Police Seek Information in Teen Death

17-year-old Crystal St. Omer

Officers attached to the Major Crime Unit are appealing to persons who have information relating to the death of Crystal St. Omer to come forward with any information relating to her disappearance and circumstances leading to her death.

The 17 year old former student of the Castries Comprehensive School (CCSS), left home on Wednesday morning, August 22, to collect her CXC transcript from the school. She later went to the CSA Credit Union on the corner of Jeremie Street and Chaussee Road in Castries where she was last seen at approximately 12:30PM that same Wednesday. By Friday, the family were seeking help through social and mainstream media to find the young girl.

Ironically, as Saint Lucia joined the word in recognising Saturday 25 as Orange day, to raise awareness about the issue of violence against women and girls, came the devastating news that Crystal’s body was found. It was reported that she was found lifeless and badly beaten in a remote area in Cap Estate at the northenmost end of the island.

Police has invited anyone with information that can assist in solving this crime to pass it on in person or by calling  456 3754. On Saturday they stressed that no one has been arrested and no suspects have been identified.

Police have further asked persons to refrain from sending bogus Black Berry Messenger (BBM) messages implicating persons to the case.

Earlier in the day a message making the rounds on BBM named a Gros Islet bus driver, who, it was claimed, was arrested by police as he was the last to be seem with the victim.

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Success for CDF Summer Arts Workshop

The Cultural Development Foundation’s Summer Arts Workshop has been dubbed a success by organizers. The workshops planned in partnership with communities from across the island, is geared towards participants aged 5 to 16 years.

Teachers coach participants through completion and public exhibition of work in a multitude of areas, to include drawing and painting, creative craft, music, martial arts, drama and dance.

The workshops which are extremely popular with the young participants attracted more than 270 young people from the various communities in which they were organized. This year’s workshops were held from July 18 to August 10 in the communities of Gros-Islet, laborite, Babonneau, Vieux-Fort and Castries. Classes ran Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm.

The programme for the Castries workshop culminated with an exhibition and awards ceremony at the National Cultural Centre on August 10 at 3pm.

Support to the workshops by sponsors such as

Eastern Caribbean Financial Holdings, Brydens, Super J IGA, JE Bergasse, and CARITAS helps participants hone their skills and showcase their creativity. What’s more, we believe the next generation of great Saint Lucian artists will emerge out of this programme, bolstering the vitality of our community for years to come. As such, the Cultural Development Foundation wishes to thank all sponsors of this year’s Summer Arts Workshop for their invaluable contribution to the program’s continued success.

Travel Agent Training Programmes

The Saint Lucia Tourist Board office in Canada is presently on the road with Transat Holidays as that tour operator launches its 2012-2013 Sun Destinations programme. The Transat Holidays National Training Academies for travel agents kicked off in Quebec on 20^th August and in Ontario on 21^st August, and they will run through to mid-September.  The Saint Lucia Tourist Board will participate in some of these launches to promote the UVF programme and Transat’s non-stop charters via Montreal and Toronto to Saint Lucia. Pictured here at the Saint Lucia booth during the grand Toronto Launch, are Saint Lucia’s Transat Holidays partners: Judy Duncan, Sunswept Resorts and Bay Gardens Resorts; Wendy Cole, Smugglers Cove Resort & Spa; Alison Theodore, SLTB Canada , Robert Smith, Sandals Resorts; Jacqueline Stubbs, Windjammer Landing Villa Beach Resort & Spa and Allison Ferguson, Rex Resorts.

Chef’s in School

The Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association (SLHTA) has established a new initiative aimed at educating and supporting students pursuing culinary and/or home economics studies in local Secondary and Tertiary Schools on the island. This initiative will involve a school visit by a Chef of the Saint Lucia Culinary Team to speak with students aspiring to careers in culinary arts.

Saint Lucia Culinary Team

The visiting Chef will share career highlights, past experiences and industry information with students and guide them in a practical preparation of a dish using local ingredients.  The experience, which will be conducted over a one hour period, is designed to raise the awareness of students about local cuisine and encourage students to use more local ingredients in the preparation of healthy meals.

The programme will commence in September 2012, upon the commencement of the new school year.

Prime Minister To Address Socialist International and Commonwealth Education Ministers Meetings

Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Kenny D. Anthony, leaves the island today to travel to Mauritius and South Africa. Dr. Anthony has been invited by the Commonwealth Secretariat to give the keynote address at a conference of Ministers of Education of the Commonwealth.

