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SHOCKING & APALLING: Exam results from the Paterson School District in New Jersey revealed that only 19 out of 600 students scored enough to get into college...Just over 3 per cent of students from Paterson deemed 'college-ready'...Education officials have alleged the administration of 'hiding something' after they gave optimistic projections of test results
Shocking exams results from a New Jersey school district have revealed that only 19 out of 600 students could get into college.
Just over 3 per cent of pupils from Paterson were deemed 'college ready' based on their SAT scores, meaning they achieved at least 1,500 out of 2,400 points.
The average score obtained by a student in the area was just 1,200. It is a decrease on the 26 (4.2 per cent) who reached the benchmark last year. Despite the worrying results, some education officials have insisted they are not concerned and have criticized exam boards for fielding questions that hurt minorities and female students.
However others agreed that there was a problem and that the administration may have been 'hiding something'.
Corey Teague, a school board member, told the Paterson Press suggest optimistic estimates of improved student scores may be inaccurate.
'That's a sign that they're hiding something,' he said. 'They like to brag that the scores are up when they're not.'
Terry Corall, a spokeswoman for the district, said the numbers are 'flat not down', in reference to last year's scores.
She said the difference in the total number of students who reached college-ready score was 'not much different from past years.'
'More importantly, this chart was referring to SAT's being used as a college-readiness benchmark,' Corallo added. 'But as we have discussed, there are many factors that play a part in college readiness.' more
THE VERY BEST: 8-year-old Madison Reid of Cleveland is quickly becoming an Internet star after being interviewed by WKYC Channel 3 at a November grand opening for a new Little Free Library.
Eight-year-old Madison Reid might just be the new unofficial spokesperson for child literacy.
The third-grader took the Internet by storm last week with her impassioned speech about the value of books, as part of a WKYC Channel 3 broadcast covering one of Cleveland's new Little Free Libraries.
The Little Free Library movement encourages reading and literacy by providing small “libraries,” or wooden boxes in communities so that people can exchange books. Undoubtedly, Madison got her enthusiasm for the campaign from her mom Tracy, who is a steward for one of the five Little Free Libraries in the Cleveland area, according to WKYC.
During her interview with WKYC, Madison shares her excitement about the new Little Free Library, before launching into her fervent monologue. "The world needs books!" she declares. "What would the world be like without books? They fuel our mind like cars and gas. The cars can't go without gas, our brains can't go without books. The world needs books! We need books."
The world needs more book enthusiasts like Madison!
BROWN'S TOWN, St Ann: Cops arrest man, Errol Nisbeth for taking their photo..."Hey bwoy, delete mi picture out a yuh phone," was the response of the policeman.
Tuesday, December 02, 2014
BROWN'S TOWN, St Ann — Errol Nisbeth, an information technology professional and founder of the St Ann 360 advocacy group which operates a website and Facebook page that highlight happenings in the parish, said he was recently arrested after taking a photograph of a group of policemen talking to a handcart vendor in this town.
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| The offending photograph taken by Errol Nisbeth that landed him in trouble. |
Nisbeth said that on Saturday, November 22 he was in the town, where he has lived for several years, when the police who were carrying out their duties 'caught his eyes' and he decided to take a photograph for his page. However, immediately after taking the photograph with his cellphone one of the policemen demanded that it be deleted.
"One of the policemen walk over to me and ask if mi just take a picture," Nisbeth recalled. He said he answered in the affirmative and asked if it was illegal to do so. "Hey bwoy, delete mi picture out a yuh phone," was the response of the policeman. Nisbeth said by then he had started to record the exchange on the same phone. He was subsequently searched, apparently for weapons, placed in a police vehicle and whisked away to the police station.
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| A photograph that Errol Nisbeth captured of himself while in police custody |
Nisbeth told the Jamaica Observer yesterday that the policeman told others at the station that he was taking a photograph of them while they were carrying out an operation. A policeman at the station, he said, told him that: 'Bwoy yuh out of order fi a take picture a police'. more
KINGSTON, Jamaica — The St Ann police are confirming that several pellets have been removed from the body of late roots play actor Cleve 'Chu Chu' Warren....Warren, known for his cross-dressing character Chu Chu, appeared in several local productions including Man Fi Get Bun, Delilah, School Boy, Passa Passa and Passa Passa 2.
