Fourteen-year-old Gabriela Wright had no chance of escape. The teenager was trapped in a back room with a single entrance and no rear exit when a fire of unknown origin tore through a five-bedroom house in St John’s Garden, Spanish Town, St Catherine, on Wednesday, leaving her dead and a community in mourning. Her charred body was discovered after the blaze was extinguished, marking a heartbreaking end for a student remembered as quiet, bright, and full of promise.

The National Works Agency (NWA) and the Mines and Geology Division have moved to allay public concern that recent activity along the Wag Water River is putting the Westmoreland Bridge in St Mary at risk, insisting that the structure remains safe and that no mining is taking place near it. “The bridge is safe and is not in any danger,” Stephen Shaw, manager for communication and customer services at the NWA, told The Gleaner yesterday, amid unease among residents following heavy rains.

WESTERN BUREAU: The departure of 27 Cuban healthcare workers from Cornwall Regional Hospital has exposed critical gaps in specialist care, forcing the Government to turn to the diaspora, Africa, and India to fill the void. Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton, speaking at a press briefing in Montego Bay, St James, on Thursday, said the group – comprising 22 nurses, three doctors, and four radiotherapists – had been filling roles that could not easily be staffed locally.

Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton says the removal of individual heads at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) will do little to cure a “dysfunctional culture” that has metastasised within the institution for decades. His comment comes amid an unfolding scandal at the teaching hospital triggered by the findings of a report from the Auditor General’s Department.

WESTERN BUREAU: Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) President Mark Malabver says he is disappointed with the government posture in demanding full disclosure to his claim that shelterees are engaging in open sexual activities in schools that are being used as shelters. "Such requests are most inappropriate, misdirected, and betray fundamental understanding of how sensitive matters of this nature must be handled,” said Malabver, who was speaking on yesterday’s final day of the JTA’s 2026 Education Conference in Hanover,

WESTERN BUREAU: Sport Minister Olivia Grange says the official dedication of the statue honouring Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt in Falmouth will take place once a new date is finalised. Speaking with reporters in Montego Bay over the weekend, Grange explained that the initially planned ceremony was delayed because of recovery efforts following Hurricane Melissa, although the statue has been mounted and surrounding installation works were completed.

A Spanish Town family is appealing for public assistance to rebuild their lives after a fire razed their Old Market Street property on March 9, leaving 13 people, including seven children, homeless.

The Parliament’s Ethics Committee says it is moving to have embattled St Andrew East Central Member of Parliament (MP) Dennis Gordon appear before it on April 22 to clarify statements he made during a previous meeting concerning matters related to the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) procurement and tax exemption issue. The Ethics Committee, at its last meeting in February, considered and signed off on an exemption motion which allowed Gordon not to vacate his seat if he becomes party to any contract with the Government.

Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton has signalled that decisive action will follow the tragic death of a newborn at the Cornwall Regional Hospital, declaring that the authorities must act if wrongdoing is uncovered. “Clearly, we all want safe deliveries ... . It’s a very unfortunate situation and we certainly sympathse with the family members,” Tufton told The Gleaner, adding he has asked the regional director to probe the circumstances.

Reverend Leon Paul Golding, head of the Anglican Church in Jamaica, has condemned recent actions taken by the United States (US) against Cuba as “ungodly”. Addressing the opening service of the 155th Synod of the Diocese of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands on Tuesday, Golding also criticised the Jamaican Government for ending its decades-long medical cooperation with the Spanish-speaking Caribbean nation, suggesting it was done in accordance with the domineering of a foreign power.

Police in the Bahamas said late Wednesday they have arrested the husband of a United States woman who was aboard a boat near the archipelago and vanished. Authorities said the 59-year-old man whom they did not identify was arrested in Abaco and is being questioned. A Coast Guard spokesperson told The Associated Press late Wednesday that they have opened a criminal investigation into the case. Police did not provide further details, including whether or not he was charged. It wasn’t immediately clear if he had an attorney.

Motorists will pay more for gas on Thursday. The state-owned oil refinery, Petrojam, says E-10 87 is to move up by $4.50 to sell for $176.88 per litre and a litre of E-10 90 will go up by $4.50 to sell for $184.32. Automotive diesel oil will move up by $4.50 per litre to sell for $189.25. Ultra low sulphur diesel will sell for $196.09 per litre following an increase of $4.50. The price of kerosene will go up by $4.50, with that fuel to sell for $178.64.

