Placentia-Whitbourne RCMP say they dealt with a number of impaired driving related incidents during the weekend of Jan. 22-24.

An adult female was pulled over near Norman's Cove on Jan. 22 at 11 p.m. and was charged with refusal of the breathalyzer. Police say she smelled of alcohol. She failed the roadside screening device and was given a 90-day suspension. She was taken to the police station and once there, refused the breathalyzer which carries the same punishment as if one failed the device. She refused the demand by police and is waiting court in St. John's.

The Placentia town council is seeking answers to concerns raised at a recent council meeting about contaminants in the town's water supply.

Councilor William Woodman first raised the alarm about Trihalomethanes or THMs and Haloacetic acids (HAAs) at a council meeting just before Christmas and again at the most recent meeting on Jan. 19.

	Margie Meade made a donation on behalf of Gathering of Friends to David Penner of the Canadian Red C... »

It seems everyone wants to help.

Since a devastating earthquake struck Haiti on Jan. 11, people around the globe have been donating time, money, whatever they can to help ease the suffering of the survivors of the earthquake.

People in Placentia are no different.

The Gathering of Friends Cancer Support Group, which meets once a month in Placentia, decided to do their small part to help with the efforts by donating some funds to the Canadian Red Cross.

Bell Aliant says it's reviewing a policy from the 1990s that extends local service calling areas for dozens of small Newfoundland communities for a $5 per customer monthly fee.

The program was voted on and welcomed by people at the time in various communities, said Bell Aliant.

But the industry has shifted and competition has prompted long distance calling plans that leave people wondering why they're paying the $5 fee on top of their Bell Aliant long distance plans.

Branch's community council held a public meeting on Sunday, Jan. 17 at the community center. With approximately 50 residents in attendance, topics such as water and poll taxes, roaming animals, local road conditions, and more were brought forth for discussion. The two and a half hour meeting was successful in establishing both the strong points of the community along with some areas that need work or continuance.

Residents were concerned about the new artisan well system that will be put in place this coming spring, especially residents who have their very own artisan well. Many are reluctant to fork out the water tax when they have already paid thousands of dollars for their own well system.

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The outport of Branch has always been identified by the areas which make up the whole settlement. Growing up in that little community in the 1950s, we were commonly labeled by the particular part of the place in which we were raised. My family and most of the Powers were referred to as the Hill Crowd and sometimes the Hill Rebels. Other friends came from the Square, the Height, the Lane, Down by the River, the Bank, the Gut, the Yard, the Corner, the Easter' Cove, Over the Road and Out the Road. Although we all attended and intermingled at the same school, church and parish hall, there were times when the dividing lines were clearly drawn. In wintertime, when we engaged in snowball battles, warring factions definitely emerged.

Some residents and councilors in Placentia are concerned about the state of their water supply, and with good reason.

A recent report from the provincial government showed more than double the acceptable levels for Trihalomethanes or THMs and Haloacetic acids (HAAs) in the water supply of Freshwater, Jerseyside, townside Placentia and Southeast Placentia. Dunville, with a different water supply, had levels within acceptable limits.

Dear Editor:

Your article titled, "Natural Beauty Destroyed," in the Jan. 18th edition of The Charter has prompted me to relay my own interactions with Minister Johnson, Crown Lands and the Premier's office. I feel that the more aware the public is made of how this minister and her staff operate with approval of the Premier's office, the more likely we are to see a change in this ministry's attitude and the more likely we are to see an upholding of government rules and regulations.

For well over a year, I have been lobbying the Minister of the Environment and the Premier's office to prohibit the use of heavy equipment on crown lands. I have repeatedly questioned the right of private individuals to use heavy equipment for personal reasons - to create private logging roads (one has to be at least 30 feet wide) to excavate a cove at the head of the Southeast Arm on a fairly regular basis, to completely redefine the shores of an inland lake, to dump tons of gravel on marshes to create roads strong enough to support heavy equipment, to ditch peat bogs, to install culverts, and so on - all activities that are in violation of the ministry's own regulations and which destroy the natural beauty of an area that supports the existence of three different ecosystems within a 10-kilometre radius.

Dear Editor:

It's time for change in the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW) because if not, this once proud union will no longer represent the inshore fishers of this province.

Since 1994 when Mr. McCurdy took over the reins of the FFAW, this once proud union has become this disorganized and laughable organization that is now the least respected union in the province with very little clout when it comes to standing up for fishers. Of all the major unions in the province the FFAW is at the bottom of the pile.