Pitcher's Pres Says Championship Will Bring Economic Spin-Offs For St. Stephen

A bid to get the Canadian Horseshoe Pitching Championships to town in 2015 is looking promising.

St. Stephen Horseshoe Pitcher's Club President Jason Rideout tells Tide News getting the grant from Town Council to host the championship at the new Garcelon Civic Centre was a key part of the bid. "A large event like that, you can't depend on weather being nice as it is a four to five day event. And so, the Civic Centre was the spot we were looking for and that was the key to our bid process was having a building large enough to host the event."

Rideout estimates between 200-250 people will be pitching in the championship, plus friends and family, bringing many economic spin-offs for the community. He tells Tide News, "The pitchers only pitch about 3 hours of the day because there are so many different classes. So they've got the other 21 hours to do something else. So they are looking for different events and what not to do which will definately bring economic spin-offs to our community."



Rideout tells us the budget to host the Championship will range between 30-40 thousand dollars, but they have two years to prepare. "Through fundraising and trying to get some grants, some business sponsorships, bake sales, ticket drives as well as fundraising within the club using tournaments and such. It's nothing we can't handle, we are up to the challenge, but it was a big decision for the club to make."

Rideout says they currently have about 50 active members and are always looking for new ones. He says they meet every Tuesday evening at Frasier Farm, located at 8838 Route 3 in Old Ridge, where he says everyone is welcome to come and try it out. He says everyone pitches, no matter the skill set or age, and there is no membership fee until to try it out and decide to join the Club officially for $10.
You can check out the St. Stephen Horseshoe Pitchers Club on Facebook, or their new website at www.sshorseshoepitchers.com .

He says they will find out if they won the bid in by July 11th.

Couples Benefit From Travelling Together

38 per cent of people responding to a Travelocity.ca survey say by traveling together they learn they have more in common with their partner than they thought.
 
Couples Therapist Ashley Howe tells Tide News most Canadians want to travel with partners rather than alone.

She says people were noticing a trend of single vacations and people trekking through Europe alone so there was an impression that travel alone was becoming more popular.

The survey found 88 per cent of Canadians prefer to travel with their spouse.

Former Mayor Reacts To Snook Case

A sad situation but time heals all wounds and they city will move on .......That's the reaction of Councillor At Large Shirley McAlary to her former colleague on Saint John Common Council, Donnie Snook pleading guilty to so many charges of abusing children he was in the business of helping.

McAlary, who is out and about a lot, concedes she did not suspect Snook of being a pedophile.

Alot of people who had contact with Snook may be beating themselves over how they could have been fooled for so long. That's understandable according to Katina Feggos, Case Manager of Clinical Services at Family Plus/Life Solutions.

She says the real focus, though, should not be on what they should have known or done but on what the individual did to violate their trust.

Prest Found Dead In His Cell

Saint John City police confirm the inmate who died at the jail on the Old Black River Road is 39 year old Adam Lee Steven Prest.

He was found unresponsive in his cell about 1:20 yesterday.

The Major Crime Unit has determined there is no foul play involved in his death and no criminal offences occurred.

Prest was charged last Wednesday with 2nd degree murder in Rothesay in the death of his common law partner 33 year old Tanya Shand.

UNBSJ Professor Researching Domestic Violence Risk Assessment Tool

When domestic violence escalates, the results can be tragic. But what if police could predict when to intervene? 

That's the idea behind a family violence risk-assessment tool being researched by UNB Saint John professor Dr. Mary Ann Campbell. She tells Tide News making arrests isn't the entire solution, because putting someone in handcuffs doesn't mean they won't become violent again.
 
Campbell says police could use the tool to refer high risk families to a special unit that could follow up and provide services and support.

She tells us there's currently a lot of discussion about the right risk tool to use in Saint John but, generally, people seem to be leaning towards a willingness to adopt one.

Snook's Former Friend Upset At Seeing Him In Court Today

Donnie Snook's former friend was in court today and didn't like what he heard.

Darrell Bastarache tells us he was upset when he saw Snook in court today.

He says didn't look to remorseful and he thinks that is pretty sad.

Bastarache says parent's have to be cautious and don't fall for every little nice gesture.

He says the kids trusted them and no one ever saw this coming. 

