Senior cops targeted in cocaine probe Nearly a dozen high-ranking policemen and soldiers are the targets of a widening narcotics investigation linked to the seizure of cocaine from a police storage facility in January, which has drawn the attention of Jamaica’s international law-enforcement partners, sources have disclosed. According to the sources, the investigation has been expanded to determine whether law-enforcement personnel significantly under-reported the quantity of cocaine seized during an operation in western Jamaica months earlier.
Drained by drought - Jamaicans urged to conserve as water woes worsen Jamaicans are once again being urged to conserve water as the country continues to face severe drought conditions. Matthew Samuda, minister of water, environment and climate change, said the prolonged lack of rainfall is placing increasing pressure on Jamaica’s primary water sources, making conservation essential.
Murders in St Catherine North fall to 30-year low The St Catherine North Police Division is recording a significant decline in murders, with Senior Superintendent of Police Hopeton Nicholson describing the trend as evidence of improving safety and security across the division. Nicholson, who heads the division, said the area has recorded a 43 per cent reduction in murders, resulting in the lowest number of killings since the division was established 30 years ago.
Jamaica-linked Everton Blair headed to US House of Representatives Another person of Jamaican heritage is headed to the United States House of Representatives. Everton Blair won a special run-off election in Georgia on Tuesday night to serve out the remainder of the term of the previous representative, the late David Scott. Blair, a Democrat, will join Yvette Clarke, who is also of Jamaican descent, in the House. With more than 95 per cent of the votes counted, Blair received 53 per cent of those cast to defeat his opponent, Marcye Scott, the daughter of David Scott.
Final-year students urged to apply for $8m in scholarship funding Final-year tertiary students in Jamaica are being encouraged to apply by September 4 for scholarship funding being offered by Jamaica’s Promise, a not-for-profit organisation in the United States (US). More than J$8 million in scholarship funding has been made available to Jamaican nationals entering the final year of their tertiary studies under the Jamaica Independence Scholarships, administered by Jamaica’s Promise.
Western medical professionals receive prestigious international dental fellowship Western Bureau: Prominent western Jamaica-based medical professionals Dr Delroy Fray, clinical coordinator for the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA), and Dr Christopher Ogunsalu, professor of dentistry and anatomy, were among several persons recently presented with the prestigious fellowship of the International College of Dentists (ICD). The presentations, made during the August 1 opening of the main campus of The Global University of Medical Sciences (GUMS) in May Pen, Clarendon, are among the most respected acknowledgements in dentistry.
Port Henderson Primary pleads for gov’t help to address security woes WESTERN BUREAU: The leadership of Port Henderson Primary School in St Catherine is calling for immediate government intervention to address space and security concerns that are negatively affecting the safety and well-being of students and teachers. Ramona Brownfield, principal of Port Henderson Primary, made her appeal during a question-and-answer session with Education Minister Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon at the recently concluded 62nd annual conference of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA), held at Ocean Coral Spring Hotel in Trelawny.
JaBBEM calls for repeal of ‘colonial’ Beach Control Act WESTERN BUREAU: A call is being made for Jamaicans to lobby the Government to repeal and replace the Beach Control Act of 1956, which Dr Devon Taylor, president of the Jamaica Beach Birthright Environmental Movement (JaBBEM), says is robbing citizens of their rightful access to the nation’s beaches and coastlines.
PENSION PAIN Years after retiring from the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), two former district constables say they are still without their full pensions, leaving them in financial distress and demanding answers. Derrick Foster told The Gleaner he spent 36 years in the JCF working at the Pedro Plains Police Station in St Elizabeth before retiring. Two years after his retirement, he said, he received an interim payment of about $800,000, which was intended to suffice until his final pension payment.
Consider use in compiling book lists, Morgan urges schools WESTERN BUREAU: Senator Marlon Morgan is urging school administrators to exercise greater care in preparing book lists, arguing that parents are sometimes asked to purchase textbooks and workbooks that end up not being used in the classroom. Morgan, the parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Education, made the appeal while addressing a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) meeting in St Elizabeth on Sunday.