Education Minister Anthony Garcia says the logistics and other aspects of accommodating students from hurricane-ravaged Dominica will be worked out at a meeting with Chief Education Officer Harrilal Seecharan and the Permanent Secretary. He made the comment yesterday as stakeholders raised concern about the ability of the nation’s schools to accommodate more students.

Garcia, a former educator, recalled that in 2004 when he was principal at Fatima College, he allowed students from Grenada to attend school there “and it went well.” If there are challenges this time around “we will overcome them,” he said, because the objective is to ensure the students “get an uninterrupted education.”

But T&T Unified Teachers’ Association president Lyndsay Doodhai said the first hurdle for Garcia is space, noting parents have had difficulty getting their children into schools. He said on the East West Corridor some classrooms have 35-40 children.

Doodhai said TTUTA is not sure how many schools would be able to open their doors to those affected by Hurricane Maria because “many schools are filled to capacity and have no spaces.”

However, he said, if places are found, “teachers will be ready and willing to teach them without fear or favour.”

Chairman of the Presbyterian Secondary School board Christian Dookhoo said the problem of space was discussed earlier this week at a meeting with principals under the board’s purview. He said the Government initiative will have to be further discussed.

Secretary General of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS) Sat Maharaj said he does not know where Garcia will find school places, noting many schools are “falling down and falling apart.” He was also not in favour of “blanket approval without involving the United Nations, which has a refugee programme.”

“How could you bring refugees when all of us are refugees in our own homes?” Maharaj asked.

National Parent Teacher Association president Zena Ramathali said she “preferred to reserve comment at this stage.”

President Anthony Carmona believes 16-year-olds who are better informed and display greater critical analysis should be given the right to vote at elections.

He made the comment at the second annual T&T Youth Convention, where he delivered remarks to hundreds of secondary school students and teenagers at UWI Sports and Physical Education Centre in St Augustine.

Urging the youth to make positive changes in their lives and to give a lifting hand to people in need, Carmona admitted intelligence has been failing us miserably.

Since his inauguration in 2013, he said he has been an advocate for the youth and recommended to prime ministers at Caribbean forums “that what is needed in the Caribbean region was a youth Parliament that meets every six months, where the young people elected or appointed can articulate their solutions to problems that we face.”

Today’s generation, Carmona said, was better informed and display greater critical analysis.

“And that is why I am a strong advocate, because I have seen it worked in other countries where young people would be given the right to vote at elections at the age of 16.”

He said 40 years ago the majority of those who were 16-year-olds were nice people, but generally knew nothing, nor did they have technology at their disposal.

“Look at the maturity displayed by 16-year-olds in Scotland, who were asked to determine whether the entire population ought to remain in United Kingdom. And when they did the analysis of the 16-year-old vote and why they voted... and they voted in favour of remaining in Scotland. Their vote was analysed as being more critical, more profound and deeper than adults.”

Carmona said if 16-year-olds were given the vote on Brexit, it would not have resulted in grandparents and great parents determining the future of this younger generation.

The President also lashed out at social media bloggers who have been destroying the lives of innocent people.

“You see, I don’t want you all to be keyboard gangsters. I don’t want you to get up every morning, saying like some of the adults in this country who am I going to trash this morning? Who am I going to make life miserable for this morning? Who am I going to bad talk this morning?”

He said there are many people in T&T who obtain BSc, PhDs and Masters but would never be able to get a job in a foreign university because of the social media footprint. Likewise, he said Trinbagonians will never be able to work at companies home because of social media’s negativity.

Though social media is a wonderful form of expression, Carmona said one should not use it to de-power people.

There are several countries where the voting age is currently 16, among them Austria, Brazil, Malta and Scotland.

Minister of Education Anthony Garcia has launched a probe into how dancehall artiste Ruckia “Bubbles” Webster was able to enter a primary school to sing her popular song “It Bunnin” to a group of primary school children.

Garcia called for the probe in response to an avalanche of criticism on social media after a video surfaced of Webster’s interaction with the students.

The video showed the children in uniform singing the song, which is said to be very explicit (suitable for 18 years and over).

The video sparked outrage and utter disgust on social media, with some questioning who allowed the artiste into the school in the first place and one blogger asking who “in their right mind allowed her to perform such a rude song to under-aged children.”

The video, which was viewed 380,000 up to press time, was described as “very offensive” by Garcia.

