BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Friday 13^th September 2019)-The father of a well-known ‘beauty and brain’ pageant participant, 27-year-old Taitu Goodwin, who was a delegate in the first annual Miss Black San’ International Swimsuit Pageant held in April 2017 in St.Kitts, is calling for the death penalty in the case of an ex-boyfriend who alleged stabbed her to death earlier this week in Anguilla.

 Her father Bruce Goodwin, Antigua and Barbuda’s former Ambassador to Cuba, aired such sentiments during a live telephone interview on ABS television on the day in question describing her to be “My most beautiful, brightest best of out all of my 11 children. She was the love of my life, the greatest love of my life” as he furthered his call for “the death penalty for murderers.”

Details from the Public & Media Relations Department in Anguilla said the incident involving this “tragic death” took place on Monday 9^th September at about 4:30 AM in the Windward Point Area.

To date, Glenville Hodge, a 23yr old male of Island Harbour has been charged for the offence of Goodwin’s murder and remanded to Her Majesty Prison.

According to Goodwin, the accused killer was his daughter’s “boyfriend until a year ago when she separated from him.”

 He added: “He has been obsessed with her since then, [harassing] her on several occasions until finally in the wee hours of this morning, he apparently broke into her apartment where she lived alone and he murdered her brutally.”

As gathered, Taitu -who originally hails from Antigua and Barbuda- moved to Anguilla some years ago with her mother.

 “…she was a teacher in the school system down there. She went to study law which was her passion. She studied law at the University of Cardiff in Wales and at the University of [Université Catholique de] Lyon in France and just last year, she graduated with her Master’s Degree in Trade and Investment law from the University of St John’s University [School of Law] in New York and her most beautiful and shining dream were to practice in her legal profession and rise within that profession as an accomplished lawyer,” the grieving dad said.

 Additionally, he told that she was a linguist who spoke several languages.

It is understood that she was the head of her department at the Ministry of Finance in Anguilla.

Goodwin said she visited Antigua regularly and stayed with him with her most recent visit being about two months ago.

Notably, Taitu was crowned Miss Anguilla in 2012 and also placed second runner-up in Miss Jaycees in 2013 during the annual carnival festivities in her birth country of Antigua and Barbuda.

 “She was certainly one of the best and brightest of her generation. She was also a beauty queen if I can say that even though I never approved of her entering that kind of pageantry. She was so accomplished in every field. Her personality is beyond description interims of its beauty and all of her friends would regard her as being jovial, conversational and witty and all those things.”

 In commenting on what should happen to his daughter’s accused murdered, he stated: “I have always been an advocate of the death penalty for murderers…and I continue to be an advocate of the death penalty. It may not be 100% effective as a deterrent but it still has some deterrence  and if our judiciary had not gone soft on murderers and criminals, many of those who have died at the hands of these demonic personalities would still be alive today and so I think it would be for my beloved Taitu and I am calling on my judiciary to return to the days when they were tough against demonic perpetrators like the brutal murderers we have strutting around in the Caribbean thinking ‘Oh, I can do as I like with other people’s lives and I will spend a few years in jail and come out  and walk about the place and be happy  just as if nothing had happened. They must be hanged by their necks until they are dead.

The Black San’ committee has expressed condolences via its social media Facebook account saying in part: “Taitu was a delegate in the first ever Miss. Black San’ International but due to circumstances beyond our control, she did not compete on show night. However, she spent the entire week in St. Kitts with us and we enjoyed her company. She was a very strong and determined individual which made her stood out. This unfortunate news has hit us hard. We constantly follow the progress of our past delegates and this is certainly not the type of information we wish to receive.”

BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Friday 6^th September 2019) – Eustacia Morton, a 20-year-old female from St.Kitts-Nevis, who is currently attending university in the US, has launched a feminine hygiene care brand called Nat’ral Luxuries described to be 100% natural.

