THIS WEEK’S TOP NEWS STORIES
EMERGENCY FUNDS ALLOCATED TO FLOODED MONTEGO BAY
The Jamaican government will provide $20 million to help with the recovery of Montego Bay following flood damage caused by heavy rains on November 22, 2017. According to Desmond McKenzie, Minister of Local Government, $10 million in funding will come from the Equalization Fund. Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the Ministry of Labor will provide help to residents displaced by the flooding. Montego Bay received a month’s worth of rainfall in 24 hours on the 22nd, according to the Meteorological Service.
LAWYERS FOR HANNA CALL OCG ALLEGATIONS “BASELESS”
The lawyers representing Lisa Hanna, Member of Parliament for St. Ann South Eastern, are discounting the findings of the Office of the Contractor General (OCG) that Hanna was involved in wrongdoing. Promising to defend Hanna’s integrity, attorney K.D. Knight said the accusations of misbehavior in a public office against Hanna are “baseless.” Hanna, formerly Minister of Culture, is currently the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) shadow minister for foreign affairs. The OCG accusations stem from her alleged direct influence on the awarding of bushing and drain-cleaning contracts in her constituency in 2012. Hanna faces accusations of having a direct influence over $13 million in contracts over a five-year period.
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THIS WEEK’S TOP CARIBBEAN NEWS
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TRUMP’S PLANS TO SEND HAITIANS HOME ANGERS BLACK CARIBBEAN LAWMAKERS
The Trump Administration in the United States has decided to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 60,000 undocumented Haitian nationals who entered the US following the devastating earthquake in 2010. A delay of 18 months is associated with the termination is being implemented in order to allow for “an orderly transition.” Black Caribbean lawmakers and Black Democratic members of the US Congress have expressed their outrage at the decision.
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THIS WEEK’S TOP JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
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CANADIAN UNIVERSITY OFFERS COURSE IN JAMAICAN DANCEHALL
Simon Fraser University in British Columbia has become the first university in Canada to offer Jamaican Dancehall courses. Mikhail Morris, 28, Jamaican-born dancer and choreographer who is now based in Vancouver, is teaching the first course, which is called “Introduction to Dance Forms: Contemporary and Popular Subject: Dancehall History and Fundamentals.” The course combines theory and dance and was created to discuss the socio-historical elements that inspired the creation of reggae and dancehall music and culture. The fact that the university has developed an actual course on dancehall represents a huge step toward the acceptance of dancehall as a valid art form.
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THIS WEEK’S TOP BUSINESS NEWS SUMMARY
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DOLPHIN COVE IN JAMAICA BENEFITS FROM HURRICANES
Increased revenue obtained by Dolphin Cove Limited has been attributed to the diversion of cruise ships from other Caribbean destinations as a result of damage suffered in the hurricanes of 2017. Dolphin Cove has seen its revenues increase by 11 percent for the period ending September 2017, a total of US$447,000. According to Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett, the island is on track to break previous figures for number of visitor arrivals and the amount of money spent by those visitors collectively. The operator of Dolphin Cove also cited an improved United States economy for the venue’s higher revenue.
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THIS WEEK’S TOP ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
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DANCE THEATER CELEBRATES 29 YEARS OF PERFORMANCES
The Company Dance Theatre continued its legacy of precision and uniform movement with its 29th Season of Dance. Renee I. McDonald and Tony Wilson, the artistic director, choreographed the works in the performance. Wilson created four of the six dances on show, with his “Journey” from 2013 as the opening act. The dance moves were complimented and highlighted by excellent lighting and talented dancers who moved through the dance formations with skill and accuracy. Wilson’s other works performed at included “Silhouette” from 2002, “The Web” from 2016,, and “Streams,” which included the entire company as the finale.
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THIS WEEK’S TOP SPORTS NEWS
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JAMAICAN WOMEN’S BOBSLED TEAM SEEKS OLYMPIC GOLD
Thirty years after “Cool Runnings,” the film that popularized the 1988 Jamaica’s men’s bobsled team and their first appearance at the Olympic Games, the Jamaican women’s bobsled team is looking to win gold at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. While facing difficulties in January 2017, the women overcame their problems and found funding and an experienced and resourceful coach and bobsled manager, Jo Manning. The changes allowed them to begin competing. The team has been training in South Korea since March 2017, naming themselves “Gold Squad: Fire on Ice.” They plan to make history by being the first Winter Olympics’ women’s bobsled team from Jamaica.