Prime Minister Dr. Kenny D. Anthony

From Mauritius, Dr. Anthony travels to nearby South Africa to attend the XXIV Congress of Socialist International, a grouping which comprises social democratic, labour and socialist political parties in over one hundred and fifty countries. The Congress is hosted by the African National Congress (ANC).Socialist International includes political parties such as the British Labour Party, the French Socialist Party, several Commonwealth Caribbean political parties such as the People’s National Party of Jamaica, the Barbados Labour Party(BLP) and the Unity Labour Party(ULP) of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Dr. Anthony was invited in his “capacity as Prime Minister of Saint Lucia to address the Congress as a keynote speaker.”

While the Commonwealth Secretariat will be meeting the expenses of his travel to Mauritius, Dr. Anthony will be meeting the cost of his stay in South Africa from his personal funds.

The Minister of Education Hon Robert K Lewis will also be attending the meeting of Commonwealth Ministers of Education in Mauritius.

In his absence, Hon. Philip J. Pierre will act as Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Economic Affairs, Planning and Social Security.

Heineken Green Synergy Semi-Finals This Sunday

Sixteen semi-finalists have been chosen, following two rounds of preliminary competition in the 2012 Heineken Green Synergy DJ Competition. On Friday August 17, the first round of competition hosted by MC Pringles was held before a mammoth crowd at the WLBL Car park in Vieux Fort where fourteen DJ’s vied for a spot in the semi-finals. This was the more intense of the two rounds, with well known DJ’s like Sly Eli, DJ Spy and Mega B participating. It also featured a showdown between two female DJ’s, a first for Heineken Green Synergy here. The match-up featured DJ Lovely, one of the first females to compete in the competition, making it to the finals last year and newcomer DJ Kissy. This was a clash which the crowd thoroughly enjoyed.

Another intense moment last Friday was when newcomers Silver Mic and Atta had their encounter. However Silver Mic appeared to be going after last year’s winner Selecta Twis who was back-stage but stepped onto the stage when his name was called out by the Hot FM DJ. This sparked a flurry of talk about the two coming up against each other in the finals.

The second round of competition was held on Sunday August 19 at Pigeon Point where sixteen DJ’s were paired up for the event. The large crowd there witnessed a number of new comers who appeared to have fared better than a number of DJ’s who had competed in the event before. Thurum, Scratch and DJ Quaine were among the competing DJ’s on Sunday.

At the end of both rounds, a panel of three judges selected the top sixteen DJ’s based on the top scores, to go to the semi-finals.

The sixteen semi finalists who will compete this Sunday August 26 at the Ka Ka Bef in Vieux Fort are DJ Mega B, Sly Eli, DJ Spy, Thurum, DJ Lovely, DJ Flexx, Wizzle, DJ Atta, Stain, M -Style, DJ C-4, DJ Kissy, Omega, Silver Mic, DJ Liquid and DJ Smokey. The competing DJ’s will be paired and each DJ winning their round will qualify for the finals automatically. They will then come up against the reigning Heineken Green Synergy DJ Champion Selecta Twis on Sunday September 2, 2012 at Fond D’or, Dennery.

The Heineken Green Synergy DJ Competition is an annual summer long event now in its ninth year. This year the event is being promoted under the “Heineken H-Marks the spot” tag line. This year the event is being aired on DBS TV every Tuesday at 8 PM with repeats on Fridays and Sundays.

END

Farmers Urged: Do Not Take The Law Into Your Own Hands

“Do not take the law into your own hands”, was the note of caution issued by Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Kenny D. Anthony, who was the feature speaker at the launch of the second phase of the Praedial Larceny Project held in Vieux-Fort on Wednesday August 22, 2012.

In his address, Prime Minister Anthony said that he identifies with the frustration that farmers feel when they are robbed of the benefits of their hard work. Dr. Anthony said,“When your crops or livestock are stolen, you often feel frustrated and angry. It is worse when the act is done by the same perpetrators, over and over again. Even more infuriating is the leniency of magistrates towards these persistent offenders. I know because I too, am a repeat victim. These are the moments when you feel the system can do nothing and then you proceed to take the law into your own hands. No matter how angry you may be, I urge you to resist the temptation to take the law into your hands. It is better for the law to suffer disrepute than for you to be its victim.”

Dr. Anthony reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to the agricultural sector, citing the allocation of over twenty four million dollars this financial year into capital initiatives to improve agriculture, fisheries and food production.

