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THIS WEEK’S TOP NEWS  STORIES
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CHAMBERS ANNOUNCES SEIZURE OF 100-PLUS ILLEGAL GUNS IN JANUARY
Clifford Chambers, Jamaica’s Assistant Commissioner of Police, announced that over 100 illegal guns were seized during the first month of 2017. The guns were confiscated through the “Get the Guns” campaign of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). Chambers made the announcement at a gathering of the Small Business Association of Jamaica in Kingston. He noted that the seizure represented part of continuing efforts of the security forces to reduce crime in the nation.

FERGUSON WORRIED ABOUT TRUMP IMPACT ON FARM, HOTEL WORKERS
Dr. Fenton Ferguson, Jamaica’s Opposition spokesperson on Labor and Social Security, is concerned about how the new immigration policies supported by the Trump Administration in the United States might impact Jamaica’s Farm Workers and Hotel Workers program to the US. Ferguson cited the Trump Administration’s emphasis that America and the American worker would be foremost in any policy. He fears that the new approach could significantly reduce the workers’ program.

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THIS WEEK’S TOP CARIBBEAN NEWS
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PRIME MINISTER Of GRENADA DEMANDS LEGAL DAMAGES FROM RADIO HOST
Attorneys Ramdhani and Associates, acting on behalf of Grenada’s Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell, have written to Kem Jones, a local radio talk-show host, demanding that he apologize and retract remarks he made between January 10 and 13, 2017, on a call-in program. They are also requesting that he pay damages and costs. The attorneys claim that Jones used language in answering a caller’s question about the use of call center and shipping agency monies that suggested wrong-doing on the part of Mitchell.

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THIS WEEK’S TOP JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
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CARIBBEAN-AMERICAN LAWMAKERS OUTRAGED AT TRUMP IMMIGRATION ORDERS
Yvette Clarke, Caribbean-American Congresswoman who represents Brooklyn, New York, has expressed outrage over the signing of aggressive executive orders by the United States President that impose significant limits on immigrants. The orders also impose penalties on cities that offer sanctuary to undocumented immigrants. Jumaane Williams, a New York City Council member whose parents are Caribbean immigrants, was arrested at a protest of the Trump Administration policies, saying, “As the son of Grenadian immigrants, and as representative of a district that has a large number of foreign-born residents, Trump’s assault on immigration is offensive and shows the worst of America.”

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THIS WEEK’S TOP BUSINESS NEWS SUMMARY
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SUBSIDIARY OF JPS MAKES US$330 MILLION DEAL TO BUILD NEW POWER PLANT
The South Jamaica Power Company, which is a subsidiary of the Jamaica Public Service Company Limited (JPS), for the construction of a multi-million dollar, 190MW power plant in Old Harbor Bay, St. Catherine. The project will cost US$330 million and is scheduled to begin building in 2019. According to Dan Theoc, general manager of the South Jamaica Power Company, the new plant will make it easier to add more natural gas to the firm’s fuel mix, making a cleaner fuel, and also allow the JPS to shut down its current aging power plant in Old Harbor Bay.

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THIS WEEK’S TOP ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
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SLATE OF ACTIVITIES FOR REGGAE MONTH ANNOUNCED
Kingston’s designation by UNESCO as a “Creative City” is having a positive effect on how the public views events linked to Reggae Month, which is celebrated each February. In observance of Reggae Month, which began with a church service in Trench Town, events include a free open-air concert in Mandela Park, Half-Way Tree, to celebrate the work of Dennis Brown, the Crown Prince of Reggae. There will also be presentations by Reggae Open University, a forum that discusses issues that affect the music industry, weekend music events throughout Kingston and other areas, and celebrations to honor Bob Marley’s birthday.

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THIS WEEK’S TOP SPORTS NEWS
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USAIN BOLT RETURNS GOLD MEDAL FROM 2008 OLYMPIC RELAY
Usain Bolt says that losing one of his nine Olympic gold medals as the result of a teammate being sanctioned for the use of a banned substance, will not have a negative impact on his legacy. According to Bolt, “I am disappointed based on losing a medal, but it won’t take away from what I have done throughout my career, because I have won my individual events and that’s the key thing.” The Jamaican 4×400 relay team was stripped of its gold medal when a re-test of samples from Nesta Carter indicated that he had used a banned substance. “I am not fully happy about the situation but rules are rules,” Bolt said. Carter is planning to appeal the decision from the International Olympic Committee (IOC).