OUSTER LOOMS The minority caucus in the Clarendon Municipal Corporation says it will move a no-confidence motion against Mayor of May Pen Joel Williams and his deputy, Clive Mundle, at a special sitting it has requested following a dramatic end to Thursday’s monthly meeting. Minority Leader Scean Barnswell, the councillor for the Hayes division, has declared that the opposition People’s National Party (PNP) is poised to take over the majority and steer the parish in a new direction.
JLP rift rocks Clarendon MC with councillor, MP at odds Soured relations between Councillor Tanyalee Williams and Clarendon Central Member of Parliament (MP) Delroy Williams have boiled over, triggering her dramatic resignation from the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). The decision signals a bruising blow to the party’s control of the Clarendon Municipal Corporation (CMC) and will break an 11-11 deadlock to hand the opposition People’s National Party a 12-10 majority.
May Pen mayor puts brakes on move to hand PNP majority An announcement by May Pen North division Councillor Tanyalee Williams that she would be crossing the floor to join the opposition People’s National Party caucus triggered an abrupt end to the monthly meeting of the Clarendon Municipal Corporation as it descended into chaos. The move would have shifted the balance of power to 12-10, with the PNP breaking the 11-11 current deadlock with the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).
Wildman seeks Sykes’ intervention over clash of court dates Attorney Hugh Wildman has called for Chief Justice Bryan Sykes to intervene in conflicting court commitments that he says are making it difficult for him to attend the multimillion-dollar fraud trial involving former Education Minister Ruel Reid and his co-accused. Wildman, who represents former Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) President Professor Fritz Pinnock, has missed several days of the trial in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court because of his commitments in the murder trial of six policemen accused in the 2013 killing of three people on Acadia Drive in St Andrew.
More than A-B-C, 1-2-3 Racheal Daley gently led her four-year-old students at the Waterford Infant School in Portmore, St Catherine, to identify and pronounce words beginning with the letter ‘T’ on Wednesday afternoon. As the spunky children became a little restless, she skillfully redirected that energy into a song, and they all cheerfully joined in. “We do a lot of music and sounds and gems to get their attention,” the early childhood educator explained to The Gleaner.
Hope for drought-stricken farms WESTERN BUREAU: FarmLinkr CEO Shelly Heaven is confident that a locally developed soil technology can help to address the worsening water challenges in agriculture as it allows farmers to grow crops with up to 60 per cent less water. Heaven said FarmLinkr, the distributor of Live Soil, a proprietary soil amendment, is preparing to make the product available to Jamaican farmers.
‘Cushy office’ scale down - Civil society advocates question Gov’t decision-making as backlash leads to pull back on NaRRA office space . PM warns adjustment will slow roll-out of projects, impact delivery The Government’s decision to scale down the office space that will house the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) and cut rental costs, though welcomed, is raising questions about the quality of analysis behind government lease agreements, civil society advocate Carol Narcisse has said. “The decision-making clearly has to be more thoughtful about identifying needs and making sure that what we are expending is commensurate with what is needed and what is sufficient,” Narcisse told The Gleaner yesterday.
Ali warns Caribbean to scale up or risk being left behind GEORGETOWN, Guyana: Guyana’s President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali has warned Caribbean tourism leaders to “scale up” or risk being left behind as destinations in the Middle East and Latin America pour billions into tourism infrastructure and development. Ali said the Caribbean could no longer depend primarily on its beaches, natural beauty and established global appeal, arguing that the next phase of tourism must be driven by larger and smarter investments in transportation, resilience, technology, visitor experiences and regional integration.
MPs raise doubts over trucked water At least two members of parliament (MPs) on Tuesday suggested that some consumers are receiving water from trucks that is not sourced from potable National Water Commission (NWC) supplies. The current severe drought is significantly affecting the NWC’s water sources and its ability to deliver piped water daily to some of its customers.
Judge: No more delays in CMU trial Former Caribbean Maritime University President, Professor Fritz Pinnock, was yesterday told that he will have to conduct his own cross-examination of witnesses if his attorney, Hugh Wildman, remains absent from the corruption trial. “I am expecting someone will be here to give you some assistance and be prepared to write or type and prepare cross-examination,” the judge told Pinnock ahead of the multimillion-dollar fraud trial’s resumption on Monday.