Tyrese Leroy Farrell, who was the subject of an “Escaped Prisoner” bulletin issued yesterday, is now in police custody.
Farrell, alias “Twin”, of Ealing Park South, Christ Church, escaped from Hastings/Worthing Police Station around 11:25 p.m. on Friday.
This morning, he turned himself in and is currently assisting personnel with their investigations. (PR)
KINGSTON – The government has announced plans to establish a scholarship for a student-athlete at the University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech) in honour of late track and field coach Stephen Francis.
Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Minister Olivia Grange announced the initiative on Saturday during a thanksgiving service celebrating the life of the renowned coach at the National Indoor Sports Centre in St. Andrew.
Francis, affectionately known as “Franno,” died on July 4 following a period of illness. He was 63.
Grange said the government would hold discussions with UTech and Francis’ family to determine the details of the scholarship and ensure there is a lasting tribute to the veteran coach.
“The Government will have discussions with UTech and with Paul [Francis] to see how we can ensure that there is a lasting tribute to Franno,” Grange said.
She said further details would be announced following consultations with the university and Francis’ family.
UTech President Dr. Kevin Brown welcomed the initiative and thanked the government for establishing the scholarship in Francis’ memory.
“We look forward to giving that scholarship to a worthy recipient in the new academic year,” Brown said.
Francis was one of Jamaica’s most influential track and field coaches and played a significant role in developing several of the country’s elite athletes through the Maximising Velocity and Power (MVP) Track Club, helping them achieve success on the international stage. (CMC)
Jamaica Kingsmen had their first win of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) when they outplayed Trinbago Knight Riders on Saturday night at Sabina Park. The home team, in their first season, recorded victory by five wickets with eight balls to spare. They batted with tremendous confidence and assuredness to reach 183-5 off 18.4 overs. This is the highest score in the tournament’s history to win batting second. It was in reply to a challenging 182-6 off 20 overs by the defending champions.
Kirk McKenzie, the left-handed opener, 69 off 25 balls – with 60 of those runs coming in boundaries – six fours and six sixes. He added 93 off just seven overs for the first wicket with Reeza Hendricks who made 37 off 29 balls. It provided the perfect platform and afterwards skipper Rovman Powell (29 not out) and Andre Russell (27) added 48 off 22 balls to ensure the home fans finally had something to celebrate. The result has given the Kingsmen a boost after three previous defeats, as they hope to get their season on track and push for one of the four playoff spots.
Earlier in the night, TKR were led by skipper Nicholas Pooran and veteran Kieron Pollard who both made 44 in a third wicket stand of 67. Pooran faced 32 balls and struck four sixes – including a fabulous switch-hit off a goolgy from left arm spinner Vital Lawes. The giant Pollard was characteristically powerful with three boundaries and four sixes off Lawes – who was taken to the cleaners and conceded 51 runs off his four overs.
The tournament continues on Sunday night when Barbados Tridents return to action for their second match. They face Saint Lucia Kings at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in Gros Islet. Play starts at 7 p.m.
As a result of a road traffic collision, Bournes Village main road, St George is impassable, but should reopen around 4 p.m.
The Barbados Light and Power Co. Ltd has deployed a crew in the area to carry out urgent utility pole repair work after one was damaged by the accident. It is estimated repairs should be completed by that time.
In a message on its social media platforms, Light & Power also urged motorists to drive with care and stay fully alert on the road.
“Please avoid distractions, observe speed limits and take extra care around utility poles and other roadside infrastructure. A collision with a pole can cause serious injury, damage critical electrical infrastructure and disrupt power to entire communities.”
Meanwhile, the Barbados Police Service is advising members of the public to avoid Bournes Village and seek alternative routes as traffic diversions will be in place.
Diversions:
The Chapman Challenge is set to be officially launched on September 23 as a transformative national initiative dedicated to fostering youth leadership through service, discipline, and character.
