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Exciting times for Cornwall

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GETTING IT STARTED: Sensational in goal for the Cornwall College goalkeeper team, Peter Sinclair bowls out a ball from his area as he tries to make a quick re-start to the contest during a preliminary round game. Looking on are defenders Calvin Gardener and Odaine White. - Noelita Lawrence photo
  • da’Costa Cup

Noelita Lawrence – Staff Reporter

Cornwall College’s push for double success in the ISSA schoolboy football competition gathers momentum this Wednesday afternoon, November 21, at the Montego Bay Sports Complex, when they go against Frome Technical in the feature game of the double header of the da’Costa Cup semi-finals.

The contest is a battle of the western teams and will see the twelve-times champions CC, defending an impeccable 14-game undefeated streak in the d’Cup, while hunting their 18th victory of the season as they seek to punch a ticket to the grand final.

Cornwall College seek a berth in the final for the first time since 2016 as they go in search of a 13th title and what would be a second in as many years.

Frome Tech lifted their one and only crown back in 2003 and having made a return to the semis for the first time since that time, they too will be gunning for a solid performance as they look to upset the form books.

Dr. Dean Weatherly, the coach who has overseen many a title-winning teams at the Pleasant Hill-based institution, says today’s game will not be a walk in the park for his troops as they take aim at another appearance in a final.

“I’m expecting a very tough game,” he told the Western Mirror, “it won’t be an easy game, hence we focused all our energies on getting the work done that should help us get over this hurdle. We are mentally and physically prepared for the battle against our Westmoreland counterparts.

Frome are a formidable team with talented players who will be up for the job and they have a player up front who can cause problems, so we are not going to take them lightly…This contest will not be a walk in the park,” Coach Weatherly reiterated.

Coach Weatherly also noted that despite the outstanding performances of Aiden Jokomba so far with his 18 goals and captain Shavon McDonald, the team is not of stars but a cohesive unit that can see anyone rising to the occasion, with each player capable of holding their own on any given day.

The bulk of the attacking thrust is again expected to be on goal-machine Jokomba, McDonald, Solano Birch, and the bustling Matthew Thorpe. While Gardener will again laed the backline.

Frome Technical, under Aaron Lawrence, have had a fairly solid season, strolling the rounds unnoticed and despite the stocks heavily placed against them, they are expected to give a good account of themselves.

“They are an attacking bunch and if they should pull off the upset, their front men who were woefully let down by bad misses in their first round knockout game, must come out firing on all cylinders,” their coach declared.

The affair gets going at 6 p.m.

The first finalists will be decided at 4 p.m. as last year’s beaten finalists, Clarendon College, who had been racing through the preliminary rounds, challenge the in-form Dinthill Technical in a game that should see solid defense against an attacking thrust .

 

Students protest price hike

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A section of the students on strike from the recent clash

“We want justice – price too high! We want justice – price too high!” – The words which rang out loudly and clearly across the campus of the 42-year-old Herbert Morrison Technical High School in Montego Bay on Monday, as students protested what they deemed exorbitant price increases at the canteen operated by Tastee Limited.

The students vented their disgust with the hike in prices, calling for an immediate roll back as they could not afford it and would not buy anything from the canteen with prices now out of their reach.

One student leader at the school, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the Western Mirror that the protest action was sparked by the fact that no notice was given of the increases and they are much too high for them to afford.

“We came to school after the weekend and when we came, we were greeted with increases of 30, 50 and in some cases 60 dollars on some items; for example, water was 60 dollars, now it’s 100 dollars; Tropics was being sold for 90, now it is 150, we were shocked. We want the prices to be lowered – the prices need to be rolled back. These are outrageous prices, we can’t afford it TASTEE!”

The students insisted that they do not earn a salary and struggle with the limited funds they receive, so such high prices would mean no lunch for them.

“We are unaware what could have triggered the overnight increases, which came upon us like Nickodemus by night. We simply cannot afford it. So, we won’t be buying anything from the canteen if the prices remain,” one male student indicated.

Unconfirmed reports are that a boycott of the canteen by students saw no sales at the canteen on Monday and Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Patsy Latchman-Atterbury, Group Chief Executive Officer of Tastee Limited, said the company initially communicated the price increases to the schools (at which they operate a canteen) and after feedback and due consideration, extended the effective date to November 19, 2018, allowing the schools five weeks to communicate with their stakeholders.

She said the increase was triggered by multiple price increases in key raw materials and the company has absorbed all of these costs.

The students in the meantime have vowed to continue their protest action for the rest of the week, insisting that they won’t relent until they see a roll back in prices.