KINGSTON, Jamaica — The St Ann police are confirming that several pellets have been removed from the body of late roots play actor Cleve 'Chu Chu' Warren.
Warren, 46, was pronounced dead at the St Ann's Bay Hospital last Thursday after complaining he was feeling dizzy. He was e nroute to the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston.
"Information reaching us is that 57 pellets were removed from his body. They will be sent to the lab for testing to determine what they are," said Senior Superintendent of Police Yvonne Martin-Daley.
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| Cleve 'Chu Chu' Warren (Facebook Pic) |
SSP Martin-Daley said investigations are continuing.
Mytania 'Sambo' Samuels was the last person to see the actor alive.
"He stopped by me in Ocho Rios, on his way to the airport and complained of feeling dizzy. I saw he had some food in the car and wondered if it was that was making him sick, so I went to get some Andrews (antacid) to settle his stomach. When I came back to his car, he fell on the ground and started kicking. I thought he was choking and some people came around and told me he was having a fit," Samuels recalled.
Warren reportedly revived and wanted to continue his journey to the airport but Samuels insisted that he come to his house and rest before taking on the journey.
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| Cleve 'Chu Chu' Warren (Facebook Pic) |
Warren, known for his cross-dressing character Chu Chu, appeared in several local productions including Man Fi Get Bun, Delilah, School Boy, Passa Passa and Passa Passa 2....SOURCE JAMAICA OBSERVER
DID BOYCOTTING OF BLACK FRIDAY WORK? SURPRISE! SHOPPING SLIDES as a RESPONSE TO FERGUSON...Black Friday Weekend Slows Down As Allure Fades....down 5.2 percent from last year, according to a survey of 4,631 people
AP | By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO Posted: 12/01/2014 12:10 am EST
NEW YORK (AP) — Black Friday fatigue is setting in. Early discounting, more online shopping and a mixed economy meant fewer people shopped over Thanksgiving weekend, the National Retail Federation said Sunday.
Overall, 133.7 million people shopped in stores and online over the four-day weekend, down 5.2 percent from last year, according to a survey of 4,631 people conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics for the trade group. Total spending for the weekend is expected to fall 11 percent to $50.9 billion from an estimated $57.4 billion last year, the trade group estimated.
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| Shopping No More....Did Ferguson cause impact? |
Still, the preliminary data makes retailers worried that shoppers remain frugal despite improving employment and falling gas prices.
Matt Shay, the trade group's CEO, said he thinks people benefiting from the recovery may not feel the need to fight crowds to get the deepest discount on a TV or toaster. And those who feel like the recession never ended may not have the money and will stretch out what they spend through Christmas. more
St. JAMES, JAMAICA: Norwood tragedy - 5-y-o boy, Jonathan Ward dies in mysterious car fire...The boy's death was particularly painful for his grandmother, Linnette Perry, as she was attending her brother's funeral at the time of the tragedy.
BY HORACE HINES Observer staff reporter hinesh@jamaicaobserver.com Monday, December 01, 2014
NORWOOD, St James — A St James family is now in mourning after a five-year-old boy died in a fire that engulfed a parked motor car in his yard Saturday afternoon.
The fire, which claimed the life of Jonathan Ward, also called Rushie, has left family members puzzled.
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| 5-y-o boy, Jonathan Ward and sad grieving grandmother |
Uchema Hemmings, a young family member, said she was inside the house when the car burst into flames. She said that efforts to rescue the boy from the blazing motor vehicle proved futile as the heat was unbearable.
Family and community members eventually managed to smash one of the windows after they brought the blaze under control using buckets of water and sand.
Yesterday, when the Jamaica Observer visited the scene, family members theorised that the boy locked himself inside the vehicle before it was gutted by the fire.
The boy's death was particularly painful for his grandmother, Linnette Perry, as she was attending her brother's funeral at the time of the tragedy.
"The death has left the family stranded. Is a little boy who give a lot of trouble, but otherwise he is helpful. He is missed by family and missed by strangers because is a loving little boy," Perry moaned. "Mi caan believe. Mi caan eat, mi caan drink, mi caan sleep. It is sad."
