Black Immigrant Daily News

Agentes de la División de Personas Desaparecidas del CIC de Vega Baja, buscan a un hombre de 77 años de edad que desapareció el día 25 de septiembre del año en curso, de los predios del barrio Breñas en Vega Alta.  

Carmelo Acevedo Pérez, fue reportado desaparecido por su sobrina, María Acevedo Monserrate. 

Acevedo Pérez, fue descrito como de 5 pies 2 pulgadas de estatura, 120 libras de peso, tez blanca, ojos color marrón y cabello canoso. Además, se informó que se desconoce si tiene señas particulares. 

Al momento de su desaparición, vestía pantalón corto de color rojo y una camisa de color gris. 

Si usted conoce el paradero de esta persona, comuníquese, al CIC de Vega Baja al 787 858 2665 o al 787 343 2020 o a través de la cuenta oficial de Twitter @PRPDNoticias y en Facebook www.facebook/prpdgov.  

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Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales – Photo by Angelo Marcelle

MINISTER of Public Utilities Marvin Gonzales said several of the recommendations from the report on the February island-wide blackout have been “acted upon and completed.”

On February 16, all of Trinidad was without power for 12.5 hours. Tobago was unaffected.

A Cabinet-appointed expert committee was assigned to investigate the cause of the blackout and submit a report.

The report revealed the cause was a large, falling, fungus-infected palmiste tree. The tree fell on a single-phase Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC)12 KV distribution line near Grants Trace Extension Road and the National Gas Company (NGC) private road in Rousillac.

Speaking in Parliament on Friday afternoon, Gonzales said it had been a “challenging year” for his ministry, which “plays an integral role in the development of our nation.”

He said some of the recommendations of the report were still under way, but several had been completed.

He said one of its observations was that the country’s electricity supply is “a robust one with reasonable redundancy and generally well-operated.”

He said the 220 KV Union Gandhi line, for which the contract was issued in 2021, is set to be complete by February 2023.

“Construction is in progress and the towers have all been installed.”

He said other recommendations included creating an emergency response plan for power-system failure, identifying system vulnerabilities that could lead to “catastrophic failures,” developing power-system restoration procedures and a “proper communication protocol” between T&TEC and the independent power producers’ (IPPs’) control centres, checking the capabilities for DC batteries at various sub-stations, and meeting with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management to “work out mechanisms for a response to island-wide blackouts” have been completed.

In addition, he said a survey was done of the cost of constructing a double-circuit line from BC sub-station to gateway sub-station and the cost was estimated as $500 million.

As for what is still under way, he said the development of islanding schemes for the power system and meetings with the IPPs to develop a load-rejection scheme.

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TWO appeals were reinstated on Friday because of errors by the presiding magistrate, and a third because the appellant failed to turn up for it.

In one of the matters, Leslie Joseph will face another trial for using annoying language to provoke others to commit a breach of the peace, after Appeal Court judges Allan Mendonca and Gillian Lucky reinstated the State’s appeal in the name of the arresting officer, Insp Arlet Groome, who charged Joseph.

Presiding over the appeal virtually, Mendonca said it appeared the “magistrate got it awfully wrong” in throwing out the charge against Joseph, because “his recollection was that it was not a charge known in law.”

Mendonca said it appeared the magistrate “misunderstood what the charge was all about” and didn’t take the time to look at the relevant section of law.

“If he did, he would have seen it covered…It comes across as if magistrates are not provided with lawbooks as well and have to recall from memory.”

Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Tricia Hudlin-Cooper prosecuted the appeal, which was allowed. Since the matter was reinstated, it will return to the magistrates’ court for prosecution.

The other appeal to be reinstated involved a matter at the Arima magistrates’ court in which charges against Kevon Baptiste were dismissed because of the absence of the officer who charged him.

However, assistant DPP Sabrina Dougdeen-Jaglal, who prosecuted the appeal, said at the time the magistrate had been told the charging officer (or complainant) was at the Tunapuna court, and the matter could have been stood down to allow him to get to the Arima court.

“The police prosecutor was in communication with him.”

She also said the magistrate did not make further inquiries about the availability of witnesses or whether the matter could have progressed on that day, but simply dismissed it because PC Sean Bidessie was not there.

