Bonnell's Mother Testifies

The mother of a teen girl murdered three years ago says she is relieved the trial is finally underway.

Hilary Bonnell's mother Pam Fillier told court in Miramichi her daughter phoned her shortly after 3 a-m on September 5th, 2009, the day she was last seen.

The 16-year-old's cousin,  Curtis Bonnell, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.
   

City Police Make Arrest On East Side After Stabbing

City police arresting a man on the east side around 6 last night after a stabbing on the lower west side earlier in the afternoon.

Police tell CHSJ News one man, in his 20's, was taken to hospital after the stabbing around 4 at Watson and Winslow streets.

One man was taken into custody shortly thereafter.

Police Respond To West Side Stabbing

Police and Ambulance are responding to a possible stabbing on the lower west side.





A man  in his 20's was hurt in the area of  Watson & Winslow streets.

Annual Refinery Maintenance Work In Progress

Despite what Bloomberg.com is saying, things are proceeding normally at the Irving Oil refinery.

An online report last night said that a fluid catalytic cracker was shut down resulting in an emissions release at the sulfur plant.

Irving Oil spokesperson Lesley Dickson responding to a CHSJ News email says the refinery is in the midst of its annual turnaround.
The planned maintenance work in select areas of the refinery should be finished over the next few weeks.

She adds there are no production delays or issues with supply.

Strong Winds Causing Trouble Today

The wild wind and rain in Saint John is wreaking havoc today.

The high winds today blowing out a window on the 16th floor of the Bell Aliant tower.   Police and fire crews remain at the scene.    

District fire chief Peter Saab says they're not exactly sure what happened, but believe the window that fell wasn't secured by a company who was doing work on it. Saab says no one was hurt and they're now cleaning up the glass.


A contractor has been called back to brace some windows and plywood will be used to cover the hole left by the window that shattered. Germain Street is blocked to traffic in the area.

Fire crews also busy in Milford where the winds blew off the tin roof of a trailer in the mobile home park.

The fire department is securing the roof with ropes and is hanging off the home dangerously.

Scattered power outages are also being report impacted NB power customers in Rothesay and Sussex.

A Thousand Names On One Seal

The Huntsman Marine Science Centre now has around $5,000 and 1,000 names on their new seal donor wall.

The non-profit aquarium in Saint Andrews received five dollar donations throughout the year from kids so their names could be put on the giant seal picture. Aquarium Manager Jim Cornell tells CHSJ news the donations go towards upkeep for tanks, hyrdo and food among other things.


Cornell says they had so much success with their first seal donor wall, that they decided to start another one. He laughs and says he's pretty sure adults, pets and even Harry Potter references have sneaked their way onto the wall.

The second seal donor wall joins last years picture on the deck outside of the science centre.

(Photo courtesy of Huntsman Marine Science Centre)

Dragon's Den Co-star To Help Raise Money For Heart Centre

How best to treat patients suffering from cardiovascular disease will be the focus of the 22nd annual heart symposium at the Regional Hospital starting tomorrow and running through Saturday.

The Head of the New Brunswick Heart Centre, Dr. Marc Pelletier concedes the health care system is struggling as the cost of drugs and technology keeps getting more expensive with hospitals depending more and more on outside sources of revenue to keep up to date.


There's a fundraiser Friday night for the Heart Centre featuring speakers Mark Black, a heart and double transplant recipient turned marathon runner and Arlene Dickinson of the TV series "Dragon's Den".

Police Officer's Fiancee Whose Home Was Shot At Speaks Out

The fiancee of City Police Officer Chris Messer is looking for answers as to why no one has been charged for shooting up their home on Westfield Road two years ago this month.  

Sarah Taylor tells CHSJ News it's frustrating because Major Crime told them in June of last year they had enough evidence to lay charges but since then there has been nothing and no explanation as to why.  

She says 8 shots were fired at the house and then a car with a loud muffler raced away.  

That car was seen by police at the Reversing Falls Bridge and then chased down Douglas Avenue before it crashed at the corner of Adelaide and Victoria Street.  

Taylor says those inside the car fled on foot but cellphones were left inside the car which could be used as evidence.  

She adds a gun was thrown out of the car during that pursuit.

MMA Trying To Get Event At QPlex

Quispam Council reviewing with their legal council and staff over possibly hosting an amateur mixed martial arts event.

MMA spokesman Ed Hoyt tells CHSJ news they're hoping the QPlex will host the event on November 16th and 17th, after failing to bring the event to the LBR. Hoyt stresses that amateur MMA is very different from the pro level. He says it's highly protected with strict rules and doctors, ambulances, and professional referees on site.
 
Hoyt says if the event goes through he expects a quarter of a million dollars would be put back into Quispamsis.

New Twist In The Investigation Of A Man Threatening Police

All that police activity on the lower west side with streets being cordoned off and the SWAT team brought in came about because of a false call. 

It all began when police got a call from Snacks Convenience that a man armed with a shotgun was walking along King Street West threatening to shoot police. 

Two men were later arrested, one of them at a home on Rodney Street. 

When Police investigated further, a 59 year old man was charged with public mischief and leading police on a false investigation after it was determined that call to police from Snacks was a hoax and another 60 year old man was also charged with unsafely storing a firearm. 

The two will be appearing in court at a later date.

No Support For Saint John Having Two M-P's

The Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission came to town but Saint Johnners were more or less indifferent judging by the turnout. 

