December target for Coopers Pen relocation WESTERN BUREAU: During a visit yesterday to Coopers Pen in Trelawny, where 20 houses were flattened during a demolition exercise on August 11, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness said he is targeting December for the start of a relocation programme for some 99 eligible residents.
$50m research push as Gov’t invests in health talent The Government is investing $50 million in healthcare research while spending an average of $500 million annually to train healthcare workers in areas where there are critical shortages, Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton has said. Tufton made the disclosure yesterday as 138 healthcare workers in training were presented with scholarships named in honour of longtime permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr Barry Wint, during a ceremony at the S Hotel in New Kingston.
‘Dervan made the diaspora feel seen, heard, and connected’ Jamaicans at home and in the diaspora woke Friday morning to news that Dervan Malcolm, the popular host of The Jamaican Diaspora Live Online, heard Saturdays on Power 106 FM, had died. The Jamaican Diaspora Live Online gave a voice not only to Jamaicans doing well in the diaspora, but also connected the Jamaican community abroad to its homeland. It also highlighted Jamaican businesses, whether start-up or established, while spotlighting members of the diaspora who had made, or were making, their mark on the societies of their adopted countries.
Policy to be developed on security forces’ involvement in demolitions, says Holness WESTERN BUREAU: Amid backlash over the involvement of the police in the recent demolition exercise at Coopers Pen in Trelawny, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has indicated that the Government is to develop policy guidance to govern how members of the security forces operate when called on to support court-ordered evictions and demolitions.
‘Speaking from lived experience’ Western Bureau: Twelve-year-old Khadijah Wright, an outgoing student of Revival Primary and Infant School in Westmoreland, has emerged as the winner of the Lay Magistrates’ Association of Jamaica (LMAJ) annual essay competition with her entry on how Hurricane Melissa impacted primary school children in Jamaica. According to Heather Dennisur, secretary of the LMAJ Westmoreland Chapter, the competition, which attracted 210 entries from primary and preparatory schools across the island, was “marked blindly” in Kingston.
Rural parishes shine at JLS National Awards Rural parishes swept the national awards at the Jamaica Library Service (JLS) 2026 National Reading Competition finale, with Portland copping two top honours and a mother and her son being named parish champions. Marsha-Lee Mundle and her son, Liam Williams, were parish champions for Portland in the 21-and-over and six-to-eight age categories, respectively. Mundle was also the national runner-up in her category. Yendi Burke was Portland’s parish and national champion for the 12-14 age group.
CAP TALKS AHEAD - Government eyes new fiscal rule to rein in public-sector wage costs The Government has signalled its intention to re-establish a cap on the public sector wage bill, extending an open invitation to trade unions to help negotiate a new fiscal rule before the next round of wage talks. The proposal, made by Minister of Finance and the Public Service Fayval Williams on Thursday, comes three years after the previous statutory anchor – which capped public-sector wages at nine per cent of GDP – was repealed to accommodate the public sector compensation restructuring.
Businesses gutted - Millions lost as major fire devastates Hagley Park Road commercial hub A massive fire ripped through a section of the business district along Hagley Park Road in St Andrew on Thursday, flattening at least three buildings in its wake. The fire reportedly started some time after 11 a.m. in the repairs section of the headquarters of Superior Honda Parts Limited, an auto parts dealer and service centre that specialises in new and used Honda vehicle components, motorcycles, and related automotive services. It subsequently spread to neighbouring auto-parts supplier and service centre Ketro Trading Company Limited.
Public sector wage boost warning - Salary hikes could spur spending but slow growth through infrastructure cuts, says economist A massive increase in public-sector salaries could become a double-edged sword for the economy, economist Keenan Falconer has warned, noting that cuts in infrastructure spending could undermine long-term recovery. Falconer said the wage increase could have an immediate multiplier effect on spending in the economy in the short term, suggesting that this could aid in boosting recovery through greater consumer expenditure. He said this could filter through the wider economy.
Cloud hangs over crumbling Alligator Pond Primary as new school year approaches WESTERN BUREAU: There are concerns that the Alligator Pond Primary and Infant School in Manchester may not be ready to welcome students physically at the start of the new school year as areas of critical repairs remain outstanding. Principal Gregory Bent told The Gleaner that the school’s infrastructural woes include damaged roofs and walls, the lack of perimeter fencing and restroom facilities, and a vandalised water pipe.