NEGRIL, Westmoreland — Administrators of the Westmoreland Public Health Services have welcomed a much-needed donation of $5.8-million worth of medical equipment to the Negril Health Centre, saying it will assist in reducing patient wait time. However, there is a concern that there is not enough staff to take full advantage of the gift. “Maternal and child health, the curative services, will all benefit. All our hypertensive diabetic asthmatic patients can be turned to with additional support instead of a lag time or any [lengthy] wait,” said senior public health nurse in charge of the Negril Health Centre, Carol Beharie. “But sometimes, with having all of these, we still need the staff. The staffing will be an issue. But guess what? We are grateful for the gifts. The Lord tends to provide the hands to carry out the duties as well.” Beharie was speaking with the Jamaica Observer after a brief donation ceremony at the health centre on Tuesday. The institution currently has two assigned midwives, an enrolled nurse, and one public health nurse. It is in need of three additional nurses for maternal and child health as well as general medical services. The categories of nurses needed are two midwives and one registered nurse. The donation of medical equipment was financed through the Rotary’s global grant fund. This was facilitated by Rotary International, through a partnership between the Negril Rotary Club and Calgary North in the US. Over the years, the Rotary Club has assisted the institution by providing equipment, instruments, and adding two clinical rooms to the facility. The clinic sees, on average, more than 100 patients per day and Tuesday’s donations have been a shot in the arm for administrators. “Some of the equipment that we would have received from them — such as the bassinet, the blood pressure machines, the glucose meters, the baby scale — are truly needed and will be supported with what we do have because equipment age over time and with continuous usage some things will depreciate,” stated Beharie. In addition to equipment related to maternal and child services, they also received items used to treat patients with hypertension and diabetes along with supplies for gynaecological examinations. Beharie was particularly grateful for dressing trolleys that will allow the health centre to better treat crash victims. “You know that Negril is almost like a bike city and the [large number of] injuries that come in off the road. These injuries from our bikers, we can actually meet that need,” the public nurse told the Observer. The Negril Health Centre is a Type 3 facility that serves a number of communities in and around the resort town. It also accepts cases from the Type 1 Delveland Health Centre and the Type 2 Little London Health Centre. “The workload is a very large one. It would be like a referral for those health centres that need what you call backup services,” acting parish manager for the Westmoreland Public Health Services Camille Lewin said of the work done at the Negril Health Centre. She spoke of the impact the assistance from the Rotary Club will have. “I’m sure it will go very far, because not only will it assist the persons that are living in this area, but it also impacts on what happens at the hospital. If there are services that we can do at the health centre, then people won’t need to go to the hospital,” stated Lewin. The Negril Health Centre was officially adopted by the Rotary Club of Negril following extensive expansion and refurbishing work by the club in 2020. Two years later, the club donated $2-million worth of medical equipment to the centre. “Over time we keep on trying to find out what the clinic needs and try to facilitate that. We reach out to the particular stakeholders to find out what they need. In this step, we came and we saw the need for all this equipment,” said the new president of the Rotary Club of Negril who is to be installed on Saturday, Owen James. James said the club will be examining the possibility of creating a changing area with showers for nurses and a wheelchair accessible bathing facility for patients at the clinic. “This is not the end. We are continuing to do the pushing to see how much we can get this health centre to a world-class facility,” he added.

JUSTICE Minister Delroy Chuck is urging judges to expedite non-contentious matters such as probates, divorces and restrictive covenants. He made the call in his address to members of the judiciary during the Judiciary of Jamaica’s annual Strategic Management Retreat, which began on Monday. The justice minister emphasised that delayed decisions in these matters may well be impeding billions of dollars in projects and assets. He further pointed out that disputes that await decisions hold up the lives of many litigants and urged the judges to complete their cases in a timely manner. While acknowledging the need for further improvements, Chuck commended the judges for the significant progress that has occurred across the justice sector. He highlighted the backlog reduction programme where recent statistics pointed to a three per cent backlog in cases in the parish courts. The minister also pointed out that with increased compensation across the public sector there is an urgent requirement for increased productivity, otherwise inflation could erode the improved compensation. Chief Justice Bryan Sykes, meanwhile, at the same time, said, “The strategic retreat for the judiciary is important as it allows us to assess our performance and to plan strategically for the years ahead”. He added: “Since we embarked on this process, one of the things we have learnt is that like Lord Kelvin said, ‘if you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it’. The strategic planning process has allowed us to measure and set objective targets in relation to backlog reduction, hearing date certainty, the general administration of justice and service delivery in the courts; we have seen significant improvements in all these areas.”

MINISTER of Labour and Social Security Pearnel Charles Jr says the majority of the 30,000 industrial security guards employed to private security companies in Jamaica are now engaged under an employer/employee contract and are covered by the labour laws. This coverage, he said, is in relation to the rates of pay, overtime payment, vacation leave, sick leave, maternity leave and all where applicable. Effective April 1 this year, the status of security guards was upgraded from independent contractors to employees, following a Supreme Court ruling last September. As such, all security guards are now entitled to new employment contracts which guarantee full benefits as employees. Charles Jr, who was providing an update on the status of the transition during Wednesday’s post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House, also warned that non-compliant security companies will face the full repercussions of the law, even while noting that since April 1 of this year, most companies have sought to become compliant. “Recognising that guidance was critical in the transition from the erroneous treatment of the workers of so-called independent contractors, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security conducted sensitisation sessions with employers of security guards to ensure that the companies are compliant within our labour legislations. Having now set the platform to facilitate full compliance, any company found in breach of the requirements of the labour laws will be brought to books using the full extent of the law,” he said. Charles Jr noted that in respect to complaints received from workers, the ministry has ramped up its inspection and intensified its support to the parish courts for the settlement of outstanding payments due to industrial security guards. He noted that several workers who disputed the terms and conditions of the new contracts have been engaged by the ministry through its offices islandwide, in respect of settling their claims for outstanding payments and worksheets for payment have been sent to employers on behalf of 100 complainants thus far. “It is expected that these will be settled shortly. Otherwise, the matters will then be escalated for court action. Notably, we have observed, based on the posture of the Government and the serious approach to this matter, a significant decline in new complaints from security guards since July of this year, which means that the transformation of that sector is occurring before our eyes,” he said. In the meantime, Charles Jr said the ministry will also continue its dialogue with the Jamaica Society for Industrial Security on Thursday, August 17 “to reaffirm our position as a government on the Joint Industrial Council (JIC) and to increase the momentum for its establishment.” “We were to have some meetings I believe about two or three weeks ago but due to some exigencies from our other stakeholders, we were not able to meet with them, but we are eager to advance these conversations, and it is our intention that the JIC will comprise representatives of security guards, employers, civil society and key government stakeholders,” he said. The minister further noted that issues that will be up for discussion include the terms of reference of the JIC and priority issues to be addressed by the council itself. He said a full tripartite meeting will also be held on Wednesday, August 23 for final discussions on the priority issues to be addressed by the JIC. “It is anticipated that the meetings will result in the consensus on the effective date for commencement of the JIC,” he said. In April, former Minister of Labour and Social Security Karl Samuda had announced that a committee, led by president of the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU) Helene Davis-Whyte, was appointed to establish the JIC for the regulation of the industrial security sector and protection of the security guards.

