FATAL FAITH Pathways International Kingdom Restoration Ministries member Corey James on Thursday said he was convinced that the now-deceased church leader could have brought back his former church sister, who was killed in an alleged sacrificial ritual five years ago. “I honestly thought Kevin [Smith] would have been able to bring her back to life,” he said in the Home Circuit Court after prosecutor Latoya Bernard asked him what he was thinking after witnessing the killing.
‘Almost scandalous’ - Davis-Whyte slams decadeslong delay in passing workplace safety bill A senior trade unionist is questioning the will of the Government to retable and pass the long-awaited Occupational Health and Safety (OSH) Bill, which is intended to improve safety at the workplace. For decades, there have been discussions between the Government, the trade unions and employers geared towards securing the safety and health of all Jamaican workers.
Former church member recalls being stabbed after pastor said he had to die A former member of the flock led by the now-deceased church leader Dr Kevin Smith said he had been perplexed when the pastor told him that he would have to be killed. “When that was said to you, how did you feel?” lead prosecutor Latoya Bernard asked. The witness, Corey James, a debt collector and pig farmer who worked closely with Smith, replied: “Honestly, I was confused when he mentioned that to me.” The witness further testified that he was attacked and stabbed with a knife in his back after Smith told him that his throat had to be cut.
Thieves hit six primary schools in St James, Hanover since August WESTERN BUREAU: Thieves have broken into six primary schools within the Ministry of Education’s Region 4 jurisdiction since late August, with Bickersteth Primary and Infant School in St James suffering the latest hit on Wednesday night. Regional Director Dr Michelle Pinnock revealed that the other affected schools are Bogue Hill Primary and Infant School, Anchovy Primary School, Farm Primary and Infant School, and Irwin Primary School – all in St James – and Cove Primary School in Hanover.
‘It’s like Christmas’ WESTERN BUREAU: For generations, ganja has been more than a crop in communities such as Brighton and Orange Hill in Westmoreland. It has been a source of income, a way to pay bills and, for some residents, a means of keeping children in school. On Wednesday, many farmers who have long operated outside Jamaica’s regulated cannabis industry got a glimpse of a different future, as the Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) brought its Cannabis Special Permit Road Tour to Westmoreland.
Kenneth Samuels thanks God for life at 105 WESTERN BUREAU: Retired pastor Kenneth George Samuels counts it a blessing to have lived to see his 105th birthday, which he celebrated with his relatives and other loved ones at his Bogue Heights home in Montego Bay, St James, on September 11. “I am thankful for another year that God has blessed me with. I feel okay, just a little tired, and I am ready whenever the Lord closes my eyes, ready to rest. I have been a faithful servant of God for many years, and He has seen it fit to bless me with long life,” said Samuels, who is currently gets around with a wheelchair.
TCN U-TURN A decision by Jamaica and the United States to withhold the full details of the controversial third-country nationals (TCN) agreement has been described as “odd” by former diplomat Byron Blake, who says similar deals have been made public in other countries. Blake, the former deputy permanent representative to the United Nations and former assistant secretary general of CARICOM, said the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between the two countries in June must pass through various legislative bodies in the US.
Businesses urged to help shape youth values The Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) is urging businesses and business leaders to play a more active role in reinforcing positive values among young Jamaicans. The PSOJ said the business community can help young people understand the relationship between character and success in the workplace through mentorship programmes, internships, apprenticeships, work-readiness initiatives, school partnerships and other structured engagements.
Miller Simpson warns about data drain as J’cans feed foreign AI services WESTERN BUREAU: Educator Ethnie Miller Simpson is expressing concern that while Jamaica is pumping information into artificial-intelligence (AI) systems at an accelerating rate, the country does not own the technology processing that data. She has challenged Jamaica to move beyond simply consuming AI technology by developing home-grown platforms designed by Jamaicans, with the capacity to keep data from Jamaica and the wider Caribbean within the region.
Prosecutors push plea deals, defence calls for prepared cases Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Janek Forbes has endorsed calls for greater use of plea negotiations to help reduce the Home Circuit Court’s staggering criminal caseload. But Jamaica Advocates Association President Tamika Harris says the strategy cannot work effectively unless prosecutors first ensure that cases are properly prepared. Forbes, speaking at the opening of the Michaelmas Term of the Home Circuit Court, agreed that the prosecution cannot possibly take the nearly 1,000 matters on the term’s list to trial.