THIS WEEK’S TOP NEWS STORIES
RULING BY JAMAICAN COURT ALLOWS DREADLOCKED GIRL TO ATTEND SCHOOL
The five-year-old daughter of Sherine Virgo was accepted by a top public school in Kingston, but when she went to an orientation, the principal told her that her that she would have to cut the girl’s dreadlocks in order to attend. The school had a no-dreadlocks policy based on “hygiene” and “avoiding lice.” However, after a challenge from Jamaicans for Justice, the girl will start school with her dreadlocks intact. The Kingston court handed down an injunction that ordered the girl be allowed to attend school. This action could be the first step in a constitutional challenge that could end the practice of keeping children with dreadlocks or “natural hair” from going to school. The ruling could also result in ending the historically discriminatory treatment of Rastafarians who wear dreadlocks as part of their culture.
CROCODILE THAT KILLED MAN IN ST. CATHERINE SOUGHT BY AUTHORITIES
National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) staff and personnel from the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) are looking for the crocodile that killed and devoured parts of a man in Hellshire, St. Catherine. The body of Wilford Edmondson, 67, was found in a mangrove in the area after he was attacked by the reptile, which then dragged him into Hellshire pond. According to NEPA, an incident response team visited the location and is consulting with police in an investigation. NEPA is warning the public to take care in the areas that are clearly identified as the natural habitats of crocodiles.
THIS WEEK’S TOP CARIBBEAN NEWS
IN TRINIDAD, UNIONS PLANNING FOR NATIONWIDE STRIKE IN SEPTEMBER 2018
Plans for a day of “rest and reflection” have been announced by the Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM). On September 7, 2018, union members are supporting the Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU), which is attempting to stop the closing of the refinery of the country’s state-owned oil company PETROTRIN. The company said it would close the refinery operation as part of its overall restructuring plan as it has experienced losses totaling in the billions of dollars in recent years. The JTUM, which represents banking employees, teachers, nurses, farmers, and communications workers, is telling its members to stay away from work on September 7 to protest the decision to close the refinery.
THIS WEEK’S TOP JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
FIRST WORLD REGGAE FESTIVAL IN WASHINGTON DC A BIG SUCCESS
On August 4, 2018, nearly a month of celebrations marking the 56th anniversary of Jamaica’s independence began for people in Washington DC, Syracuse, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. The finale event, endorsed by the Jamaican Embassy in Washington DC under Ambassador Audrey Marks, attracted many Jamaicans in the Diaspora and supporters of Jamaica’s culture. A highlight of the celebrations was the inaugural DC World Reggae Festival. The festival features artists including Toots Hibbert, Chronixx, and Shabba Ranks. Ambassador Marks said that in terms of total attendance, it was the largest reggae festival every held in the District of Columbia. The reggae festival was held on August 19 at the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium and showcased reggae music in a family-friendly atmosphere.
THIS WEEK’S TOP BUSINESS NEWS SUMMARY
CARIBBEAN FLAVOURS TO SUPPLY REGIONAL MANUFACTURERS
Caribbean Flavours & Fragrances Ltd. (CFF) is introducing a salt-reducing and sugar-reducing agent, Flavour Fit, to beverage and baking trades in Jamaica and throughout the Caribbean. The product will be made locally and has over 100 applications, depending on manufacturers’ needs, according to managing director Derrick Cotterell. Personnel at the company were trained in Mexico and the United States over two years to prepare for the rollout of the product in Jamaica. CFF will be the sole distributor for Flavour Fit in the region and is initiating a plan to bring the product to market in other Caribbean countries, including Barbados, St. Kitts, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Grenada, and the Dominican Republic.
THIS WEEK’S TOP ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
NEW RHYTHM COMPILATION CREATED BY VISUALLY IMPAIRED PRODUCERS
Shavane ‘Escallibah’ Daley and Askel have partnered to produce “The Sweet Dreams” project, a new rhythm complication designed to promote the culture of Jamaica. The project features numerous up-and-coming recording artists. According to Escallibah, the project is meant to build on the idea that Jamaica’s visually impaired individuals have shown that disabilities can give rise to other, new abilities. While it is unusual for visually impaired acts to succeed, some have achieved commercial success and provide inspiration. He believes that as a blind cultural practitioner, he is following in the footsteps of Frankie Paul, Derick Morgan, the great Fab 5 Band, Roy Richards and Askel, who have paved the way. He wants to “do my part in carrying on the legacy.”
THIS WEEK’S TOP SPORTS NEWS
JAMAICA WILL HOST THE IAAF 2019 WORLD RELAYS, SAYS CONFIDENT JAAA
The Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) is confident that Jamaica will host the (AAF World Relays in 2019, according to the association’s president Dr. Warren Blake. The process is expected to be completed within days, and Dr. Blake would also like the IAAF to consider providing NACAC champions a wild entry into the future Worlds. Once the contract has been signed, the IAAF World Relays will be brought to Jamaica’s shores in 2019. Until now, the Bahamas has been the only country to host the event since it began in 2014 and declined to host the 2019 staging because of financial constraints.
