Lead Stories

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining Floyd Green.
04 Sep, 2026 0

Water at last - Essex Valley irrigation nears finish

WESTERN BUREAU: Agriculture Minister Floyd Green says farmers in Essex Valley, St Elizabeth, should begin receiving irrigation water by the end of September, as the Government moves to complete a…
Marylin Falconer, president of the Old Fort Craft Market.
04 Sep, 2026 0

Crafting a comeback - Old Fort gets $53.5m makeover

WESTERN BUREAU: Vendors at the Old Fort Craft Market on Jimmy Cliff Boulevard in Montego Bay, St James, are hailing the $53.5-million rehabilitation of the facility. Their president, Marylin Falconer,…
Delano Seiveright, chairman of the National Craft Council.
04 Sep, 2026 0

Imported imitations put local artisans under siege

WESTERN BUREAU: Chairman of the National Craft Council, Delano Seiveright, is warning that imported products imitating Jamaican cultural symbols and designs are putting local artisans at an unfair…
Matthew Samuda (left), minister of water, environment and climate change; Kevin Kerr (right), president of the National Water Commission (NWC); and Gary Walters (centre), senior project manager, take part in a tour on Tuesday of the pipeline project curren
04 Sep, 2026 0

Pipe after dark - Munroe Road-Wellington Drive project moving to night-time operations

The pipeline upgrading works from Munroe Road to Wellington Drive are shifting to night-time operations, with the corridor closing almost entirely on Sundays to allow for up to 24-hour construction.…
04 Sep, 2026 0

NPSC revamps parenting support strategy as survey reveals growing disconnect from children

A newly released national survey has revealed a troubling decline in parent-child relationships in Jamaica, prompting the National Parenting Support Commission (NPSC) to intensify efforts aimed at…
Dr Christopher Tufton (centre), minister of health and wellness, examines the Global School-Based Student Health Survey report while in discussion with (from left) Ian Stein, PAHO/WHO representative to Jamaica, Bermuda and The Cayman Islands; Paulette Smit
03 Sep, 2026 0

Drunk in class - One in 10 students report going to school inebriated or under influence of drugs, survey finds

Jamaica’s classrooms are facing an unsettling challenge, with one in every 10 high-school students reporting that they have gone to school drunk, while a similar proportion say they have turned up…
Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon (right), minister of education, skills, youth and information, listens keenly to Tracie Campbell, principal of Ferris Primary School, in Westmoreland, as she expresses gratitude over the readiness of the institution ahead of ne
03 Sep, 2026 0

All western schools to reopen Monday, declares Morris Dixon

Western Bureau: Despite claims by several principals that their schools are not ready, Education Minister Dr Dana Morris Dixon is insisting that all schools across the ministry’s Region Four –…
A section of the Ferris Primary school compound which houses the Grade 3 classroom and upward, shows apparent readiness following work that was done on the roofs and a fresh paint job.
03 Sep, 2026 0

Ferris Primary reborn

Western Bureau: After months of rehabilitation work in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, Ferris Primary School in Westmoreland is now all but ready to welcome students to its newly transformed…
Jamaica Organization of New Jersey honourees (from left) Dr Janice Johnson Dias; Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, the minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade; Dr Valerie Miller; and Owen Eccles.
03 Sep, 2026 0

Mair vows hands-on approach in New York

Jamaica’s newly installed consul general in New York, Oliver Mair, has vowed to adopt a practical approach to his new assignment, with widespread engagement with Jamaicans across the jurisdiction. “I…