He warned sympathizers of the perpetrators of Praedial Larceny not to condone the acts of those who prey on farmers as such acts pose a serious hindrance to the growth and development of the agricultural sector and the development of the island.

End.

Sabwisha Welcomes the Launch of Heineken Green Synergy 2012

DJ Lovely hyping it up

“H” most definitely marked the spot last Sunday August 5, 2012 for the public launch of Heineken Green Synergy as the event was “High-energy,” “Hyperactive” and laced with “Honeyed” ladies as well, decked out for the occasion.The customary large crowd turned out last Sunday for the launch of the 9^thannual Heineken Green Synergy DJ competition at Sabwisha, Choiseul, a venue that has grown in popularity for the event over the years. And, despite the mandatory 10 PM shut off time by the police, the incident free event drew favourable feedback from those who attended.

A crowd hungry for the synergy

Sunday’s launch, which also served as a platform for competing DJ’s for Heineken Green Synergy DJ’s to register, was powered by Power Plus which featured a return appearance by MC Atomic. The launch also introduced a comeback to the “clash” forum by DJ Cleus who came up against DJ Lovely. The event also featured the 2011 Heineken Green Synergy champion Selecta Twis, DJ HP, DJ Run it Red and appearances by Superman HD and Mack 11.

Honeyed

Green gold indeed

Now that all the fine tuning and warming up is over, it is now time for the “Battle Royale” of DJ competitions here. The “H” spot of the first competition for Heineken Green Synergy 2012 will be Pigeon Point this Sunday August 12, with early juggling by guest DJ’s and Power Plus sounds from 2 PM. Thereafter, a number of DJ’s will encounter one another to see who will qualify for a spot at the semi-final round two weeks later.

Going green

Heineken Green Synergy 2012 will feature two rounds of competition, August 12 and August 17, followed by the semi-final on August 26 and the grand final September 2 at Fond D’or Dennery.

For more information contact; Heineken Brand Manager Gaius Harry, 1758 720 4612

Piton Officially Closes Chapter of 2012 Carnival Season

On Thursday July 26, 2012 Piton Beer brought the curtains down officially on its involvement in “Looshan Mas” this year. This was one month after formally being declared the official beer of Saint Lucia’s carnival; a month which saw Piton being involved in all major aspects of Saint Lucia’s Carnival which ended here July 17.

“As the incoming brand manager of Piton Beer, this was a most challenging yet exhilarating experience for me, but I must say it had its rewards and we are happy that generally Saint Lucians and visitors alike continue to support the Piton brand,” Rohan Lovence Piton Brand Manager says. “We are also happy that we were able to not just sponsor events and persons this year, but we were able to share our expertise, help with some of the carnival branding and stage some of our own events as well,” he added.

Thursday saw the culmination of Piton’s flagship carnival event, Piton Soca Starz with a prize giving ceremony at WLBL Vide Boutielle in Castries. The event which kicked off on May 18, 2012 and ended with a grand final on June 30, 2012 literally jump-started the carnival season. Piton Soca Starz was eventually won by J. Budz who on Thursday received his winning trophy and a check for EC$3,000 dollars. He will also have a recording funded by Piton as well as a music video to be filmed and aired by TEMPO.

In second place was Soca Bandit receiving EC$2,000 and Blick Productions in third with EC$1,000. A number of prizes were also awarded to the finalists of this year’s Piton Soca Starz including the award for most entertaining song of Piton Soca Starz going to Soca Psycho with “Gallop” and creative song award going to JB with “Mug or Glass.”  Another performer and consistent Soca Starz participant and finalist Lime Juice was named the most driven and passionate Soca Starz performer.

Rohan Lovence on Thursday thanked all of the Piton Soca Starz 2012 performers for helping make the event a resounding success. “We want to assure you that this is not the end of the road and that you are now part of the Piton family. We will be calling on you for some of our future events and do not hesitate to call on us if there is any way we can assist you as well,” he added. The brand manager also took time out to thank individuals like Mareen Alexander, Nicole David, Q-Pid, Ian Sanchez, Courtney Louis, Toni Nicholas and Mahauney Augier for their invaluable assistance, advice and judging skills. Invader was also singled out for sharing his knowledge and experience with the Piton Soca Starz finalists during a workshop as well as all of the guest performers like Ricky T, Mongstar, Ambi, Sergia, Superman HD, Scady and Ilaman and the media for their support.