Bloody West

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Barrington Flemming – Staff Reporter

  • Six dead in five days

Despite a State of Public Emergency and heightened crime-fighting measures, bloodletting continues to sweep across western Jamaica with five men and one woman being killed in separate incidents in the region over a five-day period. Three persons were also shot and injured.

The parish of St. James, which is still under a State of Public Emergency, (SOPE), opened the region’s murderous account on Thursday morning when the lifeless body of 48-year-old Clive Jackson, a dispatcher of Dunbar Montego Bay, was discovered in his room by a co-worker, with what appeared to be stab wounds to the neck and upper body.

The police were subsequently contacted and the body removed to the morgue for post mortem examination.

The crime sleuths in the parish were again kept busy later that evening when they were summoned to the scene of another homicide about 7: 15 p.m. at the Rubis Gas Station at Westgate in Montego Bay.

Information gleaned by the Western Mirror is that 31-year-old Alando Ellis, tyre repairman of Look Out, Hopewell, Hanover, was at his tyre shop in the vicinity of the Rubis Gas Station when he was pounced upon by a man who brandished a gun and opened fire at him, hitting him in the face and upper body. He was taken to the Cornwall Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Alando Ellis

On Friday, reports from the police indicate that about 7:40 p.m., Paul Rose of a Mount Salem address in Montego Bay, was at Love Lane in the city, when a dispute developed between himself and his common law wife.

The woman allegedly got hold of a knife, which was used to stab him in the neck and he died on the spot. His common law wife subsequently turned herself in to the police.

HANOVER

Meanwhile, after a quiet weekend, the community of Salt Spring in Hanover recorded another murder in the region with the killing of 62- year old Headley Campbell, otherwise called ‘City Man’.

Reports from the Lucea Police are that about 6:00 p.m., Monday, Campbell was in his yard when he was pounced upon by armed men who opened gunfire hitting him. The Police were alerted and, on their arrival, he was seen lying on his side with multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

WESTMORELAND

Later that night, thirty-eight-year-old Kerri-Ann Drummond of Logwood district, Whithorn, Westmoreland, was shot and killed at her home.

Reports from the Whithorn Police are that about 10:45 p.m., Drummond was among a group of persons at her shop when a man armed with a firearm entered the business place and opened gunfire hitting her several times. She was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead.

ST. ELIZABETH

In the meantime, detectives assigned to the St. Elizabeth Police Division are probing the circumstances surrounding the shooting death of 29-year-old Oral Collins of Leeds district in the parish on Monday.

The Black River Police report that about 11:55 p.m., Collins and three other men were in the Black River Market when they were allegedly pounced upon by two armed men posing as Police officers. The men subsequently opened gunfire, hitting all four men. The Police were alerted and they were taken to hospital where Collins was pronounced dead and the other three were admitted in stable condition.

McKenzie on the warpath

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Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Desmond McKenzie, was stern in his address at the re-launch of the Parish Development Committee

Sashane Shakes – Staff Reporter

The Parish Development Committee (PDC) has been revamped and re-launched, but Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Desmond McKenzie, is warning the elected executives to operate with integrity, as he will not be tolerating any act that may tarnish the PDC name and humiliate him.

“There are serious discrepancies that can embarrass the country and I’m not prepared to take any form of embarrassment. This administration is not going to take any embarrassment.

Head of the PDC, Minister McKenzie continued that, “I want the PDC’s to work, but the PDC must work in the way that it’s constituted to work. It is not to work for the benefit of any individual who is going to write the Prime Minister of Jamaica because they couldn’t get anywhere with me, complaining that their mortgage and their motor cars will be taken away because of lack of money.”

To remove any confusion among the public in terms of political affiliations affecting the credibility of the PDC, he was quick to point out that the PDC is a non-partisan, community-based organization. “It is not about the party that you support and even if you support the party, it is about the collective response that we as elected representatives will bring to the table in this new maneuver,” he said.

Having faced challenges in the past, the PDC has aspirations to be more structured in their duties and responsibilities to support good governance and sustainable development. With that, during the re-launch, Local Government Reform Programme Project Manager, Clive Edwards, outlined the key tenets of the Local Government Act (LGA) and Executive Director of the Social Development Commission (SDC) Dr. Dwayne Vernon addressed the role of the SDC and the PDC within the context of the LGA.

The PDC is a partnership of stakeholders inclusive of civil society (including representatives from Development Area Committees within the parish), elected officials (MPs and Councillors), State Agencies, local businesses and other groupings, which assist the local authorities to coordinate and monitor local development process at the parish level.

