THIS WEEKS NEWS SUMMARY
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HEAVY RAINS LASH JAMAICA – December 31, 2004
Heavy rains have been lashing Jamaica for the past two days. This has caused flooding in several areas the worst being the Bog Walk gorge in St. Catherine and the Yallahs fording in St. Thomas as they remained impassable up till last night. Reports from the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) have reported that at lest three cars have been swept away by heavy waters in the general area of the Bog Walk gorge….
CHRISTMAS TRAGEDY LEAVES SIX DEAD
Christmas Day was one of the most unbelievable for Marjorie ‘Cindi’ Rose when she lost three members of her family in a horrifying accident along the Scotts Cove main road in Westmoreland. The accident claimed the lives of six persons including the three family members of Ms. Rose. The car thee six were travelling in was burnt beyond recognition and it is any wonder none of the passengers did not survive. To Mrs. Rose, it was a devastating loss and up till now she has difficulty in accepting the reality of loosing three family members all at ones and so tragically on Christmas Day…
SEAGA RETIREMENT DRAWS NEIGH – December 30, 2004
Edward Seaga has announced his impending retirement from his West Kingston constituency. Shock and awe were expressed as many openly showed their disappointment in the announcement. Opposition Leader Edward Seaga has served his constituency for over forty years of unbroken service as Member of Parliament. This is what one resident had to say regarding the news… “I cried (because) I miss him and I love him next to God. I don’t feel please because he came in his youthful days and stayed with us. I wasn’t looking for him to go dat way. I feel sad because I love him and he loves the poor people… he knows to rule the people; he stands with us, talks with us, he feeds us…”
T & T MAKES FINANCIAL PLEDGE TO ASIA
Trinidad & Tobago has made a financial contribution to the devastating Asian countries which were affected following the tsunamis. Over 200 thousand bodies have since been recovered from the wreckage. Prime Minister Patrick Manning also announced that his country would develop “appropriate contingency plans” to take into account “the greater intensity of the natural disasters that we are seeing here and elsewhere in the world….
NYS EMPLOYS TEEN ENVIRONMENTALISTS – December 29, 2004
The National Youth Service of Jamaica has begun recruiting over 300 teenagers as environmentalist. This has become necessary due to the shortage of personnel in national efforts to upgrade and preserve Jamaica’s natural environment. The teen’s responsibility will include planting 250,000 seedlings in nurseries and then later transplanting them at select sites across the island as a support to the national reforestation programme.
KPH UNDER FIRE AS BLIND PATIENT FALLS FROM BUILDING…
A blind patient of the Kingston Public Hospital met her death after falling from third floor and broke her neck. 33-year-old Claudia Millford met her death after awaking and trying to find her way to the loo or some other place. This was the view of her older brother Norris Miller. He said that the hospital’s response to his sister’s death was that se was discovered missing from the ward around 6:00am but allegations are that the incidents occurred hours before that…
INCREASE TOURISM VISITS TO CUBA AGAIST US RESTRICTIONS – December 28, 2004
Against the restrictions being imposed against travel to Cuba, reports show that tourism travel to Cuba is up by eight percent compared with the same time 2003. Last year, about 1.9 million foreigners visited Cuba. Canadians top the list of tourists, followed by Europeans, primarily from Italy, France, Germany and Spain…
NEW PROGRAMME ADDED TO SECONDARY SCHOOL CURRICULUM
A new programme will be added the secondary school curriculum in Jamaica involving values and attitudes. A manual was developed consisting of five units: self-development and interpersonal skills, citizenship, conflict resolution, family life and work ethics.