NEGRIL, Westmoreland — Five months after the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation offered to have the parish infirmary house six of the social cases that are draining resources from the Savanna-la-Mar Public General Hospital, the patients have still not been transferred. Meanwhile, the number of patients abandoned at the health facility continues to climb. “The Savanna-la-Mar Public General Hospital has 25 social cases. It is like a quick drop-off point because [last] Thursday there were 22 and over the weekend, three more were left there,” acting parish manager for the Westmoreland Public Health Services, Camile Lewin told the Jamaica Observer on Tuesday. In March, mayor of Savanna-la-Mar Bertel Moore offered to have an undisclosed number of individuals that had been abandoned at the hospital housed at the State-run infirmary. When contacted on Tuesday, Moore said that, one month ago, during a meeting with the Westmoreland Public Health Services CEO Novlin Leslie Little, he gave a commitment to take six patients from the health-care facility. He said their names were provided and therefore the corporation he leads is not responsible for the delay. “I called the infirmary and they are saying that they did not come over as yet. The reason why, I don’t know,” said Moore. He added that he tried contacting Leslie Little but was told she is on vacation. Lewin, who is acting on behalf of Leslie Little, was unable to provide an update in the issue. She did, however, weigh in on the matter of social cases at the Savanna-la-Mar hospital. “When we talk about social cases we talk about persons who have been discharged from as far back as 2008. I know that much. We have people discharged in 2015 and nobody is there to pick them up. So, we have to take care of them and they’re occupying well-needed space,” stated Lewin. “You can imagine the impact it’s having on [the] emergency room because we’re talking about persons in the emergency rooms sitting on chairs…They are admitted but they are in chairs,” she added. The hospital has surpassed its bed space capacity of 209 but Lewin sought to clarify what this means. According to her, beds are available but the building does not have enough space to hold them, and it is sometimes easier to place people in wheelchairs as several of these can fit in the space taken up by one bed. “If you put one bed there, it means that there are going to be two or three persons who need to get inside to access the facility who are going to be outside. So, while it is not the ideal situation, we try to serve as best as possible,” stated Lewin. “We have beds in every possible area, even in the outpatient area. That is as far as we are putting beds now. It means that we have to evaluate the situation. Are we going to go to emergency mode where we only see emergency cases? Because the more patients you see the more admissions you’re going to get,” explained the acting parish manager.

THE Jamaica Observer has copped the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) Media Awards 2022 for Health Education Journalism. The award was presented to former Observer journalist Brittny Hutchinson for her story “Painful Lessons” which detailed the mental challenges that children from Parade Gardens in Central Kingston face after being impacted by gun violence. The story was a part of the Observer/Rise Life Management street reasoning series in the violence-prone community for Child Month 2022. Hutchinson, who recently resigned from the media, expressed gratitude for the award, as she had entered several categories in the CBU competition for last year. “A few hours before the show, I said to my mother, ‘Mommy, I hope I win at least one of these awards. That would be so good’,” Hutchinson said during a phone interview following the award ceremony which was held in Antigua and Barbuda on Tuesday. “To know I actually won for this particular category with this story is a big deal for me, as I’ve always been so passionate about children and their well-being,” added Hutchinson. Another recent member of the Observer’s news team, Romardo Lyons, received a special mention for Coverage of Disaster Risk Reduction (Print) for the story headlined “Shut it Down”, which detailed the challenges faced by residents in communities around the Riverton Dump which recorded 415 fires between 1996 and 2015. Other Jamaican winners included the RJR/GLEANER Communications Group which copped the prize for Best News Item (Radio) for a story dubbed “Cost of Living Crisis in Jamaica” which was produced by Giovanni Dennis and The Sunday Gleaner for Coverage of Disaster Risk Reduction (Print) for the story headlined “Poor Quality Building Blocks”, which was produced by Jovan Johnson.

MORE than 40 members of a joint police/military team swooped down on the community of Gregory Park in Portmore, St Catherine, on Wednesday where they seized one illegal firearm and brought in a number of persons of interest for questioning. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Stephanie Lindsay, who heads the constabulary’s Corporate Communications Unit (CCU), told the Jamaica Observer that the illegal gun was found in a section of the community where an entire tenement yard was recently destroyed during a firebombing, allegedly carried out by men from another section of Gregory Park known as Gulf. Eleven wooden houses were set on fire, badly burning an elderly woman who is still in hospital in serious condition and leaving more than 40 people homeless. With nowhere to go, they are left to the mercy of the elements. According to SSP Lindsay, the security forces will be in Gregory Park for some time. “Operations will continue until we are satisfied that it is no longer necessary. On Walkers’ Avenue a team found a gun and arrested two men. We carried out operations in search of wanted men and guns and some persons of interest in the firebombing. The two people will be charged for illegal possession of firearm. The police have others who they are interviewing to determine who they are,” Lindsay told the Observer. Scorched rubble remained untouched and women, young children, and babies were seen sprawled out, trying to rest on tarpaulin that had been spread on the ground in the yard. Karona Gocul, whose mother was badly burnt during the firebombing, said the elderly woman’s condition is worsening in hospital. What Gocul wants is to move out of Gregory Park as she believes the violence is just getting started and fears for her life and that of her children. “Right now I would love to get a house and pay mortgage for it. I don’t think if I want to live here anymore,” she said. Gocul explained that she and the other people left homeless by the firebombing have not had a chance to get proper rest. “We don’t get any chance to sleep. We rest our heads for a five minutes and then we jump up back. The good thing is that the Member of Parliament (MP) Alando Terrelonge said he would sort out the children for back-to-school and that they [Government] will try their best to move fast, but life is risky for us right now. “As you can see, a pure open space. We don’t have a corner to hide if anything. We need more than urgent attention. Peter Bunting of the People’s National Party came with a team and they said they would try to get us help fast. We showed them where we sleep outside. I can’t even be ashamed of my conditions, because it is not my fault,” she said. One woman, who was lying down on the ground with an uncomfortable and fidgety baby held close to her chest, told the Observer that never in her wildest dreams did she ever foresee that she would be living in this state. “This is not something that we are used to, so it is very hard for us,” she said. Earlier this week Prime Minister Andrew Holness, along Commissioner of Police Major General Antony Anderson and MP Terrelonge toured the area that was impacted by the firebombing. Holness said that the houses that were destroyed would be rebuilt under the Government’s social housing programme.

