The teen was taken to the Homicide Investigations Bureau office where he remained detained up until yesterday. Sources revealed that the suspect was seen by residents in the area of the Bethel Church of God where Okera was murdered last Thursday. Police described the suspect as a nuisance in the community.

On Thursday, Okera left his Calcutta home to sell vegetables on the compound of the church. His mother tried contacting him by cellphone at 3.17 pm, but when he did not answer, she went to the church’s compound where her son was last seen. The frantic woman made a report to the Couva police and officers went to the church’s compound where they saw traces of blood. On Friday morning officers returned to the scene with cadaver dogs and found Okera’s body in the pond behind the church.

Up until yesterday the murder toll stood at 294 for the year.

Although this is the second year that MP Forde, in collaboration with Mohammed’s Book Store facilitated this school books and stationery distribution initiative, it is the first year that NALIS has joined in the effort to ensure that each child not only has books and stationery but also access to a lifetime of information and resources with their very own library card.

Kamella Carmino, Librarian III, North Region, in her brief address to an audience including parents, children, sponsors, and community members, highlighted the importance of libraries in building communities.

In her talk she mentioned that libraries provide people with content to enable them to be more creative and thereby make significant contributions to their communities. Carmino also had the pleasure of inducting the children into the library system by presenting them with library cards.

On Friday at about 2 am, Alliyah’s relatives were awakened by crackling sounds and realised their house at Fifth Company was on fire. After the occupants ran out of the burning house, a head count was done and both Alliyah and Gopaul who slept together, were unaccounted for. Alliyah, was a pupil of the Fifth Company Baptist primary School while Gopaul was a single mother of one.

Alliyah was expected to enter Standard Three in the new term next month. Princes Town Fire officers later discovered the skeletal remains amongst the debris. The fire left 13 relatives homeless, among them five are children. Tomorrow from 12 noon, the coffin will be taken to relatives’ home located on the same property for a viewing, following which, it will be taken to the St Mary’s Open Bible church. They will be buried at the Paynter Cemetery in Indian Walk, Moruga.

The child’s mother who is Gopaul’s sister Nicole Gopaul, 32, was not at home when the fire broke out. Nicole’s twin-sister Nikeisha Mitchell yesterday appealed for help on behalf of the family saying now only have they lost their loved-ones but also the house and all household materials.

“Some churches dropped off some stuff. We would like to get some assistance to build back. We are appealing for assistance so anybody who is willing to assist, please do so,” Mitchell said.

During her escape from the fire, Alliyah’s cousin Lexi Butcher, eight, suffered burns to her right arm while her mother Natalie Gopaul suffered cuts.

“Lexi has to go for dressing tomorrow (today).

She attends the St Michael Anglican Primary School. Everyone had already bought school supplies for the children and to lost everything and now go back and start over…it is very hard,” Mitchell said. The cause of the fire is yet to be determined and investigations are continuing.

In front of a boisterous crowd, Akil, representing PSL Cycling Club, rode an excellent final in the Points race, lapping the bunch with a lap remaining and gathered a total of 164 points to win the category. His teammate, Varun Maharajh, finished in the second position on 154 while Adam Alexander (Team Foundation) was third with 138.

Teniel (PSL) then followed in her brother’s footsteps when she rode a controlled event, also lapping the field on her own during the Points Race, to claim the Omnium on 178 points. Alexi Costa, representing Heatwave Cycling Club, dug deep to take second with just one sprint remaining, as she finished on 139, just ahead of Alexandra Bovell’s (Unattached) 136.

While preparing for his Flying 200M event, Quincy Alexander (Team DPS) had an unfortunate incident when his tyre blew out, seeing him crashing down the steepest point of the banking. Though he got back up and re-attempted the Flying 200m, his time of 10.64 seconds was way off his best at the NCC. Consequent to that, Alexander scratched himself from the remainder of the event.

Earlier in the morning, Nicholas Paul qualified with third fastest time of 10.39 seconds, following Kwesi Browne’s (AWCC) second fastest time of 10.36 in the Flying 200M event. Njisane Phillip took the poll position with 10.30, however, he too was scratched from the remainder of activities as he seemed to be suffering from a stomach bug.

In the semi-final, Paul rounded Browne in both rides to advance to the Final against the reigning Keirin champion, Keron Bramble (Sonics). The final was similar to Paul’s semi-final race where he easily rounded Bramble in two tactical rides to take the win. The young sprinter from Gasparillo punched to the sky with passion as he crossed the line and then acknowledged his supporters in the stand.

