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thechasefiles · 5 years

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 3/28/2019

Good MORNING #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Thursday 28Th March 2019. Remember you can read full articles for FREE via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS) OR by purchasing by purchasing a Daily Nation Newspaper (DN).

PSVS: HIKE TOO HIGH – Some public service vehicle (PSV) operators are lamenting that the bus fare hike to $3.50 from next month is way too much at this time. But one group representing the owners said it had arrived right on time, though another comprising operators said the hike was more to bail out the ailing Transport Board than assist them. At the Constitution River Bus Terminal in The City, some operators said they were sympathetic to the plight of the travelling public following Government’s announcement of a 75 per cent hike. During last week’s Financial Statement and Budgetary Proposals, Prime Minister Mia Mottley revealed that bus fare would be moving from $2 to $3.50, effective April 15. However, on Monday night, the Prime Minister said that frequent commuters of the Transport Board would save between 30 and 50 cents if they purchased ticket packages. (DN)

EXEMPT HOMELESS – The hike in bus fare from $2 to $3.50 will have a significant impact on the homeless. This assessment has come from the President and Founder of the Barbados Vagrants and Homeless Society (BVHS) Kemar Saffrey who is appealing to Government to exempt the homeless from having to pay bus fare. Saffrey told Barbados TODAY that his request was relevant since almost on a daily basis, the Society assists several clients with money to pay for transportation to and from various destinations to conduct personal business. He said clients often needed to travel to various Government departments to reapply for identification cards, seek health care, or collect medication among other necessary activities. Saffrey argued that the increase would put a dent in the finances of the organisation, which does not receive a subvention from Government, but depends on donations from private entities. “That would be on an every day basis, depending on who has to get ID cards, who has to get medication, who has to go for job interviews, who has to get to work for a week or two before they could support themselves, who has to go to look for rooms through the welfare system. People would come and tell us they have to go and look for a house today but they don’t have any bus fare. “And this has nothing to do with the other financial assistance that we give to people. When you could have given a guy $4 to run around, now you got to look to give him $7. It would have a serious impact on the less fortunate, and it would have a serious effect on the homeless.” During last Wednesday’s Budget Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley announced the increase in bus fare and two days ago, she outlined a system in which frequent travellers on Transport Board buses could benefit from discounted fares by buying multi-fare packages. “I am not saying the Government should accommodate everybody and give away free for all rides. But again, we need to look at the times that we are in, and the fact that it would become problematic for some people to get around, especially those who are unemployed and have to go one place and that place for a stamp and the next. So we need to look at this in a serious way,” Saffrey said. (BT)

SENATOR SLAMS ‘POOR BUS SERVICE HURTING STUDENTS’ – Students who spend an “unacceptable”, inordinate amount of time commuting to and from school are being seriously disadvantaged, according to Senator the Reverend John Rogers. Speaking during a wide-ranging presentation in the Upper House today, the Anglican cleric urged Government to improve its bus service in short order. “There is a link between education and transport at this time. While we understand that there is a shortage of buses I believe that every child in this nation should have an equal opportunity if not we cannot measure them by the same yardstick neither can we treat them the same way.” He cited instances relayed to him by a principal of students waiting at a bus stop up to three hours after school was dismissed. Senator Rev Rogers said: “I am concerned about the lack of transport of some children in our nation on evenings. I had a chat with a principal of a rural secondary school he was telling me that sometimes the children of that school, some who have to catch two buses are there at 7 o’clock at night because the bus hasn’t come. “Sometimes a private citizen has to take them in their car to a place where they can get a connecting bus. This is unfair to those children by the time they get home after 9 or 10. They have no time to reflect on homework. No time to do the things that children do. It is just time to sleep and get up to the grind of the next day. That is not good enough.” The Senator said while he understood there had to be an increase of bus fare, a quality service is also needed. “I know that we have heard much about the raise in bus fare and while I understand the raise and the need for the raise. I also believe that a person should receive a service commensurate with the rate being charged. I encourage the Government to get the buses here as soon as possible,” the Senator said. (BT)

‘GO CASHLESS, GROW THE ECONOMY’ – A senator and a player in the digital economy here has argued for digitisation to become a driving force behind economic growth. Senator Rawdon Adams, chief executive of digital financial services firm, BITT, told the Upper House today during the Appropriations Bill debate that digitisation can increase productivity while at the same time reduce costs to Government. He said: “Digitisation speaks to another form of growth — that is productivity. When you have efforts to digitise payments or reduce the amount of cash in an economy that is a huge driver of productivity and a reducer of cost in your economy. There is a body of research: The Federal (Reserve) Bank of St Louis, the Bank of England also. “The Fed research says if you are able to substitute a third of the paper noted and coins in your economy for digital cash you can expect a permanent increase in your rate of growth of a three per cent point. If you substitute 30 per cent of your economy to digital you will push your growth rate up.” The Government senator said while he had no intentions of bashing commercial banks, there was a significant cost attached to carrying out simple bank transactions daily. Senator Adams continued: “Carrying cash is expensive. There is cost of convenience. You get in a car you go down to the bank to draw out your cash. There is a cost to that. Cost in terms of convenience cost in terms of time. Somebody has calculated that time spent per month doing that is 20 minutes. 20 minutes in your car or in a bus just to pull out your money . . . . Over time that could equate to a month. What if you could do that whole process digitally?” The Bitt Inc CEO said digitising the economy could also address the menace of companies collecting Value Added Tax and not paying it over to Government. The senator said: “There are quite a few ways you can imagine that digitising can help. I know there is a lot about people who aren’t paying VAT if it is digitised it is far harder for you to escape that method of taxation.” Saying that world trends, global studies and figures could prove how digitisation can enhance an economy, Senator Adams suggested that neighbouring economies had already recognised the need to go digital. “There are many savings you can extract through digitisation,” he said. “Some countries are putting their money where their mouths are. [The] Eastern Caribbean Central Bank intends to reduce the amount of cash in their economy by 50 per cent over four years.” (BT)

LIAT DEADLINE – The final decision on the future of cash-strapped LIAT is expected later this week as the regional airline came into focus during an all-day meeting at Hilton Barbados. Prime Minister Mia Mottley; Minister of Tourism Kerrie Symmonds; chairman of the LIAT shareholder governments, Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves of St Vincent, and trade union representatives were at the negotiating table for more than eight hours before calling it quits just after 5:30 p.m. THE NATION has been reliably informed that officials have been asked to come up with a number of proposals to present to Mottley before weekend. “A number of positions were explored and those present are to now get back to the governments later this week regarding the positions that were tabled,” a source close to the negotiations said. (DN)

NO BIG DEAL – Former Prime Minister Owen Arthur is warning Caribbean leaders not to expect a major trade deal with the UK when it leaves the European Union (EU). “I do not think, based on history, that the region can expect any major benefits from England, the UK, when it exits the EU,” Arthur told a public lecture on BREXIT and the new Caribbean Trade Agenda at the Sagicor Cave Hill School of Business and Management on Tuesday night. With the opportunity to negotiate new independent trade deals, Britain would gravitate to more powerful nations and the region would be excluded, he argued. “The Caribbean can hardly occupy any special place on the UK’s agenda once it leaves the European Union,” he said. Instead, he is advising the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to ensure that any future trade deal brokered with the UK should be one of “a developmental corporation regime”. Pointing to uncertainties surrounding Brexit and pointing to past experiences under trade deals with the EU, Arthur said there was an urgent need for the region to “recalibrate its trade agenda to remove all of the constraints that is standing in the way of its enterprises penetrating and holding market access and sustained activity on a competitive basis”. The former Prime Minister told the gathering: “In short, the region needs to build a genuine export culture to be able to function successfully in a globalized economy where trade liberalization has become the dominant practice.” Arthur said the region failed to take full advantage of the ten-year-old Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), which was signed between the regional bloc CARIFORUM and the EU to promote trade between the EU member states and African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP)states. He said information sourced from the UK revenue and customs report showed that British imports from CARIFORUM countries declined from £662 million in 2008 to £449 million in 2017. “Only the middle income public seemed to have taken advantage of the generous market access offered by the EPA,” Arthur declared. Despite the “generous market access” for CARIFORUM under the EPA, “the region has not been able to significantly diversify its exports to the European market in any substantial way”, said the economist and former finance minister. The region’s tourism industry has also been unable to receive any “bounty” as a result of the EPA, he added. Arthur told the audience: “There is no reason to believe that there has been any radical improvement in the penetration of Caribbean service providers to the European Union or the European market. “In order for the region to have taken advantage of the provisions in the EPA for the movement of natural persons, the market access of the EPA would have to be supplemented by a mutual recognition agreement and visa application agreements between nations from the two groups of nations. “These matters seemed not to have received the requisite attention since 2008.”. He called on Caribbean nations to increase their capacity to export, adding that greater focus should be placed on services industries. But the senior statesman also took a swipe at the EU, accusing Brussels of “launching an assault” on the Caribbean financial services sector through the creation of blacklists and threats of sanctions. Arthur said: “There is no basis in international public law for the European Union to first of all ask other countries to change their tax laws, and secondly, to do so on the threat that they would enforce sanctions.” (BT)

CANDIDACY CONCERNS – Barbados Union of Teachers’ (BUT) presidential candidate Pedro Shepherd has refuted claims that he plans to use the post to boost his political agenda if he is elected in next month’s elections. A post being circulated to BUT members on social media, warns that Shepherd, who has publicly expressed interest in running for the Democratic Labour Party (DLP), would use his position as BUT president to attack Government if successful in the April 12 elections. “Please let Pedro Shepherd who has signalled his intention to run for party politics know that we will not allow him to use BUT as a forum for him or the DLP to attack Government,” the post states. However, in an interview with Barbados TODAY, Shepherd, who served as BUT president from 2012 to 2018, maintained that he was only interested in representing the interests of teachers. Furthermore, he said this was not the first time he had expressed an interest in representing the DLP, as he had done so on two previous occasions. In fact, Shepherd who was defeated by Shawn Spencer in last year’s BUT elections said he had agitated for teachers when the DLP was in power. “For a person to make those comments shows that person clearly does not know me because this is not the first time that I have expressed an interest in running for the DLP. I expressed an interest as far back as 2013 and then again in 2018 and now I’m doing it for a third time so it is not new. “And anybody who followed my trade unionism, as well as my political life, would know that the DLP was in office from 2008 until 2018 and I as the president of the BUT, was the most vocal person against Minister [of Education] Ronald Jones and by extension, other members of the Cabinet. So if it had anything to do with politics, I would have been the most quiet BUT president over the last six years,” Shepherd contended. He said he had been asked to run for president by the union’s members, because of his strong representation in the past. Shepherd said during his six-year stint as president, he had always put the needs of teachers first. “It is not about politics, it’s about teachers. Whoever is in power and there is reason for me to have to represent the interests of teachers that is what I am going to do. “It doesn’t matter if the BLP is in power, the DLP is in power, Solutions Barbados in power, the UPP in power or Atherley’s party is in power, as president of the BUT I am representing teachers,” Shepherd said. (BT)

EASTMOND STEPS DOWN AS UPP CHAIR – Three years in, the United Progressive Party (UPP) will have a new leader later this week. Founder and first-time chairman, attorney Lynette Eastmond, has stepped down. Eastmond confirmed yesterday she would not be offering herself for re-election when members vote for a new executive today. “Don’t get it confused with other parties. They may have one leader in because the leader might be in Parliament and is the Leader of the Opposition. But the chairman of the party is another thing,” Eastmond told the media yesterday. “But because we don’t have anyone in Parliament, we don’t have a leader; it’s different,” the former minister in a Barbados Labour Party Government said. “But amongst all the parties, you tend to change leadership over a period of time. The chairman does not remain the same person,” she added. Eastmond revealed that Ambrose Grovesnor, Everton Holligan and Wayne Griffith would be vying to replace her. A notice on the UPP’s website last night posted by public relations officer Griffith said: “The United Progressive Party is in the process of choosing its executive committee for 2019-2020. Nominations for positions are being processed via online nominations and voting which also help to facilitate our overseas membership. The names and positions of the new UPP executive will be made public on Friday, March 29.” Political scientist Peter Wickham said the decision would not have much of an effect on the political landscape: “I don’t know that it changes the world,” he said last night. “Lynette Eastmond’s showing at the polls left much to be desired. She scored just slightly more votes than [Independent candidate] Natalie Harewood (a former sex worker) and that speaks volumes to the extent of what is taken seriously by the public,” he added. (DN)

NEW ‘SOCIAL JUSTICE GROUP’ IN PARTNERSHIP – Sex workers, members of the lesbian, gay and bisexual community and people with disabilities have been given a place at the table of the Social Partnership in a new body alongside faith-based and a raft of non-governmental organisations. With the decision, the Labour Party Government has moved to keep a campaign promise to introduce a “Social Justice Committee” to broaden the membership of the tripartite Social Partnership to include a wider range of interest groups. Introducing the committee on Wednesday, Minister of Labour and Social Partnership Relations Colin Jordan said the committee was in line with the principles of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Jordan, who is the social justice committee’s chairman, said its main objective was to consider and make recommendations to Government, directly through the Social Partnership and Cabinet, on social justice issues. The committee’s remit includes poverty alleviation; the role of the family in fostering cultural and social norms and values; discrimination; access to education; integration of people with disabilities; access to employment; safety and security and the environment. “It is not intended for this committee to be a talk shop,” said Jordan, who added that the time had long come for civil and non-governmental organizations to be involved in discussions with Government on issues affecting residents. The committee is made up of 23 individuals, 19 of whom are appointed by the Labour Minister. Each member is to serve for a period of two years. The deputy chair of the committee is the Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Cynthia Forde. Other representatives on the committee come from trade unions, the Rastafarian community, women and men organizations, the media, youth development organisations, the credit union movement, parent teachers associations, social workers, the private sector and the Family Planning Association. The committee will meet once per month and will report to the Social Partnership and Cabinet quarterly and also annually within three months of Government’s fiscal year, which ends on March 31. Jordan said: “A social justice committee, from its name, has to do with ensuring that people across the country can function…. So feel free to share your views as strongly as possible always being respectful to the rest of us. “What we want to do is to speak from our perspectives as representing organizations. We know what is happening in our organisations, we know what is happening on the ground. Sometimes though, we are going to need to have some research to drive that discussion and decision making.” He pledged to call on the University of the West Indies and other institutions to provide research support. The representatives of the various groups told the convening of the Social Justice Committee they welcomed the opportunity, expressing the hope that their members’ concerns would be adequately addressed through the new framework. (BT)

CONCERN OVER MULTIPLE PARTNERS - Barbadians are having sex with multiple partners at the same time, but using condoms less and more are refusing to get tested for HIV. These were some of the major findings of the most recent study by the National HIV/AIDS Commission, released at the Warrens Office Complex, St Michael. Assistant director Nicole Drakes said the Report On Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs And Sexual Practices Survey Among Adults Ages 15 to 49 In Barbados 2016-2017, was of major concern. “The fight is not over. We still have a lot of work to do in terms of behavioural changes . . . . “Because of stigma and discrimination, a lot of people don’t get tested – a lot from key populations like sex workers, persons with disabilities and men who have sex with men who are not going to get tested and put themselves at risk,” she said. (DN)

STIS ON THE RISE – While cases of HIV have declined marginally over the past decade, health authorities are struggling to combat outbreaks of other Sexually Transmitted Infections and diseases (STIs/STDs) including chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis. Senior Medical Officer, Dr Anton Best said health officials recorded a sharp increase in sexually transmitted diseases, revealing that the ministry had since been unsuccessful in bringing the troubling outbreak under control. Dr Best was delivering the feature address at the National HIV/AIDS Commission’s report on the findings of the Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs and Sexual Practices Survey. “Data is showing us that we have sustained high rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea and then there has been an outbreak of syphilis and since then the annual rates of syphilis have remained high. “These observations are further indications that behavioural campaigns have not been as effective as we would have liked,” Dr Best revealed. He said while public awareness campaigns, studies and other forms of research focus mainly on the transmission of HIV, other STIs could not be ignored. “Please appreciate that our goals and objectives of our national HIV program also speak to the need to prevent and control the spread of other sexually transmitted infections in Barbados. “So while this survey is an integral part of the research agenda for HIV, we must utilize these findings in conjunction with others in teaching information to design and implement evidence-informed interventions and policies to better control and prevent HIV and STIs in Barbados,” he said. Frowning on the seemingly nonchalant attitudes displayed by some Barbadians to the transmission of STIs, Best argued that a tremendous amount of work was needed to combat the infections and diseases. He was responding to new information which indicates that a lack of condom use, reduced STI testing and numerous sex partners have stifled the efforts of authorities. “Our behaviors and sexual practices are the result of our cultural norms and social structures. Social research is therefore key for us to have the best possible understanding of the local context of HIV vulnerabilities. “Best available evidence is indicating that this is due to the use of antiretroviral therapy rather than the alteration of sexual habits of people in Barbados. So we are faced with a conundrum and need to find more effective ways to modify people’s attitudes and their behaviours,” said the senior medical officer. He further expressed hope that some of the strides made in the reduction of HIV would be transferred to other sexually transmitted diseases. (BT)

MARSHALL LAW – With mounting public frustration over the matter of bail being granted to persons accused of murder, Government may be seeking to make adjustments to the 1996 Bail Act, in response to this issue. This revelation was made by Attorney General Dale Marshall, who told Barbados TODAY that while he was not in a position to state the nature of the proposed changes, as the measures have not yet received Cabinet’s stamp of approval, it was clear that it could not be business as usual. “While an individual will have his personal views on who should or should not get bail, our 1996 Bail Act allows for every defendant to receive bail. The whole idea that a murder accused can’t get bail is not now supported by our law,” he said noting that even though the law has been in existence since 1996, it was not until 2007 that a murder accused was first granted bail. He added: “There are a number of things which we have to do including making amendments to the Bail Act so as to tighten up on the system of bail.” However, the AG made it clear that any tightening of bail granted to murder accused must be accompanied by speedy trials for these persons. “We can’t just deal with bail and tightening the grant of bail unless we also deal with the speed at which justice is dispensed. Every accused also has rights and to delay trials for five and ten years does not benefit the society. In some cases, witnesses’ memories will go dim and persons who are innocent would be left with this [Sword of] Damocles over their heads for over a decade,” he explained. In addition to the proposed revisions to the Bail Act, Marshall told Barbados TODAYthat Government was seeking to implement measures to take out some of the discretionary components to sentencing and replace them with a system similar to that of the US with mandatory minimum sentencing for certain categories of crimes. “Another measure that we are seeking to put in place is a practice direction issue as it relates to sentence indicators. The whole idea is to create a logic to sentencing and not a case where a judge decides to give one individual five years and give another ten years for the same crime. That is not how sentencing works. There has to be a structure to sentencing so that the law is consistent. Individuals with similar charges and similar circumstances should be able to expect a similar sentence. That is what justice is, it has to be equal across the board,” he explained. The Attorney General argued that this system would also be helpful in moving the judicial system along faster, as perpetrators would be more inclined to plead guilty since they would be able to gauge their length of stay in prison. “The system of minimum sentencing indicators would allow for an accused person to make a determination as to the kind of sentencing regime he would be subject to if he pleads guilty. We have already seen some of this bearing fruit as we see those who will say ‘this is the type of sentencing range I would get, so maybe I should consider pleading guilty.’ This would be in cases where the evidence is strong,” he contended. (BT)

JOCKEY HIGH COURT BOUND – A 54-year-old jockey is headed to the High Court for sentencing. Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant committed the case against Ray Anderson Herbert, of no fixed place of abode, to the criminal assizes today. “Ma’am I want to go and plead guilty in the High Court,” he stated from the docks when his matter was called. Herbert is accused of committing an indictable offence when he allegedly entered the home of a woman on January 21, 2018 as a trespasser with intent to assault another female in the house. The accused has been on remand since his first appearance before the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court in January last year. He is now waiting his day in the High Court. (BT)

HIGH COURT APPLICATION – Queen’s Counsel Michael Lashley today revealed that he had made a bail application in the High Court for a female murder accused. The defence attorney was addressing Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant as he appeared on behalf of 34-year-old fish boner Verna Isilma Vasilka Cuffy and 24-year-old labourer Dave Fedel Aristide James, both of Wavell Gardens, Black Rock, St Michael. The two are charged with the September 7, 2018 murder of fish vendor Stephen “Molly” Small. The accused have been on remand at Dodds for the past six months since their first appearance before the magistrate. Lashley told the magistrate that he and his team of Dayna Taylor-Lavine and Kadisha Wickham will return to the High Court on May 10, 2019 in relation to an application made on accused Cuffy’s behalf. Following the announcement the magistrate again remanded the two for a further 28-days. Cuffy, is also facing September 8, 2018 charges of possession of cannabis and cultivation of the plants. The accused will return to the No. 1 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court on April 25. (BT)

TEEN CHARGED WITH ASSISTING SUSPECT GRANTED BAIL – Nineteen-year-old Akela Keanna Gittens was granted $8,000 bail when she appeared in the Holetown Magistrate’s Court today on a charge of assisting a man who is suspected to have committed a capital offence. It is alleged that Gittens of 5F Madison Terrace, St Michael, believing that Kadeem Clarke had committed murder, provided accommodation and financial assistance to him with intent to impede his arrest. She was not required to plea to the indictable charge, which is alleged to have occurred between February 16 and March 23, 2019. As part of her bail conditions the accused must now report to the Black Rock Police Station every Monday and Friday before 9 a.m. Gittens will reappear before Magistrate Wanda Blair on September 17, 2019. (BT)

RILEY BACKS SKERRITT – Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) president Conde Riley has vowed unstinting support for new Cricket West Indies (CWI) president Ricky Skerritt. “This is not about Skerritt, Cameron or Riley, it is about cricket. The elections are over and it is time to move on. “I am very comfortable and committed to regional cricket. I have to get help from Skerritt right now as we are negotiating for a (financial) facility, and we need to be calm and focused as to where we are going to take West Indies cricket,” said Riley. The CWI director was speaking on the aftermath of the CWI presidential elections on Sunday when Skerritt defeated incumbent Dave Cameron 8-4 for the top post. Riley defended the BCA’s decision to support the 47-year-old Cameron, who was seeking a fourth term as president. (DN)

REGISTRATION DEPARTMENT REOPENS ON APRIL 1 – The Registration Department will now reopen on Monday, April 1, at the Whitepark Road, St Michael complex, and not tomorrow, March 28, as previously announced. However, urgent applications for births, deaths, the registering of deaths, marriage certificates and the registering of marriages where the parties are non-resident will continue at the Whitepark Road, St Michael complex. Meanwhile, certificates that were to be collected on or before March 21 may be collected up to Friday, March 29, at the complex. Court will continue to be heard at the Manor Lodge Complex and the Cane Garden Complex until Friday, April 5. (BGIS)

For daily or breaking news reports follow us on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter & Facebook. That’s all for today folks. There are 279 days left in the year. Shalom! #thechasefilesdailynewscap #thechasefiles# dailynewscapsbythechasefiles

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Long story short, I was in an at fault car accident (only because I crossed the double-yellow line) but thats beside the point. It came off as my fault. Now the other driver was driving a 2003 audi they're saying his car is totalled. So he's probably going to be getting a pretty hefty check. For my car insurance, I only have liability so its 1,300 a year. That's $108.33 a month. How much do you think it will go up after the settlement is given? I heard that it will go up so much percent for like 3 years??? I am 19 years old , and will be driving for almost a year at the end of October.""

No auto insurance on loan vehical in california?

My auto insurance through farmers insurance has lapsed as of December 1st on my vehicle which I have a loan through coast hills banking. I really am having a hard time getting the money together to get it going again. I told my husband even if a couple Bills go behind I have to pay it by Feb because I'm getting very nervous that it will be taken From me. Has anyone ever had to do this before? its my first time in this scary bind but I got in an auto accident that took my insurance money from me to pay for it so can someone tell me if its possible to loose my vehicle? Thank you

Elida New Mexico Cheap car insurance quotes zip 88116

Car insurance does it realy go up?

if your cars red does your car insurance price go up and if its a two door sports car does it go up?

Insurance for second car?

hello i ma a taxi driver with psv insurance my son has recently bought a car and wants me to put me down as the main driver to keep the premium as low as possible. what i want to know is can i have two policies one private and one psv???

Where can i find the cheapest insurance??

im 19. i live in california. ive never been in an accident and ive never gotten a ticket. i drive a 2004 suzuki forenza and i pay almost 200 dollars a month for insurance!!! i have to have full coverage because im still paying off my car, but come on i think thats a little ridiculous.. its more than my car payment. Any idea where i can get it cheaper and if so, how do i go about changing it?? any help is greatly appreciated!""

Is there a program or something for people who work as temps to get insurance?

I have not had medical insurance and would love to have coverage, but working as a temp none is offered and it can be very exspensive, anyone know what I can do to get affordable insurance!!!""

When does wisconsin drivers need to buy insurance?

My roommate and I heard that in wisconsin that we need insurance at least liability insurance. We haven't heard anything on the news about it!

Car insurance does anyone know of an inurance company that is both cheap and reliable?

having had a dispute with my insurance company i was advised by the office of fair trading to cancel my car insurance policy and reclaim I only own a small car and having searched the internet i find that i can not find insurance for less than 500. Does anyone know of a reputable insurance company that is cheap and reliable?

Can my parents insure my car without me on the insurance policy?

Ok, there's a little bit to the story. I want my mom to sign my car (which is in her name at the moment) over to me. She said that she would. The DMV people said that to change the car over into my name, I have to bring in my I.D. and proof of insurance. I'm wondering if they will switch the car into my name without me being listed on my mom's policy (the ins. car has her name on it.) Will the people at the DMV switch the car into my name, or do I have to have my own insurance, or be put on her policy?""

If you don't have auto insurance can you get auto insurance from enterprise to rent a vehicle?

i don't have auto insurance at the moment.. will enterprise give me auto insurance for a rental? how much does that cost usually?

What is the cheapest BMW on insurance and fuel?

Just was wondering which car would be the economical one. I'm guessing its probably something in the 3 series but not sure, Anyone know?""

Insurance plan for emancipated teens?

So I'm leaving for Texas/Mississippi this summer and if I enjoy it down there I would be able to live with my sister and be able to go to school . . . but the thing is my parents don't know if I would be able to go to school down there without them signing the forms and what not since they live up here in Oregon . . . I'm 17 I'll be 18 in about 8 months but till then my mom was considering giving up legal rights to me (not because of family issues) so that i would be able to sign the forms myself yada yada yada now the thing is if there rights are terminated I will no longer be on there health plan or any insurance I honestly know for a fact that I'm not able to provide myself with insurance and any other adult type amenities I'm wanting to get my HS diploma and go to collage and become a Elementary Teacher for underprivileged children in Mississippi and or Texas so is there any insurance plans that help with kids who no longer have legal guardians but can't afford it? or is it possible for me to enroll into a high school that isn't in my own state and if so how!?

Insurance problems with car theft?

a friend of mine is an american citizen living in Juarez, Mexico because of his wife is a Mexican citizen that can't cross until her papers are finalized.. So he works here and goes back to Juarez for the night and comes back in the morning.. the other day on his way home.. he stopped at the store and when he walked out.. someone stole his truck.. he called the police and reported a stolen truck but with no info given about himself or the truck, just merely a black suburban... now he's back in the states.. and wants to report it stolen here from a friends house or something... not at a store because walmart has video cameras in their parking lots.. so how can he proceed in doing this.. he doesn't want to cause insurance fraud but he has nothing left besides his truck.. if he tells the insurance company it was stolen across the border, there is no policy on where it was stolen, so Juarez, Mexico is out of their jurisdiction.. how can he do this without getting in trouble.. he's worried about the border itself.. because they snap a photo of you coming into the united states.. but do they snap a photo of you when they get out? any info on what he can do to help his situation would help so much.. thank you""

How do insurance companies verify the adress you use for your car insurance is your actual adress?

I want to get my car insurance in a different state see how do car insurance companies know that the address and provide is where I live. And if I get caught what is the penalty

Where is a good place to get classic car insurance that will let me commute - not only use the car for shows?

Most insurance that I'm looking into for classic cars are not willing to insure your car if you commute to work and school. They only want to insure cars that are used in shows, parades, etc. I will not drive my car every single day to work...maybe a few times during the week. I bought the car to enjoy it, not let it sit in the garage!""

Insurance on a reeeeeeally cheap car?

So here's my story. I want to learn to drive standard before I purchase my serious car but the thing is, I dont know how! Now, I've asked almost everyone I know that can drive standard to teach me but no one has kept their word. I found a cheap car that's standard (has a turbo too!) for a really low price. When I'm driving the car home (when/if I buy it) and when Im driving around learning how to drive a standard, do I need insurance on the car? Is there anything I can say so to the insurer so that I dont have to pay that much insurance? I plan to drive the car for maybe 2 weeks until I'm confident driving one. How about license plates? Do I need to buy a new one? Can I just renew an old plate I have laying around? Thanks!""

Is my car insurance to high for a new driver(28years old)?

My fiancee added me under his car insurance, and iam being charged $145 a month. Iam a new driver, i just got my liscence last April. Is this Expensive for a new driver? How long will it take for the price to go down?""

My 17 was caught driving a car without a licence or insurance?

Does anyone know how much of a fine he can expect to get? Can't believe he has been such an idiot! He has never been in any sort of trouble before this.

Can a dealership sell you a car without car insurance?

I bought a car, thinking I had car insurance, and I want out. I didn't put any money down, yet i signed the paperwork and drove off the lot with the car. I brought back the same day, but of course they didn't take it back. Can they hold me to the loan if i didnt have car insurance and i have no job? I am only 19 and want a way out.""

""If u destroyed a $5000 car, on average how much would ur insurance company give you back?""

If u destroyed a $5000 car, on average how much would ur insurance company give you back?""

Insurance Question!Can ya help?

If i have a 2002 isuzu rodeo with 100k miles on it and i pay $150/month for insurance, how much would my insurance go up or if even at all, if i got a 2001 Audi A6 with 100k miles on it? Plus do you think thats a good car trade :)""

How much do you pay for car insurance?

I'm a 22 year old male living in GA and mine is $770 every 6 months. I've never had a wreck or nufin. How old are you and how much is your car insurance every 6 months. It's confusing because some people will say they pay, for example, $1000 in car insurance, but they don't say whether it's every 6 months or every year. Please be specific as to if it's 6 months or a year. Thanks very much. I just want to know how much more I'm paying than all of you. lol""

Can my brother drive my car without insurance?

My insurance company is with Statefarm. I'm the primary driver with full insurance coverage for the car. My brother just received his license but does not have any car insurance YET. Would it be legal for him to drive my car and if so, would my car be covered by the insurance company if he gets into an accident. I am from Canada, Ontario.""

""Can you suggest a good,affordable health insurance plan?""

I am an adjunct instructor at two colleges in Michigan. Neither institution offers health insurance for adjunct instructors. For the last three years I have been getting health Insurance through a postdoctoral fellowship. Now this fellowship has come to an end, and I am in desperate straits. I have heart problems and I need specials medicationss for depression and attention deficit disorder.What do I do?""

""What is the lowest, best Liability auto Insurance in California ?

I just got a Pt Cruiser that car dealership if offering 70.00 to insure the car however I do need liability insurance any one know of a good web site were I can compare some quotes instead of calling around or talking to a pushy insurance agent ?

Sports cars with cheap insurance?

I am 16 and I am looking for a sporty looking car, with good horsepower, but that wont kill me with the insurance rates like Mustangs, Camaro's and Trans Am's would. Any suggestions?""

How much does an insurance for a bus cost approximately?

The cost can be per year for a 40ft or for a 60ft diesel bus. I need the info for a life cycle cost analysis. Any info will be helpful. thanks

Elida New Mexico Cheap car insurance quotes zip 88116

Can someone help me get a insurance quote ?

im 16 and my mom said that if i wanted to drive, i would have to buy my own insurance. but the thing is i cant find any sites that tell me how much i would have to pay as a starter , and then pay monthly. the car that i want to drive is my stepdads 2000 Bonneville. idk what else it is but it looks just like this. VvV http://www.autoworld.com/news/Pontiac/2000Bonneville.jpg i just want to know how much i would have to pay (:""

Where can I get health insurance at low cost in Colorado?

How much is car insurance for a range rover sport 2010?

I have a friend how is looking to get a 2st hand range rover sport 2010 but Is worried about the insurance. What is the range of car insurance prices I just want a price range if there is anyone out there how has a range rover sport. My friend has been driving for 5 year and has never had an accident.

Anyone know where to get affordable international health insurance?

I am wondering where I can get some decent health coverage to cover me during my international adventures . Does anyone know where to look for this stuff? Please give websites and phone #'s if you have them. Thank you.

Why do insurance companies pay out low payments?

i was expecting a good amount from my fathers life insurance after all he's been paying into their policy for almost 40 yrs. but i get a letter that after paying the funeral home, i will only get 89.00""

Poll: How much do you pay for auto insurance per year?

could you do me a favour and also tell me what kind of car you drive, age, and gender? don't worry not trying to stalk anyone or something, I just want to see what do most people pay for insurance. I don't know much about what's a good or bad price, all I know is the rate for the car I want and I want to see what it is compared to other people's rates. if you don't want to answer you don't have to because I know some people might not be comfortable saying this stuff to strangers. also any offences? thanks!""

What will my insurance do?

So the other day a car slammed on their brakes and I hit their bumper. It was a Mercury Sable.Not sure the year right now...prob 98-02. It was a young girl and her 4 friends. They were obviously under the influence of weed. They of course did not want to call the cops. I said ok because I did not want a ticket or my ins rates to go up. We exchanged names and numbers. She called and my husband and I arranged that we would pay for half of the damages. Today she called and said her estimate was $870!! I only cracked her bumper...what should I do? Can I still file a police report? What will my insurance do if I go through them now?Thanks!!

Whats the best and cheapest car insurance?

Volkswagen Polo 1. Litre, to drive in the city of London?""

Can i cash a check from an auto insurance company and not fix my car?

i had hit a deer yesterday, i had made a claim with my insurance company. When they send me a check for the damages, can i cash that check and fix the car myself and not go to a body shop?""

My car got stolen and i have full cover insurance on it will they give me money for it?

My car got stolen and they find the car and all that was left was the shell of the car. I also have GAP insurance I want to know will the pay off my car and give me money to buy another car.

How does car insurance really work?

I've been driving for 6 years now, and carry car insurance. One thing about it that doesn't really make sense to me is this : If I get hit by someone without car insurance, my insurance won't pay. Why is that? They will pay if it's my fault, but if it's not my fault, they won't. That doesn't make any sense to me. I'm paying to cover my car, so it shouldn't matter what insurance the other car has. Someone please explain this to me.""

Will car insurance offer a jump start to my car ?

my car doesn't ignite and i... out. will my car insurance company be able to...

Does anyone know of any good health insurance for newborns and children in southern california?

I need to get my 2 month old health insurance and there are just too many. I would like to know if anybody has health insurance for their kids and is happy with it.

Where can I find results of auto crashes and speeding tickets by age and the average price one pays for auto..

insurance by age.

What car is best for young male insurance wise?

K im 18, goin to uni next year, male ive looked up quotes for renualt clio 1.2 2000-2003 models and got 8400 annual as cheapest. for peugeot 106 1.1 i got 11,000 annual cheapest..... vauxhall corsa 1.2 i got 10,000 cheapest. the cars im looking at are garbage.. worth 800 tops. Why would i pay over 10 times the price of the car to be allowed to ride it for a year, i know im 18 i dont care if im a risk(which im not, im not a speedfreak,) theres risk and then theres idiocy. What are the key things to get a low qoute?""

Could I get car insurance before having a car?

I don't seem to have a car at the moment like I mentioned. But I was wondering if I could get a car first and then purchase the insurance or would that not work?

Does anyone know a cheap car insurance company?

Im About to Turn 17 and am Male,, I need to know if anyone knows of a cheap car insurance company, I have a 2002 Citroen Saxo VTR, I live in Dudley,UK Preferably i would like to pay less than 3000 (i am only a student) Preferably i would like to go in my name but i do also have the option to go in my 44year old dads name. If anyone could get back to me on this i would be very greateful p.s -- I have tried all of the comparison sites and have only found 1insurance company cheaper than 3k Gett Back to me please Thank You xx""

Advice on teen car insurance ?

I'm 18, from Ontario and have had my G2 for over a year now. I was in a deathly car accident in january on the highway because of really bad weather conditions, I'm lucky to be okay. The cop didn't charge me because the weather was so bad and there were a number of car accidents that week. However the insurance company faulted me because I spun out first. Its been 2 months and my dad has done nothing but complain about his car being wrecked. He blames me 100% for the accident even though I hit black ice and there was nothing I could do, and he wasn't even there... For my 18th birthday my grandad (his dad) is giving me $10,000 for a car. My dad is making him wait to give it to me and he won't take me car shopping ! And when I do get one he's not putting me under his insurance ! I have to insure my own car at 18 with only a part time job. Is this unfair? Not being able to drive has been a huge hassel. What are the cheapest cars to insure ? I can drive standard so there's no limitations. What's the best insurance companies ? How much do you think it would be ? Also I'm going to college in Florida next year on an athletic scholarship so what is insurance like down there ?""

Does anyone have any idea how much insurance would cost for this car?

the car i want is a 1987 pontiac fiero fastback gt with a 5 speed manual transmition and a 2.8 L engine. what would insurance be for a 16 or 17 year old male?

Can I buy motorcycle insurance for one month and cancel?

I'll be going away for college in a little over a month and I wanted to insure my motorcycle to I can ride it for the remainder of the summer. If I only want insurance for one month, should I just tell them that, or buy coverage with monthly payments and stop paying after the first month? Also, if I just stop paying, will this make it harder to get coverage from them in the future?""

Taxes on insurance?

My sister passed away in a plane crash and the plane was insured. If the insurance company wrote me a check for $50,000 how much should I be expecting to pay in taxes? I'm so confused....""

Is USAA a good auto insurance company to go under?

have any of u dealt with USAA before? whether it was their auto insurance, banking etc.and how come there are so many in the military that does not know anything about it?""

Is it possible to buy car insurance abroad. i am insured normally for my car in th uk and it is a uk registere?

is it possible to buy car insurance abroad. i am insured normally for my car in th uk and it is a uk registered car but because of ever rising insurance costs im trying to find different ways aroud the uk insurance laws for cars. ive been told i can get an insurance policy from any european country that covers me to drive in the uk . is this legal and is this possible as if so this loophole in the law could save british motorists a fortune each year as european insurance is much cheaper. if you can do it where do you start

I receive a health insurance stipend but keep it in savings instead. is this okay?

i went from being fully covered with my company in los angeles, but i moved to new york 7 months ago, where their insurance doesn't cover. in lieu of this, they give me a stipend. however, it's not nearly enough to cover cost of insurance here, so i've been putting it in a savings account until i can afford a plan in my budget and/or emergency health situations. my boss just asked me for proof of insurance. i will tell the truth of the matter, but what will happen? what can they do?""

Maternity Insurance?

Does any one know of a good insurance for maternity. I have been trying to concieve for a year and 8 months with no luck. It is time to visit a doctor. But I think it is better for me to get insurance since fertility treatments are expensive. Which insurance would you go with?

