A male relative who went into the yard, spotted Winters’ body on the ground and raised an alarm.

Officers of the Arouca Police Station were alerted as well as the District Medical Officer. The body was ordered removed to the Forensic Science Centre for an autopsy to be done tomorrow. Yesterday, head of the Northern Division Senior Superintendent MacDonald Jacob told Newsday that despite the first murder being recorded in his division, he wanted to thank all his officers who came out on Old Year’s Night to ensure that crime was kept at a minimum.

He said that Acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams rang in the New Year with him and other officers on duty in the Division.

According to Jacob, the Acting CoP even went on patrol with his subordinates and assisted in the coordination of the anti-crime drive between Old Year’s Night and New Year’s morning.

Hours earlier, 2016 ended with a murder taking place at 10.30 pm on Saturday – the 462nd murder for that year. Princes Town resident Akim Gonzales, 21, was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds near a dump in San Fernando.

Police said that at 10.30 pm on Saturday, several gunshots were heard along Lady Hailes Avenue in San Fernando. Gonzales’ aunt, whom he was visiting at the time, together with other relatives were alerted to the shooting and went to the dump area. According to the report, relatives eventually reached an area overgrown with bushes behind the dump site where they saw his body face down near a shack.

Gonzales who was unemployed, lived at Gunness Circular in Princes Town.

(Additional reporting by LAUREL V. WILLIAMS)

“My dear sisters and brothers, in my Christmas Homily, I stressed the need for every believer in this land of ours to become another Christ. This is necessary if we are to walk in the light,” he told a packed congregation. “We must not be outwardly content to walk in despair and hopelessness. To walk in the light demands from all of us a conscious and concerted effort,” he said.

Alluding to the domestic abuse and violence which affected many families over the past year, Harris also urged listeners to heed the advice of Pope Francis who has called repeatedly for world peace, harmony in the home, and intercession to the Blessed Mother.

“Let her show us the image of God in each and every person and treat everyone with the love and respect that every image of God deserves,” he said.

The archbishop said that if TT were to progress as a nation in 2017, the country must denounce the things which held it back.

Referring to the country’s motto, “Together we aspire. Together we achieve,” he said, “Let us together say no to selfishness and greed.

Let us say no to violence and abuse. Let us so no to dishonesty and corruption, and together let us say yes to love, yes to hope and to the values that Jesus taught us.

If we do that, we will walk in the light.” The mass was preceded by a solemn vigil to commemorate the centennial of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima. It featured a public unveiling of a 500 pound, eight-foot statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary as she had appeared to three young shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal in 1917. The statue carved by Portuguese sculptor Guilherme Ferreira Thedim in 1949. It is expected to be taken to several parishes in the coming months. The statue has travelled from Fatima and Lisbon in Portugal to Dublin and Dundalk in Ireland and finally to Port-of-Spain.

Stemming lawlessness, the nation’s top priority, must not only include ensuring the police have the tools of their trade – more cars, more equipment, more officers – but must also tackle the causes of crime. The Selwyn Ryan Report on At Risk Youth, which lists factors that push youngsters towards criminality remains a blue print for action with the salient question as a backdrop: how can we – in our schools, our religious groups, our communities, our NGOs and our families – tackle these contributing factors and the causes of crime? The Ministry of National Security must give an update on its Citizen Security Programme and National Mentorship Programme, the “softer” aspects of policing but those with probably the most lasting impact. The Ministry must say how do these programmes positively interact with ground-level activism to win back our citizenry from the lure of criminality? How can the Ministry and the voluntary sector help each other, as policy-makers, facilitators and executors of plans? Another area in which individuals can better their nation is the economy. Energy Chamber head, Dr Dax Driver, has suggested that the TT economy is now not simply in the trough of a sinusoidal curve with prospects of a rebound, but rather is in a “new normal” reality of restructuring to a lower level.

Hitherto TT’s energy prospects have not been rosy due to a subdued world oil-price and TT’s geology of new oil discoveries being in small, isolated pockets in deep marine waters, but the Juniper field could improve this outlook in 2017. Parliament’s Energy Committee has vowed to pursue seeming lost revenues from our liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, even as Jamaica touts itself as an LNG transshipment hub.

The country needs to press the ‘re-set’ button of our expectations, and shift gear from energy to non-energy earnings. Regarding private/public sector collaboration, the Government must facilitate the efforts of individual entrepreneurs who are striking out bravely in the non-energy sector.

A simple start would be trying to quickly stem the recent fall in TT’s rating in the global Business Competitiveness Index, including ease of doing business here. Amid the foreign exchange cash crunch, can the Government offer more incentives to farmers to grow local and so cut the size of the food import bill? Business, Labour and Government have opportunities to re-register their commitment to tripartism – that is collaboration for the good of TT – rather than harmful stand-offs as now looms at Petrotrin.