Her granddaughter, Uchema, was equally distraught. more
St. Mary, Jamaica: Mom, ANNMARIE Karram makes desperate plea after women snatch infant from her arms, ‘Bring back my baby’
BY PAUL HENRY Crime/Court Desk co-ordinator henryp@jamaicaobserver.com Monday, December 01, 2014
ANNMARIE Karram would cradle her newborn baby, Akeem, tenderly stroke his plump face, and speak to him in a loving, soft tone as she promises to keep him safe.
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| Annmarie Karram is disconsolate as she reflects on how her baby, Akeem (right) was stolen from her arms. (PHOTOS: PAUL HENRY) |
“You are the youngest baby I have and I don’t want anything to happen to you,” the 36-year-old mother of five children would tell her son.
“Just like how the others survive, you will survive too.” Often, she would rock Akeem to sleep, cradling him in her bosom long after he had closed his eyes, and stare at his face, a picture of tranquility.
At times her mother would make a fuss, telling her not to allow the baby to sleep in her arms because “it will spoil him”. But it was her baby to hold and to keep safe.
However, just seven weeks after his birth, on October 8 at home in Content/Retreat, St Mary, Akeem would be snatched from the loving arms of his mother on Monday, November 24, by two women in the neighbouring parish of St Ann.
The incident has devastated Karram, who now feels that she has failed in her duty to protect her newborn from the savagery of the world, and left the extended family and police puzzled.
“Anywhere you have him, I want you to carry him back,” Karram pleaded to her baby’s abductors during an interview with the Jamaica Observer on the weekend. more
Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke, Tivoli Gardens enquiry opens today: THE commission of enquiry into the 2010 Tivoli Gardens operation, which left scores of civilians and two members of the security forces dead, is set to begin today.
Monday, December 01, 2014 BY PAUL HENRY Crime/Court Desk co-ordinator
THE commission of enquiry into the 2010 Tivoli Gardens operation, which left scores of civilians and two members of the security forces dead, is set to begin today.
The hearing is to take place at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston.
The commission is expected to conduct hearings in the first two weeks of December and then break until the New Year.
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| Jamaica Defence Force soldiers attend to a colleague who was shot by gunmen who sought to resist the security forces’ attempt to arrest former Tivoli Gardens strongman Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke during the Tivoli Gardens operation in May 2010. (PHOTO: JAMAICA OBSERVER) |
The commissioners are expected to compile a report and recommendations concerning the events surrounding the May 2010 West Kingston operation and submit them to the governor general within two months after concluding the enquiry.
In 2013, the Government announced that it had accepted a recommendation to establish a Commission of Enquiry into the conduct of the 2010 operation, during which more than 70 people died as the security forces tried to capture fugitive Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke, who was wanted in the United States on drug and gun-running charges.
The operation was launched on May 24, 2010 after repeated appeals by the authorities for the dismantling of blockades mounted at the entrances to Tivoli Gardens were ignored.
But police and soldiers met resistance from gunmen loyal to Coke, resulting in the fatalities. During the fighting, Coke fled Tivoli Gardens, but was captured weeks later, on June 22, 2010, and waived his right to an extradition hearing.
On June 24, 2010, he was flown to New York and was eventually sentenced to a 23-year prison term in June 2012 after pleading guilty to racketeering.
Sticking to the sentencing guidelines under a plea bargaining arrangement reached between Coke’s defence team and prosecutors in August 2011, Judge Robert P Patterson imposed the maximum sentence, despite last-minute pleas for leniency by Coke himself and his attorney Stephen H Rosen. more
Mr Vegas elated with Beyonce's remix "Standing in the Sun", will be featured on her upcoming album Platinum Edition...."This can only be a good look for reggae music. I am on the album of the most powerful woman in music"
Sunday, November 30, 2014
DANCEHALL artiste Mr Vegas said he is overjoyed that the remix with Beyonce, Standing in the Sun, will be featured on her upcoming album Platinum Edition.
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| Mr Vegas and Beyoncé |
According to Mr Vegas, this could be considered as one of his most major musical achievement since the launch of his career more than a decade ago.
