Elderly Couple Escape Mobile Home Fire

It's terribly sad news the day after Christmas as fire guts a home in Penobsquis.
 
An elderly couple managed to get out unharmed but they lost a lot in the blaze about 530 this morning.

Sussex RCMP Constable Trevor Arseneau tells CHSJ News the homeowners got out safely but one firefighter was hurt.

Arseneau says an oxygen tank exploded inside the home.

The volunteer firefighter was treated at the scene.  The couple were assisted by Red Cross volunteers who lived nearby.   

They lost a motorized wheelchair and other items in the fire. 
No word yet on a cause.

NCC Aims To Preserve More Habitat Next Year

The Nature Conservancy of Canada celebrating its milestone 50th year as an organization...and they say they're going into 2013 with increased capabilities and conserving even more natural habitat for wildlife. 

Paula Noel of the conservancy tells CHSJ News they're able to do a lot more than simply conserve the areas that need it most desperately.

She says they have accelerated the pace of land conservation here in the province and across the country thanks to a large grant from the federal government.

Noel says they've been pleased to be able to preserve forested areas and coastline throughout the province, and well as enlisting local nature-lovers to help with their beach clean-ups and field projects.

Canada Beats Germany

Thanks to strong performances from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jonathan Huberdeau, Team Canada thumps Germany 9-3 in its opening match at the World Junior Hockey  Championships in Russia.  

For more info, click here

Canada Leads Germany 8-3

Canada leads Germany 8-3 in the third period of their opening match of the World Junior Hockey Championship in Russia.

 
Everyone is talking about the combination of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jonathan Huberdeau who have 9 points combined.

Firefighter Hurt In Penobsquis House Fire

One firefighter slightly hurt after an oxygen tank blew up in a house fire in Penobsquis.
 
Sussex RCMP Constable Trevor Arseneau tells CHSJ News the call came in about 5:30 this morning on Penobsquis loop.

Arseneau tells us people living in the home were able to get out unhurt.

Arseneau says the home is quite damaged and crews remain on the scene with no word yet on a cause of the blaze. 

OPP Arrest Two After Fredericton Incident

Two people wanted on a Canada Wide warrant regarding an incident in Fredericton on December 20th have been caught in Ontario.

The two are accused of trying to force a woman leaving a bar in the City to drive them in her car.    In a scuffle, the woman and her friend got away but the man and woman fled with her car.

Saint John Police telling CHSJ News the pair were taken into custody by the Ontario Provincial Police on Christmas Eve.

Storm Coming Tomorrow

It's look like we'll get a chance to break in our new snow blowers just two days after Christmas.

The first real blast of winter is coming our way tomorrow in the shape of snow mixed with ice pellets tomorrow afternoon and evening and strong wind gusts.

More snow is on the way Friday.

Christmas Day Is Not Garbage Day

There will be no garbage collection tomorrow (Christmas Day). The people who normally get their garbage collected on Tuesday will have it done Wednesday instead. The city also letting everyone know, Christmas wrapping paper cannot be recycled. 

The Port Had a Very Good Year

The big story at the port this year, according to its President and C-E-O, was not only another successful cruise ship season but attracting Mediterranean Shipping first with a bi-weekly service which then was increased to weekly in October, far ahead of hopes and expectations. 

Jim Quinn tells CHSJ News having Mediterranean Shipping's weekly service opens up the global marketplace for producers all over the province and the busier they are, the better the chances are that more people will be hired.
 
He also tells us he would not be surprised to see business at the port increasing this year by over 20 per cent once all the numbers have been crunched after the end of this month.

Board Of Trade Says 2012 Was A Challenge For Local Businesses

Saint John's unemployment rate has been on the rise this year and, at 9.3 per cent, is second highest among all the major cities surveyed by Stats Canada behind that of Windsor, Ontario. 

The President of the Board of Trade, Imelda Gilman concedes this year has been challenging for businesses in the city which wasn't hit has hard by the 2008 recession.

She points out over half a billion dollars has been spent on major projects over the past few years in Saint John and not all of that has been on roads with new buildings constructed at U-N-B Saint John and the community college.

Gilman can see encouraging signs especially by what she sees happening at the port and the commitment on the part of municipalities in the region to put in place a strategy for growth starting early in the new year.
     

New Anglophone School To Be Built In Quispamsis

Even though New Brunswick's population has stagnated with many people moving to other provinces in search of work, there is one town experiencing double digit growth. The population of Quispamsis grew by over 17 per cent in five years.

