News

March 19, 2026 by Livern Barrett

Fraud accused’s true identity uncovered in $352m mortgage loan scam

Dwayne Pitter, a resident of Bay Farm Villa in St Andrew, is the person who allegedly used a fictitious name to get mortgage loans totalling $352 million from four commercial banks over a one-month…
Head of the Applied Meteorology Division at the Meteorological Service of Jamaica (Met Service), Mr. Ronald Moody.
March 19, 2026

Met Service projects below normal rainfall for early wet season

The Meteorological Service of Jamaica (Met Service) is projecting that the early months of the upcoming wet season (April and May) will produce below normal rainfall across the island. This was…
Mayor of Falmouth, Councillor Collen Gager, speaks during the Trelawny Municipal Corporation’s meeting, held on March 12 at the Artisan Village in Falmouth.
March 19, 2026

Four of six containers that will house infirmary in Trelawny in place

Four of the six prefabricated containers designated for the new Falmouth Infirmary have now arrived on site, marking a significant step in efforts to rehouse residents who were displaced following the…
Small boats may be adversely affected by wind speeds of 20 to 33 knots or by high wave heights.
March 19, 2026

Maritime Authority of Jamaica urges extreme caution amid unstable offshore weather

The Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ) is advising all boaters, fisherfolk, and mariners to exercise extreme caution amid the unstable weather conditions currently affecting offshore areas of the…
File photo.
March 19, 2026

Assault rifle and ammunition seized in Grants Pen police operation, man arrested

A man was arrested this morning following the seizure of an assault rifle and a magazine containing ammunition during a police operation at a house in Grants Pen, St Andrew. The operation was part…
Caution tape erected along a section of the main road in Belmont, Westmoreland due to a breakaway.
March 19, 2026

Section of main road in Belmont, Westmoreland breaks away, extreme caution urged

A section of the main road in Belmont, Westmoreland has broken away following heavy rainfall and rough sea conditions, forcing vehicular traffic to be reduced to a single lane. The incident, which…
Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness making his contribution to the Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on March 19, 2o26.
March 19, 2026

Holness: Jamaica’s foreign policy strong, values on gender ‘will not change’

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness says Jamaica continues to maintain a strong and strategic foreign policy, while holding firm to what he described as core national values, including his position that…
Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness making his contribution to the Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on March 19, 2026.
March 19, 2026

Holness hits back at Opposition on salary

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness on Thursday hit back at Opposition Leader Mark Golding over criticism of a recently announced salary increase that will see the prime minister earning $28.6 million a…
Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness making his contribution to the 2026-2027 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives last Thursday.
March 19, 2026

PM announces reduced minimum wage increase amid economic pressures

Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced on Thursday that the country’s minimum wage will increase from $16,000 to $17,000, effective July 1, a smaller rise than the previously planned $18,500. …