A local man appeared to be taking lessons from The Incredible Hulk as he smashed multiple windows and attempted to break into at least four separate buildings in the North End and Millidgeville.
Sergeant Jay Henderson of the Saint John Police Force explains they first encountered the man in the Cranberry Hill area, where officers arriving on the scene watched him smash out a picture window and enter a home.
As officers placed him under arrest, more calls continue to come in about windows smashed at other homes in the area, and at UNB. The man was taken to hospital to be treated for cuts--and while there, managed to pull the fire alarm and smash a glass cabinet with a chair.
He also caused more damage in lockup. He's now facing charges of break and enter, mischief, damage, and failure to comply with conditions.
For the 27th year, the month long food drive is underway again this year at Saint John High.
Students will be collecting much needed items for the Community Food Basket with boxes set up in every classroom at the school.
Saint John High teacher Barry Ogden tells CHSJ News because of the cold winter we've had, the demand is higher this year. Ogden says the families who are having the roughest time are living in homes with the highest heating costs because of poor energy efficiency.
You can donate non perishable food items at the school along with things like plastic bags, glass jars and toiletries.
Seven years is how long Kenneth Joseph Johnston will be spending behind bars.
Sentencing coming down today in the daylight robbery of the CIBC branch at King and Germain which took place in early October of last year. Johnston was charged with threatening a bank teller with violence for cash and possession of marijuana.
He originally plead not guilty to the charges and was scheduled to stand trial, but later changed that to a guilty plea.
Johnston is also prohibited from owning weapons for life.
A man being charged in the theft of a power utility vehicle from the parking lot of the Amsterdam Inn on Millennium Drive in the Kennebecasis Valley.
The NB Power truck was stolen just before 11am on Monday, but it didn't take police long to track it down. The Rothesay Regional Police finding the truck a few minutes later and tried to stop it. The 23-year-old then ran into the woods and was arrested after a short foot chase.
He's going to be appearing in court on Thursday for a bail hearing.
City police on the lookout for a man after a robbery at a West side drug store.
It happened about 10:20am at the MediTrust on Manawagonish.
Police are setting up a perimeter in the area.
It's estimated there are 100 young people in the city who don't have a place to call home.
The Support the Toque campaign to end homelessness among young people in the city is being held today in Brunswick Square with a booth across from Coles from 11 to 3.
Community supporters of Safe Harbour Transitional Youth Services will be selling toques for $10 each. 80 per cent of the proceeds will go toward building and operating Safe Harbour, a transition house for homeless young people in the south end. The remaining 20 per cent will help support initiatives across the country.
In 2012, 67 young people used an adult emergency shelter in the city.
The Transportation Safety Board has finished its investigation into the crash of a small plane January 21st between Fredericton and Minto and determined it went down after running out of fuel. There was no mechanical problem with the plane itself.
The pilot, a 22 year old student from the Fredericton campus of the Moncton Flight College used his cellphone to direct rescuers to where he was in the woods before he was airlifted to hospital for treatment of his injuries.
It was standing room only at common council as supporters of the Saint John Police Department and other interested parties coming to hear the verdict on a potential shift to the RCMP.
After looking into the option with the Department of Public Safety, city staff recommended the city take no further action on the potential switch, and receive and file a report to tat effect.
According to a report by city staff, the Department of Public Safety made it clear communities with over 15,000people simply can't switch to a municipal policing agreement. As well, the department considers the selection of policing services a local matter in which it must remain impartial.
Meanwhile, Mayor Mel Norton tells CHSJ News the overall mission to save money on city services hasn't changed---and all of the core services, including police and fire are still going to have to give a detailed account of how their budgets are being allocated and why.
Norton says the end goal of the review process will be to freeze expenditures at 2014 levels.
The Department of Transportation issuing a safety warning about snowmobiles near the Gagetown ferry.
The ferry operates year round on the St. John River between Gagetown and Lower Jemseg.
Snowmobilers are asked not to enter the terminal area due to the risk of open water, striking the ferry cable or interfering with ferry operations.
Shocked by your heating bill this winter? If you're barely able to cover it, you could qualify for some help from Efficiency NB in the coming months.
A new program subsidizes home renovations to bring down monthly heating costs--which could save as much as $1,200 annually. About 100 homes in need of major upgrades will be finished this fiscal year and another 300 homes next year.
If you're interested in the program, call Efficiency NB at 1-866-643-8833.
Saint John MP Rodney Weston is the chair of the Atlantic caucus.
Weston says he is pleased and humbled by the confidence the Prime Minister has shown in him by giving him this role.
The duties include advancing the issues and concerns of Atlantic Canadians, setting the agenda for weekly meetings, working with Ministers and helping to strengthen the voice of the Atlantic MP's to the National caucus.
A well known community volunteer is the 2014 Red Triangle Award winner.
