More news in brief

St James to get new high school

The Ministry of Education is looking at lands close to Montego Bay, St James for the establishment of a new public high school to meet the demand for secondary places in the western region.

"We hope to advance these plans to some level of completion in 2015," Ronald Thwaites, the minister of education, said last Friday.

Thwaites said that Jamaica needed some 45,000 secondary-school places to do away with the two-shift system, and there is demand for some 5,000 new spots in the Montego Bay area alone.

A delegation from Turkey has been in island having discussions with key stakeholder towards the construction of a state-of-the-art private school.

Thwaites said that the Government of Jamaica is keen on entering into partnerships with local and foreign entities to expand and modernise the country's school plants in order to improve the teaching and learning experiences.

Prove it, says Police High Command

Prove it! That is the challenge from the Police High Command, which yesterday rejected claims of the existence of death squads in the police force.

"Those who are making the allegations must prove it by relaying the information to the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) or the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and be prepared to disclose the truth," the High Command said.

"If indeed those making the allegations are former and serving policemen, with access to facts, they should take it to INDECOM with the confidence and assurance that they will be protected from any reprisal as they cooperate with investigators and prosecutors to bring guilty persons to justice," a press release added.

Trelawny murder

Sherwood Content, Trelawny, has once again come into focus. But this time, the community, which is the birthplace of the world's fastest man, Usain Bolt, is under a cloud following the death of a senior citizen, allegedly at the hands of another.

Dead is 79-year-old farmer Lesley Smith. Another senior citizen, also in his 70s, is facing a charge of murder.

Reports are that Smith did not return home from his farm to which he went on Friday. A search team failed to find him last Saturday and returned on Sunday with a similar result.

A senior citizen, who was found in possession of some of the deceased possessions, was beaten by members of the community. He was handed over to the police after he reportedly provide information about the whereabouts of Smith's remains.

UDC seeks bids to repair historic bridge

The Urban Development Corporation has invited companies to submit bids for the renovation of the historic Spanish Town cast-iron bridge in St Catherine.

Only grade-four contractors and above will qualify to participate in the tender, which opens tomorrow and closes on February 4.

This bridge, which spans the Rio Cobre at the eastern end of Spanish Town, is about 81 feet long and 15 feet wide.

The UDC has not disclosed the scope of work to be done or the amount to be spent on the structure, which was erected in 1801.

The bridge has been declared a national monument by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust, and was at one time placed on the UNESCO list of endangered world sites.