Most travellers flying with United Airlines will now pay $10 more to check their luggage beginning on Friday, as rising jet fuel costs driven by the war in the Middle East pushes another major United States carrier to increase fees. Customers travelling in the United States, Mexico, Canada and Latin America will now pay $45 for their first piece of luggage and $55 for their second bag, according to United. “This is the first time in two years the airline has raised bag fees,” United said in a statement.

The Opposition People’s National Party is calling for the Government to address the condition of a bridge in Easington, St Thomas, following the death of a man who fell through the structure today. Opposition Spokesperson on Roads, Richard Azan, has described the incident as a profound failure of duty on the part of the Government. Azan called for a full parliamentary disclosure of all infrastructure spending since Hurricane Melissa last October and an immediate temporary crossing for Easington.

Manchester’s most wanted, Oral Cole, was shot and killed by police on Thursday during an alleged confrontation in Trelawny. According to police reports, a team from Manchester was conducting reconnaissance operations in connection with Cole. According to the police, Cole was linked to multiple crimes in Manchester and was described as a major threat to several communities. Police say Cole was accosted in the Albert Town area and, according to them, opened fire at the officers, who returned fire.

A man today died after falling from a bridge in Easington, St Thomas. Reports are that approximately 10:00 a.m., the man, who is yet to be identified, was attempting to cross the bridge when he fell through a gaping hole, reportedly created by heavy rains from Hurricane Melissa in October last year. He was taken to the Princess Margaret Hospital in the parish, where he was pronounced dead. Minister with responsibility for Works, Robert Nesta Morgan, has expressed deep sadness over the death.

Two men from St Mary have been charged after allegedly using counterfeit United States currency to make purchases at a business establishment in Oracabessa. Charged are 25-year-old shop operator Kevin Farquharson, otherwise called ‘Lewis’, of Clarks Town district, Retreat, and 29-year-old construction worker Robert Gray of Three Hill district, Retreat. Both men have been slapped with charges of possession of counterfeit notes, uttering counterfeit notes, and obtaining goods by false pretence following the incident on Monday, March 30.

WESTERN BUREAU: Gloria Henry, vice-president for business process outsourcing (BPO) and logistics at the Port Authority of Jamaica, says Jamaica’s BPO sector is positioning itself to adapt to rapid technological change, including the growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI), while strengthening the country’s workforce to remain competitive in the global services industry.

Six months after Hurricane Melissa battered sections of western Jamaica, hundreds of residents in Westmoreland are still struggling to recover – and for many, a simple food package is making all the difference. With it being Easter this weekend, a time usually marked by family gatherings, church services and celebration, many in the parish are instead facing the harsh reality of going without food, electricity and stable housing.

WESTERN BUREAU: Mark Hart, chairman of the Montego Bay Free Zone Company, has endorsed the Government’s long-term plan to relocate business process outsourcing (BPO) operations from the coastal Freeport peninsula to purpose-built facilities along the new highway corridor. Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness, in his recent Budget Debate presentation in Parliament, outlined a sweeping vision for reshaping the economic geography of western Jamaica as major road infrastructure comes on stream.

In keeping with the Education Regulations of 1980, the Jamaica College (JC) student charged with wounding a classmate last Tuesday is to face the personnel committee of the school’s board, principal Wayne Robinson has revealed. Following a statement issued by the board on the March 24 incident – which left one boy with a broken nose and the other arrested – Robinson told The Gleaner that proper procedures will be followed, particularly as the matter could become a legal one.

Retired former Jamaican Prime Minister P.J. Patterson has warned the 15-member Caribbean bloc, CARICOM, that it must “integrate or perish” in the face of mounting threats to international law, shifting political dynamics, and economic pressures affecting the region. Speaking at the Norman Manley Law School during the Council of Legal Education’s Distinguished Lecture Series 2026 yesterday evening, Patterson said the regional body risks failure without stronger systems to enforce its decisions.

WESTERN BUREAU: Pastor Mary Wildish turned her church into a war room. Tamika Williams opened her home as a lifeline for battered communities. And five months’ pregnant Tiffany Grant introduced ‘Sunday dinner’ to hurricane victims determined to hold on to their dignity. They were among seven honorees from western Jamaica recognised on Sunday as Jamaican Women of Resilience by the Women of Western Jamaica (WOWJa) during a brunch hosted by S Hotel Montego Bay and Sagicor Group.