Elida New Mexico Cheap car insurance quotes zip 88116

Is it a bad idea to get your own car insurance at 18?

I wanna get my own car insurance! I wanted to know if it would be a bad idea or a good life lesson! Is it true that car insurance cost more with new cars? Because I want to get a 05 Suzuki Forenza! It's a used car it's only 2,000! Any parents out there please help! I need all the advice I can get before I turn 18!! Thanks!!""

Is there any affordable health insurance when you are a smoker with high blood pressure?

Question about my car insurance?

My current insurance is with state farm; just a question; if i got hit by someone without car insurance and is their fault; they dont have any money to pay for my damage; since i dont have the uninsure motor coverage but i have collision with deductible of 500 dollar; would my collision cover me after i pay the 500 dollar? i guess my real question is what is the point of having uninsure motor coverage when i have collision coverage? would i need both? or just collision would be sufficient?

Teen Insurance?

what is the cheapest insurance for a teenager who just got their license. i know you cant put a price on your childs life but i need something affordable. $200 a month something like that. I live in Northern California bay area

Which car insurance company would be the best for a 16yr old?

I am about to get my license and want to know what car insurance company I should get, How much should I expect to pay?""

Can I buy medical insurance online or something right before I go to the hospital ?

Am allowed to do that or is there some kind of waiting period you have do ? also if you don't have to wait and can go immediately are there any really good low cost medical insurance plans for Northern California.

How much does car rental insurance cost?

I am renting an economy car for one day through enterprise. Any idea what the average cost of rental insurance they offer is? I'll be calling them later on. Just wondering ahead of time what I should expect to pay, on average. Thanks""

Can i get braces free from insurance?

I reallllly need braces and I've been looking for any dentists in chicago that accept insurance in chicago. I live around cook county and anywhere around irving park or places near there would be fine but i really want to get braces that my insurance will cover. I am 13 years old.......thx!

If your name is not on your parents car insurance?

if your name is not on your parents car insurance, are you allowed to drive it and will they cover you if you get into an accident?""

Insurance companies for high risk driver?

hi, i am 16 and i burrowed my dad's car for a day and got into a left turn accident, the claim was for $5000. the problem was i was not insured and my dad himself had his G2(canadian) licence for less than a year, so now the insurance company we had said that they would not renew the policy. so does that mean that my dad's insurance got cancelled and could anyone reccomend a good insurance company for me to go with.. i live in Scarborough Canada. thanks in advance for help.""

""17 Starting to drive, any cheap insurance sites?""

I'm now 17 and i am having driving lessons, i was just wondering if you know of any cheap insurance sites? Thanks""

My car insurance was canceled due to roommate has a DUI?

I live in Michigan and I have been advised by Hartford that my car insurance will be canceled in Feb. due to the fact that another person in this household has a DUI. They feel that this person could drive my car with or without my permission. They advised one of us needs to move in order to have the policy reinstated. Is this justified? What can I do?

Are car insurance companies having a laugh?

Me and a friend were taking out some car insurance quotes the other day - entering his information in he got 1700 a year on an old '95 (i think) cincequento, which frankly was hilarious. Then, all we changed was the address so that he lived at my house. It pushed the insurance up to something like 2700. Now I dont get this - he lives in a pretty rough area in my town, right near where all the boy racers live and such. I however live in a small village about 2 miles away and just outside of the town. In my area, the population is about 90% seniors and it is very quiet. I thought insurance companies were supposed to weigh the risks of location against their policy? Why has mine come out a grand more?""

Cheaper car insurance in CA (san diego)???

my husband just bought an 03 toyota tacoma 4 cyl extra cab and is also lifted. he is 20 and due to financing the truck we had to purchase full coverage. we are both covered and currently have geico and pay $535 every 6months. is there anything cheaper???

In terms of premium cost the most expensive type of insurance is?

What is the average price for insurance for an APRILIA RS 125?

what is the average price for insurance for an APRILIA RS 125 thinking of getting one but need to know a rough average

Car insurance for a new driver?

i want to buy a small car, but im worried that the insurance will be expensive what company sell cheap insurance? how much about did you pay? i want a small car, like a 1 litre engine thank you""

How Do I Get Health Insurance?

I'm thinking of leaving my job to go freelance in California. I have no idea where to even start to look for a private health insurance plan. I have a preexisting condition, so I'd probably be turned down for most regular plans. Should I look for an independent broker? I've looked online and it's impossible to find one. Does anyone know SPECIFICALLY where to go and what to do?""

Car Insurance Rates: Wyoming vs Nevada?

What is the cap for property liability insurance in california?

Young Driver. Big Raise in Auto Insurance Rates! Can you help?

My son is 15 and is getting his learner's permit. My insurance company wants almost $200 a month to insure him on my policy. I had low rates and a good record so this shocked me. Can anybody help?

Does anybody know cheap autoinsurance company????

Does pass plus help new older drivers with cheap insurance?

Insurance cost for a BMW ?

I'm 17 and want to buy a bmw, nothing New , maybe a 2001 or something .. What kinda insurance prices would I face? I have a clean driving record and good grades , if that matters at all""

""Car insurance, advice and help!?""

Im 16. Ive done a bit of research and it looks expensive, so im going to try to be put on my parents plan. I know it depends on their plan and everything, but im just looking for an approximation per month or per 6 months or per year. They have pretty good coverage if that helps, and my dads on geico and my moms on progressive i beleive. i live in miami if thats useful, and i will only use one car if that would make the insurance cheaper (its in their name). Any bit of advice to make it cheaper or any tips would be extremely appreciated. If i could get somewhere around 500 per 6 months that would be ideal. Thanks u guys""

Elida New Mexico Cheap car insurance quotes zip 88116

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/nrma-third-party-insurance-quote-jacob-foster/"

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thechasefiles · 5 years

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 2/19/2019

Good MORNING #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Tuesday 19th February 2019. Remember you can read full articles for FREE via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS) OR by purchasing by purchasing a Daily Nation Newspaper (DN).

BUS FARE HIKE COMING – Bus fares will definitely be going up. Minister of Transport, Works and Maintenance Dr William Duguid put the months of speculation to rest during debate in the new Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure format in the House of Assembly on Monday. While the International Monetary Fund has suggested a hike of $5, up from the current $2, Duguid however said the Mia Mottley administration had not yet decided on the amount. He also did not say if the hike would include schoolchildren in uniform who ride free. “But we have to make a decision what the bus fare will go to. Obviously you would appreciate that bus fare has not gone up in Barbados for 20 years, but everything else has gone up. The price of supplies has gone up, the price of diesel has gone up, the price of insurance has gone up, the price of labour has gone up. “We haven’t made the decision if it will go up by $1.50 or $2, we don’t know, but certainly all of that has to be assessed to make a decision as to where bus fares will go,” he stressed. (DN)

BUS FARES ‘COULD DOUBLE’ – Not quite $5 as critics feared – but commuters may soon have to pay as much as $4 for bus fare on public and private transport, Minister of Transport Dr William Duguid, has declared. Contending that the current fare of $2 charged by the Transport Board and public service vehicles (PSVs) is inadequate, Duguid told the House Estimates Debate that while an increase was coming it was yet to be determined by how much those fares would be raised. But he said: “We haven’t made the decision if it will go up by a $1.50 or if it will go up by $2, we don’t know now, but certainly all of that has to be accessed to make a decision as to where bus fares will go.” He argued that while bus fares have not moved in the last two decades, the price of doing business in all sectors had increased. Duguid told the House Standing Finance Committee: “We have a lot of work to do and we have to look at the fares that are being charged. We have not decided yet but we have to make a decision what the bus fare will go to. Obviously you would appreciate that bus fare in Barbados has not gone up for 20 years, but everything else has gone up. The price of supplies has gone up, the price of diesel has gone up, the price of insurance has gone up, the price of labour has gone up.” But the minister gave an assurance that a raise in bus fares would lead to better service. Duguid said: “What we do know is that we must bring order to the roads and there is no way that we will be looking at increasing the bus fare and not having a higher quality service where people are safe and where you can be confident that your child, or your grandchild, or your mother, or your sister, or your brother will be able to travel in a good, safe environment on the buses and on the PSVs of this country.” As part of those improvements, Duguid also revealed plans to implement technology to track Transport Board buses, minibuses and route taxis. He said the ministry was working on a programme alongside service provider BeepBus to give travellers real time information on where buses were at any given time. “I believe some buses already have it and it’s not only buses, it’s also available to some PSVs,” Duguid told the select committee. “We are hoping to marry that with our transport augmentation programme so that all of those BeepBuses we are hoping to bring on will also have that GPS (Global Position Satellite navigation) available.” Duguid said the ministry was also moving to a new cashless system where passes could pay for their rides using cell phones or a card. Transport Board chairman Gregory Nicholls, who also appeared before the committee in the first such hearings on the Estimates, disclosed that the state-owned bus company is negotiating with service providers to provide a cashless fares and fleet management system. He said the board was also contemplating installing WiFi Internet access on its buses. (BT)

UCAL ‘MORE BUS BUSINESS’ – The relationship between the bus service firm founded by ex-Transport Board mechanics and the Government which has bumped along a rocky road almost from its inception is to be fixed once and for all, Minister of Transport, Works and Maintenance Dr William Duguid has declared. During the Democratic Labour Party’s decade in office, the cash-strapped firm was owed over $18.4 million at one point, leading to work stoppages over late payments. Then Minister of Small Business Development Donville Inniss described the business arrangement as a “failed experiment”. UCAL had also complained that the statutory board was taking its buses to private garages for repairs. But Duguid disclosed that Government would be looking to expand UCAL’s operations beyond its original client. Duguid said: “I have had two meetings with UCAL delegations now . . . and not only now is the Transport Board directing much, much more work to UCAL, in fact as much as they can carry, but we’re in the process of leasing another part of the Transport Board to UCAL, which is the Mangrove location, so that they can do even more work for the Transport Board. “I don’t want to preempt Cabinet, except to say that I would have given a report to the Social Partnership about the rationalization of all of Government’s workshops and UCAL will not only play an important part in fixing and maintaining vehicles for the Transport Board, but we want to even extend it to maintaining and fixing vehicles for all of Government, which would expand UCAL’s position and be able to assist UCAL in not only the amount of work that it has but also expand it in terms of training.” Duguid said that UCAL staff would also be trained in electric vehicle repair and maintenance as the Transport Board’s proposes to switch to an electric fleet. “The way that the ministry sees it – and I’m sure the way the Prime Minister sees it – UCAL will be playing a very integral role to this country as we go forward into the new years,” he said. (BT)

FEES FOCUS – Government is preparing to pay out as much as $21 million to consultants by next financial year, a gigantic leap from the $206,000 it found coming into office in May 2018. Money allocated to professional fees in the current Estimates are skyrocketing to $14 million this year and then by an other $7 million by the end of 2020. The glaring change was highlighted by Opposition Leader Bishop Joseph Atherley in today’s first session of the Estimates debate in the House of Assembly. “If you look at the Estimates relative to the Ministry of Finance, these Estimates show a movement from last year, $206,000 for professional services . . . fees paid to consultants . . . to $4 million when this administration came to office and completed that financial year. “In the current Estimates, it’s being proposed [that] professional fees . . . fees paid to consultants . . . be moved to $14 million; and these Estimates also suggest that next year, there is a projection to move these professional services’ fees to $21million,” he declared. But in his intervention Straughn stoutly defended the level of fees being paid to the debt restructuring advisors by this Government as he responded to concerns expressed by the Opposition Leader regarding professional fees for consultants. He said the Mia Mottley Administration will be saving taxpayers some $1 billion in debt restructuring professional settlement fees each year, over the next three years. As the House opened debate on the 2019-2020 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure under the head of Tourism and International Transport, Atherley told the newly-established Standing Finance Committee of his misgivings on the level of fees. While the Opposition Leader said former Prime Minister Owen Arthur earned his pay for the “sterling service” he continues to render to the people of Barbados, he was worried about the amount of taxpayers’ money being given to state consultants. But Minister Straughn explained: “The fees referred to previously in this session . . . I just want for the clarity of this Chamber, to understand that the Government of Barbados, certainly in the next financial year will be saving almost $1 billion in both interest and amortization; and that will be the case in 2019-2020, in 2021-2022 and in 2022-2023. “In addition to that, our consultants are also renegotiating all of the egregious contracts that would have been agreed to under the previous administration at many of the state-owned enterprises, such that the monies that they are paying these individuals are worth the work that they are doing for the benefit of the taxpayers of this country,” Straughn told the Chamber. He also gave the assurance that later in the sitting he would table the appropriate documentation which should lay to rest any questions or concerns regarding professional fees. The Opposition Leader had also raised concerns over the $306,000 proposed in the current Estimates for the hiring of an environmental consultant and a social consultant under the Ministry of Tourism and International Transport. In response, Minister Kerrie Symmonds said that “every cent” of that money is a requirement under a US$20 million loan from the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) for a tourism enhancement project for Barbados. “While the project is financed by a US$20 million loan from the IDB, there are requirements under the programme that there be consultants who are brought in with a view to making sure that the project is executed in a satisfactory manner,” he told the Standing Finance Committee of the House. “The fact of the matter is that every cent of that money that the Honourable Member speaks to is made necessary, not by us, but made necessary as a result of the arrangements which we are entering in with the IDB in order to get a loan of $20 million. And if we are going to fund [a project] to the tune of US$20 million, the opportunity for us to develop tourism projects in Oistins and in Bridgetown, then Honourable Member, I am going to respectfully submit to you that the cost of paying a few consultants $300,000 is not exhorbitant or disproportionate because we cannot get value for nothing,” the minister contended. In a further move to strengthen its case for the merits of the IDB-funded project, the Government took advantage of the new House rules which allow Members of Parliament to question Cabinet Ministers about their stewardship while permitting the Ministers’ technocrats to sit beside them in a special area of the Chamber and answer questions as well. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and International Donna Franklyn was one of the first technocrats to speak, explaining that the IDB project would initially involve the setting up of a visitors’ centre at the Old Town Hall in Bridgetown. “The IDB national tourism programme is going to be a project which will see the enhancement of certain areas in Bridgetown specifically; that is where the project will be starting,” Franklyn said. She explained that the centre will provide services to visitors who come primarily from the Bridgetown Port. “The visitors’ centre will be there to give visitors direction in terms of attractions and information, interpretive information on historical Barbados and that sort of thing,” she added. The PS said the IDB programme will primarily be based on cultural and heritage tourism. “And these two consultants that you are asking about, they are the ones who would be looking at the social assessment of the entire project as well as the environmental assessment of the project,” Franklyn told the House. She revealed that the project will extend to the Oistins Beer Garden where the physical conditions would be enhanced as well as to the Barbados Museum and Historical Society resulting in refurbishment of the car park area. (BT)

TAXI BUSINESS ‘BOOST’ FOR PORT OPERATORS –The perennial cries of Bridgetown taxis over losing an “unfair” share of the market to tour bus operators are to receive Government’s “priority” attention this winter season, Minister of Tourism Kerrie Symmonds has announced. The taxi drivers are to be given a greater piece of visitor business as a matter of priority, Symmonds told the House of Assembly during the start of debate on the 2019-2020 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure this morning. He revealed that the 255 taxi operators at the Bridgetown Port were getting only five per cent of the business of transporting visitors around Barbados, insisting that the situation was an injustice to democracy. He sought to make it clear he was not interested in taking away business from any one segment of the transportat market, but rather in enlarging the pie. “I am interested in having a greater access to opportunity for the persons who are driving taxis for a living,” Symmonds said, adding that he has already met with the taxi operators at the two ports of entry on the way forward. “Philosophically, that does not sit well with me and I think we do the country and the image of that thing we call democracy, and economic democracy is at the forefront of my thoughts on this matter, we do it a tremendous injustice if we allow that to continue,” the minister warned. Symmonds said: “There is now a project proposal to be rolled out during this winter season 2019-20 and that will be to see the Bridgetown Port Cooperative Taxis branded. First step. It will allow for them to offer intimate and smaller personalized tours.” The minister disclosed that four activities are to be examined: eco-adventures such as the Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary, a tour of Historic Bridgetown, beach activities and heritage tourism. “All of these are areas which we are in a position to flesh out greater product development and have greater activity,” Symmonds told legislators. “But we have to have a transportation sector that is branded so that it can function as a cooperative distinctly; that is be-spoke in nature so that you can have customed-designed tours and for the first time ever, we have to connect these people to cruise ships.” Symmonds said Government was helping the taxi operators to be able to attend trade shows and acquire insurance cover, noting that the insurance requirements for the cruise industry are phenomenal. “The board of the Bridgetown Port has now agreed [that] they will assist the taxi coop when once up and functioning with its first year of financial commitment for insurances that you don’t have to have individual taxi men looking for find ($120,000-$140,000) in order to get the insurance necessary,” he revealed. The Minister of Tourism said the service which the taxis offer must also be promoted and sold. He said: “We can do this via use of modern technology, for example apps on cellphones, so that as soon as you come into Barbados, you can get a range… a menu of the things that Barbados is offering; you are not reliant on any middle man; you can find your way to the attraction that suits you, [that] fits you personal interest in a better way and you have a five or six-seater able to offer you a different type of experience that does not right now quite frankly, have access to the market in the same way.” The Minister argued that one of the main solutions to their problems was getting more visitors who spend more. He revealed the findings of a recent report by the Business Economic Research Advisors of the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association on tourist spend. The Minister told the House of Assembly: “The average spend for transit passengers for Barbados in 2014 was $75.85. In 2018 it dropped to $64.05 as average spend. This is now the statistical data that is making it patently clear to us that we are failing ourselves. We can correct that problem I believe, by more deeply involving those persons who are taxi operators at the Bridgetown Port.” (BT)

TOURISM OFFICIALS LOOKING BEYOND TRADITIONAL MARKETS – Arrivals from the United States, United Kingdom (UK) and Canada have increased, but Barbados is looking beyond these markets to grow its tourism arrivals. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Donna Cadogan, and Barbados Tourism Investment Inc. chief executive officer William “Billy” Griffith, outlined the plan today as the Estimates Debate started in the House of Assembly under a new format. With the Standing Finance Committee in session, Minister of Transport, Works and Maintenance, Dr William Duguid, asked what Barbados was doing to attract visitors from non-traditional markets. Cadogan, who like Griffith was among several officials who accompanied Minister of Tourism Kerrie Symmonds, told the House: “The ministry’s mandate has now been extended to look at places such as China, Asia and the African continent. “Traditionally we have looked only at the markets the USA, Canada [and] the UK, but we are now moving to diversify our source markets. Given the geographical location of Barbados, we see it particularly alluring for us to move in the direction of getting people to come from these other destinations using Barbados as a hub,” she said. “And we really want to move to have the Grantley Adams International Airport look at additional revenue streams. These streams would include offering services to airlines coming from all destinations. This is part of the strategic plan of the Ministry of Tourism.” Griffith said diversification beyond Barbados’ core tourism markets depended on “how much funding we have, [and] how much awareness there is in the specific market areas”. “Our objective then is to go towards the areas of highest potential – China and India. Only 18 months ago, China achieved a visa waiver and I think it’s our objective as well that if we are going after these markets, that there needs to be the opportunity not to have to apply for a visa to get to these markets,” he said. (DN)

DUMP SOLUTION NEEDED – Tireless efforts by members of the Barbados Fire Service in tandem with Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) workers have averted any danger associated with burning tires at the country’s largest landfill in St Thomas, which started early on Sunday morning. On Monday, the black smoke and flames which were billowing dozens of meters into the sky had disappeared. A handful of SSA workers were on site continuing their efforts to pour marl on the hot surface, which now posed no threat to safety. However, stakeholders and those living in the areas around the dump are adamant that a permanent solution must be found to nagging problems. Residents in the Arch Hall, St Thomas community, downwind of Sunday’s fire said they were happy with the swift response from the fire service, SSA and Ministry of Health personnel. They however added that along with the putrid smell, which covered the area from time to time, they needed a permanent fix to the dangerous fumes which come from the burning tires. Ryan Sisnett, a resident of Arch Hall, St Thomas for the past three years said: “The dump has been a notable feature of my experience so far, ranging from the smell which residents have to endure from time to time, to the most recent billowing of smoke and fire, which was really bad but has now subsided.” While Sisnett admitted he was no expert on waste management he noted, “Whoever the authorities are, they need to do a better job because my main concern is for the asthmatics. I don’t know the chemicals contained in the fumes, but the health effects need to be looked at. “In fact, I think we need measures on the whole to have that dump relocated or use it as a source of alternative energy. Use it to do something positive instead of having it affecting residents in this way,” he pleaded. Desmond, a landscaper working nearby agreed. “We really need to come up with a better solution. Keeping those tires and having these fires is really a hazard. We in this country all have to come up with a better idea for dealing with those tires, because these fires are making it difficult for people.” On Sunday, Minister of the Environment and National Beautification, Trevor Prescod did not shy away from the burning issue, indicating that Government was exploring options to have the dump transformed. “They are thousands and thousands of tires here on the landfill and we are looking at many different options on how we would be able to disperse of it and give it some meaningful value. “Our waste-to-energy programme will be looking to use it as a source of energy. We are discussing with people outside of Government to see how we can use the tires to produce a cheaper form of energy so that we can better take advantage of economies of scale to help businesses increase their profits and reduce expenditure. “We also will be looking to use it in asphalt production,” he added. Minister Prescod however said that even with the tires causing serious problems right now, Government needed to ensure there are enough to sustain a recycling industry. “The truth is that in order to do these things, we need to see how we can sustain the supply of the materials here over a number of years. We can’t ask businesses to convert the mechanisms and then the very source that you are offering to them to keep things going, we find ourselves short of it within two or three years time and then we have to look overseas,” said Prescod. (BT)

RETRACTION & APOLOGY – The Barbados Today Inc. issues this formal retraction and apology to Innotech Services Ltd. and the companies of the Innotech Group related to a series of articles it published between December 11, 2018 and December 20, 2018 in The Barbados Today newspaper on its online platform. These articles pertained to the BWA Headquarters Building and the BWA Community Tank Programme. The Barbados Today Inc. acknowledges that the publication thereof was due to mistake, misapprehension and/or misrepresentation of the known facts, that the articles and public comments have caused Innotech Services Ltd. and the companies of the Innotech Group grave offence. Thus, The Barbados Today Inc. unequivocally retracts any such articles, words and/or statements about and unreservedly apologises to Innotech Services Ltd. and the companies of the Innotech Group for the erroneous nature of those articles, words and/or statements and also for the serious harm to their reputation that the said erroneous articles, words, allegations and/or statements contained have undoubtedly caused to the Innotech Group. The Barbados Today Inc. recognizes that the stories did not live up its strict journalistic and editorial standards. Links to the stories have been disabled. (BT)

‘MORE SCHOOLS TO FIX’, SAYS BUT – A good start but still a long way to go, says the Barbados Union of Teachers’ (BUT) in reaction to Government’s moves to fix environmental and security problem at two countryside schools last week. Now a number of other rural and suburban schools, hindered by similar concerns, are also in need of urgent attention, said BUT president Sean Spencer. He said the union expressed gratitude for attempts to rid the Blackman and Gollop Primary School at Staple Grove, Christ Church of a pesky cow-itch vine recurrence and the repair of fences at Ellerton Primary School, St George. Spencer told Barbados TODAY: “It is a start and we are grateful for it but if you look across the system you would see that there are a number of other cases that require similar attention.” He said that cow-itch vine has now surfaced at the Milton Lynch Primary School at Water Street, Christ Church. “There is cow-itch in the vicinity of that school. This is something that we have confirmed,” said Spencer, who revealed that the BUT would be conducting further investigations in order to determine the effect of the of the sporous vine on the school’s operations. But regardless of the extent of the impact, the BUT head is calling on the Government to address the matter urgently. Following talks with the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Education last Friday, the owner of the lands of the disused Staple Grove plantation opposite the Blackman and Gollop School near St David’s agreed to a large-scale clearing of the field. Work included grading the field by four inches and burying the pods and seeds of the itchy plant in deep trenches. That same day, Acting Minister of Education Lucille Moe revealed that a new perimeter fence is to be built at the Ellerton Primary School to address security fears among teachers and stop intruders after three incidents that week. But Spencer is concerned that no mention was made of the other schools that are also without perimeter fences which also compromises the safety of teachers and their charges. Spencer said: “[Acting Minister Senator Moe] mentioned the patience of the staff at the school and while that is appreciated… there are other schools in a similar state where the perimeter fencing is wholly inadequate – pun intended.” He named St Silas Primary as another example. In addition to not mentioning how security deficiencies at other schools are to be addressed, the trade unionist told Barbados TODAY that while he is happy with the action taken thus far, he also expressed concern that the actions were taken without formally informing the teachers’ bargaining agent. “Work has commenced but what I am actually dissatisfied with is the fact that the ministry has taken action which we are wholly supportive of, but we have not received any word, directly or indirectly, on what course of action would be taken throughout the entire exercise,” Spencer declated. (BT)

MUM FUMING - A mother who is alleges that her eight-year-old son was abused at the Ellerton Primary School’s Special Education Unit last week is calling for the teacher whom she claimed beat the child with a stick, to be removed from the institution as soon as possible. The parent said the teacher lashed the child because “he don’t listen”. An aggrieved Charmaine Ifill told Barbados TODAY that she believes not only was the educator not suitable to teach her son who has Down’s Syndrome, but she should also not be teaching other children with special needsIfill said following the incident, which she claimed happened last Thursday, she complained to the school’s principal whom she said apologized for the teacher’s alleged actions. The mother said she also made a complaint to the Ministry of Education where she also requested a transfer for her son, but was told that there were no available spaces at any of the other units on the island. “So he had these black and blue marks on his back. So I asked he how he got them and he told me Ms [x] beat him with a stick and then put him on the ground to sit down. I was really upset. I went by the school and she couldn’t give me any explanation for why his back looks like that. “The principal told me he was really sorry for what happened, but I took it further. I carry he to the police, carry he to the doctor, and went to the ministry. The police took pictures and said they will deal with it,” she said. “So when my cousin went and collect he, he was on the ground sleeping. And she ain’t got any shame. She tell my cousin come and see where [the child] sleeping. But she ain’t telling my cousin the reason why he sleeping on the ground. She beat he and put he on the ground to sit down. So it is only obvious if you beat a child, and he cry, he would cry himself to sleep. And he got a hole in his heart. He does have seizures, and I don’t beat he. That lil boy so frightened for licks,” the mother added. Ifill said officials at the ministry told her to take her son back to that same institution today. However, she was adamant that the ministry should remove the teacher from the school since she believes she is a threat to the students. “When you carry to school your children you want to know that them feel safe, and that them in a safe environment, if you understand what I am saying. Them is special children and she beating them with a stick, and that ain’t the first time. The week before she beat him . . . All she was saying is he don’t listen. “The ministry tell me I could only get the transfer in September because all the special units full up right now. All now this morning he crying because he don’t want to go to school,” Ifill said. When contacted, Principal Andrew Haynes said he had no comment to make on the matter. Meanwhile, as Acting Minister of Education Lucille Moe headed into Parliament today, she told Barbados TODAYthat she could not comment on the incident since she now had to carry out her own investigations. However, she later confirmed that the matter was receiving the attention of the senior ministry officials. (BT)

HE LIED - The three tourists at the centre of an ugly verbal exchange involving a west coast jet ski operator are vehemently refuting his version of the events, some of which was recently caught on camera as they unfolded at a Fitts Village, St James beach. In fact, following threats of violence, the Scottish couple involved in the matter have confirmed that they have cancelled the remaining month of their vacation trip and have gone home. After the release of a Barbados TODAY article featuring jet ski operator Twin Man, seen on a viral social media video hurling insults at an unidentified group of tourists, the tourists, who are still on the island have come forward to most passionately challenge the allegation that they levelled racially-charged, verbal insults at Twin Man. Twin Man last Friday told Barbados TODAY that he had asked a young female tourist to allow him to safely land his jet ski on the shore, but was repeatedly ignored. However, the young woman, a Belgian national, this weekend said she interpreted his gesture as an invitation for her to ride his jet ski, which she politely declined as she was reading a book. It was at that point, she said the situation went swiftly downhill. “He [Twin Man] goes away, comes back, does a u-turn in the sea and comes at full speed in the sand towards me splashing all of my stuff. He starts insulting me, calling me . . . and all sorts of words, so I decide to ignore him. I can see that he is clearly upset, so I said to myself I would ignore this guy to avoid starting an argument. “I stand up, and start dusting my towels and my belongings and everything and then the more I refuse to reply to his insults, the more he insults me,” she said, while acknowledging that the whole incident may have resulted from poor communication, eventually leading to a misunderstanding. “I thought he was asking me if I wanted a jet ski ride, but picture this. He is on the sea in his jet ski, and there’s all the noise going on around him. Had I known or understood or heard that he wanted me to move, I would have moved, but he didn’t make himself clear,” she added. That, she said was when the Scottish couple intervened and said: “Hey, that’s not how you speak to a young lady.” This, according to their account, further enraged the “guy” who started to involve the issue of race, class and nationality. At that point, she said the man started picking up stones to throw at the tourists, which prompted them to start filming. “What you’ve seen on camera is actually the soft part of what happened and then we just carried on arguing and he started bringing up racial issues and slavery and all kinds of things that were completely unnecessary. I felt extremely threatened because I was by myself,” she said, adding that she was very grateful for the intervention by the Scottish couple. Now the Belgian woman, who only has a few more days left on the island is determined to stay away from certain sections of St James for fear of being targeted. The three tourists all said they reported the matter to the Holetown police station, however the Scottish couple claims they were receiving threats from locals. “I think this is unfair because these guys are innocent, they just defended me, because I was being attacked by a dangerous man and now they’re receiving threats. So all I want to do is set the record straight and let Barbadians know what happened that day. “I have been on the island long enough to be able to listen and understand people and have civil exchanges with locals. “I am on a beach reading a book by a black lady who is talking about the first black president of the United States, waiting for my black Bajan boyfriend to come pick me up off the beach, and we are being portrayed as racists… the “n” word would never come out of my mouth,” she said. The Belgian woman’s account of the story was verified by the Scottish couple in an email, in which they said that they had intervened, because they had “never seen a woman being treated in that manner”. The couple added: “We received verbal threats from a passing car regarding the outright lies that were published. Not once, but twice; once on Holders Hill the other passing Payne’s Bay. This is inexcusable. “We were left feeling unsafe in Barbados due to the lies of the jet ski guy’s articles that were published in news outlets. We cut our trip to Barbados short by over 1 month due to the racial hate, abuse and threats directed to us. “We are peaceful people and will not jeopardize our safety for some winter sunshine. Such a shame.” They further added that they were not the ones responsible for the video’s wide circulation, but said that after the cameras stopped rolling, they came to a peaceful agreement with Twin Man. “After the video ends we de-escalated the situation by the roadside where we were waiting for the bus right next to the jet ski man’s car. The calm conversation went along the lines of, ‘are you a human being?’ ‘Yes,’ was the reply of the jet ski guy. We then asked him ‘are we human beings?’ ‘Yes, was his reply.’ We then asked ‘is the young lady a human being?’ Yes was his reply . . . . We said we are all the same in this world, race, colour, creed are irrelevant to us and everyone is equal. To which he agreed,” said the Scottish couple. Efforts to get an update on the Royal Barbados Police Force’s involvement in the matter have been unsuccessful. (BT)

POLICE OPERATION IN BLACK ROCK – A police operation is in progress on Black Rock Main Road, St Michael, following a high-speed chase that ended in a collision. One man was whisked away from the scene as police and soldiers converged and searched the scene right outside the Psychiatric Hospital. More details as they come to hand. (DN)

ACCUSED TRAVELLED TO CANADA, MISSED COURT – A surety has had to forfeit $3,000 for an accused’s non-appearance in court on a 2011 wounding charge. However, that has not stopped Earthon Robert St Cyr from continuing his absconding ways. The Denton Road, Grazettes, St Michael resident appeared in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court today after failing to attend court for sometime. He informed Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant that he was out of the jurisdiction in Canada even though he was not given permission to travel. He also admitted that the magistrate had not informed him that the case in which he is accused of unlawfully and maliciously wounding Hugh Holder on June 2, 2011 had been dismissed. That explanation was not acceptable to the magistrate who remanded St Cyr to HMP Dodds until March 18. His surety will also be warned to appear in court at that time. (BT)

FORMER ADDICT ADMITS TO THEFT - A 24-year-old man was given a two-month suspended sentence after he pleaded guilty to a theft charge. That means Stefan Rashad Gibson, of Military Road, Bush Hall, St Michael will not have to spend a day of that time at Dodds if he does not run afoul of the law for the next two months. Gibson admitted to Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant today that he entered the home of Arthur Birkett as a trespasser between October 23 and November 19, 2018 and stole three pieces of plywood worth $195. Police constable Kenmore Phillips in relating the facts revealed that lawmen responded to a report of a suspicious man coming from Dash Gap, Bush Hall with the pieces of lumber. When the police arrived they found Gibson pushing the plywood on a trolley and detained him. Attorney-at-law Jamar Bourne in mitigating on Gibson’s behalf urged the court to show his client leniency. Bourne explained that Gibson had a history of drug use having started at age 18. However, he has since had drug rehabilitation and has been clean. “He has not used drugs since that time and has asked for leniency in looking at his state of mind back then and now,” Bourne said, just before his submission was granted. (BT)

WANTED MAN FOUGHT ARREST – Ryan Anderson Padmore, of Salters, St George who bit and resisted a police officer will know his fate when he returns before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant on March 18. The 43-year-old man attacked police constable Lewis Howard on February 16 while he was executing his duty in The City. According to prosecutor police constable Kenmore Phillips, the accused was wanted in connection with the September 29, 2018 theft of 24 bottles of perfume worth $360 belonging No. 1 Beauty Supplies located on St Michael Row. Police approached and detained him when he was spotted at a bar in the Nelson Street last Saturday. He was taken to the police vehicle where a struggle ensued on the outside and he bit PC Howard on his hand and biceps. The vehicle window was also damaged during that time resulting in him being charged with wounding, criminal damage and resisting arrest to which he pleaded guilty. However, he told the magistrate that he wanted to plead guilty in the High Court to a charge of escaping lawful custody with the use of force which allegedly occurred on February 16.That case was committed before a High Court judge for sentencing. (BT)

‘VOICES’ IN HIS HEAD – Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant today remanded a 39-year-old robbery accused to the Psychiatric Hospital after he admitted to hearing voices. Galveston Athelston Burke, is accused of stealing a cellular phone and other items worth $750 belonging to Tyrone Jones on February 15. “Are you guilty or not guilty?” Cuffy-Sargeant asked Burke as he stood the dock. “Ma’am are there any reporters in here . . . I can’t recall this . . . the voices does be talking in my head,” he responded just before a second charge was read of robbing Andrew Jones of $210 cash and an $8 bottle of rum on February 14. The District ‘A’ Magistrate did not take any plea from the accused. Instead, she remanded him to the Black Rock, St Michael mental health facility for observation. The accused who has no fixed place of abode will make his next court appearance on March 11. (BT)

HELP COMING FOR ELDERLY MAN - An elderly man who recently escaped serious injury when a 60-foot tree fell on his home, is to get help in removing what’s left of that tree. Last week Monday, Riven Small’s scare was highlighted when the mango tree in his backyard came crashing down. When the incident first occurred, his neighbours came together to cut the branches off the house, but on Monday the large trunk was still on the ground at the back of his Upper Carlton No. 2, St James home. Chairman of the St James Central District Emergency Organisation (DEO), Selwyn Brooks, said they planned to tackle the situation tomorrow. (DN)

FIRE LEAVES 12 HOMELESS –Twelve members of one family have been displaced after a fire broke out at Olive Drive, The Crane, St Philip, Monday morning. The home of Carlisle and Karen Haynes was destroyed, while that of his brother Trevor and his wife Suzanne was damaged. A third house received slight damage to the windows. Seven people lived at one house and five at the other. One vehicle under repair was destroyed and another damaged. Trevor, who was home at the time with his wife, said she told him there was a fire next door. “I just got up and looked and saw the big set of smoke. I went for my hose and start wetting my house. I wet my house for about half an hour before the fire get to my house,” he said. (DN)

HOUSE FIRE CLAIMS THE LIFE OF ELDERLY MAN – A house fire at Kew Road Bank Hall St Michael has claimed the life of 76-year-old Eric Fenty. Police Public Relations Officer, acting Inspector Rodney Inniss reported the baize occurred around 11:20 p.m on Monday. The police spokesman said , “A passerby observed a small fire at the rear of the said house and raised the alarm, he tried to gain entry via a side door but to no avail. He then got assistance from another unknown male and finally gained entry; together they tried to lift the owner (who was in his bed) out to safety, but the heat and smoke forced them to flee. Mr Fenty perished in the blaze.” Inniss also reported that two fire tenders maned by 10 divisional officers responded to the incident to extinguish the fire which was contained to only that house. Police investigations are continuing. (DN)

FIRE HEATS UP ALLEYNE’S SPORTS DAY AT STADIUM – Sports Day for The Alleyne School at the National Stadium came to halt today as fire broke out in the centre stand, just days after its nearly 50-year-old roof was removed. But students, parents and staff were not in the stands when the fire occurred but immediately sprung to action and orderly evacuated the vicinity. The 200 metre race was about to begin when around 12:45 p.m. the roof of the Systems Control Room in the Louis Lynch (VIP) Stand caught fire. Two fire tenders and seven officers from the Fire Service Headquarters in Bridgetown responded to the blaze. As track and field activites resumed at 1.13 p.m., firefighters put out the fire an hour later. Station officer Wayne Vaughan told Barbados TODAY that he suspected the fire was linked to the removal of the stadium’s roofs. Vaughan said: “Personnel from Structural Systems were carrying out repairs on the roof and they went to lunch and when they left there wasn’t anything but I believed what could have happened is that the metal could have been heated up to the point where it contributed to the combustion of material that held up the ceiling.” Acting director of the National Sports Council Neil Murrell and NSC board members were present to assess the scene. While he could not identify how the burnt room would affect future sports meets at the facility, Murrell revealed that the Systems Control Room was undergoing the final phase of renovations when the incident occurred. “This was the final phase of taking off the roof of the stadium,” he told Barbados TODAY. “All five roofs of the stands were taken off and the last part was the systems and communication room. This was ongoing and something may have occurred which would have caused or impacted on the fire.” Principal of the Alleyne School Julia Beckles praised firefighters, the sports council and the police for their quick response. “Within a very quick response we had the fire service and the Barbados police force and I must say that the patrons and the students cooperated. The evacuation was done very quickly. We had a short pause as we waited from them to hear when we could resume because safety would have been paramount,” she said. (BT)

TOILET ISSUE SOON OVER – There is still no end to the toilet issue at Kensington Oval. However, director of cricket of the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) Steven Leslie gave the assurance that when cricket fans turn up at the Mecca on Wednesday for the first one-day international against England the problem will be rectified. Leslie told THE NATION while some washrooms were fixed since the issues arose during the first Test match last month, further inspection is expected to take place before the first ball is bowled on Wednesday. Most of the bathrooms on the lower levels of the 3Ws and Greenidge & Haynes Stands were out of order causing patrons to be upset. “The last walk-through by the Barbados Cricket Association revealed that there were still issues with some of the toilets that were dysfunctional previously. We have been assured that it will be fixed way before the match starts on Wednesday. “There were six toilets that were dysfunctional on the ground floor. That area had many more that didn’t function duringthe Test match,” he said. (DN)

SALVATION ARMY MEETS MARK – Barbadians have been cheerful givers to the Salvation Army helping the christian charity to meet its fundraising target of BBD $650 000 through the annual Christmas Kettle Drive. The funds will support the Army’s annual outreach programmes for the 2018 to 2019 period. Reporting on the results of the annual fundraiser, which ran from November 9, 2018 to January 31, this year, Community Relations Officer Major Denzil Walcott said the Salvation Army was heartened and sincerely grateful as Barbadians demonstrated the meaning of “heart to God and hand to man”. “We at the Salvation Army have truly been inspired by the compassionate response from Barbadians to our recent kettle and letter appeal. We are happy to report that we have met our target for the year, which we know is no small feat in circumstances where the country as a whole is faced with serious economic difficulties,” said Major Walcott. Divisional Commander, Major Darrell Wilkinson also commended Barbadians for their kind-hearted support for those less fortunate persons who will be the beneficiaries. “I express sincere thanks to the many Barbadians who gave selflessly, many of them doing so on multiple occasions throughout the fundraising period,” Wilkinson said. Major Wilkinson also thanked the church’s corporate sponsors and volunteers, including the dedicated kettle handlers, and members of the public who assisted with the effort. “We owe a debt of gratitude to our major sponsor Scotiabank who continue to support us every year,” he said. Divisional Business Manager Sherma Evelyn was also pleased with the funds raised. “Corporate Barbados was able to help us raise a significant part of this. But what would have impacted the most is that the average Barbadian gave. You would be surprised that the $5 or $10 the average Barbadian put in the post and send to us adds up and may seem insignificant to others, but they are giving what they have. “I remember receiving a letter saying this is all I have but this is what I gave to the Salvation Army because I know I am better today than I was last year, because I didn’t have anything last year and the Salvation Army gave me something,” Evelyn said. (BT)

THE FAMILY THAT PRAYS TOGETHER - If there was ever a love and marriage orchestrated by God, it was Avery and Katherine Mascoll’s. Avery and Katherine were together for literally one day before they got engaged and were married seven months later. Why the sudden commitment? They just knew God was leading them to be together. For all the enquiring minds, Avery explained, chuckling. “I asked her to be my girlfriend on December 23, 2012, and I proposed to her on Christmas Day. We were friends for a very long time. It was funny because we went to school together at Coleridge & Parry but we were in different age groups and didn’t know each other. Her church was in St James, mine was in St George, so our paths never crossed really. “When we started working on committees together at our various churches our paths finally crossed. But it was strictly friendship. Then I realised one day the twinkle in my eye was getting a bit bright and shining a bit more than it was before. Then we started to ask ourselves what we were going to do. We were both youth leaders in the church so we decided to just be friends but the passion started getting a bit hotter so we knew it had to happen,” Avery said with a laugh. (DN)

For daily or breaking news reports follow us on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter & Facebook. That’s all for today folks. There are 316 days left in the year. Shalom! #thechasefilesdailynewscap #thechasefiles# dailynewscapsbythechasefiles

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 5/5/2019

Good MORNING #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Sunday 5th May 2019. Remember you can read full articles for FREE via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS) OR by purchasing by purchasing a Sunday Sun Nation Newspaper (SS).