LABOUR and Social Security Minister Pearnel Charles Jr says there have mainly been positive reports coming from overseas farm workers, following the Government’s probe into the working conditions of Jamaican farmers in Canada in June this year, which has since been settled. “As it relates to the probe into the living condition of the farm workers [in Canada], it is my understanding, based on consultation through the management committee led by our permanent secretary and the liaison officers that that particular issue was settled perhaps within a week or two of the incident being published, and so far we seem to be receiving… I’d say positive reports,” Charles Jr said in response to a query posed by media personnel at Wednesday’s post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House. In June, the Government launched a probe after new reports of sub par conditions by Jamaican farmers in Ontario, Canada. Charles Jr said since that investigation, the ministry, in discussions with liaison officers and the management committee, has undertaken a review of the farm work programme’s processes and systems. “I personally, along with [state minister Norman] Dunn, have actually gone to the farm work division building, engaged with farm workers, and we continue those consultations with a view to gathering as much information as possible to really get an accurate perspective on what the issues are,” he said. He said this information gathering is crucial, as it has been found that the farms are so expansive with up to 100 workers on one farm “and they all have different perspectives and different views of how they see one or two liaison officers”. “So, in that regard, we have had discussions with liaison officers and we will be increasing the number of liaison officers. We have provided new pamphlets and brochures for workers to explain to them their rights and to explain to them, how to contact us and how to report breaches,” he said. Charles Jr said he has also had an opportunity to consult and engage with some of the farm workers before they went off to the airport, noting that “that continues and we expect that going into next year, we will continue to have those consultations”. He noted as well that the ministry will be doing mystery calls, where they call people randomly “to get a feel of their own evaluation of their circumstances”. Charles Jr also pointed out that the training programme for workers and liaison officers has been revamped and that the orientation programme is being ramped up. The probe in Canada was triggered by a report carried by the Jamaica Observer in which farm workers, who described their living and working conditions as “inhumane”, accused the Jamaican authorities of abandoning them. The group of Jamaican farm workers in Ontario, Canada, who said their location was not one of those visited by a fact-finding delegation which investigated conditions on farms there in 2022, stayed off the job in protest after their living quarters were flooded with waste water. This, they said, was just one aspect of the inhumane conditions under which they work. According to the workers, two of whom spoke to the Observer on behalf of their colleagues, the only remaining distinction between their living and working conditions and slavery is the fact that their boss has not hit them. The workers also told the Observer they have not been able to contact their liaison officer to report their distress. In October last year, Jamaica had dispatched the fact-finding delegation to investigate conditions on farms across Canada following the release of a letter written by Jamaican workers there and advocacy from injured migrant farm workers. The team released its findings in April this year, but those findings countered the complaints of the workers. That report said the majority of workers were satisfied with the programme and it was rebuffed that the farmers are being subjected to slavery-like working conditions.

MONTEGO BAY, St James – Shock quickly spread throughout the St James fire brigade on Wednesday after news emerged that a high-ranking fireman had been arrested and charged with a sex crime committed against a teenage girl. The St James police arrested the fireman at his office in connection with an incident involving a 14-year-old girl who was doing voluntary work at the fire station in July. He was later questioned in the presence of his attorney, then subsequently charged with attempted rape and sexual touching on Wednesday afternoon. As the news made its way around the St James fire station, one firefighter told the Jamaica Observer that they were all left “dismayed” by the allegations. “Members of the team are shocked at the news and are wondering how the alleged action could have happened. It has left a number of people quite dismayed,” said the firefighter who requested anonymity. “Some people are hoping it’s not true, because it’s a massive embarrassment for the organisation,” the firefighter added. At the same time, another firefighter told the Observer that while his team is deeply embarrassed by these allegations, they are hoping that if the incident is proved to have taken place, the young girl receives the support that she needs. “This is really sad and we just hope that the teenager’s family rallies around her and helps her through this troubling time. Our thoughts are with her, and if the allegations are true, she deserves justice,” said the firefighter. The allegations are that the fireman inappropriately touched the young girl on the third day of her voluntary service on July 20, 2023. The incident was reportedly brought to the attention of members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) on the same day and investigators from the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA) began their investigations. The investigation into the matter continues.

GIVEN a fillip by a reduction in the number of teachers resigning from the public sector, Education Minister Fayval Williams is pulling out all the stops to ensure there is no teacher problem in the classrooms at the start of the new school year. Williams used a post-Cabinet media briefing on Wednesday to outline a number of measures which are being implemented by her ministry to ensure there is no shortage of teachers come September. “We are in a much better place this year relative to last year regarding resignations,” Williams told the media briefing. “If you look at teacher resignations, looking at the period January 2023 to September 2023…427 teachers resigned, that is approximately 1.7 per cent of the total teachers in the public system. When we compare that against the similar period last year…1,538 teachers resigned representing approximately 6.2 per cent,” added Williams even as she noted that the number of teachers going on lone vacations — four months or eight months — is more this year than last year. “We have to put strategies in place to manage that as well but we are delighted with where we are…as we look at the number of teachers that are retained in the sector,” declared Williams. She pointed to a number of strategies, some already announced, which have been outlined to principals and school boards to address any shortage of teachers. These include allowing school boards to conduct early recruiting of teachers to fill any vacancies. “Meaning they don’t have to wait on the ministry. Pre-approval has been granted for the replacement of teachers in clear vacancies and those in temporary posts funded by the Ministry of Education and Youth,” said Williams. School boards have also been given permission to engage some teachers who are on approved vacation leave and paying them for the period while also paying them for their vacation. “What is good about this as well is that teachers [on vacation] can teach at other schools, they don’t have to teach in the schools to which they are attached. Principals as well who are going off on their long leave can be retained as well but not as a principal. They can teach in their school…or they can teach in another school,” noted Williams. Other strategies reiterated by Williams include the extension of service of teachers who are scheduled to retire and the provision for schools to engage part-time teachers or those who had retired since January 2018. Williams noted that schools have also been given permission to engage pre-trained teachers with at least a first degree in areas of their expertise and they can employ final-year teachers in recognised teaching colleges. The new measures announced by Williams include a scheme where schools which are unable to attract teachers for some subjects can get approval from the ministry to enter into a contractual arrangement with virtual schools, such as One and One Educational Services, to access the remote/replacement teachers. Williams said this has been dubbed the teacher availability solution and will allow secondary schools to avail themselves of what is described as a “classroom in a box device” and will include an 86-inch interactive screen with Internet connection, UPS for power back-up and a teacher aide in the classrooms. “The school will have access to expert teachers for multiple subject areas based on their needs and even in cases where employed teachers are absent from work or on approved leave, this facility is available to the school at no additional cost,” said Williams. Williams also pointed to a number of teachers who should be available to public schools this year. This includes 88 student teachers who are expected to graduate under her ministry’s scholarship programme this year. These scholarship teachers are bonded to the public school system for the next five years. The public school system will also be boosted by 68 Cuban teachers who have been contracted to teach Spanish, chemistry, mathematics and physics. The education minister also repeated that more than 1,100 specialist teachers will be graduating from teacher’s colleges this year and they should be entering the sector.

