Florida man admits serving alligators for Super Bowl meal

A Florida man was arrested Sunday after admitting he caught and killed five small alligators and served them for Super Bowl dinner.

Richard Nixie cut off the gators’ tails to prepare the meal, the Orlando Sentinel reports. 

The alligators were less than five feet in length, the Daytona News-Journal reports.

“No one should have possession of a Florida alligator unless they are a state nuisance-alligator trapper,” Greg Workman, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, told the paper.

Alligators are federally protected while their considered threatened. It is legal to hunt them, but only during harvest seasons and with a permit, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation website.

The 30-year-old was arrested three hours before the start of the big game at his home. 

His prior arrest record included misdemeanor drug possession, felony weapon possession and armed burglary, the paper reports. He also served three years in prison for trafficking stolen property in Seminole County, Florida.

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Florida man admits serving alligators for Super Bowl meal

There was no fight - Ishawna admits to only quarrelling with Foota after show

Sadeke Brooks, Staff Reporter

Ishawna

Amidst allegations that she was in a physical altercation with her ex-fianc? Foota Hype recently, singer Ishawna says they were merely involved in an argument.

It was being rumoured that the singer and her selector ex-fianc? were involved in a fight after her performance at Chug It in Portmore last week.

However, Ishawna has cleared the air, stating that there was no physical fight between them.

“We were not fighting, we had an argument,” she said.

“The whole Downsound was there, it was just a verbal altercation between me and him.”

She, however, did not disclose what the argument was about.

This incident comes just months after she announced that she had parted ways with Foota Hype despite being together for almost a decade and being parents of a son.

“It’s done, I am just doing me. We have to deal with each other regardless ’cause we work together. There is no bad vibe or anything, but because of personal issues, we call it quits. Sometimes, that’s just how it is in life, nobody knows the answer,” she told THE STAR in an interview in March.

But the split came as quite the surprise to many, as there was much fanfare around their engagement in April last year.

She also said she didn’t expect there to be any awkwardness between them as it relates to raising their son. And she did not expect it to affect their working relationship.

“We still have to work together because we are still signed to Downsound Records. No animosity or anything … we had such a public relationship, so we have to let the people know that we are no longer attached in that way. I am not gonna say I hate him ’cause I don’t. It’s not working right now, and I just want to focus on my career,” she said in the March interview.

Meanwhile, Ishawna has been gaining much traction in the entertainment industry since releasing the music video for Need Love.

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There was no fight - Ishawna admits to only quarrelling with Foota after show

There was no fight - Ishawna admits to only quarrelling with Foota after show

Sadeke Brooks, Staff Reporter

Ishawna

Amidst allegations that she was in a physical altercation with her ex-fianc? Foota Hype recently, singer Ishawna says they were merely involved in an argument.

It was being rumoured that the singer and her selector ex-fianc? were involved in a fight after her performance at Chug It in Portmore last week.

However, Ishawna has cleared the air, stating that there was no physical fight between them.

“We were not fighting, we had an argument,” she said.

“The whole Downsound was there, it was just a verbal altercation between me and him.”

She, however, did not disclose what the argument was about.

This incident comes just months after she announced that she had parted ways with Foota Hype despite being together for almost a decade and being parents of a son.

“It’s done, I am just doing me. We have to deal with each other regardless ’cause we work together. There is no bad vibe or anything, but because of personal issues, we call it quits. Sometimes, that’s just how it is in life, nobody knows the answer,” she told THE STAR in an interview in March.

But the split came as quite the surprise to many, as there was much fanfare around their engagement in April last year.

She also said she didn’t expect there to be any awkwardness between them as it relates to raising their son. And she did not expect it to affect their working relationship.

“We still have to work together because we are still signed to Downsound Records. No animosity or anything … we had such a public relationship, so we have to let the people know that we are no longer attached in that way. I am not gonna say I hate him ’cause I don’t. It’s not working right now, and I just want to focus on my career,” she said in the March interview.

Meanwhile, Ishawna has been gaining much traction in the entertainment industry since releasing the music video for Need Love.

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There was no fight - Ishawna admits to only quarrelling with Foota after show

JFJ admits to not vetting controversial sex ed programme

Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) is taking blame for what it says is the deficiency of  its Board in not vetting the controversial sex education programme which was administered in six childrens’ homes.
In  a release on Friday, JFJ said it had completed its investigation and came to the conclusion that the children in the homes were exposed to inappropriate content for their age.

