According to reports, at about 5.45 am, Richard Baird and the other hikers left Mt Poui Road, Aripo to trek five miles into the forest to spend the day at the picturesque waterfall.

The hikers, under the supervision of Mario Russell, head of the Fitness Walkers Club, arrived at the waterfall on schedule and spent the day taking photos, eating lunch and bathing.

Russell said the hikers were organised into nine groups and Baird was placed in the last group to journey from the waterfall back to Mt Poui Road. Baird, he said, began complaining of cramps.

Russell said at one point Baird removed his shoes to complete the journey. He said that the trek to the waterfall is a treacherous one with hikers having to climb slippery slopes, wade through thick bushes and in some instances remove trees from their path.

He said despite some of the setbacks, the hike went well on the way to the waterfall, but on the way back he believes Baird may have slipped on a rock and fallen down a precipice. He said it was not until 5.30 pm that he realised Baird was missing.

Russell said he alerted the other hikers and they searched up until midnight on Saturday. Some of the more experienced hikers returned yesterday to continue searching.

Russell said the persistent rainfall yesterday hampered some of the search activities, however fire officers as well as police from the Northern Division joined the search and they were expected to receive assistance from soldiers.

At about 1.30 pm yesterday Russell returned to the the Arima police station for more assistance in finding Baird.

He told Newsday, “This is not a search for a missing person, but for someone who is injured. We are praying that he is found and given the necessary medical attention and that he could be reunited with his anxious family members.” Russell said he contacted Baird’s family and has kept them informed of the progress of the search.

Vasquez told the media last week at a Ministry of Education press conference held at the ministry’s head office, St Vincent Street, Port of Spain that repairs undertaken on 144 primary and secondary schools will be completed in time for the new school year which begins in September. Vasquez said the schools are being repaired on a “phase system” and repairs undertaken based on priority.

“A school may have sewer and electrical issues and require painting, (however) we would focus on the more critical jobs and defer the painting for a later date,” he said. Vasquez admitted that many contractors are still being owed money but they have continued to work to ensure a smooth transition into the new term.

“Contractors would be paid when the necessary funds become available,” he said.

When asked what the EFCL does during the school year, he said they work on repairs and other issues when contacted by the ministry.

Minister of Education Anthony Garcia said the EFCL fully cooperates with the ministry and they work well together.

If a female, all the better.

Women seem to get more done.

China has bridges that are over 100 miles long, with 26 miles being over water. Louisiana in the US also has one about the same length over water.

Tobago is just 19 miles off the northeast coast of Trinidad. We can ask China to build a bridge for us and charge us a toll for about 50 years.

That’s a short time in the life of a country. Or we can pay for the bridge with half of what we are being charged for the two ferry boats.

China can also put a fast train alongside the bridge to carry heavy goods as well as people.

Our problems would be over — no more boats and no more corruption with that sea bridge.

Which reminds me that the Cabo Star is like a slow boat to China.

GARY DE FREITAS via email

The game will follow the opening clash of a double header with Curacao facing Grenada from 5pm. Matches continue on Friday and Sunday with only the Group winner advancing to the Caribbean Final round in Haiti.

Head coach Jamaal Shabazz has been overseeing the team’s preparations for just under a month and says he expects the team to overcome their hurdles this week.

“I think we have prepared well.

It’s a different ball game all together having to switch from training senior men to now preparing Under 17 women. It’s a new language and new type of decorum.

The under 17 girls is a different kettle of fish. I have learned a lot in this three weeks and some of us has been very enjoyable. “But overall I think the players have demonstrated a good level of understanding for the game which is an encouraging sign and they have a high level of enthusiasm to work hard and achieve success.

They are very passionate and I am very impressed with their effort and determination and also their spirit,” Shabazz told TT FA Media.

“They have put behind them the season that they had when they went to CONCACAF for the first time at Under 15 level and were slaughtered and now they are very focused on the future and this upcoming tournament.

“We will enter the competition confident as hosts but very careful about how we approach the games because there has been progress in each of these three countries in women football and everyone wants to move on and get to the final round in Haiti. It is important that we take each game by its own and put points on the table so at the end we can come out on top of the group and advance to the next phase,” Shabazz added.

