Downtown Kingston vendors who have relied on a “Run, run, run” signal at the arrival of the police to clear sidewalks blocked with their back-to-school and other items are seeking a two-week break from the hassle, from the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC). Kingston mayor, Senator Delroy Williams on Thursday indicated the possibility of the two-week pause in the raids by the police, often referred to as the “Run, run, run” signal for vendors, which he insisted had to be supported by co-operation with the KSAMC as well as increased efforts by the vendors to manage their areas. However, he has been insisting that it be done without blocking the sidewalks and interfering with businesses and shoppers searching for back-to-school items. Mayor Williams advised the meeting — filled with a large number of the vendors, mainly women, at the KSAMC’s Church Street head office — that the corporation is going to look at the matter again this week, with the likelihood of agreeing to the two-week break from the seasonal raids endorsed by the members of the municipality. “We are going to look at it but we want a better plan for South Parade,” he assured the vendors, recalling that work has just started on improving the shelter-less Jamaica Urban Transit Company’s (JUTC) terminal in the centre of Parade, downtown, where hundreds of commuters wait for lengthy periods on buses to all parts of the city and St Catherine. Williams said KSAMC is willing to invite the vendors back to assess the situation after the two-week exercise in leniency regarding the sale of their back-to-school items, wherever possible, in the heart of downtown shopping area. Other overcrowded areas are also likely to be affected by the decision. “The vendors have asked for it and they are business people. They are saying that this is a high [sales] period of business within the space and they want to take advantage of it. As a municipality we are here to create the climate for business and we are here to encourage the climate for business to flourish and generate employment — and if we can do that in an orderly way, why not?” he responded. However, he reminded the vendors that the municipality has a practice of treating with special activities, including blocking roads during most of the period. He noted that the back-to-school time is one of heavy spending by parents, when vendors are far more active than normal as the September term — the first for the school year — approaches. “And during those periods special allowances are given as a practice, and this is to encourage business activities within the area,” he noted. However, the mayor criticised the vendors for their treatment of the areas allotted to them in the past, and warned them that their lack of persuasion has led to deterioration in their pursuit of free enterprise, due to the fact that they are not structured enough. “Part of the challenge is that you have to be structured when you are downtown, and part of the challenge is that a lot of us are not willing to change our ways. You can’t tell me that you want to continue with something like that, that you want to develop downtown in the interest of the vendors and those who are buying, but when I walk down there and see the conditions that you sell in it is a disgrace,” he pointed out. “You are not co-operating and you want to continue in the same way, people want to sell the same way. They want to stand up on the roadside and throw the cabbage skin on the street, and when they are gone home other people supposed to come and take them up. If you don’t take them up they block the road, and they say that the Government is not doing anything. “I keep saying that the municipality wants to do things but we need money. If we had the money, trust me, the place would have been spic and span. It’s not that we don’t want to do it, we just don’t have the money and the resources to do it; but because we don’t have all the money to do it, we need cooperation to make the task easier,” he reasoned. The mayor severely criticised vendors who sell agricultural products close to broken sewage mains and gullies, as well as those who continue to block the sidewalks, shops, and other business places without consideration for the public and children. He noted that illegal vending on Beckford Street and other sections of downtown Kingston has long been an inconvenience to motorists, pedestrians, and formal business operators, with no indication that it will stop anytime soon and that cooperaion will set in to accommodate both shop and stall vendors.

Almost a year after the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling which determined that security guards at Marksman Limited were employees and not independent contractors, a newly formed Security Guard Taskforce is hauling the company back before the courts in a fresh action. The hearing, which is set for December, is to thrash out a controversial new contract which guards are being pressured to sign. It would see them relinquishing their rights to all benefits before the September 2022 ruling, according to the Union of Clerical, Administrative and Supervisory Employees (UCASE). That ruling had stemmed from claims brought by the National Housing Trust (NHT), seeking to recoup unpaid statutory deductions from the security company, which should have been handed over on behalf of their workers. The contract, a copy of which the Jamaica Observer saw, is captioned as an agreement to terminate contract for services (as an) independent contractor. It said further: “The officer was engaged as an independent contractor” on a fixed-term contract that would have come to an end pursuant to the Supreme Court judgment in which the court determined “with prospective effect that the security engaged under the contract and who provided services to third parties are in fact employees”. “And because of that decision, the parties to the contract have agreed that the contract will terminate by mutual agreement without blame or fault as of March 31, 2023 on the terms and conditions set out hereunder.” “What we are saying is that there are a number of issues that have to be settled before you can ask the workers to sign these new contracts, such as outstanding NHT payment, National Insurance Scheme [NIS] payments. Workers have had injuries on the job, some were shot, some had motor vehicle accidents, and all of these are matters that the workers are saying need to be resolved before we can sign. What has been happening is that workers who refuse to sign, they have been victimised by layoffs, they turn up for work and are not assigned any duty,” President of the union Vincent Morrison told the Observer on Sunday. He was speaking just ahead of a meeting in which dozens of security guards gathered at UCASE’s offices on West King’s House Road in St Andrew. Morrison said that many of the guards have not been allowed to work since April because they refused to sign the new contracts and agree to the terms therein. “To ask a worker who is transitioning with the company [to a new regime] to sign a document extinguishing their benefits, that is not the law or the practice. That is not how we do it in Jamaica and we have a lot of examples of that here. So to ask them to sign away their rights in this way, especially in light of the fact that the court established that they are employees and not contractors, it would not only be unfair but unjust,” Morrison charged. Several of the guards, some of whom have given over 20 years’ service, in contending that they were being “unfairly treated”, said they could not countenance cancelling the benefits they were due from the deductions which were taken from their meagre salaries over the years. “Which one of unuh mutually agree to terminate anything? They are asking you to sign a paper saying that you and them agree, you and them agree anything? How can you sign that? Dictatorship, ramming it down your throat, not fair. And when you go down and start read the terms yuh stomach sick,” attorney-at-law Leonard Green, who filed the action, said to loud murmurs of agreement from the miffed guards. “It is so unfair, they are deducting NIS, NHT, everything, but they are saying you are not employees…they want you to give up your legal rights, you are going to be put on probation for 90 days. The court said you are employees, and they [companies] are asking you to agree that you were not employees and that’s why we are taking them to court,” Green added. “We are asking the court to say that this attempt for you to use your pen and throw away your rights is unjust and unfair,” he stated. “There are 25,000 registered security guards in Jamaica, more than the police and the army put together. They must give us answers as to what they have been doing in the interest of our guards,” Green went on. On Sunday, Green and Morrison intimated that it could spell trouble for not only the security company, but the Government as well, should the plight of the security guards be ignored, given the looming local government and general elections. “We have 25,000 security guards out there. When we curate the numbers, no minister will ignore us, all of them will perk up because you know many people lose seat by 200 and 300 votes?” Green said. “And wi children and wi grandchildren inna it to,” one guard chimed in, suggesting that other voters connected to the wronged guards could also be swayed. In the meantime, several workers on Sunday said the Ministry of Labour was giving conflicting signals and should show its hand in the matter. According to several of the workers, they had approached the ministry to query their rights as it related to the insistence of their employers that they sign the new contracts. According to one worker, who said he had some 23 years’ service under his belt, he was told by the ministry that he would need to present all pay stubs dating back to his first day of employment. He said he was also told that he would only be able to retrieve six years of all the deductions. He said on that basis he refused to sign the contract, choosing to remain without a salary. Several workers also insisted that although their deductions were being made, they were not being paid over. One guard alleged that this extended to health cards and insurance policies.

