News Briefs

Liberalisation of public transportation system to begin June 3

The public transportation system is to be liberalised as of June 3.

Minister of Transport Robert Montague had announced a May start, but the Transport Authority said there was a delay because of the sheer volume of applications for renewals. In order to ensure that the processing of renewal applications is completed, prior to the acceptance of new applications, the decision was taken to commence accepting new applications on June 3.

Under the liberalised system, the Transport Authority will resume the acceptance of new applications for all categories of road licenses islandwide, except for hackney carriages in the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region. This will result in the opening of 1, 251 routes across the island to include 989 route taxi and 262 rural stage carriage routes.

 

 

Two arrested in guns, drugs bust

A man and a woman were arrested on Sunday when police seized two illegal guns, an assortment of ammunition and 900 pounds of ganja in Portland Cottage, Clarendon.

Reports from the Hayes police are that about 5:30 a.m., a team conducting operations searched a premises and seized one Intratec submachine gun and Bryco .38 revolver. The cops also seized two magazines, one hundred 9mm cartridges and forty-seven .38 rounds.

Nine hundred pounds of compressed ganja, which has a street value of $4.5 million, was also found.

The identities of the man and woman in custody are being withheld until they are charged.

 

 

Second suspect in cop shooting turns himself in

The police are reporting that the second man wanted in relation to the shooting of Constable Sheldon Murray in Norwood, St James, on Sunday, April 21 has turned himself in.

Twenty-three-year-old Brandon Stora of Norwood, St James, who was listed as wanted by detectives from the St James Police Division, turned himself in about 5:20 p.m. on Saturday.

The other man wanted in connection to the incident, Steve Earle, a welder of Hendon, Norwood, had turned himself in last Tuesday.

Both men are expected to be interviewed in the presence of their attorney(s) as investigations progress.

The policeman, who reportedly received eight shots to the chest and arm, is being treated for the injuries.

 

 

JET disappointed with Carnival clean-up

The Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) says it is disappointed with the efforts of carnival organisers and state agencies in having the streets of Kingston cleaned following Sunday’s road march by revellers.

“ ... The sheer magnitude of the event, over 10,000 revellers and thousands more spectators, would have required that significant capacity be invested in solid waste manage systems to ensure adequate clean-up after the event,” the environmental lobby complained in a letter to The Gleaner yesterday.

“It appears that these systems were either poorly designed to begin with or broke down during this year’s carnival activity,” JET added.

Further to the piles of garbage left by yesterday’s activities, JET said it has received complaints about littering from other carnival events.

JET called on the State to enforce the anti-litter laws and to ensure that promoters adhere to the provisions of their permits.

“Kingston should not be waking up to the mess left by carnival in the future,” it said.