“It’s all natural products made with selected herbs to help cure and heal the vagina naturally. We the products goddess bar, feminine wash and also detox pearls.We also plan to come out with different products along the way. Most of our products is for yeast infection, vagina viruses and even people with fibroids which is for the detox pearls and it also helps with vagina wetness, like natural feminine issues,” she revealed during an exclusive interview with this reporter at a recent pop-up-shop on Fort Street.

Product ingredients include aloe vera, essential oils, coconut oil and cocoa butter oils.

Commenting on what motivated her to come up with the product line, she shared: “I was inspired because I realised that young teenagers and women like myself have issues with yeast infection especially like how we have hot climate in S.Kitts-Nevis, and I also realise that most of them don’t know how to take care of their vagina so I did some research and found herbs because we believe that the power of healing is in the environment. It’s been going really good; I really want to focus on natural products because chemicals do not belong on or in your vagina.”

The items are produced in Miami at her school Florida International University where she is a third year student studying Biology and Agriculture.  The product line was launched in December 2018.

“Along the way, I plan to go to medical school to become a doctor but a herbalist because I don’t want to deal with the pills and so forth,” she said. 

Morton’s  male assistance Vikell Edwards-Douglas talked about the product sold the fastest that day.

“We started at 11am today and we had 60 pearls and the pearls were the first to finish because persons would have been hearing about the buzz about the pearls and how amazing they work from. The pearls are an inside cleanser for the vagina and they clean the vagina and the womb. What they do is they get rid of dry skin, dead cells, blood clots and mucus and it cleans it out. Additionally, for those of you who have issues conceiving and what’s not, it also helps in that area. The products give the vagina a natural scent not a sweet scent…” he informed.

Quizzed about the most popular item, Morton remarked: “I would say the most popular product is the goddess bar but the pearls have just been released and it looks like they would take over an we have three different scents in the wash- natural, mint and lavender and the mint is the favourite for many females but my favourite is the lavender because I just love the scent.”

The young entrepreneur, who hails from the St. Peter’s community in Stapleton Village, said customer feedback has been really good.

“ My customers have been pushing me to bring out more products but  I have to do some more research to be accurate and make sure that they actually work because it’s not just about the money.”

In providing hygiene advice to her gender peers, Morton had this to say: “The most important thing is to stop using those high brand soaps because most of them have chemicals and those are what really throws off your pH balance so if you don’t have the natural stuff just use water instead of those high brand stuff.”

Furthermore, she recommends that hygiene care in young girls start at an early age.

“I would say at the age of 12 or when you start your menstruation because that is when your body start releasing most of the toxins so I would advise the parents to educate their children on these stuff and the parents need to be educated also.”

For more information, individuals can visit the business page via Instagram or send an email via CONTACT@NATRALLUXURIES.COM.

BASSETERRRE, St.Kitts (Friday 6th September 2019) – Well-known veteran music expert and former official of the St.Kitts-Nevis Defence Force Captain Valentine ‘Val’ Morris died over the past weekend (Friday 30^th August), leaving many mourners to salute his professional musical talents as well as his trained disciplinary personality over the years.

For the well-known CFBC-Jenkins Ltd Leadership Course in June 2018, Morris was one of the six icons honoured. He was specifically spotlighted for his contributions to the development of music in the Federation as an early pioneers of the steel pan who served in the St Kitts-Nevis Defense Force and led the Defense Force Band for many years.

Additionally, in April 2008, Morris was one of seven Kittitians recognised for having given outstanding service and contributed to the development of their country locally and internationally at the Friends of Labour-Toronto 7th Gala Awards Dinner and Dance in Toronto Canada.

He was then praised for the significant role he played in contributing to the artistic expression in St. Kitts and Nevis by defining the musical landscape. Additionally, he was applauded then for he has mastered the details of the steel band for more than five decades.

His death came days after the writer and music composer of the nation’s national anthem ‘O Land of Beauty’, Kenrick Georges, passed away at the age of 64 on Monday 26^th August.

BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Friday 6^th September 2019)-Over the past weekend, eight students in St. Kitts-Nevis entering high school for the first time were officially welcomed as the newest recipients of the Warren C. Tyson Memorial Scholarship Award provided by TDC Group of Companies Ltd.

The 38th annual induction ceremony was held on Friday 30^th August at the TDC Training Room at its head office on Fort Street.

The 2019 awardees are: Sannica Hull (Tucker Clarke Primary School)-Basseterre High School, Shaniqua Edmeade (Cayon Primary)-Cayon High School, Kialan Morton (Sandy Point Primary)-Charles E. Mills Secondary, Jenissa Taylor (Edgar T. Morris Primary)-Saddlers Secondary, Jae Greene (Irish Town Primary)-Verchilds High and Destiny Parris (Beach Allen Primary)- Washington Archibald High from St.Kitts as well as Earl Jeffers (St.Thomas Primary) Charlestown Secondary, Sasha Browne (Violet O. Jeffers-Nicholls Primary) Gingerland Secondary from Nevis.

Additionally, that day, the eight runners-up in the programme received the TDC Financial Services Academic Excellence Award namely: Nathalie Providence (Ivor Walters Primary)-Charlestown Secondary and Alyssa Gajor (St.James Primary) from Nevis as well as Sadejah Marsham (Dr. William Connor Primary)- Basseterre High, Colis Duke (Joshua O. Williams Primary)-Cayon High, Zalika Liburd (Newtown Ground Primary-Charles E. Mills Secondary, Juvencia Finch (Estridge Primary)-Saddlers Secondary, Kaemona Veira (Tyrell Williams Primary)-Verchilds High  and C-Quanie Carey (Deane-Glasford Primary)- Washington Archibald High from St.Kitts.

At the ceremony, each student received a scholarship certificate.

Group Senior Human Resources Officer Gloria Esdaille said the programme is named in honour of the first chairman of the TDC Group of companies.

“His belief was one that realised the importance of learning and development and most sincerely sought to ensure that his colleagues had opportunities for advancement which would renowned to the success of the company.”

Esdaille Robinson spotlighted the motto: “We at TDC are molding young minds for the future.”

She highlighted that the scholarship award “provides each student with financial assistance as well as counselling, training and work experience over a seven year period, supporting you from first form through to the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College and or the Nevis Sixth Form College.”

Esdaille Robinson went on further to outline that the programme “has expanded its reach to also highlight and award the achievements of our runner-up students who will receive a one-time gift package of essential school supplies [provided by] TDC Financial Services Ltd. formerly known as FINCO.”

According to her, the most deserving students are selected based on the criteria of the programme.

“Note keenly, we don’t just give you money, we help you to manage your allotted finances while making wise decisions over each academic year. We don’t just accept the pass marks of 55 % and 65%, we say challenge yourselves, be excellent and attain 75% and above and we will hold you to it. We don’t just put you to work, we ensure that you are guided in displaying appropriate behaviour whole learning to function at work, interacting with staff and assisting customers. We ensure that the total development of the child because we care. To be successful, you must finish the programme.”

TDC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Earle Kelly pointed out that the programme is “based on academic excellence and need-not want; those kids who are bright but they lack the financial resource, those are the ones who qualify.”

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education William Hodge described the programme as being “excellent” and endorsed it based on reasoning from Esdaille-Robinson’s presentation.

He applauded the counseling aspect “because many of our young people need that type of guidance and it’s not just guidance, it’s career guidance so that they can direct you in the path you want to go on leaving school.”

In relation to the on the job experience, Williams told that “ this is a vital component of this programme…when I come into TDC-because I’m always in TDC-…and I like when I see the young students serving the customers, displaying good customer service. That is something that we as Kittitians have been criticised for not having good customer service so we want to commend TDC for assuring that you batch of young people begin to get some training in customer service.

He also praised the mentorship aspect regarding the ‘big brother big sister type of relationship with TDC staff members.

The Education Ministry official thanked TDC and said his ministry recommits to “working in this partnership for the benefit of you young persons.”