MONTEGO BAY, St James — Member of Parliament for St James East Central Edmund Bartlett has announced that some $13 million will be spent on his educational programme in his constituency this year. He was speaking on Friday at the East Central St James Scholarship and Welfare Fund annual awards function, held at Iberostar Hotel for 79 tertiary-level students who received scholarships and grants amounting to over $8 million. That came on the heels of scholarship awards to 130 students in his constituency who amassed over 80 per cent in their Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations. “This year, having now completed today [Friday] our school tuition education programme, we will be spending $13 millon on education for East Central St James,” revealed Bartlett who is also the minister of tourism. “We are supported, of course, by CDF [Constituency Development Fund]. Plus, we do very special fund-raising support from our private sector partners to enable these contributions to be had so that our students can be secured. I am excited about it and this is why I am in politics for 47 years,” he added. Guest speaker at the ceremony, minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator Matthew Samuda noted that Bartlett is the parliamentarian who spends the majority of his CDF on education. “I can tell you — and I hope the citizens of East Central St James realise, Mr Bartlett — that the greatest investment in education from the CDF, which the minister has total discretion of, comes from Minister Bartlett in Jamaica, and I think that should be acknowledged and be congratulated,” Samuda stated. He added that Bartlett’s choice of investing in education is a reflection of the long-term thinking of the Andrew Holness-led Government. “A Government and a politician is known by the decision that he makes; it is not always popular, and it is not always that there are not easier, short-term decisions before you. “There are many things that this Government has decided to spend on that will bring long-term benefits. There are many programmes that are in place that we could be very simplistic with: We could be doing a whole lot of tinkering with water, some patches here and there instead of resurfacing, we could be doing little tinkering in education, or tinkering in health care, or tinkering in the capacity to support this rapid growth in tourism. But, we have made decisions that I think mirror the philosophy that has certainly been represented by Minister Bartlett — and under this Government, led by Andrew Holness, there is a long-term thinking,” Samuda said. Bartlett noted that in his nearly five decades in representational politics he is most proud of his contribution to education. “This is the 47th year of experience in nation building and, of that 47 years, 43 of them have been dedicated to providing educational opportunities for the children of the two constituencies that I have represented in that period — Eastern St Andrew and now East Central St James,” he said. “There is nothing that has given me greater pride — not the 21 years that I have been a minister in every JLP Administration since 1980, and because I am also the longest-serving Member of Parliament in the history of St James East Central — but because more lives have been enriched. More people with little promise or no promise, and even less resource, have had a chance to not only be promising but fulfill their promise,” he added.

Richard Lake (second row, third right), chairman of Restaurants Associates Limited, which operates the Burger King franchise in Jamaica, is almost lost in the crowd of scholarship recipients at the company’s recent award function. Photo: Karl Mclarty

TWO Jamaicans, Kenardo Matherson and Ganga Laheja, are among four high-achieving youth who have earned the European Union’s (EU) Erasmus Mundus Scholarship for 2023. The other scholars are Giann Vasquez and Tyler Eck from Belize. The four scholars will pursue joint two-year master’s programmes in the fields of science, technology and engineering, at leading universities across Europe, come September. EU Ambassador to Jamaica Marianne Van Steen, who congratulated the scholars, encouraged them to contribute to the growth and development of their countries following the completion of their programmes. “I know it is going to be very attractive to go to all those countries and you will see a completely different way of living. I just hope you are going to come back to your countries. If Jamaica and Belize should make a leap forward we need young people like you, who have been trained and educated well, to work on your countries,” said Van Steen. The ambassador also urged the scholars to take advantage of the different opportunities that will emerge from the scholarship experience. “Open your horizons. It is not just about what you are going to learn, it is not just about your university and the courses — it is about becoming a part of the different cultures and making friends for the rest of your life,” added Van Steen. Erasmus Mundus, which is designed to foster educational enrichment and intercultural understanding, is a joint master’s degree programme which covers the cost of students’ participation, travel, and living allowance. Five Jamaicans were awarded with scholarships for 2022, which was the country’s largest cohort since 2014. Since 2004 more than 30 Jamaicans have been awarded the scholarship. The application period for the scholarship is open every year between October and January, for courses starting the following academic year. Interested members of the public can consult the online catalogue of available masters’ programmes to identify postgraduate opportunities of their interest among the 193 programmes available.

The labour ministry — in reacting to cries of victimisation by five of six Jamaican men over their sudden dismissal by a Canadian farm owner after they, in June, went public with complaints about their sub-par living and working conditions — says it will “thoroughly investigate” their allegations. The ministry, in a statement issued on Friday morning, said it was up to that point, “unable to substantiate the allegations as publicised by the Jamaica Observer and had received no formal complaint from the workers”. The ministry, however, said, “due to the serious nature of the allegations”, it would engage the five men in a meeting Friday morning, “to hear from them directly as we continue to investigate this matter”. Up to press time, there was no word from the ministry on the outcome of the meeting. In the meantime, the ministry said preliminary investigations have revealed that, for the farm in issue, there has been notable fallout in production yield from the early cycle crops — asparagus and strawberry. It further said that based on changes in climatic conditions, spring frost impacted the crop production, causing a decline in projected yields. According to the ministry, “early cessation of employment is a common occurrence based on circumstances affecting crop production as is observed on several farms in Canada”. The ministry added that several farm workers who were party to the complaint by the Jamaicans about conditions on the farm in June are still on the job in Canada. A representative of the group, speaking with the Observer on Wednesday evening, had alleged that the abrupt dismissal was “payback” for them blowing the whistle in June. According to him, the news of their departure was given to them while they were in the field on Friday, August 4. The men, who had stayed off the job for a day in protest after their living quarters were flooded with waste water, landed in Jamaica on Tuesday, August 7, a day after the island ended its Independence celebrations. Labour Minister Pearnel Charles Jr, shortly after the matter was brought to his attention on Wednesday gone, arranged for the face-to-face meeting with the workers, who feel they have been victimised for going public with the video. The video, which had been shared on several social media platforms and was also 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 occasion to cause the unsightly flooding. The man, whose voice dominated the video, interrupted the workers’ attempts to deny any such activity. Following the media highlight by the farm workers, Charles Jr had ordered an immediate investigation into the living conditions and work environment of the farm workers from the location. 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.

