According to reports, Dale Lutchman, 45, of Oropouche Road, Sangre Grande, his son Darryl Lutchman, 14, and Brandon Sam were allegedly abducted.

Early yesterday, Dale Lutchman was released in the same area from which he was allegedly kidnapped. He was unable to give any useful information to the police except to confirm that his son and nephew were kidnapped. He could not say where they were taken.

According to reports, at about 10.30 am yesterday, Darryl’s mother Ria Lutchman received a phone call from a man claiming to have her son and nephew in his custody.

The man demanded that she pay a ransom of $350,000 for their safe return or the teens would be killed.

The minister said the new TTT will focus on local programming and Government information.

Recalling that consultations were held about the future of CNMG in December 2015, Cuffie said stakeholders at those consultations felt CNMG had lost its mandate.

He said CNMG currently has 112 employees and 37 freelancers, all of whom would be free to apply for jobs at the new TTT. The new company will be formed from the assets of CNMG and Government Information Services Limited (GISL) which was wound up this year. The winding up of CNMG is expected to see 99.1 Next FM and 91.1 Talk City being closed. However, Sweet 100FM will be retained.

In another interview, Cuffie said CNMG is currently doing a manpower audit exercise.

“The only change is that the audit will look at what we will need for CNMG’s operations,” he said.

Cuffie also said TTT still had a brand recognition and an affinity which CNMG never attained. The minister will hold a news conference today at the NALIS Building in Port of Spain to provide further details on yesterday’s Cabinet decision.

TTT commenced operations on August 24, 1962. The station was closed on January 4, 2005 due to financial difficulties. CNMG started operations in 2005.

Dead are Michelle Harrylal, 26, her common-law husband Michael Applewaithe, 35, and another male who remained unidentified up to press time.

At about 8 am, a villager in a car was alerted to the tragedy when he saw Harrilal’s four year old son wandering barefoot along the roadway. The villager said the boy appeared to be traumatised.

The crying child told the woman his mommy was burnt in a fire and is in heaven.

The villager, who knew the boy, drove to the family’s home and saw the house burnt to the ground. The house is located miles off the Carlsen Field Road in a forested area and there are no houses in close proximity to the structure. Members of the Police and Fire Services were contacted and when they arrived, police said a trail of blood was found near the ruins.

Investigators are working on the theory that the occupants were killed and their bodies set on fire in the house.

Residents said they had seen smoke earlier that day but many assumed it may have been a bush fire in the area. Newsday was told the boy lived with his mother and step father at the location for the past year.

It was shortly after 2pm fire fighters removed the skeletal remains of three people. They were viewed by district medical officer Naresh Singh who instructed the police to take the remains to the Forensic Science Centre. Investigators said tests would have to be done to confirm the identity of the victims. Yesterday, villagers expressed shock as they watched crime scene investigators remove charred bodies. Harrylal’s sister, Dana Babwah, 20, had to be consoled by relatives. She told Newsday she could not understand why someone would want to harm her sister. “I can’t believe this is happening,” she said as her hands trembled. Babwah said she was happy her nephew was not harmed. “It is a really a miracle he is alive.

He ran from the fire and did not know where he was going but he just kept running until he reached the roadway where he was found wandering.” Babwah said she last spoke to her sister on Monday.

“My sister and her son were very close. You never saw Michelle without her son, it breaks my heart what happened. The man she was living with, Michael, treated her son like his own and (the child) would call him daddy.” Babwah said she was unaware of any threats made on her sister’s life.

The child was was taken to the Chaguanas Health Facility were he was examined and discharged.

Homicide Region Three police officers are investigating.

Although progress seems to have been made towards ending the long outstanding impasse between Cricket West Indies (formerly WICB) and the players, there are several lessons still to be learned.

1) Selection committee According to the CWI website, the current selectors are Courtney Browne, Eldine Baptiste, Travis Dowlin, and Lockhart Sebastian.

Combined, these four selectors have played a total of 36 Tests — 20, 10, six, and zero, respectively.

Not only do the selectors have little Test experience, but one never even played a Test match. Yet he gets to choose who will.

That is equivalent to failing all your CXC exams and now getting paid to mark CXC exam papers.

This begs the question: why has the CWI not appointed selectors with better track records? 2) Captaincy Darren Sammy was appointed Test captain at age 26, after playing only eight Tests. Jason Holder was appointed Test captain at age 23, after also playing only eight Tests. Neither could have been certain of making the final 11 based on merit. (I respect Sammy big time for his stand in the end).

