Black Immigrant Daily News

Edley Lopez Deans, the former Clerk to the Houses of Parliament who served five Jamaican Prime Ministers and two national heroes in a career spanning more than 60 years has died.

Deans passed away on Saturday, August 27. No cause of death was given.

The well-liked Deans served as Assistant Clerk of the Legislature in 1956. He then served as Deputy Clerk of the independent Parliament from 1968 to 1978 and was appointed Clerk to the Houses in 1978.

Deans retired as Clerk to the Houses in 1994 and then went on to serve as a consultant to the Parliament on parliamentary practice and procedures until 2002. In 1982, Deans was awarded the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander for his service to the Parliament.

Parliamentarians and staff of the Houses of Parliament have expressed sadness at his passing.

In his tribute, President of the Senate, Tom Tavares-Finson stated: “Mr. Edley Deans joined the staff of the Parliament as Assistant Clerk before Independence and served in the Chamber until 1994 when he retired and was subsequently employed to the Clerk’s office as a consultant. During his time with the Parliament, he served with two national heroes, the Rt. Excellent Sir Alexander Bustamante and the Rt. Excellent Norman Manley”.

Tavares-Finson noted that Deans also served with several Prime Ministers – Sir Donald Sangster, Hugh Shearer, Michael Manley, Edward Seaga and PJ Patterson.

“In so doing he would have had a bird’s eye view of the political history of the country. Mr. Deans was the consummate civil servant who operated without bias or favour and was a deep well of knowledge as it relates to parliamentary practice and procedure. Above all, he is described as a gentleman,” Tavares-Finson added.

For her part, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert said: “Mr. Deans displayed professionalism, patience and sensitivity in his role as Clerk. He was keen on making sure that correct procedures as set out in our Constitution were followed and that the image of Parliament was upheld at all times. On behalf of the House of Representatives, I extend condolences to the Deans family.”

And speaking on behalf of the Parliamentary staff, Valrie Curtis, Clerk to the Houses, said: “Mr. Deans played a key role in preserving the institutional memory of the Parliament. He was always willing to share his knowledge and offer his guidance in this regard, even after he demitted office. He was always sincere in what he said and did and was very approachable. We are truly grateful for the service he rendered to the Parliament and the people of Jamaica”.

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Two young Saint Lucian boxers picked up medals on their debut at the 5th Annual Winfield Braithwaite Caribbean Schoolboys & Junior Boxing Tournament held in Georgetown, Guyana, from August 26-28, 2022.

Fifteen-year-old middleweight boxer Kevert Similien picked up gold while fourteen-year-old lightweight boxer Herve Charlemagne picked up silver.

The tournament was held at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall and featured boxers from Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, The Bahamas, and Saint Lucia.

Host country Guyana was the best team overall and retained the Winfield Braithwaite trophy, picking up seven gold medals, two silver medals and a bronze medal at the three-night event.

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Over the years that the tournament has been held, young Saint Lucian boxers have consistently medaled at the regional tournament, which has been used as a platform for them to hone their pugilistic skills.

Similien, who also fought one fight and made it to the final, admitted he was a bit nervous before the fight. However, his confidence kicked in, resulting in his opponent being given two standing 8-counts in the first round.

“My opponent was taller, bigger and more muscular than me,” he said. “But I know for my age and size, I pack a lot of power, so I started jabbing at first. The first jab I caught him with, I noticed instantly that he was scared. I came to the ring to just brawl because I somehow knew my opponent wasn’t ready for me.”

Similien, who attends St. Mary’s College, started boxing in April this year. When he was younger, he always wanted to box. He said boxers like Canelo Alvarez, Floyd Mayweather, Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson gave him the inspiration to box.

“At the time, I never knew there was a boxing gym in Saint Lucia. So when I found out there was one, I took the opportunity to join. So far, it’s been a great experience. There are many painful days, obviously. I get to work on my cardio and get stronger,” Similien explained.

Charlemagne, who also fought one bout and made it to the final, said: “It was a nice experience, especially for my first time in a competition. I saw many impressive boxers and performances. The experience inspired me to train harder and do more.”

Charlemagne, who also attends St. Mary’s College, took up boxing last November after being encouraged by his friends.

Both boxers thanked their families and relatives, fellow students and boxers and Coaches Conrad Fredericks and Hilary Dalson for encouraging them to pursue their career goals. They also hope to perform admirably in upcoming tournaments.

President of the St. Lucia Boxing Association (SLBA), David “Shakes” Christopher, congratulated the two boxers for making impressive debuts at the regional tournament on a highly competitive note.

“We really appreciate and are excited about the performance of these two young boxers, especially since they were competing for the first time,” Christopher said this week. “It’s a good investment for us and we will continue to invest in our young boxers because that’s where the champions are really found. Many kudos to the two boxers and their coach. We hope that they will continue to hone their craft and shape their boxing career.”

He added: “We really want to thank our sponsors who came on board to support us with this venture. Right now, we’re looking forward to the Caribbean Boxing Championships slated for December in Dominica where we will again be featuring many of our young boxers.”

Meanwhile, National Head Boxing Coach, Conrad Fredericks, who accompanied the two boxers to the Guyana tournament, said: “These two boxers are very disciplined and the results proved that. They’ve done well and deserve their gold and silver medals because they worked very hard.”