“It was not suitable for children or teachers or anybody who operate in a school community,” Garcia said, adding he has since instructed the school supervisor to conduct a thorough investigation and submit a full report to the ministry’s Chief Education Officer on Tuesday.

He said for visitors to enter into school compounds there are protocols to be observed, adding if any videos of the children must be taken parents must give consent.

Contacted for comment yesterday, Webster, despite of the outrage on social media, said she was very proud and excited at the response she got from the children. She said she drops her younger sister to school on mornings, but had gone to attend a Parent Teachers Association (PTA) meeting on the day in question. She said while there she was recognised by the children and subsequently mobbed.

“The children spotted me walking in and they couldn’t contain themselves. I love children, they are a blessing to me. I signed over 100 books and they were singing the song to me and begged me to sing for them,” Webster said.

“So I decided to give them a little piece that was censored. I lifted my hands to video tape them as they were singing along. I had on a long jacket and a jersey underneath and a long jeans so I was not inappropriately dressed.”

Asked her response to an investigation being launched by Garcia, Webster replied: “He should get to know the facts first and not do anything until he does. It would be unfair to the teachers and to me.”

CARISA LEE & RHONDOR DOWLAT

Pregnant women, children and the elderly had to scamper for safety yesterday, after two gunmen opened fire on a group of people liming along St Paul Street, Port-of-Spain, killing one man.

Residents said around 5.30 pm two men came out a white Nissan AD wagon and opened fire indiscriminately. The gunmen shot six people including Isaiah Sanchez, who died while en route to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital.

The others who were shot included Anthony Raymond, 50 and his sister-in-law Pamela Lee, 46, Joel Williams, 20, Andy Huggins, 21 and Sheldon Jemont, 27.

Sanchez, 28, was described as a “real cool fella” who tried to keep the youth out of trouble and always had a smile on his face. He was the father of one child who lived abroad and the only child of his mother, who also lives abroad.

The shooting took place just outside the St Paul Street Housing Development, around the corner from the newly-built Besson Street Police Station and one building away from the old police station. The car the gunmen used was later found abandoned at Block 8, Laventille, with the magazine of a high-powered rifle inside.

One of the pregnant women who was forced to run for safety told the T&T Guardian police had failed in their duties, as they responded long after the killers left and the injured were transported to hospital. The woman, whose father and aunt were shot, labelled the officers as “puppet police,” adding prior to the shooting there were police officers assisting in removing people from apartments who were not legally there.

“As soon as police leave the gunmen pull up and just blaze up the place. People was clearly watching the block. After joy is really sorrow yes, because all them children was playing in the road,” she said.

A resident at the scene of the shooting also criticised police for what she considered their ineptness in dealing with the shooting. The woman, who refused to be interviewed, was heard telling others “when shooters from up the hill come down, everybody does lie down,” referring to the area where the abandoned car was found.

Businessman Sheldon Stephen is assuring telecommunications giant Digicel that they will be paid all outstanding monies owed to them.

However, he is urging them to be patient as Lollabee Cellular Ltd is seeking to dissolve the joint ownership arrangement.

Confirming Lollabee Cellular Ltd had been ordered to pay Digicel $8,965,305.14 in August, Stephen stressed it was a company-to-company transaction which remained in abeyance.

Co-owned by Stephen and Abdool Azimullah who remained unreachable yesterday, Stephen said the two were currently before the court with respect to divvying up their assets as they had moved to dissolve the business partnership.

He said Digicel was aware of the matter that had developed last year, following which legal proceedings were initiated.

Responding to media reports which claimed the company had failed to remit the full sum of monies collected during December 2016 to March 2017 to Digicel, Stephen said the company's assets continued to be "tied up" as the matter is being sorted out.

In the default judgement delivered on August 7, the High Court ordered Lollabee Cellular Ltd to pay the money for, "Debt, interest and costs to the date of this judgement together with interest at the statutory rate of five percent per annum after the date of this judgment to the date of payment."

In a statement, Digicel's chief executive officer CEO John Delves said, "At no point in time, since the judgement was handed down by the court has Mr. Stephen, his attorneys or principals of Lollabee made contact to settle the TT $ 9 million owed to Digicel. His statement in the daily newspapers is therefore erroneous."

Stephen countered he was in contact with Delves daily, adding the principal parties were aware of the ongoing court action which had prevented him and Azimullah from moving to settle the dispute.

Urging Digicel to exercise restraint, Stephen said, "My partner and I no longer see eye-to-eye and will be parting ways. Digicel got caught up in the situation as it was a company-to-company transaction."

