Man Arrested With Machete Outside Of Saint John

A 51 year old man armed with a machete was arrested by Rothesay Regional Police on the Marr Road.

Police tell Tide News he was threatening his girlfriend in a car outside the Superstore in the parking lot but was disarmed and arrested without anyone being injured. 

The man, whose name can't be released until he's formally charged will be appearing in court today. 

Several charges are expected to be laid including assault with a weapon, forcible confinement and uttering threats.

Saint John Candidates Gearing Up For By-Election

Ward 3 Candidates Have Chance To Sell Themselves

More people turned out for a Meet the Ward 3 Candidates forum in the south end than expected although there was no debate. Each of the candidates got a chance to make their pitch and then answered questions.

 Former Deputy Mayor Michelle Hooten says she would not be in favour of getting rid of Enterprise Saint John but Anne Marie Mullin argues the city has to be more aggressive in attracting new businesses and jobs and Brian Boyd maintains there has to be more accountability.

Allen Leslie coming out against a 4-Plex ice surface at Long Wharf, claiming it would kill the uptown. Gerry Lowe also expressing his reservations with the worry that the neighbourhood arenas would be killed and would there be enough parking if the Sea Dogs, for instance, are playing at Harbour Station. Graeme Stewart-Robertson says he's in favour of a multi-ice surface but the big question is whether Long Wharf is the right location. 

Hooten says people want value for their tax dollars. Mullin argues the city's unionised workers will have to give a little because the city doesn't have any money and Lowe is suggesting the city, in its contract negotiations, should never opt for arbitration like it did with the firefighters. 

Lowe, Mullin, Hooten and Barb Ellemberg all touting their business experience.

One of the candidates Mark LeBlanc did not show up saying he didn't like the format because there was no debate among the candidates themselves.

Another Meet the Candidates Forum will be held tonight at the Carleton Community Centre with a starting time of 6:30.

Lawyer Argues Publishing Names in Richard Oland Murder Case Infringes on Rights of Innocents

Final arguments have been this afternoon on whether or not to release more information from the Richard Oland search warrants.

While the representatives of certain interested parties int he case called for a moratorium on the so-called "never-ending barrage" of media coverage, media lawyer David Coles tells CHSJ News enough will only be enough when the public is satisfied the police and judiciary have done their jobs.

A decision on whether to overturn the publication ban imposed by Chief Judge R. Leslie Jackson must be made within 6 months, but it's expected to take much less time than that.

Desserud Says Trudeau Is A Good Example Of A Celebrity Politician

Justin Trudeau's first week as Liberal leader has been a bit of a tough go.

The Harper government wasted no time in putting out attack ads hours after his win and a Parti Quebecois cabinet minister accused him of acting like royalty.

UPEI Political scientist Don Desserud tells CHSJ News Trudeau is the perfect example of the celebrity politician.

He says it doesn't mean he can't or won't do a good job but the point is that's not why he is there right now adding he's there to bring in new voters and if it works he doesn't have anything against it.

Desserud calls the Tory attack ads a mistep saying it shows the negative party politics these days.

Hikers Find Human Remains in Riverview

Two hikers found human remains in a wooded area near Moncton on Saturday afternoon.

RCMP say they came across the remains on the east side of Gunningsville Boulevard, about a kilometre from Coverdale Road. 

A forensic identification team is working to find out the identity of the person whose remains were found, and also the cause of death.

Chemotherapy Underdosing Leads to New Conditions for Drug Companies

Temporary new conditions have been put into place for companies creating medications, after five hospitals in New Brunswick and Ontario administered watered down chemotherapy drugs to more than 1200 patients.

Heath Canada is saying that companies can keep making the drugs can if it's done within a hospital and meets provincial requirements, outside the hospital under the eye of provincially licensed pharmacist or in a way that's in keeping with licensing and manufacturing requirements of the Food and Drugs Act. Dr. Supriya Sharma, senior medical adviser with Health Canada, says the conditions mean the companies can keep providing service until a long-term plan is figured out.

Marchese Hospital Solutions gave the watered down drugs to the hospitals, but they say the problem wasn't with their drugs, it was with how they were administered. Sharma admitting that the new conditions might not have prevented the underdosing, as Marchese was believed to have been working under appropriate supervision.

