Trial for Former CBU Administrator Due To Start, Today

Written by Bobby Nock. Posted in Local News

The trial for a Glace Bay man and former administrator at Cape Breton University charged with sex offences is due to start, today.

59-year-old John Shea McInnis faces counts of sexual assault, sexual interference and invitation to sexual touching involving a person under the age of 16.

MacInnis is accused of committing the offences, involving a female complainant, between January of 2000 and December of 2006.

He was suspended with pay from his position as Director of student recruitment and marketing at CBU when the charges first came to light in the fall of 2013.

CBU says that MacInnis retired on December 31st of 2013 and that the charges against him don’t stem from his work at the university.

He’s elected to be tried by a Supreme Court judge and jury.

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Three Due in Court After Alder Point Armed Robbery

Written by Bobby Nock. Posted in Local News

Two 19 year-old men are due in Sydney Provincial court today after an armed robbery in Alder Point on Thursday.

Kevin Forrest from Sydney Mines and Latef Reakwon Tag-EI-Din from Halifax are each facing a charge of armed robbery.

A 16 year old girl from the Halifax area was also arrested and will appear in court today.

She can’t be name because of her age.

Regional Police say their investigation is ongoing and add they’re still looking for a 4^th suspect.

They say the victim in the incident was not harmed.

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CB Unemployment Down Slightly In May

Written by Dave Desveaux. Posted in Local News

Cape Breton’s unemployment rate went down slightly last month. The three-month moving average from May was 16.3%– three tenths of a percentage point below April and 1.2% below May of last year. Unemployment numbers also went down provincially last month, when Nova Scotia recorded a seasonally adjusted figure of 8.8%– down from 9.3 in April. Nationally, unemployment stayed steady at 6.8% for the fourth straight month. The country saw 59,800 net new jobs in May, though Stats Canada says that the jobless figure remained the same because more people entered the workforce. Last month’s job gains offset losses in April, though the numbers come after Statscan said last week that the economy had contracted at an annualized rate of 0.6 percent in the first quarter of 2015.

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CB Regional Police Seeking Four Armed Robbery Suspects

Written by Dave Desveaux. Posted in Local News

Cape Breton Regional Police are searching for four armed robbery suspects in connection to an incident on the Northside last night. Police say they were called to Sydney Mines at about 10 pm, when a 19 year-old man reported that he’d been robbed of money and jewelry while riding in a vehicle with the suspects. Police say the man was dropped off on Alder Point Road and the suspects drove off in what’s believed to be a white 2006 Chevy Cobalt. One of the suspects is said to have been in possession of a weapon during the incident, though no injuries were reported. Police say that the suspects are a 19 year-old man from Sydney Mines, a black man in his 20’s from the Halifax area, a third man who was driving the vehicle and wearing a hooded sweat shirt, and a black female in her 20’s. Police say the suspects are considered to be dangerous and may be armed. Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers.

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School Board Introduces Online Payment for School Fees

Written by Bobby Nock. Posted in Local News

Parents of students in the Cape Breton Victoria Regional School Board will now be able to pay school fees online.

School board finance coordinator Sandra Burke says the board is the first in the province to offer an online fee payment program.

She adds the changes are designed to make life a little easier for parents.

Burke says when the school board piloted the program at 15 schools in November, it went off without a hitch.

The program has now been made available at all 49 schools in the board.

Burke is encouraging all parents to sign up even if they don’t intend to pay online because by registering they’ll get notification of upcoming fees and events by e-mail.

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