"This can only be a good look for reggae music. I am on the album of the most powerful woman in music. Her fans will now know Mr Vegas and will start checking out my music," said Vegas.
Last year, Mr Vegas -- whose given name is Clifford Smith -- received word that the American pop star wanted to have him on her remix. After receiving her vocals, he teamed up with producers Danny and Cleveland 'Clevie' Browne.
Mr Vegas is no stranger to international collabs. He has worked with the likes of Wyclef Jean and DMX. He was also featured on Snoop Dogg's 2013 Reincarnated album.
Earlier this year, he also collaborated with Jason Derulo on the dancehall remix Talk Dirty. more
IN JAMAICA (CONGRATULATIONS): CSEC top three, SLEEPLESS nights, extra work and a zeal to make their parents proud was the formula Fitzroy Wickham, Anicia McFarlane and Jhanel Garwood used that earned them top scores overall in the 2014 CSEC
By KIMBERLEY HIBBERT Career & Education reporter hibbertk@jamaicaobsrever.com Sunday, November 30, 2014
SLEEPLESS nights, extra work and a zeal to make their parents proud was the formula Fitzroy Wickham, Anicia McFarlane and Jhanel Garwood used that earned them top scores overall in the 2014 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.
The three took the time to share with Career & Education details of their journey.
Fitzroy Wickham, first place
Wickham, 16, who was raised in Orange Hill, St Ann, said from a tender age his mother instilled in him the value of education, and it is a lesson that he intends to take with him throughout life.
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| Anicia McFarlane (left), Fitzroy Wickham and Jhanel Garwood smile proudly with their awards received at the Jamaica Association of Principals of Secondary Schools national CXC awards ceremony last week. (PHOTO: Lionel Rookwood) |
"My mother encouraged us to read at a very young age and the Bible was one of the first books I read. From there on she allowed us to join the public library and reading became second nature for my sibling and I," Wickham said.
The younger of two children, Wickham said he grew up in a single-parent home as his father died when he was two years old. His mother, a teacher, would be the driving force in his life from there on.
The young man, who is also head boy of York Castle High, said studying for him involves putting in hard work right before an examination.
"When I'm under pressure I find that I work better. The strategy that works best is what I employ," he said. Wickham has hopes of one day becoming a neurosurgeon and explained that the different wonders of the brain fascinate him.
"I read books by Dr Ben Carson and in other medical books I've read, the complexity of the brain, how the organs work, and their various capabilities are beyond human imagination. If we could just tap into all its resources, we would do wonders," he said. more
IN JAMAICA (FRIGHTENING & SAD STORY): Mom says police aware suspect using her murdered son, 18 y-o Rashidi Samuda's phone — even replacing victim's WhatsApp photo with his...."I went to KPH right away, and when I asked the nurse what happen, she said 'don't ask me any question',"
Sunday, November 30, 2014
IT'S been five months since Maureen Brown's 18-year-old son Rashidi Samuda was brutally slaughtered by a bunch of thugs in Jones Town.
The criminals, he told her before he died, said they wanted his cellphone.
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| Mom's sadness |
According to the distraught mother, the suspect is still using her son's phone, and doesn't seem to be fearful about doing so, as he has replaced Rashidi's WhatsApp profile photo with his.
Even worse is Brown's complaint that a female detective sergeant at the Half-Way-Tree Police Station admitted to her sister that she knows the suspect because she had arrested him before for stealing.
The Jamaica Observer tried repeatedly to get in touch with the detective sergeant, but phones at the police station were either busy or rang unanswered.
At first glance, Brown's face seems expressionless. But on closer examination one can see that she is hurting. It's not difficult to understand why after one hears her heart-rending story.
Her quiet life was disrupted on the night of May 18 when, on returning home from watching a play at Little Theatre, Brown noticed that her son was not in the house.
That was approximately 9:00 pm.
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| 18-year-old son Rashidi Samuda |
The young man told her he was at the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) and she left home immediately to get there.
"I went to KPH right away, and when I asked the nurse what happen, she said 'don't ask me any question'," Brown alleged.