BEIRUT (AP) — Israeli strikes hit several dense commercial and residential areas in central Beirut Wednesday afternoon without warning, hours after a ceasefire was announced in the US-Israeli war with Iran. Lebanon's health ministry said dozens were killed and hundreds wounded in an early estimate. Israel had said the agreement does not extend to its war with the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, although mediator Pakistan said it does.

LONDON (AP) — A British pastor was charged with manslaughter Wednesday in the drowning of a 61-year-old man at a backyard baptism ceremony. Cheryl Bartley, 48, faces one count of gross negligence manslaughter for the death of Robert Smith on October 8, 2023 in Birmingham, prosecutors said. The Life Changing Ministries ceremony was being held in a kiddie pool and livestreamed on Facebook. Bartley is scheduled to appear May 14 in Birmingham Magistrates' Court.

A St Catherine man died today as a result of injuries he sustained after crashing into a concrete utility pole while driving in his community of White Waters Crescent in Spanish Town. The deceased has been identified as bus driver Conroy Ambursley. Police report that about 1:40 a.m., Ambursley was driving a 2013 Honda Stream motor car when, upon reaching a roadway in his community, he crashed into a concrete utility pole. The impact resulted in extensive damage to the car and severe injuries to the driver.

The Ministry of Education has stated that it has received no official reports of inappropriate behaviour by individuals sheltering at schools, following allegations made by Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) President Mark Malabver. Speaking yesterday at the first day of the JTA’s 2026 education conference Malabver said that the association has received reports of students and teachers being unable to use their classrooms where shelterees engage in unsavoury activities while occupying the buildings.

The police are advising that the Hordley Crossing main road in St Thomas is impassable due to heavy rainfall in the area. Motorists and pedestrians are being urged to use alternative routes and to observe and follow all road signs where possible. Follow The Gleaner on X and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm. com .

Just a week after opening its doors, the Pure Chocolate factory in Ocho Rios, St Ann, was battered by Hurricane Melissa. A massive guango tree lodged in its roof, leaving production at a standstill and causing millions in losses. But since last month, the business has started to bounce back, with staff, chocolate, and some of the island’s cocoa farmers all rising from the wreckage. On top of that, the company was nominated days ago as one of the top three businesses of the year by the St Ann Chamber of Commerce.

Dozens of schools still without electricity months after Hurricane Melissa are now being targeted for emergency support as the National Education Trust (NET) moves to plug critical gaps with the distribution of generators. The agency is compiling a list of institutions still in the dark and in urgent need of backup power following the storm late last year. Students at several schools in Hanover and Westmoreland – two of the parishes hardest hit – are among those most affected, according to NET Executive Director Latoya Harris-Ghartey.

The venerable Titchfield High School marked its 240th anniversary with a week-long programme of celebrations, culminating in a family fun day on the school’s grounds on Easter Monday. Festivities began on March 29 with a meet-and-greet at the Ken Wright Pier, where past students – including many from the overseas diaspora – turned out in large numbers to reconnect, socialise and reminisce. The gathering set a convivial tone for the week ahead.

WESTERN BUREAU: Veteran deejay Roger Walker, popularly known as ‘Jaggy D’, was murdered shortly after midday on Monday in Hopewell, Hanover, when an unknown assailant opened fire, killing him on the spot. Reports are that Walker was speaking to friends at a popular hangout spot when he was shot. The 57-year-old entertainer was among a group of promising deejays who surged to prominence in western Jamaica in the late 1980s.

Five people died on Jamaica’s roadways over the five-day Easter holiday weekend, raising concerns for the main road safety advocacy group even as road fatalities continue to trend downwards. “Inattention/diverted attention” was listed as the possible cause of three of the four crashes that resulted in the five deaths, according to the respective police reports reviewed by The Gleaner. A pedestrian, 66, and a motorcyclist, 63, were killed in separate crashes in Kingston and Westmoreland on Holy Thursday, the reports revealed.

The teenage boy who suffered injuries in an incident at Jamaica College on March 26 will not be returning to the Old Hope Road, St Andrew-based institution when it reopens for the summer term next Monday. “I haven’t decided on how to finish the term as he only has a few more months left to complete fourth form, but the short answer is he is never setting foot on that campus [again],” the boy’s mom told The Gleaner yesterday.