"I cannot assist them until I know what is going on with my matter as the assets of Lollabee Cellular Ltd remains tied up. Nothing can happen until that is sorted out but they will be paid."

Responding immediately,, Delves said, "The judgement against Lollabee Cellular Ltd. has nothing to to with the assets of the company. It is monies that were collected from Digicel customers and held in trust."

He said the monies were faithfully paid by the public and was supposed to be forwarded to Digicel, and should have been kept separate and apart from income collected from other transactions.

Following Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s proposal for T&T to open its doors to citizens of Dominica in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, there was a lot of racist, political and xenophobic remarks on social media from citizens who disagreed with the idea.

Some of the comments included:

•Well we already have an influx of Chinese, Guyanese, Nigerians and deportees coming in. Just saying.

•We all know Rowley bringing them here to vote PNM but Trinidad importing food many people don’t have jobs or homes. What you think will happen????? Is more crime.

•Sadly we have become quite a selfish, self-centred society. We will not lend a hand to our physical neighbour much less our Caribbean neighbour. I pray God change our hearts of stone.

•Sweep your doorstep before you sweep somebody’s else. Trinidad is so over crowded already. Where are you putting all the people coming? There goes the mountains.

•Maybe it’s time for us to start back discussions about a united Caribbean.

•Trinidad can’t get housing but he want to bring outsides and give them accommodations. Take care of your people first.

•South America already crossing the border illegally, now bring Commonwealth legally for 6mths...Come on!! And open yuh pots too! Is this a leader or follower?? What a Joke!!

•Rowley can’t take care of the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago but he opening doors to other people. He is stupid.

•Could we go and set up business in China, India, Dominica, Guyana, Venezuela...No...so what are we encouraging here for...no wonder so much people seeing trouble...

•I hope the other countries would say the same things about Trinis going to their countries. Trinis are the most racial and meanest people in the world.

•A lot of you guys forgot that your families were “islanders” before. Some of you also are bigots and racist this is your small minded thinking? Sad

•Is more crime in the country when they come here. Employment down. What they will do to survive? The easiest way is to kidnap people steal people cars, rob people, thief and kill people... It is a form of employment here in sweet T&T. Lord put ah hand•The people in TNT getting more frighten now...within this 6 months the whole of Dominica will reach in TnT...

•This is not Europe and America. This is Little Trinidad. Fix your people as a country before you extend your kind courtesy.

Business and labour leaders are evaluating Government’s plan for their sectors to assist next Wednesday with solutions to the country’s financial circumstances.

However, Opposition frontliner Devant Maharaj believes the event is a farce.

On Thursday, Government said the all day televised event, to be staged by the Office of the Prime Minister, will educate the public on the financial circumstances facing the country. Stuart Young, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, said business, labour and academic leaders will be invited to give input on solutions.

“The Office of the Prime Minister will lead a conversation live on TV on September 27 from 9 am to 3 pm on the issue, which will give a contextual outlay of what’s happening in Trinidad and Tobago,” he said.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said the exercise was intended to make the public aware of “what we’re dealing with and what the options are.”

It takes place five days before presentation of the 2018 Budget on October 2.

Young said detailed presentations would be made by Finance Minister Colm Imbert on the situation T&T was facing.

“We’re inviting business leaders, labour leaders academics and from other sectors to present ideas and solutions. We hope they accept the invitation to come before Trinidad and Tobago and present this,” he said.

Rowley said the event had a cost but he could not say how much.

Natuc president Michael Annisette said he had received a call from Government on the initiative and was evaluating it. Some business groups were looking into it yesterday and others, including academics, were checking for invitations.

But UNC ‘s Devant Maharaj said the event was “nothing short of political mamaguy. This is to distract attention from the continuing ferry fiasco and the fake oil scandals.”

He asked: “Isn’t the Finance Minister’s Budget address presumed to treat with financial circumstances facing T&T? As a former public servant and a minister I know that at this stage, days before delivery, the Budget is almost, if not already cast in concrete.

“Budget documents have been already printed and some agencies already have an idea of allocation, so this last minute consultation is a farce. If guests suggested truly innovative ideas, would Government rework the Budget? This is simply to have excuses made to prepare Trinidad and Tobago for yet another budget of taxation measures.”

A Princes Town technician allegedly found with two naked schoolgirls in his car in May 2016 has been ordered to stand trial on charges of sexual touching and kidnapping.