GOVERNMENT ‘LOSING OUT’ ON TAXES – Construction companies must pay their taxes. With new multimillion-dollar construction projects set to start soon, a call is being made for Government to ensure this is done. Allan Evelyn, the founder of Rotherley Construction Inc., said Government was losing out on collecting revenue from taxes, while workers were being given no security of tenure because of a system being built into the industry, where construction workers were being hired part-time. “The concern that I have is that the guys are being disrespected and taken advantage of in that the holiday with pay is not honoured; the National Insurance is not paid and even bank holiday money. I am worried about the insurance for employees,” said Evelyn, who founded Rotherley 30 years ago. (SS)

MORRIS CLEARS THE AIR ON TRANSPORT QUERIES – The Government of Barbados sought to clear the air on some of the issues which were recently raised on social media in relation to the island’s public transportation system. In a media release tonight, press secretary Roy Morris addressed the number of passengers allowed on public service vehicles and answered queries on the Transport Augmentation Programme (TAP), including permits and how school children would be counted. The full statement follows: Since Government introduced some initiatives in recent weeks to bring relief to commuters who have been complaining, and justifiably so, about the long wait for buses, a number of concerns have been raised on social media that deserve clarification.

In relation to the decision to allow minibuses and route taxis (ZR vans) to carry larger numbers of passengers, concerned members of the public should note the following:

Government has amended the law to remove the impediments that forced some operators to carry fewer seats in their vehicles than the manufacturers’ specifications allowed, as well as to allow larger vehicles to be designated as ZR vans and minibuses.

Under these changes the number of passengers allowed in a ZR van or minibus will vary depending on the make and model of the vehicle, but will be indicated on the side of that vehicle. In any event though, no minibus will be licensed to carry more than 57 sitting and 7 standing passengers; and no ZR van more than 20 passengers in total.

Having made these changes, we appeal to operators as well as commuters not to load vehicles beyond the specifications of the manufacturers since to do so would be to put themselves at risk.

On the question of how school children will be counted under the Transport Augmentation Programme (TAP), commuters and PSV operators should note the following:

Under the law, only omnibuses designated as school buses, where the journey starts at or terminates at a school, are allowed to count three school children under the age of 16 as being equivalent to two adults.

Where Transport Board buses are operated on regular routes, i.e. Bayfield or Pie Corner, each person is counted as a single passenger, whether or not he or she is a school child.

At this stage of TAP dedicated school bus services will continue to be provided only by state-owned buses operated by the Transport Board.

All public transport operators, whether employed by the Transport Board, or as private operators under TAP or outside of TAP, should recognize that while we appreciate greatly their desire to move passengers, they have an obligation to work within the law. In the interest of transparency, it is noted that every private operator who joins TAP will be issue with a “00” permit similar to that under which Transport Board buses operate. This will allow dispatchers in the terminals to assign vehicles to any route as the demand requires. It is the duty and responsibility of the owner of the bus to visit the Barbados Licensing Authority and acquire that permit so the driver can produce it on demand by any police officer. The BLA and the Barbados Transport Authority have already put systems in place to ensure that owners are speedily facilitated. Officials at the Ministry of Transport, Works and Maintenance, Barbados Licensing Authority, Transport Board and the Barbados Transport Authority are extremely grateful for the interest and enthusiasm shown by those private operators who have joined TAP and will take all necessary action to facilitate their smooth integration. However, we accept that any such initiative will encounter teething challenges and pledge to work through them in the coming days, in the interest of Barbadians who have in recent years not been receiving the quality of public transport they deserve. During the course of this week, as more private operators roll into and out of the terminals at Princess Alice, Speightstown and Fairchild Street under TAP we pledge to strength our communication with the public and between the partners in the interest of commuters. (SS)

AIRPORT SELF-SERVICE UP AND RUNNING - The 16 self-service kiosks in the arrivals section at the Grantley Adams International Airport are fully operational and can be used by locals. Minister of Home Affairs Edmund Hinkson said the switch over from the tedious ED cards is an ongoing process. The 16 kiosks were purchased in 2016 and the pilot programme started last August. There was a concern that not many Barbadians were using the available kiosks and still crowding the Immigration lines. “As a Barbadian citizen, when I come into the airport, you don’t need to know what’s my address. The state has all of that information. Right now, as far as I am concerned, Barbadians can safely use these kiosks without having to fill out any ED forms. I am speaking from personal experience. (SS)

LIAT LIFT – Hope is being expressed about keeping LIAT flying and at the same time easing the need for Barbadian taxpayers to pump millions of dollars into the airline annually. At least that is what the government of Antigua and Barbuda is saying. However, there is still uncertainty about any such move. When contacted last night, Prime Minister Mia Mottley said her Government was still awaiting a firm proposal from the Antiguan government. “Barbados is not in the practice of shouting across the Caribbean waters; that is not our style. When there is a substantive proposal we will consult our stakeholders and share it with the people of Barbados,” said Mottley. She, however, assured that “Barbados is committed to ensuring that people can travel between countries in the region. (SS)

MURDER NEAR COUNTRY PARK TOWERS - A 46-year-old man was shot and killed early this morning. The deceased had been in a parked vehicle in an area between Country Park Towers Block #5 and Highrise Block #1, near Country Road, St Michael, talking with another man around 12:25 a.m. They were approached by a man whose face was hidden by a scarf. He was said to be carrying a firearm. He ordered both men out of the vehicle and robbed them of money and other valuables. During the ordeal, a gunshot was heard and one of the men fell to the ground. The other man was unhurt and the assailant fled the scene on foot. Police arrived at the scene and personnel from the Emergency Ambulance Service confirmed the man was dead. The man’s identity is being withheld until the family has been notified. (SS)

KING: LIFT FROM SUMMET – Minister of Sports John King is encouraging sports practitioners to view the inaugural Caribbean High Performance Summit as a push in the right direction. “Let us see this summit as the beginning of a new regional thrust to combat our challenges within sports with a new confidence and commitment to doing the very best that we can to make a huge difference in the lives of our athletes,” he said yesterday. The minister was addressing the opening of the two-day conference at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre in the presence of several sporting administrators such as president of the Barbados Olympic Association (BOA) Sandra Osborne, head of the Academy of Sport at the University of the West Indies Amanda Reifer, director at the BOA Ytannia Wiggins, long-standing sports administrator Kathy Harper-Hall. (SS)

BARBADOS DANCE THEATRE BURNED DOWN - The building housing Barbados Dance Theatre has been destroyed in an early morning blaze, police said. Police and fire officers were called to the Bishop Court Hill, St Michael facility around 6:30 this morning for reports of a fire. (BT)

PET WELLNESS IN FOCUS – In an audience filled with the “who is who” in the animal care community, family, friends and colleagues witnessed the opening of Sandy Coasts Pet Wellness Centre, Inc. by Dr Alanna Myers. Created in a home-style setting, the close to 50 persons in attendance were part of a celebration of this young entrepreneur realising her dream. Parents Dr Donovan Myers and Mrs Roseanne Myers spoke of their daughter’s passion for being a veterinarian since she was five years old as a student of St Gabriel’s school. After leaving Queen’s College, Dr Myers entered vet school at the UWI St Augustine campus in Trinidad where she graduated from the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine programme. She returned home and operated her mobile vet service for three years before embarking on plans for Sandy Coasts Pet Wellness Centre. The clinic will focus on not only taking care of sick animals but on maintaining wellness through stimulation and exercise. Education of owners, especially children, on the proper care and maintenance of pets will be a focus.Veterinary, pet boarding, and pet exercise services are just a few of the features available. Pet care products will also be on sale. Says Dr Myers of the Pet Centre: “Sandy Coasts Pet Wellness Centre, Inc. is the place for pet fun, fitness and wellness. It will be a place for pets not just to survive, but to thrive.”In his prayer of blessing, Bishop of the Barbados District of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the West Indies Bishop Gerald Seale, noted that we all have a duty to take care of God’s creatures and he wished God’s blessings on Dr Myers as she tries to create a unique experience for her animals. President of the Barbados Veterinary Association (B.V.A.) Dr Patricia D. Bedford pledged the support of the association for Dr Myers, who is the association’s former secretary. “I have seen the dedication and hard work Alanna has put into the association. We know she will be successful and has our support and assistance if required,” Dr Bedford said. In her own remarks, Dr Myers thanked all her early mentors and expressed how humbling it was to see the number of friends, colleagues and neighbours that came out in support. Associates from organisations Dr Myers is a member of, including the Ark Animal Welfare Society and Action for Animals Barbados and colleagues from other clinics, joined her family and close friends in marking this occasion. Dr Myers concluded by saying, “The road as an entrepreneur has its challenges but I thank all those who have been instrumental in helping me to get this far as my journey has only now started.” Dr Alanna Myers will be joined by Surgical Consultant Dr Amoy Foster. Sandy Coasts Pet Wellness will be open for appointments from Tuesday, April 23, 2019 onward, and can be reached at (246) 624-3668 and (246) 842-8860 for house calls and clinic visits. It is located in Maxwell Gardens, Christ Church on the south coast of Barbados. (BT)

For daily or breaking news reports follow us on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter & Facebook. That’s all for today folks. There are 240 days left in the year. Shalom! #thechasefilesdailynewscap #thechasefiles# dailynewscapsbythechasefiles

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 4/16/2019

Good MORNING #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Tuesday April 16th 2019. Remember you can read full articles for FREE via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS) OR by purchasing by purchasing a Daily Nation Newspaper (DN).

32 GUNS TURNED IN DURING AMNESTY – Thirty-two firearms were turned in during Government’s one-week gun amnesty. In a media briefing today at police headquarters in Roebuck Street, St Michael, Commissioner of Police Tyrone Griffith said the haul comprised mainly small firearms. In addition to the guns, 1 758 rounds of ammunition were also netted. “Any firearms and ammunition that are taken off the streets gives less potential for someone to be injured as a result,” Griffith said. Up to Wednesday, Attorney General Dale Marshall said eight guns and 873 bullets were turned in. The majority belonged to people who died. He said if people did not take advantage of the opportunity to turn in the guns, no leniency would be shown to those caught with weapons going forward. To date, Barbados has had 20 murders for the year, most of them by gun and there has been a public outcry to address the issue. (DN)

CORRUPT SECURITY – In perhaps his strongest rebuke to date on the influx of illegal guns into the country, Commissioner of Police Tyrone Griffith today blamed what he said was corruption at the island’s ports of entry for the lack of success in stemming the weapons flow. And Commissioner Griffith is calling on the good border security officials to give up the bad ones to the police. “If you have a few people among you who are corrupt, then you have to be prepared to give them up. I say that to my officers. We are not going to sleep in bed with officers who we know are corrupt. We will do everything in our power to get rid of them,” he warned. The top cop has previously said that the weapons on the streets were entering the country through the Bridgetown Port and Grantley Adams International Airport and blamed a lack of cooperation by certain border security officials for the failure of the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF) to make the necessary arrests. But it was the first time during a news conference at police headquarters on Roebuck Street this afternoon, that Griffith used “corruption” to underscore the reason for the unlawful entry of the arms and ammunition. The top cop was responding to a question from Barbados TODAY about why the police continued to struggle with the issue of illegal guns imports rather than making arrests if it is known the weapons were actually coming through the ports. “The reality is that where there is corruption, there will always be problems. And so, if the system is corrupt, then we are not going to get the information and support. You have to work together to break the back of those crimes. And so, even though the intelligence says that, you are not going to get that tip that breaks it,” he insisted. The police commissioner was pressed further to state whether there was corruption at the Bridgetown Port and airport. “There is corruption. There must be some form…there must be corruption if you are going to have the number of firearms that are coming onto our shores illegally…then there has to be corruption,” Griffith declared, adding that if there was collaboration and cooperation, a lot of people would get arrested. “If you work alongside me and you are good and you don’t give me up who is bad…the police are not magicians; they depend on support,” he stressed. The top cop said though that the force had been receiving a little more cooperation from border security officials than before. However, he expressed dissatisfaction with the level saying that it was still not good enough. “Obviously it is helping. But as I said, you need as much cooperation as possible,” he said. (BT)

HIGHER FARE, FEW BUSES –The reality of significantly inflated prices for public transportation is slowly setting in and is not sitting well with Barbadians, who are demanding a considerably higher standard in public transportation from stakeholders. On Monday commuters started paying $3.50 per trip on local buses, minivans and route taxis. However many of them are asking that along with the 75 per cent increase, they want a 75 per cent improvement in service. Members of the public have also continued to secure support from some Public Service Vehicle (PSV) operators who say they have already started seeing a falloff in the numbers of persons travelling on their vehicles. At the Fairchild Street bus terminal in the city, General Manager of the Transport Board, Felicia Sue adopted a hands-on approach to ensure operations ran as swiftly and efficiently as possible. However with bus availability down to just 50, delays were inevitable and commuters complained. “I personally think the $3.50 bus fare should be implemented as soon as we get more buses on the road, because personally, it makes no sense having to pay $3.50 and there are no buses,” argued one female commuter who said she had been waiting almost two hours for a bus. The regular user of the Transport Board’s Sargeant’s Street service said the increased fare would affect her “dramatically” and predicted that she would have to pay nearly $100 weekly as a result of the increase. “You still have your kids to send to school, so I think that the $3.50 bus fare is too much and should be implemented as soon as the transport board gets more buses on the road,” she added. Another commuter who only identified himself as Shondo admitted that while Barbados’ bus fare was cheaper than most others across the Caribbean, he complained that tremendous improvements were needed with the coordination of routes, particularly in rural areas. The man, who lives in St Joseph, said a number of old routes needed to be updated and extended to ensure that people living in rural areas could reach their destinations in a timely manner. “For instance, the Sugar Hill vans are only allowed to go to Airy Hill. They also introduced another route- route 21, which is Horse Hill, but it doesn’t cover surrounding areas like Coffee Gully, Ginger Works, and Chimborazo and doesn’t go into Blackmans. “It just feels like you’re continuing to be disadvantaged and it feels like you’re not having a proper service for the increase. I would just like to see a better service throughout from the two stakeholders.” On the other side of Bridgetown at the Princess Alice Terminal, PSV operators debated the advantages and disadvantages of the new measures. Patrick Rouse, a driver on the Wanstead route told Barbados TODAY that aside from the minor issues like gathering a larger number of coins to give passengers change, they have noticed a falloff in sales. “Right now, the $3.50 is too steep. It should be $3.00 and school children should be at least 2.50. Right now a lot of people are walking. I’ve seen a lot of women walking down town in their shoes because they don’t want to catch the van and come down to town. Right now $3 would be great. “Normally at this time I would have passed over 100 passengers and right now I don’t have those numbers, so I am struggling, but I figure that tomorrow will be a little bit better,” complained Rouse. Another PSV driver, Adzil Jordan, said he supported the raise. The self-proclaimed Barbados Labour Party (BLP) supporter declared: “What the Prime Minister is doing, she has done properly. We never had a raise yet, so if we get $3.50 there’s nothing wrong with that. Drinks gone up, sardines gone up and there’s nothing wrong with $3.50. For owners, parts for buses gone up, tyres gone up and $3.50 is just like if you took the money and buy a banks beer and a soft drink,” he concluded. (BT)

AILING TRANSPORT BOARD FLEET WAS ‘STEADILY INCREASING’ – With school children heading back to the classroom on Tuesday morning, the Transport Board has once again found itself in a race against time to restore its aging fleet to acceptable numbers. In an interview with Barbados TODAY at the Fairchild Street terminal, General Manager, Felicia Sue revealed that the ailing fleet was “steadily increasing” and currently stood at 50. While this is nearly 120 short of the figure previously touted by officials as the ideal number of buses on the road, Sue predicted that fully functioning buses would slowly become available in the coming weeks, due to the bus company’s preventative maintenance programme. “My target is for us to reach 60 in another week or so and because of our preventative maintenance programme, we expect to be ready to assist schools where possible,” she said. “The service will definitely get better at the Transport Board, because we have rolled out a robust preventative maintenance programme where we’ve concentrated on trying to get 15 buses per month back in service. Since the announcement of the 75 per cent increase in bus fare, Barbadians have been crying out for better service from the Transport Board with some arguing that until the country was able to secure more buses, the increase should be placed on hold. With such decisions far beyond her control and with spanking new electric buses expected to arrive between August and September this year, Sue has promised to maximize the limited resources currently at the Transport Board’s disposal. “Because of our preventative maintenance programme and our work with our service providers, particularly UCAL (United Commercial Autoworks Limited), we are looking to reach 75 buses,” she said. The general manager also revealed that the transition from $2.00 bus fare to $3.50 had been extremely smooth. She added that with its implementation, sales for the new Travel Smart cards have started to increase. “I must say that ticket sales are really exceptional at this point. I am really pleased with the tickets that are 28 trips at $84 where persons are getting a $14 saving because that normally would have cost $98. The sales for that one in particular are going really good, because that equates to $3 per trip. The transferable tickets, which are to be sold to frequent passengers for 10,14, 20 and 28 trips with discounts ranging from 30 cents per ride to 50 cents per ride, were announced in the March 20 Budget. Sue encouraged Barbadians to use the cards to their advantage. “We are also going to be working with the PSVs in the TAP programme and we have started discussions with them already to determine whether we could use our smart card going forward as we all move toward a cashless system,” she said. (BT)

THE IMF BELIEVES TAXES ON TOURISM ARE NECESSARY – The island’s increasing crime rate has not gone unnoticed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), with one top official insisting that it must be an area of priority for the Mia Mottley administration. The man leading the IMF mission to Barbados Bert Van Selm, Deputy Division Chief for the Caribbean, said while the area of crime was not one of competence for the Washington-based institution, it was still an area he believed authorities must address effectively. He explained that while he did not see it impacting the overall fiscal position of the country, it could have a negative bearing on the country’s main contributor to gross domestic product (GDP) – tourism. Barbados records an average of 27 murders annually, but the number of people murdered for the first three months of this year alone reached an unprecedented 20. “We do think about, with our counterparts and Governments, what this could mean for economic prospects. And while we don’t see any immediate impact on things like GDP growth or tax revenue or anything like that, we do think it is important to bear in mind Barbados’ business model,” said Van Selm. “Traditionally Barbados has had a lot of high-end tourism that was premised on the fact that Barbados was and is still very safe. So my recommendation on this is to say that you absolutely need to maintain that if you want to maintain your business model as a good destination for tourism, also relative to others in the region,” he warned. Van Selm also commented on the recent tax measures imposed on the tourism sector, telling Barbados TODAY he agreed with Government that they were necessary. In addition to a range of levies on hotel room rates depending on the accommodation type, and a subsequent increase in those rates, the hotel sector is in line to pay an increase in Value Added Tax (VAT) from 7.5 per cent to 10, come January next year. As a result of the four-year, US$290 million IMF-funded programme, travellers leaving Barbados on international trips have also been slapped with a new US$70 departure tax, while those travelling regionally pay US$35. Van Selm told Barbados TODAY a country should not have its main industry “contributing next to nothing to tax credit”. “The Government of Barbados feels strongly that in the past the burden-sharing between residents and nonresidents was not what it should be in the sense that the tourists, the visitors to the island, did not pay their fair share in contributing to the cost of running the island including in terms of the infrastructure,” he pointed out. “So the Government came in with plans to redress that imbalance and we think that is right. But of course you don’t want to overtax tourism. On the other hand, tourism is the main industry on the island so it has to contribute to taxation, which would then also allow the Government to invest in infrastructure that is necessary to run the island,” he reasoned. Recently, Prime Minister Mia Mottley also revealed that a new committee was now being established to review how concessions were being granted to the sector and determine what was to be considered “fair, decent and reasonable deals” for the hotel sector. “So the initiatives that the Government put in place like the higher room rates and higher departure tax we think is a ‘go’ in the right direction. In the longer term you can think about using more common tax methods like Value Added Taxation and expanding the coverage of the VAT to tourism, but as an interim measure we think these are good steps,” said Van Selm. Asked about the concerns from international organisations that Barbados was still considered one of the more than 180 major countries for money laundering and anti-tax policies, Van Selm said he saw that Government was taking the right steps to address those concerns. He singled out the measures being put in place by the country to meet by June, some 40 standards set out by the Financial Action Task Force, as well as ongoing changes to legislation. These moves, he said, could help keep the island’s reputation intact. “My view is that the main impact of them is in terms of your reputation as an international destination for investment. So what the Government of Barbados and others in the region need to do is stay ahead of the curve and avoid such situations,” he said. The IMF official, who described the relationship between the institution and Government as “constructive”, said there was never a situation of critique but “fruitful cooperation”, adding that obtaining critical economic data from officials here has been “very good”. “One positive trend we see is the setting up of the new BERT (Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation) monitoring committee that is going to have good access to Government data and on that basis publish quarterly reports,” he said. “We think this is very positive because a domestic form of monitoring like that can help enormously in getting by into the programme and giving people access to what the Government is actually trying to do and what it is doing,” he said. (BT)

GOVERNMENT EXTENDS BAN ON DRONES – Residents of Barbados will have to wait even longer to use drones. A release via the Barbados Government Information Service today said the temporary suspension on the importation and licensing of remotely piloted aircraft systems has been extended for another 12 months. It went into effect on April 1. According to the Ministry of Tourism and International Transport, the Cabinet of Barbados also approved a temporary exemption on a case-by-case basis for drones that are imported and exported immediately after usage. This suspension has been in place since March 1, 2016. The ministry is actively working on a new legislative framework to regulate the use of drones and to integrate them into Barbados’ national airspace system, the release added. (BGIS)

JUDGES HAVE BAIL DISCRETION – Speaker of the House of Assembly, Arthur Holder says that persons charged under the recently amended Bail Act can be released from custody in under 24 months once their case falls within three specific circumstances. Describing as deceptive recent statements by attorney-at-law Alyvan Babb which suggests that all persons charged under the amended Act will be remanded for 24 months before becoming eligible for bail, the Speaker said Babb and anyone else making this claim should first “read the Act” before making “mouthings” in the public in political fora. Holder pointed out that the Act, which was unanimously passed through both Chambers of Parliament in the first week of this month gives a High Court the option of granting bail to a person charged for murder, treason, or a firearms offence if he or she was at the time conducting official duties; if the judge has reason to believe the accused did not commit the offence; and if the individual might have acted in self-defence. The Speaker, a practising criminal attorney, contacted Barbados TODAY to make the clarification over the interpretation of The Bail Amendment Bill 2019 following a Friday report that Babb had described the Bill as flawed, unconstitutional and not thoroughly thought through because accused persons get a mandatory two-year sentence though a trial may prove the individual innocent. The amendment states in part, “In the case of persons charged with serious offences Subject to subsection (2), a person charged with murder; treason; high treason; or an offence under the Firearms Act, Cap. 179, which is punishable with imprisonment for 10 years or more shall not be granted bail unless a period of 24 months has expired after that person was charged.” Delivering remarks at the the Democratic Labour Party’s (DLP) Astor B. Watts Lunchtime Lecture Series, at DLP’s George St Headquarters Friday Babb said, “that’s a two-year sentence based on what, an allegation? In trials and in evidence, there is data from judges which says that a witness may be honest but mistaken.” But Arthur who presided over the passage of the amendment in the House on April 2, said Babb’s statement does not give a correct interpretation of the Act. “That section that he quotes is section 5 A subsection (1). But that section is subsection to subsection (2) which makes the three exceptions. “So that Section 5, needs to be read in its entirety rather than snippets being taken from it, which are misleading, which gives a false impression that a person has to wait 24 months before they can get bail,” the Speaker pointed out. Holder further noted, “Subsection (2) says, for example notwithstanding subsection (1) bail may be granted by the [High] Court (a) where any person is charged with murder in circumstances connected with the discharge of that person’s official duties. So that for example a policeman or a [Barbados] Defence Force person, a security guard that is an exception.” According to him, subsection (2) (b) also provides the option of bail “where the court is of the view that the strength of the evidence suggests that the accused did not commit the offence with which he is charged”. Pointing out that the evidence against an accused is made available to that person’s lawyer in pre-trial disclosure and if the allegations are not strong, he said applicants for bail will be making their case “on the grounds that there is no evidence to suggest that the man committed the offence”. He referred to subsection (2) (c) which states bail is optional if “the court is satisfied on the evidence presented that the accused would be able to rely on the defence of self- defence”. “This is another circumstance for bail” he said. Holder, the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) representative for St Michael Central said “Attorneys-at-law ought to know better and not seek for political gains to give a false impression. “If they’re aspiring for political office come to the public and explain in its entirety so the public could be well apprised of what is said in the Act and do not give false impressions.” (BT)

ASYLUM QUEST – A 31-year-old Haitian man who says he was forced to flee his homeland to save his life is now seeking political asylum in Barbados. “I have political prosecution in my country, Haiti and I flee here to Barbados to save my life,” Jean Wilny Michel told Barbados TODAY on the steps of the Supreme Court today where his case for asylum is being heard. The computer scientist and television broadcast technician arrived in Bridgetown last September where he was given a six-month stay as a visitor, which expired on March 25. But before his time was up, attorney-at-law Lalu Hanuman filed an urgent writ before the court on his behalf seeking refuge. Chief Justice Sir Marston Gibson is hearing the matter which is believed to be the first of its kind in the country. In October 1983, then Prime Minister Tom Adams made an offer of political asylum to Unison Whiteman, foreign minister in Grenada’s People’s Revolutionary Government, while in transit to St. George’s. Whiteman declined the offer and continued on to Grenada, where he was later executed along with Prime Minister Maurice Bishop and other government leaders by rogue PRG military and political figures. Following a 15-minute hearing in the High Court, Hanuman told Barbados TODAY: “Our application was for political asylum in Barbados because of the repression he was undergoing in Haiti. The Chief Justice in a very humanitarian and perceptive order back on March 26 ruled that that there should be a stay of deportation pending a decision by the Minister of Home Affairs Edmund Hinkson on the application for political asylum. “He is part of the opposition in Haiti and suffered persecution as a result so he is really seeking sanctuary in Barbados from political oppression back in Haiti, he is seeking a safe haven.” But Hanuman said Barbados has no prior precedent “as far as we are aware” of anybody being granted political asylum. “Political asylum in Barbados is something unknown really. Barbados hasn’t ratified the 1951 Convention of Refugees so it is not something that has been previously done in Barbados so it is creating jurisprudence in Barbados in that effect,” The attorney added. The sitting resulted in the Chief Justice asking for more information and research on the matter, especially as Haiti is a member of the Caribbean Community and with Barbados opening its borders to its French-speaking CARICOM counterparts. Hanuman continued: “Research in terms of procedures to be followed because obviously he comes from a country that is part of CARICOM and Barbados has recently extended their CSM (Caricom Single Market) programme to Haiti – the Caribbean skilled national. So the Chief Justice wants us to investigate whether in fact despite him not having all his documentation if he could possibly still qualify for the CSM programme regardless of the lack of adequate documentation. “He doesn’t have his certificates, he doesn’t even have his birth certificate with him, for example academic certificates and so on. “Because Barbados has no prior precedent as far as we are aware of anybody being granted political asylum so he [the Chief Justice] is saying in the circumstances despite the lack of documentation maybe we should still try to do the CSM process and if that fails then to come back and pursue the political asylum avenue.” For now, Michel, who lives in Christ Church, has been given “indefinite leave to remain pending the political asylum determination”. The case is to continue in the Supreme Court on Thursday. (BT)

COUPLE ADMITS TO DRUG CHARGES – A couple who pleaded guilty to several drug charges received different fates when they appeared before Magistrate Douglas Frederick recently. They are 33-year-old Jamar Andre Bradshaw and 28-year-old Alicia Shakira Weekes both of College Savannah No. 2, St John. Police were on duty along Skeete’s Road, The Ivy, St Michael on April 10, 2019 when they saw the accused sitting among a group of people. On approach Weekes was seen with a green and white haversack and fidgeting. A search was requested and loose vegetable matter in a plastic bag was found in one of the bag’s compartments. Cannabis was also found in a bottle inside the bag. Weekes, who said the bag belonged to her boyfriend Jamar, denied knowledge of its contents while Bradshaw told police: “That is my bag, that is my weed”. They were arrested and charged. When they appeared before Magistrate Frederick the accused admitted to charges of possession, possession with intent to supply and possession with intent to traffic the illegal drugs. Weekes, a mother of four, told the magistrate: “I know what he was doing . . . he had weed . . . I already knew that . . . But I did not know that he had it in the bag on that particular day.” She was placed on a bond for six months. If she breeches the order, she will spend three months in prison. Bradshaw meanwhile has two months to pay the No. 1 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court a $2,000 fine or spend two months in prison. (BT)

WRONG GIFT – His desire to give his girlfriend of eight years a dream wedding landed a 26-year-old man in trouble with the law. On August 30, 2018 Kemar Melvin Leroy Burrowes, of Ashbury Land, St George was charged with importation of two pounds of cannabis as well as possession, possession with intent to supply and possession with intent to traffic the illicit substance which had a $3,000 street value. The first time offender had pleaded not guilty to the offence on his first appearance in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court and had been on $5,000 bail. However, when he appeared before Magistrate Douglas Frederick today with his attorney-at-law Damien Sands he threw in the towel and pleaded guilty to the four drug offences. Prosecutor Sergeant St Clair Phillips told the magistrate that Burrowes went to the post office back in August to collect a parcel. The vegetable substance was found when members of the drug squad examined it. Mitigating on Burrowes’ behalf the attorney revealed that his client had been in a relationship for the past eight years with his girlfriend and they had a child together. He said the couple wanted to get married in July this year but due to financial issues could not get a loan to cover the expenses. “So he decided to take a chance. This is a one-off situation . . . he just wanted to give his girlfriend a dream wedding,” Sands said. Burrowes also gave the magistrate the same explanation. In considering the situation Magistrate Frederick imposed a combination sentence on the grounds that this was the accused’s first offence. “It’s a huge amount but you are a first timer [also] because of the gravity of the matter community service will not be sufficient,” the magistrate said before placing Burrowes on a bond for a year. If he breaches the order he will have to pay the court $1,500 forthwith or spend three months in prison. Burrowes was also ordered to perform 240 hours of community service and must return to court for an update on September 9, 2019. “Make sure this marriage last because you would have put yourself in danger and peril for nothing,” the magistrate said just before informing Burrowes that a conviction would not be recorded against him if he completed his bond and community service successfully. (BT)

GUNNING RETURNS TO COURT TOMORROW – A 31-year-old farmer who pleaded guilty to wounding will return to court tomorrow. Zanroy Reuben Gunning of Checker Hall, St Lucy admitted in the No. 2 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court today to unlawfully and maliciously committing the act against Marcia Clarke on April 13. Addressing Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant, the prosecutor Cameron Gibbons asked that the facts of the case be deferred in order for the complainant to be present. The magistrate agreed and the matter was adjourned until April 16. (BT)

$1,500 FINE FOR NEBLETT – Airy Hill, St George resident Novon Neuo Neblett has two months to pay a $1,500 fine to the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court. Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant imposed that amount on the 20-year-old after he pleaded guilty to possession of 3.4 grammes of cannabis on April 14. Police were conducting traffic checks along Lower Bay Street, The City around 4:05 p.m. when they stopped the vehicle in which Neblett was a front seat passenger. On approach police noticed a strong scent of marijuana emanating from the vehicle, which caused them to request a search of both the accused and the driver. The illegal substance, which was contained inside a Ziploc bag, was found in Neblett’s pocket. He admitted knowledge and ownership telling police, “That is my lil weed I had to smoke.” If he does not pay the fine within the stipulated time he will spend six months at Dodds. Neblett, who has a previous conviction for cannabi,s must return to the No. 2 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court on a June 17 to present proof of payment.(BT)

WINDIES NAME COACHING STAFF FOR SENIOR MEN’S TEAM – Cricket West Indies (CWI) confirmed the coaching staff and management team to accompany the West Indies Senior Men’s Team to the Tri-Series in Ireland and the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. This comes after last week’s appointment of interim Head Coach, Floyd Reifer. The squad for the Tri-Series in Ireland will meet up with the coaching team at a training camp in Barbados, which starts today. Director of Cricket, Jimmy Adams said, “CWI have, in consultation with interim Head Coach Floyd Reifer, assembled a strong support group of coaches to work with the squad for the Tri-Series against Ireland and Bangladesh as we prepare for the World Cup. This support group will continue throughout the ICC Cricket World Cup in England. “The training camp is now taking place in Barbados, as the CCG (Coolidge Cricket Ground) in Antigua is currently being used as a venue for the West Indies U15 Super50 Cup, where there will be heavy usage of the ground and training facilities.” Coaching Staff and Team Management: Floyd Reifer (Interim Head Coach), Roddy Estwick (Assistant Coach), Corey Collymore (Assistant Coach Fast Bowling), Rayon Griffith (Assistant Coach Fielding), Mushtaq Ahmed (Assistant Coach Spin Bowling), Rawl Lewis (Team Manager), Dr Oba Gulston (Physiotherapist), Corey Bocking (Strength and Conditioning Coach), Dexter Augustus (Video and Data Analyst), Steven Sylvester (Sports Psychologist) and Zephyrinus Nicholas (Massage Therapist). (DN)

DEATH AT SEA – The loss of fisherman, 64-year-old Rudolph Chapman at sea, came as a blow to his mother who is still mourning the loss of another son she buried two months ago. Eighty-nine-year-old Beulah Chapman said she prepared herself mentally for the death of her son Marlon who died late January after suffering with an illness for sometime. But the mother of 15, four deceased, said she was thrown into a state of shock and disbelief when she got word at her 3rd Avenue, Pile Bay, St Michael home, that Chapman died 80 miles off the southern point of Barbados. “I know Marlon was sick, but I wasn’t looking for this. When I heard that it left me shaking like a leaf. My child gone. I got to bury another child in this short space of time. It had me trembling and the water running down my eyes. I had to hold on pun the chair,” she said. Chapman of Danesbury, Black Rock, St Michael, died aboard the fishing vessel Vibert 3where he was discovered unresponsive by the Captain Silbourne Phillips. Oistins police responded to a report that originated from the vessel sometime around 5 a.m. that a fisherman had died. The vessel was met by the Barbados Coast Guard and escorted to the Oistins jetty where they were met by police. The grieving mother said the last time she saw her son was on Thursday when he visited her home to inform her that he was going out to sea that same day and would try to return before the Easter weekend once he had a successful catch. “Another son come and tell me Woody dead. Man look, I had bad feels. Up to now I ain’t stop crying. He was a good son. I was there in Oistins to see when the boat come in with the Coast Guard. That was really hard on me and his brothers and sisters,” she recalled. “But he was an asthmatic. So I don’t know if he had an asthma attack or a heart attack,” she added. The elderly woman said though she was grieving, she knew that her son died at sea where he loved to be from the time he was a young boy. As Barbados TODAY walked through the small Pile Bay fishing community, some of Chapman’s friends described him as someone who mastered the necessary skills needed to be an excellent fisherman. “He was a complete fisherman. There was nothing he couldn’t do when it come to fishing. This is very sad for us all,” fisherman and family friend Anthony Thompson said. Chapman’s sisters Shirley-Ann and Juliet sat at the Pile Bay Fish Market, reflecting on the life of their beloved brother. They described him as a loving individual who was always willing to share. “We had a nice relationship with our brother. We couldn’t want another brother. He was very loving. When I saw the boat bring him in, I cried until I couldn’t cry anymore. You see down here, he loved Pile Bay. If he ain’t out at sea, down here is where you could find him on weekends,” Shirley-Ann said. (BT)

FAREWELL V – Light raindrops that gently fell from overcast skies this morning mirrored the quiet tears shed by family, friends and colleagues today in a bittersweet celebration of life for beloved broadcaster, advertising and communication expert, Dr Veoma Alisha Ali. It was not a mournful atmosphere at the Coral Ridge Memorial Gardens in Christ Church, but warm laughter and smiles punctuated the brief tribute as those gathered reflected on the vibrant 38-year-old Trinidadian native who began her love affair with Barbados nearly two decades ago. Ali, died last Tuesday at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. For many of those who fondly took one last glimpse of the larger-than-life young woman dressed in red as she lay in a dark mahoghany casket, she was gone too soon. Not only a well-known voice, first on Starcom Network and then on Capital Media HD 99.3, hosting a range of programmes and presenting the news. Ali spoke several languages, including French and Spanish, and played a range of instruments including the guitar and the saxophone. The former columnist for the Weekend Nation and Barbados TODAY, was also the Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. Above all, she was both philanthropist and prankster. Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Capital Media HD Vic Fernandes amused the gathering which included Minister of Information, Broadcasting and Public Affairs Senator Lucille Moe, Minister of Energy and Water Resources Wilfred Abrahams, business leaders and media professionals with tales of a fun-loving Ali, whom he described as dear friend and the consummate media professional. He recalled sitting on toothpaste plastered in his chair by the prankster employee and then making a surprise discovery in his bag. “I was leaving after a long, long day of work at Starcom. I picked up my bag on the way out and, I noticed it was really heavy and I thought maybe I was just feeling weak. So I lumbered on to the car, and when I got home I needed to go into my bag and when I opened it every piece of portable equipment from the office… the paper weights, the stapling machine, even the AC remote. These things were piled into my bag and I knew instantly there was only one person who could have done such none other than Veoma Ali. “ Fernandes was even more touched by a selfless Ali who often cooked meals on Sunday and fed the homeless in Bridgetown. Her father, Omar Ali, who could hardly hide his sorrow, shared the story of Veoma the daughter. He recalled her persistence and determination to complete any task she had, her sacrifice for others, but most of all the love and care she was always ready to bestow on anyone. He said: “She loved people and since she was a child she always cared especially, especially for the disadvantaged. “She was just about 13/14 in high school when her mother noticed that every day some item of food was missing from the pantry and it was mainly canned food and eventually…she confessed that she was taking this food every day for another child in the high school who was too poor to even have a meal. “And here in Barbados that continued. From her own pocket, she rented a house on the South Coast and she would have disadvantaged children come there and she would teach them, no charge. That was the type of person Veoma was. She always cared.” A video tribute showing a photo collage of experiences with family and friends bore testimony to the young woman who was loved by those she lived, played and worked with. No one brother loved his sister like Riaz Ali loved Veoma, he told the Coral Ridge gathering. An emotional Riaz told the gathering that he remembered how a young Veoma threw a stone from a collection he owned, resulting in a head injury that caused him severe pain. “The pain does not compare to the pain I feel today,” he told the hushed gathering. The siblings tormented each other with teasing and pranks, but the bond was undeniable. He said: “Sometimes, she would send a picture to me on Whatsapp, she would just take a picture in the car in the morning and I would say, ‘why you send me this picture for? And she would say, I just thought you needed to see my face, and I would reply I don’t want to see your ugly face.” He marvelled at the brevity of Veoma’s life, pointing out that she had achieved far more than most people accomplished in a lifetime. “She was skilled; she spoke a few languages, very fluent in Spanish and French; she was very musical. She could listen to a piece of music about two or three times and then she would pick up the guitar, the saxophone and she could replicate that music without reading the sheet music; that’s not something many people could do.” He encouraged everyone present to keep her memory alive by living how she lived. Said Riaz Ali: “We come into this world knowing that we have to leave at some point. Well, if there is one way we could stay, that way is to make such a big impact on the people around us. If we try to be as kind as she was to other people, do charity work, care for animals… that is how she can live on through all of us.” Cousin Atash Mohansingh who grew up with the ever-mischievious, daring Choochie, agreed she was larger than life and destined for a better place. A moving tribute, penned by Veoma Ali to her friend and boss Fernandes to offer him comfort when his mother passed away last year, was then offered to the audience in memory of the talented professional and beloved friend and colleague: “I knew a little lady, stature belied her strength. Whose benevolence traverse the planet Across height and breath and length I knew a little lady whose laughter was bigger than she Whose humour could thaw the frozen for she filled the world with glee This little lady had a heart of diamonds, stringing them unselfishly wherever she went With a soul of beauty and a spirit of kindness This little lady’s life was very well spent Now this little lady is in the hearts of those she left behind …. In a realm where love never ages with time ….. Veoma Ali’s body is to be cremated tomorrow. At her family’s behest, her ashes are to remain

For daily or breaking news reports follow us on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter & Facebook. That’s all for today folks. There are 259 days left in the year. Shalom! #thechasefilesdailynewscap #thechasefiles# dailynewscapsbythechasefiles

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 2/20/2019

Good MORNING #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Wednesday 20th February 2019. Remember you can read full articles for FREE via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS) OR by purchasing by purchasing a MidWeek Nation Newspaper (MWN).

