PATH FREE LUNCHES
Children who receive PATH benefits should no longer be paying for lunch. Some schools used to collect $50 from each child to help pay the cooks who provide meals for lunch at some schools. However the Government announced last week that students should no longer pay any money for lunches provided by the schools as Government is paying cooks.
More than one thousand (1,000) cooks are being paid by the Government at a cost of nearly $329 million dollars, Minister of Education Ruel Reid announced at a sensitization meeting recently. The Minister said: “If the child is hungry, he won’t learn, and we don’t want them to stay away from school because they have no lunch money. There should be no embarrassment, victimization or discrimination. The children will get lunch five days a week.”
CHARGE FOR GUN, AMMO
A St Ann man has been charged after police said they held him with an illegal firearm and several rounds of ammunition in Beverly district, St Ann on Tuesday, September 4.
His name and details were not available to the North Coast Times up to Friday, September 7.
Reports are that about 12:30 a.m., Tuesday, a team of officers from the St Ann’s Bay police was on patrol when they saw a man acting in a manner that aroused their suspicion. The man was stopped, searched and one Smith and Wesson 9 m m pistol with a magazine containing seven 9mm cartridges seized. Police took him into custody but are withholding his identity pending further investigations.
NEW NORANDA AGREEMENT
The Government and the foreign minority partner in Noranda Bauxite Partners on Thursday (September 7, 2018), in Kingston, signed a new agreement over profit sharing and how Jamaica will benefit from the operation of the bauxite mining and export company. The Jamaican Government owns 51 percent of the company and New Day (a Dada holding) owns the remainder.
The agreement sees the Government of Jamaica in a profit-sharing deal with New Day, rather than rely on the levy that existed for over 40 years. The Government of Jamaica will continue to make 17.33% earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation; or US$1.50 per ton of dry bauxite shipped. Royalty payment will also continue on each ton of bauxite.
Chief Strategy Officer at New Day Aluminum Thomas Robb is happy for the new arrangement and said Government and New Day are on the same side.
