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WESTMORELAND, JAMAICA: Brutal slaying of of 14-year-old Santoya Campbell of FROME TECH HIGH SCHOOL, whose dismembered body was found wrapped in a garbage bag near the school on Tuesday. Frome Tech mourns ...‘The school community is in pain’, "The students are having a hard time coping."

BY ANTHONY LEWIS Observer writer  Thursday, January 29, 2015    

FROME, Westmoreland — The normally lively chatter and smiles in the classrooms and within the halls of Frome Technical High School were replaced by sporadic sobs, grief and anger yesterday as students and teachers mourned the brutal slaying of 14-year-old Santoya Campbell, whose dismembered body was found wrapped in a garbage bag near the school on Tuesday.

Frome studemts in pain from brutal slaying of Santoya Campbell

"The school community is in pain. All students, all categories of staff, we are all grieving. The outpouring of love for this girl has been really profound," expressed Sylvia Ricketts, principal of the school located in the sugar-cane belt of Westmoreland.

According to reports, Santoya — who hailed from Shrewsbury in the parish — left home for school at around 7:30 am on Monday. However, she did not show up for classes and was eventually reported missing after she failed to return home and checks made with the school. On Tuesday, her body was found underneath a bridge adjacent to the school.

Yesterday, the promising grade eight student, who plays on the school's Under-14 netball team, was spoken of highly by the school's staff.

Fourteen-year-old Santoya Campbell
 whose body was found under a bridge
 adjacent to the school on Monday.

"The students are having a hard time coping. She was a very vibrant student who got along with her classmates and peers," stated Merisa Troweis, who was Santoya's form and social studies teacher.

"We are just trying to be strong for the students even though as teachers we do need the strength, but persons have been coming in and lending support, and for that we are grateful. We just hope that persons will continue to keep us in their prayers," Troweis added.

Santoya's murder is the second in six years for the school's netball team. In 2009, another girl was killed in her community. more

Joseph Weekley, Cop Who Fatally Shot Sleeping 7-Year-Old Aiyana Jones, Will No Longer Face Charges.... Aiyana Stanley-Jones was killed in 2010 during a botched police raid at her home.

The Huffington Post  |  By Kate Abbey-Lambertz Email Posted: 01/28/2015 6:00 pm EST 

The Detroit police officer who fatally shot a sleeping 7-year-old girl will not be retried, officials said Wednesday.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a statement that her office was moving to dismiss the case against Officer Joseph Weekley. He was originally charged with involuntary manslaughter and careless discharge of a firearm causing death, a misdemeanor, after Aiyana Stanley-Jones was killed in 2010 during a botched police raid at her home.

Charles Jones, the father of 7-year-old Aiyana Jones, who was killed early Sunday
 in Detroit, holds a photo of Aiyana in attorney Geoffrey Fieger's office in Southfield, Mich.,
 Tuesday, May 18, 2010. Fieger, the lawyer for the family of the slain 7-year-old
Detroit girl has filed two lawsuits related to a weekend raid that led to her death. 

Weekley's first trial in 2013 ended in a mistrial. In a second trial last year, Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway dismissed the manslaughter charge after a motion by the defense. The jury again deadlocked while deliberating whether to convict Weekley of the lesser charge, causing a second mistrial."Today we personally informed the family of Aiyana Stanley–Jones that we have made a decision that we would not be going to trial for a third time in the Joseph Weekley case," Worthy said, calling Hathaway's decision to dismiss the manslaughter charge "unfortunate."

Shortly after midnight on May 16, 2010, members of the Detroit Police Department's Special Response Team initiated a raid on the Stanley-Jones home in search of a murder suspect. Weekley was first through the door and allegedly had difficulty seeing when another officer threw a a flash-bang grenade. Weekley fired his gun, killing Aiyana, who had been asleep on the couch with her grandmother. more

WASHINGTON, DC, USA : US official cautions Jamaica on ganja legalisation... US not comfortable with Jamaica's push to decriminalise weed. SHOULD THE US be telling JAMAICA WHAT TO DO HERE? WHAT DO YOU THINK?

BY ARLENE MARTIN-WILKINS Associate editor - news martina@jamaicaobserver.com  Thursday, January 29, 2015 

WASHINGTON, DC, USA — The United States Government has signalled some discomfort with Jamaica's move to decriminalise marijuana for specific uses.