ST. JAMES, JAMAICA: 36 y-o MoBay businessman, Antonio McKoy helping to improve lives at Barnett Lane...."The needs in the community are great," McKoy has embarked on a mission to educate residents, starting with the children.
BY MARK CUMMINGS Editor-at-Large Western Bureau cummingsm@jamaicaobserver.com Sunday, November 30, 2014
MONTEGO BAY, St James — For many years businessman Antonio McKoy had been hearing about the plight of residents living in several inner-city communities in St James.
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| Nola Williams, a director at Le-Antonio’s Homework and Development Centre, helps a student from the Barnett Lane community with his homework earlier this year. |
But he only became aware of the extent of the slew of social and economic ills that beset some of these communities after he relocated the offices of his construction company -- Le-Antonio's Roofing and Construction Ltd -- a few years ago, from the upscale Ironshore area to Barnett Lane, one of several inner-city communities in Montego Bay.
"The needs in the community are great," McKoy told the Jamaica Observer.
"The residents don't have a lot; there are a lot of idle hands, there are a vast number of uneducated persons and there are a lot of kids roaming the streets and not getting the help they need at home."
The savvy 36-year-old businessman has since started to play his part in improving the social and economic conditions of residents in Barnett Lane, as well as the surrounding communities.
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| MCKOY… the needs in the community are great |
Cognisant that literacy is an essential skill in today's world, McKoy has embarked on a mission to educate residents, starting with the children.
Earlier this year, the businessman, through his Le-Antonio Foundation, which was established last year, opened a homework centre in a section of his business establishment, which now accommodates 75 registered children between the ages of six and 16 from Barnett Lane and its environs. more
Two die in crash on Old Hope Road : UWI medical student, 19-year-old Danielle Hanson, of Mandeville, Manchester and 19-year-old Mikhail Campbell of Patrick Gardens, Kingston 20
Saturday, November 29, 2014 | 10:03 AM
KINGSTON, Jamaica – A medical student, 19-year-old Danielle Hanson, of Mandeville, Manchester and 19-year-old Mikhail Campbell of Patrick Gardens, Kingston 20, died as a result of injuries sustained in a motor vehicle collision along Old Hope Road, St Andrew early Saturday, November 29.
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| 19-year-old Danielle Hanson |
The Matilda’s Corner Police report that about 1:00 am, Hanson was driving a BMW motorcar in which Campbell was a passenger heading in the direction of Papine.
Upon reaching a section of the roadway Hanson reportedly hit the curb and lost control of the vehicle, colliding with Toyota Prado motor vehicle traveling in the opposite direction.
Hanson and Campbell were taken to hospital where they were pronounced dead. The driver of the Toyota Prado was treated and released. more
IN JAMAICA: Grief in Roehampton, Two crushed Grief in Roehampton by truck in St James community....The two have been identified as 68-year-old bar operator Sadie Kerr, also called 'Neva', and Junior Lawrence.
BY HORACE HINES Observer staff reporter hinesh@jamaicaobserver.com Saturday, November 29, 2014
ROEHAMPTON, St James — Up to late yesterday evening, residents of this normally quiet farming community were still grappling with the death of two community members who were crushed by a truck that slammed into a bar where they were Thursday night.
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| The wreckage |
The two have been identified as 68-year-old bar operator Sadie Kerr, also called 'Neva', and Junior Lawrence.
Four other people — the truck driver and his two sons and another patron at the bar -- were seriously injured and taken to hospital.
Reports are that about 7:00 pm Thursday, the driver who had just used the truck to deliver water to residents in the community, was descending a hill when he lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle slammed into the concrete building which housed the bar before overturning.
The impact of the collision caused the building to collapse. Kerr and Lawrence were pinned under the ruins of the flattened structure. A wrecker was used to remove the bodies from under the ruins.
The Jamaica Observer was told that the patron who was injured suffered two fractured legs after he jumped from the building in an attempt to save his life.
Yesterday, distraught residents directed their anger at the National Water Commission, arguing that the incident was as a result of the water company's failure to provide the company with water.
