Two Break-Ins In St Stephen

St. Stephen police are looking for help solving two recent break and enters.

The first was on January 29 at the Milltown Baptist Church, where a basement window was broken and a small quantity of food stolen. Police think an ATV could have been the getaway vehicle.

The second was on February 10 at the SWP industrial complex on Progress Drive, where a tub of copper scrap pieces was stolen.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers.

Woman Charged With Arson In Shed Fire

Photo Courtesy Of Musquash Fire Department

A woman being arrested for torching a shed in South Musquash.

RCMP responding to reports of a fire in a storage shed on private property in the area. The blaze was quickly extinguished by fire crews but the building and everything inside were lost.

The 48-year-old woman from Musquash has been released on conditions. She will be making another court appearance in May.

Grand Manan Ferry Out of Service

It's tough to get to Grand Manan today.  

The Adventure ferry has broken down and is tied up in Black's Harbour.

Coastal Transport is working to bring the other ferry, the Grand Manan V, into service but they expect that won't happen until late in the day tomorrow or Wednesday morning.

Trial Date Set In Murder Of Elderly Woman

A teenager facing a charge of second-degree murder in the killing of an elderly woman will stand trial in the fall.

19-year old Kyle Edmund Scott appearing in Woodstock court to set the trial date. Police were called to a home on Route 555 in Richmond Corner in early October where they found the body of 82-year-old Sarah Kennedy. An arrest was made later in the day.

Ten days have been set aside for the jury trial, which is scheduled to begin on September 15. Scott has since been remanded.

A Busy Weekend For Police

An assault behind a strip club, another assault in East Saint John and a collision involving an impaired driver on the Causeway...just some of what City police officers were dealing with this weekend.

Early Saturday morning, a man was found unconscious behind an uptown strip club. Two men, 18 and 23 years old, are facing charges.    

Sgt. Jay Henderson says officers were also called to the Prince Edward Square after someone saw a man acting strangely and carrying what may have been a handgun.    Officers later found the man on Charlotte Street.
 
A 33 year old man was found with an Airsoft pistol that was painted black and did look like a gun. It turns out the man was on court-ordered house arrest which he violated. He was arrested and is being held in custody until a court appearance.
 
About 9:45pm on Saturday night, officers responding to a medical call off Grandview Avenue where they found a person who was assaulted and the person they thought was responsible was also still in the home. That man is facing charges of threats, pointing a firearm, assault with a weapon and mischief.

Just before 10 last night, officers arresting a 15 year old boy near Wright street who was found driving a car reported stolen earlier in the day.

Senior Charged In Suspicious Package Incidents Released

A 79-year-old man facing charges in an incident that caused a major scare in the city being released on conditions.

During a brief appearance in provincial court, a judge telling Bruce Parker he has to keep the peace, be of good behaviour and undergo a mental health assessment. 

The senior was arrested for sending envelopes containing powdered milk to Saint Joseph's Hospital and Fundy Funeral Home. Part of the hospital had to be quarantined and employees were decontaminated as a precaution.

Parker submitting a plea of not guilty to the charges. He will be back in court on April 14.

Irving Oil "Turnaround" Will Boost Provincial Economy

The Irving Oil refinery will be spending 60 million dollars on the annual turnaround which involves maintenance work and upgrades.

The project will use 2 thousand workers including 17 hundred tradespeople, 90 per cent of them from New Brunswick with the rest coming here from Nova Scotia. 

Turnarounds are considered vital to maintaining the safety of the refinery. 

It's estimated the turnaround will generate 41 million dollars in consumer spending over the six weeks and be the economic equivalent of 480 fulltime jobs.

Liberal MLA Sees New Legislation Easing Strain On ER's

Provincial Health Minister Ted Flemming says the legislation needed to allow pharmacists to prescribe medications for minor ailments should be passed during the current session of the Legislature. The M-L-A's are off for the March break. 

Liberal healthcare critic Donald Arsenault says passage can't come too soon. Alberta, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia already have such legislation in place.
 
Arsenault says many of the people suffering from these minor ailments wind up going to emergency rooms. He's hoping after the legislation is passed, the waiting times at E-R's will not be as long.

Mail Scam Circulates In Freddy and SJ

Police in Freddy Beach warning of a mail scam that has made its way to Saint John.

Several people in Fredericton receiving the letter and our own newsroom received it all.

It arrives personalized with a handwritten last name and address , but frequently the name "Jiri" appears for the given name.

Police advise the letter is untraceable due to its origin and postmark and if you receive you should throw it out.

You can see a picture of the envelope on our website, country94.ca (thewave.ca) and click news.

Smart Grid Should Save You Money On Heating Your Home

The smart grid will give consumers greater control over how much energy they use through the use of smart devices. 

Brad Wasson of NB Power tells CHSJ News you'll be able to control the temperature remotely through a smartphone app and this will save you a few bucks on your heating bill.
 
Wasson says the smart grid is all about making more efficient use of energy and having a faster response to emergencies.

There Were Talks On New City Hall Development Near Peel Plaza

Discussions were held about development of a new City Hall near Peel Plaza around the Synagogue which would be part of a 55 thousand square foot mixed development.
 
The talks were discontinued because the unnamed developer wanted everything wrapped up before the end of last October so he could avoid the condition of the buildings he wanted from deteriorating further.
 
The city felt that was too much of a rush because Common Council hadn't even established any criteria for future discussions about a new City Hall. 

Meantime, there is renewed interest on the part of a group of local investors in redeveloping the so called jellybean buildings along Wellington Row and perhaps two other buildings at the corner on Union Street.