WESTERN BUREAU: A major clean-up operation at the mouth of the South Gully is bringing renewed focus to proper waste disposal and regular drainage maintenance as Montego Bay prepares for the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season. The work is being carried out by the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) under the second phase of a national debris management programme introduced after the destruction caused by Hurricane Melissa.

A police sergeant, who has been freed of drug-related charges, previously filed multiple complaints internally about sexual harassment by high-ranking police officers and victimisation, her attorney has disclosed. Marcus Goffe, the lawyer representing Sergeant Tamica Taylor, said he believes the complaints fuelled “this escalation of the case”, culminating with the criminal charges filed against his client and her fiancé, Rayon Harris.

The leadership of Jamaica College was meeting up to late last night to deliberate on a violent incident involving students at the Old Hope Road, St Andrew-based institution. The episode left one boy seriously injured and his mother facing medical bills already exceeding a quarter million dollars and still rising.

Taxpayers will have to dig deeper into their pockets to cover the Customs fees waived by the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) when it applied its tax-exemption status to import goods on behalf of at least four private companies. Acting chief executive officer of the UHWI, Eric Hosin, told members of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Tuesday that the Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA) had made it clear that it was the hospital that would have to cover the unpaid taxes and penalties as it had no arrangements with the private companies who benefited.

The University Hospital of the West Indies’ (UHWI) so-called procurement scandal takes centre stage today as Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is expected to drill down to unveil additional details into the multimillion-dollar breaches that were uncovered in an audit of the health facility by the auditor general earlier this year.

Edwin Allen High School turned Frankfield blue yesterday, celebrating their 11th ISSA/raceKennedy Girls’ Athletics Championships title with a high-energy campus rally and street parade. Students and supporters packed the school grounds before marching through the Clarendon town, filling the air with music, whistles, and vuvuzelas in a celebration that stretched over three hours. Principal Jermaine Harris set the tone. Dressed in school colours and waving a blue flag, he was introduced to roaring cheers with Vybz Kartel’s We Nuh Fraid A Nobody.

Jamaica College (JC) Principal Wayne Robinson said the school’s latest ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ Championships triumph is more than a title; it is another marker of a school firing on all fronts. The Old Hope Road, St Andrew-based institution secured its 23rd hold on the Mortimer Geddes Trophy with a commanding 345 points last Saturday, finishing ahead of Kingston College (282) and Calabar High (169.3). It marks their second title in six years and the first under head coach Duane Johnson. But for Robinson, Champs is only part of the story.

A 21-year-old police constable is at the centre of a murder-for-hire investigation that has rocked the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), after he was slapped with charges for three homicides committed within a 48-hour period across two parishes.

It shall be now or never for the Reggae Boyz, when they take their final kick at qualifying for this summer’s FIFA Men’s World Cup against the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today. Match time is 4 p.m. Mexico’s Akron Stadium in Zapopan, Guadalajara, will host the winner-takes-all Intercontinental final, which ultimately rewards a spot in the 48-nation global championship to be hosted jointly by Concacaf nations the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

The Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) Ocho Rios Runaway Bay Chapter continued its decades-long support of the Mustard Seeds Widow’s Mite facility in St Ann with a donation of $150,000 on Friday. The donation followed the handover of a cheque to Adult and Teen Challenge in February, and marked the JHTA’s commitment to continue its charitable contribution to the wider community. Hurricane Melissa had forced the postponement of the annual children’s treat and cheque donation to the two institutions, which is normally held in December.

St Elizabeth Homecoming Foundation Chairman Donna Parchment Brown has issued a call for Jamaicans, individuals and organisations to come forward and assist students who have not returned to school since Hurricane Melissa in October 2025.

The Union of Clerical Administrative and Supervisory Employees (UCASE) is blaming systemic “inertia” for the protracted delay in correcting an anomaly affecting registered dental surgeons. The union, as part of its efforts to press the ministries of health and wellness and finance to bring action to the signed agreement, has issued a notice of industrial action.

