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THIS WEEK”S SUMMARY
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HREE CHILDREN DIE IN FIRE—04/26/08
Three children under age 10 died in a fire that destroyed their home on Crescent Road in St. Andrew. The children, aged 1 to 4, lived in the house with their mother and other members of their family. Neighbors report that Princess Henry, 27, left her children alone to go to a shop when she was told about the fire. Police are looking for Henry, who left the scene when she heard she was wanted for questioning.

PHILLIPS PRESSURED TO CHALLENGE SIMPSON MILLER—04/27/08
Dr. Peter Phillips, vice-president of the People’s National Party (PNP), is under pressure to make another attempt to gain the leadership of his party. Senior members of the PNP and four major party financiers have appealed to Phillips to challenge Portia Simpson Miller for the presidency.

JAMAICANS ENCOURAGED TO GROW BACKYARD GARDENS—04/28/08
The Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) wants more people to become involved in backyard farming. The effort is designed to reduce the island’s dependence on imported food. For example, the CAC recommends that people grow callaloo, a vegetable that can be grown in a backyard and is a good source of iron.

CONSUMERS TO PAY 28 PERCENT MORE FOR WATER—04/29/08
An increase of 28 percent will soon be seen on consumers’ water bills. The National Water Commission (NWC) has imposed a 23-percent rate increase, plus another five percent fee for the new K-factor program. This amounts to an increase of $200 for water in most households. The K-factor will fund capital projects and involve rehabilitating wastewater treatment plans to meet the requirements of the National Environment and Planning Agency.

THOUSANDS APPLY FOR JOBS AS WARDERS—04/30/08
The headquarters of the Christian Fellowship Outreach Ministry in St. Andrew was flooded with job applicants hoping to work as warders for the Department of Correctional Services. According to a 2007 survey by the Planning Institute of Jamaica, 124,500 persons were unemployed, with women representing 65.4 percent of the total. Unemployment among Jamaican youth totals three times that of adults at 23.6 percent.

JAMAICA TO IMPORT RICE, BUT NOT FROM GUYANA—05/01/08
While Jamaica Flour Mills is set to import some 30,000 tons of rice to forestall a supply shortage in the local market, Minister of Industry, Commerce, and Investment, Karl Samuda, says the imports will not come from Guyana, the island’s regular supplier. Samuda cited problems with Guyana’s supply chain. The rice supply will provide for consumers for a six-month period. The rice will have a cost comparable to that obtained from Guyana.

LANDSLIDE IN PORTLAND MAROONS RESIDENTS—05/01/08
Part of the road from Wakefield to Hardwar Gap was unusable because of a landslide, and hundreds of farmers, tourists, and residents were stuck in Cascade, Portland. The road collapse meant that over 2,000 residents could not reach Buff Bay, and Daryl Vaz, Member of Parliament for West Portland plans to ask Prime Minister Bruce Golding to declare the community a disaster area.

YOUTH DELEGATE TO UN PLEADS FOR HELP—05/02/08
Kemeisha Kelly, Jamaica’s youth delegate to the 60th General Assembly at the United Nations, has asked teachers to provide more help in regard to saving Jamaican youth from trouble. Kelly says the schools must pick up where the family has left off. Many people are already looking to teachers to help their students avoid violence, Kelly said.

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JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
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JAMAICAN FINED, IMPRISONED FOR SMUGGLING GANJA INTO ANTIGUA—04/28/08
Robert Dawkins, a farmer from St. Ann, claimed he was trying to take ganja out of Jamaica to help him treat asthma, which he suffers during time spent overseas. Dawkins was sentenced to three months in prison and a fine of $17,600. He pled guilty to possession of ganja, dealing in ganja, and attempting to export ganja.

GUYANA TO BAN TWO DANCEHALL MUSICIANS—04/29/08
The government of Guyana issued a ban on Bounty Killa and Mavado, two Jamaican dancehall stars, a week after Bounty had bottles thrown at him at a National Park performance. The performance was filled with anti-homosexual remarks from Bounty.

