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THIS WEEK’S NEWS SUMMARY
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‘CHUBBY DREAD’ MURDERED—10/8/05
Franklyn ‘Chubby Dread’ Allen, a popular dance promoter, was murdered outside a New Kingston night club on Friday. The long time area leader of Southside was hit with a volley of gunshots in the back as the tried to outrun his attackers. The murderers continued to fire bullets at him after he fell. According to reports, the shooting took place around 3:40 a.m., when Allen and a female companion were sitting inside a car and were approached by two gunmen. The female escaped unharmed, but Allen was chased down and killed. A year ago Allen was shot and injured on at least three other occasions. He was a long time supporter of the Jamaica Labour Party, and was killed less than a day after a member of parliament was attacked by gunmen but escaped unharmed.
OLIVIA GRANGE ATTACKED LAST WEEK—10/9/05
Jamaica Labour Party Member of Parliament Olivia Grange was attacked last week after a peace meeting. Grange, her bodyguard and two One Order gang members were traveling in a vehicle that was caught in a hail of bullets, resulting in the death of one man and injury to another. Grange is convinced the attacks are motivated by a desire to thwart the peace efforts taking place in and around Spanish Town. She says she did not see who fired the shots but did hear them and feel the impact of the bullets piercing through the metal of the car. The One Order member in the car blames his opponents from the Clansman Gang, saying the shooting was aimed at the man who died.
GOLDING, ARMY CHIEF SPAR—10/10/05
Bruce Golding, Opposition Leader, accused the head of the Jamaica Defense Force (JDF) of playing politics when he labeled the JLP’s Tivoli Gardens stronghold the “mother of all garrisons.” Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin, JDF chief of staff, made the claim during a press conference last week after a joint police-military operation was launched in west Kingston, in pursuit of suspects wanted for the murders of three policemen earlier this year. Golding said the chief used Tivoli Gardens as a scapegoat for problems with the security forces, “playing upon the politically-motivated Tivoli hysteria.” Golding sees the security forces operation as a farce and that the chief is using Tivoli Gardens to cover up for its failure.
YALLAHS PIPELINE WORK HALTED—10/11/05
Work on the Yallahs pipeline that was severely damaged by hurricanes Dennis and Emily has halted for the second time in three months, reportedly by gunmen. The National Water Commission says the halt could cause a severe water problem in parts of Kingston and St. Andrew. According to the NWC, workmen were ordered at gunpoint to stop working on the pipeline at River Head and Cocoa Walk. As a result the contractor has ceased working. The claims of gunmen are being denied by James Robertson, the Member of Parliament for the area, who says it is a complete lie. He says people of the community are upset about the communication and when water will be restored.
CELL PHONE USAGE BOOMING—10/12/05
According to Digicel CEO David Hall, Jamaica can add 500,000 more cell phone users over the next three years before reaching saturation. This would bring the total number of users to 2.5 million, which is just 100,000 less than the total national population. Hall and representatives of other cellular phone companies forecasted yesterday that there was room for expansion through various product offerings. Digicel plans to increase its customer base by increasing coverage of the population from 95 to 100 per cent and by investing $1.5 million annually over the next five years.
POLICE SERGENT KILLED—10/12/05
Sergeant Donald Burke was shot by gunmen at the Spanish Village Plaza just a short distance away from the Twickenham Park Police Academy. The sergeant, who was attached to the Central Village Police Station, is the 11th policeman to be killed this year. Rumors are that Burke went into a store in the plaza, where he was attacked by two men as he was about to enter his vehicle. The attackers pulled handguns and shot Burke several times, then escaped on foot. The sergeant was taken to Spanish Town Hospital, where he later died. Burke’s shooting is the second to take place in the Old Capital since January. Earlier in the year, Sergeant Everette Kildere was shot and killed along Burke Road in Spanish Town.
