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When Courtney Anderson went to court last Thursday, the last thing he expected was that the judge would order his arrest, have him jailed, and place a stop order against him.

Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate Donna Scott-Mottley is urging the Government to put stronger safeguards in place to protect vulnerable Jamaicans as the country moves to grant three casino licences under its integrated resort development model. Contributing to debate in the Upper House on Friday on the Casino Gaming (General) Regulations, 2025, Scott-Mottley warned that gambling is an industry that often exploits human vulnerability and can lead to addiction.

WESTERN BUREAU: Deputy Superintendent of Police Linroy Edwards, the operations officer for the St James Police Division, says that while the 20 murders recorded in St James this year is one more than the corresponding period last year, the police remain fully committed to keeping the murder tally low. Edwards, who was speaking during a press briefing in Montego Bay on Friday, disclosed that the St James police have also strengthened their operating capacity with the addition of 31 personnel, five motorcycles, and three pickup vehicles.

Parents of a child diagnosed with either Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or autism often face a range of emotions in dealing with the impacts of the situation. In terms of autism, some parents experience fear as they are uncertain about the child’s future and safety, while others may experience shame or guilt because of the social stigma attached and the reaction of people in general.

WESTERN BUREAU: Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett has acknowledged that, even while efforts are being made to professionalise the local tourism sector through training and certification, wages in the sector are unlikely to reach the levels seen in other industries.

Western Bureau: Young Jamaicans are being urged to harness their creative ideas so that they can develop the skills needed to shape the future of Jamaica’s tourism. Edmund Bartlett, minister of tourism, noted last Thursday that students play a crucial role in generating the ideas that will drive the next phase of tourism development. Bartlett was speaking at the Jamaica Youth Tourism Summit & Artisan Experience, which was hosted by the western campus of The University of the West Indies, and held under the theme, ‘Jamaica Wi Cyaa Dun: Resilient Tourism Roots’.

WESTERN BUREAU: The Dialysis Unit at the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH), in Montego Bay, S James, has received four new dialysis machines, courtesy of the Jamaica Awareness Association of California (JAAC), which is seeking to help in the effort to strengthen Jamaica’s healthcare delivery following Hurricane Melissa. The new dialysis machines are a welcomed addition to the 15 units that are already in use at the Type A facility. With the new machines, the Dialysis Unit will be able to treat upwards of 50 patients on a weekly basis.

Scientific and Medical Supplies has rejected findings by the auditor general that the company benefited from a “misuse” of the University Hospital of the West Indies’ (UHWI) tax-exemption status for imports, and has signalled it has no intention of repaying a cent. Managing Director Howard Lau dismissed the audit conclusions outright, maintaining that the shipment of 40 specialised waste bins linked to his company belonged to the hospital and not his company.

The University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) did not turn over hundreds of documents that were critical to an operation and turnaround plan it commissioned for millions of dollars, the Canadian consulting firm that was contracted to draft it has alleged. This claim by Williams Pragmatic Services (WPS) comes amid scrutiny of its contract with the UHWI by Jamaican lawmakers. Hodine Williams, chief executive officer (CEO) of WPS, dismissed questions raised publicly about the qualification and competence of the consultants.

After nearly three decades protecting the public, retired Jamaican police officer Marlon Campbell* sits at home, sometimes unable to pay his light bill. He gave his working life to the State, but more than four years after leaving the force, he has not received his final pension letter and the full pension he is entitled to remains unpaid. “It’s one of the things where you leave now and you have regrets. It is that bad,” said the retiree, who served over two decades in the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) before retiring almost a decade ago.

Jamaican News