They are both all-rounders, required to bat, bowl and captain with such limited experience. As expected, Sammy never developed his true potential. Holder is following in the same manner.

Wouldn’t it be better to select the squad first and then appoint a capable leader from those selected? 3) Specialist batsmen selected The first class batting averages of Kieran Powell, Kyle Hope, and Jermaine Blackwood are 33.76, 31.38, and 32.61, respectively.

Their first class games would have mainly been played in the Caribbean, in docile conditions on spinner-friendly pitches.

These players now have to play in English conditions, against high-quality bowlers. What did the selectors expect from them? And the out-of-favour players like Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Darren Bravo and Chris Gayle (whose Test averages are 51.37, 40.00, and 42.18) were not even considered to play.

Selectors consider Chanderpaul too old at 43, yet he currently averages 67 playing for Lancashire in the English domestic competition. The average age of the West Indies side that lost to England is 26. Not really that young either, but with little experience.

Wouldn’t it have been better to choose these experienced guys to nurture the young ones and add a bid of quality to the batting line-up? Instead, the selectors preferred to humiliate the young guys. Blackwood, though, did have a good innings.

If we continue on this path, exactly which Test-playing nation will want to play the West Indies? The only reason would be to better the players’ individual stats and set records.

And the money will dry up.

Both first class and Test matches in the Caribbean are played before empty stands and neither TV nor radio commentary. If we don’t want to follow WI cricket anymore, who then will pay to see the West Indies? Many other issues need to be addressed, such as poor quality pitches, conflicting scheduling with T20 cricket, financial arrangements with players, relevance of first class cricket in selecting players to represent the West Indies, player development, finding a balance with T20 cricket etc. West Indies administrators, please do the right thing or get out of the way.

DECLAN PATTRON Maracas Valley

She succeeds Professor Verene Shepherd who held the post since 2010.

Holder of a doctorate in philosophy and ethnic studies/ literature from the University of California, Berkeley, Adisa is an internationally recognised writer, educator, cultural activist and diversity trainer who works with institutions on issues of inclusion and fairness, the UWI said in a release.

Returning to the region having studied and worked abroad, Adisa said she was happy to return home to contribute to gender justice and other diversity issues that were essential to the development of the region.

She said, “When we are able to acknowledge, appreciate and provide space for everyone to contribute to her or his full potential, then we have created a society that works for everyone.

“Our growth and development must be informed by these humanistic values, so we really celebrate our hardearned independence.” Adisa also holds a bachelor of arts degree in communications and educational media from Hunter College of the City University of New York, a master of arts degree (MA) in English and Creative Writing and an MA in Theatre and Directing, San Francisco State University, California.

Prior to her IGDS appointment, she was a distinguished professor of the master of fine arts programme in writing and diversity studies, a graduate faculty mentor, faculty advisor for the diversity studies programme and supervising faculty member of the undergraduate writing and literature programme at California College of the Arts since 1993.

She also worked as a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley, in the African American Studies Department and other universities including, Stanford and the University of the Virgin Islands.

Adisa has authored over twenty scholarly and creative publications that centralise women, explore issues of gender and Caribbean and African diaspora history.

Her poetry, stories, essays and articles have been collected in over 400 journals, anthologies and other publications.

She has also lectured and read her work throughout the United States, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Germany, England and Prague, and performed in Italy and Bosnia.

In many cases dangerously so, as drivers, swerving to avoid potholes that suddenly come into view around corners, often run the risk of head-on collisions.

In this regard, a fabulous pothole- repairing machine that very quickly affects a high-quality repair job is being used in many countries worldwide.

Why is it not being utilised in Trinidad? Well, the local representative for this machine has been trying to sell the concept to the current and previous Governments for the past three years, with nothing to show for his efforts.

Hopefully, this Government will soon see the wisdom in repairing the awful roads we all drive on, as doing so will save many lives and a lot of money.

GREGORY WIGHT Maraval

The new 18,000 square feet, family entertainment centre includes a variety of attractions such as a large bumper car track and an innovative children’s play area as well as lots of other fun games and activities.

The Chaguanas store was opened in response to feedback from the successful South branch according to CEO Steve Maharaj. “Ever since we opened our first store in South, we received a lot of requests from guests to open a branch in central as their family entertainment needs were not being met. We are pleased to finally bring the FunStation brand to Chaguanas,” Maharaj said.