GOVERNMENT LOSE MILLIONS IN CHIP-BASED ID CARDS – Government has lost approximately $4 million as a result of having to dump about 500,000 chip-based identification cards, Minister of Innovation, Science and Smart Technology Senator Kay McConney has revealed. Sitting in the hot seat today with senior officials from her ministry and its departments, McConney responded to questions from her parliamentary colleagues in the House of Assembly as debate on the Estimates for 2019/2020 continued into day two. She disclosed that about seven years ago the then Democratic Labour Party (DLP) administration had invested in about half-a-million multi-purpose ID cards that were to be used to “re-register the population” and for national insurance purposes and even pay for bus rides on Transport Board buses. However, she said the chip-based cards “sat in storage all of these years” rendering them almost useless. “Just this year the ministry had those cards sent for forensic testing and the ministry also spoke with the manufacturers of the silicone chips that are in those cards, and unfortunately the manufacturers of the chip have informed Barbados that those cards, having sat in storage for so many years, they cannot guarantee their performance at this time,” she revealed. “We were also told that the chips are no longer being manufactured and therefore, should Barbados choose to proceed and use those cards they will not be providing any technical support should there be a malfunction,” added McConney. Lamenting that the country was now forced to forfeit about $4 million in smart ID cards, which was a cost to taxpayers, McConney said the project came at a time when residents were crying out and Barbados could “ill-afford to be losing that kind of money”. However, she added that an approximately $2.5 million database to accommodate the ID cards, was still in place and could still be used. “So out of a close to $7 million investment we will be able to save less than half,” she said. The technology minister promised that the new Barbados Labour Party (BLP) administration would be pushing ahead with the implementation of new digital ID cards. Barbados’ ID is currently a laminated paper printed with basic information consisting of a registration number, the holder’s name, sex, date of birth, nationality, height, date of issue and a signature. She said just recently Cabinet agreed to move forward with the new digital ID, understanding that the old cards would have to be discarded and replaced by new cards to take us into the future. “We know that Barbados can now still implement a national ID but with the advanced technology that will cause us, not only to have digital IDs now, but mobile IDs, where you can use your cellphone for ID purposes, to pay and to do business with government…,” said McConney. (BT)

BAD ROADS ACROSS BARBADOS – About 70 per cent of Barbados’ roads are in a state of disrepair. This was highlighted in an international road assessment project completed in 2017, according to Minister in the Ministry of Transport, Works and Maintenance, Peter Phillips. “The results . . . showed that 30 per cent of our roads were good, 55 per cent were poor and 15 per cent were bad. In essence, we have 70 per cent of the roads in Barbados, based on that assessment, being classified as very poor and in need of repairs,” he told the Standing Finance Committee of Parliament this morning. “The Ministry has a four-pronged approach, really, to this. We have a milling and paving programme, we have the road rehabilitation programme and then there is road reconstruction…and I think that this would be the area where we would have to target in terms of the 70 per cent of the roads – in fact, it may be more than that by now – that will need some attention.” He said the Government viewed improving the island’s road infrastructure as critical and had given the Ministry $10 million to get equipment to get the road network repaired. Phillips however maintained that prioritizing was necessary. He said those roads that were in dire need of repair would be addressed first. “The technical work has to be done by the technical officers within the ministry in terms of visiting and so on, and once this is reported to us . . . it will take some time, but once the technical officers visit, it will be prioritized,” Phillips said. Deputy Chief Technical Officer Philip Tudor disclosed that it would take hundreds of millions of dollars to fix all the roads in need of repair. However, he said, due to the country’s financial constraints, complete road repairs is an unlikely goal at this time. “We have 1,570 kilometres of road in Barbados and 65 per cent of that is in poor to very poor condition. When we did the maths, it would take $832 million to bring all of the roads that are in poor condition to roads that are in fair to good condition,” he explained. “So we are basically making a little dent, not a big one, in these road repair programmes.” Tudor said the Ministry was preparing to spend $3 million to upgrade Highway 2A, between Arch Hall Fire Station to Mile-and-a-Quarter. (BT)

NEW ROAD COMING TO WHITE HILL – Residents of White Hill, St Andrew, will soon be getting a new road. Minister of Transport, Works and Maintenance Dr William Duguid today revealed that plans were already underway to construct a new road following the collapse of the main road into the area back in 2014. Over four years ago, the then Democratic Labour Party Government condemned the main road into the rural community after it was severely damaged following heavy rains. However, Duguid who toured the area shortly after taking office, said he recognized “it was a significant problem”. He said a second portion of the road was also breaking away and the ministry had put significant resources into placing gabions in that area to reinforce it. The Minister said that action was necessary, and explained that if that part of the road had collapsed it would have left some White Hill residents “totally cut off”. Duguid said a contractor had subsequently been hired to determine whether a new road could go on the exact site or whether there was a need for an alternate location. “He has not only given an alternate location, but he has given an alternate way of how the road can be constructed using precast concrete. “We anticipate that it will cost in the vicinity of $8 million, between $5 to $8 million, and that is his preliminary assessment . . . but we could not put something in unless we had the empirical evidence,” Duguid reported to the Standing Finance Committee in Parliament today. He said a report would soon be presented to Cabinet on the matter. His comments came following concerns raised by Member of Parliament for St Andrew George Payne that the residents of White Hill were being ignored. While he said his ministry was dealing with those persons who had to be relocated, Payne, the Minister of Housing, Lands and Rural Development had queried why there was no mention of White Hill in the Estimates. But the longstanding MP said he was satisfied with Duguid’s response to the situation. “I’m glad for that explanation and I hope that you as Minister will use your good office to ensure that whatever has to be done in order to satisfy the trauma of the residents of White Hill will be done,” Payne said after hearing Duguid’s confirmation that a new road would be built. General Manager of the Transport Board Felicia Sue also gave her assurance that a shuttle service would be provided for White Hill residents. She said the matter would be addressed in two to three weeks, as there was expected to be more buses available by that time. (BT)

UPP SLAMS PROPOSED BUS FARE INCREASES – Although the actual percentages are still to be finalized, the United Progressive Party (UPP) is crying shame on the Mia Mottley-led Government for its decision to increase bus fares. In a statement released this morning, UPP’ s public relations officer Wayne Griffith charged that Government was essentially piling further hardship on the already overburdened bottom tier of Barbadian society. “All Members of Parliament can hang their head in shame for endorsing this proposed burden on the already suffering average citizen. Since coming to office the Mottley administration has only given Barbadians increased taxation resulting in a higher cost of living. Such an increase will place yet another massive burden on the poorest,” said Griffith, who charged that many of those to be hardest hit have just been laid off by this Barbados Labour Party (BLP) administration. During the House Estimates Debate yesterday, Minister of Transport Dr William Duguid, said that commuters would soon have to pay higher fares to ride on public and private transportation. Contending that the current fare of $2 charged by the Transport Board and public service vehicles (PSVs) is inadequate Duguid pointed out that while an increase was coming it was yet to be determined by how much those fares would be raised. However the UPP has asserted that Government had less choice in the matter than they were letting on. “The conditions associated with International Monetary Fund-endorsed economic recovery programmes always include a component of staff cuts in the public service and bus fare adjustments. So the intention to implement an increase in [bus] fares comes as no surprise to the United Progressive Party,” Griffith argued. The party spokesman contended that such a critical service should not have become a casualty of any structural adjustment programme, adding that increased fares will not help the country’s economic woes. “Public transportation is considered a critical service in every country, including Barbados. The cycle of economic deterioration cannot be remedied in any way by inflicting additional costs on our people,” he said. Griffith further argued, “The government still has not identified measures to grow and improve our economic conditions, which is actually the solution to the woes of the nation. The loans, which have been signed off thus far, have only served to plug the leaks but not build measurable capacity. This scorched earth approach to reducing deficit where the poorest are suffering the most augurs ill for national development.” (BT)

AOPT: HIKE WELCOMED BUT OTHER MEASURES NEEDED – The Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) says while the announced hike in bus fares is welcomed, it will take more than that to eradicate the rat race culture that has earned minibus and ZR workers a bad rap over the years. In fact, AOPT president Roy Raphael contends that unless the fare hike is accompanied by additional measures by both Government and Public Service Vehicle (PSV) owners, the fierce competition that sometimes leads to lawlessness on the roads may only intensify. He said factors such as a possible increase in daily lease rates for vans, as well as the continued overcrowding of routes need to be taken into consideration. “It has a lot to do with route rationalization, because if you still have 200 vans on the Silver Sands route and let’s say you raise bus fares to $3.50, you are still going to be at square one. Let’s remember that owners’ fees are relative. So, if bus fares increase, owners are not going to accept the same amount of money as if it was still at $2; it just would not make economic sense,” Raphael said, noting that owners would also need to come together to determine the percentage increase. He also pointed to the possibility of greed, contending that some operators if unchecked, will fall back on their instinct to maximize profits. During the Estimates Debate in Parliament yesterday, Minister of Transport Dr William Duguid announced that commuters may soon have to pay as much as $4 for bus fare on public and private transport, as he contended that the current $2 fare charged by the Transport Board and PSVs is inadequate. “We haven’t made the decision if it will go up by a $1.50 or if it will go up by $2; we don’t know now. But, certainly, all of that has to be assessed to make a decision as to where bus fares will go,” said the Minister, who made it clear that a higher quality of service from private owners would be expected with the increased fares. Raphael said this morning that his organization wholeheartedly agrees the sector must clean up its act and show itself worthy of the increase. He told Barbados TODAY that, to this end, the AOPT has made several recommendations to the Ministry of Transport and Works, which include the amalgamation of the five categories of PSV licences into two. He argued that this would prevent the bad apples from jumping to another area of the sector whenever their licence in one area is revoked. “It’s a case now where even if one’s licence was revoked, a fella could still go and drive a maxi taxi. So, we are going to ask Government to introduce two classes of licences for PSVs. One would be heavy-duty, which means you can drive from a Transport Board bus and all classes below, while with the ZR licence, a person can drive that class of vehicle down to maxi taxi,” he explained. In the meantime, Raphael told Barbados TODAY, AOPT is already on course to fulfil some of the items on Minister Duguid’s wish list, including a move towards a cashless system. He also noted there are recent positive indicators that the sector is capable of change. “I must say that while we saw an increase in complaints during the month of December [2018], we saw a sharp decline last month in the complaints from passengers. So, it is some level of improvement and we will continue to monitor it,” he said. (BT)

INCREASED BUS FARE NOT FAIR, SAY COMMUTERS – Minister of Transport and Works Dr William Duguid appears to be getting a small measure of support from commuters, following his announcement that bus fare could double soon. But many say the proposed increase in bus fare from $2 to either $3.50 or $4 would be detrimental to working-class Barbadians. Speaking in the Lower House in the Estimates Debate yesterday, Dr Duguid said a decision is to be made on whether the fare will be increased by $1.50 or $2. Several commuters at the recently constructed Constitution River Terminal who spoke with Barbados TODAYsaid they did not agree with a hike by either amount, saying that it would make it harder on those who had to take multiple buses to get to and from work and also send their children to school. Veteran snow-cone vendor Tyrone Cambridge said it would be particularly felt in lower income households. “It would be difficult for them because there [are] people . . . who have to catch two and three buses…So I do not know how those people are going to make it,” he said, adding that a metered system of paying bus fare would be a better option. “To be truthful, it is going to be very difficult. I don’t see it getting any better.” Carol-Ann Clarke described the pending increase as “ridiculous”. “We got a lot of people out of work; some have children to send to school. $4 is a real steep thing. A lot of people get their hours cut and [if] bus fare has gone up, I do not know what going to happen. Some people will not be able to buy food,” she said. However, Clarke did not agree with a metered system, saying it would be disadvantageous to people living in rural areas. “I am not sure if it could work as you would be penalizing the ones that live far,” she told Barbados TODAY. However, another woman who did not want to be identified said the proposed fare increase was reasonable and she would not mind paying it once there were more buses in service. “I am not against the increase. I think the $4 is reasonable. I am a bit disappointed that they did not consider like $2 to town and $4 to Speightstown – different stages, a different amount. We are willing to pay the $4, but we want to see more buses,” she said. “I pay $2 from Christ Church to Speightstown. I would not mind paying $4 from Christ Church to Speightstown.” She was supported by hairstylist LeeAndrea Bourne who told Barbados TODAY that Barbadians would have to pay the increase as many people rely on public transportation. “It ain’t really much we can do. Yes, it would be hard on some people but at the end of the day food prices went up and we had to live with it. If bus fare goes up it will affect some, but you still need public transportation,” she said. Nigel Lowe, who is a PSV operator on the Pine and Wildey route, said a fare increase was not a good idea as they are people who already cannot afford to feed their children on a daily basis. “ . . . Then we have to pay extra bus fare to get them to school. The children may not have to pay but the parents have to pay to get them to and from school. It is going to be even harder on poor people. Those that can afford will not want to even pay it; they would rather go and buy a vehicle first. So we got problems all around and we need to find a way around the solution to make it good for everybody,” he said. Lowe noted that while a fare increase is long overdue, history has shown that each time bus fare went up, PSV operators saw a decrease in passengers. “[We have] fewer passengers as they find it hard to get that money. Eventually, they would move when they have to move. It would increase we profit but we can’t only look at we profit, because the situation with we isn’t the passengers that are causing the problem. It is the fuel increases that we get that causing the problem,” he said. The route taxi operator further told Barbados TODAY that “van men” are losing revenue. He said that while they bring in around $600 daily, about $250 goes to refuel the vehicle and the remainder is split among the owner, driver, and conductor. Lowe believes the solution is to lower fuel prices. “If you have low fuel prices and low expenses where buses are concerned [in regards] to maintenance, it would be better for us. Bus fare increasing can’t make it better. It is going to cause more problems as we are going to get fewer passengers and get the same amount of money that we were getting before,” he said. Another PSV operator, who did not wish to be named, expressed a similar view. He said the increase would lead to PSV owners seeking more income from their leases which, at present, range from $275 to $300 per day. “It is going to be harder for the van men because owners are going to be looking at the fact that we are getting more money in bus fare and them going to want more money for the lease. Some at $275 and some at $300 a day and that is not easy, and men have children to support. It is not going to be an easy task. The poor man and women in Barbados will be affected so something has to happen. The Government needs to help the people, but time will tell,” he said. A female commuter who preferred to remain anonymous, said she could not afford to give her daughter a daily allowance of more than $15 and wondered how she would source the additional funds to send her child to school every day. Meantime, educator Mike Cummins contended that Government was forced to increase bus fare as it was one of the stipulations mandated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). “I don’t think in their consciousness they would want to increase bus fares to $4, but the IMF is pressuring them into this $4 thing. So, right now Barbados’ hands are in the lion’s mouth and we are going to get bite – that is my position. I would like to see them justify how they would satisfy the people that the $4 is the correct fare for the island,” he told Barbados TODAY. (BT)

SICKOUT – Just two days after Government addressed security and environmental concerns at two rural schools, another was hit by apparent industrial action today. This morning the staff at the Milton Lynch Primary School were forced to call in parents to pick up students after all but three teachers called in sick. Barbados TODAY understands that the educators have long complained of environmental issues related to the physical infrastructure and facilities at the Christ Church school. When contacted president of the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT), Sean Spencer, said that he was unable to address the subject of a sickout, but suggested that “The staff may simply be expressing their valid frustrations and seeking to draw attention to the plight of those who occupy the school, six hours a day, five days a week.” Barbados TODAY visited the all boys’ school this morning and witnessed parents picking up their charges. One parent, who did not want to be identified, said while she understood the concerns of the teachers, the closure of the school was problematic for her, as she had to leave work to pick up her son. “We really didn’t know that this was going to happen today, and I had to ask for time off to pick up my child and I have to stay home with him. The school is in a mess in truth and I hope this is sorted out soon,” she said. Spencer explained that the buildings were in desperate need of maintenance. He charged that the school was infested with termites and rodents, and this is compounded by poor toilet facilities and ventilation issues. “It is the view of the union that inspection and maintenance require a serious re-think on the part of policymakers. The current physical state of the school indicates there exists an urgent need for infrastructural work to be undertaken. The toilet facilities for students, ceilings housing pigeons, inadequate lighting, rodents and ventilation have proven to be problematic at the school. Termite infestation has contributed to the rate of environmental degradation. This makes it increasingly difficult to function,” he explained. He lamented that on a recent visit to the school, union officials were able to observe and confirm cases of domesticated and wild animals traversing the premises of Milton Lynch Primary. Pigeons and other birds, dogs, cats and monkeys were all seen on the compound during the visit by the executive of the [BUT]. In addition to the problems on the inside, a vacant field with cow-itch vines is impacting students and teachers. The trade unionist further suggested that such is the condition of the school that some parents have opted to withdraw their children. Spencer revealed, “It is also being suggested that the student roll is declining as parents withdraw their sons. Should one examine the physical conditions, one may wonder precisely what message is being sent to the young boys who represent the student body. Today’s boys are tomorrow’s fathers and husbands. What level of self-actualisation will they trend towards as a consequence of the institutional deficits?” Barbados TODAY reached out to Acting Minister of Education Lucille Moe for comment, but was unsuccessful. (BT)

TEACHER REMOVED – The teacher who is being accused of abusing an eight-year-old boy at the Ellerton Primary School’s Special Education Unit has been suspended Without going into details about the case, Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw said she was extremely concerned about any form of violence in schools. She told Barbados TODAY that the teacher accused of beating the child who has Down’s Syndrome, with a stick, has been removed from the classroom while the matter was being thoroughly investigated by police and education authorities. “The matter would have been reported to the Ministry of Education, and the officials would have met with both the principal [Andrew Haynes] and the teacher in question. Those interviews have been conducted. Investigations are ongoing, but in the interest of all parties, a determination was made to place the teacher on suspension, in order to allow the rest of the investigations to be carried out. “I want to make the point that the process has to be followed, and therefore when the ministry says it is investigating, it is really following the procedure to make sure that any person, against whom an allegation is made, that we have to ensure that due process is followed. The law also allows us to be able to place that person on suspension, and to take certain actions in the interest of all parties. We have acted quickly upon being notified of the situation. “I understand that the matter has been taken by the parent to the police. Those investigations, I believe will be continuing. They [police], have a responsibility to do their part. But we are doing from our end what is necessary once a matter is reported to us,” Bradshaw said. In Monday’s E-paper, Barbados TODAY highlighted the plight of parent Charmane Ifill, who was calling for the teacher who allegedly beat her son with a stick, bruising him, to be removed from the institution. Ifill said the teacher claimed to have lashed the child because “he don’t listen”. Ifill also asked that her son be transferred to another institution because he was traumatized about returning to the unit following last Thursday’s incident. According to Bradshaw, the parent was scheduled to meet with the psychologist attached to the ministry, to ensure that all of her concerns were addressed, and that decisions would be made according to the child’s needs. “Obviously, the decision to place the child was based on the child’s peculiar circumstances and I believe that we are making the attempts to investigate where the child can be placed. My understanding is that most children, even if it is a rape victim, or victim of sexual abuse, people feel uncomfortable going back to the scene of the crime, or the scene of an alleged incident. “Therefore, we have to be sensitive as a ministry to those concerns as well. You know there is a thing in law that you take the victim as you find them. In this particular case this child obviously, because he is Down’s Syndrome, will have some concerns going back to a location where any alleged abuse has taken place. Given that the child may not be able to communicate as other children may, we have to obviously take that into account and be able to address those concerns as quickly as possible,” Bradshaw said. Bradshaw gave the assurance that her ministry has been actively attempting to introduce programmes into the schools, to address issues of violence, including the launch of an anti violence campaign, and placing emphasis on positive behavioural management programmes where teachers are encouraged to explore alternative methods of discipline, as opposed to seeking to use corporal punishment as the first or only method of discipline. Noting that there are alternate ways of disciplining and otherwise dealing with children who may be behaving badly, Minister Bradshaw said: “What is also of note is that our laws still allow for the head teacher to be able to use corporal punishment, or to be able to delegate that authority to the deputy, or to the senior teachers. In this case, as you would appreciate, the principal did not administer the punishment,” she said. She also encouraged other parents, who may have had similar experiences reported to them, to follow the correct procedures in reporting the matter, beginning with the principals. “They also need to, if it is of a serious nature, report it to the police and also to ensure that they seek a medical report,” she said. “I want people to report any issues of violence towards children in our schools. Whether that is student-on-student violence, or whether it is teacher-on-student violence, or even student-on-teacher violence as well. When we did the anti-violence campaign we addressed all three. We talked about peace begins with me, talk it out and violence solves nothing. We recognized it was not a one-way issue. “It is not just the issues between teachers and students, but there are other issues in the system that we are dealing with as well. And the approach is a zero tolerance to violence generally, but in particular to violence where it involves children who are to be protected in the environment within the school. “It is an overall approach that says violence solves nothing, let us find alternative ways to deal with conflict, to deal with indiscipline and to improve our communication. That is really the focus. This isn’t about blaming a teacher, this is about trying to get people to recognize that there are different ways to deal with the situation,” Bradshaw added. The minister revealed that the ministry would soon beefing up its training for teachers on how to appropriately and effectively deal with children who have special needs. She said efforts are also on the way to finalize a special needs policy for Barbados. (BT)

MUM GETS SUPPORT – The outspoken mother of an eight-year-old boy with Down Syndrome who was allegedly beaten by a teacher at the Ellerton Primary School Special Education Unit, is getting the backing of the Barbados Down Syndrome Association. Charmaine Ifill is also receiving support from former communications specialist at the Barbados Water Authority (BWA), Joy-Ann Haigh, who has a daughter with the chromosomal condition. In a statement issued today, president of the association, Asha Alleyne-Renwick said she was extremely concerned about the incident which she described as “an act of brutality and a gross violation of human rights”. Ifill said her son was beaten with a stick so badly last Thursday that his back was bruised. “Under no circumstance is this an acceptable form of punishment for any child. It is our expectation that our children will be treated fairly and with respect while in the care of the state. That such an act could occur in one of our schools brings the safety of Barbadian children with Down Syndrome into question,” Alleyne-Renwick said. Further noting that statistics show that 50 per cent of babies with Down Syndrome are born with a heart defect, Alleyne-Renwick added: “The child in question reportedly received blows to his back which could have had a disastrous outcome. We reiterate that this brutality will not be tolerated and call on the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training to address the issue.” Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw told Barbados TODAY that the teacher has been suspended and the incident is being investigated. Meantime, Haigh was today close to tears as she embraced an emotional Ifill at her workplace in The City. Ifill told Haigh the situation has left her confused and frustrated since the young boy is now afraid to go to school. In fact, he had to be collected yesterday and taken to the doctor because he complained of feeling unwell. The mother said her son has made it clear he does not want to return to the school, and even cried when she was in the process of ironing his uniform yesterday morning. “From the time he hear school he crying, because he ain’t want to go school,” Ifill said, expressing the hope that the incident would not have a long-term effect on her child. She wants him transferred to another school – a recommendation supported by Haigh who said children with special needs can be more easily traumatized than others without such conditions. The former BWA communications specialist who promised Ifill that she would walk with her through the journey, said words could not express how she felt about the situation. She added that she would have had a similar response to Ifill, had it been her daughter. “It could have been my daughter and I would have to take some action too. So I can’t blame the mother for feeling the way she felt. I was really hurt when I saw the marks. I have my child and yes, I have to discipline my child, but I talk to my daughter. I don’t hit my daughter with Down Syndrome and I would encourage other parents not to do so,” Haigh said. “I came down here to Charmaine’s workplace to offer some support. What I can say is that I actually reached out to the Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw who, I can tell you, is against corporal punishment and has zero tolerance for it. She has assured me, as a mother, that all would be done in the best interest of the child, that the process obviously has to involve an investigation with the relevant parties – that being the person the allegation has been laid against which, in this case, is the teacher,” she added. Haigh said she was confident after speaking to Minister Bradshaw that the case would not be swept under the carpet but would be placed on the front burner. She further expressed the hope that there are individuals in the Royal Barbados Police Force trained to interview people with mental challenges, so that the child would not be “drilled over and over again in an investigation”. “We are hopeful that there are some other elements in here, possibly witnesses to the allegation, so that we can put this matter to bed,” she said. Haigh added that she expected if the teacher was found guilty of wrongdoing, she would be punished to the full extent of the law. She stressed that while children with special needs may be unable to defend themselves, nobody should be abused. “Teachers . . . have to look to see other ways of reprimanding the child, by speaking to them; certainly not treating any child, in particular persons with special needs, in this way. It is hurtful for the child, and it would cause some psychological damage, and to the parents too. So I am urging everyone to please rally behind Charmaine and her child if this indeed turns out to be a case that the person has to be punished,” Haigh said. However, she cautioned that the actions of the teacher in question should not cause people to paint all teachers with the same brush. “This should not be a message that all teachers are like this because, certainly, that is not the case. There are a lot of very good teachers. It is unfortunate that if this individual is guilty, it is an embarrassment to the profession. “To all teachers, please, if you are in this profession and you are doing this, please do it out of the love for children, and not for any other reason,” Haigh pleaded. (BT)

TODDLER IN CUFFS WAS ‘JUST PLAY’ – Parents of the toddler who was videoed handcuffed to a pillar, turned themselves into the police and the Child Care Board (CCB) yesterday. The mother, Dania Hamilton, has written an apology to her son on social media, explaining that it was an “unfortunate” incident of child’s play gone wrong. The video, she said, was recorded by the boy’s father as a funny one and shared in a group of male friends. It was circulated on Monday and showed the two-and-a-half-year-old sitting on the floor in a vest and pamper, while handcuffed behind his back around a pillar. The father was heard admonishing the boy for stealing his watch. “Stop stealing my watch, all right? All the time; all the time,” he said, as he showed the handcuffs and a watch on his right wrist. The child, who appeared terrified, cried out: “Daddy!” Yesterday, the CCB, through a Barbados Government Information Service release, said the parents had voluntarily turned up at their offices with the child. (MWN)

TRAGIC END – Residents of Kew Road, Bank Hall, St Michael are reliving the nightmarish screams of an elderly man who was trapped in his house as fire raged through the wooden structure late Monday night. One resident who rushed to the back of 76-year-old pensioner Eric Fenty’s home recalled seeing one of his hands hanging through the window. He tried his best to pull the old man out using the dangling arm, but his efforts were not rewarded. “I tried pulling him through, but it was like dead weight, said Fabian McDonald. “The flames and smoke and everything just gushed through the window, so I had to step back and then I realized there was nothing else that I could do,” he lamented. McDonald was one of the first residents who rushed to the scene when he saw a fire at the rear of the house, around 11:20 p.m. He said when he ran to one side of the house he heard Fenty’s screams. “When I looked, a couple guys were coming to help,” he added. Despite their best efforts. Fenty could not be saved. “Trust me, the fellas out here tried their utmost best to get in there, but they could not get in. He is not a bad person, he didn’t deserve to die the way he died. Everybody round here know Eric, they know how Eric does get on, and when you see he you would got to help he. When 5 o’clock he would come out of there on mornings. He used to walk with a stick. He would walk and go along up the road and sit down there until somebody tek he up and give he some food,” a resident said. Hours after the fire which left the community shocked, shaken and saddened, residents gathered in front of what was left of the elderly man’s home, trying to figure out what might have started the fire which resulted in Fenty screaming for help before he took his last breath. The house was not known to have running water nor electricity. Some residents claimed that Fenty, who has no children to their knowledge, was being abused and that this was reported to authorities, including the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF). They said members of the force visited the house “more than once”. Residents said that as recently as last Thursday, Fenty was abused in public by a man who lashed him and took away his walking stick because he had no money to give him. “Sometimes you would want to try to help, but then you can’t go and put yourself up front there to then end up putting yourself at risk. That was total abuse,” a resident told Barbados TODAY. He charged that the alleged abuser took advantage of Fenty, often relieving him of his pension monies. “He is a disgusting, despicable man, I would like the police to find he. He used to beat the old man and take way his pension and all kind of foolishness. Only Sunday the police went looking for he. I tell them, them ain’t gine find he. Got to catch he 2:30 a morning. They went back yesterday evening, but them ain’t gine find him in the daytime so,” a concerned resident said. Another resident who said he assisted Fenty however he possibly could, especially when he was hospitalized after suffering a stroke, noted he once asked the elderly man about the alleged abuse but he did not want to talk about it. Yet another resident who said he was finding it hard to get the memory of the house engulfed in flames out of his head, lamented: “The man was sitting down at a house here and he [alleged abuser] come and start to feel up his pocket to see if he had money on him. He throw a lash around the man head, and lick him down, and take up the cane he does walk with and go long with it. A lot of people see what happened . . .,” a male resident said as he spoke about the recent incident. The same resident who said they found out about the fire after hearing a commotion at Fenty’s home, said that the young men from the area tried almost everything possible to get the old man out of the blaze. “Everybody was coming out and tried to assist. But by that time everything else was in flames and you could see the results. I tried to help and run on basic instincts. There are a lot of things that you could think about. Like if I could have done this, or if I could have done that, but everything does happen so fast. Your basic instinct does be kicking in like, if I go in if I gine perish in it,” McDonald shared. Damion Jordan also expressed regrets that his efforts to help get the old man out of the house before it was too late, were unsuccessful. He said he even used a shovel to try to gain entry to the wooden structure. “He used to make a lot of sport and thing. Man he ain’t deserve to go so at all,” Jordan said. (BT)

PUMP SHUTDOWN TO AFFECT CHRIST CHURCH, ST PHILIP DISTRICTS – The Barbados Water Authority is advising residents and businesses in parts of Christ Church and St Philip that there will be a critical shutdown of its Hampton Pumping Station on Wednesday, February 20, between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. This shutdown is to facilitate the changing of five valves at the station. The affected areas may include Vauxhall, Durant’s, Grantley Adams International Airport, Kingsland, Callender’s, Lodge Road, Newton, Maxwell Hill, Charnocks, Lowlands, Coverley, Fairview, Pilgrim Road, Kendall Hill Park, Gall Hill, Wotton, Harmony Lodge, Water Street, Ealing Park, Ealing Grove, Atlantic Shores, Enterprise, Chancery Lane, Inch Marlow, Silver Sands, Round Rock, Goodland, Green Garden, Hopewell, Carters Gap, Fairy Valley and surrounding districts in Christ Church. Heddings, St Martins, Rices, Gemswick, Bequest, Wheelers, Long Bay Village, Cave Land, Seaview, Work Hall, Apple Hall, Lynches, Merricks, Eastbourne, Crane Park, Belair, Cobblers Rock, Diamond Valley, Kirtons, Wilcox, Mangrove, Windward Gardens, Long Bay, Harry Smith, Well House, Bottom Bay, Bentham’s, Atlantic Park and surrounding districts in St Philip. Customers are asked to store an adequate supply of water to help them during the shutdown. Water tankers will also be dispatched to assist. (MWN)

CLOSURE OF OPHTHALMOLOGY CLINICS AT QEH – The public is kindly asked to note that the out-patients’ clinics in the Department of Ophthalmology at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) will be closed from Thursday, February 21, through Friday, February 22. The clinics will be closed to facilitate staff’s attendance at the Annual Ophthalmology Subspecialty Conference being held in Barbados. The clinics will resume on Monday, February 25. Patients affected by the closure are asked to contact the Medical Records Department at 436-6450, extensions 6120, 6190, 6339 and 6182 to reschedule their appointments. (MWN)

MONKEY PLAY CUTS CITY POWER – Three green monkeys caused a power outage in The City yesterday morning. The wandering creatures were playing on a powerline near JG’s Wholesale Discount Centre at the corner of St George Street and Cowell Street when they tripped a breaker, causing the power to go out at surrounding businesses. “It happened around 10:30 a.m.,” said one eyewitness. “There were three monkeys up on the power line and then I heard an explosion, close to a gunshot. One monkey dropped down and the others ran away.” Tony Woodall, who was also in the area, decided to take home the monkey, which was in a state of paralysis. He said he had a pet monkey and other animals at home so he would care for the creature until it returned to its normal state. Later in the day, he reported that the monkey was “doing pretty all right”. “He is moving around and eating, but he is a little frightened. I will monitor him for the next two days to see if anything is wrong with its limbs.” Around 11 a.m., two workers from Barbados Light & Power Co. showed up to replace the electrical unit the monkeys had damaged. (MWN)

ACCIDENT ALONG ENTERPRISE MAIN ROAD CHRIST CHURCH –There was an accident involving a ZR route taxi and an SUV on Enterprise main road Church Christ. The extent of injuries is unknown at this time. (MWN)

READY FOR COURT – Public service vehicle (PSV) operators are planning to sue Government for $15 million. This after one of their own was given an absolute discharge by Magistrate Graveney Bannister last Friday after appearing in the Bridgetown Traffic Court. According to a source in the discussions, following a meeting held with the Association of Public Transport Operators (APTO) over the weekend, operators were now looking to recover all the monies they paid out in fines over the last five years, which they roughly estimated at more than $15 million. “This is based on about five to six years because some of the operators have paid $500 to $1 000 in [forthwith] fines to avoid jail time. Some of them were imprisoned because they could not come up with the money. Therefore, a lot of them were imprisoned wrongfully, and to my understanding, compensation for erroneous imprisonment equates to about $1500 per day,” the PSV owner told the NATION yesterday. He added operators were trying to engage the services of Queen’s Counsel Michael Lashley, the former Minister of Transport and Works, to represent them. Lashley was counsel for the PSV worker who was discharged last Friday. (MWN)

PHONE STOLEN FROM BATHROOM – A 39-year-old man who pleaded guilty to a theft charge will spend the next three weeks at the Psychiatric Hospital being evaluated before he is sentenced. Steve Gordon Miller, of Garden Land, Country Road, St Michael admitted before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant today to stealing a $700 cellular phone belonging to a minor on February 18‑. Police Constable Kenmore Phillips revealed that the teenager was in the bathroom of a local restaurant when the accused walked in. He however, left the device in the bathroom on walking out. The minor returned moments later but the phone was no longer where he had left it. A check of the footage at the establishment showed Miller walking out of the bathroom with the device. The police were informed and Miller was seen the following night at St Lawrence Gap where he told lawmen he had sold the phone. Miller will reappear before the No. 2 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court on March 12. (BT)