SOLDIER SUES ARMY OVER RACISM—04/30/08
Jamaican soldier Private Kerry Hylton has decided to sue the British Army for £50,000, claiming that he was the victim of racial abuse by superior officers. Hylton says he was subjected to various racist insults during his service at the barracks in Birdcage Walk near Buckingham Palace in the UK. The abuse led him to quite his post as a chef with the Welsh Guards and to leave the Army.

JAMAICAN CONSULATE, CARIBBEAN BAR ASSOCIATION AID FARM WORKERS—05/01/08
In the farming community of Belle Glade, Florida, the Jamaican Consulate and the Caribbean Bar Association participated in a community outreach program, along with the Registrar General Department. The event was attended chiefly by farm workers, who received services relating to passports and other consular matters.

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SPORTS
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JAMAICAN HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS WIN AT PENN RELAY—04/26/08
Jamaican girls from Edwin Allen High and Holmwood Technical won two of three Championship of America relays at the 114th Penn Relay Carnival at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

SURFING TEAM HAS FINANCIAL PROBLEMS—04/27/08
The Junior Surfing Team of Jamaica is to participate in the ISA/Quiksilver World Junior Surfing Championships (WJSC) in Hossegor, France, this year. However, Billy Wilmot, JSA president, says the team is facing financial difficulties because of sending national teams to a number of competitions. The JSA requires about $3 million to send a complete team of 12 plus three management personnel to the competition in France.

POWELL WITHDRAWS FROM COMPETITION UNTIL JUNE—04/29/08
Asafa Powell, the Jamaican who holds the world record in the 100 meters, is taking time off from competition until late in June in order to recover from a pulled chest muscle. Powell’s withdrawal is a precaution, and his injury is not likely to affect his preparation for the Beijing Olympics in August 2008.

IAAF RECOMMENDS MORE DRUG TESTING—05/01/08
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) wants the organizers of the Jamaica International Invitational event to increase its drug testing. Howard Aris, chairman of the organizing committee and president of the Jamaica Amateur Athletics Association (JAAA) said the IAAF had given the group 20 doping forms.

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DEVOTIONAL
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God's Word, Our Response (Part 1)

There were twelve of them, each representing their respective tribe, and their mission was well defined. As instructed by the LORD, through Moses, they were to "search the land of Canaan, which I [the LORD] give unto the children of Israel" (Numbers 13:2, KJV). They did as instructed, returning after forty days with a report that contained both good and bad news. The land flowed with milk and honey, and yielded much fruit, but it was occupied with giants, and the cities had walls around them (vv.28-29). The narrative tells us, "And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight (vv. 32b-33). They had assessed the situation based on what they had seen, and had forgotten what the LORD had told them. Does that sound familiar? Can you relate?

Among the twelve however, were two who had not forgotten. As the people became restless at the report, "Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we" (vv. 30-31). A reading of Numbers 14 show us that the negative report won the day, so much so that the LORD sentenced them to forty years of wilderness wandering, during which time all the doubters would perish and so forfeit entering the Promised Land. All because of unbelief.

Some important truths from the story: 1) The majority is not always right; 2) The LORD is not pleased when we doubt Him; and 3) What the situation looks like on the outside is no hindrance to the fulfilling of what the LORD has ordained. When a truth has been quickened in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, it is important we understand that whatever God declare *will* come to pass (Isaiah 55:11). Paul reminds us, "If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31b), so we need not worry about what we see, think, feel, or what others may say. Instead, we can stand firmly on, and walk boldly in, the things that are in keeping with His will, trusting that He will take care of the obstacles Himself, or make ways so we can get through them.

Our God can be trusted. On this occasion, the people doubted and the consequences were severe. As you read the Word and realize what He has promised for your life, how do you respond? Do you believe? Do your actions matchup with your belief?

CEW

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CREDITS/SOURCES
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The weekly news is compilation of new articles from top Caribbean and Jamaican news sources.