The HEART Trust/NTA, in collaboration with the National Youth Service (NYS), is proposing to implement the programme using the manual developed by the NYS and which has been used to train NYS participants and tertiary students of the JAMVAT programme…
WIFE LEFT TO SUFFER AIDS DISEASE – December 27, 2004
A mother of three now husbandless is left to battle the dreaded disease passed to her by her husband. The husband died months ago and now the mother and her youngest if five-year old is battling the AIDS virus alone in secret. She found out about her infection after the birth of her last child and now her nine-year and 18 year olds have no clue that their mom is infected with the disease. Last year, the mother gratefully spoke of the help she had received from a nurse at Jamaica AIDS Support (JAS) who had ‘adopted’ the family. JAS takes care of the children’s school fees, which is a big break for the financially strapped single mom…
MAN SHOT BY COP TAKES CASE TO PRIVY COUNCIL
A man was shot by a policeman on March 17, 1990 in his head and has since suffered permanent limp and his susceptibility to epileptic seizures. The encounter began harmlessly when Clinton Bernard was simply trying to use a pay phone at the post office’s Central Sorting Office (CSO) in Kingston. After waiting in line for more than an hour, it was his turn; but Constable Paul Morgan identified himself as a police officer and demanded that he be allowed to go next. He wanted to make a long distance call, he said. Bernard told him to wait his turn. Both men wrestled for the instrument and Bernard won. After losing the handset, the constable pulled his service revolver and shot Bernard in the head. He is now living in London but says he suffers most when the time gets cold so he has to come home at some time…
SURRIDGE TALKS TOUGH – December 26, 2004
The head of the Financial Investigation Division, Mike Surridge has sent out a warning to customs officers who are found to be involved in the botch in the importation of produce for Hurricane Ivan. Mr. Surridge made his announcement after receiving a report on Tuesday from a four-member team that was set up to investigate the events that led the government to incorrectly accuse 18 retail supermarkets of price gouging…
BUTCH FREE OF AIR J RESPONSIBILITY
Now that Air Jamaica is back under full government control, outgoing chairman Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart says that the ten years of ownership has placed a grate strain on his group and now that he has handed over his 75% share back to the government, he is now feeing as free as a bird. He told a press conference at the Ministry of Finance and Planning, where the agreement was signed to transfer the AJAG shares back to the government, that the airline was a valuable institution that needed the support not just of the AJAG group, but of the entire nation…
SOUTH ST. ANDREW HAD A HORRIFYING YEAR
It is said that if South St. Andrew does not ring in the New Year in style, they have a right! The old year of 2004 was nothing short of horrifying with guns banging from gangs which have seized the community since April. Up to 19 persons have been killed in that community and on Wednesday morning, Randy O’Neil and Hughie Powell of Wilton Gardens, commonly known as Rema, became the latest victims of the warfare when they were murdered by gunmen…
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SPORTS
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AUSTRALIA VS WEST INDIES – A GOOD WAY TO GRADE
The new Bennett King says that the upcoming VB Triangular Limited Overs series in Australia will be an excellent way to grade the Caribbean team’s development since winning the ICC Champions’ Trophy in September. Bennett said that Australia has the best cricket team in the world because of their consistency. However, the team will not arrive as such because of different circumstances including an Air traffic strike in Guyana. Others will be delayed by unfinished personal business…
GRAHAM EXTANDS A HELPING HAND – December 30, 2004
Trevor Graham who is world renown for his achievements in producing international track and field athletes, have extended a hand to assist Jamaica. Although he has never being invited to help out, Graham, who was the Nike USA Track & Field (USATF) coach of the year in 2002, expressed his desire to assist the country he represented at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. Graham says he has always wanted to help Jamaica’s track and field team…
Boyz advance in Digicel Cup
Dec. 20, 2004
Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz team defeated St Lucia 2-1 in the second leg of their quarter-final Digicel Caribbean tie at the National Stadium yesterday. The win gives Jamaica a 3-2 aggregate advantage after drawing the first leg 1-1 in St Lucia. Jamaica will now face French Guiana in a home-and-away series on January 9 and 16. Jamaica took the lead with just 40 seconds on the clock when a Luton Shelton Cross found Roland Dean who had an easy task of tapping home the first goal. St. Lucia fought back and found the equaliser in the 23rd minute with a goal from Titus Elva. St Lucia continued to pressure Jamaica in the second half but in the 66 minute the Boyz went ahead courtesy of a curling 25-yard free-kick from Harbour View’s midfield maestro Jermaine Hue. St. Lucia continued to threaten and in the 80th minute Elva broke away but his shot was saved by the well-placed Jamaican goalkeeper. JAMAICA – Shawn Sawyers, Damion Stewart, Jermaine Taylor, Tyrone Sawyers, Robert Scarlett, Fabian Davis, Jermaine Hue, Khari Stephenson (Keith Kelly 50th), Mario Harrison, Roland Dean (Teofore Bennett 70th) and Luton Shelton. Booked: Harrison (12th), Scarlett (61st) Subs not used: L Murray, K Kelly, L Hyde Jnr, G Reid, F Dawkins, T Bennett, A Priestly St Lucia – Abraham Mentor, Germal Valcin, Mogabi Polius, Angus William, John Perry Joseph (Levi Gilbert 84th), Eliga Joseph, Curtis Alcide (Vernus Abbott 70th), Alvin Xavier, David Flavius (Peter Valcin 76th), Titus Elva and Earl Jean. Booked: William (43rd), Xavier (57th) Subs not used: Giovanni Deterville, Garvin Phillip, Peter Valcin, Albert Joseph, Vernus Abbott and Leyton Sandiford Referee: Roberto Guitierez (Cuba) Assistants: Ricardo Morgan and Rohan Thobourne (Jamaica) Fourth Official: Victor Stewart (Jamaica) Match Commissary: Anton Sealy (Bahamas).
View more in sports at www.thereggaeboyz.com
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