SIX Jamaican farm workers in Ontario, Canada, who in June this year issued a distress call to the media about their sub par living and working conditions triggering investigations are crying victimisation after they say they were shipped back to Jamaica with virtually no warning. The six, who had stayed off the job for a day in protest after their living quarters were flooded with wastewater, landed in Jamaica on Tuesday August 7, a day after the island ended its Independence celebrations. A representative of the group speaking with the Jamaica Observer on Wednesday evening, alleged that the abrupt dismissal was ‘payback’ for their blowing the whistle in June. Videos sent to the Observer at that time showed overflowing toilets and bathroom facilities, and waterlogged flooring in the bunkhouse which features an open-plan layout. In one video, workers recorded a meeting between themselves and their handler, who, in a tirade punctuated by expletives, accused them of deliberately pouring grease down the drains on more than one occasions to cause the unsightly flooding. The man, whose voice dominated the audio, interrupted the workers’ attempts to deny any such activity, completely unaware that he was being recorded. Following the media highlight by the farm workers, Labour Minister Pearnel Charles Jr ordered an immediate investigation into the living conditions and work environment of the farm workers from the location. He said liaison officers were directed to visit the location to provide a comprehensive report on the conditions of the farm workers. Then in July the Ministry of Labour and Social Security said it would be identifying additional platforms through which farm workers can blow the whistle freely and voice their issues and complaints without fearing backlash or victimisation from their handlers. But, according to the dismissed worker, once that flurry of activity died down, they were axed. “The six of us are from the same bunkhouse where the problem was. Is when wi inna the bush [Friday, August 4] about 10 o’clock we see the man [supervisor] with the paper [with the names of those to be sent home]. Someone told me that the boss was told that is me send off the video, but they [supervisors] didn’t say that to us, all they said was that, ‘There is no more work,’” the worker claimed. He said the ‘no more work’ was simply an excuse as “harvesting just start”. He said the group earlier that week had caught wind of plans to dismiss workers and had asked supervisors to confirm whether persons were to be sent home, but was told there was no such plan afoot. He said the Friday when the edict was delivered they were collectively stunned. “A frighten so til, I don’t even know what to say. Right now the whole camp shake up. All we demanded was respect. We didn’t come from any slum,” the worker who began working this May and should have ended his stint in October shared. The labour minister, when contacted by the Observer on Wednesday evening, said he had been unaware of the development and promised to make queries into the well-being of the men. Charles had just hours before, while addressing a post-Cabinet press briefing, said there have mainly been positive reports coming from overseas farm workers, following the Government’s probe into the working conditions of the Jamaican farmers in Canada. The worker, in the meantime, alleged that their Jamaican counterparts who are liaison officers and supervisors were less than sympathetic and truthful with their countrymen. “The liaison officers came the Tuesday before and said they were there for a meeting. We felt something was off and we asked, but they said they came to do a roll call. When we called Friday [after the notification] he acted surprised. When we say we don’t have anybody to stand up for us people think is a joke thing,” the disgruntled worker noted. “You see if they had let us finish the season and don’t take us back we would understand, but what they did was the height of disrespect,” he added. He said the men who were dismissed ahead of a Canadian weekend holiday were not even allowed the courtesy of securing gifts for their families and had to be making queries about their departure. “They told us we were leaving the 7th but we had to be asking what time was the flight and what time the vehicle was coming to pick us up from the farm,” he stated, noting that the move was so sudden that relatives thought they were being pranked when he asked them to make arrangements to pick him up from the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston. The workers say their efforts to reach out to labour ministry officials here since they returned have been spurned. “We are trying to say meet with us, man willing to travel from Westmoreland to meet with the minister. Even if they are not going to give us a chance to go back, just hear us out. We don’t know if anything can come out of this but, at the end of the day, we just want to meet with the minister and the head for the overseas employment unit. Right now we just wish we could have that meeting, that’s all we are asking, the guys are willing to come any day,” he said. In October last year a fact-finding delegation was sent to investigate conditions on farms across Canada following the release of a letter written by Jamaican workers there and advocacy from injured migrant farm workers. That team, the findings of which were released in April this year, countered the complaints of the workers stating that the majority of workers were pleased with the programme and disputed that the working conditions were akin to slavery.

ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) — President of the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Dr Hyginus ”Gene” Leon has told regional broadcasters that communications have and should play a strategic role in promoting social justice and holistic development. Delivering the feature address at the 54th annual general meeting of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) here on Monday night, Leon sought to explore the role of the fourth estate in the 21st century as guardians of social justice in small developing societies. He argued that if there is acceptance that social justice exists when “all people share a common humanity and therefore have a right to equitable treatment, support for their human rights, and a fair allocation of community resources” wouldn’t it be appropriate to declare that there cannot be development of a nation without social justice of its people. “Indeed, social justice promises change, increased access to rights and dignity, and maximisation of the potential of a people,” Leon said, adding that the theme of social justice is fully aligned with the CDB’s advocacy of a holistic systems approach to development. He said the region’s premier financial institution advocates for two key principles to underlie all policies aimed at influencing behaviours for advancing development trajectories, namely sustainability, based on strengthening resilience, and inclusivity, based on narrowing inequity. Leon told the regional and international broadcasters that in some developed countries, the role of the media is so highly valued that it is enshrined in the constitution. “While it is under attack in many of those same countries and media practitioners have been branded ‘enemies of the people’, thankfully we have not reached that level of dogma here in the region.” The St Lucian-born economist said that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has shown that inequalities among populations are driving the tensions that are seen and reported upon in the region. He recalled a 2021 UNDP report that states that regardless of decades of progress Latin America and the Caribbean region (LAC) “remain the second most unequal in the world and countries in LAC exhibit higher income inequality than those in other regions at similar development levels”. Leon said that this statement begs the question, so what are these inequalities and how can they be deconstructed and disseminated to a weary audience tired of living the reality of the statement. He said the media landscape has always been replete with courageous men and women who have placed their beliefs on the line and their very lives at risk, to advocate for the rights and dignity of others. Leon said that while there have been international situations, the Caribbean region is replete with stories of journalists who covered stories often at their peril, recalling the work of the Trinidadian journalist, Jones P Madeira, who had been held captive when a group of Muslim men sought to overthrow the Trinidad and Tobago Government in 1990. “Today, we are at that point in our history where we need to decide what’s important for our future and how do we share this message to grow? How do we revive the spirit of these pioneers? “Some may declare, and probably correctly, that many media houses have highlighted some of the ills of society, but I would argue that media reflects the context in which it exists. What is the obligation of Caribbean media in the current development crisis that confronts us? “ Leon said to be clear, the media landscape has evolved, away from government-owned to mostly private owned establishments and that the global economic, social, environmental, and political landscape has seen swift and intense shifts. “In the last three years alone, the region has seen a global pandemic, economic shocks, and a struggle to return to the path of development goals and resilient prosperity. In small, vulnerable states, Caribbean media are particularly important to support relief and recovery efforts as well as disaster mitigation. “But I fear the industry is not doing enough to educate and inform its audiences on various platforms about the multiplicity of challenges and changes that are and will continue to impact lives and livelihoods. Today, I’d like to ask what is the media’s moonshot project that will attract the interest of our people and be a call to action for behaviour change?” He said two areas of interest come to mind namely crime and misinformation. “On any given day across the region, we would be hard pressed not to find a chronicling of rising crime and violence. What is missing, is greater analysis into the causes of these crimes and the ripple effects across other sectors of society. “I propose seeing violence not just as an opportunity to rush to social media first with pictures and text — the usual concept of ‘if it bleeds it leads’. Also, we may ask shouldn’t the media share the responsibility of promoting social justice and thereby development by assisting in reducing systemic tensions that arise from social inequities?” Regarding misinformation and disinformation, Leon said this is an area that has the potential to truly set back the development trajectory. He said in December last year, Public Media Alliance (PMA) published an action plan to combat misinformation and disinformation for Caribbean media workers that included the need for more regional research and analysis to combat “disinformation, media literacy, and trust in news media”. He said in order to solve a problem, there is need to identify the issue and commit resources to put an end to it. Leon said that the development of artificial intelligence (AI) will make the harnessing of misinformation and disinformation even more urgent and has implications for the future of the media industry. He said the challenge is to harness the research capability and access that AI produces while using the human thought to engineer value-addition to the output produced by AI — a win-win situation.

