NBers Weigh In On Oil And Gas Exploration

NB is OK with oil and gas, not so much fracking--that finding from an independent study by the University of Moncton and UNB.

Out of the 604 New Brunswickers polled, 2 out of 3 felt oil and gas should be an important part of our economy. But according to chair Dr Roger Oulette, some conditions apply--for example, whatever exploration is done should be subject to appropriate regulations so our wildlife and water supplies are protected.

Oulette is the chair of a forum discussing these issues in Moncton from June 3-5. It's being held at the Delta Bousejour. To learn more about the research and see a full copy of the survey results, click here

Man Gets Hand Caught in Forklift

A workplace accident at Lorneville Mechanical around 3:40 Monday afternoon....police and fire officials responding to a call than a man had got his finger jammed in a forklift.

The workers managed to free his hand before rescue arrived. According to early reports he was transported to hospital by ambulance.

NB Power Hires Expert For Reactor Restart

The provincial utility is preparing for the end of the refurbishment and the restart of the reactor at Point Lepreau scheduled for this fall.

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission recently concluded the Emergency Response Team performance requirements have been met based on a protocol set out last summer.

NB Power also announcing they are bringing in some expertise for the final phase of restarting the reactor.

Paul Pasquet of Canadian Nuclear Partners has been providing support to the refurbishment project for a year.
The utility says in a release that Pasquet has done this before at a multi-plant site in Ontario.

Norton's Redneck Raceway Kicks Into High Gear

There's an old joke: "if you've totaled every car you've ever owned, you might be a redneck..." And  are rednecks aplenty coming out to the Redneck Racing in Norton. It's a major stock car event that draws crowds of up to 3500 people.

Driver and organizer Mark Muir tells CHSJ News the Redneck Races aren't for lightweights: the drivers drive hard, and they drive to win on a regulation-sized track.

The next event takes place on June 23 in Norton. The address is 982 Route 124. For more information, contact Mark or Tammy Muir at 506-839-1805

Another Brother Act To Be Sworn In At City Hall

It will be a family affair in the council chambers tonight when Saint John's new brother duo are sworn in as Mayor and Councillor with a little help from their Dad.    Melrose Norton will give the prayer at tonight's ceremony where his son Mel will become Mayor and his son Greg will become a councillor representing Ward 1.

Mel Norton will be given the oath of office by Justice B. Richard Bell.

The new councillors will then be given the oath and the new crew around the horseshoe include a few familliar faces in Bill Farren, Donnie Snook and Shirley McAlary.   The newbies are David Merrithew, Susan Fullerton, Ray Strowbridge, John McKenzie, Dr. Shelley Rinehart, Donna Reardon and Greg Norton.

The election of Deputy Mayor, widely expected to be Shelley Rinehart,  will take place and the new Mayor will give his first address followed by remarks from the councillors.

Trial Starts For Uptown Man In Highway Death

A 30 year old King Street East man is standing trial on charges of impaired driving causing death and criminal negligence causing death. 

Jordan Sullivan was charged after a 2 car collision in March of 2011 along the Airport Arterial which killed 50 year old Sheila Bayers. 

The prosecution entered 26 photos as evidence as the trial got started. 

Ronald Bridges of St. Martins, who was passed by one of the cars that was going the wrong way, testified it was dark, foggy and raining at the time. Bridges told the court he was making his way back to St. Martins and decided to stay under the speed limit because of the weather conditions. 

The trial is expected to finish up tomorrow.

Will Bigger Mean Better With Larger School District

The chair of the District 8 Education Council wants a meeting with School Districts 6 and 10 as soon as possible to talk about the impending amalgamation into one. 

Rob Fowler tells CHSJ News most of the stress and strain is in the front offices but that should have no effect on students with most of the stress and strain behind the scenes.
 
The Superintendent of School District 8, Micheal Butler says there will be well defined zones in the larger district and maybe students will be allowed to transfer to a school that's one zone over from where they live.

KVHS Loses Nail Biter At Reach For The Top

Close but no cigar........The Kennebecasis Valley High School Reach for the Top team made it into the quarter finals at the 2012 National Championships before losing to Burnaby North, B-C. 

K-V-H-S coach Jason Thorne tells CHSJ News the match was tied until the final question.

K-V-H-S was the two time defending National Champion and Thorne predicts the team is young and will be even stronger next year because of what they've been through.

New Cruise Terminal Taking Shape

The newly-named Diamond Jubilee Cruise Ship Terminal is getting closer to completion.

Port President and CEO Jim Quinn tells CHSJ News the new terminal is going to be up and running in a few months --and welcoming passengers from an exciting new cruise provider.

He tells us on September 5th the first call will be from a Disney Cruise ship.

The terminal was dubbed in honour of the recent royal visit and a bust of her royal highness will be displayed inside.

Car Crash In Chance Harbour

One man taken to hospital after a single vehicle crash yesterday afternoon on Route 790 in Chance Harbour.

The Musquash Fire Department telling us a car went off the road, struck a parked vehicle and finished up on its side in a yard. 

The driver was treated by paramedics before being transported to the Regional Hospital.

(Photo Courtesy Of Lt Paul Poirier)

A Warning For Provincial Taxpayers About Lepreau

The recent spill of 300 litres of heavy water at the Point Lepreau nuclear power plant when a valve was opened when it shouldn't have been is the latest setback in a project that has been plagued by difficulties.

Gordon Edwards of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility questions whether the cost is worth it telling us not only is the refurbishment far over budget but the provincial government has not determined how much it will cost to build a permanent site to store the radioactive waste for thousands of years. 

After the refurbishment and commissioning activities at the Point Lepreau nuclear power plant are complete, NB Power will still need the approval of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission prior to restarting the reactor which is still scheduled for the fall.

The Commission had expressed concern over the spill of less than 6 litres of heavy water back in December which forced the evacuation of the plant.

New Common Council To Be Sworn In

The new Common Council will be sworn in tonight at 7:00 at City Hall. The new Councillors will also be electing a Deputy Mayor, likely to be Shelley Rinehart who captured the most votes running at large. 

Mel Norton will also be delivering his first address as Mayor. 

Tammy Calvin of One Change is hoping the new Council will continue efforts at rejuvenating the old North End despite the well publicised budget constraints. She would like to be more convenient recycling for a start.

Calvin tells CHSJ News she feels there is a stigma associated with being a so-called priority neighbourhood. 

Calvin concedes there are alot of boarded up buildings in that part of town but believes at least a few of them have the potential to be saved from demolition. 

The fire and police departments are concerned about a recent spate of fires that have been set on purpose in abandoned buildings. Three families were recently left homeless after a case of arson on Victoria Street.

KVHS Advances At Reach For The Top

The Kennebecasis Valley High School Reach for the Top team finishing up the round robin portion of the 2012 National Championships in fourth place.

K-V-H-S is the two-time defending National Champion. Thirteen teams from across Canada are participating in this year’s event. 

This is the sixth straight year the school has finished in the top 4 in the round robin.  By virtue of this top 4 ranking, K-V-H-S has received a bye into the quarter-finals.