RTC Director – Page 862 – Radio Turks & Caicos

Dominican men remanded in St. Lucia

Two Dominican men, who were accosted in St. Lucia on Friday with over 1,400 pounds or marijuana, were remanded into custody on Monday, March 18th and are scheduled to re-appear in court on April 30th.

Alex James, 39 and Rawlins Rolle, 33 appeared before the Second District Court on Monday. They were charged with possession of a controlled drug and possession with the intent to supply a control drug, according to a police statement.

Members of the Marine Unit intercepted a blue, orange and black pirogue named “Von Von” about 8.2 nautical miles south of Gros Piton in Soufriere with 1, 487.2 pounds of the drug.

The men were travelling on the vessel according to a statement by the St. Lucia Police; however it did not indicate the street value for the marijuana seized.

by RTC Director

DFID names replacement CFO for Turks & Caicos

The Department for International Development (DFID) in London has nominated Stephen Turnbull as the country’s new Chief Financial Officer for an interim period with effect from 4th May.

He replaces the outgoing Chief Financial Officer Hugh McGarel-Groves. Mr. Turnbull will travel to the TCI this week to begin the handover and to assist the Ministry of Finance with its budget and fiscal planning. He is a qualified accountant with more than twenty years of experience, of which over five years have been in Overseas Territories, including two as a Public Finance Adviser in TCI.

Mr. Turnbull will remain CFO until the end of August, during which time he will help the TCI Government to continue on its path towards sustainable public finances. The Department for International Development is in the process of recruiting a permanent CFO to take over from Mr. Turnbull in due course.

by RTC Director

Allocation of voters for By-Elections

The Supervisor of Elections Mr. Dudley Lewis has announced the allocation of voters to polling stations for the by-election on March 22 for the Richmond Hill and Cheshire Hall Electoral District in Providenciales. Polling stations will be at the Gustavos Lightbourne Sporting Complex and the TCI Community College. Electors with family names A-L will vote at the Gustavos Lightbourne Sporting Complex while electors with family names M-Z will vote at the TCI Community College. Here’s Chris Jarrett with more on the election.

The Elections Ordinance requires that the Supervisor allocate each elector to an appropriately designated polling station within their electoral district in any case where there is more than one polling station in a district. This is done by the Supervisor providing the Returning Officer with an official list of the names of those people who are eligible to vote that that polling station as required under the Election Ordinance. “To cast your vote at a particular polling station, your details MUST appear on the official list for that venue. This means that you MUST vote at the polling station within your electoral district to which you have been allocated,” Mr. Lewis said.

The Supervisor of Elections noted that individuals who attempt to vote at a polling station, to which they have not been allocated, will NOT be allowed to vote and will instead be referred to the designated polling station. Voters Lists are being posted at the following locations in Electoral District 7- Richmond Hill & Cheshire Hall:

· General Post Office

· Public Library

· Lu Lu’s Food Store

· Provo Discount Pharmacy

· Lamont Restaurant

· Chinson’s Restaurant

· Texaco Gas Station

· Grant’s Gas Station

Mr. Lewis is also reminding the public that under Section 40 of the Elections Ordinance, it is an offense to vote at more than one polling station in the same electoral district or more than once in the same district on polling day.

This is Chris Jarrett for RTC News.

by RTC Director

The Supreme Court & the Assembly Members

The Supreme Court hearing into the cases of five assembly members have been adjourned until April 9^th without a verdict by the Chief Justice Judge Goldborough - who ordered a sitting of the court in Grand Turk on Saturday. That means for the moment that the political balance in the Assembly will be decided for the moment by Friday’s by-election. Currently the PNP and PDM each hold seven seats. The validity of the election of the MPs was challenged by the Attorney General’s Office following a referral from the Integrity Commission for alleged breaches of the constitution’s rules for candidates on declarations of interest. The cases were referred to the Supreme Court by Rhondalee Braithwaite-Knowles, Acting Attorney General who lodged a challenge to the election of the candidates. RTC has been told the Chief Justice considers there are serious issues of law to nbe determined in at least two of the cases.

by RTC Director

by-Election for this Friday

Polling stations open at 7.00 am on Friday for the Cheshire Hall and Richmond Hill by-election electoral district 7, Providenciales. They will close at 7.00 pm.