"We need water. He (truck driver) was taking water in the community. It is because of the water problem why this happen. It is a disgrace, because of water. We need water. We are decent citizens living here, we need water," the residents cried. more
Pregnant Ferguson Woman, Dornella Conners Loses Eye After Cops Shoot Car With Bean Bag
The Huffington Post | By Simon McCormack Email Posted: 11/28/2014 4:15
A Ferguson woman lost her left eye when police officers in Ferguson shot a bean bag round at the car she was in. Dornella Conners is now blind in one eye and can barely see with the other, she told KMOV.
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| Dornella Conners |
She said she and her boyfriend pulled into a Ferguson gas station on Tuesday morning, hours after the decision not to indict officer Darren Wilson in the killing of Michael Brown was announced. As she and her boyfriend were driving away from the station, Conners said St. Louis County police surrounded their car.
Conners said her boyfriend was trying to avoid interfering with the police while trying to drive away from the gas station. But police said the car was heading right for them. That's when police shot a bean bag round at the car, shattering the passenger window and injuring Conners."I’m very upset, very disappointed with tactics that they used trying to get control of situation,” Donnell Conners, Dornella’s father told the station.
The story comes as #BlackoutBlackFriday protests spread across Ferguson and the nation in an effort to call attention to what supporters say was an unjust outcome in Wilson's case and to bring an end to the consumption-based day after Thanksgiving.
"In the wake of #Ferguson, it's become painfully clear that people of color, and Black people in particular, are still unjustly targeted by law enforcement and the criminal justice system," reads a statement on BlackoutBlackFriday.org. more
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BLACK FRIDAY FRENZY : Ferguson Protests Move To Stores... Chaos In Britain... Walmart Wo rkers Plan Strikes... TOYS R US MADNESS... Crowd Control... One Of The Biggest Days Of The Year For Gun Sales... More Stores Open On Thanksgiving... Does Little To Boost Sales... Growing Backlash... Best Deals Aren't Actually On Black Friday...
NEW YORK (AP) — Black Friday was already well underway before many awoke this morning.
The traditional kickoff to the holiday shopping season has become a two-day affair, with more stores opening before people put down their turkey legs on Thanksgiving. There's good reason for the creep; businesses know shoppers will only spend so much, and they want the first crack at those holiday budgets.
Still, millions of Americans are expected to head out in search of steep discounts today. The National Retail Federation forecasts holiday sales will grow 4.1 percent to $616.9 billion — the biggest jump since 2011.
It's a make-or-break time for many retailers, which on average get 20 percent of their annual sales during the holiday shopping season. Already, retailers have resorted to steep discounting to lure shoppers.Here's a look at what's happening this Black Friday.
Ferguson Protests Hit Stores
Dozens of protesters interrupted holiday shopping to speak out about a grand jury's decision not to indict the white officer who fatally shot Michael Brown, a black teenager. more
IN JAMAICA: Court orders THE Urban Development Corporation (UDC) public access to Winnifred Beach in Portland ending a five-year legal battle between the residents and the entity.
Friday, November 28, 2014
THE Urban Development Corporation (UDC) has been ordered by the court to grant public access to Winnifred Beach in Portland, ending a five-year legal battle between the residents and the entity.
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| People crowd the Winnifred Beach in Portland in this file photo. |
The ruling, which was handed down in the Port Antonio Resident Magistrate's Court in the parish last month by Resident Magistrate Marjorie Moyston, said UDC has 90 days to create on a new title an easement for the right of the public to access the beach for bathing and recreation purposes.
Four members of the Free Winnifred Beach Benevolent Society took the matter to court five years ago, seeking a declaration of the public's absolute and indefeasible right to access the beach.
This, after news broke that the UDC intended to develop the lands on which the beach is located, under Fairy Hill Phase 2. The features of Fairy Hill Phase 2, according to the 2006 environmental impact assessment (EIA) report on the proposed development, included not only the construction of beach cottages and residential lots, but also a Fairy Hill Beach Park.
"The beach park would feature, at minimum, the following amenities: a ticket office, guard post, business offices and family-oriented recreational facilities, as well as sanitary conveniences," noted the EIA report done by consultants Technological and Environmental Management Network.
