Winner Announced In Hospital Home Lottery

Give Sarah Jacquard of Saint John a hearty congratulations next time you see her -- she has won the Grand Prize showhome as part of the Hospital Home Lottery.

The home is located on Crosswind Crescent in Rothesay and is valued at 750-thousand dollars.

Other big winners are Stephen Delaney of Quispamsis who won the early bird prize which is either the Mercedes Benz roadster or 60 thousand dollars in cash and Ann Lockhart who won the 50/50 cash prize of almost 195 thousand dollars.

The proceeds from this year's draw went towards the Saint John Hospital Foundation, the New Brunswick Health Centre, and Mindcare New Brunswick.

The lottery was completely sold out this year and the list of all the winners will be released on November 30th.

More Underwear and Sex Toys Reported Stolen

RCMP receiving three additional reports of stolen underwear and sex toys.

That brings the total of thefts to 17.

The incidents have occurred in the Saint-Paul, Sainte-Marie, and the Bouctouche area. In all cases, no one has been home during the thefts and no one has been hurt

Police have increased patrols in the area and if you have any information, you're being asked to call Crime Stoppers or call police.

Two Arrests After Simpson Drive Robbery

City police getting a call last night about an armed robbery at a Simpson Drive home where two armed men entered the house with a 20 year old woman alone inside.  While she was not hurt, the men left with undisclosed items.

Two men were later arrested near Simpson Drive. 
19-year-old Brandon Pattman was in provincial court on robbery charges.  He will be held until a bail hearing tomorrow.

A 16-year-old was also in court pleading guilty to the robbery charge.  He was released on conditions and placed on house arrest until sentencing on January 5th.

Fire Crews Investigate Odour In North End

Fire crews checking out reports of a strong odour, possibly a gas leak, in the Millidgeville area.

However, there has been no confirmation of a gas leak and the fire department believes the smell could be coming from the pulp and paper mill.

Wet and White Weather Tomorrow

Gas up the snowblower and break out the shovels -- our first taste of winter is coming tomorrow morning.

Environment Canada Meteorologist Claude Cote tells CHSJ News the fun should begin around 8 o'clock tomorrow morning.

10 to 15 mm of rain and snow is expected to fall in Saint John while the valley, Sussex, and Grand Bay-Westfield should see about 15 to 25 cm of the white stuff.

Cote adds it will be windy but the snow and rain should let up by midnight.

The weather system will then move on towards PEI and Newfoundland.

New Development Off Loch Lomond Road Not Welcome By Some

The early approval to the building of bungalows and garden homes on 97 lots off Loch Lomond Road not sitting well with members of the neighbourhood.

The homes will be built between Ganong Road and Pauline Street and Seamus Hanley, who lives on Old Lake Trail tells CHSJ News people moved into that area for large properties and the scenery.

He feels the developer will try to make it into a high density area in order to maximize profit.

However, developer Gary Vincent argues that the demand is there for bungalows and garden homes and the city is losing people to the outlying communities.

Union Street Is Open To Traffic

To the joy of many, Peel Plaza project manager Bill Edwards announcing the infrastructure work on Union street is complete for this year.
Cue the Hallelujah chorus as many a Saint John motorist can finally drive the length of Union street after months of construction.

Edwards tells CHSJ News the street and sidewalks are again open to the public.

He says the base coat of asphalt is down so they can plow the street and the sidewalks this winter.
He adds you will see no more construction work on Union Street this winter, it will resume next spring.

Campbell Says Imitation Is Best Form Of Flattery

He's calling it a good idea -- and -- he says he was first out of the gate with the suggestion -- Councillor at large candidate John Campbell is flattered Councillor Donnie Snook is pushing to merge the Parking and Transit Commissions to reduce costs and possibly avoid proposed cuts in transit service.
Campbell tells CHSJ News he first raised the issue on his Facebook page two weeks ago as a way to help make the service more attractive to potential riders.
He also believes taxis should be included in any overall public transit discussions and solutions.

Ferry Back On Its Run

The Department of Transportation telling us both ferries are now operating at Gondola Point this morning after one of them was out of service because of mechanical problems.

Council Needs To Use Survey Results In Decision-Making

Common Council taking the results of the 2011 Citizen Survey to heart.

The quality of city roads came out as the number one concern for Saint Johners and the percentage of citizens satisfied with city streets dropping from 34 percent to 22 percent year over year.

Councillor Peter McGuire says council needs to take that feedback seriously and use it to help make decisions come budget time.

Councillor Donnie Snook says all councillors should talk to their constituents about the survey at their next ward meeting.

City Transit Should Not Be Limited To One Percent Increase

Councillor Donnie Snook says the reductions in transit services is completely unacceptable.

10 jobs will be lost and service will be reduced on Boxing Day due to budget constraints.

Snook says the one percent budget increase to city transit should be removed and savings should be found elsewhere.

According to him, having people in vulnerable communities worry about how they're going to get to work or buy groceries is wrong.

He suggests the transit and parking commission should be consolidated and city hall's administrative and legislative budget should be looked at for possible cuts.

In the meantime, Council has put through a motion to have Vibrant Communities and Saint John Transit organize community consultations regarding the impact of the service changes.