Bastarache's own children were part of the children's charities that Snook was involved in.

Crown Prosecutor Offers More Details On Snook Proceedings

With Donnie Snook pleading guilty to all 46 charges against him, Crown prosecutor Kelly Lee-Lamrock pointing out at least the victims will be spared the ordeal of a long trial.

Lee-Lamrock tells Tide News the magnitude of the Donnie Snook case is the most severe she has ever dealt with in terms of the number of victims.

Snook also faces an extortion charge, which Lamrock explained has to do with acquiring pictures through the use of threats. The benefit of the guilty plea is that the families will be spared the ordeal of a long trial.

New Brunswick Federation Of Labour Had New President

The wolves are at the door everyday.......That's the situation facing all too many workers according to the new President of the Provincial Federation of Labour. 

Patrick Colford of Miramichi tells Tide News the clock is being turned back with a huge gap between the rich and the rest of us. He says there are workers with full-time jobs who are having a tough time providing for their families. Despite that, he's optimistic about the future, believing the Harper Government will pay a price for its reforms to Employment Insurance. 

Colford is a member of the Canadian Union of Public Employees and ran federally for the NDP. Ron Oldfield of the Saint John and District Labour Council also ran for the Presidency but lost out to Colford.

Grow-Op Dismantled In Beaver Harbour

Officers seizing marijuana plants and drug paraphernalia as they dismantled a grow-op in a home near St. George late Monday night. 

The RCMP arrested a 33-year-old man who will be in court at a later date. The investigation is ongoing, and the Mounties say it's possible a second person will face charges.

Snook Crimes Go Back 12 Years And Involve Boys As Young As 5

Former Saint John Common councillor Donnie Snook pleading guilty in court to 46 charges involving 17 children.
 
The charges involving 17 boys between January 2001 until Snook's arrest in January of this year.

Most of the victims were from the Saint John area and range in age from 5 years old to 15 years old at the time of the offenses.

They include 13 charges of touching a child for a sexual purpose, 9 charges of producing child pornography and 2 charges of sexual assault.

The 41 year old Snook is due back in court on June 25th at 9:30am to set a date for sentencing.

Anyone with further info on this case is asked to contact Saint John City police or Crime Stoppers. 

For City police call  1-506-648-3333 or contact NB Crime Stoppers online at crimenb.ca at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

St. Stephen To Receive Sculpture In 2014

They needed one more community -- and they got it.
After a unanimous vote, Town Council confirming St. Stephen will be a part of Sculpture Saint John 2014.


 Symposium Chair Diana Alexander giving a presentation to Town Council last night (Monday) explaining how the event worked. She said for 2012, artists from all over the world, as well as local artists, came together at the Coast Guard site in Saint John to chisel away at huge pieces of granite, turning them into masterpieces that respresented the areas they were destined for.

Alexander says St. Andrews and Calais are taking part and will get unique sculptures made during the event.
 She adds, a new mobile app is also being created for a Sculpture Tour that will connect Bangor, Maine through to Sussex.

St. Stephen Councillor John Ames tells Tide News he definately sees a benefit in the town taking part. "I think that there is a lot of great talent around the world, and to have it showcased in our region, it just makes us that much closer to more tourism."
Ames says, after hearing that Calais is another confirmed community, he is interested in the possibility of a collaboration of sorts. "It is unique to have this relationship with Calais and St.Stephen. If we could have a sculpture that resembles our heritage and friendship with Calais its just more potential for our community."

St. George participated as a receiving community in 2012. That sculpture, by artist James Boyd, (as seen in picture) is on the lawn of the Post Office.

St. Stephen Getting Public Car Charger For Electric Cars

Chocolate-Town is going eco-friendly.

Sun Country Highway donating a 90 amp car charger for electric cars to St. Stephen as a way to promote economic and environmental sustainability.

Mayor John Quartermain tells Tide News it will also be beneficial during tourist season. He says, "It's something you can put on your sign, on your website. Eco-friendly, put one of those little placards for people coming into your town."



Quartermain tells us it's an initiative with an energetic purpose, "They want to prove that there are enough chargers for a car to drive from Edmunston to St. Stephen without having to refuel for gas."

