Morning Bites: 5 things to know for Friday; SSL Scandal; Rebel Traffic; Clovis Toon; Breaking News and more

Morning Bites: 5 things to know for Friday, January 20, 2023 FSC has interim head Chief Prudential Officer at the Bank of Jamaica, Major Keron Burrell, will act as [interim head of the Financial Services Commission (FSC)]( effective today. This follows Thursday’s announcement that Everton McFarlane had resigned as executive director of the FSC effective January 31. Finance Minister Dr Nigel Clarke, who made the disclosure as he spoke with journalists on Thursday, [said McFarlane would depart on leave today](. "I intend to make further policy announcements on Monday," Clarke said. McFarlane's resignation comes as the FSC faces mounting criticism over its regulatory oversight of companies in the financial services sector amid the multibillion-dollar fraud that is unravelling at Stocks and Securities Limited (SSL). Sprint great Usain Bolt is among more than 30 investors whose accounts are said to have been depleted by a former employee of SSL. Bolt has lost a reported US$12.7 million or nearly J$2 billion. Earlier this week, the police Fraud Squad and Financial Investigations Division which are probing the case, said questionable transactions were being made on some of the affected accounts for more than a decade. Rebel Salute returns… What about the traffic? One of Jamaica’s biggest music festivals, [Rebel Salute]( will return today at Grizzly's Plantation Cove in Priory, St Ann after a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. The two-day festival will feature some of the biggest names in reggae – Third World, Capleton, Luciano, Queen Ifrica, I-Wayne, Louie Culture, Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Sanchez and the organiser Tony Rebel to name a few. Aside from the highly anticipated performances, all eyes will also be on the traffic situation after [hours-long snarls caused by previous events at Grizzly’s Plantation Cove](. On January 1, the traffic build-up leading to the Intimate Concert at the location left many attendees outraged. According to Tony Rebel, patrons making their way to the event on Friday and Saturday [will not have to bear heavy traffic](. "I am not concerned [about traffic]. We have our practical measures in place. We will have a lot of wardens in the parking lot for patrons to park quickly. So, if you can park five cars in 30 seconds, you're able to get rid of the traffic and there will be no build-up. We have been there [at that location] for years and we have been able to solve those issues already. We are in close dialogue with the police and everything is all set," he told the Jamaica Observer's weekly Auto magazine. He further said that regular motorists will not be inconvenienced. "It's how we use the cones in the middle of the road. You set aside a part of the road for vehicular traffic for those going to MoBay and Kingston about their regular business so they won't get caught up," he explained. Despite a solid traffic plan in place, he is encouraging patrons to arrive at the St Ann venue early. "Leave out from early as possible. Gates open at 5:00 pm, and we don't want anybody to miss anything because the early part will be good too," he said. Rebel Salute was first held at the Fayor's Entertainment Centre in Mandeville, Manchester, in 1994. It then moved to Brook's Park, also in that town, then on to the Port Kaiser Sports Club in St Elizabeth before settling at Grizzly's Plantation Cove in Priory, St Ann, since 2013. SRC stages Conversations in Science Series The [sixth staging of the Scientific Research Council’s (SRC) Conversations in Science Series will take place today]( at the Chinese Benevolent Association in St Andrew. This year’s event, which is targeted at boys, will showcase the achievement of men in science, under the theme “Celebrating the Positive Value Men in Science Bring to the World, their Families and Communities”. “It is important for us to show the youth, especially young men, alternatives that allow them to have a lifestyle that they can be proud of, where they can go down a career path that can bring them not just personal but national pride,” said executive director of the SRC, Dr Charah Watson. SRC uses the Conversations in Science Series to promote science among the youth. The entity is looking to engage more than 500 students from over 100 schools across the country today’s session. Individuals will be able to participate in person for the first time in three years, due to COVID-19 restrictions, but arrangements have also been made to accommodate persons online on the SRC’s YouTube and Facebook platforms. The day’s activities will include workshops and viewing of exhibits and all-male panel discussions, in a deliberate display of successful men in science and technology. Advertisement March for Life returns to DC with new post-Roe v Wade focus One year