November, which is observed as local government and community month, is being piloted by the theme ‘Protecting the vulnerable, establishing hope through local governance’.

 

Quadruple murder suspect killed

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A man classified as one of the suspects in the quadruple murder of three brothers and a spouse of one of the brothers in Masemure Meadows, Little London Westmoreland last Thursday, was cut down in a blazing gun battle with the police on Monday in the volatile Grange Hill community.

One Luger 9mm pistol with a magazine containing two 9mm rounds of ammunition was also seized.

The deceased has been identified as 38-year-old Leon Smith, otherwise called ‘Rasta’, of Geneva district, Grange Hill in the parish.

Reports are that the police went to a four-apartment building in Geneva to execute a warrant, and were greeted with gunfire. The law enforcement team reportedly took evasive action and returned the fire. After the shooting subsided, a man, later identified as Smith, was found suffering from gunshot wounds. The firearm and ammunition were taken from him.

He was later transported to the Savanna-la-Mar Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The matter has been reported to the Inspectorate of Constabulary (IOC), and the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM), which have since launched a probe into the incident

The Police say Smith was cited as a suspect in last Thursday’s killing of 31-year-old mechanic Howard Humes, 23-year-old Shavane Humes, 33-year-old Paulton Humes, otherwise called ‘Dwight’ and his girlfriend, Keneisha Wilson.

The three brothers who lived beside each other, had their doors kicked open by a group of men who sprayed them with bullets.

 

 

 

 

 

Still hunting ‘Prekeh’

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Richard 'Cruz' Anderson
  • Crony killed in dragnet

The sigh of relief breathed by residents of the Retrieve and Cambridge communities in St. James was short-lived, as after a massive military operation, the bullet-riddled body thought to be feared gangster Delano ‘Prekeh’ Wilmot, in fact turned out to be that of his right-hand man, Richard ‘Cruz’ Anderson, suggesting that ‘Prekeh’ is still on the run.

This has left residents of the mentioned communities, which have long been under the grips of the persistent Ratty Gang and its remnants, quivering in fear. The threat of his reign of terror ending, residents believe, may cause the cornered Wilmot to react more violently than they are accustomed – a display of wrath they are insisting the security forces stay in the communities to protect them from.

On Monday, November 12, the barrage of gunshots, as well as helicopters flying overhead, proved the community of Retrieve had been transformed into a warzone between members of the security forces and marauding gunmen in the area. Following the intense bullet exchange, one man, later identified as Cruz, was found dead, with an M16 assault rifle next to him.

Though unconfirmed by the police, Cruz, according to residents, had been the right-hand man of ‘Prekeh’, who took over leadership of the notorious Ratty Gang after its leader, Ryan ‘Ratty’ Peterkin, was killed in a confrontation with the police. Now, with Cruz being the latest of the dwindling gang to bite the dust, the security forces have beefed up their presence in the tension-filled community, and are now focused on thoroughly combing through the area, in hopes of finding Wilmot, whom they believe could not have gone far. Wilmot, reports suggest, may have slipped away during the heated gunfight.

The identity of the dead man was thought to have been Wilmot, owing to the similarities of bleached skin and similar body type shared between himself and Anderson.

The police are warning that Wilmot is a heartless killer who must be considered armed and dangerous at all times. His last confrontation with the security forces ended in two soldiers being shot and injured in that community.

The security forces continue to maintain a presence in the community, as they remain committed to completely dismantling the Ratty Gang, which has been involved in a number of murders and extortion cases in the community and surrounding areas.

Children, driver killed in accident

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Firefighters work gingerly to cut and remove the body of Kevin Hamilton from the wreckage of his motor vehicle

Barrington Flemming – Staff Reporter

Three families and the John Rollins Success Primary School community have been plunged into mourning as a motor vehicle accident along the Rose Hall main road in Montego Bay yesterday (Tuesday, November 13) claimed the lives of two young students and the driver of the ill-fated motor car. Three other students, who were also in the vehicle, sustained serious injuries.

The deceased have been identified as Kevin Hamilton, the driver, eight-year-old Tiana Thompson and six-year-old Latisha Williams.  The three other students, including the young son of the driver, who is in critical condition, have all been admitted to hospital.

The children and the driver are all of the Providence Heights community in Montego Bay.

Reports indicate that about 7:50 a.m., Hamilton, who was a security guard employed to Marksman Limited, was transporting the children to school and was travelling along the Rose Hall main road in a Toyota Camry in the direction of Lilliput, when the vehicle veered off the road and overturned into a ditch in the vicinity of the playing field at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort.