Lincourt Manor Closed To Visitors

One of our local nursing homes is closing it's doors to visitors until further notice.

Lincourt Manor in St. Stephen issuing a release today that states the facility is closing its doors to all visitors as a precautionary measure.

Lincourt Manor states an outbreak of flu-like symptoms has plagued residents.

Locals Stuck In Boston Lock-Down

A number of locals are in Boston today, many of them having traveled down for the Fleetwood Mac concert. 

Jody Wheaton works for Valley Concrete and he tells Tide News the lock-down has turned the normally busy city into a ghost town.

He says when they got back to the hotel they heard a lot of sirens all night and today he can only see a couple of people on the street.

Former Acadia Broadcasting employee Andrea Henderson tells us it's been maddening trying to get around.

She says all the buses and shuttles and every form of transportation are shut down.

Wheaton says he's been nothing but impressed with the strength of the city in this senseless situation.

Local Woman Creates Her Own Job Due To Lack Of Employment In St. George

I love my small town -- but there are no jobs here. Sound familiar?

One local resident from St. George deciding to take her unemployment matters into her own hands by opening a new clothing store in town.

Mandy Lee says she was born and raised in Charlotte County, and just wants the same thing for her young son. "I was on unemployment because there were no jobs around, so the only thing left for me to do was to create a job for myself and take a chance at it."

Lee tells Tide News she feels the government has let the economy down by cutting back any available employment, which in return, is forcing locals to move away to other provinces for work.  "It's horrible. I didn't want to pack up my young family to move away. It's not right. This is my hometown and I'd rather be here." Lee says as it is now, her husband will be leaving in the near future to work outside the province because there was nothing available for him here.

Lee decided to take a chance and open a clothing store called "Mandy's Apparel & More". She says, "I will be selling clothing, beauty products, aluminum decorative signs, scarves, purses, belts, a little bit of everything, with more to come."


The Grand Opening will be at her location in the St. George Mall tomorrow (Saturday) from 9am to 7pm, with local dignitaries in attendance.

BREAKING NEWS: Boston, Watertown Neighbourhoods In Lockdown As Search For Suspect Continues

The world is watching Boston as the hunt continues for the surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings. 

Governor Deval Patrick is telling the residents of Boston, Watertown and 5 other neighbourhoods to stay inside.

The suburb of Watertown has a huge police presence with armoured vehicles and a swat team in one area. 

A witness saw fresh blood in the area and police have been heard yelling at a building to come out. 

Police are also conducting searches in the Cambridge area where the two suspects lived.

The two suspects are from Chechnya but have lived in the US since the early 2000's.
The older brother, a 26 year old, was killed in a gunfight overnight.
 
A 26 year old MIT police officer was killed in his car. 

The search continues for 19 year old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

CUPE Says Jobs Cuts At Horizon Are Just The Beginning

The Canadian Union of Public Employees is claiming the Horizon Health Network is looking to cut 4 per cent of its workforce which would be from 400 to 500 jobs.
 
131 job cuts have been announced but Ralph McBride, provincial co-ordinator for CUPE local 1252, tells Tide News that's just the beginning of the reductions because Horizon still has to reduce its budget by almost 14 million dollars and it's that amount which has healthcare workers so anxious.

McBride warns if front-line workers are cut then patient care will be adversely affected.  
Provincial Health Minister Ted Flemming argues health care should not be used to create jobs and McBridge counters that by saying it isn't because each of his members has a specific role to play to keep the system functioning.

Gas Down This Week

Drivers who have to fill up won't be displeased with gas prices which have decreased again after the weekly setting. 

They're down by a few cents with self serve regular being sold in town for $1.22.9 a litre and diesel is going for $1.26.6. 

Heating oil is also a bit less expensive with a maximum price of $1.09.4 as is propane at $1.04.1.

Cuts Announced In Healthcare

Job cuts announced by the Horizon Health Network which wants to reduce spending by almost $22 million in the 2013-14 fiscal year. 

There will be 131 union, non-union and administrative management jobs cut. That move, along with not filling vacancies and attrition, is estimated to save $8.7 million but another 12.5 million dollars in savings will still have to be found. 

Facilicorp, meantime, is consolidating its laundry operations to save 2.4 million dollars. Laundry and linen from the hospitals in Moncton will be processed by the laundry facility in Saint John.

