It is with deep regret that the RJRGLEANER Communications Group announces the passing of its chief executive officer (CEO), Mr Anthony Smith, who died earlier this morning after a brief period of illness. Mr Smith joined the RJRGLEANER...

ALLISON MORRIS is mourning the destruction of Black River, Elizabeth, by Category 5 Hurricane Melissa. It is like a loved one has passed. There was substantial damage to her own family house and yard. The historic town, situated beside the...

DEDHAM, Mass. (AP): One baby Jesus lays in a manger in the snow, wrapped in a silver emergency blanket with his wrists zip-tied. Mary stands nearby outside the Lake Street Church in Evanston, Illinois, wearing a plastic gas mask and flanked by...

DETROIT (AP): Colin Farrell’s had it done – many times. So have Angelina Jolie and Megan Fox. Heck, even Bart Simpson did. Whether it’s Marilyn Monroe’s face, Billy Bob Thornton’s name, a sultry rose or even Bart’s partially inscribed homage to his...

Two gunmen attacked a Jewish celebration on a Sydney beach Sunday, killing at least 11 people in what Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called an act of antisemitism and terrorism. The massacre at one of Australia’s most popular and...

St Catherine resident Jermaine Deer has been handed a two-year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to stealing oranges from Trade Winds Citrus Limited, a juice manufacturer based in the parish. Deer, a 32-year-old of Bog Walk, St Catherine...

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — President Donald Trump said Saturday that “there will be very serious retaliation” after two US service members and one American civilian were killed in an attack in Syria that the United States blames on the Islamic State...

A Manchester community has been plunged into mourning over the death of a senior citizen who was killed by a tree. The deceased has been identified as 65-year-old farmer Lloyd Grant of Race Course. Reports are that about 11:10 a.m. on Friday,...

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — A Bolivian court on Friday ordered the country’s former President Luis Arce to remain detained for five months while he awaits trial on corruption charges, the latest development in a case that threatens to exacerbate...

A 45-year-old St Catherine mother charged for allegedly taking her 14-year-old daughter to the home of a 60-year-old, where she was allegedly sexually molested, was refused bail on Friday in the parish court. The man was also denied bail. The...

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – The United States Embassy in Trinidad on Friday said two Trinidad and Tobago nationals have been arrested on charges of conspiracy to import cocaine into America. It said that Daveanan Deonarine and Michael...

The National Housing Trust (NHT) has, to date, received 667 applications from persons affected by Hurricane Melissa for the Disaster Relief Grant. This was disclosed by Managing Director, Martin Miller, during Wednesday’s sitting of the Public...

A policeman today died from injuries sustained after being hit by a Toyota Coaster bus that was travelling as part of a funeral procession in St Elizabeth. Reports are that about 10:00 a.m., the constable was driving a police service motorcycle...

WESTERN BUREAU: Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton has proposed that 2026 be dedicated to mental wellness, as Jamaicans seek to recover from the psychological toll of Hurricane Melissa, which devastated the island on October 28....

WESTERN BUREAU Richard Solomon, mayor of Black River and chairman of the St Elizabeth Municipal Corporation, says essential municipal services have resumed from the Jeremy Palmer Building in Black River, as the parish continues to recover from the...

The UNESCO Office for the Caribbean will conduct a Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) of the education sector, following the severe disruption caused by Hurricane Melissa. The assessment, using established international methodology, is intended...

On October 28, Hurricane Melissa tore through Keith R. Wedderburn’s organic farm in Bluefields, Westmoreland, flooding his home, ripping away his solar panels, flattening a small board house on his property, lifting sections of his mother’s roof...

Jamaica has received another shipment of supplies from Guyana, including material to replace 200 roofs in Westmoreland, which was among parishes most severely impacted by Hurricane Melissa. They include zinc, lumber and tools, along with additional...

UNESCO is to support Jamaica’s hurricane-battered education sector by helping with the provision of learning kits for students in grades 7-9, and targeted grants to 100 student-teachers at Sam Sharpe Teachers College in St James. The assistance aims to ensure continuity of learning, particularly for students and student-teachers from the hardest-hit communities, a statement said. It will help with printing of the kits.