The children and the driver sustained multiple injuries. The children were removed from the vehicle by passers-by and transported to the Hospiten (private hospital), while Hamilton, who was trapped in the vehicle, was reportedly removed from the wreckage by firefighters using the ‘Jaws of Life’.

Tiana Thompson
Latisha Williams

The injured children were later transferred to the Cornwall Regional Hospital.

MOTHER IN ANGUISH

Letoya Cunningham, the mother of young Latisha, who was early at Hospiten, wept openly at the news of her daughter’s death.  Cunningham related that her life has been one of tragedy and sorrow as she has so far lost both parents and the father of her daughter and now her daughter, as she burst into tears.

Cunningham said her daughter told her on the weekend that she wanted to go to the beach with her friend Tiana (the other child who died), insisting that they both had a hundred dollars, so Cunningham said she advised her that it would not be enough. She said she made plans to take her on Saturday, but now those plans will never materialize. Cunningham says while she has a son to live for, with everything going badly for her, she feels like she wants to die.

Meanwhile, teachers and students at the John Rollins Success Primary wept openly on Tuesday, when news of the tragedy struck.

Yvonne Miller Wisdom, Principal, said it was a very sad day for the institution, noting that the students and teachers were shaken and though she wanted to cry, she had to remain strong for the others.

“It’s hard for me to internalize what has taken place but as the principal, I want to cry but I can’t break down as I see people breaking down around. I have to be strong for everyone,” she disclosed.

She lamented that this was the second accident in which student died from the school, recalling that in 2007, a student was hit and killed by a minibus.

“I had a dream on Sunday that I was walking along Humber Avenue with a former teacher and I saw an accident and the car was leaning against a precipice, a former teacher and myself removed the car and when we looked below, there was just water.”

 

44 new beds for CRH

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Minister of Health, Dr. Christopher Tufton (right), is assisted by Deputy Director of Nursing Services, Allison Chambers (left) and Manager of the Maternity Ward, Annet Malcolm, he cuts the ribbon marking the official handing over of 44 additional beds to the Cornwall Region-al Hospital on Friday November 9, 2018. Sharing in the occasion are (back row from left) Chairman of the Western Regional Authority, Errol Greene, Surgeon Dr. Delroy Fray and Acting CEO at CRH, Alwyn Miller. –Phillip Green photo

Sashane Shakes – Staff Reporter 

The Cornwall Regional Hospital now has 44 additional beds that were handed over by the Ministry of Health in an official ribbon-cutting ceremony last week Friday, November 9, 2018, at the institution.

 “On one hand, we are enhancing our ability to provide quality service to patients that need it and today marks another feature of that with the expansion of beds, another 44 with another 36 to be added shortly to make it 237,” said Dr. Tufton.

The 237 beds have been distributed to different areas of specialization, essentially alleviating the burden being faced in relation to persons having to wait to be admitted.

“From an inpatient care perspective, we can say that we are making good progress in ensuring that we are moving to a level that is not exactly full capacity, but certainly able to accommodate more persons who have to spend time in the hospital,” remarked Dr. Tufton.

Benefiting from 44 new beds are the Maternity Ward and the Male Ward with a further 36 beds to be added to the currently under construction – extension of the maternity ward over the course of the next few weeks. The bulk of the 237 beds are at the Falmouth Hospital to facilitate the conducting of surgery specialization.

The installation of the new beds follows the recent expansion of the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department and improved services in Compassion Care in September this year.

Dr. Tufton is reassuring the public that by next week, some tangible work will be starting on the main building as contractors will be removing the roofs and extracting the unused unwanted material in the building, including the defective ventilation system, which is one of the main reasons for the evacuation of the main building.

Electrical and plumbing work is being estimated to start in the new year.

 

 

‘Axeman’ lauds boxing gym

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Nicholas 'Axeman' Walters

From the streets of Anchovy to the world stage, former Jamaican super featherweight champion, Nicholas the ‘Axeman’ Walters, is back home and is imploring troubled youths to use boxing as a way out of poverty and trouble, as well as a way from guns.

Walters, who is in the island for a short visit, made the declaration on Thursday morning, November 8, while speaking at the Montego Bay Cricket Club during his support of the ‘Gloves for Guns’ campaign launched in Montego Bay, and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the local boxing board and the Cricket Club.

“You can make a career out of boxing,” Walters declared. “You can use the sport of boxing to get out of trouble, off the streets and make life and living much better,” Walters noted. “Boxing is big business and many can make a career out of it, they just need the right things in place.”