NEW TAX RAISES IRE—10/13/05
Gordon “Butch” Stewart, chairman of the Sandals Group, made his displeasure known at a media briefing yesterday. Stewart’s ire came as a result of the government’s new taxes on the tourism sector, which came into effect this month. General Consumption Tax of 8.25 percent became effective October 1. Stewart complained of the lack of dialogue that took place before the tax was instituted, and the fact that tourism is on the decline and should not be taxed more at a time like this. He warned that new tax hikes, along with inflation and declining tourist arrivals is a formula for disaster and may cause some hotels to close during the fall season. The problem with fewer visitors coming to Jamaica began after spring break and is due in part to the weak marketing and advertising program that was in place leading up to that time.
RAPE VICTIME MURDERED—10/14/05
The 66 year old father of Enid Gordon found her body stuffed into a shallow grave a few meters of his home. It is the final insult in a heartbreaking story of loss. Leebert Gordon’s 15 year old daughter was strangled with her school tie and was still wearing her school uniform. She was a fourth-form student at the Petersfield High School. Police confirmed that on October 20 last year, Enid was raped by two men in the district where she lived. The men were arrested but are now out on bail; they were ordered to remove themselves from the area by the Resident Magistrate upon their release. The case was set to be heard on October 18. Thus far, there are no leads to connect the two crimes. Gordon was reported missing at 7 pm on Wednesday but a police search was futile. Restarting the search on Thursday led to Mr. Gordon’s stumble across his daughter’s lifeless body.
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SPORTS
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PLAYER INJURED, NO MEDICAL STAFF ONSITE—10/8/05
Xavier Fuller, a player for Holy Trinity, was injured after a hard tackle in a game against Eltham High. The athlete was still not being attended to by any medical staff 10 minutes after the final whistle of the game. The injury occurred during the Group E, Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association ISSA/Pepsi/JN Manning Cup match at Breezy Castle Centre. Eltham High came out on top in a 4-0 final score. There was no team doctor or physiotherapist onsite at the time of the injury up until well after the match ended. The game was marked by goals by Jermaine Stewart, Kemar Crowther, Rayon Whyte and Deloran McKenzie and left the school with 16 points, five behind leaders Bridgeport with 21.
JAMAICA HOPES FOR WIN OVER BARBADOS—10/9/05
Jamaica was hoping for a win against Barbados today in the KFC Cup play, but needed Leeward Islands to win as well in order to advance to the semi-finals. Jamaica has bested the Barbados team in three of their last five meetings, and is hoping for one more. If they fail to win, then no matter what happens between Leewards and Windwards, Jamaica will be headed home tomorrow. Going to the semi-finals are Guyana with 15 points, Barbados with 12 and Leewards with 11. Jamaica and Windward are battling it out for the last spot in the semis. Considered the strongest team on paper with major talent on board, Jamaica has so far not lived up to expectations. They lost to Windwards, Leewards and Guyana but came back on Friday to best Trinidad and Tobago, giving them some hope of advancing.
BOYS TOWN THROWS AWAY LEAD—10/9/05
A 2-1 lead was squandered by Boys Town in their quest to secure three points in a match against Village United. The game, in the Wray and Nephew National Premier League, ended in an exciting 2-2 draw at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex on Sunday. The game was tied in the 89th minute by substitute Newton Sterling, after exciting back and forth by both teams. Village United’s coach lamented the slow start of his team, and hopes for a change. The team endures and overcomes, but usually starts off flat and then has to come from behind.
KINGSTON COLLEGE, ELTHAM HIGH END IN DRAW—10/14/05
A 1-1 stalemate was the best that could be accomplished for Kingston College and Eltham High in a ISSA/Pepsi/JN Manning Cup match at Eltham High yesterday. KC supporters and coaches felt short-changed by a number of decisions made by the referee, putting a pall over the match. The most controversial call was a free kick just outside of the 18-yard box, which eventually led to Eltham’s goal. Things came to a head when KC Coach Trevor Harris and two of his associates were expelled from the technical area for a number of comments suggesting the match was not being called fairly. Despite soggy conditions, both teams fought hard but neither could prevail. Coach Harris would not comment after the game. The draw now puts Kingston College and Eltham at 17 points each.
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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.