YARDE GETS 12 MONTHS FOR THEFT OF CAR MONEY – It took a Christ Church man almost 14 months to admit to a theft charge and for that crime he has been sentenced to 12 months in prison. However, Jahlanny Tramaine Yarde, of Block 6B Silver Hill Drive, only has six months remaining to serve on the sentence having already spent six months on remand at HMP Dodds. Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant imposed the sentence today after Yarde pleaded guilty to stealing $7,700 belonging to a woman on December 22, 2017. Police constable Kenmore Phillips told the No. 2 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court that Yarde was working with the woman’s boyfriend on the mentioned date. She had given the boyfriend a sum of money to purchase her a car. However, sometime during the day the boyfriend made a check to ensure that the cash was still there but discovered that some of the money was missing. He asked Yarde who denied that he had taken it. Another man who transported the accused later that day raised the alarm to police after he saw him taking large sums of money from his crotch. Yarde was detained and he again denied taking the money. He also pleaded not guilty to the charge in September 2018 but had a change of heart when he reappeared before Cuffy-Sargeant today. (BT)

BUSINESSMAN REMANDED – Despite arguments by two Queen’s Counsel of his strong ties to the community, his status as a family man and an employer of over a dozen persons, a 56-year-old businessman accused of importing over $10 million in drugs was still remanded to Dodds prison today. The drug bust — valued at $10,185,315 million — ranks as one of the largest in recent times. As a result of a search of a container shipped to a business in St John, officers from Customs Enforcement Division, the Police Drug Squad and Canine Division and the Barbados Coast Guard, discovered 1028.4 kilogrammes and 22.7 kilogrammes of a substance, suspected to be cocaine, a release from the Royal Barbados Police Force stated. George Reginald Ivan Parris, of No. 318 Inch Cape Terrace, Well House, St Philip was charged with eight offences of possession, possession with intent to supply, possession with intent to traffic cannabis and “suspected” cocaine on February 14 as well as importation of cannabis and cocaine between February 5 and 6. He was not required to plead to the indictable charges. Appearing before Chief Magistrate Christopher Birch this morning in the District ‘C’ Magistrates’ Court, Sergeant Vernon Waithe objected to bail being granted to Parris on several grounds. The prosecutor pointed to the nature and seriousness of the offences, as well as the quantum of the illegal substance involved. “Evidence in this matter is strong. It’s a strong case against the accused. There are also fears that if granted bail he may not return to court to answer to the charges,” said Sergeant Waithe in his submissions against bail. However, attorneys Michael Lashley, Q.C. and Hal Gollop, Q.C., appearing along with Dayna Taylor-Lavine and Kadisha Wickham, stated that the accused, who is the owner of Ace Recycling and R&R Iron Works, was an “excellent” candidate for bail and a “responsible” individual who had been a businessman in the recycling industry for the past 17 years. “He has 13 employees . . . and on a good day . . . that number can be up as much as 25. If placed on remand . . . [it can result] in workers going on the breadline . . . and his business could fold . . . . He is a family man and cooperated with the police,” said Lashley who also took “strong objections” to the prosecutor considering his client a flight risk saying conditions such as reporting to a police station could be imposed. Lashley used the delay in the justice system in getting matters to trial in a timely matter in his bail submission saying that this case will not be heard within the next two to three years. “My client is an excellent candidate for bail . . . and willing to accept any conditions you set him,” Lashley told the chief magistrate. “He has surrendered his passport to the court showing that he is willing to adhere to any condition. He did that before you asked. He is a man of respect in the community. Who will suffer if remanded? His wife, his family, his business; 13 people and sometimes 25 are about to be placed on the breadline when jobs are so hard to find,” said Lashley before he gave way to senior Queen’s Counsel Gollop who touched on some of the points by Lashley as well as others. “The prosecutor said ‘suspected cocaine’. You can’t have suspected cocaine. Could you imagine what that could mean if you took it to some absurd level . . .[It] raises the issue of serious analytical evidence being brought on this matter. The inability of the prosecutor to say cocaine in my view is another reason why the most favourable consideration should be given to this accused to defend the assault on his good character and his good name,” Gollop stated. He also made reference to other cases now before other magistrates’ courts in which other businessmen with similar charges were granted bail. “The law is about precedence. Recently a large portion of drugs . . . those persons were found on the vessel . . . [in my client’s case] a container came from one place to another place, he was not on the vessel [the container]. I am submitting that this is a better reason why bail should be granted,” Gollop submitted. At the end of the 45-minute sitting however which was attended by Parris’ family, Chief Magistrate Birch ruled in favour of the prosecution. “Excellent . . . submissions by your counsels, but at this point I am not prepared to offer you bail,” the judicial officer stated before giving Parris a March 19 date for his next court appearance. Barbados TODAY has been reliably informed that Parris’ legal team will file papers for bail application before the High Court as early as tomorrow. (BT)

CONFIDENT NURSE EXPECTS WI VICTORY – Off-spinner Ashley Nurse is back in the West Indies team and is banking on a recent run in first-class cricket to boost his confidence in the ODI series against England which starts today at Kensington Oval. Nurse, who was speaking to the media on Monday, said the West Indies were in high spirits after defeating England, the world No.1 ranked ODI team, in the recently concluded Wisden Test series 2-1. “I would really like the boys to get on that high and win the series. My personal target for the series is to contribute in wickets and runs. “I’ve been playing a lot of first-class cricket over the past few weeks and I’ve been getting a lot of bowling in, so hopefully, that practice will come into play [today],” he said. (MWN)

SIR CURTLEY NOW A DANCING STAR – Legendary West Indies cricketer Sir Curtley Ambrose was out in the middle last night, but on a different kind of stage. Sir Curtley and his professional partner Siobhan Power, swept across the ballroom floor on the Australian version of the show Dancing With the Stars. The pair wowed the audience with their Viennese waltz and received lots of congratulatory messages on their respective Instagram pages. After the show aired Siobhan posted a few pictures of their dance with the caption: “Last night was so special I had the most amazing time sharing this moment with @curtlyambrose_ Thank you for all the love and support that’s been sent our way. It means the world! Please vote for us to keep us in! SMS CURTLY to 1995 1010 or via the website in my bio xx #dwtsau #dwtsaustralia #westindiescricket #westindies #cricketaustralia @dancingon10 @channel10au”. Sir Cutrley also took to his Instagram page to encourage his fans to vote for him, saying: “Dancing with the stars Australia premiered last night. Unfortunately those of you outside of Australia are unable to view the show as of now but you can still vote. Please click the link in my bio. An email address is required to vote. Enter your email, accept the terms and VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!. Vote to keep me in this competition and see me through to the end. Voting remains open until next week Monday. Vote everyday, don't miss a day, every vote counts.” The show airs live every Monday at 7:30 p.m. Australian time. (MWN)

For daily or breaking news reports follow us on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter & Facebook. That’s all for today folks. There are 315 days left in the year. Shalom! #thechasefilesdailynewscap #thechasefiles# dailynewscapsbythechasefiles

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 1/10/2019

Good MORNING #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Thursday 10thJanuary 2019. Remember you can read full articles for FREE via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS) OR by purchasing by purchasing a Daily Nation Newspaper (DN).

BAMC TO CUT 46 – About 46 sugar workers are being cut from the Barbados Agricultural Management Company (BAMC). They are the latest casualties under the Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation programme. On Wednesday the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) and the BAMC reached an agreement regarding the number of workers to be laid off from the organisation, and also thrashed out other outstanding issues. After a near two-hour meeting, BWU deputy general secretary Dwaine Paul said that number did not include those who accepted separation packages. He added the union was satisfied with the meeting’s outcome. BAMC general manager Leslie Parris said: “The numbers were discussed in detail with the union and will be further divulged following the briefing notes. We are talking approximately 42 to 46 persons covering a number of areas of the company’s operations.” (DN)

CUTTING COST - Government’s retrenchment programme for 2019 continues on Monday with about 46 workers from the Barbados Agricultural Management Company (BAMC) going on the breadline. This revelation came this afternoon from general manager of the state-owned BAMC Leslie Parris, following almost two hours of negotiations with the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) at the company’s Warrens, St Michael headquarters. “We are talking approximately 42 to 46 persons or in that range. These touch all of the areas of the company’s operations in terms of the members of the BWU. These would include mechanics, drivers and support staff who, given the future of the company, would no longer be required,” Parris disclosed. He was however quick to point out that field workers would not be touched in the current retrenchment process. “Let me stress that field workers, those out in the field working daily with the crops, would not be retrenched,” the BAMC boss added. He explained that if Government were to send home those workers, it would have to invest substantial sums of money in acquiring equipment to replace them. “We do not consider it prudent at this time to undertake such an investment because the manual labour in the fields is still considered to be more efficient than using equipment,” Parris said. Turning his attention specifically to today’s meeting with the union, he described it as very productive with general agreement on all areas that were discussed. “We expect that following a written brief to be vetted by both sides, that the negotiations would now come to a speedy conclusion,” Parris said. He noted that the two parties would now seek to ensure the numbers discussed were accurate. Commenting on the outcome of the meeting, deputy general secretary of the BWU Dwaine Paul said that both parties were able to find common ground on a number of outstanding issues regarding the retrenchments. “Based on the position put by the management and the acceptance by the union, we should be able to move ahead with the restructuring of the company…those further details would be provided by the management as soon as they are ready,” Paul said. However, he noted that the union was “reasonably” satisfied with the discussions and the proposals put by the BAMC. “Therefore the plans would be going ahead as soon as the appropriate ministries can conclude what they have to do based on the discussions today,” the union official said. “In terms of the number of people possibly to be impacted by this exercise…those that are to be retrenched by the organization…not those that volunteer…we are not counting those; but the retrenchment exercise today will impact less than 40 persons,” Paul pointed out. He said those going home would come from the farms and the factory at Portvale, St James. Meanwhile, Barbados TODAY understands that several supervisors and managers are being retrenched as well. Reliable sources said while it may not be labeled as retrenchment, the contract of the Portvale Sugar Factory general manager Raphael O’neal has not been renewed. (BT)

MORE CHANGES COMING TO TRANSPORT BOARD – A fresh round of restructuring is on the horizon for the Transport Board, says Chairman Gregory Nicholls. In an interview with Barbados TODAY, he indicated that with the low availability of buses, “a lot of hard decisions have to be made and we will be engaging stakeholders in the course of the next couple weeks. “Given the lack of available buses which are now in the low 70’s and 80’s, we need in the short-term to look at how the Transport Board will survive with such a low availability of buses.” While refusing to refer to the coming exercise as “layoffs,” Nicholls said changes were desperately needed to improve the viability of the over 690-strong workforce at the government entity. “We can’t have one bus supporting ten employees because that is not a model for economic success. “The Transport Board has to be restructured, I am not saying layoffs but there are a number of workers who have opted for voluntary separation, but I don’t want to say layoffs because it creates a lot of pandemonium for staff and for the unions,” he said. Nicholls added that following further dialogue with the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU), which represents the bulk of Transport Board workers he would give more information on the coming changes. “So I can’t say whether it will be layoffs or voluntary separations, but we have to sit down with stakeholders. Workers have approached us [about voluntary separation], but obviously we can’t proceed without discussing it with unions,” he added. “If 20 or 30 workers say that they want to go home and we allow them to go home without talking to unions, it would be a very bad state.” In November, the state-run Transport Board started trimming its workforce by releasing 50 workers with Nicholls revealing the final numbers had not yet been determined. Back then, he said the restructuring would not only involve job-cuts, but the possible amalgamation of departments and the deployment of technology to create a more efficient, effective and commercially-viable bus service operation. This time, Nicholls said there was some silver lining as government prepares to wrap up the tendering process for the provision of new electric buses on a revenue sharing basis. “It’s going to take time, it’s going to take resources, and obviously you know we have budgetary constraints because Barbados is not a country that is doing well economically right now. But the transport sector is very critical and the role of Transport Board is very critical and we are in the process of putting a system in place to ensure that when we do roll out the more environmentally-friendly electric buses, that we have the capacity to maintain the fleet and to power the fleet without any major disruptions to the local electrical supply and so forth. “So a lot of work is being done behind the scenes to get us in a state of readiness,” he said. (BT)

PROGRESS IN PSV TALKS – Less than 24 hours after crippling the country’s public transport system by withdrawing their services, Public Service Vehicle (PSV) operators appear to have forced high-ranking officials from the Barbados Transport Authority to take notice. While drivers and conductors returned to work early Wednesday morning, officials from the newly-formed PSV workers association were solidifying their legitimacy as workers’ representatives with the Transport Authority at its headquarters in the Constitution River Terminal. Chairman of the Barbados Transport Authority Ian Estwick and spokesperson for PSV operators, Fabian Wharton reported that after four hours of preliminary talks, progress had been made on numerous issues, including the controversial new uniform policy. After expressing disappointment with the island-wide strike the day before, Estwick contended that much of the confusion was the result of ‘misinformation’ on a number of issues. He however admitted numerous concerns could not have been solved without the input of operators. “All along we’ve been meeting with representatives of the owners, but the drivers are in a unique situation. They were able to give us some information today about concerns and challenges on the routes that we would not have heard from the owners themselves. So it was much more comprehensive than we first thought it would have been,” said Estwick. While some progress was made on the contentious issue of a new uniform, officials revealed the wearing of a logo, bearing the Transport Authority’s stamp remained in question. “The logo is the final issue to be sorted out. We have made some recommendations, which in principle have been accepted with relation to the wearing of polo shirts and the colors that will be used. It is something that still needs to be ratified by the authorities. It is not totally resolved but we are pretty clear in our minds where we are headed on these issues,” said Wharton, refusing to say anymore on the matter. Estwick however added that there were options on the table to ensure operators could purchase uniforms at a much more reasonable price than the up to $75 a shirt, previously stated. He also offered clarity on the controversial ‘three-strike rule,’ which could see the revocation of an owner’s permit, after the commission of three traffic offences. According to Estwick, the rule was part of 2017 Road Traffic Act amendments, which came into force under the previous DLP administration. “It is one of these things that would come up because it could be controversial,” he said, but contended that it does not call for any “draconian methods at all,” as it was all a part of attempts to better regulate the sector. PSV operators, who agreed that respect for traffic laws, regulations and general safety of commuters was necessary, accepted this position. “As it stands now, we are happy with the discussions. We are happy with the way forward and there are moves to have additional conversations relating to the plans going forward. Issues like the ‘five-minute rule’ and lane assignments in the river terminal,” said Wharton. The decision to resume work brought much delight to commuters, many of whom, only hours before were left stranded at transit points across the country, due to the work stoppage. As discussed throughout the impasse, all parties involved agreed that an overhaul of some aspects of “PSV culture” is necessary for improvement to take place. “We want to make it clear that we have observed that some operators are trying to stay within the boundaries of the law, decency and good sense. “Like in any other organization, there would have the bad apple, but it’s important that we make a move to weed [them] out, because we have to create a better image for the PSV sector and that is what we hope our continued dialogue with the workers’ association will achieve over time,” said Estwick. (BT)

UNION ISSUES GARBAGE WARNING –The public is being put on notice that their garbage pickups on the weekend will cease at the end of this week unless the Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) states whether it intends to continue the interim overtime arrangement for workers. This warning comes from Acting General Secretary of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) Delcia Burke, who told Barbados TODAY that she is yet to receive word from the SSA management after a three-week interim arrangement elapsed last weekend. “The SSA still has not gotten back to us on whether the workers will still be paid overtime for the time being and we all knew that the arrangement is only three weeks. So unless they come to us and tell us otherwise, I have instructed the staff to only work on weekdays,” Burke told Barbados TODAY this afternoon. It was last Wednesday that NUPW and SSA management continued talks but yielded little clarity for the way forward. Speaking to reporters immediately after the meeting, which was held at the SSA’s Wildey, St Michael headquarters, Burke explained that the SSA hierarchy did not state whether the overtime payments would continue past last weekend. “The truth is that the Sanitation Service Authority did not say they were going to stop the arrangement but when we first made the arrangement, we knew that it was for three weekends only. Our position is that the workers will continue to work [the way they are accustomed] and if they work weekends then they [must] be paid overtime. They [SSA management] have not said that the arrangement is going to cease but we are aware that the arrangement was only put in place for three weekends,” said Burke at the time. She had also revealed that the SSA management made it clear that they were in no position to decide on the worker’ position but instead kicked it up to the level of Government. She told the media that her union would now wait and see what the Government decides. This afternoon Burke made it clear that while the workers were prepared to wait for the final decision to come back from Government, they were not prepared to continue any weekend arrangement in the interim without guarantees. “The workers need to know that some arrangement is in place while Government decides on the way forward but as it stands the workers will only work on the five weekdays,” she stressed. Barbados TODAY reached out to SSA General Manager Roslyn Knight for an update but she declined to comment, stating any response must come from the chairman of the SSA Board of Directors, Senator Rudy Grant. When contacted, Grant told Barbados TODAY that he would release a statement tomorrow. Last month the issue of overtime threatened to derail weekend garbage collection over the Christmas holidays. Under the current arrangement a work week spans from Monday to Friday and therefore workers are paid overtime for working on the weekends. The proposal was for the work week to be made up of any five days out of seven. (BT)

GET CENTERS LICENSED! – A Government minister is sounding a stern warning to people operating unlicensed day care centers and homes for the elderly – “We’ll be coming after you!” Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Cynthia Forde says the administration will be looking to place strict sanctions on those persons who have not registered their care-giving facilities. “I believe that we need to get the legislation upgraded or amended to be able to put in certain clauses that would bind daycare owners or managers as well as the members of staff and even the families who seem to be the ones causing more hurt, pain and destruction to the seniors than the people in the care-giving community,” Forde told Barbados TODAY. “We are trying to put certain protocols and amendments in place whether it be to address social, sexual, or financial aspects. We are having more and more seniors coming on board everyday and they need to be protected. They need to be offered opportunities to keep them healthy and alert,” she said. Forde, who is also Member of Parliament for St Thomas made the comments even as another video surfaced on social media showing an elderly man being subjected to violence by a care provider. The minister told Barbados TODAY that the National Assistance Board (NAB) was investigating the matter. “You would have seen the picture last month of the caregiver standing in the belly of a client in one of the private homes. I sent it out to the NAB and I believe that they would have done their investigations,” she said, adding that some of the reports of elder abuse are not coming through the professional channels but they are coming through employees that anonymously send video via social media. “Individuals are writing and calling us to say that they are working in homes that are not properly registered so that is another problem. Or they are working in homes where the practices are below par and as a result they are uncomfortable but that is the only form of employment they have so they do not want to jeopardize it, but they would want the institutions investigated,” she told Barbados TODAY. Forde said that the NAB needs to be given more ‘teeth’ to protect the caregivers who attend to the elderly who may have mental illnesses such as alzheimers or dementia. “You would appreciate that we want to protect our staff too. Because people with alzheimers when their heads turn, they would blame their own children for [stealing] their money, jewelry and stuff. Those laws need to be upgraded so that the safety of the workers as well as that of the leaders in the institution are not taken through the mill and punished as a result of somebody with alzheimer’s or dementia making a report,” she told Barbados TODAY. Other standards to be updated would address such issues as ensuring the elderly have defined access to proper entrances and exits, beds as well as meals. “Those are some of the protocols, but the registration is critical at this time because you need a police certificate of character for some of these workers as well. You need the fire service to say there is a proper exit and entrance. You need the Ministry of Health to say we have given permission,” she added. “Let us look at it critically and see how we can shape legislation and send it to Cabinet and then to Parliament and see how we can have it properly ventilated in public, so that those who are not familiar will fall in line and those who continue to breach the rules be shut down,” Forde stressed. The minister said that her goal for 2019 is to ensure that all elderly persons in Barbados can be active and age with grace. (BT)

SOME TEACHERS NOW PERFORMING JANITORIAL AND DEBUSHING DUTIES - Even though Government has stuck to its promise that teachers would not be touched, retrenchment in the public service has taken a serious toll on the school system, president of the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) Sean Spencer has charged. This morning Spencer revealed that since Government opted to send home 34 of the 43 general workers in the primary school system, occupational safety and basic tasks at several schools, are now compromised. As a matter of fact the BUT president told Barbados TODAY that the situation has got to the point where teachers and parents were now cutting grass at some schools to have them ready for the new term. “We are left with nine general workers to look after 80-plus schools and it is really a poor situation. I can tell you that at one school, at least one or two teachers and members of the ancillary staff, have been pressed into service. You also have parents cutting grass at some of these schools, which are rural schools and therefore require specialized equipment,” he said. General workers are tasked with the responsibility of repairing damaged furniture, moving heavy equipment around the school and assisting with the general maintenance of the compound. With the removal of the majority of them from all primary schools and some secondary, several of the country’s learning institutions are in a deplorable state, the teachers’ advocate charged. “We have a state of neglect because we have grass which has been unattended for the past three weeks during the Christmas recess and the school plants are overrun in some cases. This is a situation that we have long lobbied against allowing to happen,” said Spencer, who warned that the current situation did not augur well for the summer maintenance programme. The BUT president lamented that even without the challenge of less general workers, the summer maintenance programme was poorly run and he therefore feared things getting worse. “It really doesn’t spell well for what is to come in the school’s summer maintenance programme, which the Ministry [of Education] undertakes every year. That has been inadequate where it starts late and some of the work has not been completed while the completed works have been compromised by either inferior material or poor workmanship,” Spencer explained. Last month vice-president of the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB) and former president of the BUT, Pedro Shepherd first raised the issue. He charged at the time that the retrenchment process under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) programme, had resulted in untenable work conditions for teachers across the educational system. “The general workers in the educational system also assist the janitorial staff in terms of removing large garbage receptacles. So what we are seeing now are schools with litter thrown all over the place with grass areas now growing out of control,” Shepherd told Barbados TODAY then. The former BUT president contended: “Whereas teachers might not be affected upfront, we are seeing that there is some added pressure to the system. This movement of general workers for example now poses the problem of health and safety… We have very large schools, 500-plus students and the work of the general worker is extremely critical.” Shepherd also claimed that clerk typists have been sent home from schools as well as the Ministry of Education, resulting in an increased burden on teachers. He explained that these shortcomings were not only visible in schools but also affected the efficiency of the Ministry of Education. Recently, Spencer also revealed that government’s decision to send home a number of security guards from schools across the island had compromised the safety of teachers. This concern came into focus earlier this week when teachers at one rural school were forced to flee when an intruder entered a classroom and threatened staff on the premises for a meeting. “A number of the staff members, both teaching and non-teaching members of staff [found themselves] having to secure themselves basically to escape what seemed to be some mentally-challenged individual,” Spencer recalled. (BT)

NO MINISTRY SUPPORT FOR HOMESCHOOLING – President of the African Heritage Foundation (AHF) Paul Rock wants the Ministry of Education to take homeschooling more seriously. The home education advocate told Barbados TODAY he was concerned that the ministry continued to treat homeschooling like public education, by asking for curricula to be developed based on a child’s age and not their level of education. He said it was “unreasonable” since all children did not develop or learn at the same pace. In addition, Rock said there were concerns regarding evaluation, lack of assistance and assessment. “For homeschooling, no assessment is done by the ministry. This is also problematic if they want to suggest that curricula should be set based on age,” he said. He said except for a case that was highlighted last September and is now before the law courts, where the ministry wanted to revoke permission for homeschooling, the ministry was not doing any follow-ups with those offering home education. “When I spoke to the families recently none of them said that the ministry had ever paid them a visit to see how things were going. We see that again as problematic,” said Rock, who suggested that if the ministry of education believed parents were not meeting certain criteria, they should first offer assistance before denying them the opportunity to engage in homeschooling. He said the AHF has offered to do evaluations but had not heard back from ministry officials on the matter. Rock said he was also concerned that the ministry was now asking parents who wanted to homeschool their children to present certification showing their qualifications, and he believed this should not be the case. “I think that the ministry is still not prepared to take homeschooling seriously. They have not done their research,” he said. He questioned why a number of children continued to fail in the public education system despite having teachers who were deemed qualified to teach. “What homeschooling is showing up is that there needs to be some kind of accountability on the part of teachers. If you are asking for accountability and certification and valuations for homeschoolers, I think you need to ask these things of teachers on a whole,” said Rock. “There needs to be more thought given to the educational system, which is too robotic and it doesn’t work. So those are basically the issues that we face now with homeschooling,” he added. The AHF has been involved in homeschooling for the past two years. Rock said over the years the interest has been growing, pointing out that the charity received requests from six parents last year and two so far this year. He said the children that go to the AHF for lessons have made considerable progress over the years, indicating that some students who were unable to read when they first started, were now identifying words and sentences. It is not immediately clear how widespread homeschooling is in Barbados. However, Rock said he believed it was becoming increasingly popular. Pointing to what he said were benefits to homeschooling, Rock said it provided students with the opportunity to be more involved given the size of the class. “If you look at statistics from the United States you would see that homeschoolers generally do better. They are more sociable, they are more community-oriented, and they come out a more rounded individual. They are very self-assured. They are not frightened to ask questions,” he said, adding that students are more involved because they are able to choose some days what subjects they would do. Efforts to reach the Minister of Education and permanent secretary in that ministry were unsuccessful. (BT)

WANDERING LAW TO BE CHANGED – Barbados could soon see a major change to its law on wandering that will see it removed from the Statute Books and with it any penalty of incarceration for young boys and girls who “run away”. In fact, Minister responsible for People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Cynthia Forde believes there is a case to be made for “throwing out” the law altogether. She said it is time a modern Barbados takes on the law which can see young people confined for straying from their homes. “I always felt that wandering was a very strange thing because the way in which we speak to it in the past and I believe that the statute books need to be upgraded again,” Minister Forde noted. In fact, Deputy Chairman of the Government Industrial School Marsha Hinds the Bill is already in draft. “We would have met in consultation recently to look at the juvenile reform process because we know that we are dealing with laws that are outdated. One of them is from 1926 I think, and the other is from 1923. As a part of that reformation process, wandering will no longer be considered as an offence that carries a period of incarceration. The Minister is well on track to deal with that issue,” Hinds earlier told Barbados TODAY. Minister Forde noted “We have a lot of young girls and boys who would get up and leave the households they are in and they would not leave the households because they would wish to. They leave the households because they want freedom from an abused environment, whether it be from flogging, sexual or being deprived of meals or so on,” Forde said. The former teacher noted that when she was active in the classroom, she realized that many of the youth that run away are seeking refuge from a violent situation that sometimes is caused by their family members. “I have dealt with some who would have actually gone to Summerville (Girls’ Industrial School). When I looked at the evidence these incidents were as a result of parents and guardians and other caregivers who did not pursue aspects of complaints because no one listens to the children or thought that they were telling lies and some of them were ‘unfaired’ in that respect,” she told Barbados TODAY. The minister noted that the wandering law should be amended or thrown out altogether. However, she warned that parents needed to believe their child or ward when he or she reports abuse. “They are too many parents and guardians who do not listen the stories of their children and that is what leads to them not having the voice to say that ‘I am being molested’, ‘I have been touched’, ‘I have been beaten’ and so on. Pointing to the issue of deprivation, Minister Forde said this is a real issue for young people and it is not taking away the opportunity to attend a fete. “The deprivation that I am referring to is that the opportunity to get a proper meal and to go to school as I would like because they are keeping me home to babysit the siblings when I am 13 and 14 years old and I should be going to school. I am playing the role of mother and I have wandered away from home and then they put these children in an institution,” Forde told Barbados TODAY, adding that the law needs to be upgraded so that persons who prey on young children are brought before the law courts. “I think that [it] needs to be properly investigated and upgraded legally so that more of our children get an opportunity to get counselling and access to other persons who would help to nurture them and give them another way of dealing with the issues in the home.” Her comments came less than a week after Hinds confirmed that a meeting was held with the Minister of Home Affairs and UNICEF to take wandering off the Statute Book in Barbados. She said a bill had been drafted to ensure that Barbados is one of the last jurisdictions that has wandering on the Statute Books. (BT)

FUNERAL SHOCKER - Several mourners turned up at St Stephen’s Anglican Church on Wednesday afternoon for a funeral service, but the corpse never made an appearance. The service was being held for Geoffrey “Phil” Carmichael, who died last December 20. However, several minutes after the 1 p.m. start, officiating minister, Reverend George Harewood, informed the many mourners that “unfortunately” the service would not be proceeding. There was a collective gasp from those gathered as many suspected something was amiss because there was no casket. While the DAILY NATION was unable to reach Carmichael’s immediate family members, Carl Small, brother of Carmichael’s girlfriend Carolann Small, revealed there was a dispute between his sister and the deceased’s family. (DN)

BARBADOS RECORDS FIRST MURDER FOR 2019 – Barbados has recorded its first murder for 2019. Investigations are under way into the shooting death of 24-year-old Shaquille Toppin, of Danesbury, St Michael. Police spokesman Station Sergeant Michael Blackman said lawmen responded to reports of a shooting at the aforementioned area, near Retreat Road, Black Rock around 9:55p.m on Tuesday, January 8. On arrival they were informed that Toppin had been shot and taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital by private transportation. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. Anyone with information that can assist police with their investigations is being asked to contact Police Emergency 211, Crime Stoppers at 1 800 8477 or the nearest police station. (BT)

YOUNG BOY INJURED IN ACCIDENT – Reports reaching NATIONNEWS are that six-year-old boy has been injured in a three-car collision in Charnocks, Christ Church. More details as they come to hand. (DN)

FOUR VEHICLE ACCIDENT ON SPRING GARDEN - Emergency personnel are on the scene of a four-car accident at the junction leading to Mount Gay distilleries on the Spring Garden Highway, St Michael. One ambulance has already left, while another and members of the Barbados Fire Service are tending to the injured. At this time, it is not clear how many were injured in this evening’s accident. A utility pole and signpost were destroyed. The pole remains on top of one of the vehicles involved causing the horn to blare non-stop. More details as they come to hand. (BT)

TEEN MISSING- The Royal Barbados Police Force is seeking the assistance of the public in locating a missing girl: Alana Gittens 17 years, Lemon Arbour St. John. She was reported missing yesterday. A press release from the Force this morning stated that the teenager left home around 10:30am to catch the Bridgetown minibus. At the time she was wearing a beige dress, beige sandals, black clutch bag. Her hair was styled in one at the top with the back and sides trimmed, she was wearing large hoop earrings in both ears and two studded earrings in the right ear with one in above the first hole and the other in the upper left corner of the ear, she also wore large ray ban shaped glasses on her face. Police said Gittens,is 5' 6" tall, of slim built, and of brown complexion. Anyone with information relative to the whereabouts of the teenager is asked to contact the Emergency number 211, Crime Stoppers at 1-800 –TIPS (8477), District C Police Station at 416-8200 or 416-8201 or the nearest Police Station. (DN)

$300 FINE FOR $50 ‘WRAPPING – The officers who apprehended Ackeem Edmund Hepburn did not give him the ‘chance’ he asked for, so he turned to the court for leniency instead. Luckily for Hepburn, a Jamaican national, Magistrate Douglas Frederick extended a “golden handshake” to him. When the 27-year-old chef of Spooner’s Hill, St Michael, appeared in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court today he admitted to having cannabis in his possession on January 9, 2019. In giving the facts, police constable Kevin Forde said police were on patrol in the Black Rock area when they saw a group of men liming. Hepburn was among that group and he began to walk away when he saw police. However, he was eventually stopped and officers noticed a strong scent of cannabis was coming from him. He consented to a search and a greaseproof wrapping was found in his right pants pocket containing vegetable matter. When asked to account for it he told officers, “I just got it to smoke. Give me a break.” The drugs weighed 0.5 grams, which the prosecutor said had a street value of $50. Attorney-at-law Harry Husbands who appeared for the accused initially questioned the value of the drugs, saying that it was extremely expensive considering the amount. In his submission he said Hepburn had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and had not wasted the court’s time. Husbands said his client was not known to the courts and had expressed remorse for his actions. Husbands revealed that Hepburn had arrived in Barbados on September 11, 2018 and was due to return home on March 7, 2019. He said his client was a father of a seven-year-old daughter and a “perfect candidate for bail”. The lawyer admitted that because Hepburn was not a Barbadian and was scheduled to leave the island soon, community service would not be an ideal sentence. “In light of the quantity of drugs involved I’m asking the court to be extremely lenient and to reprimand and discharge him. He asked the officers who arrested him for a break which he did not get so I am asking the court to give him a break,” Husbands said. Acknowledging that Hepburn was a first-time offender, the magistrate said while he would only impose a cost, a conviction would not be recorded against him. He then ordered him to pay $300 forthwith with an alternative of one month in prison. “I’m extending a golden handshake to you so don’t kick the gift horse in its mouth,” Frederick said, just before asking Hepburn if he could pay the fine. It was eventually paid. (BT)

MAGISTRATE CAUTIONS COURT OFFICER – A prosecutor was today chided by a magistrate for suggesting that the “court should do its upmost best” to remand an accused. Police constable Kevin Forde asked Magistrate Douglas Frederick to use his power to remand 47-year-old Sharon Yvette Harris of Bartlett Tenantry, Sargeant Village, Christ Church, after she appeared in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court today on a theft charge. Harris, who is known to the courts, had pleaded not guilty to stealing one purse valued $150 and $250 in cash belonging to Carol Taylor on December 17, 2018. In objecting to bail, Forde argued that Harris had the propensity to reoffend based on her antecedents. He said while the last conviction recorded against her was in 2009, “it did not rule out the fact she had re-offended since then,” pointing out that she was still before the court on a 2011 matter. Forde said the accused was also currently on bail. “The evidence shows that she has the propensity to re-offend and I would hope that the court does it upmost best to remand the accused,” he added. However, the magistrate did not take kindly to that suggestion. “The prosecution should not object in a manner like that. I don’t appreciate that language and it should not be used in an objection to bail,” Frederick told him. Queen’s Counsel Andrew Pilgrim in his bail application told the court that his client had been given station bail for the offence before the court. He said this showed there was no doubt by police that his client would turn up for court. Pilgrim also took issue with prosecutor’s claim that Harris’ antecedents showed she had a propensity to reoffend. “Her last conviction dates back to 2009 and her last charge was in 2011, which means nothing has happened in the last eight years. “How can you say she has a propensity to re-offend when she hasn’t for the past ten years?” Pilgrim questioned. “In ten years you can have your record expunged, so what is the basis of this propensity? Was it in her childhood?” Pilgrim further argued there was no reason to remand his client as she had only been charged with stealing $400. After hearing both arguments, the magistrate said he saw no reason to remand Harris. He then granted her bail in the sum of $2500 and ordered her to reappear in court on June 5, 2019. (BT)

SERIAL THIEF WANTS TO START EX-CON GROUP – So excited was Arleigh Patrick Todd about being released from prison, he told Magistrate Douglas Frederick he was interested in starting an ex-con association to assist persons when they left HMP Dodds. And while that suggestion brought laughter to the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court, the happiest man in the courtroom was Todd after the magistrate released him on a bond. When he last appeared in court on December 12, the 64-year-old of Upper Collymore Rock, St Michael, pleaded guilty to stealing a chair and tables valued $290 on or between December 5 and 6, belonging to Shawn Knight. On that occasion, Frederick remanded the reputed thief who has over 60 convictions to HMP Dodds, saying that he wanted him off the streets for the Yuletide Season. “I spent two years clean and at this age I don’t want to go back to jail. I am asking for a bond with any conditions . . . even if it is a ten-year bond,” Todd told the magistrate. The magistrate placed him on a bond to keep the peace for one year with an alternative of nine months in prison. After Frederick handed down his ruling an overjoyed Todd then brought up the suggestion. “Sir, I want to put something to you and you could tell me if it is a good idea or not. I would like to form an ex-con association . . . where I would get some tools like weedwackers and go around asking for work so when people come out of prison I would be able to help them. “You would help me?” he asked the court. The magistrate told him while it was a good idea it was not an area he could get involved in. It was then pointed out to Todd that such an association had already been formed. This did not break the convicted man’s spirit though, as he flashed a huge smile on his way out of the courtroom while emphatically stating, “I’m not coming back!”. (BT)

FREE TO GO – Four women screamed for joy this afternoon after a magistrate dismissed their case for want of prosecution. Attorneys-at-law Danielle Mottley, Safia Moore and Talal Nouneh successfully argued for a two-year-old case against their clients to be dismissed when the prosecution failed to provide a file after an almost two-hour wait in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court. Janae Khalicia Greaves, of Hackleton’s Cliff, Malvern, St Joseph; Gianni Naomi Harewood of Dodds Land, Church Village, St Philip and Shanika Shaquana Mottley of Chapel Land #6, St Philip, all of whom were 16 years at the time of the incident and Reanna De’shonte Ifill of St David’s Village, Christ Church, who was 17, all screamed in delight when Magistrate Douglas Frederick told them they were free to go. The four had been charged with assaulting Kiahra Amor Small-Warner occasioning her actual bodily harm on November 15, 2016. When the matter was called, prosecutor Station Sergeant Carrison Henry asked the court for an adjournment, saying that he was waiting for the file to be delivered by another officer. However, Moore, who represented Harewood, told the magistrate the prosecutor had made a similar request on their previous appearance on October 18, 2018. She said they had come prepared to begin the trial today and asked for the matter to be dismissed for want of prosecution. Noumeh, who appeared on behalf of Ifill, also took issue with the prosecutor’s stance, saying his client was now 19 years old and too asked for the case to be dismissed. Mottley also rose to her feet, saying that the time given to the prosecutor was more than enough for them to produce a file for such a simple matter. In agreeing with the lawyers, the magistrate told the prosecutor he could not continue to say he was waiting on a file. “The lawyers came prepared to start trial. They set aside everything to be here. They came and no clerk was here and they waited to do business today and you are saying that a sergeant has the file?” Frederick asked him. “He can’t say he is coming and have three attorneys sitting down waiting. You have to give a better answer than ‘an officer has the file’. That can’t be a reasonable answer. You have a responsibility to say more. Their argument is strong and your response is weak,” the magistrate added. The prosecutor then asked for a final adjournment to be given, but that did not go down well with either the magistrate or the lawyers. “Call the officer because he has put you in an embarrassing situation and you have placed me in an embarrassing situation,” Frederick told Henry. “You are a station sergeant, they can’t treat you like this.” But after waiting close to two hours for the sergeant to deliver the file from Hastings Police Station, the magistrate dismissed the matter, much to the relief of the young women. (BT)

WRONG STRATEGY – Former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd has lamented the snubbing of fellow West Indies icon, Desmond Haynes, for the post of men’s head coach, and said it was unfortunate that great former players continued to be ignored by Cricket West Indies (CWI) for the position. Speaking in the wake of the controversial appointment of Englishman Richard Pybus, Lloyd said CWI had tried foreign coaches over the years without much success and needed to tap into the talents of homegrown stars. “I heard about it (the appointment of Pybus) but I thought they were quite a few names put forward and I think somebody had said that Desmond was one of those names,” Lloyd told the popular cricket radio show, Mason and Guests, last night. “What I would like to see in the future of our cricket that people like Gordon Greenidge, who has coached all over the place, and Desmond Haynes [given a chance]. These guys know about cricket and our cricketers and they are not getting a chance to show what talents they have, and I think it is about time we start to do something of that nature.” He added: “We’ve tried a lot of overseas coaches and we’re still at number eight [in Tests] and number nine [in one-dayers].” Haynes was one of several regional coaches identified by the director of cricket, Jimmy Adams, to fill the post left vacant by the resignation of Australian Stuart Law. The 62-year-old Barbadian, who played 116 Tests and 238 ODIs, worked with the Windies side as a batting consultant eight years ago in a short stint. However, he was overlooked for the vacant head coach position in favour of South African Nic Pothas, who had also been shortlisted, before Pybus – who was not among the shortlisted group – was controversially approved by CWI. Well-respected CWI director, Enoch Lewis, lambasted the decision to appoint Pybus, accusing president Dave Cameron of “hand-picking” the high-performance director, when he had not even applied for the position. Lloyd, a former Windies manager and chief selector, said West Indies cricket was suffering from a lack of strategic planning. “I think what should happen is that we should have 12 or 14 people discussing West Indies cricket and how we can take it forward,” said the Guyanese, credited for moulding the great Caribbean sides of the late 1970s and 80s. “Australia had a problem and what did they do? They took about four, five of their successful captains, they sat down and they tried to get it sorted out. India did the same thing and I think it is about time [we did the same]. “We ruled the world for 18 years or more … we played 29 Test matches without losing. We have a lot going for us, we cannot sit back and just hope for the best. We have to put things in place so that our cricket can go forward. That is what I would like to see. “We have some very good players – make no bones about that – but we have to get them playing together.” West Indies are preparing to take on England in a full series of three Tests, five One-Day Internationals and three Twenty20 Internationals in the Caribbean. The opening Test bowls off at Kensington Oval on January 23. (BT)

BRAVO’S RETURN BOOSTS RED FORCE, AS JAGUARS EYE FOURTH WIN – Darren Bravo looks set to return to the West Indies Championship scene for the first time in three years when only two of the matches in the fourth round are contested, starting tomorrow. The Windies left-hander is likely to give a huge boost to the batting of the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force, as they face the Jamaica Scorpions on the road at Sabina Park in the supporting match of the round. Leaders and four-time defending champions Guyana Jaguars will be looking to forge further ahead, when they face Windward Islands Volcanoes on home soil at the Guyana National Stadium in Guyana. Meantime, Barbados Pride and Leeward Islands Hurricanes – the other two teams in the Championship – have had their fourth-round contest rescheduled to March. (DN)

WINDIES WOMEN SQUAD OFF TO CAMP AHEAD OF PAKISTAN SERIES -Cricket West Indies (CWI) Selection Panel named a strong and experienced Windies Women’s squad for a two-week training camp in Antigua. They are preparing for the upcoming series against Pakistan and will start net sessions from today at the Coolidge Cricket Ground. The 20-member squad includes 14 of the 15 the members of the team which reached the semi-finals in last year’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in the Caribbean. There is one newcomer Rashada Williams, a 21-year-old opener from Jamaica. Chairman of Selectors, Courtney Browne outlined the squad’s plans. “After a decent and competitive run at the ICC T20 World Cup 2018 the Windies women will be expected to build on that momentum going into the One-Dayers and T20 series against Pakistan. The team needs to improve its showing in ODI cricket, especially, and we want to see mark improvement in this format,” he said. “The women have been involved in a number of strategic camps over the last year and we have seen improvements as reflected during the T20 World Cup particularly in the fielding.” Browne added: “Coming into the squad for the first time is young opening bat Rashada Williams who impressed the selectors with her solid technique and her ability against spin bowling. The panel believes with help from the coaching staff she can develop into a very good player that can add solidity. We want to wish Stafanie Taylor and her team all the very best for this tour and throughout 2019.” (PR) FULL SQUAD: Merissa Aguilleira, Reniece Boyce, Shemaine Campbelle, Shamilia Connell, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Shabika Gajnabi, Sheneta Grimmond, Chinelle Henry, Qiana Joseph, Kycia Knight, Hayley Matthews, Natasha McLean, Anisa Mohammed, Chedean Nation, Akeira Peters, Karishma Ramharack, Shakera Selman, Stafanie Taylor, and Rashada Williams. (DN)

DARIAN KING UPSETS BAGHDATIS – Barbados’ Darian King claimed one of his biggest scalps in tennis today on his way to the second qualifying round of the Australian Open. He defeated Cyprus’ Marcos Baghdatis who has been a big name on the ATP circuit for a long time, getting to as high as number eight in the world back in 2006 when he made the final of the Australian Open and the semi-final at Wimbledon. But this morning, Baghdatis, whose career has declined over the last two years, started too slowly against the younger and fitter Barbadian. King won the first set 6-4, before Baghdatis came into his own to claim the second set 6-4. But the fresher legs of King would tell in a third set with the Barbados Davis Cup ace running out a 6-3 winner. The victory, despite Baghdatis’ diminished standing on the ATP tour was still an upset, with the 33-year-old ranked at 122 in the world. King, who is bidding to make another grand slam after his 2017 US Open bow, will turn his attention to Russia’s Alexey Vatutin, who is ranked at 175 but has gone as high as 136. King is ranked at 172 and has gone as high as 106. (BT)

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 1/5/2019

Good MORNING #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Saturday 5thJanuary 2019. Remember you can read full articles for FREE via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS) OR by purchasing by purchasing a Saturday Sun Nation Newspaper (SS).

