Arrest Made In Alleged Threat At Oromocto High School

An 18 year old man getting arrested in connection with an alleged threat made at Oromocto High School today.

Around 11:30 this morning, RCMP were called to the school after a report of someone making threats with a knife.  The school was locked down for about 20 minutes.

The suspect was arrested a short distance away.

No one was hurt and charges are pending.

New Lights Coming To Busy Quispamsis Intersection

Some traffic changes coming to Quispamsis.

Over the next few days, new overhead traffic signals are being installed at the intersection of Vincent Road and Quispamsis Road.  The lights will be activated by approaching cars and the speed limit will be reduced to 40 kilometres an hour.

Director of Engineering Gary Loiser says the new traffic signals will increase safety as well as to accommodate upgrades to the Vincent Road and traffic to the qplex.

Commuter Relief At Last!

The drive home for west siders should be a little easier this evening -- the west bound lanes of the Harbour Bridge have re-opened to traffic after being closed since the spring for a major overhaul.
The province took over the bridge April 1st after reaching a deal with the federal government to remove the tolls -- and -- Transportation Minister Claude Williams tells CHSJ News inheriting the 35-million dollar upgrade project from the former Harbour Bridge Authority led to some delays in getting work underway this year.
The Minister says the Chesley Drive off ramp is still on schedule to re-open by the end of the month while work on the lane realignment and curbing in the area of the former toll plaza should be completed by next month.

CBS Maintains Blood Will Always Be Available

Canadian blood services maintains it would be dangerous for the province to create their own blood agency and leave the national system.

If the Alward government decides to go it alone they would have to supply it solely through the province's 13,000 donors.
Amanda Cullen tells CHSJ News both the Regional hospital and CBS always maintain a 3 to 4 day supply of blood.

She says in the case of a trauma, doctors are not coming down the hill looking for blood adding they have it in their blood bank.
She adds if they need more, they place orders and CBS goes about replenishing their supply.

Cullen suggest donors keep giving blood encouraging them to not let politics get in the way of giving a life saving gift to hospital patients.

Bridge Re-Opens

The west bound lanes of the Harbour Bridge have re-opened to traffic -- the lanes have been closed since the Spring as part of a 35-million dollar face lift for the bridge.
More details shortly.

City Teens Hurt In Dairytown Rollover

Two teens are at the Regional hospital with serious injuries after a rollover east of Sussex.

The Mounties got the call about 11:30 last night after the vehicle rolled over in the westbound lane of Highway 1 injuring a 16-year-old girl and two men who are 18 and 19 years old.    All three teens are from the Saint John area.

The highway was shut down for about half and hour while an RCMP collision reconstructionist examined the scene.

Police believe the two people who were thrown from the car were not wearing a seatbelts. 

One Change Told To Emphasise Educating Young People In The Old North End

Common Councillor Peter McGuire is enthused about the prospect of One Change taking over the operation of the North End Community Centre.

He says the people at One Change should follow the example of what's being done in Harlem with a heavy emphasis on educating young people in the Old North End and Lorne Middle School should be the anchor.

McGuire also says there should be constant evaluation on how well the programmes are working with feedback from the people they're intended to help.
 
Councillor Chris Titus concurs saying without education, no one moves ahead.
 
The Harlem programme in New York City has a budget of 100 million dollars to work with.

Disagreement About Whether King Square Protesters Should Be Removed

While Common Councillor Bruce Court wants to see the Occupy protesters in King Square removed sooner rather than later, not everyone of his colleagues agrees.

Court says he has received numerous complaints but fellow Councillor Patty Higgins says not so fast.

She hasn't heard of any complaints and before deciding on any action to get the protesters out of the Square, Higgins says there should be a report prepared for Council on what's been going on, if anything untoward.

Higgins does express concern over two of the tents burning down with the cause of the fires thought to be suspicious.

Working Group Raising Alarm Over Blood Safety

A working committee including Mayor Ivan Court, union representatives, doctors and business leaders raising the alarm on Canadian Blood Services leaving the City in 2013.
The group wants a blood production lab to remain in Saint John and serve the province no matter who runs it.
Mayor Ivan Court says if the consolidation plan moves forward, this province and PEI would be the only two in the country without a blood production centre.

Court says it's sad that if the CBS move goes ahead, blood donated here will be shipped to Nova Scotia and if we need it, it must be imported back.    He says it doesn't make sense.
 
Donor Brian Duplessis wants to know his time in the chair donating blood will be used for the good.  He says he's not a masochist or a sadist but, it's his way of helping the health care system without spending a penny.

Health Minister Madeline Dube says a decision on the future of blood production in the province will be made in a few weeks.

City Doc Supports The Province Going It Alone On Blood

A City doctor thinks they are many alternatives to Canadian Blood Services and the province should explore going it alone by creating their own agency.
CBS is set to move their distribution facility to Dartmouth in less than two years, a move that Dr. Andrea Garland says will compromise safety.
Garland tells CHSJ News after 2013, the Millidgeville location will be a storage site.

She says one significant trauma, a couple of car accidents, those are the unknowns that can push things one way or the other.

Garland maintains when you have the production centre in your province, you can get people in to donate blood to fill the needs of a trauma.

Armed Holdup Out East

Major Crime is investigating an armed robbery on the east side.

It happened last night shortly before 10:00 at Little John's Convenience Store on John MacMillan Avenue, formerly the Glen Road, off Golden Grove Road. 

City Police say there were two robbers with a weapon and they made off with a small amount of money. 

There were no injuries.

Non-Profit Group Wants To Take Over Community Centre

One Change wants to take over running the North End Community Centre saying because it's non-profit, the organisation will be able to access "a bucketful of money" not available to the city. 

President Scott Crawford says One Change has had a record of success and points to the youth inclusion programme designed to keep young people from getting into trouble with the law which he says has become a national model.

Common Councillor Patty Higgins points out since One Change has become, in her words, "a movement", calls from the old North End to City Police are down by 50 per cent.

The Pastor of Main Street Baptist Church, John Knight is promising an army of volunteers willing to help and estimates there could be as much as half a million dollars available from partners who say they're willing to step up to the plate with financial contributions.

The proposal has been referred to the City Manager and budget deliberations but there appears to be unanimous support on Council for it to happen.

One Member Of Common Council Wants Protestors To Leave Square

A disgrace and a nuisance.........That's how Common Councillor Bruce Court characterises the occupy protestors with their tents in King Square.

Court tells CHSJ News he has been receiving several complaints but whether the issue will come up before Common Council at next Monday's meeting remains to be seen.

Police Departments in other cities, including Halifax, have taken action to remove the protesters from city owned parks.

Two of their tents in King Square went up in flames over the weekend with the fires considered to be suspicious in origin. 

Court says that could be an indication some people are getting fed up with their presence.

Environmentalist ReThinking Support For Point Lepreau

A long time supporter of the Point Lepreau nuclear generating station as a way to reduce carbon emissions is making an about face.
Environmentalist Gordon Dalzell tells CHSJ News the destruction of the Fukushima nuclear power plant in the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan earlier this year has given him cause for sober second thought about construction standards.
And Dalzell says he's now concerned about the level of radioactive emissions from the nuclear power plant.
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission is holding a public hearing in the city next month to consider N-B Power's request for a new five year operating licence for the plant.