Guilty as charged WESTERN BUREAU: Doujon Griffiths, who was on trial in the United States (US) for the murder of fellow Montegonian Massania Malcolm and her one-year-old daughter, Jordania Reid, was found guilty yesterday in the Orange County courthouse in Orlando, Florida, and is to be sentenced on November 16.
Beach stays open - Court grants injunction preserving public access at Little Dunn’s River until lawsuit decision; UDC signals intent to appeal A judge has granted an injunction giving the public unrestricted access to Little Dunn’s River Beach in Ocho Rios, St Ann, until a lawsuit over access to the popular recreational area is decided. The order was made in the St Ann’s Bay Parish Court yesterday following an application by lawyers for a group that includes a beach-rights lobby as well as local residents and business operators at the popular recreational spot.
Doctors demand timeline for IDT ruling The Jamaica Medical Doctors Association (JMDA) is calling for the Industrial Disputes Tribunal (IDT) to provide a timeline for delivering its ruling in the longstanding dispute between doctors and the Ministry of Health and Wellness over overtime payments. In a press release, JMDA President Jubilee Brown-Service said it took note of the IDT’s September 30 statement, which conceded that “justice delayed is justice denied”. “We call on the IDT to stop denying justice to our doctors by handing down its award without further delay,” the JMDA declared.
Ruddock confessed to killing Gardner, says police witness “A mi kill Taneka. Mi nah go tell yuh nuh lie, and mi a go tell yuh everything weh happen.” Those were the words murder accused Andre Ruddock allegedly told a detective constable after being cautioned at Pathways International Kingdom Restoration Ministries in St James on October 17, 2021. The detective, who is attached to the Major Investigation Division in Falmouth, told the Home Circuit Court on Wednesday that Ruddock allegedly confessed to killing 39-year-old Taneka Gardner during an alleged sacrificial ritual at the church.
PNP says Bell’s failure to recuse himself breached good governance standards The People’s National Party (PNP) has accepted the Integrity Commission’s finding that Councillor Ian Bell breached conflict-of-interest and good-governance standards by failing to recuse himself from deliberations involving his wife’s application for space at the Ocho Rios Transportation Centre in St Ann.
JCPD wants people with disabilities to become players in agric sector Western Bureau: Racquel Artwell, the manager of policy, research and policy management at the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD), is calling for people with disabilities to be treated as economic players rather than welfare recipients, arguing that with financing and training they could become a part of the agricultural landscape. According to Artwell, based on the council’s experience with its Economic Empowerment Grant Programme, it demonstrates the potential for agriculture to improve the livelihoods of persons with disabilities.
Green wants regional framework to move agricultural labour across borders WESTERN BUREAU: Agriculture Minister Floyd Green is calling for a regional framework to allow farm workers across the Caribbean to move between countries as governments struggle to attract young people into the sector, which is said to be facing a growing labour crisis. Green made the call during a panel discussion on Wednesday at the ongoing 20th Caribbean Week of Agriculture at the Ocean Coral Spring Resort, in Trelawny, after Althea McKenzie, host of Farm Talk on Radio Jamaica 94 FM, raised concerns about the availability of labour across the region.
IGCAT’s founder wants farmers to capitalise on region’s multibillion-dollar festival calendar WESTERN BUREAU: Nneka Nurse, founder and CEO of Bestdressedplate and Global Expert for the Caribbean International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism (IGCAT), says the region’s booming festival calendar is feeding thousands of people but Caribbean farmers risk being left hungry for their share of the billions of dollars being spent on food. As as consequence, she is calling on festival organisers to open their books and track exactly what they buy, how much they buy and who supplies the food.
Man gets 18-year sentence for sexual assault of 6-y-o, 8-y-o girls A man sentenced to 18 years and six months in prison for sexually assaulting his two young female relatives, aged six and eight, in Manchester more than seven years ago, is to serve nearly the full term before becoming eligible for parole. The man, whose name has been withheld to protect the identities of the children, was found guilty in March of three counts each of grievous sexual assault and sexual touching as well as four counts of sexual intercourse with a person under 16 following a two-week trial at the Manchester Home Circuit Court.
COVENANT CLASH Residents of a quiet Kingston 6 community are threatening court action to block Porter Centre for Knowledge from launching school operations on Tucker Avenue, citing traffic concerns, fears of commercialisation, and a change in the pace of life in the community. The pushback comes as founding principal Barbara Kerr-Thompson seeks to protect her $78-million investment at 21 Tucker Avenue, describing the venture as a low-impact prep school.