Senior Magistrate Rajendra Rambachan presiding in the Princes Town Magistrates’ Court ruled that a prima facie case had been made against Reeshie Surajbally, 40, and dismissed a no case submission by defence attorney senior counsel Pamela Elder.

Section 21 of the Children’s Act states that where a person causes or incites a child to engage in an activity which is sexual under Section 18 or 19, that person commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction, to a fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for ten years, or on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for 25 years.

However, two charges of giving alcohol to the girls, ages nine and 14, were dismissed as the magistrate said he was not satisfied that it was covered by Section 36 of the Children’s Act which states that a person who gives or causes to be given to a child, a dangerous drug or a substance having an effect similar to that of a dangerous drug, except upon the order of a medical practitioner, commits an offence and is liable to any penalty prescribed by law. Rambachan said he was unsure whether beer has the same effect as a dangerous drug.

Surujbally, a married father of two, was allowed to continue on his $300,000 bail with the condition that he stay away from the girls and their family, and report to the Chaguanas Police Station once a month. Based on his attendance during the case, Rambachan ordered that his passport be returned to him.

A 12-year-old girl San Fernando school girl and her 32-year-old mother, who were stabbed by a male relative on Wednesday, remain in serious condition at the San Fernando General Hospital. However, their alleged assailant, a 35-year-old father of three who drank a poisonous substance after the incident, took a turn for the worse yesterday.

Investigators say they have not been able to get statements from either the victims or suspect.

If the suspect, a PH taxi driver, recovers and is discharged from the hospital, he is expected to be charged with attempted murder by Ste Madeleine police and several counts of sexual assault by the Child Protection Unit.

It is alleged that last April the father of three called the girl into a room and promised to buy her items and take her places. He then sexually assaulted her. After that, the suspect is reported to have sexually molested the girl on several occasions.

On September 13 the girl told her mother about the incidents and the woman made a report to the police.

Around 12.30 am on Wednesday, the suspect allegedly used a pitchfork to pry open the door of the victims home and attacked the mother and daughter before running into some bushes. Villagers found him around noon, but as they brought him out to the road, he collapsed and was taken to hospital by police.

Bridgemans Services Group vice-president Andrew Purdey is hoping his company will be treated fairly at tender evaluation process for the selection of a new passenger vessel for the sea bridge.

The company’s tender of the controversial Ocean Flower 2 was among eleven others received by the Port Authority of T&T (PATT) last Monday.

Purdey told the T&T Guardian that despite all the negatives surrounding their previous tender, the company is hoping for fair treatment “but we have no control over how the Port looks at us.”

The Ocean Flower 2 was initially given the contract to supply the passenger service on the sea bridge in late June. But the contract, valued at US$26,500 a day, was scrapped after the vessel failed to meet three separate deadlines for arrival here. The vessel has since arrived here for dry docking in Chaguaramas.

Asked what next for Bridgemans if the PATT evaluation committee does not select the vessel, he said “no plans” in an emailed reply.

Purdey said Bridgemans had spent “in the millions” to repair the Ocean Flower 2 when it docked in Panama, following the journey from Korea, after developing significant problems. This led to the delay in its arrival to Trinidad and the subsequent cancellation of the contract.

Currently, he said the company is still “considering our options” with regard to initiating legal action against the PATT. He refused comment on whether there were clauses in the contract which may have complicated the actual cancellation of the contract, saying it is a “legal matter and I will not comment.”

The Ocean Flower 2 berthed in Chaguaramas last Wednesday, the same day the tenders closed for a passenger ferry. In the public opening of the tenders, Bridgemans was one of five companies which submitted vessels.

Purdey maintained that the tender and the arrival of the vessel were not linked, insisting that although the PATT had cancelled the initial contract, they agreed to bring the Ocean Flower 2 for a pre-planned dry dock for maintenance and installation of T-Foils to improve the ship’s performance. Asked how soon the dry-docking will begin, he said “in the next few days.”

Maritime officials told the T&T Guardian there is nothing in law to prevent any vessel from docking in T&T waters as long as they meet the requirements and get proper clearance.

On September 8, Ken Shipping and Marine Services Limited’s Lester Kenny, the local a Ocean Flower 2 agent, wrote to the Immigration Boarding Section indicating the imminent arrival of the vessel for the purpose of dry docking. The letter said the company’s boarding representative Sheldon Poonsammy “will be boarding and entering the vessel into Chaguaramas” and requested that the Immigration Boarding Station board and clear the vessel into Trinidad and Tobago for repairs.

