Teachers walk out

CEDARBRIDGE Academy teachers staged a sick-out on Tuesday - just days after Education Minister Randy Horton gave the school a clean bill of health. Students were forced to return home as a result of the unofficial action, in which 74 staff members failed to show up for work. Staff claim that there are still concerns over air quality on the campus, five months after a mould outbreak first shut the facility down. The school was re-opened in January after a team of experts spent several weeks ridding the building of potentially fatal mould spores. But teachers and students continued to complain about the air quality at the school. This week Bermuda Union of Teachers general Secretary Mike Charles said: "I don't know the exact number of teachers who've been ill but it's on a daily basis. More and more people exposed to whatever it is out there are coming down with these symptoms. Our teachers are going to work every day in fear. "Mr. Horton later confirmed that fresh tests for non-biological contaminants will be carried out.

Rawlins: UBP should disband

FORMER United Bermuda Party chairwoman Gwyneth Rawlins has said the party is still only interested in black people for their vote and should disband. Having been on the inside, and having had a taste of the arrogance that existed long ago and that still exists now and the white supremacist attitude, I would have to say again that they are a long way from making people believe that they have changed - they haven't changed," she told The Royal Gazette. She added she thought the party was now unelectable. "It's time for the mask to come off," she said. "I have no regard for the UBP. They are all about power and if they want to be back in power for the sake of being in power, then they don't deserve to be."

CedarBridge is top class

CEDARBRIDGE Academy students romped to victory in this year's Schools Quiz on Saturday night, despite having a limited amount of time to swot up on their general knowledge. The five-man team scored an impressive 230 points, beating nearest rivals Berkeley Institute by a whopping 45 points. Team coach Kim Lightbourne said: "We only had two months of preparation as we didn't start until the middle of January because of the mould situation. Since we started late, we had to play catch-up. We were already two months behind the current events section. The students studied every day during advisory, lunchtime and some afternoons."

New plant opens

PREMIER Ewart Brown officially opened a new $8.35 million recycling centre this week - declaring the facility reflected Government's drive for " a cleaner and sustainable environment for everyone in Bermuda". The plant, located at Bailey's Bay Quarry, marks the start of a campaign to increase environmental awareness and get households to 'TAG' their waste - by recycling tin, aluminium and glass. "It is our aim to encourage recycling as a partnership between the Government, every organisation and each resident, because we all have a stake in Bermuda's future," Dr. Brown said. Recycling is an important part of our sustainability and our legacy to our future generations."

Rights campaigner dies

PROGRESSIVE Labour Party stalwart and veteran human rights campaigner Pauulu Kamarakafego (Roosevelt Brown), has died at the age of 75. Dr. Kamarakafego dedicated his life to improving that of others, spearheading the campaign for universal suffrage and helping developing countries. He was a founding member of the Committee for Universal Adult Suffrage and a founding father of the PLP. He also organised the first Black Power conference in Bermuda in 1969 and was a driving force in the Sixth Pan-African Congress. Paying tribute, former Premier Alex Scott said: "He worked tirelessly for Bermuda and the United Nations and for nations around the world. He is a homegrown son of the soil who has made us proud on so many occasions."