“This team did not come out of a development programme when the new regime came into the TT FA, they inherited a CONCACAF tournament which they played in.

The teams we had before developed at under 12. So this is new to these girls and it will not be a stroll in the park for us at this level. It will be a huge challenge,” he said.

Tickets are priced at $20 (Adults) and $10 for children and will be available at the venue on each match-day.

This was after Knight Riders’ twirlers had displayed all of their skills to restrict the target to a very gettable 131. Their victory means Knight Riders have become the first team to qualify from the group stages for the Playoffs which will take place in Trindad from September 5-9.

McCullum’s innings set the bedrock for Knight Riders’ pursuit and allowed his side’s other batsmen the freedom to play as they wished. Darren Bravo and Colin Munro took the opportunity to attack, striking 11 off eight and 27 off 19 respectively, while Denesh Ramdin enjoyed some time in the middle, finishing on 20 off 19.

The role of platform- building is not one McCullum often plays, with him more often choosing to attack from ball one, but it’s a job he performed with aplomb, as he put the result beyond doubt before explod ing, taking 20 runs off a Roshon Primus over and bringing the game to an early finish.

McCullum didn’t have everything his own way, and was troubled in particular by 18-year-old Afghan Rashid Khan, who finished with exceptional figures of three overs for 11 runs. McCullum survived two consecutive LBW appeals from the leg-spinner, but made sure he capitalised on his reprieves, striking four fours and four sixes, before Ramdin brought an end to proceedings with another six with Knight Riders victors by seven wickets and with 4.1 overs remaining.

Earlier, after Dwayne Bravo won the toss and chose to bowl, Knight Riders’ spinners played a key part in restricting Amazon Warriors to a chaseable total. Their trio of slow bowlers — Sunil Narine, Nikita Miller, and Khary Pierre – conceded just 60 off their combined 12 overs, with Narine’s 1-11 off four overs the standout. Meanwhile the seamers — Robert Frylinck, Ronsford Beaton, and Dwayne Bravo — went for 68 runs off their eight overs. Captain Bravo in particular came in for some punishment, going for 35 off his three overs.

The main resistance came from Jason Mohammed, who bided his time before adding some late acceleration.

In the face of consistent bowling and the loss of batting partners, he reached 50 at exactly a run a ball, before striking two fours and a six in his next eight balls, the last of which, also the last of the innings, bowled him for 66.

Trinbago Knight Riders next play on Wednesday, away at St Kitts and Nevis Patriots.

A burst four-inch WASA main undermined a segment along the Southern Main Road causing it to collapse.

Commuters and residents were left stranded as the main road is the only access to and from Cedros and other districts in the South Western peninsula. Some drivers used the grassy shoulder to get to and from their destinations but buses and other heavy vehicles, including trucks, were unable to proceed into the area.

Repair work to fix the four-inch main as well as repairs to the roadway have been ongoing since Thursday.

Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan accompanied by La Brea MP Nicole Olivierre and councillor for Cedros, Shankar Teelucksingh visited the site yesterday.

Teelucksingh said water was expected to be restored as WASA had installed a temporary connection to allow residents to receive a supply. He said at least 500 households were affected. He said he was told the main which runs under the roadway would be re-routed. The Ministry of Works and Transport is also working to have the roadway restored by next week.

Not only did the CXC website crash but its app also failed. For this performance, angry students gave CXC a fail grade.

Hitting out at CXC, some students called for an upgrade of the online release system with others suggesting results be issued to education ministries of member countries to distribute to students.

Sunday Newsday received a litany of complaints about the process yesterday.

“Unfair to CSEC students,” said a student who lives in San Juan.

“CXC needs to stop playing with children and get them their results,” criticised a CSEC student from Diego Martin.

“It was very unprofessional, it kept the students waiting,” said a CAPE student also from Diego Martin. A CSEC student from Morvant felt stressed out from checking the website all night long to find out how she did.