With the Caribbean Boxing Championships slated to be held in December in Dominica, Fredericks said more victories and exposure are in the pipeline for the boxing gyms growing number of boxers.

“We’re hoping to take a team of male and female boxers to that competition,” Fredericks said. “Hopefully, we’ll get the right funding to make that happen. The boxing gym is stepping up and we need all the support we can get.”

The SLBA again thanks everyone who made it possible for our boxers to compete at this year’s tournament, especially given the hike in airfares. Therefore, we thank Leslie Clarke from Domino’s Pizza, Dr. Stephen King, Baron Foods Ltd., 1st National Bank, Ministry of Youth Development and Sports, National Lotteries Authority. Special thanks also to Joseph “Reds” Perreira, former SLBA President, for his efforts towards making the tournament a success.

The tournament is named after Winfield Braithwaite, a retired Guyanese lightweight welterweight boxer, who represented Guyana at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Canada, where he won a gold medal in the final via a knockout in the first round over James Douglas of Scotland.

SOURCE: St. Lucia Boxing Association. Headline photo: Youth boxers Herve Charlemagne (left) and Kevert Similien (right) with Coach Conrad Fredericks at the Vigie Boxing Gym on Thursday.

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Un hombre murió en un accidente de motora, a eso de las 9:05 de la noche del viernes, en la calle Callejón Ángel Guilló Martínez, sector Morel, barrio Zanjas en Camuy.

Según el reporte de las autoridades, Luis Daniel Tosado Soto de 23 años, conducía una motora tipo motor cross, marca Honda, color negro. La motora ni el conductor tenían licencia.

El sujeto realizaba piruetas (wheeling) mientras rebasaba un vehículo al cual impactó.

Como consecuencia, perdió el control del volante e impactó una verja en cemento y tubos. Murió en el lugar.

Fue identificado por su hermano en el lugar del accidente.

El agente Rubén Cordero Cruz, adscrito a la división de Patrullas de Carreteras de Arecibo, investigó en unión a la fiscal Daysi Quintero Hernández.

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Depuis hier soir pour certains, ce matin pour d’autres, des milliers d’abonnés d’Odyssi n’ont plus d’eau au robinet. Des travaux sont en cours pour rétablir la situation, informe la société de gestion de l’eau et d’assainissement.

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LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Liverpool were denied another injury-time winner when Mohamed Salah’s shot hit the post in the 95th minute as an entertaining Merseyside derby against Everton somehow ended in a 0-0 draw on Saturday.

Everton had earlier been denied a goal by VAR and a stellar save from Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson, while his counterpart Jordan Pickford also made a handful of good stops to keep the visitors at bay.

Liverpool netted a winner deep into injury time against Newcastle in midweek and nearly repeated the feat when Salah found room for a shot on the right edge of the area but his low effort slammed against the near post after brushing the fingertips of Pickford.

It was the third time that Liverpool hit the woodwork, with Everton also striking the post in the first half of a game that easily could have seen a handful of goals.

Everton thought they had gone ahead in the 69th when former Liverpool player Conor Coady was on hand to turn in a low cross-shot from Neal Maupay at the far post, sparking massive celebrations among the home fans at Goodison Park. But a VAR review showed Coady was offside, and the goal was disallowed.

With the hosts looking stronger toward the end, Dwight McNeil nearly netted the winner in the 85th when his shot was deflected off the back of a defender and looped toward the far post, but Alisson was at full stretch to push it over the bar.

Liverpool countered moments later, with halftime substitute Roberto Firmino forcing a low save from Pickford — the third time he was bested by the England goalkeeper.

For Liverpool, the draw is yet another setback in a stuttering start to the season that has seen Jurgen Klopp’s team drop points in four of the opening six games. For his counterpart Frank Lampard, the result — and performance — could boost his chances of staying in the job after a winless start to the campaign. It was Everton’s fourth straight draw.

The Merseyside derby is always among the most intense fixtures of the Premier League season and the start of the game was more feisty than free-flowing. But the teams combined to hit the woodwork three times in the first half.

Everton came close to scoring in the 33rd when Anthony Gordon shook off a defender to put the ball into the box, where Maupay’s shot was blocked by Virgil van Dijk and the ball fall to Tom Davies, who toe-poked it against the far post with the goal gaping.

Liverpool came even closer in the 44th, hitting the woodwork twice in quick succession.

Striker Darwin Nunez, back from a suspension, downed a ball on his chest on the right edge of the area and hit a fierce volley that Pickford palmed against the crossbar. Luis Diaz then collected the ball and cut in from the left and curled a shot against the far post.

During a period of end-to-end play midway through the second half, Pickford then had to make three saves in quick succession to keep the game scoreless.

He first steered away a low shot from Firmino and then pushed away a header from the Brazilian forward from the resulting corner. Moments later, he had to get down low again to stop a shot from Fabinho.

That also resulted in a corner, but now it was Everton’s turn to launch a quick counterattack, with Demarai Gray teeing up Maupay in the area, but the striker’s shot was blocked by Alisson.

It was to be the goalkeepers’ day at Goodison Park.

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