NEWS BRIEFS

COVID slashes KSAMC revenues

The Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) has lost between 10 to 20 per cent in revenue each month since the onset of COVID-19 in March 2020.

“Any percentage decline in revenue is significant, but I believe the municipality has been functioning. We have put measures in place in terms of cost containment and in terms of making sure that the resources are prioritised and used where they are most needed,” said Mayor Delroy Williams.

Major revenue losses have been recorded in the areas of entertainment licensing fees and property taxes.

He noted that construction continues across the municipality, maintaining the inflow of building fees.

The mayor said that projects have been scaled down or delayed to meet the most pressing needs of the KSAMC.

The Ward Theatre, Kulture Key, and the Kingston city sign are among the delayed projects.

Belvedere murder trial to start June 21

A man who reportedly murdered his common-law wife and buried her in a shallow grave in Belvedere, St Andrew, nine years ago is to go on trial in the Home Circuit Court on June 21.

Wilbert Lewars is charged with murder for the September 20, 2011, death of Carlene Davis, who sustained blows to the head, neck, and chest.

The trial date was scheduled on Tuesday when Lewars appeared before Justice Lorna Shelly-Williams, who extended his bail.

The Crown is alleging that about 7 a.m. on the day in question, Davis was walking along the Blue Mountain main road in Red Hills when the accused attacked her with a blunt object.

The accused allegedly used it to hit the woman in her head, to the neck, and chest, which resulted in her death.

It is then alleged that he pulled her body over a nearby gully where he buried her in a shallow grave.

Following the murder, Lewars reportedly fled to Manchester and was arrested by the police in Christiana on October 11 and later charged.

Attorney-at-law Leroy Sheckleford is representing the accused.

Butch, Toots the toast of Kingston

Reggae icon Frederick ‘Toots’ Hibbert and business mogul Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart will be posthumously conferred with the Keys to the City of Kingston.

Both resolutions were passed at Tuesday’s monthly sitting of the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC), where councillors offered glowing reflections on the Jamaican personalities.

The presentation of the Keys to the City of Kingston is the highest honour that can be bestowed by the KSAMC.

Hibbert’s group, Toots and the Maytals, which was formed in the 1960s, was pivotal in birthing, shaping, and popularising reggae music.

The resolution was moved by Jamaica Labour Party councillor for the Chancery Hall division, Duane Smith, who said Hibbert’s legacy will “long outlive his days”.

Toots, a three-time winner of the Jamaica Festival Song competition, was one of the 10 finalists for 2020.

“I find it truly fitting that even before his passing, Toots was doing what he loved at 77 years old," Smith said.

The late reggae singer and cultural icon, who is nominated for Best Reggae Album at next month's Grammy Awards, died on September 11, 2020, and was interred at the National Heroes Park.

Senior knew Stewart personally and shared that he had a vision for country that was displayed in his contribution to tourism, journalism, and the birth of Crime Stop.

“He was so warm, respectful, and natural. I respect him, and I know that his work will continue to shine,” she said.

Stewart, who was also chairman of The ATL Group and the Jamaica Observer, died on January 4 in the United States at age 79.

Woman dies in Manchester crash

An elderly woman was killed in a motor vehicle accident along the Greenvale main road in the Manchester on Tuesday afternoon.

The deceased has been identified as Ena Whitely of a Warwick address. She is believed to be in her 60s.

According to police reports, at approximately 12:30 p.m., a Toyota Probox taxi was travelling along the Greenvale main road, heading on to the Winston Jones Highway, when its driver overtook a truck.

The driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a median.

Whitely was rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.

The police could not immediately confirm how many passengers were in the vehicle and if they sustained any injuries.

However, the driver of the motor vehicle remains in hospital receiving medical treatment.

Superintendent of the Manchester police, Gary Francis, is appealing to motorists to adhere to the speed limit.