“The entire website was not working. I tried every 20 minutes up until five, six, this morning (yesterday) and it only started working after nine,” she said.

Some students found an alternative link to access the CXC portal bypassing the official connection.

“There was a link circulating, I got through with the link,” explained a CAPE student from Diego Martin.

“The link worked because I got earlier (on Friday),” disclosed a CAPE student from San Juan.

CXC is the sole authority to release students results on its website and not the education ministries in Caribbean territories. As some predicted, thousands of students across the region, including locally, tried to access the website all at once. There was an attempt by CXC to update the system with the release of an app earlier this year to assist students in obtaining their results, however, the app failed to deliver results just like the website.

“The app was just loading and sticking,” said the Morvant student.

Apart from considering allowing education ministries to release the results, students felt CXC needed to upgrade its digital system if results would continue to be issued online.

“They should invest to improve the digital infrastructure to better the service they provide,” suggested the San Juan student.

A few private schools students also reported being blocked, not because of the online glitch but by their schools administrators.

“My school blocked the site which is really unfair,” a private school student told Sunday Newsday.

A teacher, however, explained private schools may block students access if they have outstanding payments. Students need a code assigned to their schools to access the CXC website which the schools could bar. The teacher said students would be warned beforehand that access would be denied unless outstanding arrears are paid. And while they had an anxious night, most students were generally pleased with their results.

“Hard work really pays off, I’m so happy,” said the San Juan student.

“I got what I expected, so thankful.” For CAPE students who needed their results to submit to universities, they remained confident their applications would still be approved. Some students said the deadline to submit results for the University of the West Indies was August 17.

“I believe the universities make exceptions, they will understand when you bring in the results,” said the San Juan student. Many students plan to drop in their results tomorrow to both secondary and tertiary institutions.

All relevant agencies and officials must immediately respond as they will soon be confronted with a real, undeniable, inexplicable and most intolerable example as occurred on July 21. Urgent redress is demanded. Be hereby warned.

COURTNEY BURNETT Sangre Grande

Property tax, we are told, would greatly assist municipalities and regional corporations in funding their projects and help to maintain a clean environment and as well run the corporations.

No one, I am certain, is against paying a fair tax on their property especially if these tax dollars are put to the use for which they are intended. Many years ago, for those who may not remember, a road tax was introduced, which I believe is still in operation. Each time we fill the gas tanks of our vehicles a percentage of the cost would go to the government coffers with the intent of using this money to carry out road repairs and maintenance.

With the terrible condition of most roads and streets, one has to wonder where these funds are being used. Certainly not on what they were intended for. A drive on most roads now requires a navigator to alert the driver of the trenches and hidden dangers ahead.

So I guess if and when property tax comes into effect, we should have a clear idea as to how it will be used.

C PETERS via email

The election, which was supposed to have taken place today, has been postponed yet again after a COP member filed an injunction in the San Fernando High Court on Thursday against the staging of the election on grounds there was no national executive committee in the party due to the number of resignations that took place last week.

Three high-ranking COP members, interim political leader Dr Anirudh Mahabir, deputy political leader Lorraine Pouchet and general secretary Clyde Weatherhead, resigned on Tuesday.

Justice Ricky Rahim ruled in the San Fernando High Court on Friday that the election should be postponed.

Bahadur said the situation demanded that the national executive meet and put a committee back in place.

“It means that the chairman has to meet with the national executive.

They have to put up names and we have to appoint people and go to a national council meeting. The national council will pass it and say, ‘This is the new election committee.’ Then we could do the elections,” he said.

The election is being contested by former COP deputy political leader Dr Sharon-Ann Gopaul-Mc Nicol and ex-party chairmen Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan and Nicole Dyer-Griffith.

The leadership election was to be held initially on July 9 but was postponed after a COP member challenged Dyer-Griffith’s legitimacy to contest the poll on grounds she was not a bonafide member of the party.

That matter also has been filed in the San Fernando High Court, awaiting hearing.

Asked if the party’s postponement of the election could taint its image, Bahadur said: “We are going according to the constitution and nobody could fault us for that.”