Mayor Murray Driscoll concedes it will be a challenge to maintain the town's tax rate in this year's budget which will be unveiled tomorrow night.
The town will be receiving 147 thousand fewer dollars from the provincial government this year. Common Council has endorsed shale gas development but Driscoll tells CHSJ News the town is in a different position.
Driscoll says he can't take a chance of it with over 6000 wells in the town.
Driscoll says townspeople enjoy some of the best water in the province.
Politic leverage and a high-powered lawyer...... not police ineptitude......were the key factors that allowed disgraced former Saint John Police Officer Ken Estabrooks to continue his abuses against children for so long....that's the theory being put forward by blogger and amateur historian Ron Jack.
Jack tells CHSJ News he's done some digging into council minutes and other documents....and found the council of the day was intimidated by Estabrooks and his lawyer Rodman E. Logan.
He says know Mr. Estabrooks knew what he was doing saying he brought a gun to a knife fight and he was intimidating city council.
Jack says pinning all the blame for the continuation of Estabrook's abuses on then-police chief Eric Ferguson overly simplifies the complex political game Estabrooks was playing.
It's an election year and this is how you can tell.......
Former Liberal Cabinet Minister Kelly Lamrock will accept the NDP nomination for the Fredericton South riding tonight.
Lamrock joined the NDP last February after serving two terms as a Liberal MLA.
The meeting begins at 7pm in the Charlotte Street Arts Centre auditorium at 732 Charlotte Street.
From 1000 to 500 and now 3100. That is how many NB Power customers are off the grid in the province.
Hundreds do not have power in Fredericton, Rusagonis, Grand Bay-Westfield, Pennfield, Belleisle Creek and Jemseg.
Rain on snow covered or snow-packed roads are making for a messy drive in some spots today.
And if that's not enough, there is water pooling on the roads that are clear and flooding may become an issue.
Ice is also falling from trees, homes and buildings onto vehicles and people as the temperature goes up.
Be very careful where you are walking and driving today.
The RCMP tweeting a warning that Highway 7 between Oromocto and Saint John is very slippery and they recommend motorists slow down and drive with extreme caution.
City police are blocking traffic on Foster Thurston Drive after a three car pile up and some other stuck vehicles due to the greasy conditions.
The City Market is closed today due to a heating line rupture on the third floor.
The rupture caused water damage to all three floors on the north side of the City Market tower compromising the electrical system and the fire suppression system for the entire building.
Contractors are evaluating the situation.
The lights are coming back in Quispamsis.
Earlier this morning, over 1000 homes and businesses were without power but, it's now down to 35
NB Power is reporting 528 are off the grid across the province.
More than 200 are without power in Pennfield.
The murder of 33-year-old Tanya Shand last year sent shockwaves throughout the community and has made a lasting impact on the local police department.
That's according to Rothesay Regional Police Chief Stephen McIntyre who tells CHSJ News a lot of resources have since been poured into increasing domestic violence education and awareness in the K-V.
He says the officers are well trained on how to respond to intimate partner violence calls.
He says as a officer you don't go and handle the quick fix for the incident in front of you.
He says you also looks for signs that this may have happened in the past and for any signs the victim might be in danger in the future.
Shand was killed by her common-law partner last May.
City water rates will have to go up anyway but Saint John M-P Rodney Weston tells CHSJ News they will rise by half as much because of the funding help from the provincial and federal governments.
The Council of Canadians is warning Saint Johnners will wind up regretting the public-private partnership as other cities, including Paris, France, have.
Weston says no one is arguing that the status quo is acceptable and the city can't afford to pay the entire shot with the price tag being 230 million dollars.
The only water treatment being done now are screens to keep the eels and tree branches out and chlorination to disinfect.
Weston adds, when it's all said and done, Saint John will have among the best water treatment and waste water treatment systems you'll find anywhere.
Common Council is being asked to get a report on how much it would cost to have the the city policed by the RCMP.
The initiative comes from Councillor David Merrithew, who chairs the city's Finance Committee, and points out City Police will cost a million more dollars this year and that kind of increase is unsustainable over time because it will take money away from roads, recreation and water. He also points out wages and benefits take up 82 per cent of the policing budget.
Bob Davidson of the Saint John Police Association argues provincial figures show the Mounties would cost from 10 to 26 per cent more and says, it's no coincidence this is being brought up at a time when contract negotiations are being conducted. He's denouncing the move as "anti-union".
Power is now restored in the uptown.
It went out for about 45 minutes starting around 1:45 this afternoon.
City fire telling CHSJ News a transformer blew along Bayside Drive and Wullet Drive.