THE Mayberry Foundation has added its financial muscles to Project STAR, the social and economic transformation initiative created by the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ). In affirming its commitment to fostering positive change in communities across Jamaica, the Mayberry Foundation has donated $10 million to Project STAR. The money will be disbursed over four years in tranches of $2.5 million annually. This infusion of capital will propel Project STAR’s multi-faceted initiatives, aimed at revitalising marginalised communities and driving comprehensive socio-economic growth. The announcement was made during a recent Mayberry Investor Update, showcasing Project STAR’s mission and progress. Keith Duncan, project sponsor of Project STAR, expressed his gratitude for the Mayberry Foundation’s support and shared insights into the far-reaching impact of the collaboration. In the meantime Chris Berry, executive chairman of Mayberry Investments, used the opportunity to express his unwavering conviction in the power of transformative change. “Project STAR emerges as an unparalleled embodiment of comprehensive initiative, a programme of unmatched scale that I have ever witnessed. As an individual firmly rooted in the belief that every challenge holds a solution, I am resolute in my support. Inspired by my brother Keith’s decision to embark on this ambitious journey. “It is worth noting that the Duncan family is renowned for its ethos of compassion. We have long been champions of aiding others, and with this collaboration, we extend our efforts to amplify our impact, benefiting not only ourselves but the broader community. Our commitment stands resolute at 100 per cent,” said Berry. He underscored that despite the Mayberry Foundation’s modest size, it is unwavering in its resolve to achieve an impact that transcends expectations. “While our foundation may be small in scale, it consistently punches above its weight. Often, we find ourselves being compared to entities of a different league, a comparison that doesn’t truly reflect our dedication. With just 130 employees at Mayberry, we have consistently defied conventional expectations. And now, we’re stepping up yet again. This marks one of the most significant contributions we’ve made this year. “Our well wishes extend to Keith and the entire Jamaican community engaged in the mission of Project STAR. We envision a community where all capable individuals come forward — those with skills, time or financial resources. Keith stands ready to impart his expertise, nurturing a wave of positive change. As for those with financial means, the opportunity for meaningful impact is substantial. The return on investment in this endeavour is poised to stand among the highest in Jamaica’s history,” added Berry. Project STAR, a visionary endeavour jointly led by the PSOJ and the Jamaica Constabulary Force, encompasses strategic partnerships with various government entities, community-based organisations and private sector stakeholders. This collective effort aims to transform low-resourced communities by addressing critical social and economic challenges in a holistic and sustainable manner. “The Mayberry Foundation’s important contribution reaffirms the team’s commitment to the betterment of Jamaica and underscores their role as a driving force behind positive change,” said Duncan in his address to the Mayberry Investor Update. “We are thrilled to welcome The Mayberry Foundation as a signature donor, and this support will undoubtedly advance our vision of vibrant, thriving communities,” added Duncan, who is also co-chair of the Oversight Board of Project STAR. Duncan emphasised the importance of a comprehensive approach as he declared, “Our focus is not only on social interventions but also on fostering economic empowerment. By partnering with organisations such as the Mayberry Foundation, we can create an ecosystem that enables micro and small businesses to flourish, stimulating economic activity and ensuring long-term sustainability.” The event showcased the initiatives already under way in the eastern end of downtown Kingston, where Project STAR has been operational for just over eight months, with substantial achievements in areas such as childhood education, skills development, employment creation and social cohesion. As Project STAR expands its reach from downtown Kingston to additional communities such as Sav-la-Mar, Westmoreland and May Pen, Clarendon, the vision of catalysing socio-economic transformation is gaining momentum and it is expected that the contribution from the Mayberry Foundation’s will play a pivotal role in driving this transformation throughout communities across Jamaica.

MONTEGO BAY, St James — Best friends La-Sharna Leslie and Dajanaye Clarke now have something else in common. They have been selected as the top female students in southern St James, based on their performance in the recent Primary Exit Profile (PEP) exams. Usually, the award goes to one male and one female student but, separated by only two points, the girls were almost indistinguishable from each other. Leslie racked up a score of 342 out of 400 while Clarke scored 344. They are graduates of St Mary’s Preparatory School which is based in Montpelier, St James. They said while they knew they did well in the exam, being named top female students came as a surprise. “We didn’t know we were going to get awards today but we’re excited and we’re pumped and we’re grateful,” Leslie said after they both received laptops from Member of Parliament for St James Southern, Homer Davis. “I almost drop down,” Clarke said comically. Both girls, who were also the top two students at St Mary’s Prep, will attend Montego Bay High School for Girls starting September. They know their new laptops will come in handy as they focus on the sciences. “I want to become a biochemist,” Clarke said. Leslie, who wants to become a paediatrician, said, “I am very excited for high school.” They are both looking forward to the end of summer and going back to the classroom. Like Leslie and Clarke, top male student Jovoy Thomas has been given a big boost by the award. He will be attending Herbert Morrison Technical High School. He is also from St Mary Prep. “I feel wonderful, I feel like I could rule the world right now,” he remarked with glee. The St James Southern High Achievers Award is an annual event that is coordinated by the office of the Member of Parliament, Homer Davis. Of the 15 schools within the constituency, 123 students on Thursday received bursaries of $25,000 in cash and book vouchers to assist them with their journey to high school.

BARITA Investments Limited, in its capacity as arranger and underwriter, has announced a multi-billion-dollar deal designed to redefine the urban panorama of St Catherine. The housing development dubbed ‘Hellshire View’ is being planned as a ground breaking stride toward urban development. Through financial backing of $1.5 billion, via an innovative revolving construction financing structure, Barita has forged a partnership with RiteSolutions Developers Limited. This collaboration has culminated in a joint venture agreement with the Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ), setting in motion the development of 157 acres of prime land at Shooters Hill, St Catherine. This initiative is poised to yield 603 cutting-edge housing solutions for low- and middle-income earners interwoven with commercial spaces. “This public-private partnership stands as a testament to Barita’s resolute belief in the boundless potential of the housing project and real estate development. Beyond addressing housing needs, the project emerges as a dynamic stimulus for economic expansion and creating employment opportunities,” said Terise Kettle, senior vice-president for investment banking at Barita Investments Limited. “We are proud to acknowledge our pivotal role in making this venture become a reality as it mirrors our commitment to fostering sustainable urban growth and community advancement, which will positively impact Jamaica. “Our financial support paves the way for a visionary concept that will etch an enduring legacy in the future of St Catherine and Jamaica,” added Kettle. For Owen Campbell, director of RiteSolutions Developers, the venture marks the convergence of strategic foresight and unwavering commitment. “As partners in progress, we are thrilled to embark on this transformative journey alongside Barita and the HAJ. This project is more than the sum of its parts; it’s a testament to our dedication to crafting thriving communities that resonate with innovation, inclusivity, and sustainable growth. “We envision Hellshire View as not just another residential development, but a testament to what’s possible when shared aspirations and determination converge,” said Campbell In endorsing that view, Kettle underscored that Barita has had more than four decades of service to Jamaica. “During that time, we have embraced challenges and opportunities while optimistic about the future. We are committed to realising the shared vision of a St Catherine that thrives, evolves, and stands tall as a testament to what collaboration and perseverance can achieve. “We are not just arranging funding to assist in building structures, we are building a legacy, one that celebrates the spirit of community, innovation, and the boundless potential of human endeavour,” said Kettle. Construction of Hellshire View started in April with the aim of delivering the first phase of homes in early 2024.

STUDENTS living in communities in proximity to Caribbean Cement Company Limited received much-needed support with their back-to-school expenses with an investment of $2.3 million in book vouchers. The company procured a total of 117 vouchers, each valued at $20,000. At a brief ceremony at the company’s sport club in Kingston on Thursday, managing director of the Rockfort-based entity Yago Castro urged the students to take care of their books. “Don’t destroy them. Read them carefully, read them slowly. There really is no rush,” said Castro. The handover of the vouchers formed part of the company’s social impact programme, which endeavours to foster a deep connection within the communities, supporting their economic development, and striving to improve the livelihoods of the residents. In response to receiving the book vouchers, St Hugh’s High School for Girls student Brielle Bailey expressed gratitude to the cement company for helping to offset back-to-school expenses and for investing in the education of the students present. Carib Cement also provided support to The MultiCare Youth Foundation to support its social intervention programmes, which target underserved youth.

George and Emmelyn Stewart both hit the 80-year-old mark in June, but the celebration had to wait until August when family and friends travelled from New York, Atlanta and Florida, to surprise them at a function at the Terra Nova Hotel in St Andrew last Saturday. The celebration was even sweeter as the couple celebrated 48 years of marriage on August 6. Here are some highlights of the magical evening.