Mayor Murray Driscoll tells CHSJ News the influx of young families is prompting the provincial government to make plans for the building of a new elementary school in the town. He says it will ease the strain in Quispamsis, Fairvale and Lakefield schools.

Driscoll doesn't know yet where the school will be constructed or how large it will be but is hoping it will be big enough to accomodate an increasing number of students over the next five, ten, even 15 years.

Premier Side Steps Status With Santa

Premier David Alward won't comment on whether he's on Santa's naughty or nice list - but - he does say New Brunswickers are blessed.

Four Dead After River Crash

Four people are dead after their car left a remote New Brunswick road and plunged into a river early yesterday.

RCMP say the bodies of three men, ages 18, 19 and 20, and a 17-year-old girl were pulled from a submerged vehicle near Tracadie-Sheila around 3 pm.


The Mounties say the car lost control while driving up a hill on an icy road and slipped off the road and into the Tracadie River.

The names of the victims, who are all from surrounding communities outside Tracadie-Sheila and Lameque, have not been released.

Crime Stoppers Needs Help With St. Stephen Vandalism

Crime Stoppers and St. Stephen RCMP are looking for help as they look into the on-going vandalism at a property in the town.

All this month a number of abandoned buildings have been damaged along Pleasant Street in St. Stephen.

A home along Pleasant Street was also damaged on December 10th causing more than $500 in damages.'

If you know anything, contact the Mounties in St. Stephen directly or Crime Stoppers toll free.   
Crime Stoppers will pay up to $2000 dollars for info that leads to an arrest.

For more info, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

Rothesay Has Big Rec Plans For 2013

There are some big plans in 2013 for Rothesay when it comes to recreation.

Up to $600,000 dollars is being spent on renovation Renforth Wharf to rebuild the retaining wall and fix the wharf itself.

Mayor Bill Bishop tells CHSJ the new and improved 6 million dollar KV library is more than double it's original size.

He says most of the new construction is completed and they have begun moving books and more into that area and now the construction company is renovating the older part of the building which they expect to finish by June.

The town is also spending just over 2 million dollars on the Rothesay Commons to improve drainage, build a stage and look into building a new outdoor skating rink.

Car Carrying 4 Young People Plunges Into Tracadie River

The Mounties are looking for three men and a teen girl after their vehicle plunged into a river early this morning.

Corporal Chantal Farrah says the crash happened around 1am when a vehicle carrying four people, between the ages of 17 and 20,  lost control while driving on Route 370 near Tracadie-Sheila.

Farrah says the vehicle lost control on a dirt road in a remote area while trying to go uphill and slipped off the road and into the Tracadie River.
 
Divers and a search and rescue team are combing the sides of the river, while officials are trying to recover the submerged vehicle.
 
The province's Transportation Department has provided a plow to clear away a path to the area.

Farrah says road conditions were slippery at the time of the crash.
  

Saint John Embraces Kindness Initiative

Nothing says Christmas in Saint John more than random acts of kindess for no particular reason.

That's why the phenomenon known as Pay It Forward is gathering steam in the Port City.
 
Founder Michael Whelton is a vice-principal at St. Mac's and he tells CHSJ News it began as a result of a conversation with a number of teachers at the school he decided to take it further and make it more formalized at their school.

Pay It Forward Saint John is run by a group of 7 individuals including City Councillor and Educator Greg Norton, Ross Jefferson of Destination Saint John and Constable Dan Weber of the City police.   Whelton tells us they want to see it expand more next year so Saint John can be a real contributor on World Pay It Forward Day which is April 25th 2013. 

For more information, click here

Wind & Rain Don't Help In Getting The Lights On

The crews working for NB Power have to be way behind on the Christmas shopping.

Another wild night of weather, this time heavy rain and very strong winds, leading to more power outages.

More than 600 homes and businesses are without electricity this morning.

The largest outages area in St. Stephen, Sussex and Fredericton.

Premier Says No Pipeline Subsidy Request

In a year end interview with CHSJ News - Premier Alward discusses the possibility of subsidies for proposed west-east crude oil pipeline.

Some Are Still Without Power

 469 homes and business are without power in the province.

3 outages in the Fredericton area are impacting 264 people.

70 are in the dark in Woodstock and 50 remain powerless in Sussex today.