Water hike faces fire Several stakeholders including small and large businesses are pushing back against the National Water Commission’s (NWC) proposed 51 per cent tariff increase, urging the regulator to withhold approval or impose conditions amid drought-related shortages, rising operating costs and concerns about the utility’s management of water resources and infrastructure.
Hotels explore collective insurance arrangement WESTERN BUREAU: Jamaica’s hotel operators are exploring the possibility of collectively restructuring their property insurance arrangements amid mounting dissatisfaction over delayed and reduced settlements of Hurricane Melissa claims. Industry sources familiar with the discussions say members of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) are considering whether pooling their insurance requirements could secure more favourable terms, strengthen their bargaining power and improve claims settlement procedures.
Holness blasts ‘two-mouth people’, defends JCF Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness yesterday launched a blistering attack on critics of law enforcement, blasting “two-mouth people” while declaring his unwavering support for the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). Holness comments come amid public debate over last Friday’s deadly gun battle in Sligoville, St Catherine. Speaking at a handover ceremony for the East Palms housing development in Kingston Central, Holness said state intervention was bringing positive changes to inner-city communities.
Gov’t to reclaim Kgn gullies The Government is moving to reclaim gullies across Kingston, with a pilot programme targeting four high-risk communities for the relocation of residents living along vulnerable waterways, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has announced. Speaking at the official opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for Kingston 2 (K2) in east Kingston yesterday, Holness said the Government, through the National Works Agency (NWA), would begin enforcing the lawful 20-foot reservation buffer zones bordering gullies.
Ruddock insisted on giving caution statement, court hears Murder accused Andre Ruddock insisted on giving a caution statement and repeatedly declined the services of duty counsel, the Pathways murder trial heard yesterday. One of the two justices of the peace (JPs) who witnessed the statement told the court that when Ruddock was advised about securing the services of a legal aid attorney, he refused, saying he wanted to give the statement because he had done something wrong and needed to “get it off his chest”.
From Robin’s Hall to Florida healthcare pioneer From a childhood in Robin’s Hall, Manchester, to the opening of two medical facilities in Coconut Creek, Florida, Dr Rose Marie Adamson-Lewis has charted a path in healthcare that she once never imagined for herself. The Jamaica-born nurse practitioner and medical entrepreneur recently opened the two facilities to serve Caribbean immigrant communities in the area, adding another milestone to a career that has spanned healthcare, academia, entrepreneurship and community advocacy.
THIRSTY FOR CASH - NWC seeks massive rate hike, warns of investment cuts without it as debts mount The Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) has confirmed that it received an application from the National Water Commission (NWC) for a 51 per cent increase in tariff over a five-year period. The NWC’s senior management told a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) at Gordon House on Tuesday that the utility had applied to the regulatory body last Friday, putting its approximately 500,000 customers on notice. In a release yesterday, the OUR said the tariff application covers the period 2026-27 to 2030-31.
US pledges renewed Caribbean focus Positioning the United States as a true “Caribbean nation”, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau says Washington under the Trump administration is actively reorienting its foreign policy back to its immediate neighbourhood after years of relative neglect. “For far too long, we have been looking at things that are happening halfway across the world, and we have been ignoring things that are happening right in our own neighbourhood,” Landau told a gathering of Caribbean leaders at a US-Caribbean Dialogue last Thursday.
MP: JLP support remains strong in May Pen North, Clarendon Central Clarendon Central Member of Parliament Delroy Williams has pushed back against suggestions of discord within the constituency, insisting that the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) machinery remains united despite the defection of Councillor Tanyalee Williams in the Clarendon Municipal Corporation. MP Williams also said that the support for May Pen Mayor Joel Williams is undiminished amid allegations of internal conflict following the defection of May Pen North Division councillor last week.
Education Ministry - CMU Fraud Trial | Defence wants two senior officials as prosecutors drop 13 witnesses Two senior public officials are among 13 people who prosecutors no longer intend to call as witnesses in the fraud trial involving former Education Minister Ruel Reid, defence attorneys have revealed. Their names are being withheld because the media has been asked not to reveal the names of witnesses in the trial. They were among more than 90 witnesses listed on the indictment. However, Linda Wright, the attorney representing Reid, revealed in court on Tuesday that she and the other defence attorneys in the case have been notified of the change by prosecutors.