Daryl Steeves is a self-described true Saint Johner who was born here, grew up here and went to school here.
He says we don't need to apologize to anybody in the world adding we have everything we need for a great quality of life but he says we can all contribute to maintaining it and making it even better.
Danny Jardine is the 2014 Leader to Watch known for his participation with countless groups but he tells CHSJ News he is drawn to organizations that help fight poverty.
He says that's why he's a big fan of the Strong Kids campaign because it allows kids that might not otherwise get the chance to take part.
Both Steeves and Jardine work for Horizon Health and they will get their awards on April 2nd at the Delta.
Sitel is cutting 50 jobs from its Saint John operation on the east side.
A news release says the cuts at the call centre in the Loch Lomond Mall are necessary due to the conclusion of one client project.
Sitel has given their staff four weeks notice and they are trying to find places for some of those workers where they can.
The job losses kick in between February 26th and April 1st.
Sitel's Cynthia Boulter says this reduction is due to the changing business needs of one client and does not reflect on the quality of service provided by the Saint John associates.
Q-Tip the dog is going to be ok.
Melody McElman tells CHSJ News he was hit by car last month on the Westfield road suffering a fractured pelvis but he did not require surgery.
She tells us the type of fracture that he has will mend.
McElman tells us this morning that Dr. Kathy Adams of the Fairvale Animal Hospital has agreed to take Q-Tip for fostering and rehabilitation.
The city's finances are in good shape. That word coming from Common Councillor David Merrithew who chairs the city's Finance Committee but ways are still being sought to save money.
Common Councillor John MacKenzie tells CHSJ News a lot of money could be saved if City Hall were moved to a building that's owned by the city. He says the city is paying 140 thousand dollars a month rent which amounts to 1.7 million dollars a year and that could be better spent.
MacKenzie, who's looking for an update from City Manager Pat Woods, says there's the City Market which has three floors or the old Synagogue building on Carleton Street which likely could be bought cheap and renovated.
Just prior to the unveiling tomorrow of the provincial budget by Finance Minister Blaine Higgs, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation has released its Stop the New Brunswick Debt Clock.
The Federation's Atlantic Director is Kevin Lacey who tells CHSJ News the provincial government can't afford any big pre-election spending spree. He says the provincial debt is rising by 600 million dollars a year which comes to 1.6 million dollars a day or nearly 11 hundred dollars an hour.
Lacey says the province is broke and he would like to see the Alward Government's plan to get a balanced budget, if there is one.
http://www.debtclock.ca/provincial-debtclocks/new-brunswick/
Canada Post's plan to phase out door-to-door mail delivery is stirring controversy across the country, with the Port City being no exception.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers hosting a town hall meeting on the East side over the weekend to talk about the issue, and Common Councillor John MacKenzie was in attendance.
He tells CHSJ News people seem to be unclear about how it's going to work, and it's putting a lot of fear out there. He says there were quite a few people with disabilities at the meeting who are very worried about the change.
Over the next five years, the one third of Canadian households that get their mail at the door will be converted to community mailboxes. Canada Post says this will save them a significant amount of money. The elimination of door-to-door delivery is part of a five-point action plan announced in early December.
The company says the plan will bring the system back to financial sustainability by 2019.
It's back to class this morning for more than 9 thousand students at U-N-B in Fredericton, Saint John and Moncton following the strike by university professors that got underway three weeks ago.
The university plans to make up for the time that was lost during the walkout by extending the school year to April 17th with exams taking place from April 22nd to the 30th.
Reading week will be cancelled, as well, so classes can be held.
Professors at Mount Allison University remain on strike.
The Provincial NDP launching its campaign for September's provincial election with the release of a video that claims there's basically not a dime's worth of difference between the governing Conservatives and opposition Liberals.
Provincial NDP leader Dominic Cardy tells CHSJ News neither of the old line parties are offering up any new ideas to rejuvenate the province with more and more people being aware of that.
Cardy also points to the NDP's standing in the latest public opinion polls along with attracting former high level Liberals and Conservatives who want change.
He predicts for the first time in the province's history, there will be a three way race.
http://youtu.be/tUzh8xV-4xs
Now that it appears the notion of switching over to the RCMP for policing in Saint John appears to be dead in the water, Common Councillor Donna Reardon wants to hear from the Police Commission on how much City Police cost and what services that pays for.
Councillor David Merrithew chairs the city's Finance Committee. He tells CHSJ News the trend is unsustainable when you have stagnant population growth in the city.
Merrithew also points out the cost of living from 2004 to 2014 has gone up by 18 per cent but wages for city firefighters in that same time period have gone up by 50 per cent.
As an example, Merrithew says a proposal is coming up soon to spend 1.3 or 1.4 million dollars on paving and pothole repair but that will be put in the capital budget which is essentially means putting the cost on the city's credit card.