SUPREME Court judge, Justice David Batts on Friday ruled that a January 2023 application made for the sale of bankrupt adventure tour company Mystic Mountain Limited (MML) can proceed. Deals expert Wilfred Baghaloo, who was appointed receiver in February last year by secured creditor and bondholder Sky-High Holdings Limited, after the company defaulted on its debt for a long period, had asked the court’s guidance as to whether or not he could proceed with the sale given the various concerns expressed by the shareholders. His appointment had come after a year-long fight in which directors of Mystic Mountain tried to come to an agreement with creditors under the Insolvency Act. Sky High Holdings Ltd (the secured creditor) owns 100 per cent of MML’s senior secured fixed rate bonds in the principal amount of $1.1 billion. On Friday Justice Batts, in handing down the ruling in the first of seven orders, said, “My order is that the sale of the business and assets of Mystic Mountain Limited, including the current leases between Mystic Mountain and lessors Jamaica Bauxite Mining Company and the Urban Development Corporation, upon the terms and conditions set forth in the agreement for sale dated January 19th, 2023 to the purchasers named therein and duly executed by the parties thereto, is hereby approved.” In making several orders relating to costs Justice Batts said, among other things, that the cost of filing and preparation of the claim; all applications and affidavits in support and in answer and in reply; as well as the cost of all hearing, mention, and trial dates up to and including the second day of August 2022 are to be borne by the estate of Mystic Mountain. Baghaloo, in responding to questions from the Jamaica Observer, said the court ruling had cleared the way for him to “now commence the process of fulfilling the conditions of the sale, which will require some time (maybe two months)”. Baghaloo, shortly after his appointment, had proceeded to seek a buyer for the assets and operation of the company. After a lengthy process, including advertising the business for sale globally, regionally and locally— including targeting approximately 40 private companies — a preferred buyer was selected in July 2022. However, the trustee and a group of shareholders objected to the sale to the preferred buyer. Baghaloo, in January 2022, challenged their objections by asking the court for its guidance on the matter. “After one year of affidavits, et cetera, the court made its judgment today that I, as receiver, should proceed with sale, and in summary is agreeing that proper process and considerations were given by me in selecting the preferred buyer. I thank the court for working during the period of recess [the judge’s vacation time] and to the numerous creditors, our workers, other stakeholders, and the preferred bidder for their enormous patience,” he told the Observer. “The sale has been delayed for a long time and so I would like to say thanks. It was my expectation to have this matter closed from September of last year so you will appreciate the anxiety of all the relevant stakeholders,” he added. In relation to the orders for costs made by Justice Batts, Baghaloo said, “The estate must bear some costs, but the costs for the hearings and work that goes into those hearings are the costs of the trustee, and not the estate. This is a matter the lawyer, and maybe the judge, will have to clear up in the future. This will require further clarification since the ruling may have a significant impact on the insolvency practice in the future.” He, in the meantime, said the case was “one of the most complex and difficult” he has seen in his 20 plus years of practice. Meanwhile, attorney Dr Christopher Malcolm, who headed the legal team appearing for Mystic Mountain Limited’s trustee Debbie-Ann Gordon, said with the court green-lighting the application for the sale of the entity and its assets, it is now left for his client “to consider the best interests of the estate as well as the 200 plus creditors involved and how it is that the matter is to be taken forward, including any applications that she may consider appropriate”. Bankruptcy proceedings for the adventure outfit began in January 2021 after the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Mystic Mountain was opened in 2008 with financing from the Development Bank of Jamaica and private investors including American Michael Drakulich and his colleague, former politician and Government Minister Horace Clarke. Mystic Mountain is one of the top attractions in Ocho Rios. Activities include ziplining, bobsledding and bird watching.

Nicklaus and Nickerson. One name rings a bell, while the other soon will, as both play a prominent role at Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club in Brewster, Mass. Nicklaus, of course, is the Golden Bear, and Nicklaus Design is responsible for Ocean Edge’s head-turning 7,011-yard, par-72 golf course (more on that later). Nickerson is the name of the family that originally owned the vast Coastal Cape property and built the iconic mansion around which the 429-acre resort lays out. The Mansion really is the heart of the place. The resort first opened in 1986, but business tycoon and Mayflower descendant Samuel Mayo Nickerson built what was then known as Fieldstone Hall in 1890 for his son Roland and family. Pretty soon it became the social hub of the Cape and for the most part it has remained so. But by no means is Ocean Edge stuck in the late Victorian era. This year’s Open Championship host has a celebrated history, and an eye towards the future. The head pro walked us through the excitement we can expect when Sean Zak and Dylan Dethier visited last summer. “We were inducted into the Historical Hotels of America just over a year ago, joining a prestigious global list of hotels and resorts that really celebrate and maintain their properties’ historic attributes,” said Brendan Carey, director of marketing for Ocean Edge. “We’re really keeping our story alive while also not staying too much in the past. We do a great job of that. Once you go outside the mansion, you see that we have updated guest rooms, we have updated facilities. We’re everything for the modern-day traveler, but we still maintain that essence of history.” The main Mansion has 90 rooms that cater to guests who prefer an upscale experience with old-world charm. There are also a handful of luxury villas and suites on the mansion grounds that offer enough space for bigger groups and families looking for a little extra attention to detail. A sparkling pool invites guests to linger.COURTESY OF OCEAN EDGE But most folks find themselves at the Villages Villas, a sprawling collection of single and multi-bedroom accommodations, some with kitchenettes. It’d be tempting just to relax in your villa and take in the cool sea air, but there’s so much to do at Ocean Edge, you don’t have that luxury. From pickleball to tennis to bike rentals, you can fill your morning with activity. Then relax in the afternoon at one of the resort’s five pools or, better yet, work out the kinks at The Beach House Spa (pro tip: the Ultimate Zen Ritual is the treatment to get). “If anyone leaves and says they were bored, then we didn’t do a good job communicating just how much we have on property,” says Carey. “Not only that, but we’re also part of an even larger community and we strive to be part of that community by sending our guests out to, as I like to say, a world beyond the Edge. We have partnerships with local museums, we send them out to Nickerson State Park, we partnered with a parasailing/jet ski company. We don’t ever want the other businesses on the Cape to think that we are (just) our own entity. We’re Cape Cod-ers.” S’mores are included at this private beach firepit.COURTESY OF OCEAN EDGE As any local or frequent visitor will tell you, the surrounding beaches are a can’t miss opportunity to experience life on the Cape, and Ocean Edge takes full advantage. Want to learn to build a five-star sandcastle? They’ve got you. Care to cruise the bay in a kayak? Check. How about rolling up your pants and embarking on an oyster bed adventure? Yep. You could spend a week and not get to partake in all the maritime mayhem available at the resort. One activity you best not miss is the private beach fire at sunset. It’s the perfect way to end a sand-filled day. S’mores included. A cocktail with a view.COURTESY OF OCEAN EDGE Ocean Edge even incorporates the beach into its golf offerings. Brewster Flats, alongside the property in Cape Cod Bay, is the largest tidal flats in North America. At low tide, they can extend out a mile or more. “It’s really hard compacted sand; beautiful. They’ll have these ripples, which makes for great dramatic sunsets,” says Carey. “But at low tide you get that really compacted sand perfect for designing mini golf courses. So, we do low tide mini golf, where every day the course changes.” Low tide mini golf is a hit for all ages.COURTESY OF OCEAN EDGE Other golf activities include Birdieball — essentially chipping from a dock at targets in the water (the more adventurous chip from paddle boards), nighttime Glow Golf and Cosmic Driving Range. One place you won’t want to encounter sand or water is Ocean Edge Golf Club. Reworked in 2007 by Chris Rule of Nicklaus Design, the private course is open to club members and hotel guests. Surprising elevation changes, gorgeous sightlines and gentle rolling terrain are all characteristic of the Nicklaus group’s notable work. The 17th at Ocean Edge Golf Club.COURTESY OF OCEAN EDGE But don’t let the wide fairways and receptive greens fool you, the course can play tough if that’s what you’re looking for. Two holes were singled out by GOLF back when the magazine covered the reopening: “The 195-yard 8th, with its downhill tee shot over Blueberry Pond, and the rugged 600-yard 17th are two lethal scorecard wreckers.” Nicklaus Design also performed a major remodel of the Links Restaurant and Clubhouse and built a brand-new Links Pavilion meeting space, creating a first-class experience for golfers and guests alike. The Mansion is itself a rebuild. In May 1906, Fieldstone Hall burned to the ground. It would be six years before Nickerson had the massive structure replicated, this time with fireproof materials. The Mansion would again welcome family and friends to celebrate life on the Cape, just as it does today at