The event will be held under the patronage of His Excellency, the President of Barbados The Most Honourable Jeffrey Bostic.
A press release explained that The Chapman Challenge is designed to provide structured pathways for Barbadian youth aged ten to 24, offering mentorship, community engagement and progressive leadership development.
The initiative is built entirely on voluntary, part-time service, reflecting the principle that true leadership is measured not by position or payment, but by contribution to community and nation.
The President underscored the importance of the Chapman Challenge, noting that it embodies the values of integrity, service and opportunity for all young people, regardless of circumstance.
The programme will operate through a three-tiered framework; Foundation, Development, and Leadership, ensuring that participants grow through mentorship, structured service and civic engagement.
The Chapman Challenge will also recognise achievements through national awards, including Presidential Awards for exceptional service and leadership, as well as Bronze to Platinum service badges. The annual awards ceremony will be held on International Youth Day, celebrating the contributions of participants and mentors.
Noting that applications and programme details were available through the Office of the President, the director of the Chapman Challenge stated: “This launch marks the beginning of a movement that places service and mentorship at the heart of youth development. By empowering our young people, we are strengthening the future of Barbados.”
The release stated: “The Chapman Challenge invites youth, parents, mentors and partners across all parishes to join in this national journey.” (PR)
Barbadians are being urged to rethink what caregiving really means, with Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Adrian Forde insisting that showing up for family and community goes far beyond financial support.
He was speaking at the Bureau of Gender Affairs’ Pledge The Commitment Share The Care initiative, held at the Warrens Office Complex in St Michael recently.
Forde opened with what he described as a guiding mantra for the campaign.
“I share with kindness, I give with love, and I care for others,” he said, adding that the philosophy captured the essence of the ministry’s work.
He pointed out that care did not require wealth or grand gestures, noting that something as simple as time, conversation or a listening ear could change a life.
“Sharing and caring is the giving of one’s self value in an unreserved way,” he added.
The minister said the campaign, officially launched by the Bureau of Gender Affairs in 2025, was especially targeted at encouraging men to play a greater role in nurturing young people, adding that “caring goes far beyond financial assistance”.
He cited the Family Leave Act, which came into effect on June 1, 2025, as a landmark piece of legislation redefining fatherhood in Barbados.
“It represents a significant shift in how we value family. It acknowledges that fathers are not merely providers. They are nurturers, caregivers, role models and equal partners in raising the next generation.”
Citing 2024 research, Forde highlighted stark gender disparities in caregiving. The survey found that women in Barbados spend nearly two-and-a-half times more time caring for children, and almost three times more time on domestic health care work than men.
Addressing men directly, he urged them to embrace their nurturing role without hesitation.
“It does not emasculate you to cuddle your little one at night,” he said.
He also spoke of a “care society” as a concept gaining traction globally, describing caregiving as more than a private matter.
“It is an economic issue. It is a social issue. It is a public health issue and, fundamentally, a gender equal issue.”
Several organisations, including the Barbados Association of Retired Persons, Men’s Empowerment Network, the European Union and the Inter-American Development Bank, signed the pledge in support of the initiative. (DDS)
As the new school term approaches, parents across the island are once again digging deep into their pockets to purchase textbooks with some questioning whether the expense is even worth it.
“It is ridiculous,” said Ciji Worrell, a parent shopping for her daughter who attends a primary school and a secondary school-aged son. Worrell said her daughter’s textbooks alone have cost about $160 so far and that figure does not include exercise books, uniforms or shoes. Her frustration, however, is less about the price tag and more about how little the books are actually used.
“Last year a lot of my daughter’s books came back and if ten pages got used out of her books, that’s nuff,” she said. She was equally puzzled by schools still requesting reams of paper when much of the coursework is now sent home by email. “What are you doing with the paper?” she asked.
Roberta Walker, a grandmother shopping for her grandson who is heading into Class 3, echoed those concerns. She said the boy needed roughly six textbooks for maths alone, with each book costing between $60 and $70.
