With the conclusion of Local Government Elections on July 26, 2010, here is a list of some of the newly appointed mayors and chairmen of the various regional corporations. They were sworn in at ceremonies held over the past few days. The assignments are as follows:

Arima Mayor - Ghassan Youseph
Deputy Mayor - Patricia Cedeno Metivier

San Fernando Mayor - Marlene Coudray, former CEO San Fernando City Corporation
Deputy Mayor - Councillor, Dr Navi Muradali

Chaguanas Mayor - Orlando Nagessar
Deputy Mayor - Councillor, Gopaul Boodan

Port of Spain Mayor - Louis Lee Sing
Deputy Mayor - Kerron Valentine

Point Fortin Mayor – Clyde Paul, former CEO Point Fortin Borough Corporation
Deputy Mayor - Alderman Abdon Mason.


The Chairmen of the Regional Corporations are:

Chairman, San Juan/Laventille Regional Corporation – Nafessa Mohammed

Chairman, Princes Town Regional Corporation – Ramraj Harripersad
Vice chairman - Councillor, Gowrie Roopnarine

Chairman, Siparia Regional Corporation – Leo Doodnath
Vice chairman – Fitzroy Beache

Chairman, Penal/Debe Regional Corporation – Premchand Sookoo
Vice chairman – Roland Abbot Hall

Chairman, Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation - Khadijah Ameen
Vice chairman - Rosana Sookdeo

Chairman, Sangre Grande Regional Corporation - Keshwar Maharaj
Vice chairman - Clarence Lalla

Chairman, Mayaro/Rio Claro Regional Corporation - Hazarie Ramdeen

Chairman, Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation - Dave Persad
Vice chairman, Henry Awong

Chairman, Diego Martin Regional Corporation - Anthony Sammy
Vice chairman -Robert Torry

Minister of the Arts and Multiculturalism, the Honourable Winston Peters, will on Wednesday August 11, 2010 host a Reception in honour of the National Symphony Steel Orchestra as the band departs for Costa Rica on Monday August 16, 2010 to take part in the Twentieth International Credomatic Music Festival. The Reception will take place at the Foyer, Queen’s Hall from 10:00 am where the Honourable Minister will officially send off the band to the very distinguished festival, which runs from August 7-22, 2010. The Credomatic Music festival is considered as one of the most important of music festivals in Costa Rica- a country renowned for its support of many types of music making.

This is the second of such outings to an overseas Festival for the NSSO. In 2008 the National Steel Symphony Orchestra was labelled as one of the headline acts of the Carifesta X in Guyana. The NSSO’s participation in the Festival in Costa Rica is an initiative of Her Excellency Sandra Honoré, Ambassador of Trinidad and Tobago to that country. The NSSO is managed by the Culture Division of the Ministry of Arts and Multiculturalism and this project is a joint effort between the Ministry and our Embassy in San José, Costa Rica. During its eight day stay in Costa Rica, the NSSO will offer four formal concerts for the Festival and will conclude with a special command performance for the Embassy’s commemoration of the forty-eighth anniversary of independence of Trinidad and Tobago

A total of 535 persons in Nariva/Mayaro will graduate from the Community Education (Skills Training) Programme, which is run by the Community Development Division of the Ministry of Community Development. Certificates will be awarded to the participants at a County Graduation Ceremony to be held at the Rio Claro East Secondary School from 10.00 am tomorrow, August 10, 2010.

The graduates completed a 20 to 25-week training programme in over 100 courses in various vocational disciplines. Individual classes are also organizing their own private graduations in recognition of their participants’ achievements.

Following the official graduation ceremony, community development officers will begin touring various communities in the Nariva/Mayaro County to begin the process of gathering feedback for its next round of courses tentatively set for February to March 2011. The officers take application forms into the areas to inform residents of the courses being offered and obtain their feedback. Based on the interests of the residents, the division then sets its course schedule for the next year.

Minister of Community Development, the Honourable Nizam Baksh (right) is expected to attend tomorrow’s ceremony, where he will also deliver the feature address.

The Division’s Community Education (Skills Training) Programme for 2010 commenced on March 15, with a total of 41 classes held throughout the County at 23 different venues in 25 disciplines. Thirty seven (37) basic classes were held and four advanced classes. Six hundred and sixty-five (665) persons were registered for the courses, with 535 successfully completing the programme.

The CEP can be seen as one of the Ministry’s main programmes, as it targets the unemployed in many communities. The programme is geared towards empowering the less fortunate communities and affording them equal opportunities to respond positively and effectively to the push and pull of today’s dynamic social and economic environment. The programme is employment oriented and provides domestic support by equipping householders with skills to help them reduce expenditure and improve household income.

The Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service has indicated that Trinidad and to a lesser extent, Tobago is being affected by local unstable conditions. These unstable conditions are expected to continue for the next four to six hours. Gusty winds and street/flash flooding may occur in areas of heavy downpour. It is important to underscore that there has been heavy rainfall over the last five days and some areas remain waterlogged. In light of this, there may be rapid run off which will result in increased chances of flash flooding.

The ODPM, as the co-ordinator and manager of emergencies has alerted the first responder agencies (TT Fire Service, Defence Force and the municipal corporations) to render continued assistance. The ODPM continues to monitor and will advise accordingly.

We continue to remind citizens that if they are impacted by this weather situation, they must contact their municipal corporation or the ODPM at 800-ODPM (6376) immediately so that their report can be actioned.

The ODPM reminds citizens of the following:

• Be extra vigilant and cautious at this time
• Secure valuables and ensure all important documents are in waterproof containers or bags
• Secure all pets and livestock
• Do not walk through flood waters unless absolutely necessary
• Do not drive in flooded areas
• Be aware of possible landslides

Please note that Trinidad and Tobago is NOT under any Tropical Storm threat, Watch or Warning.

The Ministry of the Arts and Multiculturalism will for the second consecutive year, host a “Culture Tutor Performance Workshop” targeted at Mas characters, as emcees and comedians, as well as vocalists in all genres of music (calypso, Soca, chutney, pop, dancehall, and gospel),. The first session will be held on Saturday August 07, 2010 from 10:00 am at the Carnegie Library on Harris Promenade, San Fernando.

Preceding this will be an official Opening Ceremony by the Honourable Winston Peters, Minister of the Arts and Multiculturalism.

The Workshop will be conducted by professional musician and educator Joseph Rivers of Rivers Music Inc. Rivers is currently a music teacher at Holy Cross College, Arima, and is known as a founding member of the Panasonic Express, Xtatik and Big Band - Divine Echoes.

Approximately 40 participants are being targeted and will be exposed to four modules, namely: Positioning (giving participants a sense of their relationship to their environment by dealing with history, niche marketing and image development), Performance (design of effective live performances by focusing on content development, band accompaniment and performance execution), Stage Craft (‘microphone’ technique and conceptualization for television and video); and Competition Readiness (preparing participants for the competitive environment via a focus on the interpretation of adjudication criteria)

All interested persons can contact the Culture Division at 627- 4991 for more details. Registration forms can also be requested using the email address: culturedivision.tt@gmail.com.

This initiative is aligned with the objective of Ministry of the Arts and Multiculturalism to foster the development of Cultural Industries.


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CREDITS:
- Story and Photo by Natalie Walters