Residents can expect to see an increased police presence in the area of Lower Southside Road.

Police say there is no immediate threat to the general public, however residents are being asked to avoid the area for the time being.

RCMP are asking that images and video of police activities in the area not be posted in the interest of public and officer safety.

Updates will be provided as they become available.

RCMP received a report around 4:30 Wednesday morning.

Police say the suspect, who was known to the homeowner, was no longer on the scene by the time officers arrived, but had caused extensive damage to a parked vehicle while getting away.

There were no injuries.

Justin Joseph Phillips was eventually brought into custody and charged with two counts of damage to property, trespassing, and failure to comply with court orders.

He’s being held to appear in court on June 5th.

Sixty-one-year-old Elvis Lavallee around 4:00 p.m. yesterday leaving the Bonne Bay Pond area on a blue and black Polaris Ranger side-by-side.

Lavallee is described as 5 feet, 5 inches tall and around 225 lbs with short grey hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a blue and grey t-shirt, grey windbreaker pants and beige running shoes.

Anyone with information is asked to call Deer Lake RCMP at 709-635-2173.

RCMP say the two were assaulted by a man, who was arrested at the scene. Twenty-nine-year-old John Joseph Nuna has been charged with second-degree murder and assault.

Officers found the woman with serious injuries and she was rushed to hospital where she was pronounced deceased.

The man’s injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

RCMP say the suspect and the victims knew each other, and that there is no risk to public safety.

There will be an increased police presence in the community over the next few days as the Major Crimes Unit has taken over the case.

Humby appeared via video from HMP in provincial court this morning.

During the proceedings, the Crown stressed that it is “imperative” for the ongoing trial to be concluded and for closing submissions to be made, due to Jordan timelines drawing near.

Those closing submissions were initially scheduled for this week, but those had to be pushed back due to delays from the defence.

After a brief back-and-forth, the Crown and the defence settled on September 21st to the 25th to make closing submissions.

All other matters against Humby have been set over for case management on June 25th.

The issue hit the floor of the House of Assembly yesterday.

Justice Minister Helen Conway Ottenheimer says they recognize the impact of Jordan cases on the justice system. She says several initiatives – including hiring more public prosecution staff and digital modernization of the court system – are ways that they are addressing the situation.

She says matters involving the Jordan timelines have not been tracked adequately, but that’s going to change.

“That is a commitment we are honouring, putting in place a system to do just that,” says Minister Conway Ottenheimer.

Rebecca says her husband, who has delivered flyers since he was a child, enjoys the connections he’s made over the years and decided to keep doing it.

It’s not their only source of income, but Rebecca told VOCM Open Line with Brian Callahan that the money they make covered their truck payment.

She says their customers are upset to learn that the flyers are coming to an end.

They found out through the driver who drops the flyers off to them, and without that, they would never have known. She says they have customers who look forward to their flyers every week who will be disappointed and wondering what’s happened.

The AG’s full report was released on Tuesday.

It details that $6.4-million in grant payments were given to End Homelessness St. John’s between April 9, 2024 and December 31, 2025.

The report says the organization had “numerous expenses” for staff lunches and staff appreciation activities, which “appeared to be unreasonable in a public sector context.”

Executive Director of End Homelessness Doug Pawson says they have two staff appreciation lunches per year – at Christmas and in summer, plus one for departing social workers who are completing their work term.

He says the total was just under $2,700 which is 0.04 per cent of the overall budget.

“It’s minimal and we should have a larger discussion about how we show appreciation in our sector because we don;t have the resources that government has,” says Pawson.

Corporal Jesse O’Donaghey says the item was discovered along a beach in the area, and is now being monitored by police in Stephenville.

He says “out of an abundance of caution” officers went door-to-door to advise residents in the immediate area to advise them of the situation, and people were given the option to voluntarily evacuate.

O’Donaghey says the RCMP’s Explosives Disposal Unit was initially contacted about the situation and it was determined that “given this type of munition” it is the specialty of the Armed Forces. He says those officials are coming to the province from Halifax and they will safely assess and dispose of the item.

The town first contacted RCMP in August of last year.

Forteau RCMP charged 53-year-old Janice Normore with theft over $5,000 and breach of trust after a forensic audit uncovered internal fraud in excess of $115,000 over a four-year period.

Normore is set to make her first appearance in court in Wabush August 18.