According to assistant secretary of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), William R Brownfield, there is a possibility that the move could increase inflows of marijuana from Jamaica that now accounts for 80 per cent of ganja illegally smuggled into that country.

Brownfield said that, while the US must be tolerant of national policies to combat the illicit trade of ganja, Jamaica must be mindful of international drug treaties to which it is a signatory.

Brownfield was responding to a question concerning last Friday's tabling of the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act, 2015 in the Jamaican Senate, which seeks to, among other things, decriminalise ganja for medicinal, religious, and personal uses. With the amendments, the possession of small quantities of ganja, amounting to two ounces or less, will become a non-arrestable offence. The Bill also seeks to reform the monetary penalties laid down by the Act.

"...With or without the legalisation of ganja, the decriminalisation of ganja... the importation of ganja into the US remains against the law and the issue then is how much impact will legalisation or decriminalisation have on that. And, I can assure you that, from the US side, we will continue to pursue maximum efforts to prevent any import in the United States and we will request and expect complete co-operation from law enforcement authorities of the Government of Jamaica in eliminating this sort of trafficking," Brownfield told journalists Tuesday.more

POWERFUL, POWERFUL STORY of The CIVIL RIGHTS Era....54 Years later, Friendship 9 : Judge in South Carolina tosses out sit-in convictions for Friendship Nine...."Today is a victory in race relations in America," said Bernice King, daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., said in a news conference following the ruling. "It is a new day."

By Devon M. Sayers and Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN Updated 1:19 PM ET, Wed January 28, 2015

Rock Hill, South Carolina (CNN)A South Carolina judge on Wednesday threw out the convictions of the Friendship Nine, who were jailed in 1961 after a sit-in protest in Rock Hill, South Carolina, during the civil rights movement.

"Today is a victory in race relations in America," said Bernice King, daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., said in a news conference following the ruling. "It is a new day."

The prosecutor who pushed for this momentous day, 16th Circuit Solicitor Kevin Brackett of Rock Hill, cited King's father when explaining to CNN on Tuesday why he was motivated to take up the cause of the Friendship Nine: "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice."

How Friendship Nine ended up back in court

The proceedings began at the Rock Hill Law Center with Municipal Judge Jane Pittman Modla reading from the original court record for each of the men. She asked each of the seven men in attendance -- one has since died, while another had transportation issues -- to stand as their names were called.

"Offense: trespassing. Disposition: guilty. Sentence: $100 or 30 days. Condition: sent to the chain gang," she said for each of them, reading from the 1961 docket. more

5 Things that Trigger Thyroid Problems...Chemicals such as Chlorine, Bromide, Floride (Toothpaste) , Gluten, Foods and some vegetables....

MUST WATCH : A. Maceo Smith New Tech High School - Uptown Funk Dance

IN JAMAICA: PALS Programme Motivates Youth To Aim For Success, USAID-funded Yes We Can programme at Denham Town High School in Kingston yesterday....Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Chief of Defence Staff Major General Antony Anderson, who was guest speaker at the event, said he was impressed with the level of enthusiasm displayed by the students.

Jodi-Ann Gilpin, Gleaner Writer Published: Thursday | January 29, 2015

It was an afternoon of life-skills training and fun for 40 students who participated in the Peace and Love in Society (PALS), USAID-funded Yes We Can programme at Denham Town High School in Kingston yesterday.

The evening, which saw students engaging in activities that were centred on setting goals, was a life-changing experience for 16-year-old Sanya Fuller.

Students Sonique Richards (left), Sanya Fuller (second left) and
Tracy Gentles speak with Major General Antony Anderson,
 chief of defence staff, JDF, about plans for a goal-oriented team
 building exercise as part of the USAID-funded Yes We
 Can programme conducted by Peace and Love in
Society at Denham Town High School in Kingston
yesterday. - Gladstone Taylor/Photographer

"As a fifth-form student, this programme has truly helped me because very soon I will be heading out into the workforce and I learnt a lot about the importance of working in a team and setting goals," she told The Gleaner. "Mi neva used to talk to people, but being a participant in this programme, it built my confidence and motivated me to work hard and aim for success in everything I do," she continued.

Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Chief of Defence Staff Major General Antony Anderson, who was guest speaker at the event, said he was impressed with the level of enthusiasm displayed by the students.

"The students are really bright. They were really engaged and I really believe that once young people receive adequate support, they can become world changers," he said. "I think policies and legislation can go so far, but what will really count is what people do on the ground. It will take entities like PALS and other volunteers to initiate creative programmes and give of their time to change the life of at least one person and this (Yes We Can) is one of them," Anderson said. He also encouraged students to make use of every opportunity. more

Welcome home Kaci Fennell (VIDEO as she landed at the airport in KINGSTON)

Obamacare To Cost Far Less Than Estimated, Budget Office Says Reuters.... A report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said insurance coverage would cost $964 billion from 2015 to 2024, $68 billion below its April 2014 projection

Posted: 01/27/2015 8:52 am EST

WASHINGTON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Obamacare will cost 7 percent less than expected over the next decade for federal subsidies to help lower-income people pay for private health insurance, congressional researchers said on Monday.

U.S. President Barack Obama smiles in the rain as he
 arrives for Republic Day in New Delhi, India, Monday, Jan. 26, 2015

A report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said insurance coverage would cost $964 billion from 2015 to 2024, $68 billion below its April 2014 projection, due to factors including lower than expected enrollment in federal and state insurance exchanges set up under the Affordable Care Act.

Most of those subsidies, which help pay for insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs, could be in jeopardy from a U.S. Supreme Court case that seeks to prevent funds from going to consumers in 36 states who obtain coverage through the federal exchange. A ruling is expected by the end of June.

CBO expects 12 million people to enroll in private coverage this year and 21 million in 2016, vs. an earlier forecast of 13 million and 24 million, respectively.

CBO also expects private enrollment to fluctuate between 24 million and 25 million people each year beginning in 2017, fewer than the previous forecast that called for enrollment to stay steady at 25 million.

Even with slower enrollment in private insurance, CBO said higher-than-expected enrollment in the Medicaid program for the poor would help Obamacare reduce the number of uninsured Americans by 19 million this year and by 24 million to 27 million people each year from 2016 onwards. more

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You may also listen commercial FREE by clicking ON AIR-Listen LIVE AUDIO BOX above or TUNE-IN LINK or call in on Tele at 213-401-0061. Enjoy the sweet music.To chat , please sign in with your Chatango account.Please support the scholarship program by considering to donate at least $10.00 at www.PALAS1.org. Thank you very much.

Fidel Castro Issues Statement Apparently In Support Of U.S.-Cuba Diplomacy...."We will always defend cooperation and friendship with all the peoples of the world, among them our political adversaries."

 Reuters |  By Daniel Trotta Posted: 01/26/2015 11:58 pm EST 

HAVANA, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Retired Cuban leader Fidel Castro on Monday appeared to lend his support to talks with the United States in his first comments about his longtime adversary since both countries agreed last month to restore diplomatic ties.

But Castro stopped short of an enthusiastic endorsement of the rapprochement, announced on Dec. 17 by his younger brother and Cuba's current president, Raul Castro, and U.S. President Barack Obama.

In this July 11, 2014 file photo, Cuba's Fidel Castro speaks during a 
meeting with Russia's
President Vladimir Putin, in Havana, Cuba. | ASSOCIATED PRESS

"I don't trust the policy of the United States nor have I had an exchange with them, but this does not mean ... a rejection of a peaceful solution to conflicts or the dangers of war," Fidel Castro, 88, said in a statement published on the website of Cuba's Communist Party newspaper Granma.The United States and Cuba held historic high-level talks last week in Havana that are expected to lead to the re-establishment of diplomatic ties severed by Washington in 1961.

"Any peaceful or negotiated solution to the problems between the United States and the peoples or any people of Latin America that doesn't imply force or the use of force should be treated in accordance with international norms and principles," Fidel Castro said.

"We will always defend cooperation and friendship with all the peoples of the world, among them our political adversaries." He took power in a 1959 revolution and spent much of his 49 years in power railing against the United States, which never succeeded in many attempts to oust him.

He was finally forced into retirement in 2008 by poor health and was succeeded by his brother Raul, who is now 83. more

ST MARY, Jamaica (UPDATE) : 14-year-old Tishauna Henry's body found after going to St Mary river to wash...Tishauna is the second child to be found dead in less than a week in the parish.