It said this arose from a weakness in JFJ’s oversight and vetting process.
According to the human rights body, its former executive director Dr Carolyn Gomes mentioned the programme in three reports to the board.
It also said the communications specialist reported on the programme to the Board on several occasions.
JFJ says the full content of  the programme was never brought to the Board even while admitting that programme details are not normally presented at its meetings.      
It revealed that one of  the providers of  the course material, FAMPLAN, did not sign off  on the final course content which was intended to be delivered to children between the ages of  13 and 17.
JFJ says the programme involved as many as 176 children being trained between January and May this year.

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JFJ admits to not vetting controversial sex ed programme

REDjet admits to making mistakes

More than two years after REDjet ceased flying to Jamaica and other regional destinations, a former director of the airline has admitted that the carrier’s management made mistakes, but he insists that sabotage played a role in its demise.
While not calling names, Ralph “Bizzy” Williams charged that REDjet’s main competitor LIAT was allowed to get away with predatory pricing.
He added that aviation authorities in some countries put stumbling blocks in the way of the former Barbados-based airline that its collapse was inevitable.
REDjet first tried to set up operations in Jamaica but moved to Barbados after being denied permission by the Jamaican Government.
It lasted just under 12 months in the skies and ceased operations on March 16, 2012 after falling into deep financial trouble.
Predatory Pricing

Speaking at an Editors’ Forum at the Nation Publishing Company in Barbados, the former REDjet director revealed that the region was unlikely to get the private sector to fund the creation of another airline unless there were fundamental changes to the current structure. Mr. Williams said it was incumbent that regulations be established to prevent carriers from introducing predatory pricing as soon as a new competitor comes on the market.
In the meantime, the former REDjet director gave examples of some of the mistakes made by the airline.
He admitted that the management lacked enough experience in the airline industry.
Mr. Williams also expressed misgivings about the extremely low introductory rates that REDjet brought to the market.
He said instead of going with 9 dollars 99 cents it should have gone with 19 dollars 99 cents.

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REDjet admits to making mistakes

Ohio man admits raping children, killing 2 women

CLEVELAND (AP) — A sex offender accused of killing two women more than 15 years ago and raping children pleaded guilty on Monday to hundreds of charges, crying when some of his surviving victims addressed him.

“I’m not a monster. I feel a lot of remorse,” Elias Acevedo said in the hushed courtroom as some of his child-rape victims, now adults, and relatives of the women watched, some wiping away tears. “I love you all, and God bless you.”Acevedo sobbed into a tissue as three rape victims clutched each other and addressed him in front of the judge: “You robbed me of my childhood,” one victim said. “You hurt so many people.”Acevedo, 49, agreed to plead guilty to 297 counts, including murdering the women and kidnapping and raping children. He accepted a life prison term under the plea deal.The two 20-years-to-life sentences for aggravated murder and sentences for other crimes total 445 years, the judge said.The murder charges involve a Cleveland neighbour, Pamela Pemberton, who was killed in 1994, and 18-year-old Christina Adkins, who was pregnant when she disappeared in 1995.Acevedo also was charged with rape and sexual assault involving attacks on minors, some dating back more than 25 years. He folded his cuffed handed together as Judge Michael Donnelly read the terms of the plea deal and explained it.Acevedo’s case is the latest among a group of high-profile cases involving violence against women in and around Cleveland.Authorities re-examined the disappearances of women in the city following the escape of three women held captive for a decade in the run-down home of Ariel Castro.The prosecutor’s office said Acevedo most recently lived about a block away from Castro, who kidnapped the three women when they were in their teens or early 20s, imprisoned them in his home and raped them repeatedly, fathering a child with one of them.The women escaped on May 6 while Castro was away from the home. Castro killed himself in prison on September 3, just weeks into a life prison sentence.At Monday’s sentencing, FBI agent Andrew Burke said investigators reopening missing-person cases in the area began to focus on Acevedo during the summer based on discrepancies in earlier law enforcement interviews, his sex crime conviction and tips.Acevedo, faced with the mounting evidence, admitted killing the women after authorities agreed to skip the death penalty if he detailed the crimes, Burke said. Acevedo described the killings and pinpointed the locations, all information consistent with details developed by investigators, Burke said.Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jamaicaobserverFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamaicaObserverAcevedo pleaded guilty Monday, December 30, in Cleveland to killing two women more than 15 years ago. (Photo:AP)

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Ohio man admits raping children, killing 2 women