MONTEGO BAY, St James – Deputy mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Richard Vernon has pointed to the need for a transportation centre that will be able to accommodate the burst of development now taking place in the city. “Montego Bay needs a modern transportation centre. Not a bus stop, not a taxi stand but a modern transportation centre, something that can facilitate us for the next 50 years,” he told the Jamaica Observer. “With all that is happening with the developments coming on stream, we have to ensure that we match the development with infrastructure so that we can have a sustainable city.” Among the ongoing high-value projects is a 25-storey development in Reading called The Pinnacle; the largest mall in western Jamaica, Harbour City; and the eight-storey luxury condominium complex, Montego Bay Racquet Club Condominiums and Spa. Years of calls for the transportation centre to be expanded have got louder with the expected influx of people linked to these and other ongoing projects. “This traffic coming into Montego Bay, the tourists coming in, the rooms being added, the offices being added, we have to now think about transportation,” urged Vernon in whose Montego Bay South Division the existing transportation centre is located. “We already have a traffic nightmare when we have unprecedented and less than unprecedented situations and we have to ensure that we take these things into consideration.” He spoke of the foresight needed in planning. “In the next 50 years from now you can’t be knocking down places to build a transportation centre. You can’t be demolishing spaces because you didn’t [engage in] forward thinking,” he said. Vernon, a member of the ruling Jamaica Labour Party, said existing plans to ease traffic congestion in the resort city are inadequate. “Yes, the perimeter road is coming but we will need more to manage the traffic coming into and going out of Montego Bay, those south bound and north bound, we’ll need more,” he insisted. He was referencing the Montego Bay Perimeter Road which the Government has said will result in less congestion within the city and open up new lands to facilitate structured developments. In calls for the expansion of the city’s transportation centre, the point has been made that there is a need for a facility that can adequately house the increasing number of public passenger operators and provide a more comfortable space for passengers. Last year, during a visit by then Transportation Minister Audley Shaw there was a proposal that lands belonging to the Railway Corporation of Jamaica would be used to extend the facility. There has been no update since then. “We have to think from now. We have to put the transportation centre in place so that we can have better flow of traffic,” urged Vernon.

UNITED NATIONS (CMC) — United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has appealed to the Security Council to ensure that a multinational police force is sent to Haiti to restore peace and security in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (Caricom) country. In a report that was circulated to the 15-member Security Council, the UN secretary general outlined two potential UN options, namely providing logistical support to a multinational force and Haiti’s police and strengthen a UN political mission already in Haiti. “Haiti’s current context is not conducive to peacekeeping,” Guterres wrote, adding, “Nothing short of the robust use of force, complemented by a suite of non-kinetic measures by a capable specialised multinational police force enabled by military assets, coordinated with the national police, would be able to achieve these objectives.” The report by Guterres comes even as the Caricom Eminent Persons Group (EPG) said it has been holding virtual discussions with Haitian stakeholders as efforts continue to deal with the ongoing socio-economic and political situation there. The group, headed by former St Lucia Prime Minister Dr Kenny Anthony and includes his two former prime ministerial colleagues Bruce Golding of Jamaica and Perry Christie of The Bahamas, had travelled to Port-au-Prince last month to continue meeting with government and other Haitian stakeholders. A statement issued by the Guyana-based Caricom Secretariat Monday said that following their visit to Haiti on July 12-15, the EPG had called on the various groups of stakeholders with which it had been engaging to pursue discussions with each other, formally or informally. “These discussions could help to narrow differences and to build on broad agreements that had been reached. The EPG has been helping this process by carrying out virtual meetings over the past weeks with various groups of protagonists to deepen discussion on the areas of political disagreement in order to surmount differences which impede arrival at a consensus and to maintain the facilitation momentum. “The point in the facilitation process has been reached to deepen discussions to find common solutions,” the statement said. In his report, Guterres, who had held talks with Caricom leaders during their summit in Trinidad and Tobago last month and also visited Port-au Prince, urged countries to join Kenya in sending a multinational force to deal with the security situation in Haiti. Kenya’s Foreign Minister Alfred Mutua said last weekend that his country’s commitment is to deploy a contingent of 1,000 police officers to help train and assist Haitian police restore normality in the country and protect strategic installations. Two Caricom countries — The Bahamas and Jamaica — have already said they are willing to provide personnel and the United States has also indicated a willingness to put forward a Security Council resolution to back a deployment. Guterres called on member states, particularly in the Americas, “to continue to build on this new momentum”, citing also the “extreme violence” of gang attacks. “The capital is encircled by gangs and effectively cut off by road from the northern, southern, and eastern parts of the country,” Guterres said in his report, adding that any targeted operations against gangs must also protect people and respect human rights and due process. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Monday said persistent violence in Haiti remains a significant concern for the safety and welfare of its most vulnerable citizens, especially women and children, citing reports of an “alarming spike” in kidnapping and other crimes. According to UNICEF, nearly 300 confirmed cases were reported in the first six months of 2023, almost matching the total number documented over 2022 and close to three times the number in 2021. Earlier this week, seven former Haitian prime ministers said they were “deeply disturbed by the continued deterioration of the general situation” and called for “a spirit of openness for a constructive debate” regarding the future of the country. The seven — Jean Max Bellerive, Laurent Lamothe, Evans Paul, Enex Jean Charles, Jack Guy Lafontant, Jean Henry Céant and Joseph Jouthe — have, in a joint statement, said they have established a Forum of Former Prime Ministers (FAPM) to pursue their goals. Last year, Haiti’s Prime Minister Dr Ariel Henry sent an urgent appeal to the UN asking for “the immediate deployment of a specialised armed force in sufficient quantity” to stop gang warfare in his country.

ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) — The Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CD B) says it has entered into a one-year agreement with the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) aimed at improving the work of regional broadcasters and journalists. CDB President Dr Hyginus “Gene’ Leon told the 54th annual CBU general meeting here that the region’s premier financial institution has been eager to partner in providing training to upskill reporters, editors, and content creators to utilise digital channels more effectively for presenting development and financial data in engaging ways. “At CDB we have confidence in the work of regional media and want to promote a stronger role for development communications. Over the past eight months the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF), a financial instrument of the bank, has focused on increasing its visibility in the Caribbean as well as developing a knowledge management and communications strategy to guide a sustainable approach to information sharing.” Leon said that as part of this focus the BNTF has engaged with the CBU to sponsor a category of its annual media awards focusing on BNTF strategic areas, namely poverty alleviation, education, health, gender, and climate change, and would be run across multiple platforms such as print, television, radio, and digital. The awards will be open to CBU’s members in over 20 countries with an approximate reach of 4.8 million persons. “The sponsorship will be announced at the 2023 media awards and will culminate at the 2024 media awards ceremony. It is anticipated that this award would greatly increase media coverage and visibility on BNTF in all nine participating countries,” he said. Leon said that as a part of its visibility efforts so far the BNTF has been focusing heavily on video production. “In addition to sharing these videos on YouTube, social media, and traditional media, BNTF will share these videos with the CBU so that they can be made freely available to CBU’s membership for broadcast. This broadens the scope of dissemination and visibility of the BNTF as well as increases awareness of the social justice and development agenda. “This agreement between CDB and CBU is for an initial period of one year. The bank is also working on developing other knowledge products for the CBU to disseminate on its share portal — at no charge to members of CBU — to engage our audiences in conversations on development and the future of this region. “ Leon said that there is scope for supporting capacity building to help the media to develop a better understanding of issues affecting development, and to improve the reporting and analysis of these issues.