PORTVALE JOB CUTS MONDAY – The 2019 sugar cane harvest will start on a dire note, with layoffs starting on Monday and the country’s lone sugar factory not yet fit for operation. Reliable sources have informed THE NATION that the retrenchment of between 40 and 45 workers from next week could have a negative impact on the preparation process of this year’s harvest and how the Portvale factory in Blowers, St James, performs throughout the season. Scores of Barbados Agricultural Management Corporation (BAMC) employees were given option forms, offering voluntary separation, from mid-November last year. After the three to four-week Christmas break, workers who reported to work on Friday were told to go back home. (SS)

NO CASH FOR MOTHERS – A number of mothers are fuming at not being able to obtain child maintenance for the last few weeks. And Supreme Court Registrar Barbara Cooke-Alleyne has admitted that some administrative issues last month at the Holetown Court affected the payment of maintenance. A mother, speaking to THE NATION, said she went to the Holetown Magistrates’ Court twice to collect the money for her children last month, only to be turned away. “I was told to come back on Monday, after going last Friday. Prior to the Friday episode the . . . was telling the staff there not to pay out any money,” she said of her December experience. She was among several women who encountered the problem prior to, and during the Christmas season. (SS)

BUS BIND – Another strike by Public Service Vehicle (PSV) operators when school re-opens next week could have a crippling effect on the country’s already unstable transportation system with a possibility that less than adequate number of state-owned Transport Board buses will be available for use. In fact, Transport Board Chairman, Gregory Nicholls told Barbados TODAY that they were grappling with an unpredictable fleet of buses, many crippled by old age. He indicated that in recent times the fleet was reduced to fewer than 75 buses, as he expressed hope that the ongoing impasse between PSV operators and the Ministry of Transport and Works could be resolved soon. PSV operators on Wednesday pulled their vehicles off the road in protest of a number of issues affecting them, the latest of which is a requirement by the Barbados Transport Authority that all PSV operators wear a new uniform bearing the authority’s logo. They have threatened that if there is no satisfactory resolution to their grievances come Monday or Tuesday, Barbados could really feel the pinch with stepped up action. Today, the Transport Board chairman said “If the PSV’s are having challenges and they pull their services off the road, the disruption would naturally affect not only operations at the transport board by putting pressure on us, but would also affect people being able to move around the country,” he said. At the beginning of the school year last August, Minister of Transport and Works, William Duguid revealed that there would be 105 buses on the road. At the time, he said 179 buses on the road was the ideal number. While noting that he did not have all the facts relating to the PSV impasse, chairman Nicholls broadly addressed it by stating a major focus of local transport stakeholders over the next two years is “the integration of a well regulated sector in transport as a national utility service. “The sector has been too unregulated, too uncoordinated and too disjointed. What we both [Transport Board and PSV’S] do is a very important service . . . a utility that we provide for the people of Barbados and without the provision of that service, a lot of business and economic activity, family life and social activity would come to a halt. “We need to have rules and regulations; we need to follow the rules and regulations, there needs to be realistic and reasonable penalties for breaches of these regulations and discipline on the road, both by the PSV’s and the Transport Board,” he said while adding that “We too will be asking our drivers to commit to a higher standard of service.” In addition, Nicholls said there was no escaping the fact that Transport Board’s fleet, with over 20-year-old buses, was struggling. “We have an aged fleet and the reliability of that fleet is not something that you can predict. It’s impossible for me to say with any degree of accuracy, how reliable this fleet would be during the course of the next three, four, five months,” said Nicholls, while adding there were a number of maintenance related rules which had not been adhered to for over a decade. “Traditionally, you are supposed to renew your mass transit fleet every ten years, either by replacing the fleet or through a massive overhaul of the coaches with new engines, new transmissions, etcetera.” While he was in no position to definitively say how many buses would be on the road come Monday, he said four of five recently refurbished buses passed inspection and were ready for the road. In addition, Nicholls said there was progress being made with a number of other buses in need of critical parts. “We have some busses in which we are having new transmissions installed. Transmissions that were imported from the US a couple months ago have just arrived and are being installed so I hope at the end of the day to be able to know, but it is a little fluid at this point,” he said while noting that the reliability of the fleet over the short and medium term was critical, before government moved forward with plans to acquire new electric buses at the end of the year. (BT)

ELECTRIC BUS PROJECT IN THE WORKS – Williams Industries will be embarking on a pilot project with the Barbados Transport Board to transform some of its redundant buses to electric. Chairman of Williams Industries, Ralph Bizzy Williams, informed Barbados TODAY that they would be taking the diesel buses with engine and transmission issues and converting them. “It is going to start with one or two and if it works we will take as many as the transport board is willing to let us have to replace the diesel engines with electric,” Williams said. Applauding the move by the Transport Board to roll out 120 to 180 electric buses within 12 to 18 months, Williams said it was “ a very wise move” by authorities. He stressed that the move to alternative energy sources would cut costs and maintenance issues for the Board which has been riddled with a declining fleet with less than 100 of 295 buses operating. “The cost of electricity to run an electric car is less than half the cost of gasoline to run a similar sized car even if you buy it directly from the [Barbados] Light and Power. So even if the electricity rates are increased slightly it will still be much cheaper to run electric cars and buses than diesel cars and buses. The maintenance is much less because there are far fewer moving parts in an electric vehicle than in a diesel powered vehicle,” Williams explained. However, he warned that as authorities rolled out the new fleet of electric vehicles bus drivers and technicians must be properly trained. “My word of caution would be that proper technicians need to be trained that know how to maintain the electric buses and the cars. There are lots of young, very bright people in Barbados who I am confident can be trained,” Williams stressed. Chairman of the Transport board, Gregory Nicholls, told Barbados TODAY the objective of the pilot project was “to see whether the bus can work” after it had been converted. He outlined that with the establishment of an electric fleet, the board was moving towards an eco-friendly economy. “The fuel costs would be significantly lower and we can put in photovoltaic and also sell back energy that would make our purchase of electricity almost down to zero. There is a lot of opportunities in moving cleaner and moving green,” Nicholls said. (BT)

FUND PUTS FINANCING BEHIND ENERGY SECTOR – The Enterprise Growth Fund Limited (EGFL) has pumped close to $16 million into energy projects through its Energy Smart Fund. In addition, it has also started a Landlord Metering System pilot through which it collects remittances from the sale of electricity to the national grid. Reporting substantial progress in helping to expand the renewable energy sector in Barbados, the fund’s Chief Executive Officer Timothy Simmons said he was especially pleased since the lending facility had disbursed $15.9 million under its energy fund for various related projects and started the metering project over a year ago. Under the latter, the EGFL funds the renewable energy project for a company and assumes the role of landlord so that it collects the monies from the sale of the electricity to the grid, and uses those funds as amortization for the loan. “That is a way of mitigating a lot of the risk because we don’t have co-mingling of the funds that naturally flow from the sale of the renewable energy with the funds of the company. That should allow us to rapidly roll out a renewable energy solution with a number of companies and entities that hitherto, would have had challenges providing us with adequate security to collateralize our loan,” he explained. Once the loan is repaid, remittances for the sale of the electricity that is produced from the renewable energy source to the national grid, then goes directly to the company. “That is an exciting project. We are looking to aggressively roll it out across Barbados,” he said, pointing out that another loan has recently been approved for a second company to join the project with a 150 kilowatt solar photovoltaic system. He said the interest in renewable energy among companies in Barbados remained high and he was hoping that this year the EGFL could help in the introduction and expansion of “some fairly exciting initiatives” within the sector. “We are in tough economic times but there are some green shoots. We have had a lot of interest in the renewable energy sector. As a matter of fact, that is where we have most of our action across the various sectors,” said Simmons. The EGFL, which is celebrating its 21st anniversary this year, disbursed a total of $214 million in loans to approximately 331 SMEs over the years, with $108.4 million going to the tourism sector; $39.2 million to agriculture; $19.1 million to manufacturing; $31.4 million to other service businesses and $15.9 million to the renewable energy. “Our funding interventions have assisted in creating or maintaining approximately 3,000 jobs. It is noted that our funding in the tourism sector has supported the expansion and modernization of approximately 1,200 hotel rooms,” said Simmons, as he reported on the EGF’s performance over the past 21 years. The EGFL has approximately $122 million in its finance portfolio. It offers loans from as low as $100,000 to as high as $4.5 million. Simmons said the delinquency rate was currently about 30 per cent on average. He explained that while the figure may seem high it is a rate that the fund can sustain since most of the capital is really capital injected as equity. “So we have not borrowed to on-lend,” he added. The EGFL has assets of approximately $28 million and 12 staff members, after starting with a capital base of just $3.5 million and two staff members. The fund also now owns its Barbarees Hill, St Michael building, constructed to the tune of $3.3 million. For its celebrations this year the EGFL will be hosting a church service at the St Leonards Anglican Church on January 6 and a public lecture at the Grand Salle on Wednesday, January 9. (BT)

AGRI-RESCUE - There is expected to be an increased number of players in the agricultural sector in 2019, especially in light of recent layoffs in the public sector. This from Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Indar Weir, who told Barbados TODAY that there is space for all in the sector. Weir explained that his ministry was treating the possible influx as an opportunity to reshape the way Barbados views agriculture. “We will start a programme where many of the people who have been laid off, would get an opportunity to transition into agriculture. They will be properly trained in contemporary agriculture and management of a contemporary farm,” he said, while noting that with today’s advancements in technology, a farm could be as big as a 40-foot container. He argued that gone are the days when persons needed large expanses of land to make a decent living from agriculture. With mechanics behind emerging technologies such as aquaponics requiring specialized training, Weir revealed that Government was ready to make the initial investment on the people’s behalf. “This is the direction we are going in now. Of course I recognize the need still for open field farming and that will also continue. But we are definitely using this as an opportunity to shape the new generation of employment and entrepreneurship,” the minister said. One such opportunity for training is in a new Government initiative called Farmers Empowerment and Enfranchisement Drive (FEED), which is going to be managed by the Barbados Agricultural Development & Marketing Corporation (BADMC). The agriculture minister explained that while the programme was still awaiting Cabinet approval, its impact was expected to be far reaching. In addition to employment, the minister is confident that the new approach to agriculture will contribute significantly to Barbados’ food security as well as to lowering the country’s hefty food import bill, the cost of which is second only to the importation of oil. He also contended that given the substantially smaller space required for these new high-yield farm techniques, the vexing concerns of praedial larceny could be finally brought under control. “I’ve already started a process where I’m engaging people through the use of temperature control units for agriculture farms. I’ve also started the process of also engaging suppliers for community greenhouses, so that we then start to address the issues of praedial larceny,” he explained. Weir also pointed out that given the Caribbean’s vulnerability to hurricanes and other natural disasters, it was about time that Barbados paid more attention to self-sufficiency in food. “Our big mission really is to treat to food security. If you start to think of what happened to Dominica and our other brothers and sisters of the Caribbean region, whenever we get a climate event, you start to understand the challenge that we face in terms of getting food shipped into the Caribbean region, and certainly Barbados is no exception,” he stressed. (BT)

MARKET ‘CHAOS’ – Vendors at two public markets today complained to Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Indar Weir of chaos and poor security ruining business for them. As the minister toured the Six Roads and Eagle Hall markets, vendors painted a picture of a “free for all” at the state-owned markets where anything goes – from homeless men using them as sleeping facilities to drug abuse. At Six Roads, one vendor told Barbados TODAY that alcohol and marijuana abuse were rampant on the premises, leading to further misuse of the market’s facilities. “People come across here and roll their spliffs in the open. Then people come from all over and drink alcohol and when they get drunk they lose their aim and ‘pee’ all over the bathroom. You have people parking where and how they feel like. You have to bring back discipline in this place or things going to soon get out of control,” said the vendor, who did not want to be identified, saying that those who complained in the past were threatened. Vendors who ply their trade at Eagle Hall told a similar story of poor supervision of the premises. Vendors complained that their concerns were by no means new, blaming successive administrations for failing to tackle issues at the market on the outskirts of the capital. Two years ago, a middle-aged, homeless St Michael man was ordered to perform 200 hours of community service for defecating in the market while in the nude. The man was asleep on a box when the caretaker at the market spotted him on his morning rounds. The caretaker left to report the matter to the police, returning to find the man had gone, leaving behind faeces and urine where he had been sleeping. This morning the vendors told Barbados TODAY that nothing had changed and that the market continued to be thoroughfare for the homeless. Vendor Sheila Greene said: “Everyday you come you find people sleeping in the market and leaving the things they ate and slept in in the market. They leave all of the containers leaving the place in a mess. So there is definitely a need for security.” She also complained that the market had no storage area for vendors’ items at the end of the workday. A fellow vendor, who referred to herself only as Margaret, also said nearby residents were dumping their garbage in bins designated for market use. “Young fellas sleep in here and when you come you see the garbage and they even empty the garbage from the cans all over the place. At night we definitely need a watchman. When people come they say the place smell awful because people from all up the gap come and dump their garbage in the bins outside or wherever they want to put it,” she said. Following the tour, Weir pledged to address the vendors’ concerns, especially the issue of security. “We have to look at security within the markets and some of the things that have been raised with me,” the agriculture minister said. “The one that stands out is security, to make sure that people can come to the markets in a very safe environment. People must feel comfortable and don’t feel as though the markets, especially given the current conditions on crime, are a risky place to come to.” (BT)

PLEA TO FOCUS ON MANUFACTURING – Long-time businessman Randolph Sandiford believes that the manufacturing sector in Barbados has been neglected by successive governments. Sandiford, the managing director of Furniture Alliance and Matrix Marketing, told Barbados TODAY that while all the attention was being paid to international business and tourism, small and medium enterprises were being put on the back burner. He said his business, which uses raw materials such as elephant grass and corn to produce stylish, unique and long-lasting furniture had the potential to generate valuable foreign exchange. He disclosed that while he had a current staff complement of 19, at one point he employed 52 persons. However, Sandiford said there had been a switch away from ‘blue collar’ jobs to ‘white collar’ jobs. “When I was a little boy Grazettes Industrial Estate used to be a hive of activity, making umbrellas, clothes, furniture, and I can’t believe that we gave up all of those blue collar jobs with a hope of getting white collar jobs in informatics, international business and tourism. I can’t believe that we did that.” Sandiford, whose business Matrix Marketing placed second in the National Innovation Award in 2010, pointed out that when Barbados’ economy was thriving, its manufacturing sector was at the forefront. Having worked at the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce, Sandiford said he also had experience in policy advocacy. He recounted that back in 1990, he helped to set up a small company which employed 152 people in the space of just 18 months. That company, EDI, went on to win the award for Exporter of the Year two years later. Sandiford maintained that small and medium enterprises had the capacity to contribute both socially and economically. “Small and medium-sized companies in the manufacturing and food processing sectors have the ability and the capacity to make a contribution both socially and economically to the current situation as we need to produce our way out of the dilemma, rather than just talk. “And whereas we may focus seemingly as a default on overall fiscal and other policies, production by way of the small and medium enterprises is a sure way to boost the country’s economy,” Sandiford said. The businessman, who has been involved in manufacturing from the 1990s, said those enterprises, in particular, created numerous job opportunities for Barbadians. In fact, Sandiford said that sector catered mostly to young persons who found it difficult accessing jobs. “Socially we provide a lot of jobs for the blue collar, that hardcore group between the ages of 18 and 30, predominantly male, who are unable to find employment in some of the other subsectors, because that will be one of the challenges as we go forward under the structural adjustment programme; finding jobs for those who are unable to be absorbed into the international business or tourism sectors,” he said. (BT)

UNITED FRONT – After instances of open division on key issues in 2018, trade unions will present a more united front in 2019. This assurance comes from the president of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW), Akanni McDowall, who stressed that the stakes were too high in both private and public sectors for anything less. “I believe that all of the unions understand at this time what is at stake and we are committed to working together towards a common goal in 2019 and beyond,” McDowall told Barbados TODAY yesterday morning. Last January, the NUPW’s call for a national shutdown over the fight with the Freundel Stuart administration over salary increases for public servants, did not gain the support of the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTSUSAB). The island’s oldest trade union, the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU), also refused to participate in the action. Since the wage fight began in 2017, the BWU had maintained calls for a 15 per cent increase while the NUPW at the time held out for 23 per cent. However, McDowall made it clear that while the unions would maintain their autonomy on impending negotiations, he expected labour rights advocates to be singing from the same proverbial hymn sheet. “It is a partnership and we sit together literally. So, I have never had an experience in recent times where any of the unions would have differed significantly in opinion from one another. I believe all of us are on the same page. We meet often at the level of the Social Partnership and I hear in the voices of each representative that we are together in this fight,” said McDowall, who had earlier warned that things could get tough this year. The NUPW president also defended the trade union movement’s less confrontational approach to negotiations with the seven-month-old Mia Mottley-led Government, which has been noticeably different from the regular threats of industrial action faced by the previous administration. McDowall contended that what some may see as cozying up to the new administration, was merely the product of better communication between the Mottley administration and labour representatives. “I think one must remember that the major problem that unions had previously was the problem of consultation. I believe that every time the unions decided to take industrial action it was based on the premise of consultation. So far with this administration, the unions have been given the opportunity to have a consultative process,” he pointed out while admonishing his colleagues to pay no attention to naysayers. “Tell them bring the evidence, I have always made the point that we base our arguments on facts. This is something that I don’t know that unions should pay too much attention to. What we need to do is focus on the job that we are supposed to do, which is to make sure that we represent our members to the best of our ability,” he stressed. (BT)

ECLAC: BARBADOS STILL ‘SICK MAN OF THE CARIBBEAN’ – The Barbadian economy is expected to crawl dead last among Caribbean economies this year, shrinking by a disappointing -0.5 per cent last year, the second lowest growth rate region-wide, according to the United Nations economic watchdog for the area. Barbados is expected to have the lowest growth of just 0.5 per cent in 2019, said the latest report from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). When lined up against the other 32 nations in Latin America, South America and the Caribbean, Barbados’ decline of -0.5 per cent for this year places it as the economy with the fifth lowest growth rate. Growth this year is expected to be led by Antigua and Barbuda at 5.3 per cent; Grenada, 5.2 per cent; Guyana, 3.4 per cent; and St Vincent and the Grenadines at 3.2 per cent, it said Dominica is expected to record a dismal -4.4 per cent decline, while other economies in the region are expected to record between 1.5 per cent and 2.5 per cent growth. But for next year, ECLAC is forecasting that Dominica’s economy will lead the region’s growth by a massive 9 per cent expansion. Barbados, on the other hand, is likely to see a meagre 0.5 per cent growth. Other regional economies are to experience growth rates between 1.5 per cent and 4.7 per cent. ECLAC said the overall growth for the Caribbean this year will be 1.9 per cent and 2.1 per cent in 2019. In the three regions, Venezuela will have the lowest growth this year with a decline of -15 per cent. Also recording declines this year will be Nicaragua at -4.1 per cent and Argentina at -2.6 per cent. Nicaragua, Argentina and Venezuela are also expected to record declines next year, according to ECLAC. Next year “looks to be a period in which global economic uncertainties, far from waning, will intensify and will arise from different fronts”, said the United Nations regional organisation. “This will have an impact on the growth of the economies of Latin America and the Caribbean, which, on average, are seen expanding 1.7 per cent,” it added Unveiling the Preliminary Overview of the Economies of Latin America and the Caribbean 2018 report in the Chilean capital, Santiago, ECLAC’s Executive Secretary Alicia Bárcena said “public policies are needed to strengthen sources of growth and cope with the scenario of uncertainty at a global level”. The report pointed out that countries in the Caribbean and Latin America would confront a complex global economic scenario in the coming years, in which “less dynamic growth is expected, both for developed countries as well as emerging economies, along with increased volatility of international financial markets”. On top of this, it said, there was a structural weakening of international trade, aggravated by trade tensions between the United States and China. The economic growth projection of 1.7 per cent for Latin America and the Caribbean in 2019 is slightly below what ECLAC released last October, which was 1.8 per cent. This year’s estimate for Latin America and the Caribbean was also trimmed, from the 1.3 per cent forecast in October, to the current 1.2 per cent. The ECLAC document said “The greatest risk to the region’s economic performance in the run-up to 2019 continues to be an abrupt deterioration in the financial conditions for emerging economies” “The active role of fiscal policy in the region in terms of revenue and spending must be bolstered. In this sense, it is essential to reduce tax avoidance and evasion and illicit financial flows. At the same time, direct taxes and also health-related and green taxes must be strengthened,” said Bárcena. On the region’s spending patterns, the senior UN official said in order to stabilise and invigorate growth, public investment must be focus on projects that have an impact on sustainable development, with emphasis on public-private partnerships and on productive re-conversion, new technologies and green investment. “All of this while protecting social spending, above all in periods of economic deceleration, so that it is not affected by cutbacks,” added Bárcena, who also warned that public debt profiles must be taken care of in light of the uncertainty that could increase their cost and levels. Economic growth in the Caribbean was led especially by tourism and construction. The report said that the Caribbean continued its “fiscal efforts”, leading to higher primary surplusess and a downward trend in public debt. The report recommended that regional economies come up with public policies to strengthen the sources of growth and to face the situation of uncertainty. It also called for a strategic view to grow and face external vulnerabilities, while pointing to the need for greater use of technology, “reinventing regional integration beyond infrastructure and trade”, and changing the export structure through productive transformation and diversity. In launching the Preliminary Overview of the Caribbean 2018, Coordinator of Economic Development Unit of ECLAC, Port of Spain Sheldon McLean said energy independence and diversifying of economy were critical to the region’s sustainability. “Over the years, countries such as Jamaica and Barbados have made significant strides towards increasing their renewable energy production. However, there is room for these efforts to be strengthened in other countries,” he said. Though making no mention of the ongoing Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) programme, which Prime Minister Mia Mottley reported recently has yielded significant economic progress, the preliminary overview document pointed out that Barbados had taken “remedial action” by finalizing a four-year extended fund facility arrangement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in October. (BT)

NEW OPENING HOURS AT REGISTRATION UNIT – Effective February 1, the Registration Unit in the Ministry of Health and Wellness will introduce new opening hours. The unit, located on the 3rd Floor, Frank Walcott Building, Culloden Road, St Michael, will be opened to the public on Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and from 1:30 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. The Registration Unit comprises the Medical, Dental, Nursing, Pharmacy and Paramedical Councils (BGIS)

BCIDA PBX OUT OF SERVICE – The Barbados Cultural Industries Development Authority (BCIDA) has advised that its PBX number is not in service. Members of the public are therefore asked to call the Authority at 535-7775 to 535-7777, 535-7779 or 535-7772. (BGIS)

‘SCRAP DIVISIVE 11-PLUS’, SAYS LASHLEY – Former Member of Parliament for St Michael South East, Hamilton Lashley, has linked social segregation in the island to the Barbados Secondary Schools Entrance Examination and says it should be scrapped. Speaking to Barbados TODAY, the former Minister of Social Transformation said the examination familiarly referred to as the 11-plus has led to division among young children who passed for older secondary schools and those enrolled in the newer secondary institutions. “I am one of those persons who believe that the 11-plus examination should be scrapped. I do not understand why in a modern era when we have so many different models of primary education that we cannot find the right model. What has me puzzled is why do we continue with an examination that determines the success of a child based on two subjects English and Maths. It lends a sort of inferiority complex to some of those children who fail the 11+ exam,” Lashley told Barbados TODAY. He added: “I believe in addition to that it is clear in my mind that the segregation has a very serious impact on these children’s lives particularly if they fail the 11-plus. I believe alternatively each child has his or her own unique ability and that child’s ability should be spotted whether it is in sports, the arts or another subject – technical or computer, rather than having a segregated educational system,” he said, adding that in his opinion the 11-plus exam was one of the most divisive aspects of Barbados’ educational system. “It is one of the most segregated and backward modern educational systems. It could be the core problem of some of the problems we are seeing among our youth. You are telling me in order for me to be a success I have to pass the 11-plus exam and if you say no then why you still have it?” he questioned. Lashley said authorities needed to sit down and seriously reexamine the educational system and make it far more relevant to today’s society. “The government has to go away from making political decisions only and make decisions that are relevant to today’s world and make decisions that would boost our economy and our socio-economically fragile society as it is. All of the ills that we are looking at in our society are as a result of a much-needed reformation programme in education across Barbados and the Caribbean where there are still 11-plus examinations in place,” he said. Lashley told Barbados TODAY that even at the ministerial level there was segregation with Members of Parliament based on what secondary school they attended. To this end, he said that the 11-plus exam had a psychological impact on young children in Barbados. “It has a psychological impact on children’s minds and it is even more so in the newspapers where the success of all the children who did well is highlighted whereas the children who fail the 11-plus examination are made to feel badly,” he told Barbados TODAY. (BT)

LASHLEY WANTS GLENDAIRY PRISON TO BECOME A REHABILITATION CENTER – A former member of Parliament is charging that the defunct Glendairy Prison could be transformed into a rehabilitation center for first offenders in the criminal system. Hamilton Lashley who was the representative for St Michael South East from 1994-2008 told Barbados TODAYthat the prison which burned in a riot by inmates on March 29, 2015, would be ideal for a rehabilitation programme supervised by the Barbados Prison Service. “The former Glendairy Prison should now be a center where our young people can be rehabilitated, particularly, first-time offenders. Because, we have to curb this high rate of recidivism,” he said, adding that the rehabilitation center would be managed by members of the Barbados Prison Service. The oldest penal institution in Barbados was officially decommissioned on October 25, 2016, when all prison-related activity at the site of the prison officially stopped. However, Lashley told Barbados TODAY that once the prison is made into a rehabilitation center it will be a ‘one stop shop for first offenders.” “It should be a center where you teach them skills, give them a newness of life. It should be a one-stop shopping agency for social rehabilitative services for the young people of Barbados with special emphasis on first offenders and their reintegration into the society,” he said, adding that the rehabilitation center could be a tourist attraction as persons could come and enjoy the architectural design of the former facility which housed 1,000 male and female inmates. “Tourists can come in and view the historical architecture and learn the history of the place. But, of course, when they come they will have an opportunity to interact with those first-time offenders and see how they’re rehabilitated and can make a contribution,” Lashley said, adding that he believed this project would be one in which philanthropists would invest in. “There are a bunch of philanthropists who would contribute to this type of programme,” he told Barbados TODAY. (BT)

SICK AND 'TYRED' – Member of Parliament for St Thomas, Cynthia Forde, is sick and tired of the parish where she was born and bred being used as a dumping ground. This afternoon, as she took Barbados TODAY on a tour in areas of the parish where dumping is a major cause for concern, Forde lamented that it was time for perpetrators to feel the full force of the law. In fact, Forde gave the assurance that she would be going after the individual responsible for dumping almost 100 used tyres beside the road at Bucks in the same parish. Forde said she would be handing over to authorities information she received from a concerned citizen, who witnessed the tyres being taken off a vehicle and thrown onto the side of the road, causing vehicles to have to slow down as they passed. She suggested that any person found guilty of carrying out the unlawful act, should be made to clean up all the tyres, and also other garbage dumped in the area. “Unless you shoot a general, nothing is going to happen. Pay a fine, clean up the gully, and make sure you follow on the straight and narrow. St Thomas is not a dumping ground,” Forde said. “I am sick and tired of this. Can you imagine that somebody would stop and dump these tyres here, so close to the Mangrove Landfill? This is ridiculous. “People driving alongside the road are hitting the tyres, and as we can see, this is dangerous for road users, because it can cause accidents, people to get injuries, or to lose their lives,” Forde said. She was especially upset about the indiscriminate dumping situation since the tipping fee, which was introduced in May 2015 at a cost of BDS$25 per tonne, was abolished on December 3, 2018, by the ruling Barbados Labour Party (BLP). The MP stressed that householders, and waste haulers, have no excuse not to take their dump to the landfill. “When we got to Bucks on both sides of the road where the bridges are, that is another dumping section. Anybody could build two apartments and furnish them with the kind of furniture that was in there if it were not furniture that had to be disposed of. Cupboards, stoves, fridges and even trophies, some person just throw behind a bridge. The odours from dead animals, I would hope and pray that it would not be a human being or human beings in that case. But really, something is wrong with the psyche of some of my people,” she said. Forde added that she was feeling particularly distressed because her Government has been putting measures in place to protect and preserve the environment, but people were still dumping indiscriminately. She admitted the country was experiencing a garbage pile up due to a shortage of disposal trucks. However, at the same time, the Member of Parliament praised the fact that two trucks arrived on the island this week, with others on the way. “But in the meantime, why are we going to litter our streets to create problems for others, and to create illnesses. This is why I am feeling extremely distressed to see that too many of our citizens are just not conforming to the law. “I would recommend that anybody who is caught must be punished and that when reports are sent to the law enforcement agencies, that they are followed up,” she said. A resident from the Bucks area told Barbados TODAY that another resident witnessed the tyres being dumped in broad daylight by a man last weekend. According to the aggrieved resident who said he was tired of the dumping problem, relevant information had been passed on to the police and Ministry of Health. “But nobody ain’t come and move the tyres yet. This is absolute foolishness. We need to make somebody an example in the courts,” the resident said. Over past years, a number of persons have created environmental problems by illegal dumping but have not always been prosecuted. In most instances when caught they have been made to clean up their waste by health and environmental officials. (BT)

DAD WILL NOT FORGIVE SON’S ATTACKER – Family members of the 22-year-old man captured in a viral social media video being struck in the head with a piece of wood at Fitts Village in St James are feeling his pain. At the home of victim Ramar Nurse at 4th Avenue, Pickwick Gap, St Michael, his father Ronald Nurse told Barbados TODAY he had little knowledge of the details leading up to the attack on his son, which has left the young man in hospital, nursing injuries to his head and ear. “I don’t know what happened. I don’t know the man [perpetrator], I don’t know who he was with, nothing like that. The police are dealing with it,” said Nurse who described his son as a man who “just likes to look pretty”. Regardless of the circumstances, Ronald said, “All of us [family members] feel one another’s pain, while revealing that Ramar is the second of three siblings, a brother and a sister, who all live in the family home with both parents. “I wouldn’t even want to tell you how I felt when I saw the video and I don’t want to tell you how I feel now,” he said of the brutal attack. “I will never forgive that. Even if the Almighty God came down and tell me to forgive him for that, there is no way. I am just a man and I would never forgive that.” His father is adamant that the unemployed, former Alexandra School student is no troublemaker. “The neighbors would tell you he is unemployed but he is from his house, to his car and from his car to his girl. He doesn’t go by any corner and lime or anything like that. So for some person who is just about their own business, I don’t see why he should be involved in that,” he said. While refusing to disclose his son’s condition, Ronald said, “I ain’t really want to state how he’s doing right now . . . I understand that there are people out there saying that he is dead, so I would leave it at that.” Given that the full details of the incident have not yet come to light, given the incident’s wide circulation on social media, Ronald is appealing to Barbadians to stop jumping to conclusions. “It is a fact that people are walking around saying ‘why did he get out of the car?’ and I agree that he should not have gotten out of the car . . . . Maybe he could have just driven along. But that does not give the man the right to hit him with a piece of wood. Perhaps he had gotten out of the car to explain himself better. That is the choice that he made. “The public looks at a picture or a video and decides the whole story, just from looking at a picture. A lot of things that are being said are untrue. They don’t have a clue and people should keep their mouths quiet and look and observe. That is how they would learn,” the father said. (BT)

MOTORCYCLIST TAKEN TO HOSPITAL FOLLOWING ACCIDENT – A motorcyclist was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital this afternoon following an accident at Bay Street, near the entrance of Habour Lights, the Royal Barbados Police Force has reported. Acting Police Public Relations Officer Sergeant Michael Blackman said the accident occurred about 4:10p.m on Friday. It involved the motorcycle, driven by Mario Peters of Bayville, St Michael and a motor van belonging to Charles May of Eden Lodge, St Michael. The sergeant also reported that Peters was “listed as unresponsive” when a check was made at 7p.m. Police investigations are continuing. (BT)

POLICE IDENTIFY SHOOTING VICTIM – Around 7:25 p.m. tonight police responded to a report of a shooting at Niles Road, Waterfall Land, St Michael. On arrival police discovered that 25-year-old Chad Gittens of Jubilee Gap Eagle Hall, St Michael received a gunshot wound to his upper thigh. He was transported to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital by private vehicle. Investigations are continuing. (SS)

KNIFE EARNS MAN $750 FINE – A 49-year-old general worker has one month to pay a $750 fine to the Bridgetown Court if he wants to avoid spending three months in prison. The amount was imposed on Henderson O’Brian Lorde of Church Hill, Christ Church today after he pleaded guilty to having an offensive weapon in his possession – namely a flick knife – while at a public place. The facts revealed that police were on patrol on Bush Hill, St Michael on January 3 when they came across Lorde brandishing a wooden-handled knife while involved in an altercation with another man. The police intervened, detained him and asked him to account for the weapon to which he responded: “That man attack me first so I pull the knife on he.” From the docks today Lorde maintained that position telling Magistrate Douglas Frederick that the other man was “trailing” him and “bound pun” him. “I draw my knife and the police came the same time and the man ran in the bush,” he told the court. Lorde who revealed that he carried the weapon for his protection also declared that the unknown man should have been the one before the court and not him. (BT)

DRUG ADDICT TO BE ASSESSED – A 39-year-old man was transferred from Dodds to the Psychiatric Hospital today after asking for help with his drug addiction. Devon Mario Sampson, of no fixed place of abode, recently pleaded guilty to having apparatus in his possession on December 7 that was fit for the misuse of cocaine. He has been on remand at the St Philip institution awaiting his sentence. When he reappeared before Magistrate Douglas Fredrick today he was sent to the Black Rock mental health institution where doctors will assess him and present a report to the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court on his suitability for a drug rehabilitation programme. According to the facts police were on patrol along Marshall Street, New Orleans, St Michael about at 8:55 p.m. on the date in question when they saw Sampson holding a suspicious-looking metal object in his hand. “It’s my scrappers,” he allegedly told police when asked to account. He then tried to conceal it but a search of the backpack he was carrying revealed a bottle with a burnt wire mesh at the bottom with white residue suspected to be cocaine. “That is my . . . pipe, I does smoke my little thing wid,” he allegedly told lawmen at the time. Today he explained to the magistrate that he had a drug problem. “Jail is a hard place. I think I learn a lesson up there,” he told the magistrate before asking for an opportunity to attend Verdun House. Sampson reappears in court on January 25. (BT)