Quartermain says the charger will be installed within the vicinity of the Garcelon Civic Centre and will be free for users for at least one year. He adds, to charge a "dead car", it will take 4 hours to bring it to full power. He says that 4 hours will cost the Town of St. Stephen $1.76.

Paying More For Power This Fall

You'll have to pay 2 per cent more for the electricity you use beginning on October 1st. That word from NB Power following rates being frozen over the past 40 months at their June 2010 levels.
 
NB Power says it has eliminated 300 jobs, frozen salaries, successfully reduced operating costs by $47 million annually and had record earnings. 

NB Power President and C-E-O Gaetan Thomas claims another $20 million in yearly cost savings have been identified with plans calling for the utility's debt to be lowered by $1 billion in the next 10 years.

Canoe Rescue At Reversing Falls

A person canoeing in Reversing Falls overturned just past the Falls restaurant, but has been rescued safely.

Police getting the call shortly before 1pm that the occupant of the canoe--a man from Perth--was clinging to the side of the boat. The Coast Guard was been notified and a small powerboat came in to assist them and tow the canoe back to shore.

Police are on the scene.

Pipeline Won't Make Province Rich, Says NDP Leader

The province's NDP leader says the pipeline is not going to be the silver bullet that saves New Brunswick. 

Dominic Cardy tells Tide News that he supports the project, but we're not just going to make this province wealthy by pulling things out of the ground and processing raw materials. 

He says we need to work on education and skill-training so we can compete for what he calls the high-end jobs.

Cardy says the educational system has let many people down, and needs to be turned around before New Brunswickers can become competitive in the job market.

Investigation Into Inmate Death At Regional Jail

Saint John City police say they don't believe foul play is involved in the death of an inmate at the Regional Correctional Centre this afternoon -- they tell us they were called to the Old Black River Road jail shortly after one this afternoon.

So far no name has been released - we have placed calls to the Department of Public Safety but so far the Department which is responsible for operations at the jail has not offered up any details.

Six Figure Fine For Port City Businessman

A Saint John businessman has a year to pay a six-figure fine after pleading guilty to charges of tax evasion. 

Bruce English, the owner of environment dust control business Soil Solutions, has been fined over 200-thousand-dollars, which makes up 75% of the taxes he tried to evade. 

Over 120-thousand-dollars of that amount is for not reporting his business income between 2006-2008 and 100-thousand dollars for making false statements on his HST returns and understating his payable HST over the same three years.

RCMP Seize Enough Pot To Create 85,000 Joints

Police seizing hash oil, marijuana plants and dried marijuana from a home near Florenceville-Bristol, and they say, 85-thousand joints could have been made from the seizure.

The Mounties and the Woodstock Police Force used a search warrant in a house in Piercemont, and during their search, they also recovered an ATV that was reported as stolen back in 2011.

A 59-year-old man and a 60-year-old woman were arrested. 

They're going to be in court at a later date and are expected to face multiple charges.

The Rain Is Finally Over

After a full week of rain, many of us are feeling a bit water-logged. So how much rain did we get?

Environment Canada meteorologist Claude Cote tells Tide News since last Thursday, (May 23rd, 2013)  Charlotte County reported anywhere from 85-105 mms of rain. Cote says, "That brings the total monthly rainfall to about 147 mms, typically in Charlotte County we have 118 mms, so already we are above normal."
He tells us, over the weekend, on average, communities in New Brunswick received 70 mms of rain.

Cote says St. Stephen recieved 91 mms of rain, Grand Manan reported 102, and the Bayside and St. Andrews areas with 103 mms of rain.



He adds we will soon dry out with June, July, and August in Charlotte County having warmer than normal temperatures.
Sunshine is forecast for tomorrow.

Moose On The Loose In McAdam

RCMP are warning people in McAdam of an increase in wildlife sightings -- especially moose.

Officials say in the past week alone, one officer spotted five of the animals near a roadway, they had one report of a moose in the middle of a highway that refused to move, and one vehicle collision involving a moose that caused extensive damage to the vehicle and minor injuries to the occupants.

Police ask that drivers be extra cautious along Highway 3 and Highway 4, and make sure your headlights are working well, and are clean.



Police say the majority of the sightings are in the evening or at night.

RCMP also recommending drivers to slow down, even below the recommended speed limit at night