PEOPLE’S National Party Member of Parliament for St Catherine North Western Hugh Graham says the crisis of violence and lawlessness now facing Jamaica is home-grown and cannot be blamed on the Government alone. “Our actions matter and they shape the world our children grow up in. Let’s not be blind to the truth, we, the adults, are the architects of this reality. We expose our youth to adult themes prematurely, sexualise their innocence and expose them to behaviours that don’t align with our cultural heritage. The blame cannot solely rest on the shoulders of our Government. We must look inward and recognise our part in shaping the future we’re witnessing,” Graham said in a recent post on one of his social media platforms. Prefacing his comments by saying he was unable as a representative of the people to “stay silent any longer”, Graham said “our beautiful nation is facing a grave crisis that transcends politics. It’s about our shared responsibility for the future of Jamaica”. “The lack of respect for human life that we witness today is deeply distressing. We must recognise that this crisis starts within our homes, our communities and our schools. It’s a reflection of the values we instil in our children, the examples we set for them and the environment we create for their growth,” the businessman and philanthropist stated. Graham, who was elected to the House of Representatives on a PNP ticket in September 2020, is however adamant that ‘Jamaica’s transformation cannot be achieved by legislation alone’. “It requires a collective effort, a unified commitment to change the narrative. Today I beseech every Jamaican to take a stand, in your homes, your neighbourhoods and your schools. Let’s teach our children respect, empathy and love. Let’s protect their innocence and guide them toward a path of righteousness,” Graham appealed. In expressing hope that the country experience transformation in 20 years, Graham said while the journey would be no mean feat it must be taken on. “By investing in our people now we sow the seeds of a brighter tomorrow. Imagine waking up to a Jamaica where respect for life is paramount, where our children thrive in an environment of positivity and hope,” he said.

MORE than 200 people, including schoolchildren, benefited from a community health fair organised by NADS Family Health Care in St Catherine on Sunday. Held at Green Acres Commercial Business Complex in the parish, the fair provided general checks, school medicals, eye checks, immunisations, Pap smears, and laboratory testing. Operator of the dental department at the facility, Dr Simone Brady said she and her team wanted to extend support to the community, especially with the back-to-school period approaching. “We enjoy giving back and doing what we do best. We try to develop a culture of a caring environment, and the staff here have that mind of giving back so as much as it is busy and hectic, we enjoyed it,” Dr Brady told JIS News. She said the health fair was timed to meet some of the back-to-school needs of families in the communities, and along with the health care they also distributed educational gifts to schoolchildren and parents. The event was first held in 2018 but was put on hold in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hailing the many sponsors, Dr Brady said without them “we would not be able to have it on this large scale. We are truly grateful for every sponsorship that we have received”. Several of the patrons lauded the event for helping them to save money. “It is a wonderful thing. If every community has this type of project the medical part of society would grow,” said Titon Hylton.

RESIDENTS of Gregory Park in Portmore, St Catherine, are calling for enhanced and sustained security measures in their community and are imploring the police not to abandon them following the lifting of a curfew on Monday. The curfew was imposed after gunmen firebombed and opened gunfire on several houses in a yard on Walker’s Avenue, killing 28-year-old Raneel Haughton and leaving more than 40 people homeless over the weekend. Haughton died after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds and an elderly woman was hospitalised with severe burns from the blaze. The curfew was declared on Saturday evening and was scheduled to last for 48 hours, which meant it was to end at 6:00 pm on Monday. There was no word from officials on plans to extend the curfew. However, Prime Minister Andrew Holness, Commissioner of Police Major General Antony Anderson, and Alando Terrelonge, who is Member of Parliament (MP) for St Catherine East Central, where Gregory Park is located, toured the affected space on Monday. Holness pledged that necessary action will be taken to ensure terrorist don’t reign with impunity in Gregory Park. But until the residents see evidence that things are actively being done to keep them safe, they said they will remain scared and on edge as the presence of the security forces appears to be their only hope of safety. “Since the incident the police have been here and nothing bad has happened from Saturday. As soon as they leave, it is going to be a problem, based on the state of the community. I don’t know why they don’t drop a zone of special operations or a state of public emergency over here. Why only certain places get that? What happened to Portmore? If I hear one shot fire after the curfew is lifted, me and my children have got to leave, because the criminals are taking over the place,” one woman told the Jamaica Observer. “We would appreciate a state of emergency or even a police post, because the Gregory Park police seem they only want to lock up people for marijuana. The prime minister should take care of the situation,” another resident said, alleging that there are people from a section of the community called Gulf who are causing the mayhem. Due to the nerve-racking state that the criminals have put one woman in, she said that she took precautionary steps to secure all her important documents. If there happens to be another episode of firebombings, she can quickly grab these documents and run to safety. “I had to take up all of my documents and put in a bag, ready to move at any time,” she said. Prime Minister Holness said during the tour on Monday that the act of the arsonists was such that there was no other way to describe it other than an act of terror. “More resources will be put into the space to ensure your security. It was a an act of terror and the people who committed it are terrorists and should be treated as such and dealt with within the remit of the law. It is not the first time that we have seen the use of arson to displace people. It has happened in the area several times before. If you look at the crime reports, you will see that gangs using arson to displace communities is quite a common feature. Last year a similar incident occurred [in Gregory Park] and the police were able to intercept some of the men who were believed to have carried out the arson. I believe a few of them were killed. It is quite unfortunate that we were not able to intercept those who committed this act on Saturday,” Holness said.

THE Statistical Institute of Jamaica (Statin) has promised to address concerns raised by census workers regarding remuneration, and has instituted measures to ensure that the data collection staff are compensated in a timely manner. This was revealed by Statin’s Director General Carol Coy as she addressed the institute’s quarterly press briefing on Tuesday. She noted, however, that the timely payment of workers “must be balanced by the fact that the data collected must be of a standard that will provide credible data for policymakers, planners and the general public”. Added Coy:”Payment for work done is based on the approval of census questionnaires. This is a two-step process. A critical component of the supervisor’s job function is the review of the questionnaire to ensure the quality of the work undertaken by the census taker. If issues are found, the questionnaire is returned to the census taker for corrections. Once the supervisor is satisfied with the questionnaire, it is submitted to the census office for review and final approval. At this point the questionnaire can be returned if it does not meet the quality criteria for completion,” she said. In addition, she said census takers are also required to submit the visitation record (VR), which is the listing of all buildings within the enumeration district (ED). This, she said, forms part of the quality check for data collection. “All census workers were advised of the criteria for payment as per their employment contract. We encourage data collection staff to correct and return rejected questionnaires and submit their VR with all buildings within the ED listed correctly in a timely manner, as this will speed up the payment process,” she said Coy further noted that census workers with queries are also encouraged to utilise the channels that have been established to address their concerns. In an article written by Coy, published in this newspaper on March 15, she noted that improvement in administrative processes has reduced the lag between the end of training and payment of the training allowance. She noted as well that to make the compensation more competitive, the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service approved an increase in the compensation payable, including travelling allowance and salary, to census supervisors and census takers.

