Man charged with arson following fire in Hillside
Pictou County District RCMP have charged a man in an arson that occurred on Pictou Landing Rd. in Hillside. The fire broke out at about 3:00am Sunday while three people were in the home. The home was severely damaged, but no one was injured and firefighters were able to keep the fire from spreading to any nearby homes. Police say they had been called to the same home in July as a man uttered threats to burn the home down but fled before police arrived. Investigators were able to gather additional evidence and have arrested the same man. 35-year old Scott Mitchell Anderson of New Glasgow has been remanded into custody pending a bail hearing and has been charged with Arson – Disregard for Human Life; Uttering Threats to Cause Death or Bodily Harm; and Uttering Threats to Property.
One new case of COVID-19, no recoveries
Nova Scotia reported one new case of COVID-19 on Tuesday. The new case was identified in the central health zone and is related to travel. There are now 17 known active cases in the province. One person is hospitalized in the intensive care unit. As of Tuesday, 76.7 per cent of Nova Scotians have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 67.1 per cent have two doses.
Nova Scotia Health Public Health is advising of potential exposure to COVID-19 on one Flair flight. All potential exposure notifications are listed here: http://www.nshealth.ca/covid-exposures.
Most large-scale community vaccine clinics will close Friday
All of Nova Scotia’s community vaccine clinics are offering drop-in appointments this week to encourage those who are not yet fully vaccinated to get either their first or second dose. Many locations also offer booked appointments. Many of the clinics will remain open until late this week and then the large-scale community vaccine clinics will close. Anyone who has a second-dose appointment booked after the closing date at any of the community vaccine clinics needs to move up their appointment or reschedule into a pharmacy clinic.
Drop-in locations and hours (Northern Zone):
Amherst Community Vaccine Clinic (Amherst Centre Mall)
Unit 205, 142 Albion St., Amherst
Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closes end of day Aug. 13)
Drop-ins and booked appointments
Truro Drive-thru Vaccine Clinic (Rath Eastlink Community Centre)
625 Abenaki Rd., Truro
Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (closes end of day Aug. 13)
Drop-ins only
Truro Community Vaccine Clinic (McCarthy Hall, NSCC)
36 Arthur St., Truro
Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closes end of day Aug. 14)
Drop-ins and booked appointments
Meanwhile, in the local area, there will be a vaccine clinic providing Pfizer-BioNTech to residents 12 and up for first and second doses at Scotsburn Elementary School tomorrow (Thursday, August 12) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Those who wish to receive their second dose must have had their first dose at least 28 days prior. People are asked to bring their health card number and a piece of identification to the vaccine clinics.
Political experts say ‘fluid’ N.S. election campaign could bring surprises next week
As Nova Scotia’s election campaign winds through its final week, political observers say there could be a number of surprises at the polls next Tuesday. Tom Urbaniak, a political scientist at Cape Breton University, isn’t predicting any outcomes but says he has a sense the situation is “quite fluid” for the three main political parties. With 13 incumbent candidates not running in this election, Urbaniak says that makes the outcomes less certain in a number of the province’s 55 ridings. Lori Turnbull of Dalhousie University agrees, adding that with a redistribution of ridings and an expected low voter turnout there is more potential volatility among the electorate. Turnbull says it will boil down to how well the party leaders communicated their messages and how organized each party is in competitive ridings. Meanwhile, Elections Nova Scotia says a total of 75,367 early votes had been cast as of Monday, more than twice the number at the same point during the 2017 election, when 32,935 early votes had been cast. (The Canadian Press)
Pictou District RCMP investigating break and enter at Eureka residence
Photo of a similar make and model of dirt bike
Pictou County District RCMP say on August 6th, 2021, a residence on East River West Side road in Eureka was broken into and a blue 2010 Yamaha TTR-110 motorcycle was stolen. If anyone has information on this break and enter or the whereabouts of this bike, please contact Pictou District RCMP at 902-485-4333 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Mentoring Plus Strategy & Healthy Pictou County Partner To Introduce Seasoned & Aspiring Health Care Workers
The Mentoring Plus Strategy is partnering with Healthy Pictou County to host a social mixer next week to connect students working toward a career in healthcare with local professionals with experience in the sector. It’s being held at The Commune on Tuesday, August 24th from 5pm to 7pm, and registration is required due to space and COVID restrictions. The Mentoring Plus Strategy aims to provide seniors opportunities to contribute to the province’s economic and social well-being.
New Glasgow launches Climate Action Engagement survey
New Glasgow has launched its Climate Action Engagement survey. The towns says the purpose of the engagement is for residents to learn more about New Glasgow’s greenhouse gas emissions and what community actions we can take to reduce them. The engagement survey will be available until Sept 6th.
