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Happy Easter, Sleuth devotees,

In case you missed it this week, Spring actually arrived on Thursday, although you might be hard-pressed to find any signs of it buried under our six-foot snowdrifts.

As the sun slowly melts the hard crust of white stuff, however, Sleuth has been putting his ear close to the cold pavement.

What are those distant sounds he has picked up? Read on . . .

***

Sleuth hears that music fans can expect to hear some news any day now on the big summer concert planned for Magnetic Hill. You know, the one with those rock legends whose band takes it name from a bird of prey?

While the headliner will hardly be a surprise to anyone, Sleuth hears the folks at City Hall and one of North America's top promoters have been hard at work lining up a great list of support acts.

Who will appear this summer with The Eagles? Sleuth has been sworn to secrecy, but he was tipped that three acts are definitely from music's 'A' list of performers.

"These three acts could all easily fill the Coliseum twice," Sleuth's inside source suggested.

A total of five warm-up acts and the headliners are expected to be announced before the end of March.

***

Sticking with music, another rock icon is poised to add Moncton to his tour this spring.

You heard it here first, folks -- expect Bob Dylan's people to announce shortly that the grand old man of folk-rock will play the Coliseum in May.

Bob's been through these parts a few times but he still easily fills our largest venue.

This is shaping up to be a big year for the city's music fans -- Dylan, Michael Buble, Blue Rodeo, Anne Murray, George Thorogood, the big summer show at the Hill, and another huge concert for early fall.

***

A recent walk through Moncton's oldest mall this week revealed a pretty sad state of affairs.

Highfield Square has almost as many vacant storefronts as it does retailers. Even the Deluxe French Fries outlet in the food court has packed up and left!

But you know what they say about it being darkest before the dawn?

Sleuth hears that most retailers in the Square are now on month-to-month leases. The reason? Property owners Crombie-REIT has big plans for the land, starting later this year.

There have long been rumours that once the new Sobey's store was finished at the corner of Main and Vaughan Harvey, that Crombie (another company in Sobey's Empire Co.) would turn its attention to the sagging Square.

Crombie officials are being top-drawer secretive these days. So let Sleuth pose this question: Is there any truth to rumours the Square will be remodeled into an open-air retail complex, a la Dartmouth Crossing in Halifax or the Wheeler Park complex here in Monkeytown?

Something big is in the wind.

***

As Sleuth reported last weekend, Dieppe businessman Jean LeBlanc is now in the race to unseat Mayor Achille Maillet.

LeBlanc made it clear at his campaign launch that he isn't the "coalition candidate" put forward by citizens upset by Maillet's leadership.

But there sure were some familiar faces at his launch, weren't there?

And what's this Sleuth hears that LeBlanc is also getting some advice from another LeBlanc, one who might hang his law shingle out on Moncton's Main Street . . .

***

We've long known that Moncton Ward 2 Councillor Doug Robertson is a pretty cerebral guy.

But it seems there's also a bit of brawn in the family. Word reaching this old gumshoe suggests that Doug's eldest son, Cameron J.M. Robertson, was crowned Mr. New Brunswick last weekend in Bathurst.

***

And finally . . .

Imagine how red-faced Sleuth was to receive word he inadvertently misplaced the employer of well-known Liberal PR-meister Maurice Robichaud.

Sleuth reported last week that former NDP leader Allison Brewer was criss-crossing the province drumming up information on Shawn Graham's wellness initiative.

Allison works for Couleur, the Moncton-based marketing and public relations company that Robichaud used to run. That is until he got a high-profile job helping out his old buddy Shawn in the premier's office.

Of course, it's mere coincidence that Couleur got the Wellness job, right?

* Have you heard the latest gossip? Do you know the juiciest rumours? Sleuth wants to know what you know. Send your best information to sleuth@timestranscript.com, fax it to (506) 859-4904, or drop it off to Sleuth, c/o Times & Transcript, 939 Main St., Moncton.