Read “Former Trump White House Lawyer Says ‘There’s a Good Chance’ Alleged Voter Fraud Report Trump Will Release Could Become ‘Evidence Against Him’” on SmartNews

Trump’s efforts to steal Joe Biden’s victory in that state were a key component of his overall coup attempt that culminated in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. WASHINGTON ― Former President Donald Trump on Monday night was indicted in Georgia on charges that he committed state crimes by trying to coerce election officials to overturn his narrow loss to Joe Biden there, as part of his coup attempt to remain in power despite losing the 2020 election. Trump was charged with more than a dozen felonies, from conspiring to commit forgery to filing false documents to racketeering, which is considered a “serious” felony and punishable by as long as 20 years in state prison. Also indicted were a laundry list of Trump lawyers and allies, including Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, John Eastman, Jenna Ellis, Sidney Powell, Kenneth Chesebro, former Department of Justice official Jeffrey Clark and a host of Georgia Republican officials. At a news conference that started close to midnight, District Attorney Fani Willis said the “criminal conspiracy” had the “illegal goal of allowing Donald J. Trump to seize the presidential term of office beginning on Jan. 20, 2021.” “The grand jury issued arrest warrants for those who are charged,” Willis said. “I am giving the defendants the opportunity to voluntarily surrender no later than noon on Friday the 25th day of August 2023.” Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to a HuffPost query regarding if and when Trump would do that. ADVERTISEMENT The sweeping 98-page document details a total of 161 criminal acts, 41 counts and 19 defendants, including Trump, who was charged with 13 of the counts. The scheme is described as a “criminal enterprise” under Georgia’s broad racketeering law. “Trump and the other defendants charged in this indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump,” the indictment stated in the introduction. Among the charges: the harassment and threats against two Fulton County elections workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, on false allegations that they were tampering with ballots. The indictment also focuses on the fake elector scheme, which it states was “intended to disrupt and delay the joint session of Congress on January 6, 2021, in order to unlawfully change the outcome of the November 3, 2020, presidential election in favor of Donald Trump.” Willis’ indictment lays out an act-by-act chronology of the conspiracy, starting with a discussion Trump had on Oct. 31, 2020 ― three days before election day ― about a speech in which he would claim fraud and declare victory even if he lost. Trump in fact gave such a speech in the wee hours of election night: “An overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy,” according to the indictment. ADVERTISEMENT The narrative, listing dates, times and locations, lays out events that in most instances are not by themselves illegal but taken together are elements of a conspiracy to unlawfully remain in office despite having lost. Trump’s indictment was handed up by a Fulton County grand jury just before 9 p.m. ET following a marathon day of hearing testimony from witnesses. Local police started setting up barricades around the courthouse two weeks ago in anticipation of potential protests. In a statement released by his presidential campaign about an hour after the indictment was filed but before it was made public, Trump called Willis a “rabid partisan” who is trying to hurt his effort to return to the White House. “They are taking away President Trump’s First Amendment right to free speech, and the right to challenge a rigged and stolen election that the Democrats do all the time,” the statement said, repeating the same lies that led to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection in the first place. The indictment is the second related to his post-election activities leading up to and on the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump was charged in a federal indictment in Washington, D.C., two weeks ago, accusing him of conspiring to defraud the United States, conspiring to obstruct an official proceeding, obstructing an official proceeding, and conspiring to deny civil rights. U.S. Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith had previously brought 37 felony charges against Trump in June for retaining top-secret documents at his Florida country club and then hiding them from authorities seeking their return. On Thursday, he added three new charges in an updated indictment, including two that accused Trump of ordering the deletion of a computer server that contained incriminating video footage. ADVERTISEMENT In Georgia, Trump, his campaign and members of his White House team, including then-chief of staff Mark Meadows, pushed Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and others to set aside Biden’s 11,779-vote victory in that state and falsely declare Trump the winner. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis began her investigation shortly after a recording was made public of Trump seeming to threaten Raffensperger with the possibility of criminal prosecution. Willis sought a special grand jury to investigate that pressure campaign and related efforts by Trump and his team in Georgia. The grand jury wrapped up its work early this year and disbanded. It did not have the authority to issue indictments, which were left for Willis to pursue with a regular grand jury. The judge overseeing that 23-member panel, however, released three brief portions of the grand jury’s report on Feb. 16. In those, jurors wrote that they’d concluded there had been no widespread voter fraud in Georgia, as Trump continues to falsely claim. Jurors also said they believed that at least one of the 75 witnesses who appeared before them had committed perjury. In a hint of Willis’ action, the grand jury included six pages of recommendations regarding whom to indict and on what charges, all of which were redacted from what the judge released. ADVERTISEMENT Trump had been lying, and continues to lie, about the election in Georgia and other states having been “stolen” from him. Trump used those falsehoods to rile up thousands of

ANDREA Rennie, the mother of 17-year-old Asafa Lowe who is suspected to have drowned at a beach in Alligator Pond in Manchester on August 6, has described her grief as a heavy burden that is difficult to bear, especially since a nine night was held for her son on Tuesday and his body has still not been found. Lowe was affectionately referred to by Rennie, his siblings, other relatives and friends as ‘Raheem’. Rennie, at the nine night held at the mechanic shop where Lowe worked on Lyndhurst Road in St Andrew, told the Jamaica Observer that the suspected drowning of her promising son has made her feel empty, though she smiled constantly through the event. “It mash up mi head bad, bad. When they said they couldn’t find Raheem, I went down there and I was hopeful that they would,” she shared, adding that when she realised that many hours of searching for him turned up no positive results, depression started to set in. According to Rennie, it is by the grace of God that she can remain standing and smiling. “I came back up to Kingston and it was rough for me, but I remembered that I have two other children to take care of. Raheem mash me up bad,” she said. What made her smile more intense, however, was her recollection of how much of a talented artist and cook Lowe was. She shared that Raheem taught her a few skills in cooking, which he learned at the Mile Gully High School, where he attended. “He was not an academic kind of child, so I told him whatever he wanted to do I would support him. I thought more than less that he would want to go to Edna Manley College of the Performing and Visual Arts. He could look at you and just draw you. I always told him to pursue his passion,” Rennie said. She added: “Being a motor vehicle body work man was not Raheem’s passion. He did it because he said his grandfather used to do it. What he loved to do was draw. He wanted to be a tattoo artist but I didn’t like that so he said okay, he wouldn’t do it. He drew various cartoon characters on my door. Drawing was a passion but he didn’t make up his mind yet about a career. He also loved to cook. He did cooking at Mile Gully High. He taught me to fry chicken. The way I used to fry chicken he said, ‘no mommy’ and he showed me how to do it and his way is better than mine and that’s why his food just had a different taste. I thought being a chef or an artist was what he wanted.” A police report said about 2:30 pm on Sunday, August 6, Lowe and his friends went swimming at a beach in Alligator Pond when he reportedly got into difficulties and was seen sinking underwater. His grieving mother recently urged fun and thrill seekers in Alligator Pond to obey warning signs that say, “no swimming” at sections of beach. She also urged the authorities to close off a dangerous section of the beach known as River, which has been the scene of numerous drownings over many years, including three in the past few weeks. A week prior to the tragedy involving Lowe, 23-year-old Canadian tourist Treveno Sutherland was suspected to have drowned at the same area. A few days after Lowe’s suspected drowning, Wayne Watson, an Alligator Pond fisherman of 17 years, became the third victim of the treacherous waters. As it relates to the possibility of finding Lowe’s body after so many days, an Observer source, who is an expert in the fishing industry, said that strong currents may have pushed him far away, making it difficult to locate him. “It depends on the current. You have the Guts River coming from Milk River side that enters Alligator Pond. The current might have taken him further out. He could possibly end up as far as Black River in St Elizabeth. The sea could have taken him along the coast, into mangroves and then water come and move him again. That may be why finding him is so difficult. There are a lot of things we have to look at. There is a possibility he could still be found and even though his body may be a bit beat up, his family should still be able to identify him.”