Monday, January 26, 2015 | 5:57 PM  by Renae Dixon  

ST MARY, Jamaica - The 14-year-old whose body was discovered in Enfield, Annotto Bay, here Monday had reportedly gone to Dry River to wash on Sunday, January 25.

When Tishauna Henry did not return home, family members went in search of her. After the Annotto Bay High School student was not found, a report was made to the Annotto Bay Police who also carried out a search. However, there was still no sign of Tishauna.?

On Monday morning, residents, along with the Annotto Bay Police, continued the search for the teen and her body was  discovered face down among rocks in the river.

Observations of the body reportedly revealed that the body had a wound to the right side of the head.

The St Mary Police say they are awaiting a post-mortem to determine the cause of death. However, they told OBSERVER ONLINE that they are not ruling anything out at this time.

Tishauna is the second child to be found dead in less than a week in the parish. The St Mary Police are still awaiting the post-mortem to determine the cause of death of Crystal Coleman, whose body was found at her home in Frontier Heights, Port Maria, last Wednesday.?

Coleman's father is being questioned in relation to her death. more

Miss Kaci Fennell has won our hearts....Miss Fennell, we believe, was an excellent ambassador for her country throughout this contest and she deserves our congratulations for holding Jamaica's flag high. She highlighted Usain Bolt and Bob Marley in the interview section of the contest.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015    

NATURALLY, Jamaicans are feeling some amount of disappointment at the results of the 63rd Miss Universe pageant held in Florida, Sunday night.

The country had obviously got the sense that in Miss Kaci Fennell we had found the first Jamaican winner for this crown, coming after Miss Yendi Phillipps did us proud by placing second in 2010.

Kaci Fennell...Placed 5th in Miss Universe contest 2015

Already, many views have been advanced in the post-pageant analysis, and a lot of those opinions are being informed by raw emotion, including some who felt that her fifth placing did not adequately reflect the quality of her brilliance.

Amidst the passionate discussion, though, is a fact that we all know, and accept, that people enter competitions with the knowledge that they will either win or lose.

Miss Fennell herself may well be feeling a sense of underachievement. However, if she is, we would encourage her, and the many Jamaicans who supported her, not to, but instead to take pride in the fact that she did well -- extremely well.

Placing in the top five of a competition with 88 contestants is no easy feat. Add to that the fact that it takes considerable bravery and self-confidence to appear on and master a stage in an arena with hundreds of people in the audience, plus millions more watching on television across the world.

Miss Fennell, we believe, was an excellent ambassador for her country throughout this contest and she deserves our congratulations for holding Jamaica's flag high. She used the interview section to further expose our country's enormous achievements in sports and music, proudly trumpeting the fastest man alive in Usain Bolt and the indomitable reggae megastar Bob Marley. more

The White House yesterday announced that the US Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) : US Energy Boost - Jamaica To Benefit From US$90m Clean-Power Project

Published: Tuesday | January 27, 2015

The White House yesterday announced that the US Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) would intensify its focus on developing green-energy projects in the Caribbean and thatJamaica is to be the largest benefactor.

Philip Paulwell

The US Department of the Interior and the Department of State are working with Jamaica to facilitate commercial renewable energy on public lands.

OPIC, the White House said, will disburse the first tranche of approximately US$43 million in financing for Blue Mountain Renewables' 34-megawatt wind project.

As part of its push to fostering a cleaner and more sustainable energy future in the Caribbean, the Department of State has identified a team with specific responsibility for identifying and arranging financing for Caribbean projects.

When construction begins in June, the Blue Mountain Renewables project will be a tangible example of public and private sectors in both countries working in harmony - and nearly US$90 million of investment in Jamaica's economy, which also will ease Jamaica's dependence on fossil fuels, the White House said.

Three bidders have been selected by the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) to provide a total of 78MW renewable capacity to the national grid.