Dudley Lewis, the Supervisor of Elections, said today he wanted to remind every employer with employees on the Richmond Hill and Cheshire electors register they must allow the voters a reasonable period for voting. They could not make any deductions from the pay or other remunerations of any voter - or impose or exact any penalty for the worker being absent during the period.

Mr Lewis said any employer who directly or indirectly interfered with the granting of voting time would be guilty of an offense and liable to a fine of $1,000 or to imprisonment for 6 months or both. Mr Lewis said he also wanted to remind candidates and political supporters during the remaining days before the by-election to stick strictly to the rules of campaigning and expenditure that were permissible under the Elections and Political Activities Ordinances.

by RTC Director

Virus cause Cruise Center to Close

The stomach virus that has made many people ill over the past fortnight in Grand Turk has still not been specifically identified according to the Premier, the Honourable. Dr. Rufus Ewing this afternoon. But, he says that laboratory tests are still continuing to try to identify the exact type of virus it is. It is still not known whether the virus originated from the water supply at Margarita Ville at the Grand Turk Cruise Center or it whether it arrived onboard one of the cruise ships that came to Grand Turk earlier this month. Dr. Ewing said that of this moment there is only one person on Grand Turk suffering seriously from the diarrhea and sickness bug. Earlier this afternoon he spoke to the RTC Newsroom.

by RTC Director

Madonna celebrates Anderson Cooper at Glaad Awards

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Madonna presented talk show host Anderson Cooper with a trophy at the Glaad Media awards in New York.

The annual event celebrates the gay, lesbian and transgender community.

Other winners on the night included director Brett Ratner and TV shows Smash and The Amazing Race.

Madonna gave an impassioned speech to the audience about discrimination and tolerance, while dressed as a boy scout.

"When I think about young kids in America who are being bullied and tortured, who are taking their own lives because they feel alone and judged, outcast and misunderstood, I want to sit down and cry rivers of tears," she said.

"I have teenagers of my own now, and the idea of them, or any young person experiencing that kind of pain is unfathomable to me, It's an atrocity to me. I don't accept it."

Journalist and author Cooper was given the Vito Russo Award, named after a Glaad (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) founder, which is presented to an openly LGBT media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting equality.

Accepting his award, Cooper said "being gay is certainly one of the greatest blessings" and that it had "opened my head and heart in ways that I never could have predicted"

by RTC Director

Tone Loc Collapses on Stage in Iowa

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Rapper and actor Tone Loc collapsed on stage late Saturday night, March 16, during a St. Patrick's Day concert featuring Loc and other hip-hop artists at the Bridge Bash in Des Moines, Iowa. Three Des Moines Register employees said that Loc, whose real name is Anthony T. Smith, fell onto the stage after completing a song.

Several emergency personnel rushed into action, kneeling over Loc's body to treat him. Fans were asked to leave while the 47-year-old rapper received the treatment. Despite the health scare, the father of two sons refused to be taken to hospital.

Loc's rep did not give any comment regarding the incident.

Loc, who is best known for his 1980s hits "Funky Cold Medina" and "Wild Thing", has had a history of collapsing on stage. In 2009, Loc was rushed to a Florida hospital after collapsing during a concert. The rapper injured his elbow when hitting the ground. Two years later, he was hospitalized for exhaustion after collapsing on stage during a concert in Atlanta.

Tone Loc made his debut in the music industry in the late 1980s. In 1990, he received two Grammy nominations for Best New Artist and Best Rap Solo Performance. Besides rapping, he also acts, starring in more than a dozen movies, including "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" and "Heat".

by RTC Director

Gwyneth Paltrow 'Nearly Died' Due to Miscarriage

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Gwyneth Paltrow told Daily Mail in a candid interview on Sunday, March 17, that she experienced miscarriage in her third pregnancy which nearly cost her life. Paltrow and husband Chris Martin, who already have an 8-year-old daughter, Apple, and a 6-year-old son, Moses, revealed that their children wanted another sibling. "My children ask me to have a baby all the time. And you never know, I could squeeze one more in. I am missing my third. I'm thinking about it," she said.