Walters, who was named Sportsman of the Year back in 2014 following his exceptional showing on the world stage that year, revealed “great opportunities can be had by youths who choose to turn to the sport”.

He also lamented on the lack of support from corporate Jamaica and called on business owners and those with the capabilities to come on board and assist in whatever way they can.

“All the business people here in Montego Bay, we need some support from them, coming on board and making dreams a reality,” Walters declared, “it can be realized it’s just a matter of coming together and making it happen.”

Now a resident of Panama, Walters also highlighted the need for a fully functional gym in Montego Bay and his delight of the new direction being taken by the Jamaica Boxing Board in preparing to join forces with the Montego Bay Cricket Club in getting a gym up and running in MoBay.

READY FOR BOXING: Nicholas ‘Axeman’ Walters (2nd right) and father Job look on as Clive Waldron, president of the Montego Bay Cricket Club, puts pen to paper on a Memorandum of Understanding with the Jamaica Boxing Board. Also sharing in the moment are President of the local boxing Board, Stephen Jones (2nd left), Secretary Leroy Brown and trustee at the Club, Cecil Fletcher. Noelita Lawrence photo

“This has been talked about for many years now and finally, it is about to come on board and I am totally giving it my support,” Walters said.

This kind of thing should have been here a longtime, the West. Montego Bay, St. James, is known for sports, all kinds and with so many youths losing their way in recent times, a gym where they can go to punch, get advice and guidance, can be the way out of trouble,” he remarked to the Western Mirror.

‘What is happening now, a place like this should (the gym) be located at the Montego Bay Cricket Club’s third floor. It is long overdue, but it’s coming now and I’m in support of it,” he said. “It will be good for the city,” he added, smiling.

He declared that the boxing gym, which will see the users being under the guidance and supervision of his father Job, should be used as a tool towards getting youths totally involved and on a journey towards professional boxing.

BACK IN THE RING

Thirty-two (32) year-old Walters who hails from the hills of Anchovy and who shot to stardom from nothing under the guidance of his father Job, says he has still been training despite taking a slight break from the ring.

He revealed to the Western Mirror that he is preparing to get back into the ring as soon as possible by the end of this year or early next year.

“I’m working on a few things and a fight will definitely take place by the end of the year or early next year,” he noted. “I and my camp are working on getting back in the ring. I’ve been out of the ring for a while, but still maintained a training method.”

“First, I’m trying get back down to 130 pounds,” he said, “I’ve been training lately, and now that I’m here, I will be using the hills to good effect, getting some strength work  in, because I’ve not been competitive in recent times and as you can see I’ve packed on some pounds.”

Walters, whose last bout was a sensational defeat to Vasyl Lomachenko of Ukraine, back in November 2016, has a ring record of 26 wins from 28 bouts, with one defeat.

Walters, who attended the Roehampton Primary and Anchovy High School, debuted as a professional back in 2008, and has 21 of his wins by way of knockouts.

Noelita Lawrence

 

Whistle blower silenced

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Garfield Binloss

Michael Nattoo – Staff Reporter

  • Taxi driver allegedly killed for outing cheating husband

A man who reportedly blew the whistle on an alleged extramarital affair met an untimely end last Thursday, when the angered husband, who was reportedly caught in the act, confronted, beat and later shot and killed him in the busy Cornwall Street, Falmouth, Trelawny.

Dead is 43-year-old Garfield Binloss, a taxi driver of Florence Hall in the parish.

Details reaching this newsroom are that the deceased and the alleged shooter had a longstanding dispute, but Binloss’ submission of a compromising picture to the man’s wife proved to be the last straw. Unconfirmed reports are that on one of his many runs, Binloss came upon the car of the accused killer parked at an alleged mistress’ house, and quickly captured the moment on his phone and forwarded it to the accused man’s wife.

On Thursday, about 11 p.m., both men happened upon each other in the town of Falmouth, where an argument developed. It is alleged that during that argument, both men got involved in a heated physical exchange, trading punches and slaps, following which Binloss left the scene in his grey Toyota Wish motorcar.

Sometime later, according to reports, Binloss returned to the area. Further reports are that as he attempted to drive by the accused man, who had also left the area for some time and returned, the man allegedly pulled a Glock 17 9mm pistol and discharged several shots in Binloss’ direction. Allegations are that the accused man felt that his life was in danger upon seeing Binloss back at the scene, whom he alleged seemed to have been reaching for something as he drove past him.

Binloss was shot in the head, according to the police. He was rushed to the Falmouth Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Other reports allege that following the shooting, the accused man, who the police confirm was using his licensed firearm, then turned himself in to a police station in the vicinity of the incident.

 

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