Jamaica Gleaner
FROM RECOVERY TO RECONSTRUCTION
THE RECOVERY phase triggered by the devastation wrought when Hurricane Melissa ripped through western Jamaica last October is officially coming to an end, with focus now set to be shifted to reconstruction. Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness made the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
THUNDER OVER DUBAI
A JAMAICAN man who awoke to the sound of “thunder-like” explosions in Dubai on Sunday, following a United States (US)Israeli attack on Iran and its retaliation, says much of what is happening in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is not being...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Caribbean states react as US, Israel go to war with Iran
AT LEAST three Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries have expressed concern at the escalation of hostilities in the Middle East after the United States (US) and Israel launched military attacks on Iran that resulted in missile attacks by Iran...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
CELLBLOCK HORROR
A MAN who says he was falsely arrested has claimed in a lawsuit that he contracted a sexually transmitted infection after being assaulted inside a police lockup. The assault, which lasted approximately 30 minutes, happened in 2014 after John Brown*...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
PATH CLEARED FOR GUN FIGHT
THE COURT of Appeal has cleared the way for a high-profile judicial review, after setting aside a ruling by the Supreme Court and allowing a licensed firearm holder to challenge the Firearm Licensing Authority’s (FLA) power to seize his weapon without...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘Nobody can dictate to judges’
THE HEAD of the judiciary took a swipe at Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Delroy Chuck yesterday, saying nobody – “regardless of the office they hold” – can “dictate” to judges how the law should be interpreted. Chief Justice Bryan...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
T&T BACKLASH
EVEN AS Washington, DC in the United States (US) has reportedly eased conditions allowing individuals to apply for licences to supply Cuba with Venezuelan oil, one of the Caribbean’s leaders has been condemned to the “dustbin of history” for her...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
CUBA PIVOT
PRIME MINISTER Dr Andrew Holness has signalled a pivot in Jamaica’s diplomatic stance toward Cuba, calling for a “principled realism” that balances traditional regional solidarity with a demand for democratic reform and open-market...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
GRIEFDOUBLES
CHILDREN MOURNED openly at the Edward Seaga Infant School in Kingston on Monday following the death of three-year-old student Jace Pinnock, who was murdered in Denham Town last Saturday. Jace was shot dead by gunmen who attacked his home on Nelson...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
DEBT TO CUBA
RETIRED FORMER Prime Minister P.J. Patterson is calling for African and European nations that have benefited from Cuba’s decades of international solidarity to now stand in support of the Caribbean island as it confronts a deepening fuel...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
WARNING LIGHTS
THE WATCHDOG signed off — but not before it barked. Access to Information documents obtained by The Sunday Gleaner reveal that the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) warned the transport ministry against handpicking contractors even as it endorsed the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
NO INSTANT RELIEF
JAMAICAN TEAS CEO John Mahfood, while welcoming the United States (US) Supreme Court’s decision to strike down tariffs imposed by the Donald Trump administration, has warned that he does not anticipate any immediate impact on Jamaican exports to the US...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
LITERACY SOS
PEMBROKE HALL High School Principal Reverend Claude Ellis is calling on the Government to redirect its resources into the primary and early childhood sectors to address educational gaps being identified in students at the secondary level. Ellis, whose...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
MEDIATION MUDDLE
AT THE completion of a courtordered mediation in May last year, a judge at the Trelawny Parish Court dismissed four criminal charges laid against a businessman by two policemen who claimed he assaulted them. Rayon Bell was found not guilty of assault...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘Death knell for small hotels’
AS JAMAICA’S tourism sector continues its post-hurricane Melissa recovery, small hotel operators are warning that new tax measures slated for implementation in April 2027 could destabilise locally owned properties and weaken the island’s...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Tufton: Jamaica hammering out new health MOU with Cuba
JAMAICA IS renegotiating its long-running medical cooperation programme with Cuba amid renewed pressure from the United States. Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton confirmed that while the previous memorandum of understanding (MOU) has...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
READING REVIVAL
LESS THAN a year after a literacy crisis at Pembroke Hall High School drew national attention, the institution has reported a landmark academic turnaround. Internal assessments have shown that 76 per cent of grade-seven students have advanced by two...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
STUDENTS IN LIMBO IN CUBA
CAUGHT BETWEEN failing infrastructure in Cuba and what they described as a wall of diplomatic silence at home, Jamaican medical students are urging the Government to establish a formal bridge to local universities to safeguard their academic...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
DIASPORA DIRECTION DEBATE
THE CONTINUING oversight of the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council (GJDC) by the Government has sparked fierce pushback from some members of the Jamaican diaspora in the United States, with a former Diaspora Advisory Board member calling for change. At...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
SWEET SIN TAX