Kollyn St George of Breakaway qualified the fastest in the Women’s Flying 200M and made easy work of her teammate, Dominique Lovell, in the Sprint Finals. The tournament concludes today at the NCC and admission cost $20.

Lawrence will begin training with a provisional squad before finalising his selection for the encounter with the Reggae Boyz who are coming off a strong showing at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in which they finished as runners-up, losing to hosts United States in the final.

And Lawrence is continuing to monitor potential call-ups both at home and abroad for the final squad that will face off with Honduras in the September 1 2018 FIFA World Cup CONCACAF Zone Final Round qualifier at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva.

Among them is defender Carlyle Mitchell who has played three matches for his new club East Bengal in the Indian League.

Mitchell is back from injury having made his international return with a scoring performance in the recent 3-1 defeat to Ecuador in Guayaquil.

“I think next two weeks are very crucial for us as individuals and as a team as we need to get it together and understand how the the coach wants us to play,” Mitchell said yesterday.

“Once we get this part of it right then I think we will be fine.

“The game against Jamaica on the 24th is a very good test for us.

Playing against Jamaica is always difficult and we need a game like this because Honduras will not be any different and from this game the coach will have a fair idea who is ready for Honduras and who is not. We need performances and results as nothing less than three points for us on September 1st will be sufficient,” Mitchell added.

And Mitchell is banking on optimum fan support in both encounters.

“We know what it is to feel the home advantage both in our favour when we get that kind of support at home and also when we are away to these teams. They bring that added energy to any venue. I think when playing at home we can beat anyone as we just have to focus for ninety minutes and take our chances when they come. Honduras is a difficult team but right now we need points so we have dig deep and get the job done,” Mitchell concluded.

Tickets to see TT versus Jamaica are available at NLCB Lotto Locations nationwide priced at $100 (covered) and $50 (uncovered).

Fans can also access early bird tickets for the Honduras qualifier at $300 (covered) and $150 (uncovered) and see the TT versus Jamaica clash for no additional cost on that same ticket.

UNC public relations officer Anita Haynes noted that since the September 2015 General Elections, the nation has experienced escalating crime, an economy in shambles, significant job losses, cuts to education and a health care in crisis. “In the face of this abject failure, the Prime Minister has chosen to go on his seventh vacation,” Haynes claimed in a press release.

“The Prime Minister has left at a time when there are serious questions about Government’s handling of the procurement of vessels to service the sea bridge.

Instead of attempting to answer these questions, Dr Rowley apologized while still not accepting responsibility,” the release stated.

Haynes recalled that in one of his first speeches after being sworn-in as Prime Minister, Rowley stated emphatically that the “buck” stopped with him and as such, the nation must hold him ultimately responsible for this scandal particularly because of Rowley’s refusal to take decisive action.

“An apology before heading off on your seventh vacation and the second one in two weeks is unacceptable,” Haynes said adding, “It is clear that Rowley has no interest in representing the people of Trinidad and Tobago.” She said the country could not identify a single thing this Government has achieved after two years of being in charge and opined that no one was better off prior to the 2015 election.

“We have tightened our belts, we have adjusted our living expenses and still Rowley and his Cabinet are asking us, as a population, to do more while the Government vacations,” she stated.

Haynes noted that the population would soon begin to feel the effect of cuts to GATE as families would not be able to afford to send their children to school while government has yet to adequately explain how the means test would be implemented.

“In the face of all these cuts and the Government’s apparent mishandling of procurement procedures, they have yet to articulate a single item for revenue generation beyond taxes. They are devoid of ideas and have no plan to put us on a path to sustainable development. We must really ask, when is this Keith Rowley-led administration not on vacation.” “It is clear to the people of Trinidad and Tobago that this Government is incapable of leading this country, so they should heed the calls to seek a fresh mandate and call election now,” Haynes stated in the release.

We live in a country that does not take crime seriously enough as the attitude of many continues to be “We Jammin Still,” as our loved ones continue to be subjected to violent and heinous crimes. It is clear that gangs, guns, drugs and violence are all related and a crime plan must take all these factors into consideration in its attempt to drastically reduce crime and violence in Trinidad and Tobago.

