A1 www.southshorenow.ca n 12,044 on-line visitors weekly n 13,171 print readers weekly Publication # 40031078 HEART OF A CURLING IN THIS ISSUE COMMUNITY CROWN Comment..............A8 Sports...................B9 Old Bridge stands Mary Fay rink Lifestyles...............B3 Classifieds.............C1 test of time off to nationals Business................B6 What’s.On.............C4 Page B1 Page B9 Arts......................B7 Religion................C7 $2.17 +HST 138th Year n No. 2 Independent since 1875 Nova Scotia, caNada n WedNeSday, JaNuary 8, 2014 Energized! Battery industry may soon get boost from local company By ROBERT HIRTLE [email protected] HEBBVILLE — Ralph Waldo Emerson once said that if you build a better mousetrap the world will beat a path to your door. Now, a trio of Nova Scotia scientists think the same thing will happen if you build a better battery and they plan on producing the equipment which will help manufacturers do that right here in Lunenburg County. “Basically, it’s our goal to get higher quality bat- teries out into the market,” says Chris Burns, CEO of QNova which intends to set up production facilities in Hebbville later this year. “The way we’re sort of approaching that is from the equipment and testing side of things.” Mr. Burns says he and his two partners in the com- pany all currently work at Dalhousie University in KEITH CORCORAN PHOTO Halifax where they carry out research on batteries. One of the aspects of that involves trying to deter- A few men pace the deck aboard a cable ferry that ran aground at Oxner’s Beach in Lower LaHave. mine how long a battery will last. “So, the battery in your cell phone or in your laptop, things like that, most of the time you don’t notice them getting much worse over the lifetime of the device because you only have your cell phone for two years, three years, something like that. It’s a rela- tively short time period,” Mr. Burns explains. Ferry gets free of its cable, He says, however, that the next big push moving forward in the technology of batteries is with electric vehicles and to create energy storage. “For those types of applications, you need batter- runs aground in Lower LaHave ies that will last not two to five years but maybe 10 to 20,” he says. “The issue is, how are you going to know if your battery is going to last 10 years.” Mr. Burns says that testing a battery for 10 years By KEITH CORCORAN acted in the face of the situation. to see if it will last that long and then ultimately put- [email protected] “Speaking to my captain and my engineer, those guys ting it on the market does not work simply because of were really calm; they’re nautical guys. The passenger the rapid changes that are happening in the world of LOWER LAHAVE — The Brady E. Himmelman cable is one that knows our ship and travels on it all the time, electronic technology. ferry that crosses the LaHave River between the com- so there was no hysteria or anything like that,” Mr. Ma- “So the work that our company is doing is based munities of East LaHave and LaHave drifted down river jchrowicz said. He oversees ferry services in the prov- on the research that we’re doing here at Dalhousie, after the pressure of ice flows yanked its cord free dur- ince, including the Brady E. Himmelman. which has shown that with really accurate equip- ing the night of January 3. “I’m sure they all had a bit of concern in their heart ment you can measure the efficiency of the batter- The vessel eventually ran aground a few kilometres but the captain acted really promptly in the beginning ies in the early cycles and the cells with the higher south at Oxner’s Beach. The lone passenger on board … he dropped anchor, he called the coast guard, he efficiency in the early cycles have longer lifetimes,” and the vessel’s captain and engineer were uninjured. called the [Transportation Safety Board] … he did all the he says. John Majchrowicz, the marine services manager for regulatory things that he’s required to do.” Nova Scotia’s Department of Transportation and Infra- See BATTERY, A3 structure Renewal, credited all on board for how they See FERRY, A3 CLOSED We care about our environment FOR THE Please recycle this newspaper WINTER TIP: SEASON BUYING SCRAP METAL Please see our webpage for Employment RECYCLERS Opportunities & current Scrap Metal Prices Be careful Steel ~ Stainless Steel not to salt Copper ~ Batteries near roots. Appliances ~ Aluminum www.bmiltd.ca PLEASANTVILLE 2232 Hwy 325, Bridgewater (902) 543-2446 [email protected] Member Since 2004 A publication of 543-5649 • e: [email protected] • www.villagenursery.net Scale Hours 7:00 am - 3:30 pm (Mon-Fri) & 8:00 am - 12:00 