THE GOVERNMENT’S 2026-27 Budget has sparked a stark divide between public-health advocates celebrating a new sugary drink levy and industry leaders warning that it will hit low-income consumers hardest. The Budget will lean on eight revenue measures...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
REASONABLE FORCE
THE SUPREME Court has ruled that police personnel acted lawfully in self-defence during an armed confrontation that left 18-yearold Jerome Lee dead on Ramsay Road, St Andrew, in August 2004, dismissing a civil claim against the State. “The court is...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
COSTLY DOG ATTACK
A MANCHESTER maintenance contractor who was mauled by two pit bull terriers at a company’s premises in August 2010 has been awarded $1.2 million in general damages, plus interest and special damages, after the Supreme Court found the company...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Witness: Sergeant, corporal denied firing weapons at Acadia scene
TWO OF the six policemen on trial in the Home Circuit Court in connection with the January 2013 fatal shooting of three men along Acadia Drive, St Andrew, had reported that they did not fire their weapons during the deadly encounter. A detective...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
100-bed medical dome aimed at easing pressure on CRH
A 10,000-SQUARE-FOOT medical dome capable of housing up to 100 hospital beds is to be installed at the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) in Montego Bay, St James, providing critical interim relief as the long-delayed reconstruction of the facility...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
FOUR BANKS, $352m HIT
AMAN, allegedly using a fictitious identity, got a total of $352 million in mortgage loans from four financial institutions over a one-month period in 2024, the proprietors of a privately owned firm have charged in a lawsuit. The loans were made to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
US ARMY VET BOOTED TO JA
GODFREY WADE, the 65-year-old United States (US) Army veteran who was detained in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility for months, has been deported to Jamaica. Wade arrived in the island on Thursday. Wade’s attorney, Tony Kozycki, who...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Public-sector workers lead on sexual harassment complaints
FIFTY ALLEGED cases of sexual harassment – mostly involving public-sector workers – have been referred to the tribunal established under the Sexual Harassment (Protection and Prevention) Act to hear and adjudicate complaints. The disclosure was made...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
RED-TAPE GRIDLOCK
JAMAICA’S ABILITY to develop at a faster pace is being hampered by “excessive bureaucracy”, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness is arguing. Holness, who was speaking at the official handover ceremony of the Essex Valley AgroProcessing Facility and...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Johnson Smith urges Haiti to respect Feb 7 red line on transition amid council turmoil
DAYS BEFORE Haiti’s transitional government is set to expire, Foreign Affairs Minister Kamina Johnson Smith has warned that any move away from the February 7 deadline would risk further fragmentation, insisting that the agreed-upon date must be the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
SCHOOL FLUNKS AT CARING FOR CHILD
A TEACHER’S failure to intervene in a verbal dispute between two Norman Manley High School (NMHS) students, before it turned physical and left one of them bloodied and missing a tooth, is a “clear breach of the duty and standard of care” the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘I DID NOTSEE’
AGRICULTURE MINISTER Floyd Green yesterday admitted in the Home Circuit Court that, while he witnessed parts of a 2013 police operation along Acadia Drive, St Andrew, he did not see the actual killing of three men during the incident. During cross...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
CRY FOR DEANS
JAMAICA TEACHERS’ Association (JTA) President Mark Malabver has reiterated his call for every school in the island to have a dean of discipline, expressing disappointment that both the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance have failed to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
CALL FOR UNITY
PRIME MINISTER Dr Andrew Holness is calling for an end to the era of isolated markets, urging his regional counterparts to abandon fragmented national agendas in favour of a singular, united hemispheric goal. Holness, who was speaking on day one of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Union roots bear fruit for Jamaican farm workers in NY
JAMAICAN SEASONAL farm workers at Wafler Farms in upstate New York are beginning the new crop season with higher wages and expanded labour protections under a new union contract negotiated by United Farm Workers (UFW). The Wayne County apple orchard...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
DPP fast-tracks SSL case to Home Circuit Court
THE ATTORNEY for one of the founders of Stocks & Securities Limited (SSL), the investment firm that collapsed amid allegations of a $4-billion fraud, has cautioned that the criminal charges laid against his client“do not relate to any stealing of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
SOUTH CAMP TRAFFIC ALARM
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS in the immediate environs where a new 5,000-squarefoot Pricesmart location is earmarked for opening by the end of this calendar year, are viewing with some concern how the development will impact the area. Pricesmart, the largest...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
FAKE IDs, STOLEN TITLES
FIVE FINANCIAL institutions have been fleeced of more than $600 million through an elaborate and complex fraudulent scheme allegedly involving an upper St Andrew medical doctor and two accomplices, using a litany of fictitious documents, law...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
ESTUARY ON EDGE
WITH THE 2026 hurricane season just months away, some residents of Phase Two of the Estuary Housing Scheme, in St James, are worried about the slow pace of the rehabilitation work on a section of their community, which caved in during the passage of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘WHERE’S MY GIRL?’
