Stanley Local Calls Flooding Worst in 40 Years

A huge ice jam on the Nashwaak river has created what one local has described as the worst flooding Stanley has seen in 40 years. Bethany Ryan, a store clerk, says that around 35 homes were evacuated on Thursday as the water spilled onto the banks. Ryan says the main road the village center were covered in about a half metre of water in a mere 15 minutes.

The water has since receded from the village, located north of Fredericton. A spokeswoman for River Watch says water levels should continue to go down over the next couple of days, but says that residents should stay alert.

Nurse Championing Green Porch Light Community Challenge

When you choose to donate your organs and tissue after death, you're giving somebody a chance at life. 

Registered nurse Betty-Anne Waugh tells CHSJ news that signing your medicare care and talking to your family about your plans to be a donor, could make all the difference for a patient waiting for a life-saving donation in the future. 

Waugh says studies have shown that 75% percent of people who have said no to organ and tissue donation said if they had been better informed they would have said yes, and that they regret it down the road.

Waugh is currently championing the Green Porch Light Community challenge, which coincides with national organ and tissue donor awareness week from April 21-28. She's asking people to change one regular light bulb in their home to a green light bulb during that time frame, to bring attention to the cause.

The Big Feed at Romero House

With 55 pans of lasagna in tow, and enough jell-o for 300 hungry people, student volunteers will be serving up hot meals at Romero House today. 

Michael Weldon of Pay It Forward Saint John says it all started with a group of grade 8 girls at River Valley Middle school who initiated the project, and a segment of the student body took it from there.

There will be about 12 students serving the meals from 9 am to 1:30 pm.

Training Is Available If You're Out Of Work

With seasonal workers in Saint John and across the province up in arms over what some see as punitive changes to EI, premier David Alward is emphasizing that there is training available to help people on EI get back to work.

Through any office of the Department of Post secondary Training, Education and Labour you can get a career assessment, develop a career plan, and may be eligible to take other programs through the community college. Recipients are also reimbursed a percentage of their childcare and education costs.

Despite those measures however many recipients of EI are calling the changes as unfairly biased against seasonal workers and calling for widespread protests.

For more information on training and employment for folks on EI, click here

Sleep Deprivation Is A Growing Problem With Far Reaching Implications

63 per cent of us don't get enough sleep and 47 per cent cut down on their sleep so they can squeeze more out of their day and one-third of people are getting less sleep than they got 5 years ago.

That message delivered at the Regional Hospital by Dr. Kimberly Cote, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Brock University in Ontario.

Dr. Cote says adolescents need 9 hours of sleep a night and most are not getting that much and they can't catch up on the weekends.

She adds sleep deprivation impairs your mood, alertness, response time, attention and memory which should be of concern to employers because it adversely affects the bottom line as well as making accidents and mistakes more likely.

Dr. Cote also says those people who don't get enough sleep are more likely to gain weight.

Alward & Higgs Lay Some Bricks At K-Park School

The Premier and The Finance Minister took a break from the busy job of trying to get the Province's finances in order.   

David Alward and Blaine Higgs were at the K Park Elementary which is currently under construction for a bricklaying competition.
 
CHSJ News asked Premier Alward who did a better job.

He says if they both had to depend on their hands for their life's work they might not have a lot of success adding he's more used to shoveling manure.

Albert Vincent invited the Premier and Finance Minister to take part and by doing so have given them honorary memberships in the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers.

Award For Officer Who Helped Save Driver From Burning Transport Truck

Police officers truly are everyday heroes: cConstable Stacy Humphrey getting a certificate of recognition for her part in a heroic accident several years ago on the Loch Lomond Road in which a tractor trailer hit a power pole and caught fire, trapping the driver inside.

Humphrey tells CHSJ News it was just a normal day until they got the call, during which the tractor trailer was surrounded by arcing wires as it burst into flame.

Humphrey suffered smoke inhalation and her colleagues Constables Roger Paris, Nicholas Roy and Neal Fowler were injured as they rescued the driver. They received the Medal of Bravery from Governor General David Johnston.

Bishop Harris Calls Pope Francis An Exciting Choice

The Bishop for Saint John diocese calls the choice of Argentina's Cardinal Bergoglio as the new Pope "exciting".
 
Robert Harris tells CHSJ News by choosing the name Francis it recalls St. Francis of Assissi who served the poor and was called to rebuild the church in the 11th century.

He says in Argentina as the Archbishop he lived a simple life cooking his own meals and taking the bus to work.

Harris says it was a powerful message when he stepped out on the balcony in just a white cossack and a simple cross and led the crowd in prayer.

Frustration And Anger Voiced At Town Hall Meeting

"It's time to step it up a notch".......That was the consensus from a town hall meeting at Exhibition Park which drew a small but vocal group of workers, mostly women, who aren't happy about the changes coming to Employment Insurance. Many of those coming out are schoolbus drivers who are considered seasonal workers. 

The President of local 1190 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Andy Hardy says the politicians aren't listening so the time has come to get in their faces more. The suggestion was made of camping out in the offices of the Conservative MP's, all of whom voted in favour of the changes.

Wayne Dryer, who's a businessman, is a member of the Scrap the Changes Committee because he questions why in the world would he hire a seasonal worker and spend all the time and resources to train a person who will be leaving a few months later.

Man Charged With Attempted Murder Found Dead In The K-V

A 35 year old Quispamsis man, who was charged with attempted murder, has been found dead in his home. 

Rothesay Regional Police say an autopsy will be performed on the body of Christopher Eric Lunnie to determine the cause of death. 

Lunnie was scheduled to be back in court April 11th to hear a verdict in his case. He was accused of trying to choke a man to death and sexually assaulting a woman on the Gondola Point Road.