On the same day the vessel berthed in Chaguaramas, director of the Maritime Services at the Ministry of Works and Transport Ronald Alfred told the Joint Select Committee on Land and Physical Infrastructure that any vessel which wanted to come into local waters was free to make an application “96-48 hours before they will put their statutory documents in to the Maritime Services” and they would examine them to make sure they are “in date.” Alfred said as far as he understood, the vessel was here for” legitimate business.”

Four businesses under one company—JMH Enterprise Limited—at the Trincity Industrial Estate went up in flames on Sunday night.

Owner Christopher James said yesterday his losses are estimated to run “well into the hundreds of millions of dollars.” He said eight trucks, three vans, four cars and equipment were all destroyed in the blaze, while 45 employees were affected.

However, James complained that were there not severe water woes the fire-fighters who responded could have saved at least three of his businesses. A fire hydrant just outside his compound had no water supply when the fire appliances responded to the fire, he said.

Speaking to the T&T Guardian as he kept a close eye on fire officers still trying to extinguish parts of the warehouses where small fires reignited yesterday, James said it is believed the fire started in the garage of the rice warehouse.

“I have not been able to get any reports yet because they are still trying to out the fire, but I know that yesterday (Sunday) had very strong winds so I don’t know if that may have been the cause,” James said.

He assured that the compound, which stores sugar, oil, rice and appliances, was properly secured at about 6 pm on Friday.

“We left everything like normal. Nothing had changed, no procedure had changed and it’s almost 40 years we have been doing business from right there,” James said.

He said he got a phone call about the fire around 8.30 pm and by the time he got there half hour later, the fire-fighters on two tenders which responded had difficulty gaining access because of the design of the main gate and also had no access to water from the hydrant.

“When I arrived only one building was on fire and because the fire officers could not get water from the fire hydrant they had to go for water. They spent about 15 minutes before they came back with water and that trend continued throughout the night,” James said.

“I was told by a fire officer that if they had 20 minutes of water supply constantly they would have been able to contain the fire to just the one building, but because of the lack of water the fire quickly spread.”

James said supermarkets from across the country would be now be directly affected as he supplied 50 per cent of the local market’s rice, oil and sugar. He expects that as a domino effect prices may increase on those items.

However, he assured that he would try his best to rebuild as fast as he can and in the interim plans to rent a warehouse and needed equipment, as he is expected to clear a shipment of rice from the port next week.

Investigations are continuing.

Strong winds and heavy rainfall associated with bad weather over the past 48 hours led to power outages and flash flooding in West Trinidad yesterday. Several homes in the East and Central Trinidad also lost roofs.

Homes in Westmoorings, Talparo, Couva and Chaguanas lost roofs, the T&T Guardian was told.

At about 2.45 pm, the Diego Martin River also broke its banks at Sierra Leone Road, causing severe flooding throughout the area, including the Diamond Vale and Garnet Road areas. It is believed that culverts placed near Garnet Road subsequent to the severe flooding a few months ago were pushed away by the raging flood waters, causing the extreme flooding.

Resident Eric Harewood said luckily no homes were affected.

“The force of the water pushed the culvert, breaking the barrier, so all the debris and sediment came down from the Richplain and Factory Road. Even the compound of the Tru Valu Supermarket was under water,” Harewood said.

Up to late yesterday officials from the Diego Martin Regional Corporation were clearing the roadways and pathways throughout the area.

The heavy winds from the weather pattern were also said to have felled a tree which killed a Diego Martin resident at the Granville Beach in Cedros on Sunday. (See Page A7)

The T&T Electricity Commission (T&TEC) also deployed approximately 25 crews across the country to restore electricity supply to several areas affected by incidents as a result of the inclement weather, which the Met Office said was due to the passage of a tropical depression.

T&TEC corporate communications manager Annabelle Brasnell said following heavy rains and high winds, the electricity grid was impacted by fallen overhead lines, downed trees, feeder trips and, in some instances, of roofs being blown onto lines. Customers in North and East Trinidad were particularly affected.

“Crews have been working continuously to restore supply but have been slowed by the persistent bad weather. At 4 pm (yesterday) there were just over 40 outstanding reports in the East, 12 in the North, three in Central and one in South. The system is operating normally in Tobago,” Brasnell said.

T&TEC general manager Kelvin Ramsook assured customers that emergency crews would have worked through the night to complete the repairs.