“I STILL want to know where my daughter is.” That was the haunting refrain from a tearful Sophia Lugg as she struggled to contain her emotions outside the Home Circuit Court on Thursday, moments after a jury found Constable Noel Maitland guilty of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
BOSSES OF BACKLOG
THE SPOTLIGHT has again been shone on the“responsible officers” at several municipal corporations as the state bodies remain delinquent, failing to submit a total of 95 outstanding financial statements to Auditor General Pamela Monroe Ellis. At the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
JUMPING FOR JOY
VERY FEW people from the rural community of Epping Forest, Old England, in Manchester matriculate to university, and even fewer complete their journey, says Denvor Green. So when he walked across the stage at The University of the West Indies last...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
J’can spirits see sales bump in Ontario after US brands pulled
JAMAICAN RUM producers are seeing a boost in Canada after the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) – one of North America’s largest alcohol retailers – halted imports and sales of United Stats alcoholic products in early 2025 amid escalating trade...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
REBUILDING WITH RUBBISH
AMID CONCERNS about uncollected garbage and the capacity of St James’ Retirement waste disposal site to handle increasing waste from across western Jamaica post-hurricane Melissa, some environmental stakeholders are declaring that certain types of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
DOCTORS JOIN NURSES IN DISTRESS
FOR THE second time in recent months, the medical staff at the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) in Montego Bay, St James, has gone public in registering their disgust with the overcrowding and poor working conditions at the Type A facility, which is...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘NOT FOR THE GREEDY’
A NEW state programme to assist some of the most vulnerable families who were displaced by Hurricane Melissa is geared towards the needy and “not the greedy”, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has warned. Holness also appealed to beneficiaries of the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
POLICE PROBE
THE BOARD of the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) has reported “specific matters” from a report on the procurement activities of the hospital to the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Fraud Squad and the Jamaica Customs Agency. Following the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
RISKY ROADS
VICE-CHAIRMAN OF the National Road Safety Council, Dr Lucien Jones, is cautioning that 2026 will be marked by further avoidable tragedy unless decisive action is taken to improve road safety and curb dangerous driving. “[The year] 2026 is going to be...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
No laptop ban
COMMISSIONER OF Corrections Brigadier Radgh Mason has insisted that lawyers have not been barred from entering correctional facilities with electronic devices and says notices will be posted to ensure attorneys are allowed access to consult with their...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Sykes: Current system simply cannot continue
CHIEF JUSTICE Bryan Sykes has warned that Jamaica cannot “try its way out” of its growing court backlog and that reform of the jury trial system must now be seriously considered. Speaking at King’s House on Monday during a swearing-in ceremony for...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Chief justice renews call for greater judicial control over capital budget
CHIEF JUSTICE Bryan Sykes has renewed calls for the judiciary to be given control of its capital budget, while questioning the Government’s silence on repairs to courthouses damaged by Hurricane Melissa. “The time has now come for us to be given...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘Still shaken’
AN ANXIOUS quiet fell over Venezuela ‘s capital on Sunday as trepidation mixed with joy while a nation waited to see what comes next. People were slow to resume routines in Caracas after President Nicolás Maduro was deposed and captured in a dramatic...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
NEW YEAR TRAGEDY
A NEW Year’s Day outing to the beach ended in tragedy for a Portmore family after a young woman, her teenage brother, and a policeman who was a family friend were swept away by strong currents at Sandhill Beach in Hellshire, St...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Clerk sought guidance on alleged blackmail of Senate president; officer rejects claim
NEWLY OBTAINED correspondence shows the Clerk to the Houses of Parliament sought disciplinary guidance regarding a former officer’s alleged misconduct and alleged attempt to blackmail Senate President Tom Tavares-finson. Attorney-at-law Anthony...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
INSURANCE PLEA
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS are urging the Government to introduce special insurance coverage for schools and their most valuable assets to better protect the education sector from future disasters, following the extensive damage caused by Hurricane...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
REINSTATED
THE PUBLIC Service Commission (PSC) has ordered the immediate reinstatement of an officer who was suspended after raising concerns about procurement practices at the Houses of Parliament (HOP), according to the officer’s attorney. The officer was...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Mixed bag for Kingston vendors as Melissa squeezes Christmas shoppers
WHILE SEVERAL business owners across the Corporate Area have expressed dissatisfaction with their Christmas sales, one downtown Kingston entrepreneur is revelling in the increased profits from the holiday season. The manager of Rockland Furniture...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