WATERMAN KEPT UNTIL JANUARY 31 – A 26-year-old general worker will remain on remand at HMP Dodds despite a bail application from his attorney-at-law in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court yesterday. Jerome Omar Waterman, of 2nd Avenue, Parris Gap, Westbury Road, St Michael, is charged with a number of offences including cocaine possession and fraud. When he appeared in the No. 1 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court yesterday his attorney Shadia Simpson urged the court to grant him bail at this time as he had been on remand for the past six months which had put a serious strain on his family, especially his son. Simpson said her client had appeared before the court on four charges, two of which had been dismissed and he maintained his innocence on the remaining offences most of them for fraud. “I am appealing with the court to consider his family and grant him bail. He is willing to submit to any conditions imposed,” Simpson said adding that the offences before the court did not involve violence. Despite this, the prosecution said they were still maintaining their objections to Waterman’s bail at this time as they hoped to soon have his file, which is at an advanced stage. After considering the arguments the Magistrate Douglas Frederick ruled in favour of the prosecution and remanded Waterman to Dodds until January 31. (BT)

KNIGHT NABBED – There’s been a video circulating on social media for the last few weeks showing a man filling a bag with items at a beauty store in The City before walking out and looking up at the surveillance camera. Today 51-year-old O’Brian Fernando Knight, of Lovell Road, Massiah Street, St John, appeared in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court charged in connection with that incident. However, Knight told Magistrate Douglas Frederick he was not guilty of stealing 36 bottles of Palmers Cocoa Butter products worth $768 from #1 Beauty Supplies on December 17, 2018. The accused was also not required to plead to charges of possession, possession with intent to supply, possession with intent to traffic and cultivation of 20 marijuana plants on January 3. He will appear in the District ‘C’ Magistrates’ Court on January 10 to answer those charges. The prosecutor objected to bail on the grounds that the accused had a propensity to commit such offences given his criminal record and was already on bail. The prosecutor also feared Knight would re-offend if released on bail at this time. In his bail application the accused explained that his antecedents were committed years ago when he was “involved with cocaine” and that the last time he was in Glendairy was in 2003”. He was however informed that he had been before the courts in 2012 and 2013. Despite this he went on to explain that the cannabis in question were small trees. His bail application was denied. It was at this point that he gave the magistrate a hard stare when he was told that he would return to the No. 2 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court on February 1 having been remanded to HMP Dodds. “Why dem don’t pick up de men that shooting up de place,” Knight stated before he left the docks. (BT)

JAGUARS DIM PRIDE’S STARS – Barbados Pride’s batch of big-name players gave a below-par bowling display as left-handed opener Chandrapaul Hemraj led a Guyana Jaguars’ ball-beating blitz with a maiden first-class centuryat Kensington Oval on Friday. Powered by Hemraj’s authoritative and audacious career-best 144, the four-time defending champions took early control in their top-of-the-table third-round clash. They raced to 319 for five off 90 overs at stumps on the opening day, which saw a whopping 47 fours and six sixes being struck after the Jaguars were sent in to bat on a placid pitch. The 25-year-old Hemraj hammered the toothless bowling in the first two sessions as he stroked 20 fours and four sixes off 172 balls in an eye-catching four-hour knock. (SS)

WALES IN CONCACAF TOURNEY – The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) recently announced that Curacao will host the 2019 CONCACAF Caribbean Club Shield. The competition for amateur Caribbean clubs is scheduled to take place April 5-15 at the Ergilio Hato Stadium and Dr. Antoine Maduro Stadium, in Willemstad, Curacao. The tournament, which was announced last year and is part of the expanded CONCACAF Club Competition Platform, will feature the participation of clubs from 13 different Caribbean Associations, all of whom are working with CONCACAF towards a long-term vision to professionalize the club game across the region. “We are thrilled to celebrate the second edition of the CONCACAF Caribbean Club Shield, a tournament which plays a crucial role in the continued growth of our expanded Club Competition Platform,” said CONCACAF general secretary Philippe Moggio. “This tournament, along with the Flow CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship embodies the best of club football in this region and provides Caribbean Associations a direct pathway to the Confederation’s top regional club championships.” The participating clubs for the 2019 Concacaf Caribbean Club Shield are (in alphabetical order by Association): Hoppers FC (Antigua & Barbuda) Dakota FC (Aruba) Weymouth Wales (Barbados) SV Real Rincon (Bonaire) Scholars International Sports Club (Cayman Islands) Santiago de Cuba (Cuba) Jong Holland (Curacao) Fruta Conquerors Football (Guyana) Club Sportif Moulien (Guadeloupe) Club Franciscain (Martinique) Platinum Football Club (Saint Lucia) Rams Village Superstars (Saint Kitts & Nevis) SV Robinhood (Suriname) An official draw to sort the participating teams into four groups will take place next Friday at Concacaf Headquarters in Miami. Fans will be able to follow all the action through Concacaf GO. The winner of the 2019 Concacaf Caribbean Shield, provided it fulfills the Concacaf Regional Club Licensing criteria, will have the opportunity to face the fourth-place finisher of the 2019 Flow Concacaf Caribbean Club Championship in a playoff match to determine the fourth Caribbean representative in the 2019 Scotiabank Concacaf League. In the inaugural edition of the Concacaf Caribbean Club Shield, Club Franciscain of Martinique was crowned champion with a 2-1 victory over Suriname’s Inter Moengotapoe. The Martinique club continued its outstanding 2018 international season by edging Trinidad and Tobago’s Central FC 2-1 in the playoff to secure a spot in its first-ever Scotiabank Concacaf League, where it eventually fell to Nicaraguan side Walter Ferretti in penalties. (BT)

ART, MUSIC & PORK FOR CHINESE NEW YEAR – The fifth annual Fish and Dragon festival which celebrates the start of the Chinese New Year will be bigger and better this year. Speaking to the media at the headquarters of the Chinese Embassy, Xi Zou said the celebrations marking the start of the Chinese New Year -The Year of the Pig – will be held in conjunction with the Central Bank of Barbados, The Confucius Institute at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus and AJA Productions. The event shall be a thoroughly entertaining one with performances from an art troupe from Beijing. “In the evening of 22nd January, a gala performance by an art troupe consisting of more than 40 performers from Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province will be held at the Frank Collymore Hall for local dignitaries… The Chinese art troupe will present wonderful acrobatic martial arts and traditional Chinese music performances together with local Barbados artists. I believe it will be a fantastic show,” Zou said, adding that the troupe’s visit will showcase Chinese culture and be part of worldwide celebrations for the start of the Chinese New Year. “Every year, a troupe, instead of staying with their families, comes a long way from China to Barbados to bring Chinese culture and talents to Barbadian people. Thanks to their devotion, more Barbadian people start to know and fall in love with Chinese culture,” he said. Chief, Corporate Communications at the Central Bank of Barbados Novaline Brewster said that the Bank’s partnership with The Chinese Embassy, the Confucius Institute, as well as AJA Productions, has resulted in Barbadians wanting to learn about Chinese language and culture. “The Bank has enabled Barbados to join 399 other nations in celebrating the Chinese New Year. The attendance and the participation in the festival have grown, the interest in Chinese culture ignited, enrollment in Mandarin classes solidified and the 40-year plus diplomatic relationship between Barbados and China strengthened,” she said. Treasurer of the Chinese Association of Barbados Philomena Lee said that this year the Association will showcase how Chinese utilize pork in their delicacies. “The pig is very popular both in Barbados and in China so this year we will have the opportunity to use this and see what can be done. We all use the same common ingredients. However, we just cook it to a different taste. Bearing in mind that it is the Year of the Pig, the association is prepared to show various ways that the Chinese prepare pork at the festival,” Lee said. The event will be held on Wednesday, January 23rd, 2018 at the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium at 5 pm and will showcase vocalist Kelly Cadogan and reigning Pic-O-De-Crop King Mr Blood. There will also be a language and video centre for children to learn Mandarin. (BT)

NEW YEAR, NEW SOLO VIBE FOR LEADPIPE – It’s a new year and a new vibe for Leadpipe. Not only is the “liquor animal” sporting a trendy new look, but he is ready to embrace all that music has to offer, go wherever it takes him as a solo artist and release an EP later this year. “My main objective is not only to be representing Barbados in regional countries. I want to represent Barbados internationally. If I can put out music that can be filtered into movies, video games, a soundtrack on Netflix. If I can get my music marketed, it falls right back to Barbados,” he said via telephone. Before delving into the direction of his music, Leadpipe, or Porgie as he is also known, spoke about the new look. “I thought it was time for a new look and I decided to go back to a low haircut, which took off a bit of the age,” he said chuckling. He will be celebrating his 28th birthday on January 15. Along with debuting his new look in October, he also announced his solo career. “We – myself and Saddis/Murda – have decided to explore more avenues because we have different styles that play well together, but as individuals we can stand out. He can handle his own and I can handle my own. Basically, it was us saying we’re going to try something different instead of every year we’re coming back as Leadpipe & Saddis,” he said. (SS)

For daily or breaking news reports follow us on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter & Facebook. That’s all for today folks. There are 360 days left in the year. Shalom! #thechasefilesdailynewscap #thechasefiles# dailynewscapsbythechasefiles

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 10/4/2018

Good MORNING #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Thursday 4th October 2018. Remember you can read full articles by purchasing Daily Nation Newspaper (DN), via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS).

POLICE: SAY SOMETHING – If you know someone who is keeping a gun or carrying one, report it to the police. That is the appeal from Deputy Commissioner of Police Erwin Boyce, as officers were called to investigate yet another shooting on Wednesday. The morning quiet of Garden Land, Country Road, St Michael, was shattered by four gunshots. Police said Renico Murray, a resident, was shot around 10:30 a.m. and taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital by private vehicle. “We are always asking people for any information that can lead to offenders or persons who commit crime. That public appeal is not limited to those recent events. It is a very general appeal where if you know something, say something,” Boyce told THE NATION. “If you know somebody who is holding a firearm, who is keeping a firearm, who is carrying a firearm, you can identify a police officer and share the information with them,” he said. (DN)

PRIESTS READY TO HELP PARENTS – Chairman of the Barbados Christian Council, Canon Noel Burke, is urging parents with troubled children to reach out to the church for assistance. Speaking against a background of the current spate of gun violence across the island, the Anglican priest said churches were “open morning, noon and night and persons must avail themselves of the opportunities to speak to pastors, since many churches had people trained to deal with children, young people and their issues”. Over the last week, there have been a number of incidents involving the use of guns, with one resulting in death. Observing that young people were often the perpetrators of violent crime, Burke urged parents to be aware of what was happening with their children. “From early, parents have to learn to supervise what their children are doing, what their friends and what their linkages are,” Burke said. (DN)

FIRE LEAVES FAMILY OF FIVE HOMELESS – A Christ Church family of five is now homeless after fire destroyed their home at Silver Hill this afternoon. Forty-year-old Junior Lowe, 27-year-old Shanice Am, 60-year-old Abdul Am and two children ages 12 and eight lived at the wooden house. Seven fire officers and two fire tenders responded to the blaze, which occurred around 1:15 p.m. Police are continuing investigations. (BT)

POLICE INVESTIGATE COUNTRY ROAD SHOOTING - Police are currently on the scene of a shooting in Country Road, St Michael. Reports are that an unidentified male was shot and was taken to the hospital by private vehicle. Residents in the area told THE NATION that just before 11 a.m. four gunshots rang out, followed by loud screams. (DN)

CHEESE THIEF GOES HOME – Forty-year-old Gaylan Alphonso Marshall is a free man. Marshall, of no fixed place of abode, who spent the last 28-days on remand at HMP Dodds was today sentenced to time served. He recently pleaded guilty to stealing $57.85 worth of items from Massy Stores when he appeared before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant in the No. 2 District ‘A’ Magistrate’s Court. Marshall, took four blocks of cheese from the store’s Worthing, Christ Church branch and was observed by a security guard. (BT)

PRESCOD ON WOUNDING CHARGE – A 27-year-old mechanic has been banned from venturing into Nelson Street and its environs until a wounding charge against him is fully ventilated in court. Rasheed Kamal Prescod, of Bartletts Tenantry, Sargeant’s Village, Christ Church, who was granted $5,000 bail, must also report to the Worthing Police Station every Thursday by noon with valid identification. Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant imposed the conditions after Prescod pleaded not guilty to a charge of unlawfully and maliciously wounding Anthony Mapp on October 1. Prescod who pleaded not guilty to the charge will return before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant on January 17, 2019. The accused is represented by attorney-at-law Marlon Gordon. (BT)

STICKY FINGERS DUO – Two homeless burglars, 47-year-old Richard Ricardo Jordan and 27-year-old Damien Shamar Griffith, have been sentenced to over two years at HMP Dodds. The duo, who were both recorded as having no fixed place of abode and have a long history with the court, appeared before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant today. Both men admitted that they entered De House Bar and Grill as trespassers between September 24 and 25 and stole an assortment of alcoholic beverages as well as 14 empty cases of bottles and a cooler bag with a total value of $2,748.50 belonging to Kimberly Neblett. Jordan also admitted to returning to the bar and grill between the 27 and 29 September, this time on his own where he stole two cases of beer, a bottle of petroleum gas, a case of chicken and a tent valued $1,015 in total, also belonging to Neblett. The two burglars also hit the offices of Power by Four during the same period and stole a bag, a CCTV monitor, a remote control and $216 worth of drinks with an overall total of $606 belonging to Chetwyn Stewart. Jordan also returned on his own and stole a jacket, three t-shirts, two bags and a paddle tennis racket worth $521. Griffith also struck on his own on September 29 and stole a cellular phone worth $400 belonging to Fabian Durant also from the Power By Four office. In all the burglaries the owners of the establishments secured their businesses but returned the following day to find one of their doors damaged and their property missing. Both men asked for help for their drug addictions when they were given a chance to explain their actions. “Ma’am, I suffer from short-term memory loss,” Griffith, who is described as having quite a history for committing similar offences, revealed as he pointed to a scar to the back of his head. “Your Worship, after all this Ma’am . . . I still face a problem that I really wanted help for . . . . I still believe that there is a God and no one can’t take that from me . . . . I will just like some help,” Griffith explained while Jordan who the magistrate said had an even longer history before the court said: “I was given 27 months before and I was awarded the [drug rehabilitation] programme and not one day that I was in jail that I get the rehab programme. I left jail and still didn’t get it. I would like to come back before you when I finish this sentence so you can send me to a programme.” The two were sentenced to two years in prison and two nine-month sentences to run consecutively. (BT)

NO UBER! – Bridgetown Taxi operators today shouted a loud no to the suggestion that ride-sharing phenomenon Uber could soon reach Barbadian shores. When Barbados TODAY visited the Independence Square Taxi stand this morning, drivers said they feared Uber would deprive them of their livelihoods. Taxi operator Steve Yarde said that the industry was already unsustainable, adding that drivers only enjoy five flourishing months a year. “The island is saturated with taxis as it is now and the amount of work that is sustainable cannot sustain everybody. There are probably five good months in a year and then it is ‘dog eat dog’ out here to get a job,” Yarde said, adding that with the ailing economy some Barbadians, were unable to afford to take a taxi opting instead for a minibus or route taxi. “The economy is sluggish at the moment. There are a lot of people who cannot afford and I am talking locals now; who cannot afford to catch a taxi. So, they catch ZR’s or buses. So, if [Uber] were to come here now I do not know how it would work really. I think having local people using their cars to pick up other people obviously would affect everybody that is in the taxi business in a negative way,” he told Barbados TODAY. Yarde was of the opinion that Uber would be a waste of time as most taxi operators receive work from trusted clientele, some of whom have been transported by a particular taxi for years. “You find the guys that are working in the local market have their own clientele and these people are faithful to them because they can trust work. Females that want to go out feting would prefer to drive with their own taxi guy that they know for years, he said, adding that some days taxi men could operate an entire day an only receive a minimum of $10 or $20. “Uber has a good representation in the international market as it is right now; I do not know if bringing it to Barbados will make any sense as it is a waste of time. All it is going to do is confuse the whole [taxi industry] in Barbados with the amount of taxis we got that laying idle because you could be you there whole day and only make $10 or $20 a day, Yarde said. “I think it is a backward step as far as I am concerned where the Government has decided to grant these people a permit to operate in Barbados,” he said. Another taxi operator, who wished to be unidentified, expressed ominous feelings of the impact the San Francisco-based peer-to-peer transport company could have in Barbados but also suggested it would fail. “I don’t feel good. Things out here hard already and then when they come it will be harder. Well, it will not only affect my one it will affect other people. I do not feel it will last long in Barbados a lot of people will not want to catch that,” he said, adding that tourists already preferred to catch the PSV’s which they refer to as the “Reggae Bus” and are not keen to take a cab. “Up to the other day, I was driving some tourists and they said they would prefer the ‘reggae bus’ and the Transport Board bus because they like the music playing in their ears,” he said. The taxi operator said that Government’s announcement that they would explore Uber would not benefit cab drivers whose main income is from the number of fares they receive per day. “If Uber come, it is not going to benefit we that out here hussling trying to get a dollar to feed we family; that is [taking] bread out of we mouth,” he said. Minister of Tourism Kerrie Symmonds appeared to share the taxi operators’ lack of enthusiasm for the ride-sharing firm’s entry into Barbados, saying he wanted to meet with taxi operators. “We want to meet with taxi operators within the next week or two with a view of discussing options on how to improve business. We’re not enthusiastic about Uber generally because that will allow persons with deep pockets to become dominant so we are trying to make the small man get a greater share,” the Minister said as Tourism Week began last week. But in Broad Street, the minister’s words were met with the loud expletives of furious taxi men who were fearful of Uber’s impact on their industry while saying they were convinced it would fail here. “Do not bring that ‘bout hey we don’t want [no] Uber; we want money. Do not bring Uber, bring ships, bring tourists that spending money,” said a taxi operator who called himself ‘Dragon Slayer’. Another opined that as some Barbadians do not have credit cards, they would not be able to use the Uber service. “Everybody ain’t got a credit card to book a taxi. For the very few people who goin’ benefit is the companies like Foster Ince and them, not the single man working. Them [taking] the bread out of we ‘mout’ every single day, every day. Men out here cannot see a $100 when the week come and got families to support that is nonsense. People want to see money in their hand first before you think of bringing anything else in Barbados,” he said. Still another taxi operator, identified as ‘PG’ said that Uber’s implementation would be disadvantageous to Barbados as it would come on top of higher fuel prices which the taxi drivers say have already bitten into their daily take-home pay. “My first job was a little after 10 and that was just a $10 job. Come across here and looking again to see if anybody would need a taxi and see if I get a job…. When you do get a job and it is just a $15 or $20 it goes back in gas and you have nothing on your hands,” she said, adding that day to day operations would become rougher if Uber were to set up shop here. “It is going to be real rough because it is very, very,, very tight,” she said. “You cannot expect to bring outside life or outside living to run Barbados the same way. Because things are real rough here, you have to be making money to going to the store to buy things,” said PG. But fellow taxi operator, Ian, noted that the taxi operators already have a system similar to Uber’s meter system as they deem their rates based on the distance traveled. “If Uber come here what we are offering is the same thing as a fare thing. So it will be a competition between us and Uber,” he said, adding that taxi operators may have to pay Uber a fee, which may not beneficial to operators. “Another thing is that we would have to give Uber a fee; I feel it is not going to work,” he said. In Heroes Square, one taxi operator said that he was hurt that after voting for the Barbados Labour Party administration it had announced a fuel tax and allowed the possibility of Uber which he believes is unfair to taxi operators. “It is not fair to we! We now have to pay more for gas. We have too many taxis on the road already. Everybody got to live but if you bring in Uber the taxi men in Heroes Square are not for it!” he sternly told Barbados TODAY. But taxi operator John Nelson said that he believed Uber would bring change to public transport. “I do believe it would change the transport system in Barbados. I believe there will be some fallout as it relates to taxi operators and so on but I do not know. It has never been tried here before. I do not think that Taxi drivers will be willing to be incorporated with Uber. To be honest, I do not know,” Nelson, said. (BT)

PLEA TO GOV – Senior insurance executive Edward Clarke is urging Government to reconsider the “punitive” debt restructuring terms it has offered pensioners and other individual bondholders. He is also concerned financial institutions are so “severely impacted” by the domestic debt exchange programme there will be “some negative impact on the capital funding in Barbados”. Clarke, who is executive vice president and general manager of Sagicor Life Inc.’s Barbados operations, told THE NATION that while domestic creditors had until tomorrow at 5 p.m. to respond to the debt offer, it was important for Government to find a way to ease individual investors. “The individuals who have invested in Government bonds [face] significant impact and I believe that there is a need to review . . . how people will be impacted,” Clarke said. (DN)

40 BUSES AFFECTED BY TROPICAL STORM KIRK – The Transport Board issued a statement today informing the public of some of the challenges the authority is facing. The release stated that due to the passage of Tropical Storm Kirk “a number of buses which traversed areas with rushing and/or high water levels experienced damaged panels and electrical issues”. This resulted in about 40 out of the Board’s 110 buses having to be removed from service. Seventeen of those buses are now back on the road. The Board is also waiting to receive a replacement for a shipment of parts that was damaged at the port in Jamaica, and this impacted those vehicles awaiting inspection at the Ministry of Transport Works and Maintenance. The Board offered apologies for the inconvenience and asked the travelling public to remain patient as the issues are addressed. (DN)

SEWER FIX SOON – A race against time is on to fix the outstanding sewage issues on the South Coast – with the finish line being the December 15 start of the vital winter tourist season, the Government acknowledged today. “I appreciate the urgency… and we have started the process of the fix and we aim to have this rectified as soon as possible,” Minister of Energy and Water Resources Wilfred Abrahams has told Barbados TODAY. Promising to provide the country with a more detailed update later, Abraham made the brief comments amid queries by prospective and regular visitors who have been writing Barbados TODAY from overseas to find out when the Worthing Beach in Christ Church would reopen. One visitor said she and her family were planning to come to Barbados for the winter season and stay near the Worthing Beach which they were interested in enjoying. Back in August a would-be visitor asked: “Please would you let us know what’s going on at Worthing Beach again?” And last month, another writer wrote: “When did it close? What’s affected? When will it reopen? What hotels are affected? We plan a visit in the Fall. How bad is the beach at Worthing? What has caused the beach to be closed for months?” In mid-August, the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Beautification closed the beach for the repair and restoration of the South Coast sewerage network. It said that the continued closure comes as a result of wastewater entering the Graeme Hall swamp, aided by the heavy rains. In an effort to protect the swamp and its environs, in addition to keeping the wastewater from again surfacing on the streets of the south coast, the sluice gate at Worthing was opened to allow the overflows to exit via Worthing Beach during low tide, the ministry said. The Ministry also informed the public that the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) will conduct daily nearshore testing and will continue to monitor conditions on the beach. The National Conservation Commission (NCC) was expected to ensure that warnings remained in place for the duration of the closure. The closure of the beach has adversely affected business for the two beach bars at Worthing with their owners telling Barbados TODAY sales have plummeted while still having to pay rent to the NCC. General Manager of the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) Keithroy Halliday has said that engineers and other workers were hard at work trying to repair the sewage network and was hoping it could be finished within a month or earlier. (BT)

BWA ‘TO FILL HOLES, FIX ROADS’ – Short of cash, but the state-run Barbados Water Authority (BWA) is moving to resurface the roads it dug up to fix to burst mains. A BWA team, led by Corporate Communications and Rapid Response Manager Joy-Ann Haigh, visited the affected areas to start restoration work on the trenches, which potentially pose a danger to motorists and other road users, particularly at night. “We recognize there is a major problem with road reinstatement after the trenches are dug in an effort to repair these mains. We have some financial challenges as everybody should know by now. The BWA is cash-strapped. So there are some delays in getting this done,” Haigh said while standing next to an open trench at Rollins Road, Brittons Hill, St Michael this afternoon. She said the authority is working on a plan to ensure all of the open trenches are restored faster. “In the meantime, we will be taking pictures of all of the reinstatements and post them on our Facebook page, share with [Government Information Service] and all the media houses as a public service announcement. We are going to make sure the public is aware there are trenches in specific areas and you must proceed with caution,” she said, adding that this would be done until repairs can be completed in a timelier fashion. Saying that the BWA’s priority was the safety of the travelling public, Haigh said securing the holes was a necessity in addition to the erection of more easily visible signage for night-time road users. “We normally secure, but we recognize that we may need to improve some of the areas with lights and that is what we are going to do. So we are out here [Rollins Road] reinstating some of them,” said Haigh. Trenches were excavated at Oldbury, St Philip, White Park Road in front of the Supreme Court, Cummins Road [Brittons Hill], and Royal Westmoreland, among “a number of areas”, the BWA manager said. She conceded that the open trenches have been a concern to the public, adding that the concerns had reached the BWA’s line minister – Minister of Energy and Water Resources, Wilfred Abrahams who she said is looking at how best the reinstatements can be done. “We certainly don’t want any injury or loss of life as a result of good work being done, but we need to make sure the trenches are reinstated. And left me repeat, we are going to secure them better and we are going to put public notices on our social media…you must like our page to get that information, as well as GIS and all of the reputable media houses will be assisting us in getting this information out as best as possible,” Haigh said. Acting Senior Superintendent of Works with the BWA Randy Phillips, who accompanied Haigh, said restoration work could not be started today on the trench at Rollins Road. “The reason why we can’t get this hole backfill right now at Rollins Road, Brittons Hill, St Michael is because it has a lot of water in it and then there is some excess material that came back in, that we need to get the [backhoe] to come and clear it out properly so we could get a good base. Then we could put in our two-down and be able to compact it, then it would be done in the required way,” Phillips told Barbados TODAY. “But hopefully by tomorrow, I assure you this job would be done,” the BWA official stressed. The team then journeyed to nearby Cummins Road to assess a similar problem. (BT)

ACCRA BACK FROM BLACKOUT – One of the most popular South Coast hotels is back in business today following a series of electrical problems that began with Tropical Storm Kirk last Friday. The Accra Beach Hotel and Spa at Rockley, Christ Church was forced yesterday to give its guests the option to check out or stay on after a badly damaged mains transformer forced the hotel to run its generator which eventually gave out. “We had the storm. First our transformer was damaged severely and then we run it with the generator… because it is always heated…it runs 24 hours a day… then we had an issue yesterday because of that,” general manager Suresh Mohickoraja told Barbados TODAY this afternoon. “Unable to restore, we gave the guests option – if they want to check out or remain in the hotel. And today, we have a new generator and the hotel is back on stream,” Mohickoraja said. He was responding to reports which claimed that the Barbados Light and Power Company had disconnected the hotel’s electricity because of a $200,000 unpaid bill. The general manager challenged anyone to bring proof of the unpaid bills while at the same time pointing out that the damaged mains transformer which sparked the outage can still be seen at the front of the property. He said the storm also knocked out the pool’s pump so the pool is now out of order. (BT)

MAKE ‘CARIBBEAN GLOBAL TOURISM CENTRE’ - Barbados and other Caribbean tourist destinations are being challenged to transform the region into a global centre for tourism excellence that drives innovation in the industry Bahamas Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis has urged regional officials to explore “ground-breaking” ways to improve the tourism product, saying that he was confident Caribbean tourism would continue to be the leading engine for economic growth and development. “We must broaden our Caribbean brand in tourism. Our region must be known for extraordinary visitor experiences and services. We must also be known as a global centre of excellence for all aspects of tourism development. In so many ways the potential of our region is untapped,” he said. The Bahamian leader urged industry figures to ensure “greater retention of more tourism earnings within our region and a greater dispersion of wealth within our economies”. He made the call on Tuesday night during the official opening ceremony of the State of the Industry Conference (SOTIC) 2018 at the Atlantis hotel resort here. “Tourism continues to evolve at a pace that requires us to constantly innovate in order to maintain market share and to meet the expectations of our visitors. We must keep pace with such innovation. But we must also be the drivers of global innovation,” said Minnis. Highlighting employment opportunities within the industry, Minnis pointed out that travel and tourism was one of the largest and fastest growing sectors of the global economy, but questioned why the region was still falling behind despite a rich heritage and culture that could be better marketed. “Why, then, has the Caribbean never really attracted many of the tourism-related businesses outside of our region which rely on our region for their profitability, why are we so narrowly focused on servicing our local visitors only instead of also focusing on providing tourism services to the wider world?” the prime minister queried. Calling on the region to ensure “greater ownership” of tourism, the leader told the packed room of delegates, which included Minister of Tourism for Barbados Kerrie Symmonds and fellow regional ministers, that for far too long a brain drain has been allowed to sap the region. “Would we not retain far more of our talent within our region if we engaged architects, engineers, accountants, artisans, attorneys, interior designers, energy specialists, new media communication specialists, software developers, and others in providing tourism services to countries and destinations across the wider world instead of focusing only on personal services in our own individual countries?” he said. Insisting that the Caribbean should be more than a place to visit, Minnis said Caribbean leaders therefore had a two-fold mission to make the region a place for the rest of the world to also “relish and delight in”. “We must ensure that we deliver the very best range of exceptional personal services to our own visitors. We must also become far more focused on providing global tourism services. In the short run, this might require our attracting to our region subsidiaries or units of some of the existing global travel companies,” he explained. During the ceremony, which was dotted with cultural presentations from this northernmost CARICOM member nation, Minnis also called for “one of the core objectives” of the region to be to help create “economic benefits from tourism for micro- small- and medium-sized businesses”. “This means greater diversification across various tourism platforms as well as greater linkages with other economic sectors,” he said. “Let our region become a global centre where tourism talent will cluster to the benefit of the people of the Caribbean,” he added, while describing the Caribbean brand as one of the most powerful. (BT)

RELOCATION OF COMMUNITY LEGAL SERVICE OFFICE – The offices of the Community Legal Services Commission have moved to Building No. 2, Manor Lodge Complex, Green Hill, St Michael. The contact number is 535-9900. (BGIS)

TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING CLOSED FOR THE WEEK – The Town and Country Planning Department will remain closed for the rest of the week. George Browne, the acting Chief Town Planner told THE NATION that a decision had been made to close the Garrison St Michael offices, which has been plagued by environmental issues, for the remainder of the week. Staff walked off the job yesterday complaining about the state of the building which has been leaving a number of them falling ill with respiratory problems. Browne said he was awaiting a decision from authorities on the next move. That department falls under the Prime Minister’s office. It now joins the growing list of government buildings plagued by environmental problems. (DN)

TRAFFIC EASE COMING TO ST. MICHAEL DISTRICTS – Government is taking efforts to improve the flow of traffic around the Ivy and Welches, St Michael area. During a town hall meeting at the Springer Memorial School last night, Ministry of Transport, Works and Maintenance technical officer Lorraine Graham informed residents of plans to make a number of roads in the area one way to ease traffic woes along Government Hill and My Lord's Hill. The roads up for this treatment are Martinique Road, Welches Terrace, Mayer's Road and Back Ivy Road. (DN)

BAJANS GRAB SIX MEDALS – Barbados captured three silver and three bronze medals at the Caribbean Table Tennis Championships in Jamaica. President of the Barbados Table Tennis Association Dale Rudder told THE NATION it was the largest medal haul over the last decade. “This is our biggest medal haul in the last ten years and we will not rest on our laurels as training resumed [Monday], one day after returning from Jamaica. I’m extremely proud of our overall performance,” said Rudder. Tyrese Knight gained silver in the Men’s Under-21 Singles, while Rudder and Angela Reid both obtained silver in the Men’s and Women’s Over-45 categories, respectively. (DN)

BEACH GAMES LIKELY – A Caribbean Beach Championships may be on stream for 2020, says Cameron Burke. The chairman of the Barbados Independence Invitational Games (BIIG) was speaking to THE NATION after the official launch of the third edition of the November games on Wednesday at the Barbados Olympic Association headquarters. “We are still in the embryonic stage as far as the Caribbean Games are concerned. Our beach festival this year is the testing ground for expansion of what we will do in the future. Volleyball is the marquee sport that we are using and they are trying to build back up their Sizzling Sands [Beach Volleyball Sunsplash series] competition. If that happens, that brings in Antigua, St Kitts, Trinidad and Tobago and a lot of the other Caribbean countries will come in for that. “We are also pushing beach football to get involved. That is another area where we can bring in other Caribbean countries. Once we are able to build the brand and get people interested, then we can step up our game. Maybe in the next two years we should be focusing on the Caribbean Festival. That will be out of the BIIG Games. We may have a Caribbean Festival by itself and then the BIGG Games to follow,” he said. (DN)

AN ICON PASSES – The death of outstanding Trinidadian steel pannist and arranger, Ken Professor Philmore, has not escaped the fraternity in Barbados. Philmore who was involved in a car accident on September 24, succumbed to his injuries on Sunday. He was driving his Toyota Hilux north along the Solomon Hochoy Highway in Trinidad when he picked up a skid near Claxton Bay. The vehicle flipped several times and Philmore was thrown out of the cabin. He suffered severe internal injuries in the crash which occured Trinidad & Tobago’s Republic Day holiday. He sustained broken ribs and his lungs had collapsed. The 58-year-old arranger for Fonclaire Steel Orchestra began his love affair with the instrument at a young age. He was responsible for hits such as Pan By Storm, Pan Ecstasy and Pan In the Party. Philmore amassed international fame, performing on stages such as the Apollo Theatre, Carnegie Hall and The Royal Albert Hall. Barbadian pannist David ZigE Walcott last stood on stage with the Professor in 2015. The Professor was an iconic character he grew up hearing about from teachers and fellow performers. It was during his interactions with Philmore that Walcott was captured by his generous and kind spirit. “Professor was a very loving, energetic man. He wasn’t necessarily the type that was calm and just settled. He was very loving, a people’s person and that also translated into his music, the way he was passionate for music,” said Walcott who described the Professor’s death as a very sad loss for the regional fraternity. Walcott recalled Philmore’s performances with legendary calypsonian Lord Kitchener and his trademark beret that he wore during the early stages of his career. Cultural officer for Music Ronald Davis relayed his condolences on behalf of the acting Chief Executive Officer of the National Cultural Foundation, Wayne Webster. “We recognized the passions he had for steel pan, not only in Trinidad but throughout the world. He would have made… invaluable contributions towards pan music,” stated Davis. Philmore was also known for advocating for the fusion of pan with jazz music and due to his ingenuity he would have performed at Pan Fusion at the Prime Minister’s residence in 2012. Having interacted with Philmore on the numerous occasions he came to Barbados, Davis reminisced about his willingness to impart advice and instruction to local pannists. “Without even being prompted, he would offer help and assistance by way of advising our youngsters on how to hold the sticks. If he saw that people were playing wrong notes, he would offer to correct them,” said Davis who also described Philmore as caring and selfless. (BT)

NIFCA KICKS OFF – Bridgetown and Warrens came alive with pops of colour, culture and creativity last Saturday as stakeholders in the island’s creative economy gathered to commence celebrations for the 45th National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA). Throngs of Barbadians gathered in The City to see the spectacle entitled NIFCA Pun De Road. From 11 a.m. until 3 p.m., the road show featured an array of cultural talent from literary artistes such as DJ Simmons, Winston Farell, Janine White, dancing from Dancin’ Africa, Barbados Dance Centre, the Pinelands Creative Workshop and the Livy and Betty Alleyne Dance Centre. There were theatrical presentations in the middle of The City from Jennifer Walker and Yolanda Holder-Capandeguy and performances from Crystal Cummins-Beckles and Sistaz. It was followed by a 45-minute concert in Warrens. The road show travelled from the headquarters of the National Cultural Foundation in West Terrace, St James to pit stop at several points in Bridgetown before heading to Massy Stores Centre at Warrens, St Michael. It featured seasoned artistes and young, up-and-coming awardees who owe their careers to the recognition they received on the NIFCA stage. (BT)

EXCEPTIONALLY COMPELLING – Mahalia’s Corner last Sunday wasn’t for those who sought to sit down and just listen to the music. The finale of the eighth season of spellbinding musical talent ended with the crowd on their feet, singing and having a good time. Kerwin Du Bois’ stellar 40-minute performance was not to be missed. Du Bois was itching to jump around on the stage as he performed some of his greatest soca singles from throughout the years. At the end of the show, the Trinidadian soca artiste was dripping in sweat, his bandana remained intact but his white t-shirt was off and he stood in front of the packed Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre auditorium in his black vest and one hand in the air. He instructed the crowd to raise their hands and party as one as he belted Circles. From start to finish, DuBois was exhilarating, lively and dynamic. Accompanied by a live band with the crowd as his chorus, he rattled off No Apology, Too Real, Feteland, Unforgettable, Baccahnalist, Monster Winer, Ah Thing and more. He manoeuvred the stage expertly much like the Pied Piper and had the audience focused on his every word and note. The young and the old were out of their seats and jammin’. For their last acoustic performance, 2 Mile Hill catered to the eclectic group gathered with some old school hits like After The Love Is Gone by Earth, Wind & Fire and Marvin Gaye’s Sexual Healing to Lauryn Hill’s Ready or Not, Just One of Those Day’s by Sizzla and their 2018 release Conversation. Aside from the headliner, some of the brightest stars shone during the Open Mic segment when Frederick Smith Secondary student Theres Lambert received a standing ovation. Lambert’s performance of I’m A Weirdo by Lonely Island was mesmerizing and exceptional. Rhea Layne’s mixture of reggae, soca and R&B fused with her playful onstage personality also revved up the crowd. Layne sang her single Speakah, Allez by Teddyson John and also did a medley of familiar reggae hits to the delight of the audience. When the show closed, a sense of riveting energy remained in the air, with high anticipation of what patrons can expect for the Christmas edition. Speaking to Bajan Vibes, Mahalia Cummins said she was overjoyed at the success of the month-long season and revealed that Christmas preparations were already in process. “I continue to be blown away by the talent that Barbados has and the fact that people are still hungry for a different type of event to attend,” said Cummins. (BT)

AND I AM TELLING YOU – Shontae Alleyne-Clarke dominated the Richard Stoute Teen Talent Competition with her powerful renditions of Jennifer Hudson’s And I Am Telling You and Bridge Over Troubled Waters. The 11-year-old student of Combermere School showed her sass as she passionately sang the two songs delivering astonishing runs. She received a standing ovation, screams, cheers, and whistles from the audience as they sat and watched a superstar performance emerge from the body of an 11-year-old. Some members of the audience shouted – ‘Shontae now win!’ There was huge jubilation after the delivery of And I Am Telling You as persons were shocked that Clarke could hit and in some cases surpass the notes sung by internationally renowned artiste Jennifer Hudson. She was eventually declared the winner of the 6-12 competition, thereby creating history as the first contestant in decades to score above 900 points. Clarke amassed 937 points to the delight of her family, friends, and the audience who jumped, cheered and cried as they watched her take the coveted trophy. However, it was not an easy walk in the park as she was keenly challenged by seven-year-old Kenaz Bit Bit Walker who expertly delivered Unchained Melody and Please Give Bit Bit The Crown. Young Bit Bit has a voice that surpasses his age with a crystal clear tone which is absolutely beautiful. He received a well-deserved second place as he amassed 856 points for his renditions which left the audience screaming, whistling and cheering at the quality of singing emanating from the seven-year-old. Let’s not forget the stellar performance by Crayshanda St Hill. From her first note, it was evident that she came to win as she sang with confidence and grace which was met with her killer vocals. St Hill expertly delivered the song No More Rain, receiving screams, whistles, and cheers from the audience at the amount of vocal range that she possessed. But it was her performance of Hallelujah that left the audience speechless as they sat and listened to her beautiful runs and riffs which highlighted her powerful voice. At this time, the audience noted that they were unsure as to who had placed 2nd in the competition as both Walker and St Hill had given their all to their performances. However, St Hill had to settle for a well-deserved third place with 821 points. At the end of the night, Chief Judge Sheldon Hope credited the parents for allowing their children to look like they were children competing in a junior competition. He also took the time to acknowledge the individual that placed 4th in the competition. That person was nine-year-old Roneisha Alleyne who wowed the audience with her vocal range as she effortlessly hit the high falsetto notes in Rise Up and The Climb. She is definitely one to watch as she matures. Her voice is mind-blowing at the tender age of nine. Special mention was also made of seven-year-old Tykairi Sargeant who truly dramatized all the elements of his Michael Jackson songs to the point that it could be said that it was a tribute to the late King of Pop. In the first half as he sang Ben he came onto the stage holding his pet rat and passionately sung about his friend Ben who a lot of persons did not understand. In the second half, Sargeant not only sang another Michael Jackson song but came out dressed in the full Michael Jackson ensemble matched with the white sparkling gloves. He entertained the audience with his beautiful voice and his moves which involved him throwing the hat off the stage just like MJ did in his concerts. The contestants and members of the audience were treated to a surprise guest performance by young Barbadian Trinity Clarke. The audience screamed and shouted; some took out their phones to capture the moment as she sang Wings Beneath My Wings and God is Good. It must be noted that all seventeen performers did an excellent job and must be commended as they made the show held on Sunday the spectacle that it was. Next week, it is the turn of the Teen Talent semi-finals. The first preliminary kicks off on Sunday at Divi South Winds at 7 p.m. (BT)

BUDDING TALENT – The annual series of lunchtime concerts put on by the Ministry of Education during Education Month got off to a good start this afternoon in the Food Court at Sky Mall. Patrons at the mall took time out from their shopping and lunch breaks to take in some of the musical talent coming out of Barbados’ primary and secondary schools, with the performers in today’s concert hailing from some of the schools located close to the popular shopping facility. Three pupils from the Luther Thorne Primary School performed Beautiful Barbados while twelve members of the Grantley Prescod Memorial Primary School sang My Help a cappella style. Young Kenaz Bit Bit Walker, who is now building a reputation for himself in a variety of genres, truly touched the audience, including Minister of Youth Affairs Adrian Forde when he sang Amazing Grace without missing a beat. Three students from the Springer Memorial Secondary School took the advice they got from yesterday’s Founders Day service at their school to “add to their school’s goodly heritage” with their classy solo performances. First-formers Crayshonda St. Hill and Sarai Gaskin did justice to No More Nights and Hallelujah respectively, while senior student Kaley Alexander’s strong alto voice was on point when she performed Little Me. Weslon Samuels from Parkinson Memorial Secondary School, who was a crowd favourite last year, put his own spin on Lionel Richie’s Hello, and his two schoolmates, Rashad Boyce and Selwyn Sivers, handled themselves well with Tarrus Riley’s Don’t Come Back. While taking in some of the action, Minister of Youth Affairs Adrian Forde was impressed with what he saw and gave a brief address in which he stated, “I see some great talent here, and since the Government of Barbados has committed to using the creative culture of our young people to take this nation forward, I urge you to keep on developing your skills, not only in music but in other areas of the creative arts as well.” (BT)

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 7/21/2018

Good Morning #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Saturday 21st July 2018. Remember you can read full articles by purchasing Saturday Sun Nation Newspaper (SS), via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS).