The new laser tag arena is already popular with both adults and kids as they compete to become the champion of the arena. “It’s nice to see parents and children playing together.

We have also hosted a number of laser team-building events for companies. It’s a great icebreaker for staff.” Both kids and adults can also enjoy the new bumper car track. “The cars are large enough that two adults can fit together in one car. It’s especially fun watching kids’ excited expressions as many of them are driving for the first time.” The Active PlayZone is the newest attraction. It is a two-level fully interactive play area with elements such as ball blasters, obstacle course and a spiral slide. The PlayZone is healthy, active fun for kids. It is always supervised by an attendant as safety is a high priority at FunStation.

Continuous improvement is critical to long-term success, Maharaj says. “TT has a very advanced population when it comes to entertainment. Our company has a philosophy of continuous improvement and we’re always adding new games and attractions. FunStation (South) was the first standalone family entertainment centre locally and the first to have fixed-location bumper cars, carousel, train, rocket ride and mini-bowling. We introduced laser tag to TT and this year we added the Active PlayZone. Now Chaguanas can share in the fun!” FunStation opens everyday including holidays and admission is free.

Akiel Paris, Renderick Junior Paris and Maseo Murphy appeared before acting Chief Magistrate Maria Busby Earle-Caddle in the Port of Spain Magistrate’s Eighth Court to face charges of murder. Earle-Caddle informed the men that their attorney Melissa Mano, who is currently on maternity leave, was not present at the hearing and she would have to adjourn the matter to October, at this point the accused expressed their discontent with such a late adjournment. However, Earle- Caddle informed the men that the only other available time for the matter to be heard will be in November.

Akiel said he understood Earle- Caddle’s challenges in scheduling a date for the matter and, while he appreciated that the fault was not hers, he and his associates had already spent two years languishing behind bars awaiting a trial date.

“Your worship, I understand that this isn’t your fault, it is you alone here having to deal with all of these cases, and I appreciate you trying to move this along, but we have been in here for the past two years. We’ve been coming here and our lives are just wasting away on the inside.” After deliberation, Earle-Caddle rescheduled the trial to September 4, where cross-examination of witnesses is expected to resume. The matter is one of the fifty-two cases that has been restarted in the wake of Marcia Ayers-Caesar’s ascension as a High Court judge.

The trio are accused of killing Nicholas Joseph aka “BJ” on Carnival Tuesday night in 2015.

A post-mortem on his body by forensic pathologist Dr Valery Alexandrov yesterday at the Forensic Science Centre, St James revealed he died from “blunt force trauma to the neck which ruptured his spinal cord.” Death was instantaneous.

Meanwhile, the Permanent Local Content Committee (PLCC) for the energy sector in a statement praised Baird as a true patriot explaining, “ through his representation of the credit union movement and as a member of the PLCC since its inception in 2004, he brought the important input of the small financial sector to the fore.” The PLCC recalled that last Wednesday Baird spent several hours “working on a plan to strengthen and enrich our country, in these difficult times, taking the lead on one of three initiatives; one that he championed.” The committee said he “left the meeting after a productive session with his trademark smile.” Baird, a computer technician at Petrotrin, was described as thoughtful, patient, good humoured and accommodating.

Baird, a father of six, disappeared following a hike to Aripo on Saturday evening. A seasoned hiker, he had complained of cramps on the way back and was last seen sitting on a log as hikers made their way out of the dense forests. After three days of searching by Police, Fire Services, soldiers, hunters and volunteers, Baird’s body was discovered at the bottom of a precipice where he had fallen on Tuesday but it was not until Wednesday that the body was removed.

Funeral arrangements are yet to be finalised.

“Members of the board have met with Mr Mouttet,” she told Newsday. She also said Mouttet, “has requested a number of documents which the Port is addressing.” On August 15, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley appointed Mouttet to investigate the “circumstances surrounding the procurement of the Cabo Star and the Ocean Flower II and the entering into the charter party agreement for these vessels.” The Integrity Commission and the Land and Physical Infrastructure joint select committee (JSC) of the Parliament are also conducting enquiries into the procurement of these vessels.

Lewis also disclosed that the authority was successful in getting an extension on the license of the Cabo Star to transport passengers on the domestic sea bridge.

Lewis said, “I have been advised that the license was extended to November.” This was subsequently confirmed by TT Inter-Island Transportation Company marketing and public relations manager Vilma Lewis-Cockburn.