“We apologise for the inconvenience being experienced and we are working to resolve the issues in the quickest possible time”, Ramsook said, adding emergency reports can be made to 800-TTEC (8832) or 800 BULB (2852).

Responding to the call made by a 97-member group led by comedian and media personality Errol Fabien, the public, corporate T&T and local and regional soca artistes and deejays showed just how big a heart T&T has on Sunday at the One Caribbean Relief Concert at the Queen's Park oval, Port-of-Spain.

In a telephone interview yesterday, Fabien said the event, originally planned to assist Bermuda after the passage of Hurricane Irma but extended to other islands after Hurricane Maria, received solid support.

“In terms of the gates last night, we saw 800 paying patrons and a further 50 people making cash donations at the gate. We are still doing the accounting to reconcile it,” said Fabien, who was at the venue helping with packing of items to be sent to the various Caricom states affected by the recent hurricanes.

During his interview, Fabien was interrupted several times by people still dropping off relief items. He said the main goal of the concert was to fill a 40-foot container, which was three-quarter filled at the time.

Fabien said items still coming in included 30 mattresses, fabric softener, clothing, water, baby items including pampers, feminine items, general toiletries and food.

He noted the contribution by the performing arts community of T&T, who gave freely of their talent, among them Best Village groups Malick Folk Performers and Wasafoli T&T. He also thanked service providers who gave their services free, including Guardian Media, Johnny Q, Dexter Samai, Premiere Party Rentals and Pro Audio Sound Reinforcement Ltd. The concert also brought together direct telecommunications/broadcasting competitors Flow Trinidad and Digicel which provided the phones and personnel to man the calls for the telethon segment of the concert. Asked how much the telethon received in pledges, Fabien said that was still being tallied.

NLCB also opened its venues across T&T on Sunday to assist the public in making donations via its Wipay You.

The benefit concert brought together the largest gathering of local and regional entertainers, including classical singer Wendy Sheppard, Rupee, Ricardo Dru, Chucky, Freetown Collective, Swappi, 3Canal, calypsonian Ballantyne and a host of others. Halo Foundation founder and CEO Rebecca Welsh also visited T&T specifically for the concert and assisted in fund raising drive.

Asked if One Caribbean Relief will be a one-off event, Fabien said he has been receiving many calls to make it a foundation. For further information on how you can contribute call 707-5661

Diego Martin mother Carol Noel was overwhelmed with grief yesterday, after learning the man who was killed when a falling tree crashed into a car at Granville beach on Sunday was her son, Joshua Grannum.

According to reports she received, Grannum, 23, was seated in a silver Nissan AD Wagon talking to a woman when strong winds began swaying the trees violently and one of them fell on the car. The incident was described as a freak storm.

“I saw when he take up a towel and a pants and put it in a bag and when I asked him where he was going he never tell me nothing. He just left,” a tearful Noel told the T&T Guardian at her Bagatelle Road home yesterday.

She said Grannum left home shortly after 6 am and although he did not tell her where he was going, she learnt on Sunday night he had been killed when a tree fell on the car he was in.

“I got to find out that he went with some friends from right in the area here…one of them lived not too far from by me,” Noel said.

Noel said she never had any serious problems with Grannum but would often speak to him about the kind of friends he had around him.

“He wasn’t no bad person and he never really go anywhere. I always told him be careful who he had around him because friends will carry you and don’t bring you back, but he never listened to me,” Noel said.

“This news just break me,” she added.

Grannum’s six-year-old brother’s caretaker, Diane Roscoe, said Grannum was always there for his mother, who is a single parent of four children.

“He was very gentle and hard working whenever he worked,” Roscoe said.

Funeral arrangements are yet to be made.

The body of a 48-year-old man was found lying on a river bank in Williamsville yesterday morning.

Police suspect that Nowray Rooplal, of Dharamdass Trace, St Julien Road, Princes Town, may have fallen into the river and drowned. However, investigators are awaiting the results of an autopsy at the Forensic Sciences Centre today to determine the cause of death.

A police report said his body was found on the river bank at Dyer’s Village around 7.30 am by a farmer.

Meanwhile, a vehicular accident yesterday morning in Santa Cruz claimed the life of Kayode Saunders and left two others in critical condition at hospital.

Police said Saunders was in a vehicle with two men when it crashed along La Sagasse Road, Santa Cruz. Saunders was killed on impact.

The other men were rushed to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where they were treated and warded in critical conditions.

Investigations are continuing.