Music NB Week To Come To Saint John

For the first time, Saint John will be hosting Music NB Week this coming October with music showcases and public performances featuring musicians from around the province. 

The event culminates with a gala awards ceremony at the Imperial Theatre with members of the public voting for the winners online.

Peter Asimakos, the General Manager of Uptown Saint John, tells Tide News this is a perfect fit with all the available venues in the city along with talented performers.

The Executive-Director of Music NB Jean Surrette tells Tide News music lovers in the city will be in seventh heaven with public performances being staged around town.

There will also be music industry types from abroad in the city searching out talent to perform overseas. Surrette says the best of the talent will be showcased to the talent spotters.

Former Saint John MP Says Trudeau Should Stay Positive

Now that Justin Trudeau is the new leader of the federal Liberals, can he turn their fortunes around and present them as a viable alternative to the Harper Government which is already out with the first attack ad? 

Former Saint John and Fundy-Royal M-P Paul Zed tells Tide News Trudeau has a good foundation to build upon having received 100 thousand votes in the leadership contest.
 
Zed says Trudeau is well connected to the Maritimes, visiting Saint John three or four times, and  he should continue travelling the country to reach out and present a positive vision for the future as a contrast to the federal Conservatives and their U.S. style negative ads.

Tide News asked Zed whether he would consider running again with Trudeau as leader and tells us "in politics, you never say never".

Weed Growers Moving Operations Outside

Spring is here: which means pot growers are increasingly taking their operations outside.

Crime Stoppers and the RCMP are asking the public to keep an eye out for people growing marijuana outdoors. Often, growers will use Crown land to avoid prosecution. The plants are sometimes surrounded by chicken wire to keep out animals with legal plants used as camouflage.

ATV and walking trails  are commonly used to get to the crops. Unsuspecting people have been known to locate a grow op simply by accident or by recognizing the 'skunk like' odor that the plants produce.Anyone with any information concerning an outdoor marijuana grow operation can call N.B. Crime Stoppers Inc. at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or visit www.crimenb.ca. If your information leads to an arrest, you could qualify for a cash award of up to $2,000.

Less Trips And Longer Trips For Grand Manan Islanders

The Grand Manan ferry will have its daily round trips cut from four daily runs to three during the low traffic season, and from seven daily runs to six during the high season. The crossing time between Blacks Harbour and Grand Manan Island will also be increased from 90 to 120 minutes.

The exact timetable is being worked out with the operator and the final schedule will be shared before any changes are made; however, it's expected the last run of the day off Grand Manan Island will be roughly 6 p.m and the last return trip from Blacks Harbour will be about 8 p.m. 

 The changes will come into effect in the next few weeks and are expected to save as much as $1.5 million. The operation and maintenance of ferry services to all the Fundy Isles costs taxpayers $13.8 million per year.

Police Seize Over 150 Marijuana Plants

Over 150 marijuana plants have been seized from a house in Mainstream. 

Police officers with the Hartland RCMP, helped out by Florenceville RCMP and the Woodstock Police Force, executed a search warrant where they found the plants, in various stages of growth and a quantity of marijuana.

They detained a 56-year-old man and a 43-year-old woman from Mainstream, but they were later released. The pair will appear in court at a later date to face charges related to the marijuana seizure.

Worst of the Snow Is Behind Us

A blanket of snow on the ground is not sight anyone would want to wake up to in the middle of April. But Mel Lemon, a meteorologist with Environment Canada tells us that snow this time of year is normal.

Lemon tells us that approximately 5cm of snow fell, but that it's hard to get an accurate reading when the ground is so warm. The system that brought us snow last night is currently moving south of Nova Scotia, but we'll still see some precipitation today: we'll see between 2-4 centimetres of snow this morning, which will taper off to flurries and showers later on this afternoon.

Snow Is On The Way For Charlotte County

Most of us can't even speak about it we're so annoyed that more snow is on the way in April.
 
Environment Canada issuing a snowfall warning for St. Stephen and northern Charlotte County, Grand Manan Island and coastal Charlotte County with rain turning to flurries and then snow with 10 centimetres overnight.

Saturday brings snow changing to showers and then flurries by noon and ending in the afternoon.
 
We could see another 5 centimetres of snow tomorrow.

Grand Manan will be worse off with ice pellets overnight and up to 15 centimetres of snow.