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Monday, July 30, 2012

Belleisle Ferry No Go Tomorrow

You need to change your travel plans if you hope to take the Belleisle Ferry tomorrow.

Starting at 8:30am it won't be running until late in the afternoon for scheduled maintenance and repair work.

Man Fined More Than $17,000

A fifty-eight year old man has been fined more than $17,000 after pleady guilty to charges related to contraband cigarettes.
Harold Ronald Davidson from Lincoln was arrested in May after an eight-month long RCMP investigation where police seized 24,000 illegal cigarettes and a quantity of cash.
Davidson pleaded in Burton Provincial court.

New Virtual College In Saint John

Classroom learning this September is getting virtual.

The Atlantica Centre For The Arts announcing their new "virtual" college. Unlike online courses, the program offers real-time, virtual classrooms complete with live lectures, classmates, study rooms and even a Foosball table.

Atlantica President Mike McGraw tells CHSJ news the virtual classroom is the first of it's kind in the world, a combination of traditional and online learning.

Mobile app development will be the first course taught, which McGraw says is the worlds fastest growing sector of the economy.

The course will be a year long and cost under $15,000. The first four instructors are from Saint John, but McGraw says students and teachers from around the world have access to be a part of it.

For more information on the program, click here.

Teenager In Critical Condition After Accident

One teenager is in critical condition and three people were sent to hospital in Fredericton after a car crash.

The people from Brampton Ontario included a man and women in their forties and a 14-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy.

RCMP say the accident happened on the Trans Canada Highway near the Deerwood weight scales this past weekend. RCMP believe the vehicle left the road and rolled.

Mounties believe alcohol was not a factor. No charges are expected to be laid.

Is City Ready To Embrace Mixed Martial Arts?

The city is being asked to regulate and stage mixed martial arts until the province creates a governing body and the Attorney-General isn't objecting.

That word delivered to Common Council along with the estimate that a large mixed martial arts card at the L-B-R generate as much as 300 thousand dollars in spending. 

The overall rate of critical injuries is said to be low with mixed martial arts and there are fewer knockouts than in boxing. 

The city would rename the Saint John Boxing Commission, the Mixed Martial Arts Commission to oversee the matches that are staged locally. The city would still like to see provincial regulation and will be hearing back from its Solicitor John Nugent.

Fighter Jet Makes Emergency Landing At Airport

A CF-18 fighter jet from Bagotville, Quebec was forced to make an unscheduled landing at Saint John Airport after experiencing engine trouble while in the air over the Kennebecasis River. 

Colleen Kemp-Mitchell of the Airport Authority tells CHSJ News the pilot landed safely around 3:30 yesterday afternoon. The pilot may have lost power in one of its engines.

The all clear was given about half an hour later after the fire department monitored the jet for overheating. 

The plane remains on the ground at the airport. Mechanics from the Air Force will be coming to Saint John to look over the plane to determine what went wrong.




Cause Of Two Fires Being Investigated

An early Sunday morning fire in a building at 10 Spruce Street was contained to the living room on the first floor and there were no injuries but 15 people have been forced to find somewhere else to live for the next while.

Some anxious moments with a car fire early morning on St. John Street on the west side because of how close it was to a nearby building. The fire was snuffed out quickly without spreading to the building itself which was 15 to 20 feet away.

The cause of both fires under investigation.

Douglas Ave. Traffic Calming Idea

Designed like a drag strip is how EXP Architect's Morgan Lanigan describes Douglas Avenue in the North End.

After hearing complaints about heavy traffic from people who live on the street, he's come up with some solutions to make it more safe. Lanigan hopes to present his  "Traffic Calming Pilot Program" to Common Council. He tells CHSJ news marked pedestrian crossings, restricting left hand turning off Douglas and making the street more narrow are all inexpensive ways to reduce congestion.  He says if the pilot project is accepted by Council, he hopes it could transfer to similar roads.

He adds part of Plan SJ is to attract more families, and this project would make the street more desirable.

Councillor Mackenzie is scheduled to present the idea to Common Council tonight.

Airport Will Have To Diversify

The Saint John Airport Authority will be announcing a new direct air service to Quebec City and Newfoundland tomorrow. 

The airport is always on the lookout to generate new revenue. Airport President and C-E-O Bernie Leblanc warns if it depends only on passengers, this can be risky given the volatility of the market. 

Leblanc tells CHSJ News there are 400 acres of land around the airport, if developed, could generate alot of new revenue and help guarantee long term sustainability.

He says the airport also keeps in regular touch with Porter Airlines about establishing another air service from Saint John to Toronto.


L-B-R Ice Expansion Won't Come Cheap

Expanding the ice surface at the L-B-R to Olympic size will be alot more difficult and expensive than it would appear at first glance. 

The city has received a report on what's involved and there are alot of hurdles. 

Common Council is being told the estimated cost, barring any unforeseen circumstances, is around 3.5 million dollars. 

Expanding the ice surface could reduce spectator seating by 50 per cent. The report also points out the concrete beams that now support the ice slab would not be able to handle any additional loads.

Two Weekend Stabbings In City

Arrests were made after a couple of stabbings early yesterday morning. 

One happened on Cedar Street when a man in his early twenties was stabbed. A 19 year old man was arrested by City Police who say the two know eachother. 

Another man in his twenties was stabbed on King Street West during a fracas. A 22 year old man was arrested for that and there's also a Saturday afternoon robbery reported on Visart Street.