In an unrelated incident, Mervyn Aberdeen, 43, of Pleasantville, was shot on Sunday.

According to a report, around 3.40 am he was driving along the SS Erin Road when on reaching near Mohess Road a vehicle pulled alongside him and an occupant fired several shots. He sustained gunshot wounds to his thigh and face and is warded in a stable condition at the San Fernando General Hospital. Investigations are continuing into all three incidents.

The Environmental Management Authority (EMA) is investigating another incident of dead fish floating along the La Brea shorelines. In a release yesterday, the EMA said after being informed by the La Brea Fisherfolk Association of various species of dead fish near the coastline on Sunday it sent a crew to investigate.

“The site visit by EMA confirmed the report of dead fish, with approximately 45 to 50 fish of varying species observed,” the EMA said. The EMA said it took samples of the fish for testing but said the incident appeared to have been confined to the La Brea coastal area. It added that no abnormal conditions, substance or indicators at the time of the site visit suggest suggested the likely cause of the fish deaths.

The EMA also asked the public to report any additional observations of a similar nature at 680-9588 or email the authority at complaints@ema.co.tt. 

Veteran masman Neville Aming passed away on Friday at a nursing home where he spent his latter days. With his chaplet in hand, his family said he peacefully left to the songs of praises, prayers and recitals of the Holy Rosary. Aming was 96 having celebrated a birthday in August. His son Bobby Aming yesterday told the T&T Guardian his father was not ailing but rather grieving.

“He was just tired. He got to a point where he could not take care of himself,” he said, adding his father took his last breath at 9.20 pm.

He said while the family awaits the arrival of other friends and family from abroad, the funeral is tentatively set for next Monday (October 2) or Friday (October 6) at the Church of Assumption, Maraval.

Aming was born in 1922 in San Juan and began his career in 1958 with his first presentation Reign of the Mings. From there on he continued to present up until 1984 with his last presentation, Ceremonial Dancers. Yesterday, long time friend Arden Knox said it was hard to say which of Aming’s presentation was better than the other as he always tried to do great work.

Knox vividly recalled the 1963 presentation by Aming titled Court Jester and the Baby Dolls and another presentation called The Golden Age of China. Aming, together with other band leaders like deceased George Bailey, Stephen Lee Heung, Harold Saldenah and Cito Velasquez, was instrumental in forming the Carnival Band Leaders Association (CBA) in the late 1950s. The association made representation to government on behalf of band leaders for better venue conditions, pay etcetera. Their recommendations at the time were made to the Carnival Development Commission (CDC) which was run by then T&T’s first Prime Minister Dr Eric Williams.

Knox said Aming was also among one of the earliest masmen to export T&T Carnival abroad, again along with Bailey, Velasquez and his brother, music band leader Choy Aming, to countries like Bermuda and the US. Aming was a recipient of the Humming Bird Silver for his contribution to the vibrancy of T&T mas in 1996. Knox said after Aming bowed out of mas making he remained active in the Carnival as an advisor to current masmen.

He expressed condolences to the family and told the T&T Guardian he will surely miss his old friend, who will be great loss to the mas fraternity.

“We were very close. Last of his era now is Edmund Hart, Frank Smith and Jason Griffith. He will be missed,” Knox said.

ROSEAU—Dominica’s police chief says the death toll following the passage of Hurricane Maria has now risen to 27.

Police Chief Daniel Carbon, who made the disclosure during a press conference here early yesterday, said 18 people have also been confirmed missing.

Concerning security, he noted that the police have been kept busy with the latest incident being a prison break that took place late Sunday in which four people escaped. However, he said two were captured shortly afterwards by members of the police force.

Carbon added that another challenge is that of “massive looting” in the capital and other sections of the island.

“I can report that immediately following the passage of Hurricane Maria we have had massive looting. Several business places in the city of Roseau and to a less extent in the town of Portsmouth had looting.”

He said that to date 40 arrests have been made in relation to criminal matters and 86 people who violated the curfew have also been arrested.

But Carbon stressed that the situation is under control, thanks to the help being given by security personal from across the Caribbean.

“As the Prime Minister has stated, the police force was very challenged, both as it relates to search and recovery and dealing with the massive looting, but we now have the situation under control, we have our regional colleagues here and they are helping us in that regard.”

Also speaking was deputy police chief Davidson Valerie, who lamented that young people were involved in looting.

