News Tues

CBS Mayor Threatens to Blockade Roads Nalcor Intends to Use

As part of the Muskrat Falls’ hydroelectric project, Nalcor is building a “shoreline electrode” at Downden’s point near Seal Cove. They had plans to use a road in CBS to cart heavy equipment and transport trucks to this construction site, but CBS mayor Ken McDonald isn’t having it. The road in question is Lear’s Road, and the mayor feels the road is not built to handle such literally heavy traffic. There is secondary concern for the children boarding school busses in the area. Residents are generally in agreement with mayor McDonald, but Nalcor doesn’t need his consent to use this road, so the mayor, and councillors, are declaring their intention to physically block access to the road. He has said Nalcor’s lack of consultation and consideration on this matter is in line with their previous disregard for issues like the potential impact the construction project might have on local water and sewer lines.  Spokespeople with Nalcor tell a different story, one of constant contact and consultation with CBS and its residents, and that they feel their proposed route will minimize all of Conception Bay South’s major concerns.

Locals Bag  7 ECMAs; Hey Rosetta Double Winners for a Single Song

During the 2015 East Coast Music Week, 6 locals took home trophies. Hey Rosetta took Song of the Year for “Kintsukuroi,” and for the very same song, Tim Baker & Adam Hogan took the Songwriter of the Year award. Fitting, since Baker has said the song was more of a hassle to write and get right than most of the band’s songs. Rob Power won Classical Composition of the Year for “Tunnel Mountain.” The Once took Folk Record of the Year for their album, Departures, and Corner Brook’s Kim Harris was this year’s Rising Star. At the gala, Fred’s Records was given the honourary Industry Builder award, for their extensive and decades-long devotion to supporting the local music scene. Lastly, and unsurprisingly, Jud Haynes won the Designer of the Year award.

City Approves 11 New Businesses

They include a new Restaurant from Raymonds’ head chef Jeremy Charles, called The Merchant Tavern (291 Water Street), an unnamed recording studio on Southside Road, and a spot called Adley’s Eats on 286 Torbay Rd.

Newfound Cab Driver Robbed at Knifepoint; Reward Offered for Details

Late Sunday evening, a female cab driver was robbed at knifepoint on Aberdeen Avenue, and the company is offering a $2,000 reward to anyone with information solid enough to lead to a conviction. It was a two-person job: a male passenger held the knife on her, while the female passenger made sure the driver couldn’t run from the cab.

Chris Kirby’s Surprise Engagement Encore

One of the many events during this year’s East Coast Music Week was a fundraiser for a music therapy program at the Janeway Hospital. The event was Chris Kirby’s Soul Food Kitchen Party. At the end of Kirby’s own set at the event, he left the stage but turned around, baffled by his band staying behind, as his partner, Victoria Howse, took the stage. She and the band broke out a song whose lyrics were clearly a wedding proposal. The song had been co-penend by ECMA nominee Charlie A’Court. He said yes, hearts melted, and various people felt like they’d proposed to their partners in relatively lacklustre ways.

Former Drug-Trafficking Cop Is Now Also a Cab-stealing Joyrider

Former HMP correctional officer Edward Taylor is known for smuggling drugs like marijuana, Percocet, and Oxy  into jail for prisoners a few years back. He served 16 months for it. He’s back in the news now for stealing a cab and leading the police in a chase. When he eventually ditched the car and fled on foot, police dogs helped police officers catch him. He was impaired at the time, and has been charged with failure to stop for police, theft over $5,000, uttering threats, impaired driving, and breaches of court orders.

8 Newfoundlanders up for Atlantic Book Awards

Andy Jones is once again on a children’s book award shortlist, this time the Ann Connor Brimer Award for Children’s Literature, for Jack, the King of Ashes. Another local, Janet McNaughton is on the same shortlist, for her book, Dear Canada:  Flame and Ashes:  The Great Fire Diary of Triffie Winsor. Both novelist Trudy Morgan-Cole & chef Mark Crowe are on the “Best Atlantic-Published Book Award” shortlist. Jenny Higgins is on the “Democracy 250 Atlantic Book Award for Historical Writing” shortlist, for her book Perished:  The 1914 Newfoundland Sealing Disaster.” For his illustrations in George Murray’s children’s book, Wow Wow and Haw Haw, Michael Pittman is up for the Lillian Shepherd Award for Excellence in Illustration.  Once again, Megan Gail Coles & Alan Doyle are up for the same award, this time the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award. Will Coles defeat Doyle a second time, as she did to win this year’s Winterset Award? You’ll have to wait ‘til May to see, but the more important question is, Have you read her great book yet? (Eating Habits of the Chronically Lonesome.)