Gerry Lowe To Run In Ward 3

A former cab company owner and local  businessman has announced he's throwing his hat in the ring for the empty seat in Ward 3.

Gerry Lowe tells CHSJ News he's all for creating jobs in the industrial sector including potash, shale gas, and a West-East oil pipeline--because at the end of the day, running the city is the same as any business and comes down to the almighty dollar.

Lowe ran Vet's Taxi for 43 years before selling it a few years ago and has sat on the city's Planning and Advisory Committee for the past 6 years.

Federal Money Will Fund A Research Chair and Equipment

Saint John MP Rodney Weston came by with $625 thousand dollars for the Dalhousie medical school to fund a research chair and buy specialized occupational medicine equipment. 

Dr. Tony Reiman tells us it's not the kind of thing you find in a hardware store but customized equipment that scientists need in the lab when they are trying to understand the biology of some health problem.

He says they are talking about basic things like freezers for samples but also highly specialized stethoscopes.

Money has also been raised to hire a doctor with specialized training in workplace health and safety who Reiman describes as a rare bird adding no one is doing that kind of work in Atlantic Canada.

Water Is Still Covering Some Roads

Flooding is still an issue in some areas due to the heavy rains yesterday. 

Many roads remain closed because of flooding in areas from Nauwigewauk to St. George. 

Water on the Porter Road had receded by 1pm today.

Here in the City, Todd Street and Westmorland road are back open to traffic and Simpson Drive is open with a caution sign in place.

For more info on the closures, click here

The Musquash Fire Department also would like to remind people to keep off the ice on lakes, rivers and ponds.

Even ice that looks solid may not support the weight of a person.

Reid Says Speed Limit Changes Require The Province

Lower speeds on streets like Main Street or the Causeway might appeal to pedestrians and cyclists....but according to Police Chief Bill Reid they also pose a number of legislative challenges.

He says you have to get provincial folks on side and everything comes with a strategy but there is nothing wrong with moving forward.

Reid says when such motions have been brought before council in the past the province has objected due to concerns about congestion and slower commutes.

Reardon Wants The City Speed Limits Lowered

Not so fast! Common councillor Donna Reardon asking city staff to consider lowering the speed limit in the city to a maximum of 50km per hour. 

The councillor tells CHSJ News as an avid pedestrian she often sees the speed limits ignored.     She says the cars are always speeding here and she says if we want to be more pedestrian-friendly and walkable the speeds should come down a bit.

Reardon asking city staff to investigate the possibility of overhead radar speed monitors like they have in Ontario, which would allow the police to nab speeders more effectively.

Deer Committee Will Release Survey Soon

With the rising number of collisions and the ongoing destruction of gardens, residents from Rothesay to Hampton want to see a solution to the deer problem.
 
The deer committee made up of Regional mayors and others will be asking the community what they think in the survey.
 
Quispamsis Mayor Murray Driscoll tells CHSJ News a decision on what to do about the pesky critters is not up to them.

He says they can get the pulse of the people on this issue but they don't have any control over how that population is increased or decreased.

Driscoll says the survey will be making its way to the various residents through their town councils soon.

Home Show In Saint John This Weekend

Another sign that spring is just around the corner is when Harbour Station hosts the annual home show. That's happening this weekend with more than 130 exhibitors and it usually draws a big turnout from the region.

Denise Miller of Master Promotions tells CHSJ News a growing number of people come armed with definite ideas they may have gotten on the internet on what they want done to their homes.

The Saint John Animal Rescue League will also be at the Station if you want to adopt a shelter pet.

Province Changes Mind About Deer Farming

The Alward government had talked about banning deer farming after a man in northern New Brunswick was killed sometime ago by one of his own deer but will allow the farming of white-tailed deer in the province. 

A review was done after the government got some pushback on a ban.
 
The provincial government will not allow pen hunting and farmers will not be permitted to sell white-tailed deer meat and other white-tailed products within New Brunswick.
 
Deer farmers will have to comply with provincial rules on fencing standards and identification of farmed deer in order to obtain a permit to keep white-tailed deer. 

They will also be required to comply with any federal requirements in order to lessen the risk to wild populations of white-tailed deer.

New Fire Department Training Academy Could Be Up And Running Within Months

Plans for a new training academy unveiled by the Saint John Fire Department at an open house. 

The previous training tower was judged to be unsafe in 2008 and then torn down in 2011. 

Fire Chief Kevin Clifford tells CHSJ News a new training facility, which would cost something like 750 thousand dollars, is essential for firefighters to maintain skills they may not use on a regular basis.

He also says it's essential for firefighters in a city like Saint John where you have a concentration of heavy industry, a nuclear power plant nearby, among the oldest housing stock in the country and alot of vacant buildings that have become attractive targets for arson.

The Chief is hoping to have the new training tower ready to be used in the fall. One location being looked at is McIntosh Street off Boar's Head Road. He would like to see it generate a bit of revenue with other fire departments training there.

A Change At The Greater Saint John Community Foundation

The Greater Saint John Community Foundation will be getting a new chair. Dr. Stephen Willis, who has chaired the Foundation for the past two years, is giving up that job. 

The Foundation's assets are up to 9 million dollars and last year, more than 290 thousand dollars were donated to local charities.

In the meantime, the Saint John Volunteer Centre  is receiving 55 thousand dollars in federal funding for an 18-month leadership project in Saint John. 

The project will identify barriers to young women's participation in leadership roles, particularly membership on boards of directors of community organizations. Project participants will receive training on leadership, governance and committee procedures as well as opportunities for mentorship and internship on a community board.