Mendonca said while delays did compromise the administration of justice, there was no record of whether on that day, the matter had been set aside for a trial.

Both he and Lucky agreed to allow the State’s appeal and have the matter sent back to the Arima court.

Also reinstated was a charge against an Arima woman, Marilyn Layne, who was fined $15,000 for being in possession of 13.65 grammes of cocaine.

Layne appealed the magistrate’s sentence and conviction, but did not show up on Friday to prosecute her appeal.

Mendonca said an appellant had a responsibility to follow through with an appeal. Layne’s appeal was dismissed and her conviction and sentence were affirmed. Mendonca said if she learned of their order, and was still interested, she could apply to have her appeal reinstated.

“Once you file an appeal, you have to pursue it,” was the court’s message.

Another matter was challenged by a man convicted of being in possession of seven grammes of marijuana back in 2017. Acknowledging that the law has since been amended, Mendonca said there was no argument the offence at the time was in breach of the law.

He said with Parliament’s intervention, societal norms now see nothing wrong with someone having 30 grammes for personal use.

“So where do we stand?” he asked.

“I am looking at his record, and the note that this appellant was a candidate for drug treatment court,” Dougdeen-Jaglal said as the judges questioned whether they should not reprimand and discharge Daniel Ramgoolam.

Dougdeen-Jaglal was given an opportunity by the court to find out whether Ramgoolam had been granted bail when he appealed his conviction or had already served the sentence imposed on him.

At Friday’s hearing of magisterial appeals, some were withdrawn and others adjourned to a date in November.

Also presiding over some of the appeals was Justice of Appeal Charmaine Pemberton.

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The Saint Lucia Teachers Union (SLTU) has expressed outrage at the circulation of a viral video recording in a secondary school classroom featuring a male student at the blackboard with a female teacher, accusing her of not teaching correctly.

“You see that – that wrong. One thirty – that wrong,” the student, protractor in hand at the blackboard, declares in the nine-second video.

The student then switches to Kweyol, uttering words to the effect that the teacher cannot even take a measurement, but wants to teach.

He then turns away from the blackboard, puts down the protractor, and slaps what seemed to be a piece of chalk down on a desk nearby while the teacher stands, practically motionless.

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SLTU President Don Howell told reporters Friday that the union got wind of the video late the previous day, sought to determine its authenticity, and reach out to the teacher involved.

“In those things, we also have to be empathetic before we start circulating and spreading or even making statements. We have to be empathetic to the individuals involved,” Howell observed.

He explained that after speaking to and empathising with the teacher, the SLTU contacted the principal and provided advice regarding the next step for the school administration.

But the SLTU President asserted that the incident highlights the matter of student discipline.

In this regard, he declared that a teacher should not have to endure such disrespect in a classroom.

“The teacher is at work. Their conditions of work are supposed to be conducive to allow them to carry out their duties and it is not right that they must endure such levels of indiscipline, such levels of disrespect,” the SLTU President stated.

And he said the SLTU is aware that the Ministry of Education plans to deal with student loitering.

However, Howell disclosed that the union wants the Ministry of Education to make “firm pronouncements” on how it will address student discipline in school to support educators and the work they do.

He explained it was not a fight involving parents, teachers, and the education system.

“We want the entire community to come together and play their part to help us build this next generation of citizens,” Howell said.

He called on all stakeholders, including parents, to work with the schools, teachers, and principals to help deal with the problem of student discipline.

“We are also calling on the Ministry of Education to stand with teachers, to stand with educators in this country, and to make those firm pronouncements as to how they are going to deal with student discipline,” the SLTU President said.

In addition, he said it was unfortunate that the classroom incident occurred on the eve of teachers’ week which runs from October 2 to 9.

“Teachers have gone through a lot over the last few years and to continue going through what they are going through right now, teachers do not deserve that. Teachers are hardworking people and they deserve respect at all levels,” Howell noted.

“We cannot stand and allow our teachers to endure such disrespect,” he stated.

As a result, Howell indicated that the SLTU would continue exploring all its options.

Headline photo: Internet stock image

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