Political bipartisanism – now a seemingly difficult prospect – is also needed between Government and Opposition to relieve fears of the country’s financial system being hit by blacklisting by the United States over non-compliance with FATCA. The prompts continue to see crime and the economy as TT’s top concerns, and are areas in which we can each help to better our nation. We have put many an idea on the national desk top. All is not lost. It is just time to press the re-start button.

As we have just completed the Christmas holiday season with its generally lavish consumption of food and drink, it might be an opportune time to reflect on the current dietary habits of the vast majority of Trinidadians and Tobagonians. Poor diet as one of the major causes of chronic lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular ailments, kidney malfunctions, strokes and hypertension is well known. They affect all ethnic groups and classes to varying degrees.

We have been continuously reminded of the huge burden placed on the resources of the public health system in treating the large numbers afflicted with these diseases and the complications arising there from. Then there is the substantial drain on the family’s financial and emotional resources and the loss of productivity and reduced life span induced by these ailments. In addition, there is the undeniable connection between the quantity and quality of food consumed and the incidence of obesity which we are told has reached crisis proportions in this country.

A rational view is that a relatively feasible and properly executed national programme of preventive health care focusing on diet would not only be cost effective but raise the health status of large numbers in the country.

Such a programme should go well beyond the routine well-meaning pronouncements of Ministers of Health, the exhortations emanating from professional seminars, the casual newspaper articles and the odd poster in hospitals and health centers. These items of publicity reach only a few and do not carry the emphasis and impact needed to change behaviour.

It cannot be over emphasized that the objective is to alter behaviour in a progressive way which is a most arduous, formidable and challenging task as anyone in public or professional life will attest.

It is a question of how to influence people to save themselves although appeal is made to their rational self interest.

Needless to say, this particular health care problem requires a multi-pronged approach. One of the critical elements is sustained and focused education at all levels in the society including pre-schools, primary and secondary.

Thus children and adolescents will be sensitized to the benefits of healthy eating with the relevant habits inculcated at an early age. More importantly, the programme has to focus on adults with officials reaching out to people in their communities in face to face interaction. Thus, every community centre, health centre, meeting place and school becomes a centre of health education on an ongoing basis.

The cost of such a programme of preventive health care would be more than offset by the gains made in having a healthier and more productive population and a more cost effective health care system. Having said the above the issue must be confronted as to what are some of the factors which militate against healthy eating in this country. There is the cultural issue of what the average Trinidadian regards as having a good time and the consumption pattern associated with it which may include much fried,fatty and processed foods and quantities of sugar laden drinks. Can such a cultural propensity be altered? And in what way? Then there is the increasingly fast pace of life which has resulted in people spending fewer hours on time-consuming activities such as cooking. As a result, they resort to purchasing cooked food from the numerous fast food outlets throughout every nook and cranny of the country. This fast-food culture has in no small way contributed to the rapid decline in healthy eating habits in the country.

How is this culture to be countered?

“On becoming minister, I took the personal responsibility to lead the charge to reduce maternal mortality rates in Trinidad and Tobago.” As he made the rounds of the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH’s) Maternity Ward yesterday to meet the new year’s day mothers, Deyalsingh disclosed that in developed countries, there were 30 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births. Trinidad and Tobago which has between 17,000 and 20,000 live births per year, the minister said, should have no more than three or four maternal deaths each year.

“And I have challenged the public health system to work with me to achieve that by 2020.

We have had no more than three or four maternal deaths. We have achieved that in 2016. So we are already at developed country status in 2016,” Deyalsingh said. He was accompanied on the hospital’s tour by South-West Regional Health Authority CEO Anil Gosine, Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Dr Krishna Rampersadsingh and nursing staff.

The Minister said that the decrease was as a result of new policies introduced into the health system, including a handover book which allows for out-going shift staff to inform in-coming staff, of what to expect on their respective ward to make for easier transitioning. The public health system also benefited from a free audit and training programme from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), said Deyalsingh. The number one cause for maternal death in Trinidad and Tobago, the minister said, was post-partum haemorrhaging.

The first mother to give birth at SFGH in the New Year was Nyle Zayn Deonarine, born to Linda, 26, and her husband Vejai Deonarine, 27. Baby Nyle was born at 1.07 am. “I was at home cooking rice and shrimp on Friday when my water bag burst,” Linda, a first- time mother, said. “I called my husband and he rushed home from work to help me. I was the pregnant one but he was more panicky than me.

I told him we should wait and see how it went because I wasn’t sure. He said, ‘No! pack and let us go now!” Lind delivered via caesarian section. The first baby born at the Point Fortin Area Hospital, was Tenisha Thomas, a girl.

For Castellano, this was her 100th New Year’s day and the country’s latest centenarian was feted in style with family and friends at the Arima Governmment Primary School. Although she uses a cane to stand, feisty Castellano yesterday needed no help as she pranced to the song of Lord Kitchener’s immortal ditty, ‘Old Lady Walk ah Mile’. As family member after family member rose to sing his or her praise of Castellano’s life and all of the wisdom she had imparted, one common theme among the speakers, was that she was a stickler for discipline. To this, Castellano replied in a strong voice, “They had to obey. Spare the rod, spoil the child.