ago, the annual March for Life protest against legal abortion took place in Washington amid a mood of undisguised triumph. With a fresh conservative majority on the Supreme Court, thousands of marchers braved bitterly cold weather to celebrate the seemingly [inevitable fall of Roe v. Wade](. Now, with the constitutional right to abortion no longer the rule of the land, the March for Life returns Friday with a new focus. Instead of concentrating their attention on the Supreme Court, the marchers plan to target the building directly across the street: the US Capitol. Movement leaders say they plan to warn Congress against making any attempt to curtail the multiple anti-abortion laws imposed last year in a dozen different states. “This year will be a somber reminder of the millions of lives lost to abortion in the past 50 years, but also a celebration of how far we have come and where we as a movement need to focus our effort as we enter this new era in our quest to protect life,” Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life Education and Defense Fund, said in a statement. Some movement leaders also hope to plant seeds in Congress for a potential federal abortion restriction down the line. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of SBA Pro-Life America, said she envisions an eventual “federal minimum standard” cut-off line such as 13 weeks of pregnancy after which abortion would not be permitted in any state. Dannenfelser's scenario would still leave individual states free to impose their own, stricter measures, including a total ban. That last ambition is an admitted longshot since even if it passes the newly Republican-controlled House of Representatives, it would most likely fail in the Democratic-held Senate. “We know it’s not going to happen this session, but this is the beginning,” Dannenfelser said. “It's (Congress') responsibility to listen to the will of the people.” In permit applications to the National Park Service, protest organizers estimated 50,000 participants this year, about the same size as previous marches. Alec {NAME} to be charged with manslaughter Actor Alec {NAME} and a weapons specialist [will be charged with involuntary manslaughter]( in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on a New Mexico movie set, prosecutors announced Thursday, citing a “criminal disregard for safety.” Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies issued a statement announcing the charges against {NAME} and Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who supervised weapons on the set of the Western “Rust.” Halyna Hutchins died shortly after being wounded during rehearsals at a ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe on October 21, 2021. {NAME} was pointing a pistol at Hutchins when the gun went off, killing her and wounding the director, Joel Souza. Assistant director David Halls, who handed {NAME} the gun, has signed an agreement to plead guilty to negligent use of a deadly weapon, the district attorney’s office said. The decision to charge {NAME} marked a stunning fall for an A-list actor whose 40-year career included the early blockbuster “The Hunt for Red October” and a starring role in the sitcom “30 Rock,” as well as iconic appearances in Martin Scorsese’s “The Departed” and a film adaptation of David Mamet’s “Glengary Glen Ross.” In recent years, he was known for his impression of former President Donald Trump on “Saturday Night Live.” ICYMI: WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING WATCH: Clarke reiterates ‘disgust’ at SSL fraud, says more announcements coming’ Finance Minister Dr Nigel Clarke [says more policy announcements will be made]( next week in response to the multi-billion dollar fraud scandal at Stocks and Securities Limited (SSL) which has rocked the nation. T-Mobile says data on 37 million customers stolen The US wireless carrier T-Mobile said Thursday that [an unidentified malicious intruder breached its network in late November]( and stole data on 37 million customers, including addresses, phone numbers and dates of birth. Folk-rock pioneer David Crosby dies at 81 David Crosby, the trailblazing singer-songwriter whose time with The Byrds and later Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young expanded rock's range, [has died, US media reported](. He was 81. CLOVIS TOON TODAY IN HISTORY Barack Obama becomes first black US president On [January 20]( 2009, Barack Hussein Obama became the 44th president — and first black chief executive — of the United States. For more stories, visit our website at www.jamaicaobserver.com or [sign up for our e-paper](. [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Website]( Copyright © 2023 Jamaica Observer, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: 40 - 42 1/2 Beechwood Avenue Kingston 5 Want to change how you receive these emails? 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