MAJOR UPGRADE – Five jet bridges, a rehabilitated runway, and an upgrade to several departure gates, are among Government’s major expansion plan for the Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA). Minister of Tourism and International Transport Kerrie Symmonds outlined the plan today, though not providing a timeline for completion of the project. Delivering the feature address at the airport’s 80th anniversary logo launch this morning, Symmonds said Barbados had one of the best airport facilities in the world therefore the country should know its worth and capitalize on it. Warning that there was no room for complacency, he said the time had come for Government to have a “candid heart-to-heart talk” with airport officials and other stakeholders in an effort to upgrade the facility, which started commercial operations back in 1938. In that regard, said Symmonds, a carefully selected board “based on the possession of a number of skills and not the basis of any partisan political connection”, led by veteran broadcaster Vic Fernandes, and approved on July 12, had been put in place to lead the upgrade project based on a “three-pronged mandate”. “The first one is to simply deliver the very best possible visitor experience that can be found anywhere in the Eastern Caribbean. Secondly, the board will be mandated to maximize the commercial potential of this airport. And last but by no means least, to maintain the highest security and safety standards that we can possibly attain,” he said. Symmonds said the new board would embark on a “runway rehabilitation programme” in November, pointing out that the lifespan of an airport runway should be between ten and 15 years and Barbados’ 11,000 feet of runway was at “a mature stage”, which required urgent steps to redevelop it. He gave the assurance that while work would begin at the start of the busy winter tourist season, every effort would be made not to interrupt the smooth flow of passengers. “In addition to that the new board will be charged with the expansion of the regional lounge capacity . . . in a similar vein we have to upgrade Gate 14 and beyond,” Symmonds said. Adding that greater emphasis would be placed on making Barbados fully accessible to the disabled, the Minister of Tourism, whose Barbados Labour Party Government was swept to power in the May 24 general elections, which resulted in the ouster of the Democratic Labour Party-led regime, said “therefore it means we have got to stop procrastinating on the question of air bridges”. “In that regard we are going to have to take a relook at the need to have a new mezzanine floor created so as to accommodate five air bridges,” the minister announced. He said it was also critical that the airport maximizes its revenue intake through the expansion of the retail space and establishment of new cargo space. “So there is much useful work to be done with respect to the physical capacity of this airport and I am anxiously looking forward to working with this new board who I am holding accountable from today onwards on thinking out of the box, thinking creatively and working energetically towards holding Government’s hand in partnership that will make these things come to life as soon as possible,” said Symmonds, while reiterating that he would be meeting with Prime Minister Mia Mottley and all airport staff next Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss a range of issues. Adding that the pilot project of the passport information kiosks would begin next Monday in time for the increasingly busy Crop Over festivities, Symmonds said this was a strategic move to determine what load it could take and tweaks would be needed. He also pointed out that Government would be moving ahead with a planned civil aviation training school that was approved back in 2006 but did not see the light of day. This facility, he said, would be responsible for training, examination and invigilation in several areas related to aviation. (BT)

HOYTE & CBC PART WAYS – Doug Hoyte spent his last day with the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation today. The general manager is another casualty of the change in government following the May 24 General Elections. Earlier today he did a walkabout at the island’s lone television station where he bade farewell to colleagues whom he worked with since April 2016 when he was appointed under the then ruling Democratic Labour Party. “Effective immediately the General Manager and the Board of the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation have agreed to a mutual and amicable separation. The Board takes this opportunity to thank Mr Hoyte for his service and wish him well in his future endeavours,” a memo addressed to the staff stated. In the interim, Deputy General Manager, Rodwell London, will act in the position. London had acted in the position prior to Hoyte’s appointment. Hoyte an experienced television news anchor was a talk show host and an Emmy Award-winning journalist. At one point he was also a news anchor on CBC TV and much later lead host of Mornin’ Barbados. (SS)

PSV OWNERS OPTIMISTIC AFTER MEETING WITH MOTTLEY – Owners of private public service vehicles (PSV) say they are optimistic about getting some kind of relief from Government, following a meeting today with Prime Minister Mia Mottley which discussed concerns surrounding the introduction of a new fuel tax on July 1. The new levy, which is to raise $80 million annually, replaces the traditional road tax. PSV owners say it is already having a devastating impact on their businesses with expenditure for route taxis increasing to $6,741 from $2,250, while minibus operators are forced to fork out $10,861, up from $3,625. Immediately following Mottley’s announcement in her June 11 mini Budget, they had also complained that they were not consulted on the tax, which has been implemented at a rate of 40 cents per litre on diesel and gasoline, and five cents per litre on kerosene. However, at the end of this afternoon’s talks, President of the Association of Public Transport Operators Morris Lee told reporters gathered outside Government Headquarters that they were optimistic that their cries would be heard. “We had a very productive meeting. Essentially the Government recognizes the significance of transport to Barbados and the contribution it has made over the years. We have agreed to come together on this because we understand that it would take more than one meeting. We have been given a blank sheet on which to draw on in terms of what we want to bring to reality,” Lee said. The operators have been demanding an increase in bus fares from $2, as well as duty free concessions on new vehicles with Lee expressing confidence today that a solution could be arrived at that does not increase the burden to commuters or put additional drain on the public purse. He did not elaborate. Also addressing reporters, Minister of Transport and Works William Duguid, who attended the talks along with Chairman of the state-run Transport Board Gregory Nicholls, said while Government understood the plight of the owners and operators, it was focused on creating a “win-win”. “Clearly the public service vehicle [operators] are our partners and they want to have and duly expect a reasonable rate of return on the investments that they would have made over the years in their vehicles and businesses as a whole. As an extension, the Government wants to see order on the roads. So once we can come to that middle ground and help them to get that better rate of return, they must in turn partner with us to give us better order and better control of their drivers. “In that way we would be getting closer to a win-win situation,” the minister said. (BT)

LESS TIME TO GET A BUILDING PERMIT – The Barbados Town & Country Planning Department is going digital. And officials are predicting that this should help improve the climate of doing business in Barbados by shaving about 13 business days off the usually lengthy processing time. Acting Chief Town Planner George Browne told a stakeholder consultation on Monday that within a matter of weeks the department would be officially launching the new e-planning platform. He said the department had been operating some aspects of the online system for the past four months and were still in the process of ironing out some of the kinks as they trained staff. The e-planning system, as it is being called, will allow applicants to submit their applications electronically and track them online. Browne added that the system will also allow staff to store applications electronically; reduce the timeline for site reporting, increase accuracy and efficiency within the department; and allow staff to do a desktop analysis before going into the field. The system will also give an indication of land changes over the last 50 years and provides land classification. To date, more than 60,000 files have been scanned as the department transfers existing files unto the digital landscape. “Within another week or so, we will launch this system. We are currently running a parallel system from our IT section which is looking at any minor problems. We want to make sure that when it is fully launched, all the issues would have been dealt with,” said Browne. “The second phase,” he said, “will allow persons who submit applications to the Town & Country Planning Department to check their applications without having to come [in]. We are currently establishing the security around this system so persons will be given a special code that they can use to access the information” he added. The town planner said it would decrease the number of calls to the department and save residents time since they no longer had to go to the office to view their applications. “More importantly, it would allow those in the office to spend more time processing the application. So we will see an improvement and based on some statistics that our IT section has provided, this would reduce the processing time by between ten and 13 working days,” he said. “We see this as a very significant step. We have also started the process of digitizing the boundaries of subdivisions and the parcels, and we would have gone back to applications that were approved in the 70’s and now that information is available electronically,” announced Browne. The last World Bank Doing Business report, which placed Barbados at 132nd out of 190 countries – a drop from last year’s ranking of 117th – said construction permits usually take an average of 442 days to be approved. This, the report said, compared with the average 191.8 days for Latin America and the rest of the Caribbean. Barbados was ranked 155th out of the 190 countries when it came to the processing of construction permits. (BT)

ATHERLEY: PM’S CABINET SIZE, A POLITICAL SAFEGUARD – Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s decision to have a 28-member Cabinet, along with two ambassadors who can attend Cabinet meetings, could simply be a matter of self-preservation. This suggestion from Opposition Leader Joseph Atherley, who told Barbados TODAY in an interview this week that while he took the Prime Minister at her word that her large Cabinet reflected the gravity of the task ahead to rescue Barbados economically, he was mindful of the fact that too many backbenchers could make for a volatile political scenario. “It is quite possible coming into her thinking is the view that you have got to make sure that you don’t have too much fuel behind you, so that if a spark is lit, there may be an explosion in the administration. By this I mean if your front bench is reduced, which therefore means that your backbench is enlarged, and a spark is lit from your front bench, you would not want that great repository of fuel in the back. “Some may suggest that this may have certainly influenced her thinking and after all, she is a political being and I have no doubt that may have been part of her thinking,” said Atherley, in light of the Barbados Labour Party’s emphatic 30-seat victory in the May 24 general elections. This was followed by Mottley’s naming of her cabinet team, along with a senatorial team of 12, which was met with immediate criticism from defeated Democratic Labour Party St Andrew candidate Irene Sandiford-Garner, who, in a post made on the Facebook page of the St Andrew Branch, pointed out that “in her first 24 hours [as Prime Minister] Mia added 14 new ministers and three staff each”, which she calculated would cost the Treasury “$664,000 a month or $8 million a year”. In addition to her Cabinet appointments, Mottley, whose team is much larger than the 20-member Cabinet headed by former Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, has since appointed five special advisors in Dr Hugh Sealey, who will tackle sewage and environmental matters; Dr Annalee Babb, digital technology; Dr Avinash Persaud, economic matters; Ben Arrindell, the international business sector, and Jonathan Reid, youth policy. She has also hired non-national Charles Jong as her Communications Director, in addition to appointing ex-diplomat Jessica Odle-Baril as her personal aide and Pat Parris, the former executive assistant to the Leader of the Opposition, as Director of Public Affairs in the Office of the Prime Minister. However, Atherley, who was not given a ministerial portfolio and subsequently crossed the floor a week after the polls to become the lone voice in Opposition, pointed out that Mottley has “maintained from the beginning that there are some critical tasks facing the Government and she wants them addressed robustly. “She believes that they need the attention of every minister focused on every aspect of their portfolio. Truth be told there are some heavy matters which they must deal with and it is therefore on that basis that she claims to have allocated ministers to specific portfolios. “[Therefore], I can’t quarrel with her over that explanation,” he said.�� (BT)

TOP BILLING – The University of the West Indies (The UWI) has been ranked 37th among the best 129 universities in the 2018 Times Higher Education Latin America University Rankings. The Office of the Vice-Chancellor of The University of the West Indies received the news July 18, 2018, after two years of intense effort and strategic interventions. The UK-based company behind the world’s most influential university ranking judges world-class universities based on rigorous criteria which include performance indicators grouped into five areas: teaching (the learning environment); research (volume, income and reputation); citations (research influence); international outlook (staff, students and research); and industry income (knowledge transfer). According to Vice-Chancellor of The UWI Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, “The UWI has been preparing itself for its first official hemispheric ranking since launching its current Triple A Strategy (Strategic Plan 2017-2022), entitled Revitalizing Caribbean Development.” During a June 2018 interview with the Times Higher Education (THE) and The World University Rankings in London, Vice-Chancellor Sir Hilary Beckles discussed the sustainability of The UWI’s commitment to excellence, particularly with reference to the security of funding obligations expected of regional governments and the growing involvement of the regional private sector. The conversation followed high-level professional conceptual and technical preparatory work with the Times Higher Education team conducted by The UWI Pro Vice-Chancellors Densil Williams [Planning and Strategy] and Richard Bernal [Global Affairs]. Commenting on the University’s performance in the ranking scheme, Vice-Chancellor Beckles noted, “Entering officially into the rankings for the first time required tremendous mobilization of resolve and resources. While we are very pleased with our entry ranking, alongside the largest, wealthiest universities, private and public, in the biggest countries, we recognize that we cannot rest on our laurels, not even for ten minutes, until we have reached top ten status in the next ten years.” He added, “We know what we have to do and our team is getting on with it.” This news of the regional ranking comes as The UWI celebrates its 70th anniversary and the University now has its sights set on the results of the global university ranking to be released in September 2018 in Singapore. “Radically enhancing the international reputation and status of The UWI is our ultimate target. To this end, we have embarked on an aggressive global strategy,” said Vice-Chancellor Beckles. In recent years, The UWI has established centres in Suzhou [China], New York [USA], and Lagos [Nigeria] with others being discussed for Canada, the European Union, Latin America, and the UK. As a result, the University is positioned as one of the most globally engaged universities, a development that positively influenced this top third ranking in the Caribbean and Latin America. (BT)

$24.9 MILLION HOLE – The Government programme which provides loans to eligible Barbadians pursuing further studies is owed nearly $25 million by students who have not been meeting their commitments, according to the latest Auditor General’s Report. Auditor General Leigh Trotman said in his report, which examined the period April 2009 to March 2017, that the Students Revolving Loan Fund (SRLF) has $24.9 million in arrears from 1,546 outstanding loans as at March 31, 2017, with one student owing as much as $86,000. The report suggested that slackness contributed to the ballooning arrears, with the Fund failing in a large number of cases to send out reminders, and when it did, it was quite tardy. According to the Auditor General, only 56 per cent of reminder letters were sent out on time and there was “less compliance with regard to the issuance of letters at the six month and three month intervals”. Of the 48 beneficiaries who should have received reminders at the six-month stage, only 27 were notified, of which fewer than ten per cent were issued on time, he found. “The failure to carry out this process reduced the potential impact of the fund in encouraging beneficiaries to repay their loans,” the report said. The auditor general also found no evidence that action was taken to place those owing in excess of $5,000 in arrears before the court of in the hands of debt collectors, adding that on the 16 occasions that this was done three of the beneficiaries paid the same month, four paid the following month and one paid two months after contact was made. However, after the audit, the process was refined with all letters being issued in advance, while reminder text messages and emails were being sent out during the month that payment was due. According to the report, there were 67 loans in civil proceedings as at March 2015, and by March 31, 2016, 153 loans, including those in civil proceedings, were handed over to external attorneys. However, the number had fallen to 93 as at March 31, 2017. However, the SRLF said it had implemented procedures to ensure early intervention and systems had been put in place to make sure officers were being compliant. “The SRLF is aware of the increased risk and has segregated this portfolio of loans for special attention. In addition, new measures including the use of bailiff services have been introduced to assist in its collection effort,” it said. The Fund’s resources was placed under pressure the year the then Democratic Labour Party administration imposed tuition fees Barbadians pursuing studies at the University of the West Indies. The report states that the number of loans approved skyrocketed by 236 per cent to 1,169 between April 2014 and March 2015, up from 347 the previous year. Altogether the Fund approved $24, 904,395, double the $12,477,886 for 2013/2014. “This increase resulted from a major expansion in the amount of loans approved for students attending the University of the West Indies during the same period April 2014 to March 2015, when students were required to pay tuition fees for programmes pursued at the university,” Trotman said in his report. However, with the introduction of the fees contributing to a drop in enrolment at the university, the number and value of loans approved fell steadily during the two-year period from April 2015 to March 2017. Then, the Fund approved 976 loans – down 17 per cent – totalling $23,681,284, a five per cent decrease. The number of loans fell even further in 2016/2017, with the SRLF granting 544 loans valued at $12,572,951, a decrease of 44 per cent and 47 per cent respectively. (BT)

ILLEGAL TENDER – The island’s sole water company broke its own tendering rules when it awarded a multi-million dollar contract for the leasing and purchasing of several water tankers during the 2016/2017 financial year, Auditor General Leigh Trotman has discovered. Trotman said in his report released earlier this month, that through a public tender the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) requested bids for the acquisition, through either lease or purchase, of four tankers to assist with its water distribution efforts throughout Barbados. He concluded that the BWA had acquired the tankers “under circumstances in which the tender process did not comply with its policies, as the contract was awarded to a company which did not meet all the necessary tender conditions”. “The Barbados Water Authority deviated significantly from compliance with its procurement policies and procedures in the sourcing and tendering practices for the purchasing and leasing of the water tankers,” Trotman concluded, adding that “the tender process was compromised from the time the bid from firm 2, who did not meet the qualifying criteria, was examined”. He did not name the firm involved, or either of the two other firms that submitted tenders. Only one of the three firms met the qualifying criteria for leasing and purchasing, the auditor general said. This notwithstanding, the BWA’s evaluation committee decided to examine the proposals of the firm which met the tender conditions, as well as a firm, which he referred to as firm 2, which did not supply a lease proposal as required by the tender. Although the recommendation was made for the BWA to award the contract to firm one, the Audit, Finance and Tenders committee requested that both firms submit revised prices by February 2015. While firm 1 submitted a response within the required time frame and a revised price was disclosed at the board meeting on February 12, firm 2 submitted its response in a document dated March 13, 2015, with a lower bid, and ending up winning that tender, the audit found. Notwithstanding the decision to purchase four water tankers, the BWA board was subsequently asked to approve the leasing of eight tankers from firm 2, at a monthly cost of $60,000 plus Value Added Tax for five years. Although the approval was granted at the board meeting on November 5, 2015, the lease with the company for eight tankers had already been signed before the request went to the board. What is more, the time period agreed for the lease of the arrangement was 63 months, three months more than what the board was asked to approve. While the agreement would have allowed the BWA to stagger the payments over the five years, the purchasing of the tankers would have required an immediate outlay of $2.44 million. “Even though one of the water tankers was in an accident and has not been replaced, full monthly lease payments of $8,864.08 have continued to be made for the vehicle,” the report said, adding that “this has placed the authority in a disadvantageous position, since it is making lease payments for a tanker without being able to utilize its services, even though the insurance company had compensated the firm for the written-off tanker”. In addition, the auditor general said, the monthly payment for the eight tankers was not in accordance with the lease agreement, pointing out that there was no evidence that the board had approved the variation of more than $2,900 paid per month. The auditor general said there was no evidence of a financial analysis or evaluation of the terms and conditions of the proposal before a decision was taken. He recommended that the BWA, which was in the hot seat for its handling of the south coast sewage crisis, should adhere to its tender rules, and all firms should be required to adhere to tender requirements or have their bids rejected. “The submissions for all bidders should be opened at the same time for the sake of transparency,” he said, adding that no one should commit the BWA to any major capital procurement without the approval of the board and the ministry, or there should be consequences for such actions. “The BWA should ensure that all contracts are reviewed by an attorney-at-law before being signed, to ensure that the necessary safeguards are in place and the interest of the authority is protected,” he added. (BT)

DEADLY COCKTAIL – A medical professional here is warning a group of men seen in a video on social media drinking what they claimed to be a mixture of the disinfectant, Disiclin, and white rum, are playing with their lives, if the video is not a prank. The minute-long video, which appeared on a popular Instagram page earlier this week, showed the men liming and drinking, with the person doing the recording stating: “This is what gine on here, the men drinking Erskine Sandiford [white rum] and friends.” One of the men in the frame said before drinking the substance: “We ain’t working with no [expletive] Fabuloso [a disinfectant], we got [explicit] Disiclin . . . . Disiclin and we going global. You got turbo, well Disiclin is what drinking now. If I die I love my children, I love my mother and I love my father.” The video has prompted a word of caution from Dr Colin Alert, who told Barbados TODAY that if true, such a cocktail could be deadly. “The toxic nature of Disiclin which is a disinfecting chemical – clearly marked on each bottle – added to alcohol, a drug that has many known psychoactive and physical effects, creates a cocktail that at worst, is lethal, and can cause permanent physical and psychological effects on those who survive,” Dr Alert said. Stating he had not heard of that combination before, the doctor presumed “the individuals use it to get a faster, higher, or more prolonged sense of euphoria”, adding that the men were engaging in a dangerous practice and were treading on very thin ice. “The active agents include quaternary ammonium compounds, which are toxic if swallowed, inhaled, or come in contact with the eyes or skin. The bottle is labelled as such, as is required in the USA. Other potentially toxic ingredients include ethoxyl alcohol and cinnamaldehyde,” he said. “If consumed in [large] quantities it can corrode the mouth, oesophagus, stomach, and can cause further damage to the liver and kidney,” the physician explained. (BT)

WAITING GAME AT MANOR –There have been mixed feelings over the move of the Supreme Court and the Registration Department (also called the Registry) to the Manor Lodge Complex, Green Hill, St Michael. The Registry is into its second week of operations; however, the courts officially reopened on Monday, following a temporary relocation while refurbishment work is done on the Supreme Court Complex at Whitepark Road. When a NATION team visited the complex this week, there was a gathering of people outside the Registry waiting to collect and apply for birth certificates and other documents. Inside, the scene resembled a conga line gathering, with little room to turn or twist in any direction. (SS)

MARITIME FLEET INCREASES – The Barbados Coast Guard has a new vessel to patrol the island’s waters. It’s called the 958 series patrol craft Endurance and was donated by the People’s Republic of China’s People’s Liberation Army. At the Barbados Coast Guard HMBS Pelican this afternoon, Prime Minister Mia Mottley officially cut the ribbon at the naming ceremony to christen the newest military boat. In his welcome remarks, Chief of Staff Colonel Glyne Grannum told the audience that the Endurance will definitely help improve the work of Barbados’ coast guard unit. “Endurance will fit most appropriately into the force’s on-going modernization programme. The Barbados Defense Force is indeed gratefully appreciative of this act of kindness especially as the BDF has been the recipient of military assistance from China since the year 2000. Along with the donation of other equipment and training of BDF personnel, this vessel will help in capacity building as well as the force’s mission to defend and secure Barbados and its interests as a contribution to national and regional development,” he said. Grannum added that “ We are all aware of the many risks and threats which our island faces and among them, the increasing effects of severe weather systems caused by climate change, damage to our eco-systems and mari-time trans-national criminality.” In his brief address Chinese Ambassador Yan Xiusheng agreed that the Endurance boat would help boost the capacity of the Coast Guard. The name Endurance epitomizes the relationship between Barbados and China and is synonymous of the continued committment to maintaining strong diplomatic relations that are mutually beneficial. The name follows the series of the family of inshore patrol and interceptor class of vessels in the Barbados Coast Guard fleet. The new vessel can travel well above 30 knots with a maximum of six persons on board. (BT)

GOVERNMENT TO LIFT BAN ON DRONES – Government has announced plans to lift a two-year-old ban on the importation of drones into the country, although a date has yet to be determined. “It has been drawn to my attention that two years ago the importation of drones was suspended and that it was suspended because of the fact that we had no regulatory framework, which we still do not have, and there was no proper training of operators of drones,” Minister of Tourism and International Transport Kerrie Symmonds said during the 80th anniversary logo unveiling at Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) today. Symmonds said the ban could not be lifted until the necessary licensing process was put in place and provision made for training. The then Democratic Labour Party administration implemented the ban in April, 2016, while making provisions for temporary exemptions on a case-by-case basis for the importation of drones meant to be shipped out of the country immediately after use. It said at the time the ban was implemented to allow for the completion of a legal framework, which it reported in September last year was “at an advanced stage”, before extending the ban by a further 12 months in May of that year. Symmonds today said the unmanned aircraft systems should not have been allowed here in the first place, without the right regulatory framework in place, while insisting that training should be offered in the use of drones, which critics say pose risks to safety, security and privacy if not properly regulated. “There must be a point in time, and I think that point in time has now come, when we must take the lead in initiating the training of persons who are going to be using drones, and Government must set in place the regulatory framework, which this Government will now turn its mind to doing,” the minister said. In this regard, Symmonds said a planned civil aviation school at GAIA to provide training, examination and invigilation in several areas relating to aviation, for locals as well as people from the region and internationally, would also cater to the training in drone use. The number of drones in the island is unclear, a situation the minister said would change soon through the licencing process. “I am anxious to make it work because obviously from a commercial perspective there is a lot of good business that can be done by companies around Barbados using drones. They are now used around the world for delivery for a lot of things. So it makes business faster and more efficient if we can do it by air. But we need to have the framework in place to legally do it so it does not affect other users, either land or air space,” he said. (BT)

BURROWES ACCUSED OF ESCAPING LAWFUL CUSTODY – A 59-year-old contractor, who allegedly escaped police custody, will spend the next 28 days at HMP Dodds. Herwin Llewellyn Burrowes, of Taylor Gap, Delmere Land, Belmont Road, St Michael, was arrested on June 9 for possession, possession with intent to supply and trafficking of cannabis before he allegedly escaped “with the use of force”. He pleaded guilty to the drug charges, but not guilty to assaulting and resisting police constable Jabari Mayers in the execution of his duties on the same date. He was not required to plead to the indictable charge of escaping lawful custody at Temple Yard, St Michael. Despite a bail application by his attorney, Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant remanded Burrowes until August 17, based on the seriousness of the offence and the allegation that he escaped with the use of force. (BT)

MARSHALL DENIES IMPORTING DRUGS –A 34-year-old man has denied importing 503 grammes of cannabis into Barbados. Kelvin Jamal Marshall, of Chalky Mount, St Andrew, also pleaded not guilty to possession, possession with intent to supply and trafficking of $4,032 worth of the illicit drug on July 19. The accused was granted $2,000 bail and must now report to the District ‘F’ Police Station every Tuesday before noon with valid identification. Marshall, who is represented by attorney-at-law Ajamu Boardi, is to make his next appearance before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant on November 13. (BT)

UGLY TWIST – A 31-year-old man, who assaulted his ex girlfriend, is to know his fate on Monday. When Damon Jamal Wharton, of Sobers Lane, St Michael, appeared before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant today it was revealed that he was in a relationship with Jennlika Austin for seven years, which had ended. However, the two kept in contact via phone and other social media platforms. The prosecutor, Sergeant Edwin Pinder, said those talks turned ugly when Wharton realized that Austin had moved on and was now in a new relationship. On July 19 Austin was walking along Tudor Street, The City, when she felt a hand around her neck and realized it was Wharton’s. She tried to escaped his grasp but he continued to hold her in a headlock even he asked for her phone. She eventually escaped and reported the matter to police and Wharton was later arrested. “I didn’t do this girl nothing, I didn’t choke her or nothing so, cause she clear skin. We were walking and I was hugging her like this,” Wharton said, while demonstrating how he had held her. “I ask she for she phone, cause I tell she I calling she and she not answering she phone, but I didn’t take it or nothing,” he added, before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant adjourned the case to make way for the complainant to appear in court. In the meantime, Wharton, who is on $500 bail, has been warned not to hug, approach or communicate with Austin in anyway. (BT)

COAST GUARD GONE TO ASSIST DREAM CHASER – Scores of partygoers are currently stuck at sea following the breakdown of the MV Dream Chaser. Reports reaching Nation Online suggest that the patrons of Soca on De Sea cruise were issued life jackets soon after the vessel experienced technical difficulties out as it was making its way back to shore. They are reportedly awaiting the assistance of the Barbados Coast Guard. A passenger on board said she was not sure what caused the breakdown. (SS)

ALL ABOARD – The local lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community says this weekend’s ‘Pride March’ is not just about gay rights, but also seeks to highlight the plight facing women, the disabled, Rastafari and other marginalized groups. “We march with the understanding that other marginalized groups need voices as well. For too long women have not been given the recognition that they deserve for their contribution to the social landscape of Barbados and have been abused, raped and killed. This Pride March is for women too,” said the director of Barbados – Gays, Lesbians and All-sexuals against Discrimination Donnya Piggott. In a statement today, the prominent gay rights activist also pointed out that “the disabled community in Barbados constantly has to navigate around poor infrastructure unsuitable to their needs and lack of opportunities for them to live productive lives, adding that “this march is for the disabled too”. She further argued that religious minorities were not exempt from marginalization, with Rastafarians still fighting for equal treatment under the law. “[Therefore] this Pride March is for religious minorities too,” Piggott stressed. Sunday’s march, which has been billed as a walk, not only for equality and inclusion, but to celebrate diversity, comes against the backdrop of strong concerns raised by local church leaders about what they see as an attempt by members of the LGBT community to force their agenda on the society. In fact, during an hour-long press briefing at the New Testament Church on Thursday, the group of approximately 20 leaders, led by Apostle Eliseus Joseph, the senior pastor of Apostolic Teaching Centre, accused LGBT people of trying to bully Barbadians into adopting the gay lifestyle. “This is a classic definition of bullying. A small segment of the population wants to bully us into accepting their values and norms,” Joseph charged, while adding that “whatever they want to do that is their business, but don’t impose it on our population, don’t impose it on our children. That is bullying. We as a nation, we oppose bullying”. However, without any reference to the church leaders’ press conference, Piggott was insistent today that “the Barbadian LGBTQ community is just as committed to the development of Barbados as the rest of the population and continues to contribute to all spheres of Barbadian life and development. “We want Barbados to thrive and live up to its fullest potential. Needless to say we need be treated as equal citizens, included and recognized,” she said, while pointing out that “for as long as we can remember lesbians, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people have been treated as secondary citizens when we contribute equally to our country and our society. “We have been bullied in our schools, denied promotions at work, neglected and sidelined by family, verbally abused on the streets and event attacked in our neighbourhoods,” Piggott added. Sunday’s march brings to an end pride month, observed here for the first time ever. (BT)

A GAY PRIDE PARADE ON SUNDAY, JULY 22, 2018?! - The LGBT community will be holding a Gay Pride March, shamefully, on a Sunday – a traditional day of worship for Christians in our Christian society. I am repulsed! Let me say up front, while I respect everyone’s right to their own sexuality, I have a major problem when they seek to violate our day of worship and to push their sexuality, which might be a private matter, publicly, in our faces. The LGBT community has unashamedly used the colours of the rainbow as their personal banner. For Christians, the rainbow is God’s solemn promise that He will never again flood the earth with water. It is a sign of the covenant between God and man and should not be used as an emblem to represent depravity. Homosexuality in any nation, from any person, on any level, is a gross violation of God’s plan for man and woman, male and female. I am troubled by the upsurge in boldness, visibility and increased vehement and ostentatious behaviour of the gay community since the change in government. There was a message on social media during the political campaign inviting all members of the gay community to “come out and vote BLP”. Here is an edited extract from the message: “My fellow Barbadians, citizens who are members of the gay community, the day of liberation is hours away. We now have a real chance to finally bring this country in line with the rest of the world, by supporting and voting for the Barbados Labour Party. For years we have been struggling to have issues in our gay community addressed in a meaningful way but to no avail. We must bring to an end this stranglehold the Christian people have on Barbados; we must turn their religion on its head. Our time is now, and we must be vigilant. This is our time now comrades, let us unite.” The gay community has vehemently denied any connection with this message, strongly stating that they never use the word ‘comrade’ as this is a political term and they have dissociated themselves from this message; but strangely enough, since the change of government, they have become more vocal. It begs the question then . . . ‘Why have they become so emboldened, stoic and unabashed with their lifestyle?’ I remain prayerful of our new Prime Minister, the Honourable Mia Mottley and her government. I pray for their success and that they will resist any attempt by the LGBT community, to influence them into making any decisions that will discredit them with God and the populace who has voted for them. I want to lend my voice to that of the gathering of “Concerned Pastors” and state categorically, that we remain compassionate towards the LGBT community and as mandated by God’s Word we will love them and pray for their souls. BUT “we must resist and destroy any attempt by the LGBT community to make homosexual preferences a human right in Barbados”. We “resist also, their attempt to deconstruct marriage and reconstruct it for the entire population”; “we resist their attempt to organize rebellion against God’s command, to multiply and replenish the earth”, and to impose their rebellion on the population. “We resist their attempt to sacrifice our future population, posterity, and sustainability, for an immediate homosexual lifestyle of pleasure. We further resist any attempt by small groups to impose, on the majority of the population, an unnatural, dysfunctional sexual practice, which is a classic definition of bullying.” In the same way that the LGBT community is determined to be stoic, confrontational, strong and aggressive, we, the church of God in Barbados must stand up, speak out and remain equally stoic, confrontational, strong and aggressive, with the spirit of love and compassion for the benefit of our future generations, and the sustainability and preservation of our Christian values and morals. Why should the majority sit by and allow a minority, with a thwarted, nonbiblical agenda, to silence us and run us underground? Why are church members afraid to speak out in the face of darkness and debauchery? When we stand for God, He will stand for us. When we stand on His Word, God will defend His Word. Despite man’s quest to twist and pervert God’s word to suit his lifestyle, God’s word, the Bible, will always be the infallible, the indisputable Word of God. The Bible contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way to salvation, the doom of sinners and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true and its decisions are immutable. It is given you in life, will be opened at the judgement and be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents. So let the question be asked after this Gay Pride Parade… What next? Rev. Dr. Lucille Baird is the C.E.O and Founder of Mount Zion’s Missions International Inc. (BT)

CATHOLICS BACKING FESTIVAL WITH MY BODY CAMPAIGN - As the Crop Over Festival intensifies, the Roman Catholic Church of Barbados is asking revellers not to go over overboard with their feteing. This comes in connection with the launch of the My Body; Temple of the Holy Spirit; I Celebrate campaign which was came off at the St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cathedral on Friday. Coordinator Roman Catholic Family Youth Commission Father Clement Paul explained that the campaign was the church’s way of again showing their support for the annual festival. “In previous years there have been concerns about inappropriate behaviour and exposure during the festival. Be reminded that the human body is a beautiful work of art made in the likeness and image of God. We are therefore calling on revellers and all people in our nation to treat the human body as a sacred gift from God for each person to enjoy and celebrate properly and respectfully, Father Paul said. The event was attended by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) Cranston Browne, head of the Bandleaders Association of Masqueraders Chetwin Stuart and Baje International bandleader Richard Haynes among others who supported the cause. The first phase of the campaign includes a poster designed by visual artist Omowale Stewart and going forward there will also be videos disseminated to target Barbadians. “It is hoped that this message, if given coverage and support will be embraces by all stakeholders and that every effort will be made by revellers and partygoers to behave in ways that maintain their dignity and uphold decent and respectful behaviour during the festival,” Paul added. (SS)

MOUNT GAY TO HOST CHARITY EVENT – Mount Gay Distilleries is continuing to fulfil its commitment of “giving forward” to the community with the hosting of a charity fund raising event in aid of the Substance Abuse Foundation. Scheduled for Saturday, August 11, at the company’s headquarters on Spring Garden Highway, the From Inside The Circle concert will feature some of the island’s top entertainers. It starts with a Songwriter’s Circle with Dr Anthony ‘Gabby’ Carter, Emile Straker and Indra, followed by performances by Lennox and Krisirie and a cocktail reception showcasing three top executive chefs an Mount Gay mixologists serving both alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails. In addition to supporting a worthy cause the event will also provide regional exposure for the artistes as it is being filmed by a Canadian based television production company for inclusion in a new television series for broadcast by Flow TV channels in the Caribbean. Mount Gay Distilleries Managing Director, Raphael Grisoni said the company was excited to be involved in the event: “This is twofold for us. First, as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility campaign, we are always looking for new and innovative ways to spread the word and keep our Pace Yourself campaign going strong. So we are more than happy to be able to donate the proceeds from this event to the Substance Abuse Foundation and partner with them in getting this important message out to the public.” (SS)

NINE CHOSEN TO FACE IWEB - At 1:35 a.m. the judges brought back the names of the nine who will go to Kensington Oval and there were murmurs of approval and disapproval. Cave Shepherd All Stars had four going through out of eight. All three from First Citizens De Big Show went through, House Of Soca had one out of the four that judged and Smokey Burke held firm for Super Gladiators. Facing iWeb in the Pic-O-De-Crop finals are Chrystal, AC, Mr Blood, Smokey Burke, Billboard, Structure, Kid Site, Jude Clarke and Donella. The reserve is Colin Spencer. (SS)

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