​MP for the Marigot Constituency Lennox Linton wants construction to begin on the Marigot Hospital soon. Linton says his constituents have expressed their frustration to him and have advised him to confront Dominica’s Government on the matter.
 
Linton told Q95 on Tuesday that the people of Marigot are tired of being discriminated against by the DLP Government, and are demanding that work commences on this important project, as the funds have already been made available by the Government of Mexico to the Government of Dominica, in the amount of US $ 5Million, to help construct the facility.

MP Marigot says if site selection is a problem, then the authorities should select the existing site, after it is treated for mold and pests. ​

Meantime, the entire Marigot Constituency has said to Mr. Linton that they will take to the streets, if construction work does not begin in a timely manner.

​Additionally, the Marigot MP has pointed out other concerns which need to be addressed immediately after the construction of the Marigot Hospital, as requested by his constituents.

MP for the Marigot Constituency Lennox Linton

A survey said to be conducted on the Soufriere/Scotts Head Marine Reserve has reportedly given the area the all-clear, to resume Marine and diving activities.
 
The survey is said to have been conducted by a marine expert, and the findings have been made available to the committee responsible for the marine reserve. Heston Charles is Chairman of the Soufriere/Scotts Head marine reserve.

​Chairman of the Soufriere/Scotts Head Marine Reserve Heston Charles.

​Head of the Department of International Development for the Caribbean Colleen Wainwright says that the UK will act speedily to disburse funds for a number of projects earmarked for Dominica post Hurricane Maria.
 
Recently PM Roosevelt Skerrit highlighted that Government has been unable to draw down on pledges from a number of donor countries. She says however; while the funds will be accessible, there is need to ensure that the scope of work to be undertaken is done correctly.

She says DFID is also actively engaged in the healthcare system in Dominica.

​Head of International Development Dept for the Caribbean, Colleen Wainwright.

Architect Severin McKenzie says, now that so many people are receiving compensation from their insurance companies, there appears to be a challenge in the labour component in the scheme of things, in getting Dominica's housing sector back on track.
 
He says there are a lot of building materials on island now, but there is still uncertainty with regards to the hurricane shafts which play a very critical role in stabilizing the roofs of homeowners, while most of the damage caused to building following Hurricane Maria was done to the roofs of these structures.

Meanwhile McKenzie says in some cases, persons may have to reconstruct, and not just reroof; and in that case, the structure would have to be re-examined by an engineer, so that the homeowner does not have to return to renovation overtime.

​Architect Severin McKenzie.

The National Drug Abuse Prevention Unit has expressed concern over the alarming rate at which illicit drugs are being used by Dominica's youth.
 
Drug Abuse Prevention Officer Crephenia James Turney says just walking around the city in one given day shows the effects of illegal drugs including crack cocaine on the lives of some individuals.

The Unit has also expressed concern about sponsorship coming from companies which sell alcoholic beverages to sporting events and sports clubs.

Drug Abuse Prevention Officer Crephenia James Turney.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell reaffirmed his commitment to national healthcare for Grenada, should his New National Party (NNP) be re-elected to government in the March 13 general election, in a campaign rally speech. However, there has been no timetable made readily available to the public on the progress of the healthcare inputs made by his administration to date.
 
“We have watched our health care system in this country over the years – governments go, governments come. We have seen the fundamental problems… I want to tell you, in the next term of our government, starting March 14, we are going to move speedily and implement a National Health Insurance,” Mitchell said.
Accounting for the inputs and what exactly is the status of the healthcare initiative is unclear in the Grenadian budget or through any of the other sources identified in the effort.

The Nigerian Government has released the names of the 110 missing girls, some as young as 11 years old, who have not been seen since a raid on their school in Dapchi last week.
 
Fighter jets, helicopters and surveillance planes have all been deployed in the search for the girls, who vanished after suspected Boko Haram militants attacked the Government Girls Science Technical College.
 
According to a list of names released by the authorities Tuesday, the missing are aged between 11 and 19. The names have been verified by a panel of school administrators and government officials, according to a statement by Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Nigeria's Minister of Information and Culture.

​Attorney representing Fmr St Kitts PM Dr Denzil Douglas, Sylvester Anthony, denies that his client is a Dominican citizen, saying he has never applied for citizenship. He made that comment after a court hearing on the case in Basseterre on Monday.
 
The government of St Kitts had earlier filed an injunction against Douglas for allegedly holding dual-citizenship and a diplomatic passport from Dominica, which is against the laws of that country. It said he had violated the constitution of St Kitts by swearing or acknowledging allegiance to a foreign power and should be barred from serving as a parliamentarian.
 
But St Kitts-based WINN FM has quoted Anthony as saying “The evidence is very simple and clear. Dr Douglas does not have Dominican citizenship, he has never applied for Dominican citizenship, and was never granted Dominican citizenship. It is as simple as that, and the claimant could have obtained that information by doing what we did. If you see the papers we have filed, You will notice that we wrote to the government of Dominica, asking those specific questions, and the government of Dominica responded to those very specific questions with the answers that I have just given you. That is something that the claimant, the Attorney General, could have found out before he filed this claim, so now they’ve asked for additional time to respond, so we’ll see what their response is.”
 
WINN FM asked Anthony about the fact that the diplomatic passport states nationality as Dominican. In response, Anthony said “what was in question was not a regular passport. We’re not talking about a regular passport that is given to you for being a citizen. We are talking about a diplomatic passport. When we speak about this matter, we shouldn’t use passport, we are speaking about a diplomatic passport. It’s not just a passport, they use that to conjure images in people’s minds”
 
According to Anthony, his client does not have a Dominican passport. He said, “Dr Douglas does not have a Dominican passport, he’s not a citizen of Dominica, he’s never applied for, and has never been granted citizenship of the Commonwealth of Dominica. This fact is irrefutable”. The government of St Kitts asked for more time in the matter during Monday’s court appearance.

​UWP Leader Lennox Linton has commented on the Diplomatic Passport case involving St. Kitts/Nevis Opposition Leader Dr. Denzel Douglas, the case is currently ongoing.
 
It has been alleged that St Kitts Opposition Leader Dr Denzel Douglas possesses both a St Kitts and Dominican Diplomatic Passport, while being a member of the St Kitts Parliament. The government of St Kitts/Nevis, led by Dr Timothy Harris, filed a suit in the courts, in an effort to get a determination on the matter.
 
The suit claims that due to Dr Douglas’s alleged possession of a Dominica Passport, he is a citizen of Dominica, and is under allegiance to the Commonwealth of Dominica; and as a result, Dr Douglas is not fit to serve in the Parliament of St Kitts/Nevis.
 
According to Linton, Dr Harris’s presentation on February 26, 2018, was considered insightful to the United Workers Party.

UWP Leader Lennox Linton, he spoke to Q95 FM on Tuesday

​Dominican Contractor and President of the Concerned Citizens Movement Loftus Durand has deemed his association’s ‘electoral reform public event’ held on 24th February 2018, as a complete success.
 
According to Durand, residents of the Wooten Waven community attended and fully participated in the group’s event, which educated the community on the importance of ensuring electoral reform in Dominica, before the next general elections take pace.

Meantime, Durand has reiterated his association’s call for Electoral Reform before the next General Elections in Dominica.
 
This has been a heated topic voiced by Dominicans for some time. According to Durand, this must happen before the next election, to restore the voting confidence of the general population of the country.

President of the Concerned Citizens Movement Loftus Durand