ONE-MINUTE READS... News from across Jamaica

Man on bail killed trying to kidnap woman

A man who the police said was on bail, having been charged with robbery with aggravation, was killed during a reported shoot-out with cops in Manchester on Monday.

The dead man has been identified as Jermaine Robinson, 27, of Old Greenvale main road in Mandeville where the incident occurred.

According to the Corporate Communications Unit (CCU) of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, lawmen responded to a call about the kidnapping of a woman in a Toyota Mark X motor vehicle in May Day, Marshalls Crescent, Mandeville, on Monday. The police said that they were greeted with gunfire when the arrived on the scene.

According to the CCU, the gunfire was returned and one man was fatally shot. Two others escaped on foot. The woman who was being kidnapped was not harmed during the melee.

A Browning 9mm pistol with two rounds of ammunition was seized by the lawmen.

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PNP sounds off on Donna-Lee case

The Opposition People's National Party (PNP) has demanded that the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) "goes the extra mile to ensure its operations are above board" as the probe into the disappearance of Donna-Lee Donaldson drags on.

Donaldson, a 24-year-old social media influencer, was reportedly last seen on July 11 at an apartment at the Chelsea Manor complex in New Kingston. The apartment is occupied by Noel Maitland, a policeman.

"Given that police personnel have been associated with her disappearance, we are calling on INDECOM to be vigilant in its statutory responsibility to ensure probity, and that they will leave no stone unturned," the PNP said in a statement yesterday.

Protesters have been demanding that Maitland and the mother of his child, who is also a cop, be removed from active duties.

The PNP, in a media release yesterday, said that all law-abiding people, both within and outside of the force, expect that the JCF will l do "whatever is within its powers to support a thorough investigation".

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College support for wards of the state

The tertiary education of children exiting state care will be fully funded by the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), through its Transitional Living Programme (TLP).

This was noted by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the CPFSA, Rosalee Gage-Grey, at the agency's Transitional Living Expo for the Western and Northeast Regions, at the St John Methodist Church Hall in Montego Bay, St James, on July 19.

"There is a guarantee that once you matriculate to university or college, we will pay those tuition fees for you, so all you have to do is pass the exams and get into college, and the rest we will take care of," the CEO said.

Gage-Grey added that through the TLP, the CPFSA wants to ensure that the children in state care are prepared to take their rightful place in society.

"Whatever you want to be, we want to make sure that you are prepared to transition from our care. We want to prepare you for whatever, so if you want to go to college, if you want to do some skills, whatever it is, we are here for that support for you," she pointed out.

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Denbigh Agricultural Show returns this weekend

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Pearnel Charles Jr, is encouraging all Jamaicans to give full support to Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) Denbigh Agricultural and Industrial Show, which has returned after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The show, which is in its 68th staging, will be held on the Denbigh Showground in May Pen, Clarendon, from July 30-August 1 under the theme 'Grow Smart, Eat Smart'.

According to the minister, the event provides an opportunity for the country's farming and fishing interests to display the best efforts of their labour. It also provides an opportunity to view the latest in innovation and technology related to agriculture and aquaculture.

The minister is encouraging all farmers and fisherfolk, parents and children, teachers and students, young and old, to come and share in the excitement of this entertaining and educational event and learn more about the agricultural and fisheries sector and its contribution to national development.