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Sunday, May 1, 2011

First Street Fire

Fire On First Street Claims Life


One person is dead and ten people are homeless following an early morning fire in an apartment building on First Street.

The three alarm blaze was called in just before 6:30 and as fire fighters arrived they found smoke and flames shooting from the three storey wood frame building.


Acting fire chief Mark Gillan tells CHSJ News his crews mounted an aggressive search and rescue effort to get people out of the building - but - failed to turn up any trace of the victim until after the flames were knocked down.


Jeremy Leslie is one of those left homeless -- he says he was awakened by neighbours and he rushed to get his family to safety.




Leslie says he doesn't have insurance and everything is gone.

So far the identity of the victim hasn't been released nor has the cause of the fire been determined.

Point Lepreau Not Like Fukushima

Point Lepreau taking measures to ensure a hydrogen explosion like the one at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan couldn't happen here.

Station Director Wade Parker says Lepreau installed 19 hydrogen recombiners during the refurbishment.

The machines essentially suck the hydrogen out the air and eliminate the threat of explosion.

Parker says in the event of a power blackout, Lepreau has three diesel generators and two emergency generators that can power the plant.

Mayor Ready To Work With Saint John MP

Mayor Ivan Court confident common council can work with the federal government to ensure safe, clean drinking water for the city no matter who gets elected in tomorrow's election.

Court tells CHSJ News he hopes the federal government will also commit to building a new ship to replace the Princess of Acadia.

The current ferry, which travels between Saint John and Digby, Nova Scotia, is roughly 40 years old.

Court says the ferry employs more than 100 people and brings about ten million dollars to the local economy.

Police Monitoring Common Traffic Violations

A word of warning from the city police: it’s springtime and the force will be cracking down on intersection and pedestrian safety in the month of May.

Drivers are reminded that running a yellow light, a red light, or turning right on red light without stopping can result in a 172 dollar fine.

Police will also be handing out fines to drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks.

Province Invests in Ferries

The provincial government investing money in the Gagetown and Belleisle ferries as part of their commitment to improve transportation in rural areas.

The 2011-2012 budget set aside 1 million dollars to return the ferries to full service.

The Shawn Graham government initially dry docked the Gagetown, Hampstead and Belleisle ferries in April of 2009 as a cost cutting measure.

The announcement comes along with a 1 million dollar investment to patch potholes and repair asphalt on rural roads.

Election Day Tomorrow

Only one more day of campaigning before Canadians cast their ballots in the country’s 41st federal election.

Polling stations are open from 8:30am to 8:30pm on Monday.

Voters need to prove their identity when voting and are instructed to bring a piece of ID with their name, photo and address, like a driver’s licence.

For more information on and how to vote and where to find your polling station go to http://www.elections.ca/.