noon (Sat) Lighthouse Media Group A2 Lunenburg County Progress Bulletin, Wednesday, January 8, 2014 www.southshorenow.ca GOT SNOW? WHAT’S ON-LINE! Carl Strowbridge clears GET THE FULL STORY copious amounts of snow Watch for these icons, then go to from a frozen pond January southshorenow.ca 4 at the Municipal Activity for the extended content. and Recreation Complex in Dayspring. PHOTOS VIDEO YOUR 2¢ AUDIO View more See it like you Post your 2 cents Interviews, photos on-line were there. and discuss with music & other other readers. soundbites. www.southshorenow.ca Repeat drunk driver held in custody By LISA BROWN [email protected] BRIDGEWATER — A Bridgewater man with eight prior impaired driving convictions remains in custody after he was arrested New Year’s Day for drinking and driving. Kevin Leroy Wheaton was remanded KEITH CORCORAN PHOTO to the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Centre in Burnside Monday morning after a brief appearance in Bridgewater provincial court. The 49 year old faces charges of fail- ing the breathalyser and driving while Stonehurst man dies in boating mishap prohibited after a Bridgewater police con- stable stopped him on January 1. Police say the officer recognized Mr. By ROBERT HIRTLE hicle wasn’t at home and his blinds were open. So they started Wheaton behind the wheel and knew he [email protected] to look around for him and they found his vehicle down by the was not licenced to drive. boat and they couldn’t find him.” The Crown is opposing Mr. Wheaton’s STONEHURST — A 79-year-old male is dead following a He said four local fire departments as well as a helicop- release. boating mishap in the small seaside community of Stonehu- ter from the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) in rst. Halifax responded to assist RCMP in the search. Several ves- Although a bail hearing was scheduled Sgt. Paul Coughlan said RCMP received a call from neigh- sels from JRCC were also on route when the man’s body was for Monday, legal aid lawyer Cathy Ben- bours around 1 a.m. January 6 reporting that the man had discovered. ton told the court her client was not ready gone missing. “One of firemen found this fellow on the shoreline just to proceed. “Earlier in the evening he was around his boat, I guess across from his boat,” he said. Mr. Wheaton agreed to remain in cus- breaking ice away from the hull,” Sgt. Coughlan said. “He was Cpl. Coughlan said an autopsy would be performed to de- tody until Thursday when he is already later seen at his residence, so we believe he went back home termine cause of death. The victim’s name has not yet been scheduled to be before the court for the and then later in the evening neighbours noticed that his ve- released. continuation of a trial into an allegation that he trafficked in prescription medica- tion in October 2011. Twenty-two-year-old Joshua Ballard died from an overdose in Mr. Wheaton’s apartment on October 29, 2011. Mr. Whea- Guilty pleas in sex-for-drugs case ton is charged with providing the lethal dose of clonazepam that led to his death. By LISA BROWN that men were exchanging prescription drugs for sex with Mr. Wheaton is also part way through [email protected] four teen girls, ages 16 to 18. another trial on charges of refusing the Three other men are also slated to be back in court this breathalyser, driving while prohibited COUNTY — A Chester Basin man will be back in court to month in connection with the case. and breaching probation from July 2009 face sentencing in March after entering guilty pleas in a sex- Seventy-three-year-old Barry Lawrence Veinot of Mahone when police allege they spotted him driv- for-drugs case. Bay is charged with five offences, including trafficking in hy- ing in Mahone Bay. That trial is sched- Dustin Craig Collicutt had been scheduled to go to trial dromorphone, unlawful confinement, sexual assault, sexual uled to resume on February 7. Monday on charges of trafficking in hydromorphone and exploitation and having anal intercourse, all involving one breaching release conditions. teen girl. The allegations are dated between June 1, 2012, and Instead, the 23-year-old entered guilty pleas to both charges. April 2, 2013. HOW TO REACH US His lawyer requested the preparation of a pre-sentence report Brendan Gregory Levy, 30, of Chester is charged with traf- and the case was adjourned until March 24. WRITE, VISIT, PHONE OR FAX US Federal prosecutor Josh Bryson told the court it will be a ficking in hydromorphone and sexual exploitation. contested sentencing hearing, suggesting it may take several Brandon Clarence Corkum, 21, of Chester Basin faces a 353 York Street hours.