UNCERTAINTY still surrounds the twice-delayed 2022 Population and Housing Census, with the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (Statin) on Tuesday giving no further indication as to when the exercise, which has been hampered by a lack of census takers and administrative challenges, will be completed. The census, which commenced last September, was slated to end on March 31, 2023 but the institute subsequently advised that the deadline would not be met and that a new timeline would be set. However, there has been no word on this to date. Last week when the Jamaica Observer contacted Statin’s Director General Carol Coy for an update on the status of the census, she promised this would be provided on Tuesday. However, speaking at Statin’s quarterly press briefing on Tuesday, Coy said no timeline can be provided for the data collection phase of the exercise but that efforts are being made to conclude it. “We know we have overrun what was the original data collection period. The focus now for us is to get the data collection wrapped up, so we will not be releasing a date because our focus is to look at the constituencies and to see the proportion of enumeration districts (EDs) that have been covered. And what we have put in are the things like the short form, the shortened questionnaire, and what this has allowed people to do is to move much faster,” she said, adding that Statin is ensuring that enough information is garnered to provide a credible population count. Coy also said the institute was not in a position to say what percentage of the country has already been covered and what portion is left. “Normally at this point, because the percentage varies, what Statin does is, when we have completed the count we will provide the numbers that we have estimated and the numbers that were counted. Statin usually releases information when the data has been analysed and processed,” she said. The director general was also not able to give a clear picture of how many census takers are in the field, noting that the numbers tend to fluctuate and again stressing that one of the main challenges facing Statin is recruitment issues and the high levels of attrition of census workers. The agency had previously indicated that the employment target of approximately 7,000 census field workers was not met and that it was not able to recruit more than 4,000 at any given time. “As unemployment rates decline, persons are less inclined to take up more strenuous and short-term jobs like data collection. In addition to our initial recruitment drive, secondary recruitment efforts were targeted in areas without census workers. A significant number of persons indicated that they were either no longer interested, they found other means of employment, or they deemed that the work would be too hard, and some persons actually failed the minimum training requirements,” she said. Coy noted that to mitigate the impact caused by the shortage of census field workers, Statin has employed several strategies aimed at increasing the rate of data collection. These include the introduction of teams comprised of experienced and efficient data collectors in targeted areas to quickly canvass an ED, the deployment of web questionnaires, and an abbreviated version or short form of the census questionnaires. “These measures may impact the level of disaggregation of certain indicators, however, the reliability of the population count will not be compromised. To protect the integrity of the results from this highly important data- gathering activity, the institute, supported by our international development partners, will deploy all available tools in preserving the key indicators. We will also undertake additional data validation exercises using more complex statistical techniques, and additional data sources,” she said. The national census takes place every 10 years and is a vital source of social and demographic information on Jamaica. It provides data on the population including the demographic structure, socio-economic conditions, and details on the housing stock. Every person who is usually resident in Jamaica must be covered in the census.

IN ENSURING that the Best Care Special Education School in Kingston becomes self-sufficient, administrators have already looked towards expanding its recently established vegetable farm and shade-house project. Speaking with The Gleaner at Wednesday’s launch of the project, Geneva Cooper, farming and vocational class teacher, stated that the first set of crops reaped from the farm were bountiful and that the aim is for the farm to eventually be able to supply the school’s cafeteria. The farm, she said, currently consists of cucumbers, Scotch bonnet peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, and callaloo, among other crops. The next step, she said, was to evaluate how the institution could make efficient use of its limited space for farming activities so as to maximise operations and also to delve into hydroponic farming. The project was executed by the Kiwanis Club of Constant Spring in partnership with Food For the Poor, St Andrew Junior Chamber, and the Jamaica Agricultural Society with funding from the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica, and the Forestry Department. Cooper explained that students were the ones who tilled the soil, sow the seeds and cared for the seedlings, which were then transplanted into pots and on the farm. The potted plants were being sold to community members along with vegetable seedlings in order to generate additional income. Headlines Delivered to Your Inbox Sign up for The Gleaner’s morning and evening newsletters. “We have the capacity to basically sow and produce over 4,000 seedlings or higher per month from this greenhouse. In fact, the RADA (Rural Agricultural Development Authority) extension officer told me that we can have more than 10,000 seedlings per month being generated,” she said. HOLISTIC DEVELOPMENT The institution, which has been operating independently since 2017, caters to 165 students aged six to 21 years. “We are looking at holistic development of the students, and if possible, having students use this as an income earner for themselves later on in life. You know students with disabilities are disenfranchised in many capacities, and if they can use farming as a tool, as a way of enhancing themselves, we want to provide them with that kind of option,” she said. During his remarks, chairman Orville Johnson also expressed his vision of expanding the project, detailing that building upwards was a more efficient way for it to be executed. “We go right up and produce about five floors … . I’ve seen some stuff now in China with 24-floor buildings that are farms, so the area is not a restriction anymore … we can [grow upwards], so the possibilities are great,” he said. This was not the first time that the school had tried its hands at establishing a farm on its grounds, but after facing water issues for many years, it could not have been executed, Johnson revealed. Through the institution’s water-harvesting programme, with catchment facilities of a holding capacity of 22,000 gallons of water, the water woes have been alleviated. “It has come in pretty handy, and what we need to do now is to expand because we have found out that we need to do a little bit more now,” he explained. State minister in the Ministry of Education and Youth, Marsha Smith, who was also in attendance, stated that the ministry recognised that administrators at the institution have made a “meaningful impact” in the lives of Jamaicans with special needs. Smith expressed delight in being able to witness the agricultural aspect of education taking place as “emphasis on school gardens is an important part of the ministry’s approach to nutrition policy”, she said.