SSL ‘EXECS’ FACE COURT JAN 26
LAW-ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS are seeking to quell public criticisms of the near three-year investigation into the alleged multibillion-dollar fraud at collapsed investment firm Stocks & Securities Limited (SSL). Inspector Brenton Williams, head of the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
SSL EXECS GRILLED
AN ATTORNEY representing Jamaican sprint icon Usain Bolt has warned that it would be a “facade” to proceed with a trial solely against Jean-Ann Panton, the former wealth adviser at Stocks & Securities Limited (SSL), who is facing criminal charges in...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
We want a proper road not a skating rink, say fuming Moy Hall residents
RESIDENTS OF Moy Hall in St James are now hopping mad, saying infrastructure work to install a water pipeline system and additional work to replace the old asphalt road with concrete surface have left their hillside community with something looking...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
HEAVY-DUTY PAYOUT
THE SUPREME Court has ordered Jamaica North South Highway Company Limited and China Harbour Engineering Company Limited to pay heavy-duty truck driver Leon Mais $4,100,829.23 in damages, after finding them negligent in relation to a 2015 crash on the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
GRAND MARKET RESET
WHILE THE centuries-old Christmas tradition of Grand Market has evolved over time, this year’s observance may offer a return to the true spirit of the Yuletide season, argues cultural architect and educator Dr Amina Blackwood Meeks. She asserted that...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
No place like home for the holidays
“DON’T LET anything dim yuh spirit.” That was the message echoed by returning Jamaicans at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston on Monday, as travellers arriving for the Christmas holidays said they remain focused on family, gratitude,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
BATTERED BEANS
MAKING A case for more meaningful support from the Government toward one of the country’s long-standing industries, Donald Salmon, president of the Jamaica Coffee Growers Association, says coffee farmers in the island have been facing a tough time with...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Reopening concerns
WITH SCHOOLS set to fully reopen in two weeks, anxiety is mounting among the principals of some hurricane-damaged institutions as they grapple with unclear repair timelines, safety concerns, and limited communication from education authorities. Across...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
BLOODLINE BLOODSHED
CONCERNS ARE being raised today for the well-being of children who witnessed the bludgeoning of a family member and had to run for their lives from the killer- another of their relatives who had become enraged. The community of Frazersfield, Rocky...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘WORST OF THE WORST’
EIGHTY-FOUR JAMAICANS are among hundreds of “criminal aliens”, described by United States (US) authorities as the “worst of the worst”, who were arrested across several American states last weekend as part of the mass deportation policy of US President...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
HAMISH’S REGRET
IN 2013, the year Hamish Campbell took up the post of assistant commissioner at the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM), Jamaica recorded 258 police fatal shootings. Twelve years later, as Campbell gets ready to go off into retirement,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘UNCONSCIONABLE’ Small Business Association head slams 7% rate increase to JPS
PRESIDENT OF the Small Businesses Association of Jamaica (SBAJ) Garnett Reid says Jamaicans should strenuously push back against a seven per cent increase in electricity rate approved by the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) to the Jamaica Public...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
BUILD-BACK BOOSTER
THE GOVERNMENT has committed J$600 million to help displaced tourism workers repair and rebuild homes damaged by Hurricane Melissa as part of a broader public-private recovery programme now expected to exceed J$2 billion. Tourism Minister Edmund...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
OVERREACH
JAMAICA’S COURT of Appeal has quashed a 2019 murder conviction, criticising Chief Justice Bryan Sykes for his conduct during the trial and warning judges about overstepping their role in court. The chief justice is the head of the judiciary. In a...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
CANINE CRISIS
DOZENS OF puppies are being rushed to the Jamaica Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (JSPCA), suffering from severe gastroenteritis, bloody diarrhoea, and agonising pain before many ultimately die. Veterinarians say they are locked in a...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘Why we paying for security?’
RESIDENTS OF Phoenix Parkvillage in Phase 3, Portmore, St Catherine, were left shaken yesterday after a reported police operation ended in gunfire, leaving one alleged robber dead and another on the run. The incident, which unfolded along Hellshire...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
EMBRACE ‘ONE HEALTH’
MEDICAL EXPERTS are calling for stronger adherence to the global One Health mandate by Jamaican authorities, citing the outbreak of leptospirosis following Hurricane Melissa a month ago as a clear indication of why such a move is pivotal. One Health,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Kingston Tech principal suspended
PRINCIPAL OF Kingston Technical High School Maulton Campbell has been suspended from the institution following an audit report, concerns over a hiring decision, and a formal complaint submitted by a board member. Campbell was suspended effective...
Read Full Story (Page 1)