No panic over PEP WESTERN BUREAU: Despite still feeling the impact of Hurricane Melissa, which devastated Jamaica last October, the 2026 sitting of the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations started smoothly across western Jamaica yesterday, with students, parents, and teachers expressing confidence and relief. Dominic Robinson, the 12-year-old head boy at Chetwood Memorial Primary School in St James, told The Gleaner that he felt confident about his chances of passing, despite feeling nervous about the examinations hours earlier.
Messing with the mace When Member of Parliament for St Andrew South Western Dr Angela Brown Burke hoisted the mace from “under the table” while the committee of the whole House examined the controversial National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) bill on Tuesday, there was a predictable outcome – chaos ensued.
Pressure mounts on executors after court blocks audit in Stewart estate dispute WESTERN BUREAU: Attorneys representing Adam Stewart have welcomed last week’s Supreme Court ruling striking out an application by executors of the estate of Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart, arguing that the decision removes a key obstacle to the transfer of shares to the hotelier’s son. “This judgment is significant. Butch Stewart died over five years ago. In his uncontested will, he left a majority interest in the ATL Group to Adam,” said Conrad George, partner at Hart Muirhead Fatta.
A blessing for Anna-Olivia The family of seven-month-old Anna-Olivia Gardener has expressed relief and joy after the child, who is affected by Trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome), was given a new start date of May 11 to begin early stimulation. In January, Anna-Olivia had been assigned a December 2027 start date for treatment at the Kingston-based, government-run Early Stimulation Programme (ESP), an almost two-year wait. Early stimulation of the brain is a critical part of development for infants affected in the way Anna-Olivia is.
New Forest High runs for staff welfare Before the sun broke through the morning mist last Sunday, the roadway flanked by farmlands in New Forest was already alive. More than 120 runners and walkers – students, teachers, and corporate teams – gathered at New Forest High School (NFHS) for the institution’s second annual 5K Run/Walk, an event with a mission far beyond fitness. The funds raised will establish a staff welfare fund, a direct response to the growing pressures facing educators and ancillary workers within the institution.
Supreme Court stands firm on order in Tank-Weld, Arc rebar case The Supreme Court has left in place orders it granted earlier this month barring the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) from taking any enforcement action arising from the findings of an investigation it conducted into the operation of the local reinforcing steel bar (rebar) market. A 56-page investigation report published by the FTC in March concluded that Tank-Weld Metals, the leading supplier of steel products in Jamaica, was “likely” abusing its dominant position in the rebar market.
Cop caught in sting wanted $250,000 from motorist after car crash, court documents claim Police Constable Andrew Allydice allegedly requested $250,000 from a motorist to provide him with a favourable report following a motor vehicle crash, court documents have revealed. Allydice, who has been in custody since he was arrested during a sting operation on April 20, was granted bail in the sum of $600,000 when he appeared before the St Ann Parish Court on Tuesday. A judge also ordered that a stop order be placed on him at the ports, and that he should surrender his travel documents to the authorities and report to the police every Thursday.
SCHOOL RIGHTS CHALLENGE Arguing that Jamaica’s education system was gradually collapsing, Opposition Spokesman on Education Damion Crawford on Tuesday announced that he has taken the Government to court to defend the constitutional rights of children at the pre-primary and primary levels.
Regional energy transition now urgent, says Wheatley WESTERN BUREAU: Andrew Wheatley, minister without portfolio with responsibility for science, technology, and special projects, has warned that the Caribbean’s energy transition and digital transformation has moved “from aspirational to urgent” and is calling on regional regulators to act with greater foresight and collaboration.
Cayman minister wants stronger backing for regional regulators WESTERN BUREAU: A Caymanian government official is urging Caribbean countries to provide stronger support to regulatory bodies, saying that underinvestment in these institutions could undermine the region’s development ambitions. Speaking at the 20th Organisation of Caribbean Utility Regulators (OCCUR) Conference in Trelawny, Rolston Anglin, the minister of finance and economic development, education and training in the Cayman Islands, said governments must deepen their engagement with regulators and recognise their critical economic role.