Man is Missing after fishing trip in Grand Bay Westfield

No name is being released after a 23-year old man is missing and may have drowned during a fishing trip in Grand Bay Westfield.

RCMP was called to the Nerepis River this afternoon just after twelve o'clock to find an over-turned boat.

One of the men in the boat managed to swim to shore but the 23-year old is believed to have drowned.
Officers says the initial investigation shows neither man was wearing a life jacket.

Saint John Man Guilty of Attempted Murder

(Adrienne Lepage Escorted From Hampton Court)
             (Photo by Jim Hennessy)

A Saint John man will be sentenced next month on three charges including attempted murder.

55-year old Adrienne Lepage had already pleaded guilty to charges of robbery and abduction.

The attempted murder charge was handed down this afternoon by Judge Henrick Tonning.

The charges stem from when the Barnwood Pub in Quispamsis was robbed in November of last year.

Sargeant Craig McDougall is head of major crime with Rothesay Regional Police and says this is one of the most serious crimes he has seen.


Judge Tonning called Lepage's actions cold and calculated.
 
He duct taped 22-year old Jessica Michaels hands and legs, threw her in the back of a van, drove her to a gravel pit in Lepreau, duct taped a bag over her head and left her.
 
Sentencing will take place in Hampton on May.27th.

Consultation Meetings About Primary Health

(Health Minister and Quispamsis MLA Mary Schryer)
               (Photo by Jim Hennessy)

If you have any idea's on how to improve primary health care in the Kennebecasis Valley, the Health Department and Horizon Health Network want to hear from you.


Beginning next month, a series of consultations will be held and Health Minister Mary Schryer says once all the information is collected, a final report will be put together and released in June.


No word on how much the set-up costs and no schedule of meetings has been released at this point.

District Six Keeps an Eye on Bullies

(School District Six Superintendent Zoe Watson)
                  (File Photo)

School District Six has always had a strong policy when it comes to bullying.


Superintendent Zoe Watson tells CHSJ News, there is good communication at the elementary level but the same can't be said about middle and high schools.


Watson is referring to cyber and text bullying which is happening outside school hours but shows up in the building the following day.

Fight for Bullying Legislation Continues

Those people in favour of proposed anti-bullying legislation are holding a rally at the Legislature.


Anti-bullying activist Rob Frenette is calling it a final stand.


He disputes criticism from Social Development Minister Kelly Lamrock that too many suspensions will be handed out if the bill were passed because they would be mandatory.


Frenette is comparing this struggle to the campaigns for civil rights that were waged in the 1950's and 60's because he claims the lives of students are at risk.

Students Get Up Close and Personal With the Harbor

Students from Woodlawn and Saint John High have a new found respect for issues concerning the harbor thanks to a new program.

Over the past few weeks, they have explored harbor management issues through innovative classroom exercises.

Velta Douglas, a Masters student at UNB's Faculty of Education, developed the set-up and tells CHSJ News, guest speakers from various stakeholder groups gave the students an idea of what they deal with everyday.


Douglas says when the program started most students believed the harbor was just there and it's not important.
 
You can watch the video here. 

U-S Tax Deadline Serves As A Reminder

This is tax day for U-S residents who must file their income tax returns by midnight tonight -- and -- that serves as a reminder our tax deadline is just around the corner. Roger Haineault of Help 4 Taxes tells CHSJ News there is some confusion about the deadline for filing our personal income tax returns -- but -- the fact is midnight April 30th is the cut off date.
Haineault says if you haven't filed your income tax return -- you're not alone because stats show about half of the 25-million Canadians eligible to file will do so in the two weeks before the April 30th deadline.

Job Fest Underway At T & C

Job Fest 2010 goes today with over 400 grade 11 students from Districts six, eight and ten taking part.  
The event is designed to help students make better informed post-secondary decisions.
All of the students will take part in professional development workshops and will then be put through an interview for the mock job position they applied for. 
J.D. Irving is a sponsor of the event and spokes-person Geoff Britt tells CHSJ News, their company has over 4000 jobs to fill in the next five years and this is a great starting block.
The event gets started at 9:30am at the Trade and Convention Center.

Gas Prices Fall In City

The price of gas is cheaper this morning in Saint John after the weekly setting.
Self serve regular is down a couple of cents and selling for $1.02 a litre.
Diesel is also lower at $103.9.
Furnace oil is listed at 91.7 cents and propane is $103.5 a litre.