THE Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) on Wednesday applauded students in State care who completed the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) and will be matriculating to high school. The top girl was placed at Bishop Gibson High School in Manchester, while the top boy will be attending Jamaica College in St Andrew. Speaking during the PEP Workshop and Awards Ceremony at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston, Minister of Education and Youth Fayval Williams noted that 185 students in State care, 75 boys and 110 girls, sat the 2023 PEP exams. “Of that number, 59 girls and 35 boys received a final score above 210 points and this accounts for about 51 per cent of the total who sat the exam. Of note, there are 10 children, eight girls and two boys, who received a final score above 300 points. The highest score that you can get on PEP is 360, so scoring 300 is awesome,” said Williams. She underscored that education plays a pivotal role in shaping the lives of children and it is the ministry’s responsibility to ensure that the youngsters receive the best possible provisions and support in this regard. Williams noted that the CPFSA spends just over $40 million annually on tuition and examination fees for students enrolled in educational institutions up to the tertiary level. “The Government will continue to enforce our duty to protect and serve our children who are wards of the State. To the parents, caregivers, and educators, your unwavering support has nurtured the seeds of success. Let us be reminded that today is a reflection of the future that we are creating together,” added Williams. In the meantime, CPFSA Director of Programmes Dr Warren Thompson urged parents and guardians to continue offering love, attention, and guidance to students as they transition to high school. “They need you to listen to them, now more than ever. They will need positive discipline to guide and correct them when they are wrong, and they need a safe space to share when they are hurt and shaken by their new adolescent worlds,” said Dr Thompson. He added that there is no rule book for parenting and encouraged parents and guardians to reach out to guidance counsellors, fellow parents, or the CPFSA for support. Dr Thompson also charged the PEP awardees to remain dedicated as they transition to a new chapter in their educational journey. “You have put in incredible work to make it this far and we are extremely proud of you. Remind yourselves that you are capable, God is with you, you are enough, you are creative, brave, and kind. Believe in yourselves and you can achieve anything,” Dr Thompson underscored. Prior to the awards ceremony, concurrent breakout sessions were held on principles of effective parenting. Another session, dubbed ‘I stepped to PEP’, focused on preparing students for the transition to high school. – JIS

MATTHEW Samuda, the minister with responsibility for the environment, has said he is pleased with the pace of works in sections of downtown Kingston to solve the problem of overflowing sewage in the streets. Work to lay new sewer pipes on West Street and Matthews Lane in downtown Kingston have been completed and has led to a halt of sewage overflow in some areas. “The pipeline works between West Street and Matthews Lane, which were started to alleviate the overflow of sewage that was happening on Pechon Street all the way down to West Street, are indeed complete in terms of pipe laying. Several laterals were also put in to allow businesses to connect to the new main,” Samuda said. “What we are doing now is testing the line before we do the reinstatement of the roadwork to ensure that there are no leaks. Once we pave the road, we don’t want any further need to dig it up. So far we are happy with the pipe laying work. It has significantly improved the quality of life of residents and those who work along Pechon Street and West Street. I am happy for the progress, but I don’t want there to be any illusions,” he added. Samuda declared that he does not want there to be any illusions as there are other sections of downtown Kingston that require similar work. One such area is on Spanish Town Road in vicinity of Oxford Street. “The work so far has been in a very small area in what we all consider downtown Kingston. The sewage network downtown is very old and not fit for purpose. It was built with a much smaller population in mind and it has outlived its useful life. The Government has been very clear that we do see this is as a pillar of urban renewal in downtown and we will be working to significantly improve through upgrades and through infrastructure, the sewage capacity and indeed the potable water capacity in downtown Kingston. This might take years. The infrastructure is around 80 to 100 years old. “I understand their plight very well and I understand their anxiety over the length of time it has taken. There is no sense of pride that we are only getting to this point now. You’ll recall that last year we had some difficulty in Greenwich Farm where the sewage lines from downtown eventually end. We had to do some corrective work there. Unfortunately we are behind and it is going to take a long time for us to catch up. They can be assured that Government is doing the assessment now and is replacing the oldest and worse lines first,” Samuda told the Jamaica Observer on Tuesday. People in other sections of downtown Kingston such as Orange Street and Spanish Town Road who still experience sewage problems on and off have got jealous of the works being done on West Street and places nearby. They also referenced a sewage problem that existed in Cross Roads, St Andrew, very close to the meat market that was fixed by the authorities last year and has not recurred. They said they want a situation downtown where people can feel comfortable that the days of sewage overflowing in the streets is long gone. On Tuesday, the Observer spoke to Donovan Anderson, manager of an ice cream store on Orange Street, who said that despite work to fix the problem in other areas, more work is needed to fix the issue once and for all. “People make a lot of complaints about serious sewage problems in the other parts. I would love them to really sort it out and get to the bottom of it and once and for all fix it so we don’t have that problem anymore. I am happy for the works taking place now. Cross Roads was fixed and it is the same thing we want for downtown, even though downtown is a much bigger issue,” Anderson said. “Latty”, a store operator on Spanish Town Road, near the Coronation Market, said she would be more than elated to know that the entire downtown Kingston is sewage free. “It would be good if they could fix the entire downtown once and for all. They haven’t reached my side yet right by Oxford Street and Spanish Town Road. I believe they will fix it because it wouldn’t make sense to fix some part and leave other parts. I want to be in an environment where there is no sewage running at all,” she said. In Cross Roads, where the problem of overflowing sewage existed up to March last year, the people who operate business in the area were overly pleased that since the fix, they are sewage free. One woman, who was selling slippers on the sidewalk at the meat market in Cross Roads, said Tuesday that, “We haven’t had anything like that since last year. We feel good about that. When we had the problem it wasn’t nice at all. It wasn’t good for our health”. A female store worker said she feels so good, it is as if there was no problem to begin with. “We glad seh the water stop. Everybody had a problem. It made us so uncomfortable. It smelled so bad. Our shoes don’t have to catch in the sewage water anymore. We were wondering if it can’t fix. It was bad, bad,” the store worker said.

MONTEGO BAY, St James – While he awaits a tally of the financial impact last week’s almost eight-hour closure of the Sangster International Airport (SIA) had on his members, president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association Robin Russell thinks the overall impact will be “mild”. That assessment is based on what he described as a team effort to minimise stranded travellers’ discomfort. “There was a lot of work done logistically trying to get the passengers as comfortable as possible. Buses went to Kingston and other things were done,” he told the Jamaica Observer on Wednesday. “Everybody jumped on board to try and mitigate the circumstances,” he added. “A lot of effort was put in to ensure that it wasn’t long-term interruptions.” Fifteen thousand passengers were affected after a combination of bad weather, ongoing work on the runway and poor contingency planning forced the authorities to halt flights in and out of Montego Bay’s SIA. Some flights were diverted to the Norman Manley International Airport and passengers bussed to Kingston. Some travellers were lucky enough to get hotel rooms but many camped out at the airport for hours as flights were backed up after the runaway reopened. Many who were interviewed at the SIA were livid. Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport Daryl Vaz is now awaiting a report from Tourism Minister Ed Bartlett on the fallout within the sector. This, after Vaz demanded and received reports from MBJ Airports Ltd, the operators of SIA; the Airports Authority of Jamaica and the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority. On Wednesday, Russell thanked those who he said played a big role in assisting visitors during the hours-long airport runway closure. “I would like to commend the efforts of the entire JHTA team, transportation, hotels, Minister Vaz, Minister Bartlett who were quick on the point making calls, the JCF [Jamaica Constabulary Force] for escorts that were done, Jamaica Tourist Board for sending representatives, MBJ for keeping everybody abreast, it was just a major thing,” he said. “Things happen but I think the response of the entire team, the entire country, is what puts confidence in Jamaica. It didn’t just happen and we left it to fix itself,” added Russell.

