WESTERN BUREAU: Ten-year-old Enrique Aiken speaks with quiet confidence, the kind that comes from finally understanding the work in front of him. “I get to learn more stuff – things we did before and new things – for PEP,” said the grade-four...
WESTERN BUREAU: Richard Solomon, chairman of the St Elizabeth Municipal Corporation and mayor of Black River, says the historic town is steadily recovering from the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa, though critical gaps in infrastructure,...
WESTERN BUREAU: Seventy-year-old Parotte fisherman Basil Bennett said he stood in stunned disbelief and watched his home collapse under the brutal force of Hurricane Melissa’s Category 5 winds as it ripped through St Elizabeth last October. “It...
WESTERN BUREAU: Restoring communities devastated by Hurricane Melissa could cost billions of dollars, with Montego Bay’s mayor warning that the country lacks the financial capacity for full mitigation and must instead focus on adaptation. Mayor...
Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness is expected today to respond to mounting concerns over the proposed National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) bill, a sweeping piece of legislation that has drawn criticism from civil society groups,...
WESTERN BUREAU: Six months after the devastation of Hurricane Melissa, residents of the small coastal community of Parottee in St Elizabeth say their most urgent needs are the restoration of electricity and access to water, as recovery continues at...
The PJ Patterson Institute for Africa-Caribbean Advocacy, housed at The University of the West Indies, Mona, will officially launch Dante’s Inferno: A New Translation by Jamaica’s former Poet Laureate, Professor Lorna Goodison, on May 6 in the...
Annotto Bay, St Mary: Inadequate parking – further compounded by higglers peddling their produce in the streets and along corridors, blocking entrances to commercial entities – is one of the chronic problems plaguing the town of Annotto Bay in St...
A 61-year-old Colombian national was gunned down in a brazen attack at Kensington Court in New Kingston on Friday night, in what investigators believe may be linked to transnational organised criminal activity. The deceased has been identified as...
The Government’s push to provide free cervical cancer screening for women and raise awareness during April is showing results, with some clinics reporting that they have exceeded their screening targets. The South East Regional Health Authority (...
During four days on a cardboard bed in the Half-Way Tree lock-up –in a 31-year-old case that has lingered in the system since 1995 – Courtney Anderson was introduced to the rats that patrol the cells, biting and searching for scraps from those...
The Board and members of Peace and Love in Society (PALS) Jamaica is mourning the death of 13-year-old Kland Doyle, a Seaforth High School student fatally stabbed last week following a long-standing dispute with a schoolmate that families on both...
Two St Catherine men, who had spent more than 15 years behind bars for the killing of a mother of five in Central Village, were on Friday freed after the Court of Appeal quashed their murder convictions. The men, Kimarley Fortella and Kestner...
An “irregular” recruitment exercise at the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) has triggered a two-year impasse between the entity’s executive director and its internal audit manager, creating a “hostile” working environment. The...
An American teen who left Jamaica on Friday night was arrested for murder on arrival in New York City. Eighteen-year-old Zahir Davis was charged in connection with the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Jaden Pierre during a violent altercation at a...
Rising fuel prices amid the US-Israel war against Iran are now threatening school attendance, with transportation emerging as the primary concern for administrators across the island. Several school leaders say they are bracing for increased...
Influential leaders in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) are confident that the current division within the 15 full-member bloc will not fracture the regional body, even as an active search continues for a consensus candidate to replace Dr Carla...
Penile cancer, a rare but serious disease often linked to the human papillomavirus (HPV), is leaving some Jamaican men facing devastating consequences, including the loss of their penis and the end of their ability to father children. Consultant...
King’s Counsel Peter Champagnie is calling for restraint in public discussion surrounding the firearm case involving popular podcaster Jhaedee Richards and music producer Jahvel Morrison, after both men were yesterday granted $1.5 million bail in...
While Broughton Primary School’s Jamaica Moves showcase drew praise for its creativity and execution, Principal Marva Davis-Clarke says long-term success will depend on sustained support – especially for rural schools. Reflecting on the day’s...
A sprint to the right answer, children forming shapes at the sound of music, and teams crawling, jumping and racing across the field – Broughton Primary School turned its Jamaica Moves in Schools Challenge proposal into a full-scale, high-energy...
Local contractors are being urged to make the necessary investment in their companies to effectively compete for large-scale government projects. Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness made the suggestion while speaking at the National Housing Trust (...
The ganja fraternity in Jamaica, while welcoming the recent decision by the United States (US) Department of Justice to reclassify certain cannabis products, is urging local producers to see it as both an opportunity and a warning. Maurice Ellis,...
Kathryn Silvera, president of the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA), says the organisation is relying on guidance from regulators as concerns grow over contaminated sugar linked to Pan Caribbean Sugar Company. “Pan Caribbean...
Western Bureau: As Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett tours hospitality properties along Jamaica’s south coast to assess recovery efforts and reinforce the sector’s readiness to welcome international visitors, industry stakeholders are warning that...
