PARTIAL RELIEF - Fees waived, but lawyers still question access to UK-based Privy Council Two noted attorneys have welcomed the United Kingdom’s (UK) decision to waive visa fees for Jamaicans travelling to argue cases before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) but remain critical of the requirement that locals still need a visa to access their highest court.
Int’l experts to help fix adoption gaps Local policymakers have partnered with international legal experts to overhaul Jamaica’s adoption and foster care frameworks, aiming to strengthen child-safety protocols and eliminate bureaucratic delays that leave prospective parents on years-long waiting lists while children remain stranded in state care. Global legal body Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) has pledged to work directly with the Government and state agencies to build a tailored child-protection framework as the country reviews its domestic adoption and fostering legislation.
Restoration of Over River crossing set for completion in October WESTERN BUREAU: Works Minister Robert Morgan has announced that ongoing restoration work on the Over River community bridge in St James, which was destroyed during the passage of Hurricane Melissa last October, should be completed to allow both pedestrian and vehicular traffic by mid-October. Morgan briefly visited the bridge on Wednesday during a tour of several ongoing road and works projects in St James, including roads that fall under the Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to our Road Network (SPARK) Programme.
MoBay mayor eyes caveats on infirmary residents’ property WESTERN BUREAU: The St James Municipal Corporation (StJMC) is now in discussions with its lawyers on the legality of placing caveats on the titles of properties owned by persons housed at the parish’s infirmary and being cared for by the State. “If it is that there is no way around it, then we will be sending a resolution to Parliament or the relevant ministry for them to take up the conversation from that level if it requires a law change,” said Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon.
WRHA and StJMC join hands to expand St James Infirmary WESTERN BUREAU: The Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA) and the St James Municipal Corporation (StJMC) have forged a partnership to expand the St James Infirmary, with the aim of accommodating 58 social patients now being housed at the Cornwall Regional Hospital in Montego Bay. Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon said the initiative is being pursued as hospitals and infirmaries struggle to accommodate the growing number of patients who have nowhere to go after receiving medical treatment.
US traffic falls at Sangster as UK, Latin America post gains WESTERN BUREAU: International arrivals through Sangster International Airport declined by 23.65 per cent in August against the backdrop of reduced hotel-room inventory across western Jamaica and other challenges confronting the tourism sector. The Montego Bay airport recorded 166,325 international arrivals, 51,524 fewer than the 217,849 passengers recorded in August 2025. The decline comes at a time when a significant number of hotel rooms across the western tourism belt remain out of service following Hurricane Melissa.
New watchdog committee to track cost, progress of recovery projects Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness on Tuesday launched the Jamaica Reconstruction and Resilience Oversight Committee (JAMRROC), charging its members to provide “real-time, direct and independent accountability” as the national reconstruction effort continues. JAMRROC will provide oversight of the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA), the body leading Jamaica’s recovery and rebuilding programme following Hurricane Melissa.
‘Use NHT, TEF money to fund agriculture’ Warning that “if you’re not farming food, you’re forming fool”, university lecturer and researcher Dr K’adamawe K’nife is urging a multi-source funding model to build resilience in Jamaica’s agricultural sector. Delivering the keynote address at the opening of the 10th International Conference of the Food Hygiene Bureau at Sandals Dunn’s River in St Ann on Wednesday, K’nife suggested that about $4 billion annually could help move the sector to a stronger footing.
Three cops shot in MoBay operation Western Bureau: Acting Commissioner of Police Clifford Blake is warning criminals against confronting members of the security forces after two policemen and a policewoman were shot and a wanted man killed during an early-morning operation in Mount Salem, St James, yesterday. Twenty-nine-year-old Romario Brown, otherwise called ‘Jerry’, was shot during a confrontation with members of the Area One Fugitive Apprehension Team (AFAT) along Crawford Street shortly after 3 a.m.
Shock, grief in wake of Robins Bay triple murder Lorraine Narine was at a grave digging in St Mary yesterday when she was jolted by a loud sound and given the news no mother wants to hear – her son had been shot. Her son, 22-year-old Sazaree Clarke, whom she described as a “mama’s boy”, was shot and killed along with 60-year-old bar owner Marlon James and 42-year-old mason Peter John Fagan, all of Robins Bay.