinpointed as a possible new member of the Gatekeepers motorcycle club in New Glasgow when he and three others were charged with an alleged aggravated assault. According to court documents, the beating victim had apparently stolen a vest and a Gatekeepers’ sign from Messenger’s home. A group of Gatekeepers including Messenger allegedly confronted the victim as a form of punishment in June of 2016. That was the month when police raided the Gatekeeper clubhouse on New Glasgow’s MacLean Street. A trial on the charges heads for Supreme Court in Pictou over an 11-day period in early May.
OTTAWA MODIFIES WHALE PROTECTION MOVES PLANNED FOR THIS YEAR
The federal Fisheries Department will continue efforts this year to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales in Canadian waters, but it is making some changes to reduce the impact on the fishing industry. Ottawa says it will still close fishing areas when whales are present, but before prolonging such a closure, authorities plan to step up surveillance to determine whether the whales remain in the area.
Restrictions on ship speeds will be maintained throughout much of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, while fishing vessels will have an exemption in waters less than 20 fathoms, or 37 metres, deep.
Testing of new fishing gear that would allow whales to break free in the event of entanglement has been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, so a requirement for the new gear has been postponed until the end of 2022. There were no North Atlantic right whale deaths or entanglements in fishing gear in Canadian waters in 2020, but in the previous five years, 25 deaths were recorded.
It is estimated there are only 366 of the right whales remaining in the world. (Canadian Press)
Nova Scotia Tories are using COVID as an issue as they get ready for the next provincial election. Sackville-area P-C MLA Brad Johns says COVID-19 briefings should be free from politics, but the line has been increasingly blurred over the last few months with Stephen McNeil in the Premier’s chair. Johns says incoming Premier Iain Rankin, who’ll be sworn in next Tuesday, would be wise to keep politics out of future COVID-19 briefings. Johns says the outgoing Premier’s presence at weekly briefings has “diluted the science with political mudslinging.” Opinion polls have disputed that, giving McNeil lots of credit for Nova Scotia’s success in fighting the coronavirus.
Central Nova M-P Sean Fraser is out with a new explanation on the country’s vaccine supply. He says 475,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine are slated to arrive in Canada next week. He says each week thereafter, we expect deliveries of more than 444-thousand doses every 7 days, until the end of March. In addition, Fraser says Canadians can expect to receive 1.3 Million more doses of the Moderna vaccine in March.
Coupled with what’s already here, that means 6 Million vaccine doses in Canada by March 31st.Beyond March, the Central Nova MP says we can expect 84 Million doses of both vaccines by September, making sure every Canadian who wants to be inoculated against the virus can get one by that time.
Public Health is reporting one new COVID case from the latest update. The person infected is in the Western Zone and health officials are following up. There are currently 13 COVID cases across Nova Scotia.
Mobile Units will be offering community-based COVID-19 testing in Sheet Harbour today. (Friday) Testing will be available from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Sheet Harbour Legion – Branch #58, for anyone who is asymptomatic, who is not required to self-isolate, and who is not a close contact of a person with COVID-19.
Officials say anyone tested at this clinic does not need to self-isolate while waiting for their results, and for listeners in the Sheet Harbour area, both drop-in testing and pre-booked appointments are available today. (February 19th)
RCMP investigators in Kings County have charged a New Minas man with Voyeurism in a strange case out of the Valley this morning.
It started on January 21st, when Wolfville RCMP received a complaint from two female tenants who discovered a modified mirror in their bathroom. Officers from across the Valley combined for an extensive investigation of a property on Blomidon Terrace and discovered that modifications were made to the mirror and wall behind it – allowing them to look through that mirror from an adjacent room. Police say the crimes took place between January 11st and January 24th of this year.
55-year-old Al Young, of New Minas, has been charged with Voyeurism. He is scheduled to appear in Kentville Provincial Court on April 7th.
ROTARIANS, deCOSTE CENTRE AND WELLNESS CENTRE COMBINE EFFORTS SO “THE SHOW WILL GO ON” IN MAY
Through a unique partnership emerging among the Rotary Club of Pictou, the deCoste Centre and the Wellness Centre, the Rotary’s production of ‘The Sound of Music’ will hit the stage at the Pictou County Wellness Centre in late-May. The dates are May 27th, 28th and 29th. They’ve already sold 300 seats per night, and they’re hoping COVID rules will allow them to increase that by 100 audience members per night.
When COVID-19 triggered gathering restrictions and stay-at-home orders last March, the Rotary Club of Pictou was just weeks away from staging its production of ‘The Sound of Music’. A heartbreaking decision was quickly made to reschedule the production to March of this year.
Rotary Club Member Don Hill is also directing the musical. He says “We are so pleased to have this opportunity to stage the show. Our cast and orchestra had done months of rehearsals and was ready to go last March. They are thrilled to finally get the chance to stage the musical. Besides the cast and musicians, this decision is a major victory for the Rotary Club. This annual project is a major fundraiser that supports community programs year-round.”
PARK FOR FREE IN DOWNTOWN NEW GLASGOW TODAY DURING KINDNESS EVENT
This is National Kin Week. So New Glasgow Kinsmen and Kinetttes are promoting Random Acts of Kindness by paying for parking meters in downtown New Glasgow today, (Feb 19th) hoping those of us who park there will pay it forward to others. This is all part of today being National Day of Kindness. So if you were holding off on a trip downtown, today is the day your parking is paid for, and the Kinsmen and Kinettes are hoping you take that kindness and pay it forward through the rest of your day.
