Telephone And Cable Wires Down In North End

An oversized truck snagging cable and phone lines in the North end.

City Police tells us the wires are down at the intersection of Millidge Avenue and Adelaide Street, and Rogers and Aliant are currently on the scene trying to restore service. 

Commercial Vehicle Enforcement was called to check out the situation.

Youth Police Academy Program Underway

A group of young people are on their way to getting sworn in, as they tough it out in Mini Police Academy. 

The program is called Kids 'n Kops, delivered by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Saint John and the Saint John Police Force, and is for youth aged 9-12. 

Constable Tony Arsenault is the program's police leader for the second year in a row, and he tells CHSJ News they're teaching the kids uniformity and consistency. He says no other program compares to this one, where police officers and young cadets can build friendships, an experience he describes as 'phenomenal'. 

Laurie Collins of Big Brothers Big Sisters tells us the program is an educational opportunity for the group of young people. They graduate from the academy on Friday at 2pm at the Rockwood Park Interpretation Centre.

Local Couple's Mock Arrest Proposal Goes Viral

You have no doubt heard of the mock arrest proposal making its way around the net.

Ben Vienneau and Marcy Belyea's proposal video featuring the Saint John police force has garnered attention from the Today show, the Daily Mail online and the Huffington Post.
 
Ben tells CHSJ News he was a bit nervous doing the interviews. He says they have had another 6 to 7 outlets call them today including online shows and other show throughout the US.

We asked Ben if he was worried when the officer in the video veered off script pretending to arrest Marcy for unpaid parking tickets, he tells us they know each other  really well and he was only concerned for a minute.  

 To see their video and all the entries for Win and Wed by the Sea, click here for Ben and Marcy, click here for Lindsay and John, click here  for Melanie and Dave, click here for Rob and Theresa, click here for Angela & Brendan, click here for Chris and Natasha, click here for Annie and Adam, click here for Courtney & Chris, click here for Amanda and Tim, click here for Lacey & Curtis.

Quispamsis Residents Petition Council To Examine Traffic Problems Along Street

When newly built neighbourhoods grow, residents can run into traffic problems — and that's exactly what's happening on Colchester Drive in Quispamsis. 

People living on the street, and on adjoining Lexington Drive, petitioning town council to look into speeding, and drivers not coming to a complete stop at the stop sign.

Gary Losier, Director of Engineering & Works for the town tells CHSJ News traffic calming is the number one issue when a subdivision gets developed. He says it's such a common problem in growing neighborhoods because as it grows, so do the number of vehicles in the area.

Losier says they need to do an evaluation of the street before they implement traffic calming solutions, which they'll do later this summer. They'll install a counter on the stretch of road to see if speeding is an issue.

Fire Ban In Place

After the recent spell of hot, dry weather, the Department of Natural Resources has put a no burn order in effect for the entire province.

They're also reminding the public that all grass fires require permits, written burn plans and pre-inspection by a forest service officer.

The order stands until at least 2pm tomorrow...but there are some showers forecasted for late tonight and overnight which could help quell the dry conditions a little.

Buskers On The Boardwalk Kicks Off

It's one of Saint John's most iconic summer events--and the kids will be especially excited to hear the 23rd edition of Buskers on the Boardwalk starts tomorrow.

The pay-what-you-can shows feature every variety of act from fire-juggling to sword-swallowers, contortionists to comedy. Stephany Peterson of the Hardman Group tells CHSJ News that's not all you can expect: events like zip-lining, bouncy rides, bumper boats and more making the event a magical one for families.

Performers from across the globe will be performing their unique routines from Thursday until the 21rst. For a full schedule and description of the performers click here.

Will Higher Tipping Fees Mean More Illegal Dumping?

With the news the city's composting and recycling programs need an overall boost of as much as $9 million, taxpayers can expect an increase in tipping fees in the near future..

Common Councillor Bill Farren is worried increased fees will also lead to an increase in illegal dumping with people looking to dodge paying. Mark McLeod of Fundy Region Solid waste assures the public that probably won't happen in light of case studies from areas that have adopted similar regulations.

Councillor Farren saying he's all for anything that cuts down on pollution, but he can't support double-taxing people for putting out garbage either.

Green Party Leader Says Refurbishment of Lepreau Not A Good Deal For Province

Even with cost overruns of over a billion dollars, provincial Energy Minister Craig Leonard is calling the refurbishment of the Point Lepreau nuclear power plant, a good deal for New Brunswick

The leader of the Provincial Green Party David Coon is scoffing at that, saying if Provincial Energy Minister Craig Leonard considers that a good deal, he would hate to see what a bad deal is.
 
Coon, who formerly was at the Conservation Council, points out the plant is still not up to full power and predicts there will be new problems cropping up to force it to shut down for more repairs.

City Hall Evacuated

City Hall was evactuated shortly before 11am due to a suspected natural gas leak.

According to sources on the scene, the suspected leak was actually caused by natural gas being vented in the building as part of maintenence on the building's boiler.

The building was evacuated briefly until crews were able to give the all-clear.

Airport Enjoys Big Increase In Passenger Traffic

Things are going well these days at Saint John Airport which is reporting a ten per cent increase in passenger traffic for the first half of the year. That represents the highest rate of growth of any airport in the Atlantic region. 

The airport also announcing Sunwing is planning its seventh season with direct flights and vacation packages next year from Saint John to Mexico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic starting in February.

The economic impact of the Airport on the Saint John economy is estimated at 66 million dollars as well as the creation, directly and indirectly, of 570 jobs.

Neighbourhood Group Wants Playground Built

A group of residents in one neighbourhood is taking action to get kids out of the house and onto a set of monkey bars.

Town council hearing a presentation about building a playground on the Kings Way Care Centre property. Dave Aube of the Squire Drive Neighbourhood Group, tells CHSJ News he often takes his four year-old to other playgrounds, and with the number of young children in their area, he'd like to see a place they can play that's closer to home.

Judy Lane of the Kings Way Care Centre says they've offered a portion of their land as a project site. Lane tells us she believes it'll be a win-win for everybody involved because seniors enjoy watching children play, and the children will be able to soak up their wisdom.

The playground would cost $60,000 in total; they're asking the town for $40,000. Aube says they've already raised $800 for the playground, which would geared towards kids aged 2-12. It would be 2400 square feet in size.

Armed Holdup In North End

City Police investigating an armed robbery at Greco Pizza off Magazine Street near Fort Howe. This happened shortly after 11:30 last night. 

One person armed with a weapon making off with an undisclosed amount of money. There were no injuries.

Meantime, a collision in the Hampton area between a car and a motorcycle at the Lakeside Road intersection sent a man and woman who were riding the motorcycle to hospital.