Water Break Closes Part Of Germain Street

City crews are working to repair a water main on Germain Street this
evening.
The break has left a number of multiple-famly units without water and
has forced the closure of Germain between Duke and Horsfield Streets
until further notice.

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Local Artist Hits Vancouver Olympics

(Jackson with his latest painting - photo by Gary MacDonald)



Saint John artist Norm Jackson is at it again -- he will be off to Vancouver over the holidays to present another of his paintings to the Olympics Committee.
The painting is called "North to the Olympics" featuring a northern scene complete with Inukshuk -- and -- Jackson tells CHSJ News it caught the eye of one of the Olympic torch relay members during a recent stop in the province who started the ball rolling.
The painting will be on display at Print 3 in Brunswick Square until Christmas -- prints are also available for sale.

District 8 Superintendent Reaction

[District 8 Superintendent Susan Tipper----File Photo]

District 8 Superintendent Susan Tipper tells CHSJ News, the district is concerned about the provincial assessment results, but there is more to it than just test scores.

Tipper says she's happy that Bob Manning addressed the District Education Council with his concerns, but he needs to get all the information first.
Tipper says there isn't a quick fix to increase all test scores.
Tipper says there are many schools in district 8 which caters to poverty areas, and many classrooms have many students who require specialized curriculum. She says those issues are not taken into consideration on provincial assessments, and every student learns differently.

Concerns Over Provincial Assessment Scores for District 8

[Enterprise Saint John Chair Bob Manning----File Photo]
The chair of Enterprise Saint John wants to know how District 8 provincial assessment scores can be improved.
Bob Manning spoke to the District Education Council, as a representative from Enterprise Saint John and a parent.
Manning tells CHSJ News, low education scores can negatively affect someone from moving to the city.
Manning says the scores are better in the districts just outside the city, and wonders if that has something to do with more people migrating to Greater Saint John rather than inside city limits.
He says it's getting to the point of crisis.

North End Fire Update

Thirteen people from two North End famillies are temporarily homeless after a fire late this morning.


Firefighters called to Bryden Street just before noon to find flames shooting out of the house. Laura White, her four kids and boyfriend live there and she tells CHSJ News, she heard a loud bang upstairs, smelled smoke and got out. District Chief Peter Saab says considering the wind and cold, they are lucky the flames didn't jump to neighbouring homes. The Red Cross is providing assistance to the displaced famillies.


The cause of the blaze is under investigation.

Saint John Ready to Celebrate it's Anniversary

           (Original Charter of the City of Saint John)
                       (Photo by Jim Hennessy)

The City of Saint John celebrates it's 225th anniversary next year and there is plenty for everyone to get involved. The festivities kick off on May.18th......the same day the city was incorporated back in 1785. Chair of the Committee is Peter Buckland who tells CHSJ News, this is a very exciting time for the city and all it's residents.

There will be a huge day long celebration July.3rd at Rockwood Park along with festivals through-out the summer and programs designed to celebrate and highlight the city's arts, culture and history. The website for the celebration is www.saintjohn225.com and should be up and running early in the new year.

Drug conviction from Operation Junebug

30-year-old Michael Dallon Bowlin of Saint John was found guilty of trafficking in cocaine in court yesterday.
Bowlin pled not guilty to the charge on May 25 and will be back in court on January 29 for sentencing.
The charges stem from Operation Junebug, a joint investigation carried out by the Rothesay Regional Police, Saint John Police and RCMP.

Parent arrested in Sussex

A disturbance over the lunch hour at Sussex Middle School School today will mean charges for one parent.
Sussex RCMP tell CHSJ News the 33-year-old man became irate in the principal's office and police were called.
No word on what he the man so riled up but, it does have something to do with his child, a student at the school. When police arrived, he did co-operate and was arrested.
Police plan to talk to teachers and others at the school as part of their investigation.
The man could face several charges including uttering threats and property damage.
He is due in court in February.

Fire in the North End

(Fire Fighters Look Over the Scene of North Fire)
               (Photo by Jim Hennessy)

Investigators still are trying to figure out why fire ripped through a pair of homes in the North End today. Firefighters were called to 18-20 Byrden Street just before noon to find flames shooting out of the duplex. Laura White lives at 18 Bryden and tells CHSJ News, she heard a loud bang upstairs, ran down to investigate, smelled smoke and then got out as quick as she could.