Paltrow added, "But I had a really bad experience when I was pregnant with my third. It didn't work out and I nearly died. So I am like, 'Are we good here or should we go back and try again?' " She said that looking at Beyonce Knowles and Jay-Z's adorable daughter made her want to give it another try. "Their baby Blue Ivy is totally delish. She's made me very broody," the actress confessed.

Paltrow also expressed her hope to have another child back then in August 2012. "I would love to, but I don't know if I can go back to diapers and things like that. I'm so past that, I think I may have missed the window. I think maybe when Moses was three I would have done it, but now he's six and such a guy I feel like I'm out of the baby phase. If it happens, it happens," Paltrow said.

In the same Daily Mail interview, Paltrow praised her husband highly. "Regardless of what happens in our marriage, I chose the best father," she gushed. She went on saying, "[Chris] is so good to the children and to know that you had kids with such a good man is a real weight off you. We are committed co-parents, we make all the decisions together and lean on each other for support."

by RTC Director

It is Jazz season in the Caribbean

Around this time of year, annually, with the advent of Easter, jazz buffs whet their lips for what has come to be known as “the jazz season.”

The season actually began on March 1 when the Jazz Alliance of T&T (JATT) presented world acclaimed trumpeter Brownman Ali in concert at the Live Art Bistro, on Albion Street, Port-of-Spain. Schooled in New York, and based in Toronto, Canada, Ali was born in Trinidad, and he was accompanied by bassist BJ Sanders and drummer Sean Thomas.

The jazz feast continues tomorrow with the eagerly awaited Jazz Artists on the Greens 2013, staged by Production One Ltd, on The Greens, at Farm Road, St Joseph. This promises to be a terrific concert and it is being headlined by Alexis Baro Latin Jazz Sextet, Andy Narell, Jesse Ryan 6tet, and the avant garde Xavier Strings.

Come April 13, the Rotary Clubs of Maraval and Port-of-Spain Central will stage the second edition of their annual Jazz Under the Trees, at 5.30 pm, at O’Farrell’s Waterville Estate, La Sagesse Road, Santa Cruz. Both Rotary Clubs which have been in existence for over ten years and they continue to strive and assist the less fortunate in our community by holding several fund-raising initiatives.

This signature project which was held for the first time in 2012 was well attended by many patrons. The funds raised will be used to support charitable projects of the Rotary Club of Maraval, in particular for the Learning Centre located in Woodbrook.

This school was established since 1999 and provides a very comprehensive tuition programme engaging the children in their academic requirements, life skills, music and sport activities. The school has been successful in providing a learning environment for street children, youths who have fallen prey to the ills of society and those less privileged in our community. The school is also directed by a Board of very skilled professionals in the field of education.

Proceeds will also fund charitable projects of the Rotary Club of Central Port-of-Spain and include The All In One School Project, Model United Nations (MUN), The Adopt A Child Project and The Salvation Army Project.

Some of the acts billed to perform on the night include elan parle, Overdrive, Johann Chuckaree, and Ruth Osman & Jacoustik.

For further information contact Joan Auguste (684-9036), email address “joanauguste@yahoo.com; or, Rabindra Outar (618 7900), email address “rho4tax@gmail.com

Hosted by the Division of Tourism and Transportation of the Tobago House of Assembly, the 2013 Tobago Jazz Experience is scheduled for April 20-28, at several venues, including Speyside, Signal Hill, Scarborough, Castara and the Pigeon Point Heritage Park. This year’s event will feature Grammy Award winners India Arie, Dionne Warwick and Melanie Fiona, along with a host of local and regional talent.

In the wake of the Tobago Jazz Experience comes the popular St Lucia Jazz festival.

Now dubbed the Saint Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival, the 13-day event opens on April 30 with the organisers hoping to attract thousands to the historic Pigeon Island National Landmark, where the bulk of the festival events will unfold.

The cast of this year’s festival includes world acclaimed artistes like locals Robbie Greenidge and David Rudder, R. Kelly, The O’Jays, Akon, The Jacksons, Brian Culbertson, Folk Coalition, Tito Puente Jr, Tony Allen with the FELA dancers, Ginuwine, and ACE.

by RTC Director