“Many of them were searching broken premises and looting from them – primarily business places. We were able to put the situation under some level of control and quell the problems that were emerging from the looting. Despite our repeated efforts on many occasions, the mobs would move from one location to another…”

Valerie also stressed the importance of observing the curfew.

“We must not catch any resident on the streets, at 4 pm (local time), residents must be home. When the police find anyone outside without a permit – you will be arrested if you do not have a permit. This must be obtained from the chief of police. They must remain inside until eight o’clock in the morning. We as the police, will continue to do our best that during this recovery process, crime is minimised as much as possible.”

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, in a statement, assured the country that the distribution of supplies is one of the top priorities of his administration at this time.

“We are getting additional help from helicopters … once we get the supplies, that will come from the planes to the helicopters—hey will be distributed to the people in masses.”

He also appealed for order.

“What we are seeking to get from the residents is order. Yesterday we did a fantastic job. We are attacking this from land, from air and from sea.

“Every single community, every single family, every single home and street will be reached by the authorities in providing supplies. Our clear instruction is for the equitable, non discriminatory distribution of supplies. We have lots of supplies coming in today and throughout the rest of the week …” he said.

“We thank God for sparing so many of our citizens.” (CMC)

Movement for Social Justice leader David Abdulah has labelled as racist and xenophobic recent public comments over Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s call to house nationals from Hurricane Maria-devastated Dominica here in T&T.

Abdulah weighed in on this issue, which has generated mixed public reactions, at a press conference at MSJ headquarters in San Fernando yesterday.

Relating the biblical story of the Good Samaritan, Abdulah urged the public to be good citizens.

“We might not have the wealth that we had five years ago, but that is not the point. The point is whatever we have, we have to extend a hand in friendship and solidarity to those who are being beaten up, and in this case our sisters and brothers in the Caribbean have been beaten up not by bandits or thieves like the story in the Bible, but they have been beaten up and beaten down and devastated by category five hurricanes and the message is the same.”

Urging citizens not to take the easy way out by “emptying our closets of clothes that we no longer want, Abdulah said, “The harder thing is in fact to have people come into our homes and to provide shelter to them because they have no shelter of their own in Dominica. And we are extremely disgusted, nauseated even, by statements that are xenophobic and racist.

“We have to call it out. They are xenophobic and racist statements - that we don’t want people from Dominica come here because we don’t know who they are, they might be criminals and they might do all kind of things and so on. Those are statements that are xenophobic. They are no different from President Trump and the white supremacists in the US talking about immigrants coming from Mexico or from Latin American countries, or the right-wing in Germany that just got 30 per cent of the votes in Germany, who say that they are anti-muslims and anti-immigrants.”

Touching on the upcoming budget, Abdulah said he expects to see more measures along the lines of austerity which will put the burden of adjustment and more on working and ordinary people. He also said he will be presenting the MSJ’s alternative budget at the Oilfield Workers’ Trade Union post-budget forum on October 3.

He added, “The one that will be delivered by Mrs Persad-Bissessar in response to Mr Imbert, that is going to be merely party politicking at the level of parliament as to who could share more blows. Neither of them are going to offer a vision and neither of them can offer that because they have both been responsible for this country and both have failed to deliver upon the transformation of the economy and of the country generally.” 

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said yesterday he hoped the decision to award a $400 million dollar contract to contractor Kallco to construct the first segment of the Churchill Roosevelt Highway extension to Manzanilla will motivate other local contractors to bid for State projects.

Speaking at the sod-turning ceremony, at Cumuto, Rowley said Kallco submitted the lowest bid for the project and he believed that the company had the necessary equipment and experience to complete the job on time and with no cost overruns.

Kallco is one of the local contractors which had been criticised by the then People's National Movement as being favoured by the former People's Partnership administration.

He said six contractors had submitted tenders for the contract —four local and two foreign contractors.

Rowley said he hoped the decision to award the contract to a local contractor will motivate local contractors to tender for jobs and would be competitive and give the taxpayers value for their money. The prime minister said the tendering process to award the contract to Kallco was robust and rigid.

He said that this extension of the highway is part of Government’s plan to open up economic space in the North Eastern part of the country and it is expected to generate and foster economic activity.

Rowley said because of the harsh economic times, due to fallen oil and gas prices, the Government had to stretch its hands to do more with less.

He also warned contractors not to expect the same margin of profits as before. Under this Government it is a thing of the past, he said.

The highway extension will be built in three phases. The first phase to construct 34 km of roadway is expected to be completed in 10 months.

RALPH BANWARIE