![]()
News as at
December 22, 2025, 3:09 am
Reopening anxiety
- WESTERN BUREAU: 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...
Hunter takes aim at Tufton
- Neurosurgeon Dr Roger Hunter has filed an application in the Supreme Court for an emergency judicial review, accusing Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton of dereliction of duty. At the centre of the legal dispute is Hunter’s claim...
Defamation damages dumped
- The Court of Appeal has overturned multimillion-dollar defamation awards against Television Jamaica (TVJ) and CVM, ruling that the broadcasters did not defame St James councillors Michael Troupe and Sylvan Reid in their coverage of a 2012 police...
‘The breeze was hitting the babies’
- WESTERN BUREAU: Although Hurricane Melissa’s passage on October 28 brought destruction and death, that fateful week still marked an unforgettable milestone for many expectant mothers in western Jamaica who were forced to confront nature’s fury...
How Christmas morphed into a global holiday
- Christmas is a Christian holiday that observes the birth of Jesus. But did you know that the earliest followers of Jesus did not annually commemorate his birth? Or that Santa Claus is inspired by the acts of kindness of a fourth-century Christian...
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...
JFJ warned against ‘enabling, empowering predators’
- Criminologist Dr Jason McKay is questioning Jamaicans for Justice’s (JFJ) close-in-age exemption defence, as it relates to decriminalising consensual sex among minors, a proposal outlined in the human-rights group’s latest report, ‘Civil Society...
NCB Foundation grants wishes to women from the west
- Western Bureau: Kemeshia Black, of Bethel Town, in Westmoreland; and Charmaine Green, of Montego Bay, St James, who were both impacted by Hurricane Melissa, got some much-needed financial help earlier this week when they became beneficiaries of the...
St Theresa Prep gets festive at Christmas Jubilee
- The grounds of St Theresa Preparatory School in Kingston were transformed into a scene of merriment Thursday evening as students, staff and parents gathered to celebrate their annual Christmas Jubilee. While Christmas was the central theme, the...
Russell calls for multi-use indoor arena after Hurricane Melissa ravages MoBay Sports Complex
- WESTERN BUREAU: Reacting to the devastation caused to the Montego Bay Sports Complex by Hurricane Melissa, Jason Russell, president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI), is calling for the creation of a modern, multi-use...
Justice ministry to launch Social Harmony Programme next year
- Western Bureau: Buoyed by the significant decline in major crimes this year, currently the lowest in 25 years, Justice Minister Delroy Chuck says he will be launching a Social Harmony Programme in 2026 which he hopes will assist in keeping the rate...
Seiveright: Melissa offers Jamaicans in diaspora opportunity to invest in Jamaica
- Delano Seiveright, minister of state in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, has indicated that the impact of Hurricane Melissa offers Jamaicans in the diaspora a unique opportunity to invest in the redevelopment of their homeland....
St Elizabeth’s first female custos to demit office; expresses pride in service, justice expansion
- WESTERN BUREAU: Beryl H. Rochester, the first woman to serve as custos rotulorum for St Elizabeth, is preparing to demit office after nearly 12 years of service, bringing to a close a historic tenure marked by expanded access to justice, strong...
‘I still cry every night’
- A senior police officer broke down in court last Friday after her son’s alleged killer raised a claim of self-defence, forcing sentencing to be aborted for the second time in five years. St Thomas farmer Cavell Thompson, who wears dreadlocks, was...
Union leaders applaud move to make IDT awards digitally accessible
- A prominent trade union leader has welcomed a recent move by the Industrial Disputes Tribunal (IDT) to publish its awards and related industrial relations resources on its website, describing the development as long overdue and highly beneficial to...
More overseas linesmen arrive to boost electricity restoration
- WESTERN BUREAU: There is a renewed sense of hope in western Jamaica following Wednesday’s arrival of 117 linemen from the Canadian company Graystone who are equipped with heavy-duty equipment to speed up the electricity-restoration programme in the...
Solidarity across borders
- When Hurricane Melissa slammed into Jamaica as a Category 5 storm, devastating western sections of the island, it unleashed not only destruction but a powerful surge of global solidarity. Within hours of the catastrophe, millions of dollars in aid...
Direct Relief, partners deliver over US$3m in medical supplies to Jamaica
- WESTERN BUREAU: Jamaica has received more than US$3 million (J$486 million) in critical medical and humanitarian supplies over the past week as international partners intensify support for the country’s post-Hurricane Melissa recovery. The...
Sombre farewell as Americares ends life-saving mission in Hanover
- WESTERN BUREAU: The atmosphere at the Chester Castle Health Clinic in Hanover was sombre on Thursday as the Americares Field Clinic and its team of volunteers concluded their tour of duty, bringing to an end weeks of service to the community in the...
‘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...