WESTERN BUREAU: The Hanover Kitchen of Love has received a $2.4-million boost from GV Service Station, which is spearheading an initiative to provide 400 hot meals per month to needy persons in the parish. The latest donation brings to $9.2 million the amount of money that GV Service Station has donated to the Kitchen of Love from its 2025 quarterly promotion at its two service stations to generate funding for the project. The latest funds are for the last quarter of 2025.

WESTERN BUREAU: Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) President Mark Malabver is calling on the Government to show greater respect for the nation’s teachers, arguing that educators are not being adequately compensated for the demanding work they do.

WESTERN BUREAU: For 32 years, Shernette Crichton walked the corridors of Half Moon not as a spectator of its legacy, but as a student of it; quietly studying, steadily rising, and preparing for a moment she always believed would come. On April 2, that moment arrived. In a move that signals both continuity and change in Jamaica’s tourism sector, Crichton was appointed managing director of the 72-year-old institution, becoming the first Jamaican and the first woman to hold the post. Her elevation came against the backdrop of renewal.

The University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) paid Strategic Alignment Limited US$92,000 (J$14.5 million) to create a strategic transformation plan, but rejected the draft without explaining why the board did not approve it. At the same time another consulting firm, William Pragmatic Limited, which received nearly US$93,000, representing 50 per cent of the cost to produce an operation and turnaround plan for the UHWI, only delivered a draft document nearly two years after collecting the down payment.

A former attorney has lost his bid to pursue a conflict-of-interest complaint against a member of the disciplinary panel that ruled over 20 years ago that he should be struck off the list of lawyers authorised to practise in Jamaica. Disbarred attorney Therol Voche filed an application in the Court of Appeal requesting permission and more time to challenge a decision made last year by a disciplinary committee of the General Legal Council (GLC) not to pursue his complaint against Charles E. Piper, KC. The GLC is the body that regulates the legal profession in Jamaica.

WESTERN BUREAU: The Government of Jamaica has pushed back against claims that St Kitts and Nevis is the first Caribbean nation to recognise Rastafarianism in law, insisting that Jamaica has long acknowledged the faith within its constitutional and parliamentary framework. Speaking with The Gleaner on the sidelines of the 63rd anniversary of the 1963 Coral Gardens Incident last Friday, Culture Minister Olivia Grange said that Jamaica’s legal system has historically recognised Rastafari as a legitimate religion.

What should have been one of the happiest moments of Shandale Ballentine’s life ended in heartbreak on Good Friday. Instead of leaving the Cornwall Regional Hospital cradling the baby boy she had spent months preparing for, the 33-year-old first-time mother said she returned home “empty-handed”, struggling to make sense of how her long-awaited delivery ended in tragedy. Ballentine said she lost her son, Ramontay Rakai Ranger, during labour at the Montego Bay, St James-based hospital during what she described as the “worst” ordeal of her life.

The People’s National Party (PNP) says it has referred the membership of a former Member of Parliament charged with incest to its internal disciplinary processes for “immediate action”. In a statement issued late Monday, the party said it acted “without delay” after learning of the charges.

Jamaica’s push to expand advanced neurological care is getting a boost from the return of a locally trained specialist, whose new facility is aiming to reduce the need for patients to seek treatment overseas. For Dr Francene Gayle, the move was not simply a homecoming. It marked the beginning of a deeply personal mission to help close one of the country’s most pressing healthcare gaps, access to specialised brain care, particularly for patients and families confronting Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

Police in St Catherine have launched an investigation into the death of a 28-year-old woman whose body was discovered inside her bedroom at her home in Eltham Acres, Spanish Town. She has been identified as Annica Hamilton, a trainee customer service representative. According to reports, about 10 a.m. on Sunday, a relative returned home and noticed that the house was open, except for the room occupied by Hamilton. Efforts to reach her by phone were unsuccessful, prompting a forced entry to the room, where her body was found.

Ariel Bowen, the officer in charge of the Jamaican Consulate in New York, has emphasised that even as media attention surrounding the impact of Hurricane Melissa fades, the push towards full recovery continues – driven in large part by the Jamaican diaspora. “Our mission is keen to ensure that as the limelight of Melissa diminishes in the media, the next phase of support – the rebuilding efforts – will continue, mindful that the race to full recovery is not a sprint but a marathon. So the work continues,” she said.

WESTERN BUREAU: Fourteen primary school students from St James East Central are now more empowered to further their education after being gifted with computer tablets by their member of parliament, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, last Friday. The tablets were handed over to the students during a formal ceremony held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St James. The 14 tablets that were given out are from a batch of 20 tablets, which were provided through a donation from the Universal Access Fund.