The countdown is on for the annual CHUS (Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke) Foundation telethon and with the 30th anniversary celebration of the televised fundraiser there are promises of surprises and top-notch artists, according to Foundation director Michel Fortin.

ASBESTOS – A class action lawsuit worth $20 million launched by retired Jeffrey mine employees six years ago against their pension fund mangers has been settled out of court for $7.5 million.

Tuesday morning, the Estrie division of the RCMP – with help from the Sûreté du Québec and the Sherbrooke Police – searched five local premises, leading to the seizure of some 430,000 contraband cigarettes and seven vehicles. Five people were arrested as a result of the searches.

The lakeside village of North Hatley is slowly losing its reputation as a vibrant summer tourist haven, according to the village’s Merchants Association, and if council doesn’t make some changes with its 2010 budget, existing business owners fear the worst.

Monday night saw the plan to change the location of the Highway 410-route 108 interchange in the Eastern part of Lennoxville approved by the Sherbrooke Municipal Council.