Under proposed changes, part of Quispamsis, which is now in the Saint John riding, would become part of Fundy Royal along with the rest of the Valley.

 Mr. Justice Alex Deschenes says the proposed change to the Fredericton riding, on the other hand, has generated alot of controversy and the Commission got quite an earful.

Saint John would still have the most people of any riding in the province even with losing part of it to Fundy Royal but Deschenes says there's doesn't seem to be a groundswell of support for Saint John to be represented by two M-P's in Ottawa.

Public Concerns Halt Potential Apartment Buildings

A public hearing at Quispam Council showing strength in numbers... a proposal to build two twelve unit apartment buildings at 309 Hampton Road being rejected at Council after a mixed vote and hearing public concerns.

Multiple residents voiced their concerns about losing privacy, increased traffic, and noise if the area changed from residential to multiple residential.

Ray McCaskill lives across from the proposed location. He tells CHSJ news they're not against growth, just not in that area on Hampton Road. He says a lot of people moved in that area because it was residential and adding the apartment buildings would turn it more commercial.

Quispamsis Council listened to both the developer, Murray Thompson Homes, and residents. Mayor Murray Driscoll says at the end of the day most of council felt it wasn't fit for the property, with three Councillors for and five against.

The developer wouldn't comment.

Former Chief Of Defence Talks On Leadership, Afghanistan

One of Canada's foremost military leaders paying a visit to Saint John today...former Chief of Defence Rick Hillier, who now works in leadership development with TD bank, speaking at a luncheon hosted by the Saint John Board of Trade. Hillier used his experiences in the armed forces to illustrate some key points about getting the most from a team.

Hillier used some harsh terms to describe leadership that relies on words rather than actions to attempt to connect with the workforce, saying "action talks, bullsh*t walks."

Hillier also said when the going gets tough, you need to be able to draw strength from the people you've worked hard to inspire. 

In a question period, Hillier said he takes exception to the notion that Canada is strictly a peacekeeping nation, saying it's the responsibility off all G8 nations to do whatever they have to do to make the world more stable, even if that means military action.

BREAKING: Man Arrested In West Side Incident

One man has been arrested and no one was injured after reports of a man on the West Side uttering threats while carrying a shotgun on King Street West.

The areas around Snacks convenience store was cleared and Watson Street, Duke Street, and Market Street West were all blocked off -- preventing people from getting to their homes or work.

City Police Sergeant Mike King tells us they arrested the suspect in the Rodney Street area. King says a call made to police said the man had said he wanted to shoot a couple of police officers.

Prison Guards Denounce PM's "Tough On Crime"

Prison guards say Prime Minister Harper's "Tough on Crime" policy is going to be tough on them and maybe even the rest of us. 

The President of the Union of Correctional Workers in the Atlantic Region, Doug White tells CHSJ News the infrastructure just isn't there  to handle a large influx of new inmates as the Harper Government tries to score points with voters fearful of crime.
 
White says overcrowding is already happening and in just the past year alone, violent assaults against guards have gone up 15 per cent.

White says money for rehabilitation is being cut which means prisoners, once they're released, will return to their old criminal behaviour.

BREAKING: Potential Standoff On West Side

According to early reports there's a potential armed standoff happening on the West Side. There had been reports of a man with a weapon in or around Snacks convenience store.

Duke Street West has been locked from the top of Watson. Market Street and others are also are blocked off on the lower West.

People in the Tim Hortons have been asked to stay inside and away from the windows.
Police are currently attempting to see whether there is a threat. No employees are currently in the store.

BREAKING NEWS - Police Surround West Side Block

City police have surrounded a block on the lower West side after receiving reports of a man with a shotgun in the area -- they are focusing most of their activity on King Street West in the area of Tim Horton's and a convenience store.
A number of streets in that area are blocked to traffic.

Internal Systems Handle Small Fire Over West

You may have noticed some heavy black smoke in the area of the American Metal facility on port property over west - we are told there was a minor problem in their warehouse around two this afternoon.
Flames could be seen in the doorway of the building - a Port Authority spokesperson tells CHSJ News the situation was contained by their own systems and everything is under control.
No reports of injuries and it appears the fire department wasn't needed.

After Much Fanfare New Air Service Delayed

Pascan Aviation is postponing the start of its fall service into and out of Saint John and there's no indication when it will be up and running.

Earlier this year, Pascan announced air service from Quebec City direct to Saint John and would also connect Saint John to Wabush, Labrador.
 
It was originally scheduled to begin this month but now is on hold.

Pascan officials have delayed the first flights and, and according to Saint John Airport, will use the time to make connections with industry and travel agents to promote the new trade links.

Activists Protest Poverty With Free Food

As the chilly fall weather approaches, there's a free hot meal available for those in Saint John who most need it. Food Not Bombs is a new volunteer initiative in the Saint John area. They aims to share food, pamphlets, and other resources on a regular basis in King Square.

The loosely-knit activist group comes from all walks of life, and is protesting war and poverty. The main message? Food is a right, not a privilege. An organizer, Stella, tells CHSJ News it's run entirely by volunteers on a shoestring budget, and they've been collecting donations from local farmers markets, restaurants, and other places that have food to spare.

Food Not Bombs originally started in Massachusetts and is currently operating in 1000 cities worldwide, but it's something new to the Saint John area. For more information about their next event, you can check out their Facebook group here.