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British-Barbadian Harold Lionel “Doc” Morley was a man who lived for competition just as much as he did for family and business.
The 82-year-old “Doc”, as he is known to the Barbadian rally fans, passed away last Sunday and was well-known in motorsport circles since moving to Barbados in the early 2000s.
Morley blessed Barbadians with a multitude of cars in the rally circle and on occasion he also drove his personal car, a BMW i8, at various drag racing events.
While he was loved by the fans from a distance, those who were close to him speak of a man who loved competition.
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Long-standing Barbados manufacturer Solar Dynamics Limited, an internationally-recognised pioneer of solar water heating technology, is facing an uncertain future.
The assets of the company, which was established in 1974 and has operations at Grazettes Industrial Park, St Michael, and a subsidiary in St Lucia, have been put up for sale two months after falling into the hands of a receiver.
In recent weeks, a series of advertisements seeking buyers for the plant, inventory, machinery, equipment, vehicles and other “charged assets” of the company have been published in The Nation.
A notice in the Official Gazette announced that on May 20, Christopher Sabrano, licensed trustee and partner, advisory of Grant Thornton Limited, was appointed receiver “only of the charged assets of Solar Dynamics Limited that are charged pursuant to the debenture and deed of charge by way of legal mortgage between the company and RBC Royal Bank (Barbados) Limited dated March 3, 2025”.
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Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has expressed condolences following the passing of Clyde “Cannon” Holder, describing him as a loyal Barbados Labour Party stalwart who served his party, community and country.
Mottley reflected on Holder’s contribution to the BLP, including his decision to contest the St Philip South seat for the party during the 1991 General Election.
Below is the full statement from Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley:
The Barbados Labour Party has endured for nearly ninety years because, in every generation, men and women have been prepared to stand when victory was far from certain, to keep faith when the road was hard, to carry the message from community to community, and to serve without first asking what reward would come.
Clyde “Cannon” Holder was one such man. His passing touches me with a particular sense of gratitude.
In the 1991 General Election, Clyde offered himself as our candidate for St Philip South, while I first offered myself to the people of St Michael North East. We both carried the standard of the Barbados Labour Party at a time when our Party was still rebuilding.
Neither of us entered Parliament as a result of that contest. The ballot on a single day can never contain the full measure of a life, or the full value of service freely given.
As I have grown in public life, I have come to understand ever more deeply what we owe to our stalwarts. They are the custodians of memory and standards, the bridge between generations, and the steady hands that keep a movement anchored.
Leadership teaches you that no one begins at the beginning. We inherit ground cleared by others. We stand on foundations laid by people who may never themselves receive title, office or applause.
That was Cannon’s place in our story.
Rooted in St Philip, he brought conviction and presence to the political platform. Those who knew him best also remember a life invested in community, culture, professional endeavour and the encouragement of younger Barbadians.
His contribution was therefore larger than a candidacy. It formed part of the work of rebuilding confidence, sustaining a cause and preparing others to carry it forward.
At a time when our society is searching for firmer moral anchors, we should remember that faith is made credible through service. Barbados needs a faith that is lived, one made visible in duty, decency, compassion and care for neighbour.
We need people who understand that some are called to plant, others to water, and generations to come may gather the harvest.
I am grateful that Cannon and I shared that moment in 1991. I am grateful for his loyalty to the Barbados Labour Party, for his service to St Philip, and for the contribution he made to our country.
On behalf of the Government and people of Barbados, the entire Barbados Labour Party family, and on my own behalf, I extend heartfelt condolences to his family, his loved ones, and all whose lives were touched by him.
As we mourn, let us also give thanks.
Clyde “Cannon” Holder stood when his Party and country needed citizens willing to stand. The record of that service remains, and our gratitude must remain with it.
May his soul find eternal rest, and may light perpetual shine upon him.
