SAVANNA-LA-MAR, WESTMORELAND:

The two men who were held in Savanna-la-Mar transporting 50lb of ganja in two air conditioning units last Sunday, were granted bail in the sum of $250,000 each in the Savanna-la-Mar Resident Magistrate's court on Wednesday.

Both men, who are from Spring Garden in Westmoreland, Rolin Shakespeare 34 and Clifton Gayle 48, said they were simply transporting the two units to Kingston and were not aware of the weed stashed in the compressor chambers. They were both arrested and charged with dealing in and taking steps to export ganja.

Gayle said he was being paid $15,000 to take the units to Kingston and since his car was not working he decided to split the money with Shakespeare, who willingly accepted as he was trying to put funds together to acquire a road licence for his Toyota Caldina.

The arresting officer said he was acting on intelligence when he stopped the car along Seaton Street.

The two were granted bail under the condition that they report to the Little London Police Station every Wednesday, between 8:30 am and 6 p.m. Their travel documents were also confiscated. Shakespeare's car was returned to him.

They are to return to court on February 17 next year.

- Dalton Laing

Credit Union ends yearly charity work in style

SPANISH TOWN, ST CATHERINE:

The St Catherine Cooperative Credit Union gave the last of its donations for the year to worthy charities at its offices on White Church Street in Spanish Town.

The Holistic Education Complex in Ewarton, the Bog Walk High School, Spanish Town Aids Committee, the Women's Centre of Jamaica, the Diabetic Association and the Portmore Self Help Organisation were the major beneficiaries.

It was an event filled with emotion, Robert Allen from the Diabetic Association and Elketh Mulai from the women's centre thanked the credit union for its constant support.

Winston Donald, marketing officer, as well as Winsome Keen Dawes, a board member, told the gathering the credit union was committed to continue giving to charities next year.

- Rasbert Turner

Quick Step begins growing medicine

ST ELIZABETH:

Residents in the tiny district of Quick Step, which sits at the border of Trelawny and St Elizabeth, are being exposed to a new type of farming in the form of micro-propagation of select medicinal plants.

The awareness programme is being embarked upon through a joint venture by the United States Agency for International Development through the Protected Areas and Rural Enterprise Projects, the Forestry Department, the University of the West Indies, the Small Business Association of Jamaica, the Tourism Product Development, as well as the Local Forest Management committees.

Micro-propagation is achieved through biotechnology, which enables plants of all types to be grown in lab conditions and then transferred to the field after being hardened in greenhouse conditions.

Plants successfully propagated under these conditions include pineapples, yams, dasheen, and in the case of this activity, medicinal plants, such as sarsaparilla, medina and strong back (Jamaican term), to name a few.

On Tuesday, representatives of the various agencies journeyed to Quick Step to hold a medicinal plant plot handover ceremony where a number of greenhouses were distributed to persons living in and around the cockpit country regions in Trelawny, St James and St Elizabeth.

- Noel Thompson