Chevy Devonish

Clerk of the National Assembly Sherlock Isaacs says the four recently passed local government bills and the Hydro Electric Power (Amendment) Bill need to be sent to the office of the Attorney General (AG) for assent certificates before they are sent to President Donald Ramotar to sign them into law.

More than a decade after talks began on reform legislation, the four bills which pave the way for local government polls were passed by the National Assembly last night.

Region Two officials are concerned about the quality of rice to be produced this season as paddy bugs have re-appeared just as the new crop has started to mature.

Chairman of GPL’s Board of Directors Winston Brassington says that a re-tendering for the US$858 million Amalia Falls Hydroelectric Project, though not impossible, would send a negative message to the investors who are providing the majority of the finances to facilitate the venture.

Many vendors are selling food in the midst of garbage at the Anna Regina Market.

The government yesterday tried to win stakeholders’ support for the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project, which President Donald Ramotar said his administration should not have to bargain for.

“We are prepared to wait until hell freezes over,” House Speaker Raphael Trotman declared, after Local Government Minister Ganga Persaud yesterday remained silent when asked to take the reins on the four local government bills brought back to the National Assembly.

The Hope Canal Project will not be completed by its extended August 31st, 2013 deadline as previously intended, Agricultural Minister Leslie Ramsammy announced yesterday, while giving assurances that the need for an extension for the project will not require additional funding.

Twenty-three-year-old Alicia Bess, who on July 2, outshone two other beauties to become Miss Jamzone Guyana 2013, says that despite her success there is much she needs to do to prepare for the pageant’s upcoming international leg.

By Chevy Devonish Chairperson Leotha Green-Watson is denying that changes in the Region Three Works Committee’s procedures for inspecting works carried out by contractors in the region are intended to sideline opposition councillors, saying that her actions have been misinterpreted.

Region 3 REO Donald Gajraj has denied allegations that he sexually harassed a female employee of the regional administration, while the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) yesterday called for him to be sent on leave to facilitate the ongoing police probe and to guard against possible victimisation.

Local Government Minister Ganga Persaud yesterday told a news conference that the parliamentary review of the four reform bills is still not complete and he remained hopeful of concessions from the opposition on areas of contention.

Rossignol Butchery and Meat Centre, a multi-million dollar investment by a Surinamese entrepreneur yesterday came to full fruition and an official opening ceremony was held yesterday to mark the occasion.

Guyana and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) yesterday launched the US$7.1 million ($1.45B) seventh cycle of the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF), which will see projects to improve access, education and water and sanitation in a range of communities.

Fire before dawn today completely ravaged the Golden Lion Chinese Restaurant at the intersection of Camp and D’Urban streets and the nearby Supreme Snacks which is just east of the restaurant.

Wherever you travel on the Essequibo island of Wakenaam, the cry for better quality roads, water, drainage systems and healthcare seems universal among residents, some of whom have resided on the island their entire lives.

Amid concerns about stalled anti-money laundering laws, the private sector yesterday urged the government and the opposition to respect the “national interest” and convene an extra-parliamentary meeting to break the deadlock over the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) and other public oversight bodies.

Government is seeking to re-engage the opposition in a bid to pass amendments to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act (AML/CFT) by a May 27 deadline, but both APNU and the AFC yesterday virtually shut the door on emergency talks, while saying the Donald Ramotar administration withheld information from them.

A flash flood may have played a major role in the collapse of a section of the St Ignatius Bridge, Region 9 which gave way under the weight of heavy equipment and the company to which the equipment belongs is likely to bear at least part of the cost of repairs.

The St Ignatius Bridge in Region 9 gave way under the weight of a truck which was transporting an excavator on Wednesday evening and residents say the mishap could have been avoided if warnings were heeded.