District Chief Peter Saab says the good news is no one was hurt but the damage to both home is extensive. No word on how many people were living in the duplex but District Chief Saab says right now, it looks as if the fire started in the back corner of the home.

Firefighter Dispute in the K-V

The Kennebacasis Fire Department is being asked by the town of Rothesay to reduce it's budget by 100 thousand dollars and to eliminate a new firefighter position. Quispamsis Mayor Murray Driscoll tells CHSJ News he cannot support this decision because one station in the valley only has 3 firefighters on duty at a time, which doesn't meet regulations. Driscoll says regulations require when two firefigthers enter a building, two more need to be outside in case of an emergency. Driscoll adds he will request a meeting with Rothesay Mayor Bill Bishop to discuss the issue.

Police Release Name in Fatality

The RCMP have released the name of a 19-year-old Fredericton Junction woman who was killed earlier this week in a single vehicle accident. The RCMP say Rebecca Webb's vehicle left a road in Upper Tracy, struck a pole and rolled over. According to police, she wasn't wearing a seatbelt and was thrown from the vehicle. The accident is still being investigated but the RCMP earlier said alcohol and speed may have also played a role in the fatality.

Apartment Vacancy Rate in Saint John

If you're apartment hunting - you may notice a few more listings of late -- a survey by Canada Mortgage and Housing shows the city's apartment vacancy rate in October sitting at 3.6-percent -- up from 3.1 in October of last year. The federal housing agency is also reporting the average rent for a two bedroom apartment in the greater Saint John area at 644-dollars a month in October -- that's up 4.5-percent from a year ago.

Cause of Fire in Seeley's Cove

More details released on a home that was destroyed by fire in Seeley's Cove last Wednesday. The RCMP tells us the couple's home lost power during the storm and high winds so they decided to go out in the trailer which was parked in the garage to keep warm. Police say the owner had some clothes on a rack and the heater vent from the trailer was too close to the clothes which caught fire. The home was worth 1.9 million dollars.

Former Fire Chief and Common Councillor Running Provincially

Former Fire Chief and Common Councillor Glen Tait is going after the nomination to run in the next provincial election as a Conservative in East Saint John. He tells CHSJ News there are alot of issues in that part of town including traffic, the need to realign the exit off the highway at Ashburn Lake Road and flooding. Tait says what frustrated him during his time on Council was that you needed help from the other two levels of government to get anything done. The riding is currently held by Liberal Roly Mcintyre who's retiring.

Hospital Lottery Winners Come Forward

(Barley Family at the Front Door of Their New Home)
                 (Photo by Jim Hennessy)

It didn't take long for Michael and Lynn Barley to make the trip from Gagetown to collect the top prize in this years Hospital Home Lottery. They received the keys to their $750,000 dollar home in Drury Cove today and Mike tells CHSJ News, he and his wife are in shock. The winner of the Toyota Tundra Truck is 88-year old Milton Wallace of Moncton. The ticket for Wallace was purchased by his grand-daughter Mary Ramsey who tells CHSJ News, she bought it as a Christmas present so it was a huge shock for her grand-father.
22,000 tickets were sold for this years lottery and Executive Director of the Hospital Foundation Tim Cameron says that translates into close to $400,000 dollars for projects at the Regional.

Apartment Vacancy Rate On The Increase

If you're apartment hunting - you may notice a few more listings of late -- a survey by Canada Mortgage and Housing shows the city's apartment vacancy rate in October sitting at 3.6-percent -- up from 3.1 in October of last year.
And the federal housing agency is also reporting the average rent for a two bedroom apartment in the greater Saint John area at 644-dollars a month in October -- that's up 4.5-percent from a year ago.

Saint John Regional Hospital Home Lottery Winner Chosen

A husband and wife from Gagetown have won the 750 thousand dollar luxury home in Drury Cove which was the top prize in the Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation's Home Lottery. Micheal and Lynn Barley bought three tickets. The winning ticket was selected from almost 22 thousand that were sold. Micheal Wallace of Moncton took the second prize, a 2010 Toyota truck.