On Thursday the Piton Brand Manager took time to congratulate all the winners of Carnival particularly Road March winner Soca Psycho and band of the year Rituals and third place winner “Just 4 Fun” sponsored by Piton. “We are also proud of the Soca and Calypso winners including TJ, 2012 Groovy Monarch, Power Soca Monarch Superman HD, Calypso Monarch Nintus and Road March winner our very own Soca Psycho,” Lovence says. He went on to praise former Piton Soca Starz participants like the 2010 Piton Soca Starz winner Mongstar, 2011 Piton Soca Starz winner Sergia and the current Piton Soca Star for making it to the finals of national competitions and creating wonderful songs which peppered the carnival season. “All of you have made us proud and you are testimony that Piton Soca Starz is indeed a breeding ground for future Soca acts here in Saint Lucia. Ambi for example, who placed second at the first ever Piton Soca Starz has risen to prominence this year placing third at the Groovy finals and second place in the Power finals and we want to congratulate him for his success,” Lovence announced.

“The future of Carnival seems to be in good hands with these young energetic performers as well as young revelers such as those from the Extreme Junior carnival band which was supported by Piton Malta,” Rohan Lovence noted.

This year Piton was also the presenting sponsor of Piton Party in the Yard as well as sponsors of Cooler Lime, Wet fete, Outrageous Sexy in Black, Colour Me Red, Mudsters J’Ouvert band as well as the community carnivals. One of the Carnival queen contestants, Sherwinner Eleutere was also sponsored by Piton.

Mas Fever on HTS, Carnival Central on RCI and Piton Boom Shot on the Wave were all carnival programs sponsored by Piton this year.

“We just want to say thanks to everyone for allowing us to be a part of this great cultural showpiece, to all of you who supported Piton Beer and our events as well. We want to assure you that Piton is here to stay and already we are planning the way forward for Carnival 2013 as we get ready to celebrate 20 years of Piton Beer in October this year. So keep drinking Piton Beer, responsibly of course, and may the joyous memories of Carnival 2012 live on forever,” Rohan Lovence ends by saying.

End.

Rugby Goes South With Northern Calalloo & Southern Bouillon Challenge

The St. Lucia Rugby Football Union (SLRFU) on Saturday 28 July, 2012 held its first ever “north vs. south” rugby game on the Piaye playing field. This was a new initiative for the union where members from the southern part of the island played their counterparts from the north.

The Southern Bouillon members attacked with full force playing some of their overseas British players, Joseph Page, Joel Martin, Michael Huntbach and Ken Charles who is based in St. Lucia. The Southerners wasted no time and kept their Northern Calaloo counterparts at bay.

Calaloo quickly retaliated by settling down and soon took control of the game. Lenford Eugene scored the first try with ease after a quick pass. Edlon Charlery and Jerry Charles joined Eugene where the three scored a total of nine trys.

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In the final half the Southerners came out fast and furious and played a very spirited game. The Southerners brought to a complete halt the  “big trucks” of the north  Akim Hubert, Imran Williams and Arthur Joseph whilst the extremely vocal roger butcher and Chantel John help marshal the northerners  to victory. John the lone female player on the field was full of energy and technique.  The Northerers defeated the counterparts from the south nine trys to three.

The Union hopes that this  event will become a more regular one. This initiative was taken to help encourage the young and vibrant players from the south and to continue to promote the sport in the south. The Southern Bouillon team comprised of Elvin Joseph, Kevin Paul, Tyson Myers and Johnson Berrance, Ervin Joseph Joe Page, Joel martin. Michael Huntbach, Ken Charles, Vince, Manus, Ken Paul and Shenniel Anew

Members of the Northern Calaloo were Chantel John, Wedrel St. Clair, Arthur Joseph, Imran William, Akim Herbert, Roger Butcher, Jerry Charles, Lenford Eugene, Edlon Charlery, Andrew Joseph and Simon Kelsey

The referee for the match was Shaun Alcindor, physo Zhenya Allain and Electra Marcelle who helped out on the side lines.  The Union wishes to thank Caribbean Coaching and Ken Charles for their continued and unwavering support and development of the south players and for the use of the field.

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ST. LUCIA RUGBY FOOTBALL UNION

P.O. Box  614,  Castries, St. Lucia.

Phone: (1 758) 45 02748/ 45 03896/286 2830

Fax       (1 758) 45 24794

Email    scolvis@hotmail.com / scandem04@hotmail.com