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Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Inmate Gets Prison Time For Beating Up Cellmate

A Saint John man has been sentenced to 3 and a half more years in jail after a fight in jail left another man with a traumatic brain injury.

The court heard 36 year old Jeremy Abram David already had a string of thefts and assaults on his record when he got into a fight with his cellmate, Thomas Jack. He pleaded guilty to kicking Jack in the head three times then attempting to hide from the guards why the man was unresponsive.

Jack suffered a traumatic brain injury and will not be able to work or drive again.


David was also charged with possession and breaking a court order which were factored into his sentence.

Steele and Hitchcock Get The Call To The Hall

A couple of Greater Saint John athletes will be inducted into the Provincial sports hall of fame this year.

John Steele of Rothesay gets the nod after a golf career spanning more than 75 years. He is the only golfer to win the New Brunswick/ Prince Edward Island junior golf championship back in 1938.  With six holes inone to his name and still scoring less than 100 at age 92, Steele continues to impress on the links.

Dean Hitchcock of Saint John was instrumental in the Canadian Senior's Volleyball Team from 1977 to 1984, helping it win a bronze medal at the 1979 Pan-American Games.   He was named to the he Volleyball Canada Hall of Fame in 2001.

The other nominees include 1987-88 Campbellton Tigers who won the Hardy Cup in 1988 and George LeFeuvre of Jemseg who has been involved with cross-country skiing for almost 40 years.

The members will be inducted during a ceremony at Dalhousie Regional High on June 8. 


To see the full list of six inductees, click here

Winter Making Its Last Stand

Don't put away your parka just yet. Tomorrow might be the first day of Spring, but we're getting a blast of Winter weather tonight. 

Doug Mercer from the Atlantic Storm Prediction Centre tells CHSJ news that a storm system will be making its way up into the southwest corner between late afternoon and early evening.

He says the snowfall will be fairly widespread, but the province's southwest and central areas will be hit the hardest. There's going to be 15-20 centimetres of snow.

City School Vying For $20K In National Contest

Island View School is in the running for a $20,000 outdoor classroom as part of the Majesta Trees of Knowledge contest.
The school is one of 10 finalists across the country.
Principal Mark Blucher says the money would be used to build a central amphitheater and smaller individual learning spaces.

He says the prize is based on popular vote and they are encouraging everyone to vote not only their students but parents too.

Voting is underway now and goes until April 26th. 

If they win, Blucher tells us they will find out by late May. 

To vote for Island View School, click here

Groups Beg Council Not To Rush Decision on P3

Some concerned citizens aren't buying the idea that a public private partnership--or P3--could create jobs and cut costs when it comes to revamping the city's water treatment facility.

Andrew Graham of Common Causes tells CHSJ News Saint John has the oldest municipally-owned water system in Canada and it makes sense to keep it that way. He says by enlisting the help of multi-national corporations we're effectively ensuring any cost-savings or efficiencies we find trickle out of the province.


Dustin Bowers tells us he doubts it would be less expensive, saying any big company will be concerned with profit margin first, and delivery of quality services second.


Meanwhile City Manager Pat Woods has said there's widespread confusion about exactly what a P3 means, because it's certainly not the same as privatization.

A Rare Flurry Of Activity On Partridge Island

It's rare that Partridge Island is the site of so much activity.

Uptown dwellers may have noticed that the deserted former quarantine station is getting a number of visits from helicopters from yesterday through today. 

They're delivering construction equipment to replace the generator for the island's 54-year-old lighthouse.

There hasn't been a lighthouse keeper on the island since the 1980s and the historic foghorn was decommissioned back in 1999.

The maintenance trips are expected to last through today.

Vince Gill Returning To NB This Summer

You get 'one more last chance'...well two actually to see multiple Grammy winner and Country music hall of famer Vince Gill in Moncton this summer.

Gill is coming back to Casino New Brunswick for two shows on August 23rd and 24th.

Tickets go on sale on Friday morning at 10am.

For more info, click here

Mom Pleads Not Guilty To Leaving Baby Outside

27-year-old Caleigh Dawn Shea of Saint John pleading not guilty in a case of a baby being left outside in the January cold. 

The baby was found in its carrier in the uptown although Shea has called the entire situation a misunderstanding. Her lawyer, Brian Munro is accusing the prosecution of overreacting

The case has been set over until April 11 at 9:30am.

Seeking Baby Taylor's Parents

Crime Stoppers and the RCMP are still trying to identify the body of baby boy found near Salisbury almost four years ago.

The baby boy nicknamed 'Baby Taylor' was discovered in a snow bank on Taylor Road near Monteagle on April 4, 2009.


Police believe the body could have been left near the remote logging road anytime between October 2008 and March 2009.

Despite tips from the public and an ongoing police investigation, Baby Taylor's parents have not been identified.

You can provide info through Crime Stoppers and information that helps to solve this case could qualify you for a cash award of up to $2,000.


For more info, click here

The Biggest Project In The History Of Saint John

It's twice the size of Harbour Cleanup, and would mean investment of nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in the community. The issue? Clean drinking water, a project which the city is currently investigating how to fund. 

So far city staff appear to be favouring a public private partnership, or P3, which it's claimed could save as much as $84.5 million if no funding is available under a traditional model. 

Mayor Mel Norton tells CHSJ News nothing is written in stone unless the numbers add up and the business case is solid; however, the project would be impossible without the $50 million contribution from P3 Canada.

Norton stresses the project could well be the biggest in Saint John's 228-year history, and as such could mean the creation of new jobs. He also wants to debunk the assertion we would no longer own the water, contrary to the claims of local activist groups.

The project is expected to be completed by 2018 and the construction contracts would be awarded next year. Common councildecides whether to take the inaugural steps toward a P3 next Monday.

Highway One Reopened For Morning Commute

Everything is back to normal along highway 1 near Spruce Lake after a tanker flipped over onto the median yesterday morning. 

The highway was reopened to traffic late last night after 14 thousand litres of propane was transferred from the tanker. The fire department reporting there was no leakage or injuries.

Meantime, a  warning for drivers if you're out east today.......You might run into traffic delays at the intersection of Rothesay Avenue and Russell Street because of work being done on the One Mile Interchange.

Convenience Store Robbed

An armed holdup in the north end is under investigation. It happened last night around 8:30. 

City Police telling CHSJ News a man armed with a knife got away with what is described as an undisclosed amount of money from Daly's on Taylor Avenue.