"The main feature of this development will be the 29 residential lots ranging in size from 821 to 1,505 metres-square. Beach cottages will also be constructed to provide temporary dwelling opportunities for beach patrons and other visitors to Portland who are desirous of extending their length of stay," the EIA report added. more
THE Jamaica Observer last Wednesday lauded teachers from the eastern side of the island for their contribution to the country's education system
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| Andrea Givans (second right), Teacher of the Year for sales of the Jamaica Observer’s Learning Corner/Jr Study Centre, collects her award from Seprod Promotions and Marketing Co-ordinator Orville Warren (second left). Sharing the moment are Omar Spence of Scotiabank and Nicole Campbell from cable company Flow. (PHOTOS: JOSEPH WELLINGTON) |
BY DONISHA WILLIAMS Observer writer donishaw@jamaicaobserver.com Thursday, November 27, 2014
THE Jamaica Observer last Wednesday lauded teachers from the eastern side of the island for their contribution to the country's education system at a special luncheon at the newspaper's headquarters in Kingston.
Danville Walker, managing director of the Observer, congratulated the awardees and thanked the teachers for supporting the newspaper's TeenAge, Study Centre, Learning Corner and Junior Learning Corner publications.
"...You, the teachers, are the key to these initiatives and we applaud your efforts. Our programmes -- Show Us Your School, Meet the School and TeenAge Expression Tours -- have been very successful since their inception. The students have enjoyed them and we have also enjoyed putting them on," Walker said.
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| (From left) The Jamaica Observer’s Danville Walker and Circulation Manager Valerie Smith with Oberlin High’s Audrey Francis and Ivy Green. The school was recognised for selling the most copies of the TeenAge Observer in the island. |
Nicole Campbell, public relations executive at Flow, took the opportunity to report on the company's activities which involve the nation's schools. Among those highlighted was the 'Building Leaders Through Technology' programme, which provides primary and secondary schools with free Internet to enhance the learning environment. She also said Flow was able, for the first time, to stream the TeenAge Expression Tour live for the benefit of teachers and students who could not attend.
Guest speaker Howard Campbell, lecturer and CEO of Howard Campbell and Associates, commended the teachers for their daily contribution to student achievement and success. more
25 y-o Phil Hughes, Australian Cricketer Dies After Strike to Head with a ball and never regained consciousness...Hughes made 26 test and 25 one-day international appearances for Australia
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| 25 y-o Phil Hughes |
(Reuters) - Phil Hughes, who died on Thursday aged 25, will forever be remembered as one of Australian cricket's free spirits.
A pugnacious left-hander brimming with self-confidence, his life was tragically cut short when he was hit on the head by a ball and never regained consciousness.
The violent manner of his death has shaken the cricket community, and the world of sport, to its core.
Hughes had been in an out of the Australian national team for the past five years but had been pushing for re-selection. As a batsman he had his flaws, but those imperfections seemed to make him even more popular.
When he was struck down on Tuesday, batting for South Australia against New South Wales, he was 63 not out and seemingly on track for a place in the national team to play India next week.
LOVEABLE CHARACTER
The Australian public loved his fighting spirit and boisterous nature, a kid from the bush who made it to the top but never changed as a person.
Hughes made 26 test and 25 one-day international appearances for Australia, but at just 25 there seemed plenty of time to make more as he battled to overcome his weaknesses.
His ability to score runs has never been questioned but his unorthodox batting technique, especially against short-pitched bowling, was an issue. more
MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA: 28 y-o man, Terrence Barnett sentenced to life for murder and rape of sales rep, Toneva Forbes.... Gets forgiveness from victim’s devastated mother
BY HORACE HINES Observer West reporter Thursday, November 27, 2014
MONTEGO BAY, St James — FIFTY-EIGHT-YEAR-OLD Dahlia Forbes has been a nervous wreck ever since her daughter Toneva Forbes, a sales representative of Cambridge in St James, was brutally raped and murdered in a secluded section of Hague Settlement in Trelawny, two years ago.
But the distraught mother, who worships at the Lapland Seventh-day Adventist Church in St James, has unreservedly forgiven the perpetrator of the heinous crime.
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| 58 y-o Dahlia Forbes/ 28-year-old Terrence 'Dinna' Barnett |
"I forgive him because if I don't forgive him what sense does it make that I pray? God is not going to hear my prayer if I don't forgive. I would be saying my prayers in vain if I have iniquity in my heart," the distressed mother, who is also of a Cambridge, St James address, said.
