Taxi drivers to meet today on constitution

Bermuda Taxi Owners Association (BTOA) will be meeting today to ratify their constitution and discuss the implementation of new dispatch technology in local cabs.

A small delegation of taxi drivers travelled to Florida last week to research a dispatch system which has proved efficient and popular in that state.

BTOA President Gordon Flood said yesterday that his organisation is currently in the process of researching the potential cost of the new system.

Although most dispatch technology does possess the capacity to incorporate a Global Positioning System (GPS), Mr. Flood insisted taxi drivers would continue to resist any attempt by Government to force its use.

?Once we have established the cost of this new technology, we will go to Government to see if they are amenable to us using it without GPS ? only then we can move forward,? he said.

Hotel worker pleads guilty to theft

A former receptionist from The Reefs appeared briefly in court yesterday on charges of fraud and theft of $1,500.

Lyntour Hassell, 29, of Fork Lane, Camp Hill in Southampton, pleaded guilty to taking $1,500 from a guest at the hotel on September 23 as payment of a bill and falsifying a receipt.

Prosecutor Graveney Bannister told the court that Lyntour had promised to repay the money, but was currently unable to do so.

Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner requested a social inquiry into Hassell?s current financial and social situation before sentencing and set bail at $1,000. Lyntour will return to court on February 14 for sentencing.

Police recruits leave Bermuda early

Two overseas Police officers have left the Bermuda Police Service (BPS) ? after only arriving here in October.

The two English officers left the Island early this month after completing the latest Police localisation course, Police media spokesperson Dwayne Caines said yesterday.

They had not yet signed any formal papers with the BPS.

Though the officers did not give an official reason for their quick departure, Mr. Caines said it is not unusual for people to discover that a new job, in a new country, is not what they thought it would be.

?They exercised their right to leave,? he said. ?We wish them all the best.? After the two left the Island, 12 new recruits remained.

Police Deputy Commissioner George Jackson is already overseas working to recruit more Police officers, Mr. Caines said.

?The BPS is in a constant state of recruitment,? he said. ?If local recruitment is not meeting our numbers, we must find appropriate resources outside of that.?

There is a recruit foundation course starting early next year, he said, and the BPS also hopes to bring in a new batch of recruits from overseas by next year.

Man denies importing marijuana to Bermuda

A Warwick man appeared briefly in the Magristrates? Court yesterday on charges of importing and possession of marijuana with a street value of approximately $100,000.

Derrick Williams, 32, of 68 Cobbs Hill Road, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Prosecutor Graveney Bannister told the court that Williams allegedly entered the country on October 9 of this year with 71 grams of marijuana and was arrested again on October 12 for allegedly being in possession of the drug.

Bail was set at $5,000 and Williams had to surrender his travel documents.

He will appear for trial on February 14 and was represented by defence lawyer Larry Scott.

While in court, Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner confronted Williams with an unpaid speeding fine from December 29, 2003 in the amount of $215.

Williams pleaded not guilty to this charge and Mr. Warner set an additional bail of $300 in regard to this case which will also be heard on February 14.

Christmas trees found to be contaminated

Aberfeldy Nursery has been forced to write off a container of Christmas trees after health inspectors found bugs on them.

The 200 trees were initially cleared to enter Bermuda but bugs were found on them at a later inspection.

A spokesman for Aberfeldy said: ?This is the first time this has happened to us in six or seven years. It?s very unfortunate but it?s always a possibility.

?We usually bring in about 600 (trees). We had three containers, this was the third one. Unfortunately, that was the one they nabbed.?

The shipment came from Quebec where most of Bermuda?s trees come from said the spokesman.

He said inspectors had not identified what the bug was but, by the time they had, the trees would have died after being kept in the containers on the dock.

Police warning to horse and carriage operators

The Police are warning horse and carriage drivers to have proper lighting on their carriages or face $200 fines.

They have noticed an increase in the number of carriages that are using the roads at night, or in the early morning, without the necessary lights and reflectors.

Carriages are required to have two lamps at the front, showing white light, and a red reflector in the rear, Police said.

Hairdresser hospitalised after ?stupid? cut

A bad haircut put a 32-year-old hairdresser in the hospital with a broken jaw early Monday morning.

On Sunday morning the hairdresser cut a man?s hair and put a design in it.

Later that day, a family member told the man who had his hair cut that he had the word ?stupid? carved out of his hair.

At 3 a.m. on Monday morning, the suspect punched the hairdresser and broke his jaw at a party on Whaling Hill, Southampton.

The victim was taken to KEMH, treated and remains in stable condition.

Police seek accident witnesses

Police are asking for witnesses to come forward with information about a car crash on St. David?s Road, St. George?s, early yesterday morning.

Details about the collision are unclear, however, the driver, a 40-year-old St. George?s man was taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital for treatment to his neck and back.

As of yesterday afternoon, the man was still in emergency at KEMH.

His Toyota Rav 4 was extensively damaged in the single vehicle accident.

Anyone with information is asked to call P.c. Dwight Thompson at 295-0011.

Thief steals Chistmas tree from senior

A Grinch broke into an elderly woman?s Studio Lane, Hamilton Parish home and stole a six-foot artificial Christmas tree on Monday.

The thief also got away with lights and decorations for the tree.