News

February 8, 2026 by Livern Barrett

Four banks, $352m hit

A man, 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…

Armando Elenes, secretary-treasurer of the United Farm Workers Labor Union.
February 8, 2026 by Sashana Small

HIGHER WAGES, LOWER PAY?

A Jamaican farmworker has joined a legal challenge to New York’s Farm Labourers’ Fair Labour Practices Act (FLFLPA), raising concerns that unionisation – while promising higher wage rates – could…

Brian Anderson, president of the National Secondary Students’ Council.
February 8, 2026 by Christopher Thomas

Empty desks, shattered routines

WESTERN BUREAU: In classrooms across western Jamaica, empty desks still tell the unfinished story of a hurricane whose most lasting damage may not be measured in roofs lost, but in children still…

Daryl Vaz
February 8, 2026 by Edmond Campbell

Dangerous precedent

Accountability advocates are warning that accepting good intentions as justification for breaching procurement laws could undermine Jamaica’s system of public administration, following an auditor…
Commissioner of Police Dr Kevin Blake.
February 8, 2026

Blake announces new Special Investigation Branch

Police Commissioner Dr Kevin Blake has announced the establishment of the Special Investigation Branch (SIB) following the reassignment of personnel from the former Counter-Terrorism and Organised…
File photo
February 8, 2026

Police seeking men after AR-15 and ammunition seized in Papine, St Andrew

The police are searching for two men who dropped a bag containing an AR-15 sub-machine firearm and two loaded magazines while fleeing from cops in Papine, St Andrew on Saturday. Reports from the…
File photo.
February 8, 2026

Police probing death of teen motorcyclist in St Elizabeth

The police in St Elizabeth are probing the death of a 16-year-old boy who died from injuries sustained after the motorcycle he was driving reportedly hit a pothole. The deceased has been identified…
File photo.
February 8, 2026

Large medical dome to be installed at Cornwall Regional Hospital to ease strain

A 10,000-square-foot medical dome capable of housing up to 100 beds is expected to arrive in Jamaica by the end of February to ease pressure at Cornwall Regional Hospital, which remains under strain…
Health and Wellness Minister, Dr Christopher Tufton. - File photo.
February 8, 2026

Contractor delays challenge timeline for Western children’s hospital as staffing plans advance

Despite contractor-related delays, the Western Children and Adolescent Hospital remains targeted for completion and phased opening this calendar year, Health and Wellness Minister Christopher Tufton…