INSPECTOR SHORTAGE WESTERN BUREAU: The National Education Trust (NET) says at least 40 clerks of works – on-site building inspectors – are needed to adequately oversee the massive school restoration programme following Hurricane Melissa, warning that current staffing levels are insufficient for the scale of repairs. Speaking to The Gleaner on Monday, NET Executive Director Latoya Harris Ghartey said the agency is urgently trying to recruit 15 clerks of works as an immediate measure, while acknowledging that significantly more personnel will ultimately be required.
Samuels brands emancipation declaration a scam Veteran attorney Bert Samuels has delivered a stinging rebuke of Britain, describing the Emancipation Declaration read at midnight on July 31, 1838, as “a scam” that deceived the formerly enslaved and whose legacy, he argued, continues to shape Jamaican society nearly two centuries later. Samuels made the remarks on Friday, exactly 188 years after the declaration was read by then Governor Sir Lionel Smith at midnight, ushering in Emancipation Day in the British West Indies on August 1, 1838. “The British are super scammers,” Samuels told The Gleaner.
After slow first year, MBUC welcomes new tenants - Other gov’t agencies, businesses prepare to move in At the May 2026 first anniversary of the official opening of the Morant Bay Urban Centre (MBUC) in St Thomas, KFC was the only business operating from the sprawling development. Since then, two more businesses have opened their doors while several other prospective tenants are putting the finishing touches on their spaces ahead of launching operations. Despite the premium rental rates, government agencies, including the St Thomas Municipal Corporation and Tax Administration Jamaica, are among the tenants preparing to occupy the complex.
Holness promises more ROOFS funding as 50,000 await hurricane grants Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has announced that additional funding will soon be allocated to the Government’s ROOFS programme, assuring Jamaicans who have not yet received grants that they have not been forgotten. Speaking at the Whitehouse Community Centre in Westmoreland during a tour last Friday, Holness said the initial allocation could only cover about half of the applicants.
Inaugural Jamaica Day Parade reimagined ahead of Saturday’s staging in Brooklyn NEW YORK: What was originally announced as the first Jamaica Day Parade in Brooklyn on Saturday, August 8, has now been reimagined as a Diaspora Road March and Cultural Festival. Billed as ‘Jamaica Rising Day’, the organisers have announced that the event has been reimagined as the staging of the Jamaica Rising Diaspora Road March and Cultural Festival 2026, a community-centred cultural celebration designed to unite the Jamaican diaspora, while building momentum towards Jamaica’s historic 65th anniversary of Independence in 2027.
Jamaica, Ghana eye direct flights, expanded trade Jamaica and Ghana have signalled their intent to expand bilateral agreements in trade, exchange of skilled workers, defence cooperation and travel. President of Ghana John Mahama has pledged to push for the export of goods, duty-free, between the African continent and the Caribbean Community.
‘That’s not friendship’ - Golding blasts US gov’t over demands and policies placing pressure on Caribbean nations Former Prime Minister Bruce Golding has renewed his criticism of the United States’ (US) approach to Jamaica and the wider Caribbean, arguing that Washington’s recent demands and policies are putting smaller states under increasing pressure and do not reflect the actions of a true friend. Golding, who has been warning since earlier this year that Caribbean countries are being forced to navigate an increasingly difficult geopolitical environment, said the region’s response must be measured because of its economic vulnerability.
From Hollywood to horror - Father mourns ‘One Love’ actor-musician killed in Portmore shooting The grief was almost too much for Bartholomew Brown to bear. The father of 43-year-old musician and actor Brian Todd Boucher, better known by his stage name ‘Ras Ajai’, said the news that his son had been shot dead on Saturday night came as a devastating blow, leaving the family struggling to process the tragedy. Boucher’s death comes just two years after a major milestone in his career, when he appeared in the acclaimed Hollywood biopic Bob Marley: One Love, portraying reputed gangster and Marley associate Claude Massop.
Hotels warn GCT could stall tourism recovery WESTERN BUREAU: Jamaica’s tourism industry is still recovering from the worst series of shocks in its history, leaving the sector ill-prepared to absorb a proposed increase in the general consumption tax (GCT), Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) President O’Brian Heron has argued. Heron said many hotels remain under pressure from rising operating costs and growing competition from regional destinations as the industry continues its recovery.
Portland’s crown jewel - Parish celebrates Christina Williams' Festival Queen win RIO GRANDE VALLEY, Portland: Congratulatory messages are pouring in for Christina Williams of the Rio Grande Valley in Portland, who captured the Miss Jamaica Festival Queen 2026 crown on Saturday night at Independence Village, National Indoor Sports Centre in Kingston. Williams, a 28-year-old attorney, secured the prestigious title after staving off a strong challenge from Dr Melissa Flinch of Manchester, who was named first runner-up, and Danielle Cox of Kingston & St Andrew, who earned the second runner-up position.