MONTEGO BAY, St James — With a senior firefighter charged for sexually assaulting a teenage girl on her third day of a summer employment programme at the Montego Bay Fire Station, Education Minister Fayval Williams said the programme will be assessed to determine if changes are needed to ensure participants’ safety. “We understand the gravity of the situation and it will be investigated thoroughly by our entities. But, at the same time, we will look at the programme to see if there is anything we need to change about it to ensure that this never happens again,” she told the Jamaica Observer on Thursday. Williams said even though the programme was piloted by the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, her ministry will have a role to play going forward. “Wherever a child is, whenever anything happens to that child, we have an obligation — especially because the Child Protection and Family Services Agency is in our portfolio,” she said. “So anywhere there is a case of abuse, immediately through one of their regional officers, they are there to begin the investigation to assess the immediate situation as well,” she added. The minister is optimistic that the summer work programme — which provides students with valuable experience in the workplace — will not be discontinued and she gave a commitment to swift action whenever children are in need of protection. “If we need to call CISOCA, if we need to call the police whenever we get these reports, even if it is in social media we are going to pursue and find out what’s going on,” said Williams. The high-ranking member of the Jamaica Fire Brigade was arrested on Tuesday and then charged a day later with attempted rape and sexual touching of a minor. The incident is said to have happened to the 14-year-old girl in July as she volunteered at the fire station. As part of stipulations outlined in the St James Parish Court on Thursday when he was granted bail in the sum of $400,000, the fireman has been asked to surrender his travel documents. He is scheduled to return to court on September 22.

NINETEEN public sector workers have been awarded full scholarships to pursue advanced studies at local and international tertiary institutions. They are the third cohort to benefit from the Marcus Garvey Public Sector Graduate Scholarship, which is administered by the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service. The awards ceremony was held at King’s House on Thursday to coincide with the 136th anniversary of the birth of Jamaica’s first national hero, in whose honour the scholarship is named. Awardees will be pursuing courses in national security, public health, computer-based management information systems, family medicine, construction management, law, applied data science, forensic science, and renewable energy technology. In his remarks, Governor General Sir Patrick Allen said the scholarship programme is a direct investment in Jamaica’s future. “The knowledge you acquire, the insights you gather and the skills you hone will be integral to shaping and fortifying our nation’s future,” he said. The governor general said members of the Scholarship Selection Committee, which he chairs, were impressed with the calibre of candidates, their educational achievements, the passion for the work they do and their vision of the impact their training will have on national development. He indicated that he is looking forward to increased uptake of the scholarships over the next two years. “Please let others who are working in the public sector know of this and encourage them to apply. They may very well be successful,” the governor general said. Deputy Financial Secretary Wayne Jones said the Ministry of Finance continues to lead the charge in facilitating training opportunities for public sector workers. “Our esteemed awardees, you have been carefully selected, having displayed the desired skills, academic achievements, and tenacity to inspire and lead a greater tomorrow. We, therefore, extend to you warmest congratulations on your selection and remain committed to supporting you throughout your educational journey and as you return to give back through service to Jamaica, land we love,” Jones said. Top scholarship recipient, Captain Natalie James, who gave the vote of thanks, expressed gratitude on behalf of the recipients, noting that the scholarship programme recognises the sheer relationship between education and national development. “This occasion is a testament to the commitment of advancing education, fostering talent and igniting the flame of national pride. Through this initiative, we will nurture a cadre of individuals who will harness their knowledge and skills to drive our country’s progress to new heights,” she remarked. The scholarships were established by the Government in 2020 to offer Jamaican nationals and citizens employed in the public sector the opportunity to obtain postgraduate degrees from competitive, appropriately accredited universities in Jamaica, North America and Europe. The programme offers 30 graduate scholarships annually at an estimated cost of $1 billion over five years. Awardees will be provided with a stipend to cover reasonable monthly costs for living expenses, including meals and accommodation.

LABOUR ministry officials have heeded a call by five of the six Jamaican men for a meeting to put on the table their concerns over their shock dismissal by a Canadian farm owner after they, in June, went public about their sub-par living and working conditions, triggering an intense probe at the Ontario location. The men, 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 them blowing the whistle in June. According to him, the news of their departure was given to them while they were in the field on 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. Now back in Jamaica, the men say they want a chance to share their side of the story with ministry officials. “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 Wednesday. Labour Minister Pearnel Charles Jr, who spoke with the representative shortly after the matter was brought to his attention, arranged for the face-to-face meeting with the workers, who feel they have been victimised for going public with the video. The video, which had been shared on several social media platforms and was also 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 occasion to cause the unsightly flooding. The man, whose voice dominated the video, interrupted the workers’ attempts to deny any such activity.

THE mystery surrounding six parliamentarians being investigated by the Integrity Commission (IC) for illicit enrichment deepened on Thursday as both sides of the political divide claimed they are unaware of any of their members being under probe. On Wednesday People’s National Party (PNP) president, Opposition Leader Mark Golding, declared that none of the 21 parliamentarians on his side had been contacted by the IC as part of an illicit enrichment investigation. On Thursday it was Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) leader, Prime Minister Andrew Holness’s turn to make a similar claim. “I have asked as far and as wide and I have not gotten a response from everyone, but as far as I have been told, no. People have been written to, as the Integrity Commission does almost daily, but I have not heard of anyone in my political party being written to for this matter of illicit enrichment,” said Holness during a tour of Clarendon Northern. “What has been done, with each person coming out and saying, ‘No I haven’t been written to’, who genuinely can say that they are telling the truth? I could have asked and someone could say, ‘No, I haven’t been written to,’ because they may have not gotten the letter, the letter may have been sent somewhere…In other words, this process is just political gimmickry that the Opposition is doing. “Let’s be real, we built this process [and] they were a part of it. Let us support the process as it is and let it work. We have put several billion dollars into supporting and developing the Integrity Commission since its establishment. It is working. Everyone agrees [that] there needs to be some refinement. For those people who are lobbying to change the law, I have no challenge with that. Democratic society needs lobbyists, but let us give context to the debate,” added Holness as he defended the so-called “gag clause” which prevents the IC from naming people it is investigating until it tables a report in Parliament. “Due process is important,” declared the prime minister. Earlier in his presentation, Holness argued that the current Opposition was in step with the decision to include the gag clause when it was included in the legislation governing the operation of the IC years ago. According to Holness, both sides of the political divide agreed that the IC should be so empowered that it could do its work without any form of interference, intervention, [or] misdirection, and Jamaica is now seeing this as the body is operating effectively. He argued that the IC should now be allowed to complete its investigations and table its reports, then matters can be moved into a public court. “Now what happens to someone who is being investigated for which the investigations turns out to be spurious, or there are no basis for that. Is there a way to repair the damage to that person? We are arguing here on the level of parliamentarians, the Integrity Commission, from my understanding, also indicated that several public officers are also being investigated. “What I am saying is the issue has become a political weapon, a political tool, trying to score points with the public,” added Holness in a thinly veiled reference to the Opposition leader who, in a release on Thursday, chided the Administration for its decision to ban its parliamentarians from commenting on the illicit enrichment investigation. “We take a position that the law, as it is established, puts in place a gag clause. I don’t like to use the term a ‘gag clause’ because it makes it seem like there is something suspicious or something to be hidden. But what it is, it is a protection for due process,” declared Holness. “This business of trying to try people before an investigation is not the due process of our jurisdiction,” added the prime minister. Earlier Thursday the Opposition leader had issued a sharp rebuke to the announcement by minister with responsibility for information Robert Morgan at a post-Cabinet media briefing on Wednesday that the prime minister has banned parliamentarians on his side from commenting on the IC’s illicit enrichment investigation. According to Golding, the announcement from Morgan was “shocking and deeply concerning”. “The notion of creating a so-called ‘Cabinet policy’ to shield ministers from speaking the truth and evading accountability is a glaring attempt to obstruct transparency and evade the responsibility of elected officials to the Jamaican people. “The excuse that this policy is intended to preserve the confidentiality of Cabinet deliberations disguises its true intent. In reality, it is a political manoeuvre to shield parliamentarians from being held accountable for their actions and potential wrongdoings. This is not the kind of leadership and governance that Jamaicans deserve,” said Golding. He argued that the very essence of democratic governance hinges on transparency, accountability, and the duty of elected officials to provide explanations to the people they serve. He charged that the gag order issued by Holness undermines these fundamental principles and erodes the trust between the Government and the citizens. “The PNP views this Cabinet policy as a dangerous subversion of democratic values. It is an abuse of power at the highest level, and it contradicts the ideals of open and honest governance that the Jamaican people have a right to expect from their elected representatives,” said Golding as he declared that the PNP’s approach is in stark contrast to that of the JLP. “We have taken the responsible step of voluntarily disclosing the status of all our parliamentarians with regards to the IC’s investigations. This goes further to our unwavering commitment to transparency and accountability,” added Golding.