Last week, 28-year-old Terrence 'Dinna' Barnett of Hague Settlement, in Trelawny was sentenced to life imprisonment in the Trelawny Circuit Court after being convicted for murdering Toneva.
Barnett will have to serve 30 years before he becomes eligible for parole.
The convict, who was reportedly also on a rape charge at the time he raped and murdered Toneva two years ago, cried openly after the verdict was read.
In the meantime, the distraught mother reacted with indifference to the conviction, citing that it will neither resurrect her daughter, nor will it assist in the maintenance of the two children she left behind.
"The judgement that them give him don't really help me because right now me have the two children to deal with. So how dem a go get support? Their mother gone, one of them don't have no father, so what a go happen to them? That is my problem," Forbes said.
The sales representative, who was affectionately called Samantha, died leaving, Oneva, now six, and Rickeem, who turned four a few months ago. Toneva was the fourth of six children for Forbes.
On Monday October 1, 2012, Toneva and a male colleague -- both employed at a Montego Bay business establishment -- entered the Hague Settlement community together, but went in different directions to conduct their sales. They were scheduled to meet later in the afternoon but when she didn't turn up and failed to answer her cellphone, the police was notified. more
Could Jamaica be the next stop for Woodstock Festival?
KINGSTON, Jamaica, Wednesday November 26, 2014, CMC – Jamaica says it is moving to host the Woodstock festival, one of the world’s biggest music festivals.
Junior Tourism and Entertainment Minister, Damion Crawford, says he has already held discussions with promoters of the Festival, and if things go according to plan, the event could be staged in Jamaica soon.
“I called the (representatives) at Woodstock and ask them to consider having a reggae Woodstock in Jamaica. A member is coming down shortly to have a meeting,” he said. Crawford said if the discussions are positive, he will be pushing to get private sector support, instead of having the government being engaged in the planning, promotion and staging of the festival.
“Government is not a promoter and entertainment needs people who are willing to take the risk,” he said. The Woodstock Festival or simply Woodstock is a music festival, billed as ‘An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music’. It is held at Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in the Catskills, New York, from August 15 to 18 annually.
The Festival is widely regarded as a pivotal moment in popular music history with groups such as The Rolling Stone among those to have performed at the event.
Darren Wilson: There's 'No Way' Michael Brown Put His Hands Up (VIDEO INTERVIEW w/ WILSON)
Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson opened up for the first time in an interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos, part of which aired Tuesday evening, less than 24 hours after it was announced a grand jury would not indict him for the death of Michael Brown.
Wilson said there was "no way" Brown put his hands up before Wilson fired his weapon, as some witnesses have described. Wilson said he thought, "he will kill me if he gets to me" when he saw Brown come toward him. more
MEDICAL workers at the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) yesterday staged a protest after a mentally ill patient attacked a nurse at the downtown Kingston institution.
BY KIMMO MATTHEWS Observer staff reporter matthewsk@jamaicaobserver.com Wednesday, November 26, 2014
MEDICAL workers at the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) yesterday staged a protest after a mentally ill patient attacked a nurse at the downtown Kingston institution.
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| Protest at KPH following attack on nurse |
According to the angry protesters, the nurse was doing checks on Ward 2A when she was chased by a man, who was a psychiatric patient.
Jennifer McLeod, who claimed she witnessed the attack, said the nurse was also hit by the man.
"If it weren't for me and another man the nurse could have been killed by the man this morning," she alleged.
"When I see what was happening I could not believe. The man ran down the nurse, held her by the neck and struck her to the side of her head," the woman told the Observer as she stood close to where angry protesters had gathered.
The nurses said yesterday's incident was the latest in a series of attacks on medical professionals as they carry out their duties at KPH, the island's largest hospital.
"This is what we have to face on a daily basis from patients right across the board and we are tired of what is happening and want the matter to be addressed," said one protester.
"When it is not attacks, we are faced with threats, if someone should carry out some checks we nurses and other medical staff get more than 100 threats per month and we are concerned for our safety," said another nurse. more
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