Toronto mayor admits he smoked a lot of ganja

Latest News

Wednesday, August 28, 2013 | 3:11 PM

TORONTO (AP) — Toronto Mayor Rob Ford admitted Wednesday that he has smoked a lot of marijuana. Taking questions from reporters after a campaign address Ford was asked if he had used pot. “Oh yeah,” he said chuckling. “I won’t deny that. I smoked a lot of it.”Ford did not answer when asked how recently he had smoked it.The Toronto mayor made world news earlier this year amid allegations that he was caught on video smoking crack cocaine. The video has not been released publicly and Ford has refused to leave office.He has denied the allegations saying, “I do not use crack cocaine, nor am I an addict of crack cocaine.”Three years ago, Ford admitted he was charged with driving under the influence and marijuana possession in Florida in the 1990s. At first he denied these allegations, but later pleaded no-contest to the impaired driving charge and the drug charge was dropped.Ford was pressed about his pot past Wednesday after Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau admitted that he puffed on a joint three years ago, while a Member of Parliament. Trudeau has said pot should be regulated and legalised.Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne also said Wednesday that she smoked a little pot about 35 years ago.Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jamaicaobserverFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamaicaObserver

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Toronto mayor admits he smoked a lot of ganja

Gov"t admits Goat Islands under "serious consideration" for trans-shipment hub

BY JULIAN RICHARDSON Assistant Business Co-ordinator richardsonj@jamaicaobserver.com

BEIJING, China — Government may face a tough battle against environmentalists and time as it explores the possibility of constructing a trans-shipment hub at Goat Islands, located off the south coast of St Catherine.Minister of Land, Water, Environment and Climate Change Robert Pickersgill revealed that the site was “now under very serious consideration” to facilitate the much talked about project, as he and a team of officials, including Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, met with representatives of China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) during a lunch meeting at the state-owned firm’s headquarters in Beijing yesterday. Simpson Miller and her team is on a five-day visit to the Asian country.The development comes four months after CHEC — which last year signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Port Authority to explore the feasibility of establishing a new trans-shipment port at Fort Augusta — rejected that location as it was not big enough to provide the space they needed.CHEC wants some 3,000 acres of land to build the port. It had showed interest in Goat Islands before, but looked elsewhere when met with environment restrictions. Lobby groups have argued that the Goat Islands are important for biodiversity, with a vision of the area being developed into a reserve for iguanas and other threatened species.“They (China Harbour) looked at the Goat Islands area and are attracted to it, but truth be told there are some environmental prohibition as we speak,” Pickersgill told journalists.In fact, environmental groups this week — apparently getting wind of Government’s intentions — came out forcefully against the move.According to the Jamaica Environment Trust and the Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation — which manages the Portland Bight Protected Area — a large-scale port development will have devastating impacts on the coastal environment adjacent to and including the Goat Islands.“These impacts include destruction of mangroves, seagrass beds, coral reefs, opening up access to currently inaccessible areas on land leading to further degradation of the ancient dry limestone forest of the Hellshire Hills,” they said in a joint press release, reiterating that any port development and associated infrastructure would have a major adverse impact on the ecology of the Portland Bight Protected Area.But at yesterday’s meeting, CHEC assured Simpson Miller that it is committed to environmental protection and social responsibility as it looks to expand its footprint in Jamaica.“Jamaica is a major target market for CHEC and we hope Jamaica can provide us with a platform to continue and expand our collaboration to larger levels,” said Liu Quitaio, president of CHEC parent company China Communications Construction.CHEC is behind numerous infrastructure works in Jamaica, including the recently concluded Palisadoes Shoreline Protection Project and the North South link of Highway 2000.Simpson Miller highlighted that any future collaboration would be a “win-win” situation for both Jamaica and CHEC.“There are investment opportunities in Jamaica at this time and I hope you will give favourable consideration to other investments in Jamaica,” she told Liu.Simpson Miller has said previously that the final location for the logistics hub project will be a direct investment of CHEC and its parent company.The preliminary estimates of the mega investment are between US$1.2 billion and US$1.5 billion.Meanwhile, Pickersgill told journalists that time is of essence.“There are competing interests and they are not waiting on us,” Pickersgill said, reiterating that the Government is aiming for the hub to become operational in 2015 to coincide with the reopening of the Panama Canal.“I expect that the environmentalists will be defending what now exists and the development ministry and the Government will have to say to the country what it is we will be foregoing and why, because the employment opportunities are very much there,” he added.Meanwhile, Dr Carlton Davis, special envoy and chief advisor, noted that “there is no perfect universe, it is how you can balance and use engineering to correct things”.“At the end of the day, if a project promises to employ 10,000 people, not to mention on an economic value added, you can’t just simply lose it,” he added.According to the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, the logistics hub is a multi-dimensional project that will include “clusters of global businesses operating from special economic zones, technology parks, logistics parks and industrial parks”.Satellite imagery showing the location of the two cays called Goat Islands.