When communities take a closer look at their gun violence problem, they will often discover that there also exists a gang violence problem. Communities that are wise enough to recognise the unique challenges associated with reducing gangs and related crime problems, such as gun violence, become much safer, healthier and productive, and may be more resilient to future crime problems. We need to do our research and develop initiatives that focus on building knowledge about promising practices in preventing gang membership and gang violence.

Programmes and other efforts to prevent and reduce gang violence build on what we have learned from past evaluations of similar programs and evaluations can guide the development of better programmes for the future. TT is in need of new leadership and fresh ideas. We cannot continue to do the same things over and over and expect different results.

The entire mindset of many young people needs to change and I am appealing to the nation’s youth to, “Dare To Dream,” in the midst of a corrupt, barbaric and violent society. The world has been literally transformed by men and women who dared to dream. Jereem Richards is a fine example of a young man who dared to dream and was able to make an impact in London.

He dared to dream that he could capture a medal in the 2017 IAAF World Athletics Championships in London and we can boast of his achievements for many years to come. The world is need of more men and women like Jereem “The Dream” Richards who dare to dream and make their family and country proud and make a positive impact on the world.

SIMON WRIGHT Chaguanas

Health and Safety Officer from the lifeguard branch of the National Union of Government and Federated Workers (NUGFW) Augustus Sylvester, told Newsday that nearly 60 people were trained to fill positions at nine beaches in Trinidad and of those, five have been hired.

Sylvester said that in 2004, the Life Guard Association in collaboration with the union completed a survey of the beaches in Trinidad with the aim to determine which beaches had an urgent need for lifeguards.

This was done on the basis of potential danger from the condition of the beaches as well as popularity. The report was submitted to the Ministry of Tourism, who at the time, was responsible for the Lifeguard Service.

Since the initial survey, 13 years have passed and the Lifeguard Service Division now under the purview of the Ministry of National Security, has fallen backwards, Sylvester said.

While there is a need for lifeguards, especially during the vacation months, “the ministry has not employed people,” he said.

Currently serviced beaches are Vessigny, Las Cuevas, Los Iros, Manzanilla, Maracas/ Tyrico, Mayaro, Quinam, Salybia and Toco according to the Ministry of National Security website. Columbus Bay in Cedros is one of the many beaches not attended by lifeguards.

Two Sundays ago, a girl aged four wandered into the water during a brief moment when her mother had turned her back.

She was discovered by a beach goer who pulled her out of the water.

Luckily, three doctors were present and rushed to perform cardio-pulmonary resuscitation on the child (CPR) in the absence of lifeguards.

The girl was later pronounced dead on arrival at the Point Fortin Area Hospital.

Sylvester expressed condolences to the girl’s parents and warned against the dangers of not paying close attention to children. He said that due caution is important at beaches especially with an acute shortage of lifeguards.

“Young children should not be further than an arm’s reach away from adults,” he said.

Adults should position themselves further out in the water when monitoring children, Sylvester advised. He also warned that flotation devices should be used only by people who can swim as wearing such devices give non-swimmers a false sense of security which can lead to their detriment.

“We need to look more seriously at life guards and how people operate on beaches especially with recent calls to increase local tourism.

Since the downturn of the economy people go down the islands for fun rather than go away.

More often than not, they are no accompanied by lifeguards,” he said.

Neil Benjamin scored three times on Saturday, to lead this season’s scorers’ list with seven goals, as Connection hammered cellar-placed MIC-IT St Ann’s Rangers 5-1 — a result that put coach Stuart Charles-Fevrier’s side ahead of Sando albeit only on ‘Goals For’ (18-15).

The top, though, could shuffle again by next Friday when North East Stars, who tilted Connection for the lead on July 29, take on three-time defending champions Central FC in a highly anticipated rescheduled fixture from 8 pm at the Arima Velodrome. For now, however, in descending order, Connection, Sando and North East Stars (the latter with 16 points and two games in hand) occupy top three, while San Juan Jabloteh (10 points) and Central (nine points), in fourth and fifth respectively with three games in hand, will face each other tomorrow from 6 pm at Barataria Oval.

Benjamin fired Connection ahead in the 28th minute after powering into the right of the box at the St Augustine Secondary School Ground, only to see Rangers level it a minute later through Xae Pierre De Fou, whose shot ricocheted off the post and two defenders before finding the back of goalkeeper Julani Archibald’s net.

Connection argued with referee Marlon Peruse that right full-back Alvin Jones’ shot had found a hole in the upper netting three minutes from the half, but video relay confirmed the official’s decision that the ball flew over bar with goalkeeper Biggette making an excellent save with his legs.

