As you heard, that one is a little complicated, and he says that is why as chairman of the committee which will produce the senate on immigration irregularities - he's been a little busy:...

We'll see how many weeks he's talking about…

Drunk Driver Sosa Spared A Sentence

In June of 2016, Gilberto Sosa knocked down and killed popular Orange Walkeno and Disc Jockey, Sergio Che Mendez, near Buena Vista village in Corozal. Well, he appeared at the Orange Walk Supreme Court where a sentence was handed down this afternoon.

Sosa's attorney, Simeon Sampson asked the court to take into consideration that his client has gracefully accepted causing death by careless conduct and has saved the court trial time by pleading guilty. He also requested that the court take into consideration that Sosa has no previous conviction and that there was interference with the control of the steering wheel of the vehicle transporting the deceased. Given those circumstances, Sampson requested that a sentenced be imposed today.

The crown counsel, on the other hand, made a submission that the court take into consideration the facts of the case which state that Sosa was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident, that Sosa was in the wrong lane and was speeding, that while the deceased took a hold of the steering wheel and swerved to the opposite side, it was to avoid a head on collision which would result in the death of all passengers.

In addition to the facts, the crown also requested that the court considers the impacting statements provided by Mendez's wife, Samantha Mendez and that the court considers the hardship endured by her, and submitted that the defendant has not come forward to apologize or compensate the family.

After taking into consideration various submissions, the judge found Sosa guilty and fined him a total of $4,500 which is to be paid in three installments by December 31st, 2019 in default face 18 months in prison. Sosa was also ordered to pay the family a compensation of $10,000 which is to be paid in 6 installments with the final payment to be made by the end of June 2020. If the defendant is unable to meet payments, he may apply to the court for consideration of time.

Stopping Forest Fires

The Community Disaster Risk Reduction Fund of the Caribbean Development Bank, has collaborated with Humana People to People, and the Firefighters of Independence Village, in the Stann Creek District. They want to train residents from villages in two southern districts in managing forest fires which are prevalent in that part of the country during this time of year.

A press release from the CDRRF notes that they have been working with Humana People to People on what is called the Farmer Club Project. All 9 farmers clubs are located in remote communities that are often difficult for fire fighters to reach. So, to help them avoid causing dangerous forest fires, the CDRRF is working with the members of the farmers clubs to implement climate smart agricultural practices

The Village of Bella Vista, with 6,000 residents, was considered a priority community for this particular project.

The CDRRF notes that these farmers' clubs are located in deeply rural areas, and with the road conditions, and the distance that the fire truck has to travel, an entire village may be destroyed before any assistance reaches them. So, the training covered topics including precautionary measures, specific actions to take in the event of a fire, agricultural practices that include fires and when not to engage in them as well, as how to control fires to prevent them from spreading.