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Gov"t admits Goat Islands under "serious consideration" for trans-shipment hub

US teenager admits killing referee

5 August 2013 Last updated at 21:10 ET Ricardo Portillo’s daughters spoke to reporters after the hearing A US teenager who killed a soccer referee by punching him in the head has pleaded guilty to homicide by assault.

Ricardo Portillo, 46, died after a week spent in a coma following the assault during a game in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The 17-year-old player, who will be convicted as a juvenile as part of a plea deal, struck Portillo in April as he called a foul on him.

The teenager told a court he acted impulsively, but took full responsibility for the death.

Speaking calmly during Monday’s hearing, he said to Portillo’s family: “I’m sorry for everything I’ve done.”

Continue reading the main story

I don’t think you’ll ever understand how much pain and suffering you made us go through”

End Quote Ana Portillo Football referee’s daughter A juvenile judge has ordered the teenager, who has not been identified because of his age, to put up a picture in his cell of Portillo and to write the dead man’s daughters a letter every week, in order to be reminded of the pain he has caused the family.

He faces up to just over three years in prison, until he turns 21. His eventual prison term will be decided by a juvenile parole board.

The adult charge of homicide by assault carried up to a five-year prison sentence.

Two of the football referee’s three daughters spoke in court on Monday, saying their father’s death had destroyed the family.

“I don’t think you’ll ever understand how much pain and suffering you made us go through,” said Ana Portillo, 21.

“We just wish you had taken a deep breath before you did what you did. You have to change.”

According to a police report, the incident happened during a game at a high school in a suburb of Salt Lake City.

After the assault, Ricardo Portillo sat down and began vomiting blood

The teenager was playing as a goalkeeper when Portillo showed him a yellow card for shoving a player on the opposing team who was attempting to score.

After arguing with the referee, the teenager punched him. Portillo sat down and began vomiting blood.

He was taken to hospital and slipped into a coma with swelling on his brain.

Prosecutors said the juvenile charge plea deal was fair, but the Salt Lake County district attorney’s office originally said they wanted the accused tried as an adult due to the seriousness of the assault, and because he was set to turn 18 in less than three months.

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US teenager admits killing referee

Law firm admits leaking Rowling’s alter ego

Entertainment

Friday, July 19, 2013

LONDON (AP) — The mystery has been solved.A British law firm admitted Thursday that one of its partners inadvertently revealed that JK Rowling had authored a mystery novel, The Cuckoo’s Calling.The Sunday Times newspaper revealed over the weekend that the Harry Potter author had penned the book under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.The newspaper said it had received a tip-off on Twitter, and there was speculation that Rowling or her publisher were behind the revelation – which has sent sales of the thriller skyrocketing.But law firm Russells said Thursday that one of its partners, Chris Gossage, had let the information slip to his wife’s best friend, Judith Callegari – the woman behind the tweet. Her Twitter account has now been deleted.A phone message left for Callegari was not immediately returned.Russells said in a statement that “we apologise unreservedly” to Rowling.It said that while Gossage was culpable, “the disclosure was made in confidence to someone he trusted implicitly”. Russells, a specialist in entertainment law, said it had informed Rowling and her agent once it learned what had happened.“We can confirm that this leak was not part of any marketing plan and that neither JK Rowling, her agent nor publishers were in any way involved,” the statement said.The Cuckoo’s Calling had garnered good reviews but sold in the hundreds of copies since being published in April, ostensibly as the first novel of a former soldier. Since Rowling was outed as the author, it has topped best-seller lists, with publisher Little, Brown and Company commissioning a new printing of 300,000 copies.The Sunday Times followed up its tip-off by asking language experts to compare the style of The Cuckoo’s Calling to work by Rowling and leading crime writers. Patrick Juola, a computer science academic at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, used specialist style-comparison software to identify Rowling as the likely author.Rowling said that “only a tiny number of people knew my pseudonym and it has not been pleasant to wonder for days how a woman whom I had never heard of prior to Sunday night could have found out something that many of my oldest friends did not know.”

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Law firm admits leaking Rowling’s alter ego