Bad news for Lamothe's presidential bid: Judicial ruling rejects his candidacy

A judicial panel in Haiti has recommended that former Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe be barred from running for president. The panel said late Tuesday that Lamothe failed to receive a government document certifying that he handled public funds appropriately while prime minister from 2012 until late last year.

An adviser to Lamothe, Salim Succar, called the decision "erroneous" and said Wednesday they would appeal.

Man faces prison time for smuggling Haitians- including US deportees

FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A Haitian man is facing U.S. prison time after pleading guilty to illegally smuggling migrants aboard a boat from the Bahamas. Veronel Charles faces between three and 10 years in prison when he is sentenced in August in Fort Pierce federal court. Charles pleaded guilty to two alien smuggling counts last week.

Cheap motorbikes bring opportunity —but safety hazard— to streets

PORT-AU-PRINCE— Joseph-Marc Carel knows the danger of ferrying passengers on his small motorbike, sometimes two at a time, as tides of the buzzing vehicles cut through the chaotic Haitian capital. He has a prosthetic leg to prove it.

Carel would like to find a job that's safer than driving a two-wheeled taxi in Port-au-Prince, but he knows he's unlikely to find one that pays anything close to the $50 a week he can earn with his battered motorbike.

Teen killed while riding bicycle; family hopes for Haiti burial

A 18-year-old Dorchester teenager was struck and killed while riding his bicycle along Talbot Avenue last Tuesday. The unlicensed driver whom authorities say caused the fatal collision— and then fled the scene on foot— was ordered held on high bail after his arraignment in Dorchester Court.

The victim was identified as Fritz Philogene, a Haitian-born student at West Roxbury Academy who was riding his bike near the intersection with Norwell Street just after 10 p.m. when the incident took place.

Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said that the responsible driver was Gregory McCoy, 27. McCoy was reportedly driving a friend’s white Cadillac on Norwell Street when he struck a silver BMW driven by a 33-year-old Dorchester man. Both cars then careened through the Talbot Street intersection, where Philogene was struck and suffered fatal injuries.

Milton school walks to support Haiti-Micha project

The St. Mary of the Hills School community came together on May 18 for the fourth annual "Walk for Haiti." The event drew around 150 people, 20 of which were former SMH students and alumnae. The walk consisted of a new 5 mile route around the town of Milton. The money raised from the walk went directly to The Haiti-Micah Project. The Haiti-Micah Project is celebrating it's 10th anniversary since beginning the foundation. Haiti-Micah supports the poor children in Haiti whom are in severe need of clean water, medical attention, food, and shelter. This need increased immensely after the devastating 2010 earthquake.

Since the founders (Thalia Etienne, Jacob Martens, and Janelle Saint Eloi) of the Walk for Haiti have all now graduated from St. Mary's and moved on to private high schools, the walk is now run by SMH's National Junior Honor Society with faculty advisors Mrs. Alexia Etienne and Mrs. Pam Vasta. This year St. Mary's raised $3,000 to support children in Haiti.

Beyonce visits Haiti to see progress made since 2010 quake

Pop queen Beyonce has paid a visit to Haiti to look at the progress made since an earthquake devastated the country five years ago. Haiti U.N. mission spokeswoman Sophie Boutaud de la Combe said Saturday that Beyonce also was able to "meet some of the people who were affected by'' by the 2010 disaster in the impoverished Caribbean country.

Former-PM Lamothe submits papers to run for president

Former Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe has submitted papers to run for president shortly before the election office's deadline, after repeatedly saying he had no plans to seek Haiti's top political position.

A few hundred supporters of Lamothe, who resigned under pressure late last year amid a political standoff with the last Parliament, chanted and cheered as he arrived by motorcade late Wednesday at an electoral office in the capital. Some supporters of other presidential hopefuls filing their candidacy papers also gathered outside the gates.

Mayor Walsh connects with the Haitian community

After presiding over Sunday’s annual Haitian Unity Parade on Blue Hill Avenue, Mayor Martin Walsh made good on a campaign promise on Monday evening, appearing before a large gathering of Haitian community members for a wide-ranging discussion about community’s wants and needs.

More than 250 people— many of them elderly— greeted Mayor Walsh at Kay Pam Adult Day Health on Livingstone Street as he talked about City Hall’s approach to tackling affordable housing, improving education, and new immigrants’ integration into the community through the Office of New Bostonians.

Walsh listened to remarks from members of the community about issues facing the city’s burgeoning Haitian population and then took a handful of pre-submitted questions.

“We need to make sure young people have good, strong, quality education so these young people can have the same opportunities that Linda had, that I had,” Walsh said later, referring to State Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry, who is married to the Reporter’s publisher and editor, Bill Forry. Sen. Forry introduced Walsh at the event, calling him “no stranger to our community.”

Mattapan Station Sale Community Meeting

All members of the public are invited to attend an update meeting on the MBTA’s planned sale of the commuter parking lot located next to Mattapan Red Line Station. The purpose of this meeting will be to provide the Mattapan community with an update of the MBTA’s intentions for this sale, along with a comprehensive briefing on the property itself and the MBTA’s formal process for property dispositions.

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