BIFF adds three more to jury

Three more jurors have been named to judge competing films in this year's Bermuda International Film Festival. Award-winning documentary makers Chuck Workman and Errol Williams plus Sony Screen Gems executive Valerie Van Galder have agreed to take part.

Ms Van Galder will join Newsweek film critic David Ansen and actress Karen Allen on the narrative features jury panel. Mr. Workman and Mr. Williams will join film exhibitor and marketer Jeffrey Jacobs on the documentary feature jury panel. Filmmakers Daniel Gold and Ravi Kumar will judge the shorts.

Ms Van Galder is executive vice president of marketing at Sony Screen Gems, where she is responsible for creating marketing campaigns for all Screen Gems releases.

Prior to joining Sony she spent five years at Fox Searchlight Pictures in both publicity and marketing. Films she has marketed include The Full Monty and Waking Ned Devine.

Church wine stolen

An unidentified thief tried to secure his place in the afterlife after stealing 6-12 bottles of "the blood of Christ" from St. Mark's Church on Wednesday.

Police were called to the Smith's Parish church at 9 a.m. There the pastor told them as he was preparing for the morning service at 7 a.m., he discovered someone had broken into the vestry and stolen 6-12 bottles of South African red wine used for communion.

Drugs charge denied

A Pembroke man faces trial after pleading not guilty to charges of possessing cannabis and cannabis resin with intent to supply.

Alexis Jennings, 41, of Footbridge Lane, was granted $1,500 bail to reappear on June 11.

He had been arrested with another man on February 13 with what Crown Counsel Shakira Dill described as a "large quantity of drugs".

Burglar takes card

A burglar took $75 cash, a Lloyd's bank debit card and coins from a Wyndham Hill, Hamilton Parish home after breaking in on Monday.

And Police are also investigating a break-in overnight Sunday at a Happy Valley Road, Pembroke. The burglar broke into a garage and stole the car key and several speakers.

Supreme Court trial

Charles Ingham Ratteray, 60, of Somerset Road, Sandys, faces a Supreme Court trial on charges of conspiracy to import cannabis in September, 2000 after a preliminary inquiry earlier this month.

He is jointly charged with 51-year-old Anthony Rogers of Curving Avenue, Pembroke who is charged with possession and conspiracy to import cannabis.

The pair are set to go to the April arraignment session for a trial date.

Police make arrests

The Police Support Unit have hauled off 78 people in their paddy wagons in the last two weeks, a spokesman said on Tuesday.

Those picked up included 25 for outstanding warrants, 20 for drug possession, one for possession of drug equipment, one for drinking in public and nine for carrying an offensive weapon.