The Central Newfoundland Morning Show from CBC Radio Nfld. and Labrador (Highlights)

You might recognize her from the TV shows "Video on Trial" or "Last Comic Standing", and the NFB documentary "The Next Big Thing". She has won three Canadian Comedy Awards and she's coming to Central and western Newfoundland this week. Nikki Payne's comedy is sometimes rauncy, often personal and always hilarious. Our David Newell caught up with the comedian at her home in Toronto.

Imagine if you had a nagging bad back you finally went to the doctor about. Most people would expect to be prescribed some pain killers, maybe some exercises or physiotherapy, and that would be it. But when Shawn Rowe went to his doctor with back pain, he ended up being treated for skin cancer. He is a melanoma survivor. He lives in Glovertown.

Tourists are a common sight in this province, especially in the warm summer months. Many come for the beautiful scenery or to take in our cultural heritage. But two friends from Ontario travelled to our shores this summer with a more specific goal in mind. They came to learn how to cook from a local grandmother. Mojgan Fay is one of them…. Our David Newell reached her in Toronto to find out more.

Yesterday on our show, hunter Chris Jackman told us what he saw in the woods near Gander. About 30 kilometers east of the town, someone has dumped the remains of an entire house. The area of the dumping, a kilometer off the Trans Canada, is a popular area for hunters. When this kind of thing happens, the responsibility for investigating it and making sure it's cleaned up falls on Service, NL. Paul Davis is the minister of the department, and we reached him in St.John's.

Today is the first ever International Day of the Girl Child, as declared by the United Nations. The day is a time to think about some shocking facts. For example, more than half of all girls in developing countries become mothers before they're 18, and childbirth is the leading cause of death for girls between 15 and 19 in the world. Thirty-six million fewer primary school aged girls are enrolled in school than boys. This day, however, is also a reason to think about how we can make the lives of girls better. That's what the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers' Association is doing. Lily Cole is the NLTA president.

Taking the streets to the stages. The dance craze synonymous with battling and hip-hop culture is making it's way across the island. Ottawa based dance crew, B-Boyizm, are on a provincial tour with their show the Evolution of B-Boying. And our Melissa Tobin caught up with artistic director, Crazy Smooth, before the show in Gander.

In the last couple of weeks on our show, we've heard about fishermen reeling in cod, only to find half their fish has been bitten off by sharks. We've also heard stories about people catching sharks instead of the fish they thought they had. That got us wondering whether those tales are just coincidence, or if there are actually more sharks than usual out there. To find out, we called Steve Campana. He's the head of the Canadian Shark Research Lab at the Bedford Institute of Ocean Technology in Nova Scotia.

We've heard many cases of illegal dumping in the woods around central Newfoundland, especially since the closure of local dumps last winter. But today we're going to tell you about an incident that's not only surprising, but audacious. Chris Jackman spends a lot of time outdoors and in the woods near Gander. He dropped by our studio to tell us what he saw on the weekend.

The recent beating of a teenaged girl by two peers while classmates recorded events on cell phones has the whole province talking. People are bothered by the beating itself, and the motivations behind that. But, they're also wondering what motivated the spectators to stand there filming. Dr.Bruce Ballon has some thoughts about that, and how technology influences our perceptions generally. He's a psychatrist at the University of Toronto.

Last week, the Eastern School District announced that it is planning to close five schools in the province. One of those schools is in Catalina, with others in Swift Current, Heart's Delight, Whitbourne and Colliers also on the chopping block. A group of concerned parents and citizens got together last night to talk about the future of school. Tom Cooper was one of those people. I reached him at his home.

This wasn't an easy summer for salmon and trout. The warm, dry weather meant the fish had to spend long stretches confined to deeper pools on their way up the rivers. On many river systems, returns were down significantly in comparison with last year's numbers. And to make matters worse, poachers continued to take fish illegally. Lloyd Slaney is the Chief of Enforcement with DFO in the province.

The Eastern School board has announced plans to close five rural schools under its jurisdiction, including Catalina Elementary. Rumours of the plan have been circulating for months. Parents and concerned citizens will still have a chance to be heard at public hearings about the closure plan. The board says it will make the decision final in December. Darryl Johnson is the town manager of Trinity Bay North.

The four miniature horses owned by Lorie Philpott in Cottlesville are gentle animals. Like most horses, they'd rather eat green grass than dry hay. That's what the animals were doing when they were roaming Philpott's street earlier this week. When they returned home, one of the little horses was seriously hurt. Our David Newell spoke to Lorie Philpott to find out what happened.

We've known for some time about the planned expansion of North Haven Manor in Lewisporte. Construction is well underway for the long term care facility specially designed for patients with dementia. The 12-bed facility is being called a Protective Community Residence. To find out what that term means and how this new residence will function, our Jessica Doria-Brown sat down with Central Health CEO Karen McGrath.

The Mount Pearl Blades asked for a year off last week. The senior hockey club was finding it hard to attract players for the upcoming season. They also have found it hard to get fans - and their money - into the rink. That means the players they DID have on their roster had no where to play. Last night, the five remaining teams of the Newfoundland and Labrador Senior Hockey League held a draft to disperse those players. George Scott is the senior hockey league's play-by-play man and knows the league inside out.