CBC Newfoundland Morning

Being a parent is a busy - and often thankless job. Between getting out the door in the mornings to being a chauffeur for everyone's extra-curricular activities, there often aren't enough minutes in the day. For parents of kids with special needs, finding some 'me time' can seem like a dream. That's where the Spectacular Superhero Squad steps in to help. The team of volunteers based in the Lewisporte area take care of kids for a few hours each month to give parents some time. Christa Fudge has been a educator for nearly two decades - most of that time working with kids with special needs. She saw the need for parents to have that downtime and created the Squad.

There are nearly eight million pet dogs in Canada. They offer comfort, companionship and...lots and lots of shedded fur. Thirty years ago, Kendall Crolius decided to publish Knitting With Dog Hair, offering pet owners an alternative to constant vacuuming. Now she's republished the book because artists and pet owners have a new interest in the craft. Here's her conversation with CBC's Leigh Anne Power.

Eight years ago, Roshayne Mendis was just starting her fashion career in Sri Lanka. She became captivated by the art of fashion design and clothing creation. Now she’s taken a bold step forward. Counter Clothing is her new store in Corner Brook where you can check out all of her creations. CBC’s Amy Feehan visited the new store and sat down with Mendis to learn more about the journey of turning her dream into a reality.

Gander Flight Training has taught people to fly planes for more than thirty years. It started with modest beginnings, with founder Pat White using a small Cessna airplane from an airstrip near Botwood. The growing business eventually moved to Gander and became a world-class training facility. Pat White passed away this fall, but his business is still flying high. Phallan White is the general manager of Gander Flight Training. She discusses the future of the business.

As the year is coming to a close, towns are looking to the year ahead. The Town of Grand Falls-Windsor announced its budget earlier this week. The budget includes plans for new equipment, new job positions, and improved infrastructure. Amy Coady is a councillor in Grand Falls-Windsor, she gave us all the details.

A foundation set up to help aspiring skiers and snowboarders is expanding its efforts this winter. The Andrew Jesso Foundation was established in memory of a young man who died in a car accident in 2022. For the past two winters, it's helped skiers at Marble Mountain. But it's set its sights on the island's other ski hill this year, too.

Sheldon Peddle is with the Andrew Jesso Foundation, he shared how the foundation continues to expand.

A counsellor in the Stephenville area is making a very kind offer this holiday season. Suzanne Barry is a registered social worker who knows, as many of us do, that this time of year can be especially challenging for many people. And you know, as you get older, many of us have lost loved ones and we think of them especially at Christmas. That’s why Suzanne Barry is offering free counseling services for seniors. 

Last week the provincial government announced it's signing a new deal with Quebec that will change the face of energy production in Newfoundland and Labrador. The plan is to increase the rate of return this province receives from Churchill Falls power, as well as move ahead on developing Gull Island. To find out what it all means for local electricity production, including from Muskrat Falls and proposed wind farms, we spoke with Andrew Parsons the provincial minister of industry, energy and technology.

They've made a list, and they're checking it twice. Two young people in Corner Brook are doing their part to help others this holiday season. They've started something at their high school that they're calling an "angel tree." Sophie Simms and Anna Hillier are both students at Corner Brook Regional High. They described what inspired them to start this initiative.

Imagine it's 1948, and your grandparent or great-grandparent takes time to write a letter to the man who wanted to bring Newfoundland and Labrador into Canada. Perhaps they thought Joey Smallwood's plan for Confederation would make their lives better. Or, perhaps they thought that man's ideas were going to end up changing their community for the worse. Vicki Hallett and Sonya Boon are trying to locate the descendants of some of those letter writers. It's for a book about correspondence sent to Joey Smallwood between 1948 and 1951.