News

December 13, 2025 by Albert Ferguson

St Elizabeth municipal services resume after Melissa

WESTERN BUREAU Richard Solomon, mayor of Black River and chairman of the St Elizabeth Municipal Corporation, says essential municipal services have resumed from the Jeremy Palmer Building in Black…
Jermaine Tomlinson sheds tears as he recounts his home being reduced to rubble and his efforts to save his family during Hurricane Melissa, in the community of Farm, Westmoreland.
December 13, 2025 by Christopher Thomas

Tufton calls for 2026 to be ‘Year of Mental Wellness’

WESTERN BUREAU: Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton has proposed that 2026 be dedicated to mental wellness, as Jamaicans seek to recover from the psychological toll of Hurricane…
Residents attend the funeral of people killed in a landslide triggered by Hurricane Melissa in Petit-Goave, Haiti, Saturday, November 15.
December 13, 2025

Hunger and makeshift shelters persist in north Caribbean nearly two months after Hurricane Melissa

PETIT GOÂVE, Haiti (AP) : Amizia Renotte sat on a broken piece of concrete and pointed to a large pile of dirt where her house once stood before the outer bands of Hurricane Melissa crumpled it as…
Roofs on several classrooms, the auditorium and administrative buildings at Westwood High School in Stewart Town, Trelawny, were severely damaged during the passage of Hurricane Melissa.
December 13, 2025

UNESCO to assess post‑disaster damage to education sector

The UNESCO Office for the Caribbean will conduct a Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) of the education sector, following the severe disruption caused by Hurricane Melissa. The assessment, using…
Keith R. Wedderburn’s solar panels have been replaced after Hurricane Melissa blew them away.
December 13, 2025 by Paul W. Williams

Part II: From homeless to homeownership to Melissa

On October 28, Hurricane Melissa tore through Keith R. Wedderburn’s organic farm in Bluefields, Westmoreland, flooding his home, ripping away his solar panels, flattening a small board house on his…
Nassau Hall at Princeton University is seen, Oct. 8, 2024, in Princeton, N.J.
December 13, 2025

Without affirmative action, elite colleges are prioritizing economic diversity in admissions

WASHINGTON (AP): Some of the country’s most prestigious colleges are enrolling record numbers of low-income students — a growing admissions priority in the absence of affirmative action. America’s…
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith (left), looks on as Colonel General Staff, Guyana Defence Force, Captain Vernon Burnette, points out hurricane relief items donated by Guyana, including roofing material for the re
December 13, 2025

Guyana provides material, manpower to rebuild 200 roofs

Jamaica has received another shipment of supplies from Guyana, including material to replace 200 roofs in Westmoreland, which was among parishes most severely impacted by Hurricane Melissa. They…
Indian fans vandalise stadium chairs as they run on to the field after failing to get a glimpse of Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi at the Salt Lake Stadium, in Kolkata, India, Saturday, December 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)
December 13, 2025

Messi’s tour of India gets off to chaotic start as angry fans storm field

KOLKATA, India (AP) — Lionel Messi’s much-hyped tour of India got off to a rocky start Saturday with angry fans throwing bottles and attempting to vandalize a stadium after many of them failed to get…
Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Krystal Lee (second left), applauds as she views the plaque dedicating the newly renovated Accident and Emergency Waiting Area at the Lionel Town Hospital in Clarendon, at the official opening of th
December 13, 2025

A&E waiting area at Lionel Town Hospital renovated

The Accident and Emergency Waiting Area at the Lionel Town Hospital in Clarendon has been renovated, providing more comfortable surroundings for persons who use the health facility. Undertaken at a…