Biggette was exposed again three minutes into the second half but Marcus Joseph, free inside the box, headed wide of the upright off a right side Benjamin cross.

But by the time Trinidad and Tobago Under-20 attacker Isaiah Hudson celebrated his first ever top-flight Connection goal in the 61st minute, the visitors were in full control and later completed their fifth win of the season after dropping points in the last three outings.

Hudson beat Biggette with a low drive from inside the left of the area to give Connection a 2-1 lead. Benjamin then made it 3-1 in the 70th minute with a half volley past Biggette for his second on the afternoon after controlling substitute Jameel Antoine’s feed into the area.

Rangers defence were no match again in the 80th minute when their former player Antoine started and completed an attack, finding the ceiling of Biggette’s net for his first Connection goal. Ironically Antoine’s previous goal was for Rangers in a 3-3 draw with Club Sando on February 3. Two minutes later another Connection substitute Daniel Diaz, who assisted in Antoine’s goal, hit wide with the goal at his mercy.

But the diminutive attacker redeemed himself with a strong run into the Rangers area to set up Benjamin for a simple tap in—the latter completing his hat-trick six minutes from time.

However, Jones, like Bishop and Ganga, can claim to be a Trini as her father was born in Trinidad, before migrating to England, where Jones was born on August 11 1972.

She played five Tests and 61 One-Day Internationals for Australia between 1997 and 2005 as a right-handed batsman and medium pacer, but has forged her name as one of the growing pool of female TV commentators, which also include Isa Guha (England) and Anjum Chopra (India).

Yesterday morning, following the conclusion of the Trinbago Knight Riders-Barbados Tridents encounter at the Queen’s Park Oval in St Clair, Jones took the time to talk about her CPL experience, as well as her career in the media.

JOEL BAILEY (JB): It’s very rare you see female commentating (on) cricket, especially on the TV circuit. How it feels for you, as a trailblazer so to speak?

MEL JONES (MJ): It feels no different than I think the fellahs commentating these days.

We’ve had a wonderful change in the cricket landscape. We’ve had four female commentators at the IPL over the last three years. The Big Bash back home had Lisa Sthalekar and myself for a while now, and most of the T20 franchises as well. Maybe three years ago it sort of felt nervous and different.

But these days I feel like one of the team which is really nice.

JB: How does it feel in the CPL this year?

MJ: I’m absolutely loving it. We’ve heard about it back home.

Australians have always loved it when the West Indies have toured. It’s so much hype and energy about it. When the CPL started, it was something that everyone was quite excited about. Due to the time differences we didn’t get a lot of broadcast, we didn’t see a lot of it. But I know from the players that come back to Australia and the commentators, they just said it’s something really quite entertaining and cool about it.

Coming over here, with the crowd, the players, so many different factors.

So, to get the opportunity to come over and be involved in it, it’s really pretty special.

JB: When it comes to Test matches it’s strictly men (doing TV).

Do you think some day you’ll have women commentating in Test matches on the TV circuit, instead of just radio and print?

MJ: Yea, I hope so. I think at the moment, because the women’s game is so heavily favoured to T20 formats and the amount of games played, it’s been an easy transition there. We don’t play as many Tests. I’m hoping that, with the profile of the game at the moment, more and more countries will get the opportunity to fit Test matches in. That’ll mean more and more countries will be playing them and hopefully more and more commentators will be coming through.

JB: You’ve mentioned that you’re dad has West Indian roots…

MJ: Dad’s from Trinidad, San Juan. Unfortunately he (Richard Tyson) couldn’t come over (on) this trip. It’s always been a plan of us to come to Trinidad.

He missed it on this occasion but it’s really nice to be home in a sense. It’s really nice and the people have looked after me, taking me around. I’ve had doubles, I’m going to continue exploring the island more and more.

JB: When you were playing, did you see yourself one day giving back to the game in terms of commentary?

MJ: No, not a chance at all. I was a teacher.

I then worked with Cricket Victoria in development stuff, then I worked as an athlete manager (for) netballers and cricketers.

I never thought I would’ve got this opportunity but I’m very thankful I do have it.

JB: Finally, Melanie Jones outside of cricket and the media, how is she like?

MJ: It’s a lot of media at the moment. I’m pinching myself half the time. I’m travelling the world, watching some great cricket. Life is very, very good.