DRUNK DRIVER THREAT PHONED IN BY THREE BROOKS RESIDENTS
A reminder from police is making headlines in Pictou County today. At around 7:40 Tuesday night, a driver was speeding, passing on solid lines and appeared drunk behind the wheel on the Sunrise Trail in Three Brooks. That prompted a call by concerned residents to RCMP, and they arrested a 44-year-old Colchester County man on drunk driving charges nearby He now has a date in court, and RCMP say if you see erratic driving behind the wheel, the toll free number province wide to report that is now 1-800-803-RCMP.
Since it’s now August, the province says hunters can apply for an antlerless deer hunting stamp for the 2019 hunting season starting today. There are 5,000 antlerless deer hunting stamps available this year. The deer draw is a major part of managing the deer population. Stamps are available for 6 zones on mainland Nova Scotia. But they aren’t needed for 4 other zones, because those zones are open to harvesting deer of either sex. To be eligible, hunters need to be a resident of Nova Scotia, hold a 2019 deer hunting licence, have a provincial Wildlife Resources Card and be at least 16 years old.
NB GAS PRICES UP
This is often a sign of things to come here in Nova Scotia. New Brunswick gas prices are up by 2.7 c/L this morning. And diesel prices in NB are up by 1.6 c/L. Nova Scotia fuel prices are set to be reviewed this afternoon and re-set at midnight.
BOAT HARBOUR CLEAN-UP SESSION TODAY
It’s Open House day for the Boat Harbour clean-up. That’s being hosted by the province from 2 pm to 7 pm this afternoon at the Pictou Landing Fire Hall where a drop-in format will be set up with information stations around the room. That project is currently undergoing a year-long federal environmental assessment.
Canada’s top court has restored the conviction of a man who argued the rape shield law had prevented him from defending himself properly. While the court found errors in previous rulings leading to his conviction, it said no miscarriage of justice had occurred. The man known as R.V. was convicted of sexually interfering with a 15-year-old girl.
To bolster its case, the Crown introduced evidence she became pregnant at the time of the alleged assault.Lower courts refused to allow R.V. to cross-examine her on other sexual activity that might have accounted for her pregnancy. Ontario’s Appeal Court ordered a new trial, but the Supreme Court has ruled that was a mistake and has instead ordered that R.V. is now convicted.
Nova Scotia’s highest court has ordered a new trial for a former Canada Border Services agent who was found guilty last year of sexually assaulting and extorting a woman facing deportation.
Chief Justice Michael Wood of the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal has issued a decision that trial judge Suzanne Hood of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court made several errors in law in the original conviction of a man named Carie Dexter Willis. Willis launched an appeal last year of his conviction and six-year prison sentence. Writing on behalf of the unanimous three-judge appeal panel, Wood ‘s ruling says that Hood subjected Willis’s evidence to a “high degree of scrutiny, often on issues of marginal relevance,” and didn’t apply the same standard to the woman who accused him.
The woman accusing hi had testified he was not circumcised, but both Willis and his wife testified he was. Justice Wood’s ruling calls that a “significant contradiction.” The case shows the woman arrived in Canada as a student in 1996 and was turned down for refugee status in 2003. The charges against Willis arose from the woman’s allegations that he induced her in 2003 to enter into a non-consensual sexual relationship in exchange for his ensuring deportation proceedings against her would not proceed.
American figures that could translate over to Canada show almost three quarters of traumatic brain injuries in kids under 19 actually come from consumer products.
The reports says floors, beds, and playing sports play the greatest risks for a head injury in young people under the age of 19. And 72 per cent of the cases are related to government-regulated consumer products. For younger children aged newborn to age four, most head injuries are in the home — falling from beds, stairs, and floors.
The research shows that bunk-beds are especially risky.
The province wants people to keep an eye out over the next couple of days for signs and smells of forest fire smoke. Experts say that’s especially true outside of the permitted burning hours across the province. So far in 2019, there have been 97 fires dealt with by the Lands and Forestry department. 80 of those fires have been on private land.
Cape Breton County has recorded the most fires this year with 25. Kings County is next with eight, and then Yarmouth County with seven forest fires.
Those are woodland fires only. Grass fires are not included.
Federal officials have warned the risk of student loan defaults and delays is on the rise, noting bleakly: the “system is broken.” Federal student debt alone is approximately $17 billion and the federal government has to regularly write-off millions of dollars in loans it will never collect. The documents, obtained by The Canadian Press, say the costs for post-secondary education have increased at rates “above wage growth and inflation” over the last decade, while the cost of living has also jumped, creating an affordability crunch for new and graduating students.
And yet, the documents acknowledge that post-secondary education is a must for most people now entering the job market.
Recommendations for how to address the problem have been redacted from the documents, but student groups say they should include more non-repayable grants and waiving interest payments on student loans.
PICTOU COUNTY SPORTS
MLB
American League
Toronto 4 Kansas City 1
Tampa Bay 8 Boston 5
The 2019 Nova Scotia 55+ Games get underway today in Antigonish. There are over 700 athletes registered for the games, featuring 21 events from pickleball, track and field, washer toss, bowling, crib, hockey and scrabble. The official opening ceremonies are set for tonight at 7 o’clock at the Keating Centre.