THE Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) is reporting that while Jamaica’s poverty rate, impacted by the novel coronavirus pandemic, increased in 2021, some improvement is expected when subsequent data are calculated. It said the prevalence of poverty in 2021 was estimated at 16.7 per cent, reflecting an increase of 5.7 percentage points relative to 2019. The rates were compared with 2019 as no local estimate of poverty was available for 2020. Speaking at the institute’s quarterly press briefing on Thursday, PIOJ Senior Director, Economic Planning, Research and Policy Logistics James Stewart explained that at the time the poverty rate was provided, the economy was still experiencing the conditions of COVID-19, including lockdowns and job cuts. “Since then the labour force has recovered and…we expect that in subsequent releases of the Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions (JSLC), we do expect to see improvement in the poverty rate but for 2021 the conditions which prevailed at the time is reflected in the poverty out-turn presented,” he said. At the same time, PIOJ’s Director General Dr Wayne Henry said Jamaica’s poverty rate is in keeping with expectations and experiences globally, noting that “we’ve seen poverty rates increase globally in many cases way above what we see in here”. Highlighting the Government’s efforts in terms of the speed of recovery for Jamaica from the pandemic and the social protection programmes to offset the fallout, Dr Henry stressed that “we were very instrumental, we believe in ensuring that the poverty rates were not higher. “So we are seeing the improvements going forward as reflected in economic performance as well as labour market record performances,” he said. Providing a further breakdown of the figures, the director general noted that the data were collected over a five-month period from June to October 2021, a little over one year since the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Jamaica. He said that the overall increase in the poverty rate was driven by increases in two regions as the rate in one region was statistically the same. Rural areas registered the highest rate at 22.1 per cent, followed by other urban centres at 15.5 per cent, and the Greater Kingston Metropolitan Area at 10.4 per cent. “Relative to 2019, the prevalence of poverty increased in the Greater Kingston Metropolitan Area by 5.7 percentage points and rural areas by 7.9 percentage points, but remained relatively unchanged in other urban centres,” he said. The director general said the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected the lives and livelihood of persons leaving a legacy of rising poverty and widening inequality. He said that similar to most economies, Jamaica was still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. He said the World Bank estimated that in 2021 about 97 million more people were living on less than US$1.90 per day because of the pandemic, increasing the global poverty rate from 7.8 per cent to 9.1 per cent. Additionally, 163 million more were living on less than US$5.50 per day. Globally, three to four years of progress toward ending extreme poverty are estimated to have been lost. “While the Jamaican economy recorded growth of 4.6 per cent in 2021, and employment increased by 8.3 per cent in July 2021 relative to July 2020, real gross domestic product (GDP) was still 5.8 per cent below its 2019 level and employment was 3.3 per cent below what it was in July 2019. These factors explain the higher poverty rate in 2021 relative to 2019,” he said. In the meantime, the PIOJ boss said that the 2021 edition of the JSLC, which tracks the effects of social and economic programmes and policies, is being finalised and will be made available to the public following its tabling in Parliament later this year, likely by September 2023.

TOURISM Minister Edmund Bartlett says the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) Summer Internship Programme has “reached a new high” which he says is an offshoot of the economic growth spurt being experienced by the country, which has seen eight consecutive quarters of fiscal growth. Speaking during a media briefing to share critical insights into the successes of this year’s staging of the programme in the Corporate Area on Thursday, Bartlett said out of the total 14,000 young people who signed up for the programme, more than 11,100 were employed in 136 areas across Jamaica. In 2022, more than 800 students were selected to participate in the programme of which successful candidates were selected from a pool of more than 7,000 applicants then. “The summer internship programme that the TEF has been managing has reached a new high in 2023…and it is correct that this year should be the highest level of enrolment and involvement that the programme has had,” the tourism minister said. The TEF Summer Programme, started in April 2007, aims to provide transitioning high school and university students with valuable work experience across various sectors. Under the guidance of the Jamaica Centre for Tourism Innovation (JCTI), the programme partners with organisations in all 14 parishes. Participants gain real-world experience over six weeks while receiving mentoring from professionals in the field. All interns can earn the Certified Guest Service Professional designation from the esteemed American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) as part of their development. Fifth form students received $14,500 per week, sixth formers $16,500 per week, first and second-year college students $18,000 per week and third-year students and those up to the masters level $20,500 weekly. Bartlett, in emphasising that the jobs were not “high paying”, told students Thursday that the remuneration was not a reflection of their “value” but more a reflection of what can be afforded at this time.

PARADISE, Westmoreland — Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport Daryl Vaz says the recently amended Road Traffic Act may be adjusted to include sanctions for owners of animals that cause road crashes. While making the point that ridding the streets of animals will require collaboration between the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), the minister said he does not believe any significant progress will be made until harsh sanctions are implemented to deal with owners. Thought is being given, he said, to legislation that will outline fines. “Right now, we are still doing some tweaking to the Road Traffic Act and I think that this is something that we will have to look at to include because it is unacceptable for persons going about their lawful business to have to deal with accidents and loss of life because of irresponsible farm animal owners,” stated Vaz. The new Road Traffic Act was rolled out on February 1. On Wednesday, Vaz also pointed out that the Government has a responsibility to rid the streets of strays. “Obviously it’s our duty and responsibility, if that is so [the animals are strays], to take them off of the streets and, of course, impound them until such time as they are claimed,” he said. He said the issue will be discussed during a meeting he will have with the National Road Safety Council next week. The minister was addressing the grand opening of Regency Petroleum Limited (RPL) Service Station located in Paradise, Westmoreland, on Wednesday. During his presentation he stressed that getting road safety right must be a priority, and noted that it is currently a serious challenge, especially in Westmoreland and St Elizabeth. The minister referenced recent statistics in which six people lost their lives in collisions with animals across Jamaica. Two such incidents took place in Little London, Westmoreland, and the other in St Elizabeth. Vaz said one of the victims was 11 years old. On July 30, 21-year-old police constable Tajay Ebanks succumbed to injuries received when his service vehicle collided with a cow on the Little London main road. Three days later, 22-year-old Christopher Samuels lost his life when the car he was travelling in collided with a cow on the same road.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.