Federal Funding Helps Local Crime Prevention

A provincial crime prevention program getting a big boost from the federal government.

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews announcing close to $300,000 being provided to support the "Equipping for Crime Prevention" program here in the province. The funds will provide crime prevention workers with the resources to help reduce crime involving at-risk you, chronic offenders and Aboriginal persons.

Toews says his meeting with Saint John MP Rodney Weston and stakeholders showed him Saint Johner's are involved in making a difference in crime prevention. Toews mentioned he's seen the success and progress One Change has made in the Old North End since he toured the facility two years ago.

The government has also provided more than $1.1 million in support of the Nogemag Youth Program which helps at-risk youth from the Elsipogtog First Nation here in New Brunswick.

VIDEO: Mayor's Comments To Gay Community

Mayor Mel Norton speaks to the crowd at Saint John's 10th annual Pride flag raising.

SJ's Gay Community Is Here & Proud

The message of Pride week in Saint John is that it's OK to be who you are...and Mayor Mel Norton and other community groups are getting on board. At the Pride flag-raising ceremony this afternoon Norton tells CHSJ News the gay community is vital to his vision of Saint John as a "Renaissance City"--and he and common council will continue to work hard to embrace diversity in all its forms.

Organizer Brian Boyd says things have improved a lot since Pride started in Saint John a decade ago. He says instead of being told to "sit down and shut up", the gay community is now accepted as part of mainstream society. Further, Boyd says he hopes this year's celebrations will be bigger and more family-friendly than ever.

The official events for Pride 2012 are as follows:

Monday Aug 20th - Flag Raising 12pm City Hall

Coffee House for Youth ages 13-18 - Public Library Market Square from 2pm-5pm.

Tuesday August 21st - Pride Community Auction & Social @ Mahogany Manor 7pm-9pm

Wednesday August 22 - Movie Night @ Pump Nightclub 8pm - "Another Gay Movie" 

Thursday August 23rd - Vagina Monologues 8pm - $5 at the door. Pride Karoake @ Pump Nightclub -10pm

Friday August 24th - Pride Drag Show @ Pump Nightclub  - 9pm-midnight. Blackout Party @ Pump Nightclub Midnight-2am

​Saturday August 25th - Pride Parade 2pm set up 1pm. Pride Party @ Pump Nightclub - 10pm-2am

Buy Cheap Books All Week Uptown!

If you finished everything on your summer reading list, then this event may be calling your name.

 Big Brothers Big Sisters of Saint John hosting their annual big book sale with books going for as little as 50 cents.

It's on now until Saturday at Brunswick Square.   Executive director Laurie Collins tells CHSJ News they are still accepting books at the sale this week.
 
It's on today until 6pm, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday from 10am to 6pm and Thursday and Friday from 10am to 8pm.

Police and Fire Investigate Weekend Blaze

City police are looking into a fire early Saturday morning on the 

Upper Golden Grove Road.
 

When police and fire arrived at the scene at about 3:30 am, the home was fully engulfed in flames.

In a release, Sgt. Jay Henderson tells CHSJ News they have since determined a break, enter and theft took place at the home and the cause of the fire is suspicious.

Fire investigators and the Major Crime Unit are looking into the incident.   

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 648-3333 or Crime stoppers 1-800-222-8477.

Dirty Water For Some Customers

Folks in areas of the South-Central peninsula including Haymarket Square, Douglas Avenue, and north and south of the Saint John throughway could be seeing dirty water from their taps in the next few weeks.

The city is flushing out fire hydrants between 8am and 8pm to clean out water distribution pipes. The dirty water could last for as long as 20 minutes. Water pressure might also be effected, but the water will not be shut off.

For further information please contact 658-4455.

Coal Creek Crash Claims One

A crash on Highway 10 in Coal Creek last night claiming the life of a 41 year old Chipman woman.

The mounties tell CHSJ News it appears the crash occurred when the woman's vehicle crossed the centre line and was hit by an oncoming transport.

The woman died at the scene and her name is not being released until her family is notified.

The driver of the transport truck was checked out in hospital.

Potential Partnership For Greens & NDP

A potential partnership could be in the works when the next provincial election rolls around.

Provincial NDP leader Dominic Cardy is looking favorably at Green Party candidate Roy McMullin's suggestion of forming an alliance. Cardy tells CHSJ news the idea of a cooperation is a good one, but should be on shared platform and shared values, not to get elected more easily. He adds people have to get beyond the idea of which parties flag is flying, and concentrate on getting the province back on track.

Cardy says he's already spoken with McMullin a few times this month, and both of them saw eye to eye on electoral reforms and the patronage system.

McMullin and David Coon are running for the Green Party leadership position.

Antlerless Deer Draw Results In

New Brunswick hunters hear today whether their names were picked in the annual anterless deer draw...almost 35-hundred names were drawn, and stickers will be sent out in the mail by the end of next month.


Having a sticker means you can shoot one deer of either sex within the wildlife management zone on the tag--or an antlered deer in any area open for deer hunting. Hunters are only allowed one deer apiece.

Following is a list of wildlife management zones (WMZ) and the 2012 quota of antlerless permits allocated for each zone:


WMZ 1 - 0 (bucks only)
WMZ 2 - 0 (bucks only)
WMZ 3 - deer season closed
WMZ 4 - deer season closed
WMZ 5 - deer season closed
WMZ 6 - 0 (bucks only)
WMZ 7 - 0 (bucks only)
WMZ 8 - 0 (bucks only)
WMZ 9 - deer season closed
WMZ 10 - 0 (bucks only)
WMZ 11 - 0 (bucks only)
WMZ 12 - 0 (bucks only)
WMZ 13 - 0 (bucks only)
WMZ 14 - 0 (bucks only)
WMZ 15 - 0 (bucks only)
WMZ 16 - 106
WMZ 17 - 55
WMZ 18 - 54
WMZ 19 - 0 (bucks only)
WMZ 20 - 0 (bucks only)
WMZ 21 - 201
WMZ 22 - 1,508
WMZ 23 - 1,017
WMZ 24 - 51
WMZ 25 - 0 (bucks only)
WMZ 26 - 50
WMZ 27 - 393

Fatal Highway Crash

The RCMP investigating a fatal collision early last night near Chipman which took the life of a woman. It happened on Route 10 involving a car and and a tractor trailer. No name has been released yet.

Transit Union Wonders If Common Council Considers Bus Service A Priority?

Saint John Transit is limping along and the President of the union local, Tom McGraw is worried whether the new Common Council considers bus service to be a priority. 

McGraw is saying this because of all the money that will be spent on surveying Saint Johnners and holding public meetings in the four wards. 

McGraw tells CHSJ News if the city spent 15 thousand dollars, there could be bus service on the three statutory holidays remaining in this budget year. Only four buses are run on a stat and it costs 5 thousand dollars for the day.

Councillor David Merrithew estimated the cost of the public ward meetings at 40 thousand dollars and fellow Council member Susan Fullerton objected to spending 22 thousand on sending out booklets and surveys to Saint Johnners so soon after the election campaign.

Parents Confused Over New School District

School districts 6, 8 and 10 are now the Anglophone South District, but confusion is building since their old district websites are still running.

Superintendent Zoe Watson says parents have stopped her while shopping because they're unsure of what district their children are now in. She says a website for the new district is in the making, but until then the older websites are still active.

Watson says the school district will have to go through the web, newsletters, and media to explain more specifically what changes have been made.