The wire was coming in off NB Power's tower and the utility was notified of the problem.
Saint John Fire also telling us many alarms are going off today.
That's because pipes are thawing and water flow in buildings activates the alarms.
An IT expert at the University of New Brunswick saying the public would be shocked as to how sophisticated cyber crime is getting.
David Shipley is the Enterprise Strategy Analyst at the university. He tells CHSJ News it's getting easier for hackers to gain access to personal information online.
"There are automated tools now that even someone with a moderate level of computer knowledge can use to basically input your name, and some basic details and it will scour the entire internet. Publicly available information on social media, stuff they can pick up on Google and build, within minutes, a profile on a person," he says.
He says there are some things you can do to protect yourself from cyber crime such as, having unique passwords for each website or service that you use.
Shipley predicts cyber crime is only going to get worse and educating users will help reduce the risks significantly.
The District Education Council making mental health one of its main priorities this year. Superintendent Zoe Watson of The Anglophone South District says mental health problems are becoming more common among students.
In a year-end interview she tells CHSJ News, "over the last few years that is an area of concern that has been identified by our teachers, and by our school leaders. I think a lot of research would point in that direction as well, that we are seeing mental health issues at a young age."
She says the district will focus on more mental health fitness programs in 2014, and will continue to provide mental health first aid training for teachers.
Next year there will be a beacon of hope for at-risk youth. That from Safe Harbour Project Coordinator Colin MacDonald.
In a year-end interview he tells CHSJ News about impact of the youth shelter that will be opening next year.
He says 2013 is the last year homeless youth will be turned away.
"In the summer of 2014 we'll be able to open our doors and start providing residential services to young people at risk," he says.
This year saw lots of community interest in the project, from Safe Harbour making it past the first round in the Aviva Community Fund, to the New Brunswick Children's Association giving them more than 37-thousand-dollars for the project.
Rothesay Regional Police responding to a two-vehicle accident at the intersection of Gondola Point Arterial and Millennium Drive.
Police say the cause was due to slippery conditions. No injuries were reported.
Crews responding to three car accidents on the Harbour Bridge on Friday night.
Sargent Chuck Elgee tells CHSJ news, "The Harbour Bridge had quite a slippery surface and one car ended up flipping onto its roof."
The other two accidents ended up blocking the entire east-bound lane. There were no injuries in any of the cases.The Harbour Bridge is now reopened in both directions and has been sanded and salted.
Sargent Elgee says highways around the city are in decent condition, but the side streets could be better.
Saint John Fire also responding to two single-vehicle accidents, where the car flipped over. One on Route 111 and the other at 570 Rothesay Avenue.
The New Brunswick Association for Community Living saying instead of throwing away your old clothing, you can donate them and recycle all at the same time.
The group is looking for cloth donations in support of the Community Collection Program, which helps people with intellectual disabilities.
Gina Wilkins assists with communications and is also a donor. She tells CHSJ News, "A lot of those items end up in the landfill. This is not only a great way to make a donation to a very worthy organization, but it's also a way to recycle," she says.
The program helps people with intellectual disabilities, in areas such as employment, education and independent living.
The organization has trucks that go through communities to pick up donations.
If you'd like for them to stop by your home give them a call at 1 866 822 2548.
The Saint John Mill trading shooting guard Chris Matthews to the Halifax Rainmen. This for the 1st round draft picks of 2014.
President of the Mill Rats, Ian McCarthy says, they've received many trade offers for Matthews throughout the year, and now seemed like the right time.
He says the team is working with agents to sign on a new player, and will make an announcement once a decision is made.
'Tis the season of fishtailing and fender-benders.
Jay Henderson of the Saint John Police Department is offering some tips to drivers to make driving in snow and freezing rain a little safer.
"Clean snow off all windows, headlights and indicator lights, and remove loose snow from roof and truck. Ensure windows are defogged before setting out to drive."
Henderson reminds people that the posted speed limit is ideal for totally perfect driving conditions. Therefore, when there's snow on the ground you have to reduce your speed.
Saint John Fire responding to reports of the smell of exhaust in parts of the Prince Edward Square Mall.
Crews finding levels of carbon monoxide at the YMCA, NB Liquor and Dooly's.
Platoon Chief Pete Saab tells us, Something went wrong with the heating system in the building. The exhaust from the system was being moved back into the building and was not escaping.
Crews aired out the building and evacuated the three business, and made sure the proper authorities were called in to fix the furnace.
Enbridge was brought on scene to shut down the gas. The rest of the mall was checked for carbon monoxide levels and none were found.