Blue Mountain Renewables LLC is to supply 34MW of capacity from wind power at Munro, St Elizabeth; Wigton Windfarm Limited is to supply 24MW of capacity from wind power at Rose Hill, Manchester; and WRB Enterprises Inc to supply 20MW of capacity from solar PV from facilities in Content Village, Clarendon. more

BLIZZARD of 2015: East Coast Snow Storm Shuts Down New York City, Snarls Travel Plans.... Blizzard Warning For 250-Mile Swath... Region Could Be Shut Down All Week... NY, NJ, MA, CT Declare State Of Emergency... Over 7,700 Flights Canceled... Trains, Ferries Suspended… Nonessential Travel On Roads Restricted… De Blasio: 'This Is An Emergency'... TRACK STORM... CRISIS MAP... RADAR... HAZARDS...

AP Posted: 01/27/2015 12:54 am EST 

Where is my car

What's next

Bruce Sullivan of the National Weather Service said Boston and Providence, Rhode Island, could get the most snow, about 2 feet. New York could see 10 inches to 20 inches, Hartford, Connecticut, 1 to 2 feet, and Philadelphia and central New Jersey about 6 inches.

The National Weather Service over the weekend had issued a blizzard warning for a 250-mile swath of the region, meaning heavy, blowing snow and potential whiteout conditions.

Car stuck

On Monday, life abruptly stopped across the region as officials ordered workers to go home early, banned travel, closed bridges and tunnels, and assembled their biggest plowing crews.

"When you wake up in the morning, it is going to look like a blizzard," said Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, echoing the concern of many government leaders. more

All teachers' colleges to get tablets Education Minister Ronald Thwaites said yesterday....However, while the Tablets in Schools project has been having positive effects, the minister admitted that there was also a negative side.... DO YOU THINK THIS IS MONEY WELL SPENT?

BY ANIKA RICHARDS Online/health co-ordinator richardsai@jamaicaobserver.com

Tuesday, January 27, 2015  

ALL teachers' colleges will this year receive tablets under the Tablets in Schools project, which began last year with a pilot in 38 educational institutions, Education Minister Ronald Thwaites said yesterday.

 Education Minister Ronald Thwaites

"In the pilot, the Ministry of Education didn't choose the schools, but Sam Sharpe was one of the teachers' colleges that got tablets," said Thwaites. "This year, all of the teachers' colleges will, because you can't have the students getting it and the teachers are not," he added.

In fact, the education ministry is moving to have all the needed books, starting at the primary level and including the basic texts at the secondary level, uploaded to tablets.

The minister made the disclosure yesterday while speaking to reporters and editors at the Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange at the newspaper's Beechwood Avenue headquarters in Kingston.

"The ministry's decision to make more textbooks available in e-book format is to facilitate the widespread use of computer tablets in schools. In addition to students who receive tablets as part of the e-Learning project, the ministry is encouraging parents to acquire these devices and we will place the e-books on them," Thwaites said. more

SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth: Residents stage roadblock in The Burnt Savannah to Mountainside main road, which links Santa Cruz to the south-coast resort of Treasure Beach, was blocked late Monday as residents protested the state of the thoroughfare.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015    

SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth — The Burnt Savannah to Mountainside main road, which links Santa Cruz to the south-coast resort of Treasure Beach, was blocked late Monday as residents protested the state of the thoroughfare.

residents block road in protest

The St Elizabeth police confirmed late Monday that the protest started about midday with people using boulders and other debris to block the roads.

It has forced travellers from Santa Cruz to Treasure Beach, or vice versa, and points in between to use alternate routes through Black River, Malvern and Junction.

A police spokesman told the Jamaica Observer that help was needed, possibly from the National Works Agency to clear the blockages.

Eyewitness reports late yesterday said many students were among a "pile up" of stranded travellers being forced to walk miles to get home.

This is the latest of several major protests regarding the badly damaged five-mile stretch of roadway between Lacovia and Mountainside. Rain-scoured surfaces, potholes and broken drains have made driving a nightmarish experience.

Member of parliament for southwest St Elizabeth, Hugh Buchanan told the Observer late last year that he has been making repeated representations to have the stretch of main road repaired.

A major water project, which made road renovation unfeasible for sometime was completed last year. more

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You may also listen commercial FREE by clicking ON AIR-Listen LIVE AUDIO BOX above or TUNE-IN LINK or call in on Tele at 213-401-0061. Enjoy the sweet music.To chat , please sign in with your Chatango account.Please support the scholarship program by considering to donate at least $10.00 at www.PALAS1.org. Thank you very much.