Senior crime-scene investigator Sergeant C.J. Clarke (left) carefully places the packaged skeletal remains that were found in Flint River, Hanover, in the back of a police service vehicle on Wednesday. The remains are believed to be those of two children who went missing last July. - Photo by Adrian Frater

Sunday

UTech audit staff back

Members of the Internal Audit Unit of the University of Technology, who were sent on vacation leave last week, following the leak of an internal report to the media, have been asked to report to work tomorrow.

In a paid statement appearing in today's Sunday Gleaner, the University of Technology Council says: "Owing to the progress in the investigations, members of the Audit Unit have been asked to report to work on Monday, February 4, 2008." The council says further that the action of sending the audit staff on leave "was not intended to impute any guilt to the individuals ..."

Monday

Crash calamity

Dissected bodies trapped in mangled metal formed the aftermath of a horrific car crash that left four Hanover residents dead and several communities in mourning yesterday morning.

That was the scene that gripped onlookers who rushed from their homes to investigate the loud crash they heard around 3:20 a.m. along the Green Island main road in the parish.

Firefighters had to assist in prying the four, Stari Leslie, 24, of Lances Bay; Navada Grant, 26; his fiancée Donna Swearing, 35; and Jodi-Gaye Wellington, 19, all of Bulls Bay, from the Toyota Corolla in which they were travelling.

Tuesday

Criminal conspiracy

Contractor General Greg Christie in his much-anticipated report into the Cuban Light-bulb saga has concluded that a criminal investigation is war-ranted to determine whether corruption charges should be brought against Kern Spencer, former state minister in what was then known as the Ministry of Industry, Technology, Energy and Commerce.

The Office of the Contractor General's findings are in stark contrast to an investigation conducted by the People's National Party, last year, which all but cleared the state minister of any impropriety.

Wednesday

Caymanas crisis

Horse racing at Caymanas Park is facing a crisis, says Jamaica Racehorse Trainers' Association (JRTA) president, Vin Edwards, who is calling on State Minister of Finance Don Wehby to meet with trainers to address the issues.

Wehby, a prominent owner, has portfolio responsibility for racing.

The requested meeting was one of the decisions taken yesterday morning at an emergency meeting of the JRTA in the Trainers' Room at Caymanas Park.

Thursday

Cold shoulder for Kern

The People's National Party (PNP) appears to be distancing itself from former state minister Kern Spencer in at least three broad areas of the contractor general's report, which fingered Spencer for major breaches in Government's procurement guidelines and nepotism.

On the matter of criminal impropriety as set out in the 124-page report, the PNP's new general secretary, Peter Bunting, said the party "deems it appropriate to let the legal process take its course and will avoid comment on those matters".

Friday

'Oh, hell no!'

An alliance of church and civic groups yesterday said it would declare war against the Government if it moved to legalise abortion on demand and has taken steps to have petitions signed, signalling its disapproval.

The group's rejection comes following the tabling of the report of the Abortion Policy Review Advisory Group in Parliament, last month.

The group was given the mandate to develop a policy for "safe abortions". The report recommended, among other things, that an authorised medi-cal practitioner may perform abortions up to the 12th week of pregnancy in registered facilities.

Saturday

'No regard for God'

The church community has expressed outrage at the shooting of police Corporal Peter Salkey and his church brother, Junior McKenzie, as they talked after a church service in Westmoreland Thursday night.

"Crime has got to a stage where we are producing a generation that has no regard for God and is adept in sacrilege," said Pastor Glen Samuels, president of the West Jamaica Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

Two gunmen reportedly attacked the policeman and McKenzie shortly after 9:00 p.m., Thursday at the Bethel Town Seventh-day Adventist Church as they stood by the policeman's car.