A Trelawny mother who gave birth six months ago to a baby with Trisomy 13, or Patau syndrome, has come forward to share aspects of the family’s journey with the child, who is currently hospitalised. Babies affected by Patau syndrome have a low life expectancy, with up to 95 per cent dying within the first year. However, for six-month-old Anna-Olivia Gardener, there are high hopes that she will be a blessed exception and go on to live a life as close to normal as possible.

Declaring that no act of violence will go unanswered, Pastor Adolphus Smith yesterday warned that there will be “a day of reckoning” as he addressed mourners at the funeral of slain Denham Town shopkeeper Kerrio ‘Boyu’ Pinnock. “All those who believe they are going to get away with their ungodly deeds and their dirty deeds, they better think again,” he said. “For the Bible says that every knee shall bow and everyone will have to answer to God for what they have done.”

A night of relentless rain and thunder left sections of northeastern Jamaica reeling, as swollen waterways burst their bounds and sent murky floodwaters rushing into homes, reigniting fears ahead of the looming hurricane season. The Meteorological Service of Jamaica had forecast unstable weather conditions across the region, warning of persistent rainfall through late Sunday into Monday. But for residents of eastern Portland, the weather’s true force came suddenly and without mercy late Friday night.

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is warning that Jamaica’s recovery from the destruction of Hurricane Melissa will rise or fall on a single factor: Government, private interests, citizens and international partners all pull their weight in a united, national push. Utilities have largely returned in western parishes devastated by the monster storm last October, but more than 90,000 households remain displaced or are living in gutted structures.

WESTERN BUREAU: From a little girl growing up in Kingston to one of daytime television’s most influential producers, Talia Parkinson-Jones has built a career shaping stories, steering culture, and helping to define what millions of viewers see each day. Now, after more than two decades behind the scenes of American television, the Jamaica-born executive director and producer at NBC is stepping into her own spotlight, her journey, forged through grit and vision, coming full circle.

Five months after the passage of Hurricane Melissa, the danger hasn’t passed. It’s hanging – literally – over nearly every road, sidewalk, and gate in Westmoreland, especially in the capital. What used to be a routine drive remains a gamble as low-hanging wires now snake along roadways and sidewalks, turning everyday movement into a split-second calculation between safety and disaster. One wrong move, one unseen cable, and the outcome could be catastrophic.

Irish telecoms founder Denis O’Brien is on track to double his equity stake in Digicel Group to about 20 per cent, buoyed by improving financial performance at the Caribbean-focused operator and a rebound in telecoms sector valuations, according to The Irish Times. Despite renewed attention on ownership, Digicel has declined to comment on any prospective changes in shareholding. “We will not be providing comment at this time,” Ana Rua, a spokesperson for Digicel Group, told The Gleaner.

WESTERN BUREAU: The United States (US) has indicated it is satisfied that its US$22-million hurricane relief support is helping Jamaicans recover from the devastating impact of Hurricane Melissa, with a strong focus on health and mental health services across western parishes. US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires in Jamaica, Scott Renner, made the remarks during a visit to Montego Bay, St James, on Friday where he toured recovery activities carried out by humanitarian organisation Project HOPE, one of the key partners implementing the US-funded programme.

The Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) has announced that it will submit its written recommendations on proposed changes to the Jamaica Teaching Bill (JTC) to the Ministry of Education next month, after it had voiced strong objections to the law that would govern the teaching profession, and delayed its enactment. Mark Malabver, president of the JTA, made the disclosure in response to a public appeal from State Minister Rhoda Moy Crawford.

The Fair Trading Commission (FTC) has disclosed that “another step will be taken” following the publication of an investigation report alleging that Tank-Weld Metals Limited was “likely abusing” its dominance in the local reinforcing steel bar (rebar) market by harming rivals and customers”. However, Executive Director of the FTC David Miller declined to comment on the actions being contemplated. “I am not prepared to state at this time what that step is,” Miller told The Gleaner when contacted yesterday.

Tesha Miller’s legal team is weighing the possibility of taking his case to the Privy Council, after the Court of Appeal quashed his convictions for accessory to murder but ordered a retrial. The appellate court, in a judgment delivered yesterday, found that a fundamental error in jury selection rendered Miller’s original trial a nullity. The panel of judges, Justices Jennifer Straw, Nicole Foster-Pusey, and David Fraser, ruled that the trial judge erred in limiting Miller to two peremptory challenges during jury empanelling, when the law entitled him to four.