Route 10 Closed After Fatal Collision

Tragedy after a fiery crash claims the life on one person on Route 10 near Sussex.
The two-vehicle collison west of the Smith road at Keirstead mountain causing a truck to catch fire but both people got out while the driver of the car died at the scene.

Route 10 is closed in both directions until further notice.

Cruise Ship Season Kicks-Off Tomorrow

The Port Authority praying for good weather as the first cruise ship of the season, the Carnival Glory, docks in Saint John tomorrow. 

Betty MacMillan with the Port Authority tells CHSJ News cruise lines keep hearing what a great destination Saint John is and so the industry keeps growing. 

Two new cruise lines will be calling on Saint John this season, bringing an additional 10 thousand passengers.

The Port is presenting an antique telescope to the captain of the Carnival Glory to commemorate the first ship of the year.  MacMillan says it's a tradition they hope will continue.

Deadly Crash Closes Highway Near Sussex

RCMP are on the scene of a fatal collision on Route 10 in Kierstead Mountain-the highway is closed in both directions for the time being.

Two vehicle are involved in the crash and one vehicle was on fire with a person trapped inside.


The people in the other vehicle were able to get out safely.

Speaker Finds A Connection Between Comic Book Superheroes And Business

"If you have never failed you have never lived" that is the message given to a crowd attending a Public Relations conference in the city.

Journalist Sean Wise says superheroes were a means of escape for him as a child as he struggled with bullying and a learning disability.

He tells CHSJ News people are too afraid to fail.
He says in this country if you fail many times you are ready for government work and in the U.S. if you fail a few times you are waiting to succeed.
The conference continues at the Trade and Convention Centre until Wednesday.

Musquash Cleanup Declared A Success

The people at the Nature Conservancy are happy with what they didn't have to pick up in a clean up of the Musquash Estuary Nature Reserve near Lorneville.

Cleanup organiser Ann Morrision tells CHSJ News there wasn't a whole lot of garbage which is a good thing but they did have to do some work on making the coastal trail better for hikers by removing trees and laying down boardwalks where it was muddy because of all the rain we've had.

The volunteers collected three bags of garbage off the beach including four large pieces of styrofoam. The Musquash Estuary is the province's first Marine Protected area and is the last fully functioning estuary in its natural state on the Bay of Fundy.

Reimbursement Not Ruled Out

Premier David Alward not ruling out reimbursement for road repairs the city is making to streets that are a provincial responsibility.  

While Alward couldn't comment on the specifics of Chesley Drive, he tells CHSJ News designated roads are normally looked after based on a five year plan set up by the city. 

Alward says the province works to address the city's priorities with the funds that are available.

Saint John will be paving 3 lanes of Chesley Drive, a road that is provincial property, and will be seeking reimbursement from the province later.

New Cellphone Law Called "Good First Step"

Provincial legislation banning the use of hands held cellphones and fiddling around with your G-P-S while driving is getting cautious support from the Canadian Automobile Association.

The C-A-A's Gary Howard is also opposed to using hands free devices while driving claiming they're just as distracting because your concentration is more focused on who you're talking to instead of the road.

He points to research showing 8 out of 10 accidents are caused by distracted drivers and one second of reaction time can make all the difference in the world.

Howard is hoping the day will come when it will be socially unacceptable to be using any of these communication devices while you're driving.

Taxi Fares Will Remain Where They Are

Taxi Fares are not going up at the present time.

There had been talk of raising them today by a dollar but CHSJ News has been told by Coastal and Diamond Taxi owner, Gary Williston there will be more discussion and any increase, should it be imposed, will be kept as low as possible.

The taxi industry has been hit hard by the rising price of gas.

Uptown Street Closed To Traffic

The city telling us Wellington Row is now closed at Carleton Street for the duration of construction.

The street had been open during peak traffic times but that has now changed.

Access to businesses and parking on Wellington Row is available via Union Street.

Water Problem On West Side

People who live in the Greenhead Road, Milford and Randolph area on the West side are being advised that there is water pipe leak that may result in limited water pressure or no water in the area.

Work is going on as we speak to fix the problem with crews on the scene.

Fire In City Apartment Building

A fire early this morning at 236 Douglas Avenue. it broke out in a four storey building with five apartments and two businesses.

District Chief Eric Garland says everyone managed to get out safely. The fire started in a ceiling fan but spread to the roof of the building itself.

Meantime, Rothesay Regional Police telling us one man is under arrest in the Bradley Lake Road area for uttering threats and the unsafe storage of firearms.

No More Cellphone Use While Driving In Province

Put that cell phone away- it's now illegal to talk or text on your phone while you drive.

Sgt. Jeff Lafrance of the Saint John Police Force tells CHSJ News they will be approaching the law the same way they do seat belt enforcement.

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.
The fine for talking or texting while driving is $172.50 and three points off your license. Random spotchecks will be set up around the City today.

Lafrance adds if you need to talk or text, the safe thing to do is pull off to the side of the road making sure you are not impeding traffic.

There was a published report over the weekend about cab fares going up today by a dollar but we're told by at least one cab company that's not the case.

Noise Pollution Being Measured In City

A Saint John man was out and about with a decibel meter this weekend to bring awareness to what he says is excessive motor vehicle noise in the uptown.

Sam Blue with Noise Free Saint John tells CHSJ News he plans to record noise levels from Kings Square at least once a month throughout the summer in order to get hard numbers showing Common Council and City Police how bad the problem has become.

Blue says provincial legislation requires cars and motorcycles to have mufflers but it's not being enforced, and noise levels seem to be getting worse instead of better.
 
He maintains part of the problem are cars and motorcycles that have illegal exhaust systems. Provincial legislation requires vehicles to have a muffler but Blue argues it's not being enforced.

Not All Tax On Gas Being Spent On Roads

There's been alot of grumbling about the state of the roads this spring in the aftermath of a very tough winter.

A survey released by the Canadian Automobile Association finds most drivers don't believe all the tax money they pay for gasoline are used to maintain the roads.

The Atlantic Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, Kevin Lacey tells CHSJ News that skepticism is not misplaced.

He estimates 38 cents of every litre of gas sold in the province is tax and drivers in New Brunswick are paying six cents a litre more in gas tax now than they were last year at this time but the roads are in worse shape.