WATCH VIDEO HERE   MinneapolisCNN — What a difference a year makes. US annual inflation slowed to 3% last month, according to the latest Consumer Price Index released Wednesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s a sharp cooldown from June of last year, when surging energy costs helped inflation spike to 9.1% — the fastest annual rate since November 1981, when Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical” sweated its way to the top of the charts. Inflation, as measured by the CPI, has now eased for 12 consecutive months and is at its lowest rate since March 2021. What this means for consumers The latest data outlines a welcome trajectory for shoppers who have seen their purchasing power and monthly budgets eroded by persistently high and pervasive price increases for the last two years. “We don’t have to worry quite as much as we were about rising prices,” William Ferguson, economics professor at Grinnell College in Iowa, told CNN. The June annual rate is down from 4% in May and landed slightly below economists’ expectations for a 3.1% increase, according to Refinitiv. On a monthly basis, prices increased by 0.2%, a cooler reading than the 0.4% increase seen in May, according to the report. Gas prices picked up 1% from May but are down nearly 27% from a year ago. Food prices and grocery store prices are up 5.7% and 4.7%, respectively, for the 12 months ended in June. However, eating out remains costlier: Food away from home inflation is up 7.7% year over year, according to the report. “That’s Bidenomics in action,” President Joe Biden said Wednesday. “Today’s report brings new and encouraging evidence that inflation is falling while our economy remains strong.” What this means for the Fed While underlying inflation cooled as well — the core CPI index moderated to 4.8% for the 12 months ended in June and slowed to 0.2% monthly — the progress might not be enough to deter the Federal Reserve from raising rates when it meets later this month. “The [Federal Reserve’s] fight against inflation is working,” Sung Won Sohn, professor of finance and economics at Loyola Marymount University and chief economist at SS Economics. “But that 4.8% core rate is still much too high, and the Fed has more work to do.” The Fed has a 2% target for inflation, as measured by the annual change in the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index, a separate and more comprehensive gauge of price shifts. The PCE index measured 3.8% for the 12 months ended in May. Core PCE, excluding food and energy, was 4.6%. Starting in March 2022, the central bank rolled out 10 consecutive interest rate hikes to tame inflation, finally hitting pause last month. The Fed is widely expected to raise rates by another quarter point when it meets later this month. Progress toward pre-pandemic norms June’s CPI reading is just a touch above the 2.9% average level of inflation seen in the two decades prior to the global financial crisis, according to Lael Brainard, director of the National Economic Council. “The economy is defying predictions that inflation would not fall absent significant job destruction,” Brainard said Wednesday in prepared remarks at the Economic Club of New York. In June, the US economy added 209,000 jobs and the unemployment rate was 3.6%, the BLS reported last week. The monthly job gains represent a significant slowing from the breakneck pace of employment growth seen during the recovery from the pandemic; however, the current labor market is outpacing what was seen in and prior to February 2020. While wage gains have been propped up as the inflation bogeyman by some economists, Brainard has frequently expressed concern about the effects of a “price-price spiral,” when companies hike prices beyond their cost increases in order to boost profits. A recent report from the Kansas City Fed found that nearly 60% of US inflation in 2021 (the year prices really began to surge) was because of an increase in corporate profits. In previous years, corporate profits contributed to about a third of price growth. “It will be important for corporations to continue to bring their markups back down after having raised them to unusually elevated levels over the past two years, which would help in reducing inflation,” Brainard said. “The markups associated with price-price spirals — with final goods prices going up by more than input prices — should unwind if customers become more price-sensitive and firms compete more intensely for customers.” Getting inflation unstuck Although the stark disinflation seen in the headline rate is refreshing, the devil remains in the details. The annual CPI rate is, in part, benefiting from base effects, when comparisons are made to the prior year. And June of last year was monumental: Annual inflation soared to 9.1%, the highest in more than 40 years largely because of record-high energy costs. So the Fed and economists have been keyed in on what’s happening with core inflation, particularly core services. Since labor costs are more heavily weighted in services businesses than those who deal in goods, the tight employment market and above-average (but, until recently, below-inflation) wage gains have a greater chance of keeping higher prices sticky. Prices for services excluding energy rose just 0.3% in June, the lowest monthly uptick since September 2021. On an annual basis, that index eased to 6.2%, which is the lowest since August 2022. And that’s expected to show some further cooling in the months ahead. The shelter component of CPI, which is the largest contributor to inflation (70% in June), also is a lagging indicator of rents, which have been on the decline. Stripping out shelter, the core non-housing services index rose just 0.1% from the prior month. “Many economists argue that the last mile of inflation reduction will be the hardest, but that isn’t necessarily the case,” Julia Pollak, chief economist for ZipRecruiter, wrote in commentary issued Wednesday. “Producer prices are falling outright, inflation expectations are coming down, average weekly earnings have only risen 3.75% over the year (which is roughly consistent with 2% inflation), and aggregate labor income (the wages of

Tina Knowles has filed for divorce from her husband, Richard Lawson, after eight years of marriage. According to TMZ, Beyoncé‘s mom went to court on Wednesday (July 26) to file the documents which the outlet obtained. Tina reportedly lists the date of separation as Tuesday (July 25), citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split. In the documents, Tina, whose real name is Celestine, is asking the court to terminate the court’s ability to award spousal support to her or Richard, and she is asking to have her name restored to Celestine Knowles. The former couple tied the knot in April 2015. While the two do not have children together, Tina has two kids with her first husband, Mathew Knowles: Beyoncé and Solange. Richard also has two children: Bianca and Ricky. The Black Information Network is your source for Black News! Get the latest news 24/7 on The Black Information Network. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app or click HERE to tune in live.

Ariana Grande and her husband Dalton Gomez have been separated since January, and they are heading toward divorce … sources connected to the couple tell TMZ. Getty As we reported, Ariana was not wearing her wedding ring at Wimbledon over the weekend … in fact, she’s been ringless a lot these days. We’re told a few months back the 2 tried a reconciliation, but it failed. One source with direct knowledge told TMZ, their relationship “is heading for divorce.” Backgrid Ariana and Dalton have been thousands of miles apart since December, when she started filming “Wicked.” Our sources say they were having problems even before that. We’re told they remain friends and still talk on the phone regularly, but, according to sources, the marriage is kaput. It was early 2020 when we first saw the two of them making out at dinner at Bar Louie in Northridge, CA. At the time, no one really knew who Dalton was or how serious the couple’s relationship had gotten. The couple tied the knot in May 2021 in a very private ceremony at Ariana’s home in Montecito.

Heartbroken colleagues and friends are mourning the loss of “gifted and consummate professional” CBS-New York meteorologist Elise Finch, who died suddenly over the weekend, just a day or two after appearing on air. Finch, who delivered the weather forecast on Channel 2 across the Big Apple starting in 2007, died at a local hospital, her employer, New York affiliate CBS station WCBS, announced Sunday evening. She was 51. Her cause of death has not been determined. “Elise was a gifted and consummate professional who took great care with her work,” the television station wrote in a statement announcing her death. “She was also a wonderful ambassador in the community, including her hometown of Mount Vernon.” Finch, whose full name was Elise Dione Finch Henriques, started out as a weekend meteorologist and most recently delivered the weather forecast on the morning news. She was also a “fiercely loving and devoted” mother to her daughter, Grace, and to husband Graig Henriques, who is a WCBS photojournalist, the station said. CBS-New York meteorologist Elise Finch.Twitter / Elise Finch WCBS 2 meteorologist Elise Finch attends the Boys & Girls Club of Mount Vernon 100th Anniversary Gala at the Rye Town Hilton on March 24, 2012, in Rye Brook, New York.Getty Images WCBS anchor Jessica Moore choked up as she announced Finch’s death on-air Sunday. She also tweeted a heartwarming message. “Elise was fiercely loyal to those she loved, a straight shooter, a consummate professional, and made me laugh until I cried,” Moore wrote. “But above all she was completely devoted to her family, especially her daughter Grace. I love you so much, my friend. Heaven now has an angel like no other.” Others also remembered Finch for her kindness, top-notch talent and warm personality that shined while she told New Yorkers what the weather would be for the week. Finch was 51 years old when she died this past weekend.Twitter / Elise Finch “My heart is broken. Our team will never be the same,” tweeted WCBS anchor Chris Wragge. “No one matched musical wits better. I’ll miss you much.” WCBS reporter Tony Aiello also remembered Finch for her love of music. “The song of her life deserved many more verses. Her gifts were many, and so too the lives she touched,” he tweeted. “My deepest condolences to Graig and little Grace, her parents and sister, and all our CBS2 family. WCBS reporter Ali Bauman summed it up succinctly: “Heartbroken by the loss of our friend, colleague, and role model.” NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams also expressed condolences over the city’s loss. “Elise served as CBS’ meteorologist for over a decade and graced thousands of households with her genius,” she tweeted. “She will truly be missed. My prayers go to her family and friends.” Finch was on the air as recently as Friday afternoon, delivering the forecast to thousands of New Yorkers.