Perth-Andover Waiting For Rain

You have never seen so many people eager for rain but that's the case in our tinder dry province.
 
It's hoped the coming rain will help firefighters put out a blaze north of Perth-Andover where two reception centers are open to support nearly 300 people under evacuation orders or notices.

All evacuees are asked to visit the reception center on Main Street in Tobique and register with the Red Cross disaster team giving authorities a clearer picture of how many people are impacted. 

Another center is set up in the River Valley Civic Centre in Perth-Andover.

Residents of about 200 homes in Perth-Andover, Tobique and other communities were told yesterday to evacuate as a precaution.
 
Schools in the area are closed today as a precaution.

Transport Driver Charged With Aggravated Sexual Assault and Confinement

A 54-year-old truck driver from Québec is charged with aggravated sexual assault and forcible confinement after allegedly attacking a woman in a Moncton parking lot.

On April 25, witnesses called 911 when they saw a young woman running naked in a parking lot near the intersection of Church Street and Mountain Road. She was screaming for help after having gotten out of a transport truck, which managed to drive off.

Police tracked down the truck driver in a community on the South Shore of Montreal. Maurice Cloutier will be brought back to New Brunswick to face the charges.

Two Locations Possibilities For Direct Flight To U.S.

Newark and Philadelphia have been identified as two possible locations for a direct flight to the U.S. from Saint John. Airport President and C-E-O David Allen says discussions are ongoing. 

The airport is also talking to Air Canada about adding a flight to Toronto.
 
Allen would also like to see additional flights to Halifax and St. John's, Newfoundland. He tells Tide News the airport has a lot of potential but it's unrealized potential.

The number of passengers using the airport last year increased by more than 4 per cent to over 216 thousand.

Few Leads On Choi Disappearance

Police are still searching for a Korean woman living on the West Side of Saint John who went missing back on April 22, and Police Chief Bill Reid tells Tide News that will continue despite the absence of any solid leads.

Reid says the police force is highly conscious of the fact that there is a family at home wondering where their mother and wife is, and will follow up on any information they receive.

Choi is described as being approximately five-feet, four-inches tall, with short dark hair and two piercings on both ears. She was last seen wearing black tights, a dark knit  sweater and black calf-length boots. She was also possibly carrying a black knapsack.

A $50,000 reward has been offered for information on Choi's whereabouts.