From March 20 to April 24, the Fredericton Public Library hosted its first “Cine-Kids Screenwriting Club” for children aged 10 to 13 years old. This six week program was the newest offering from the extremely popular “Cine-Kids Program” which started in April of 2024. Michelle Lovegrove-Thomson, the Children’s Librarian at the Fredericton Public Library, explained that the initial Cine-Kids program in 2024 was supported by a GLAM (Galleries, libraries, archives, and museums) Incubator grant out of the University of Toronto. The Cine-Kids program continued through the summer and fall of 2024 offering a foley (sound design) workshop and a Super 8 film workshop. After covering several topics in 2024, this newest workshop focuses on screenwriting specifically. Michelle noted that she chose screenwriting because of her own expertise, and because it meant she did not have to hire an outside expert—keeping the workshop free for families to enjoy. The workshop series was so successful that Michelle is now figuring out how to create a package to share the program with other libraries in New Brunswick and the rest of Canada.

In January of 2025, the University of New Brunswick’s Radio and Space Physics Lab (RSPL) published ground breaking research that determined that low-cost global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers collected data comparable in quality to high-cost receivers. Dr. Anton Kashcheyev explained that GNSS receivers send and receive frequencies to satellites through the earth’s atmosphere that are most often used for global positioning systems (GPS). Scientists also use GNSS receivers to monitor changes in the ionosphere, which is a part of the atmosphere from 80 kilometers to 1000 kilometers above the earth’s surface. Changes in the ionosphere affect the accuracy of GPSs, so understanding and predicting the ionosphere makes GPSs and other devices that rely on GNSS more effective. Scientific grade GNSS receivers are expensive and inaccessible to scientists without large research budgets. Anton and scientists from the RSPL created a network of consumer grade, low-cost receivers by installing them on the roofs of public schools around New Brunswick. The RSPL then observed changes in the Ionosphere during the 2024 eclipse and compared that data to data collected by scientific grade equipment, finding that both had similar levels of accuracy. Anton hopes that this research will allow increased access to atmospheric science for scientists in countries and institutions with small research budgets.

On Monday, March 31, 2025, roughly thirty people held up signs and yelled chants outside of the Capital Exhibition Centre in Fredericton. The protest was in response to Pierre Poilievre’s Canada First Rally, the first of its kind on the East Coast. After about forty-five minutes of protesting at the venue’s side entrance, the Fredericton Police Force closed the doors. Protesters and rally attendees moved to the front entrance, where a handful of people were admitted, until police closed the front doors as well. Confusion ensued over the reason for closing the doors, with rally attendees accusing protesters of blocking cars, something not witnessed by this reporter.

On Thursday, March 27, 2025, La Fédération des jeunes francophones du Nouveau-Brunswick (FJFNB), an organization that advocates for youth francophone rights and culture in New Brunswick, delivered an open letter to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick. The letter demanded that New Brunswick MLAs begin discussing the possibility of lowering the voting age in the province from 18 to 16. In a show of solidarity, several students from Fredericton’s Ecole Sainte Anne helped deliver the letter. Ecole Sainte Anne Student Council President, Romane Doucet said that students at her school held a meeting to discuss a lowered voting age, during which it was clear that the majority of students supported the potential change. The supporters of the open letter reason that sixteen and seventeen year old New Brunswickers already participate in most areas of public life (driving, paying taxes, joining the military, etc.) but cannot participate directly in politics. After starting the conversation with this open letter, FJFNB President Emma Raphaelle said the next step is to go into Fredericton’s Anglophone schools to continue giving high schoolers a voice in provincial politics.

Earlier this month, Fredericton based historian and former president of the York-Sunbury Historical Society, Harold “Hal” Skaarup began distributing his newest book, Canadian Expeditionary Force and Military Cap Badges: York Sunbury Historical Society Fredericton Region Museum Collection.

This new release is over one-thousand pages and catalogues every cap (hat) badge worn by the Canadian military during the First World War, the majority of which were photographed from the Fredericton Region Museum’s collection.

Skaarup hopes that this book will serve as a resource for museums, archives, and enthusiasts to better understand and connect with the past. He also invited interested community members to visit the Fredericton Region Museum to take a look at its reference copy and potentially see the real badges in the Museum’s collection.

