News on the Go

Gov't to unveil Miss Lou statue tomorrow

A statue of Miss Lou is set to be unveiled in the square at Gordon Town, St Andrew, tomorrow.

The unveiling of the statue will coincide with the 99th birthday of the cultural icon, whose full name is Louise Bennett, Coverley.

Born September 7, 1919, Miss Lou was a Jamaican poet, folklorist, writer, and educator. She died in 2006.

The unveiling ceremony, which begins at 4 p.m., will see messages being brought by Prime Minister Andrew Holness, Minister of Culture Olivia Grange, and Member of Parliament for East Rural St Andrew Juliet Holness.

$3.2m worth of ganja found in Clarendon

Approximately 800 pounds of compressed ganja was seized in Milk River, Clarendon, on Tuesday.

Reports are that at about 12:10 p.m., police supported by members of the Jamaica Defence Force were on operation in the Farquharson Beach area of the community when they found 19 knitted bags containing 154 parcels with compressed ganja in the mangroves.

Some 14 drums of fuel were reportedly found. The drugs and fuel were seized and an investigation launched. The drugs have an estimated street value of $3.2 million.

35 students to benefit from Calabar scholarship programme

The Calabar Old Boys' Association said it will be launching an academic scholarship programme on Founders' Day, September 12.

It is expected that approximately 33 gentlemen and two women from Calabar's sister school, Westwood High School, will benefit from the programme, which is geared at providing access to quality educational opportunities.

The launch event will take place at the school, and the keynote speaker will be Calabar old boy and mechanical engineer Major Evrol Dixon.

Senior cop urges patience on the road

Senior Superintendent of Police Calvin Allen, commanding officer for the Traffic and Highway Division of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, is urging motorists to be patient as the road-improvement works continue.

"The corridors under construction are going to take a while ... . There will be challenges, especially with the major road constructions taking place and the fact that certain corridors do not have the lanes that they used to have. Nevertheless, we are ensuring that our presence along these corridors and intersections is there as best as possible to get people to work in reasonable time and getting our children to school," he said.

Allen said that more than 200 police officers were deployed on Monday to key traffic lights and intersections to help with the control of traffic and ensure that motorists adhere to the rules of the road.

"That is intertwined with members of the Jamaica Defence Force giving crucial support along certain corridors. Our police officers, during peak hours, will continue to be at these crucial intersections for a long while to come. We want to ensure that our presence is there to keep order and to, as best as possible, reduce or eliminate indiscipline that exists by some motorists," Allen said.