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Sunday, June 5, 2011

Fire Destroys Home In Hampton

Hampton Fire kept busy for two and a half hours last night battling a blaze.

Crews were called out to 335 Cumberland Road at 7:30pm to find a home fully engulfed in flames.

No one was hurt as no one was home at the time but there is nothing left of the house.

And a fire outside Fredericton yesterday leaving a family of three temporarily homeless.

A woman and her two teenage sons got out safely but their cat died in the blaze.

The Red Cross is providing lodging, food and clothes for the family.

No word at this point on a cause.

Commuter Challenge Kicks Off Today

The Commuter Challenge kicks off around the province today and Saint John is in great shape with 18 organisations registered, at last count, with more than 21 hundred employees taking part.

The competition encourages people to leave their cars at home and find other ways of getting to work which include car pooling.



Mayor Ivan Court tells CHSJ News every little bit people do can help the environment.

He says commuters from outside the city limits can do their part by car pooling or taking the bus into the city during the morning rush hour and back home again in the afternoon.

The Mayor says Saint John is leading the green way and winning awards for its efforts.

Thus far Moncton has 4 organisations and 723 people signed up while Fredericton has just 2 organizations with 85 employees.

SJ Community Foundation Turning 35

The Greater Saint John Community Foundation celebrating a milestone this week.

The Foundation recognizing it's 35th Anniversary this Thursday at the Marco Polo Cruise Terminal by giving a grant of 30 thousand dollars to the city's Teen Pregnancy Committee.

The Foundation is also presenting Franklin Leger with an award for community service for his work over the last six decades.

Since the Foundation was created in 1976 it has distributed 5.4 million dollars to local charities and causes.

Still No Timeline For Harbour Bridge Repairs

Premier David Alward saying work will go forward on the East bound lanes of the Harbour Bridge, but no word yet on a specific timeline.

Transportation Minister Claude Williams hinted in an interview with CHSJ News in early April that phase two of the 35-million dollar upgrade involving the east bound lanes may be spread over a two year period.

Alward tells CHSJ News he knows it's important work that needs to get done.

The provincial government took ownership of the Bridge through a federal-provincial agreement that saw the removal of the tolls this April.

District 6 On The Social Media Bandwagon

District 6 Education Council making an effort to keep up with the growing world of social media.

Superintendent Andrew Hopper tells CHSJ News they do see a lot of people flocking to the district website and twitter account.

He says social media has been a helpful tool when it comes to getting the word out about late buses and school cancellations.

Hopper says school websites will be changing format in the fall to a universal format in order to create more consistency and make it easier for school staff to make updates.

New Cell Phone Law Starts Tomorrow

Time is quickly running out if you talk or text while you drive. As of tomorrow, it's against the law to do that in this province.

Sgt. Jeff Lafrance of the Saint John Police Force tells CHSJ News there will be a transition period where officers will be pulling those drivers they see breaking the law over and giving them a heads up on the new rules.

He tells us the penalty if you get caught is three points off your license and a fine of $172.50.

Officers will be conducting random spotchecks throughout the city tomorrow.

For more info on the new law, follow this link.