All of them came out just fine.” Castellano has outlived her common-law husband Donald Massy who died 40 years ago and also three of her 13 children. She explained that it was singing and praising God that is the secret to her longevity. According to relative, Castellano has 71 grandchildren, 25 great grand children and three great great grand children.

Khan and his wife Laura returned to the country “at around noon” last Thursday.

On how soon Khan would resume his ministerial duties, one official last Thursday told Newsday, “Obviously, he will have to take easy for a while.” Regarding the Government retreat scheduled to take place next week at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s, the officials indicated that it would be Khan’s call if he is able to attend and there would be no problem if he opted not to. At a post-Cabinet news conference at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) in St Clair on December 22, 2016, Minister in the OPM, Stuart Young, said certain media reports which claimed Khan suffered a heart attack were incorrect. Young explained, “It is a complication to do with his heart and brought on by a viral infection. They found fluid in his lungs and they are treating that situation now.” Young said Khan, earlier this year, had, “some issues related to his heart and he went through some non-invasive medical procedures.” He said it was for Khan and his family to decide what would be the next step in his treatment and whether this would involve him being medically evaluated in TT when he returns. Finance Minister Colm Imbert acted for Khan, he was reassigned from Rural Development and Local Government to the Energy portfolio on October 31, 2016 when Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley reshuffled the Cabinet.

What got them through? They are the same virtues that will get us through in these times. I think one of those virtues is faith.” The priest reminded the congregation that Jesus faced hardships and most people in the village where He grew up, were poor and destitute. A large congregation of people turned out for the New Year’s Day Mass, many of whom brought gifts they had gotten for Christmas.

“He is Lord and Saviour and He is our example.

When we look at Him, we realise the humble circumstances in which He grew up.

They (villagers) could not afford meat everyday, they could not afford to build their houses, so they made do with what they had.

So, think how Jesus grew up. The hardships He faced is an encouragement to us as well.” Fr Sirju noted that sometimes one measures poverty, in terms of material goods, but not in terms of love.

He added that a house without love is a, “poor home.” Once again he challenged the congregation to reminisce on the virtues of their forefathers.

He said: “When we do not have enough of some of the items we are accustomed to, we can remember, maybe our parents, and our foreparents and what was important to them.

What was important was not everything you like to eat or wear but it was family, friends and neighbours.” Sirju acknowledge that while in Trinidad and Tobago there is still a strong sense of community as a country, that bond has been weakening significantly and thus must be strengthened

To our Government and elected leaders, I pray that you will listen to God’s voice and seek godly wisdom as you lead this country with integrity and foresight.” Mansingh appealed to all of the country’s elected leaders to put aside party politics and personal agendas and treat, “ with the important business of governance will result in the solutions that are desired.” The Government begins a two day retreat at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s tomorrow.

A statement from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) on Saturday said during the two-day event, the Cabinet also will meet with other non-Cabinet members of Government and permanent secretaries. Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, Minister in the OPM Stuart Young and Public Administration and Communications Minister Maxie Cuffie will address a news conference to be held at the end of the retreat on Wednesday.

The House of Representatives will hold its first sitting for this year on Friday from 1.30 pm.

The main item will be the continuation of committee deliberations on the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) legislation, the Tax Information Exchange Agreement Bill 2016 which requires a threefifths majority for passage in the House and Senate. The Opposition has blanked debate on the legislation three times last year (September 23, December 9 and December 12, 2016) and to date has presented no proposed amendments for the Government’s consideration.

Government, which made several amendments to the bill in line with Opposition concerns, is expected to discuss this matter during the retreat. The Opposition is expected to hold a caucus this week to decide its strategy with respect to the FATCA legislation and whether or not it will take legal action regarding the chairmanship of the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation.

The People’s National Movement (PNM) and the United National Congress (UNC) are locked in a 6-6 tie (four councillors and two aldermen each) following last November’s Local Government Elections.

In his statement, Mansingh said the country continues to face, “a myriad of challenges such as crime, violence, child abuse, economic difficulties, human trafficking, uncertainties and many more.” He said despite interventions by the Government and other agencies, “we continue to see that there is no quick fix to these and other challenges facing us.” Mansingh said all citizens must realise they are part of the solution. He stressed that only with “great hope and a commitment to God and our nation,” will TT progress in 2017.

Hours earlier, the patrons danced the old year’s night away to an eclectic blend of music while the grog flowed and food was aplenty. The party was entitled the NYE Masquerade Ball (New Year’s Eve). At the stroke of midnight, when the countdown ended and the New Year began, a loud cheer rose from the excited crowd. Newsday lensman ANGELO MARCELLE was on hand to bring back these photos.