Hal Skaarup talked to CHSR News about the significance of cap badges and why he thought it important to create this book.

Hi Folks! This week’s album of the week is a fun one. This week’s playlist is a bit more in the old-school style, but there are a couple newer tunes to spice things up. Next week’s episode will bring the heavy!

Here’s the playlist for the week:

Motley Crue-Take Me to the Top

Judas Priest-Raw Deal

Motorhead-Built For Speed

Motorhead-Tear Ya Down

Venom-Bursting Out

W.A.S.P.-I Am One

W.A.S.P.-The Great Misconceptions Of Me

Black Sabbath-Sabbra Cadabra

Black Sabbath-Killing Yourself to Live

Cancer Bats-Backstab the Rat Race

Death Breath-Heading for Decapitation

Death Knell-Distractions

Death Knell-Murderer

Death Knell-Surfacing

Razor-Decibels

Razor-Jimi the Fly

Razor-Liar

Razor-Open Hostility

Razor-Goof Soup

Savatage-Legions

Diamond Head-Lightning to the Nations

Blue Oyster Cult-Astronomy

Autokrator-Hammer of the Heretics

Thanks for listening!

Hi Folks! This week’s episode was recorded in advance as I was unable to come into the studio this week. It features lots of great longer tunes, so it’s a bit different than the Extravagrindza episodes, where 100+ songs are in the queue! As well, Les Binks, drummer of Judas Priest on their fantastic albums “Stained Class,” “Killing Machine,” and “Unleashed In the East.” He will be sorely missed, and he was a truly incredible drummer.

Here’s the playlist for the week:

Judas Priest-Heroes End

Judas Priest-Saints In Hell

Judas Priest-Delivering the Goods

Obituary-Suffocation

Dopethrone-Zombi Powder (Feat. Julie)

Atramentus-Stygian III: Perennial Voyage

Gorguts-Pleiades’ Dust

Adversarial-Scourge of A World Ablaze

Oppressor-Eclipse Into Eternity

Manilla Road-Spirits of the Dead

Boards of Canada-Gyroscope

Thanks for listening!

Hi Folks! This week features a very special playlist of all Canadian tunes. This was a fun little mini episode from Saturday for the CHSR-FM Radiothon. Hope you all enjoyed and thank you to all those that donated to the station, we greatly appreciate it. Thank you once again!

Here’s the playlist:

Woods of Ypres-Lightning and Snow

Tomb Mold-Manor of Infinite Forms

Razor-Speed Merchants

Razor-Cut Throat

Exciter-Heavy Metal Maniac

Voivod-Voivod

Voivod-Warriors of Ice

Slik Toxik-It’s Not Easy

Neil Young-Computer Age

Neil Young-Sample and Hold

Cryptopsy-Phobophile

Thanks for listening!

The Barr Brothers bring new and cherished songs to The Fredericton Playhouse on Friday, May 9, 2025. Tickets are available!

This week on People Need Music, Brad Barr calls in to chat about their new album and The Barr Brothers performing as a duo.

Playlist:

Claude Munson – Broken Stairs ::

Broken Social Scene – Hug of Thunder ::

The Barr Brothers – Love Ain’t Enough ::

The Barr Brothers – Saint Cécile ::

The Barr Brothers – Defibrillation ::

The Darcys – Talking ::

Georgia Harmer – Headrush

Hello there everyone. I trust that all is well and that you’re in the mood for an amazing hour of musical mayhem.

This is episode 74 of Testing For Echo on CHSR FM 97.9 in Fredericton and around the world and I am your host Tim Scammell.

Before we begin I just want to mention that my son Braydon lives in Newfoundland and has been drumming in a great St. John’s band for a while now. The band is Book Club.

I played one of their tracks a while ago.

They’ve released another one. As great as that last one was, I have to say that I prefer this one. Perhaps it’s because of the wild drums.

So let’s turn this up and you’ll see what I mean. It’s your new favourite song.  By the way, If you ever want more info about this band or any others for that matter, send me a note.

Tim

“The World of Music, One Song at a Time”

Episode Song List