NATIONAL WEEKLY | THURSDAY, MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2020 | VOL. 17 NO. 18
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Finally, Some Relief For Jamaicans Stuck Overseas by Sheri-Kaye McLeod
DeSantis Defends Sheriff Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has defended his appointment of Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony as troubling details about the sheriff’s past have emerged. The shocking revelation that Sheriff Tony was involved in a fatal shooting incident as a teenager was initially published on Saturday by watchdog news group, Florida Bulldog.
The sheriff called it a “violent encounter” that he and his brother were involved in. At his family home in Philadelphia, then 14-year-old Tony shot and killed 18-year-old Hector Rodriguez, using his father’s gun. According to Tony, Rodriguez had threatened to kill him and his brother, and the shooting was an act of self-defense. Tony was reportedly exonerated for the incident and the records were sealed. Fearon During a press conference on Tuesday discussing the coronavirus pandemic, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was asked about Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony. DeSantis was asked whether the knowledge of the shooting would have made a difference in his choosing of Tony to replace former Sheriff Scott Israel.
“It seems like he was in a very rough neighborhood and he was trying to defend his family. I don't think it would've, because it was self-defense. It did not come up in the background check because he had never been charged.” – DeSantis DeSantis also said that he was hearing good things about the job that Sheriff Tony is doing in Broward County, but did not mention the recent no-confidence vote held by a deputies’ union, which found that 88 percent of the 768 ballots cast had no confidence in Tony.
continues on B4 – Defends Sheriff
After being stuck at sea for approximately two months, over 40 Jamaican crew members on the Marella Discovery 2 cruise ship will finally get to return home, thanks to assistance from the British government. The news comes following Jamaica’s government announcement of the first phase of re-entry that will allow some Jamaicans who find themselves stuck overseas due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, to finally return to the island. The 43 Jamaicans on the Marella Discovery were reportedly denied entry into the island on April 2, despite being in Jamaican waters. But according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ship left the following day, before the request for permission for the Jamaicans to disembark could have been answered. The stranded on the ship, had no alternative but to remain on board as it sailed to Lisbon, Portugal where it was reportedly denied access. The ship then sailed on to England where it finally docked at Southampton. The ordeal sparked much debate in Jamaica and its diaspora regarding the constitutional rights of Jamaicans, giving rise to criticisms that the government wasn’t doing enough to bring its citizens home. After some 20 Jamaican students stuck in Antigua were allowed to return home, those Jamaicans stuck at sea eventually received much-needed assistance from the UK government. The British arranged for a charter flight for the stranded Jamaicans on the cruise ship, 32 other cruise ship workers, and 40 continues on B4 – Relief For Jamaicans
WHAT’S INSIDE NEWSMAKER
COVID-19
CARIBBEAN
SPORTS
‘My Boy lollipop’ singer, millie small dies at 73 A3
WHY THE ELDERLY AT MOST AT RISK B2
BAHAMAS HEALTH MINISTER RESIGNS AFTER BREACHING COVID-19 PROTOCOL A4
SARWAN DISMISSES CHRIS GAYLE’S “SCANDALOUS ALLEGATIONS” C3