Beloved Nova Scotia weatherman dies

Rube Hornstein, the first TV weatherman in Nova Scotia and a pioneer of TV news and current affairs, died overnight after a long illness.

Many Nova Scotians grew up watching Hornstein, who did the weather for CBC Television from 1954 until he retired in 1981.

Don Tremaine, a friend and former co-worker, says Hornstein was the consummate professional.

"He would rehearse himself on the board with the chalk, and he would memorize all the temperatures right across the country and it was always superbly done," says Tremaine.

Hornstein grew up on a modest Ontario farm and went to college entirely on scholarships. He trained as a meteorologist and started working for CBC Radio in 1946. He later created a scholarship to benefit others.

Later in life, Hornstein, whose father was blind, lent his voice to audio books for the blind.

Hornstein was 90 years old.