Sixty-two-year-old Ray Moore could only watch helplessly on Thursday as firefighters battled the blaze that consumed his home on Mountain View Avenue in St Andrew. Moore’s house of 25 years was one of three destroyed in the fire, which began around 11:20 a.m. and displaced 20 people, including eight children. He recalled being inside his five-bedroom home when he noticed smoke coming from his neighbour’s house.

WESTERN BUREAU: Although the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW) reports that leptospirosis cases have begun to decline since mid-November, health minister Dr Christopher Tufton is warning Jamaicans not to become complacent in preventing the spread of the disease following Hurricane Melissa.

WESTERN BUREAU: Tension erupted inside the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation (WMC) yesterday as Councillor Lidden Lewis launched a dramatic but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to oust his People’s National Party colleague, Councillor Devon ‘Don Don’ Thomas, from his post as deputy mayor.

Dozens of puppies are being rushed to the Jamaica Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (JSPCA), suffering from severe gastroenteritis, bloody diarrhoea, and agonising pain before many ultimately die. Veterinarians say they are locked in a race against time to save the young animals from a surge in canine parvovirus infections – now proving even more deadly than leptospirosis in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.

WESTERN BUREAU: The Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC) has estimated more than $800 million in damage to roads and public infrastructure across the parish arising from the passage of Hurricane Melissa over a month ago. During Thursday’s monthly meeting of the HMC, Lucea Mayor Sheridan Samuels reported that the total cost to clear, repair, and reinstate damaged roadways, as well as to fix government buildings and other facilities, stands at $814,844,975.65. The figure was determined based on assessments conducted by the corporation.

WESTERN BUREAU: A subdued atmosphere hung over the Ridgemount United Church in Mandeville, Manchester, yesterday as relatives and well-wishers said farewell to businessman Ruel Alphanso Crawford, a former Master Builders Association member and a board member of the Southern Regional Health Authority. Crawford, who died on September 24 at age 74 after a lengthy battle with cancer, was also the father of Dwight Crawford, deputy mayor of Montego Bay in St James and the St James Municipal Corporation’s councillor for the Spring Garden Division.

WESTERN BUREAU: Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness says the topping out of Tower One at The Pinnacle marks a major step forward for Jamaica’s tourism diversification strategy. However, he insists that luxury development must go hand-in-hand with rebuilding homes, improving public order, and ensuring workers benefit from the sector’s growth. Speaking at the ceremony for Jamaica’s new tallest building, Holness said the Government remains acutely aware of the national mood following the devastation of Hurricane Melissa.

Defending the decision to lend the Jamaica Public Service Company US$150 million towards its early restoration efforts following Hurricane Melissa’s devastation, Energy Minister Daryl Vaz has shrugged off criticisms, labelling them as “misinformation and noise”. Addressing yesterday’s post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House, Vaz again defended the Government’s decision, saying he was confused by the criticism. The decision to make the multimillion US dollar loan to the privately owned JPS has been widely criticised and the subject of fiery parliamentary sittings.

Residents of Phoenix Park Village in Phase 3, Portmore, St Catherine, were left shaken yesterday after a reported police operation ended in gunfire, leaving one alleged robber dead and another on the run. The incident, which unfolded along Hellshire Drive, has ignited fresh anxiety in the gated community, where homeowners say crime has been quietly creeping in despite heavy investments in security. Residents say explosions echoed across the midday atmosphere, and The Gleaner arrived in time to see the scene littered with spent casings.

The administrative arm of the Houses of Parliament has been found wanting as the Auditor General’s Department places the spotlight on a $24-million contract to renovate the Members’ Lounge at Gordon House, as well as procurement breaches in the purchase of 16 air-conditioning units. A special audit was conducted by the Pamela Monroe Ellis-led Auditor General’s Department into the operations of Parliament following allegations of mismanagement at the seat of the nation’s legislature.

WESTERN BUREAU: A crippled man in Hertford, Westmoreland, a father and his two sons in Black River, St Elizabeth, and a woman living in the open air in Petersfield are among the first recipients of the studio homes being built under the S for Shelters project, an initiative of S Hotel Montego Bay.

At least 160 schools remain closed for teaching and learning weeks after the passage of Hurricane Melissa. These schools are expected to reopen on January 6, 2026, according to Minister of Finance and the Public Service Fayval Williams. Of the 160 schools not yet reopened, 100 have been impacted by the Category 5 storm. Responding to questions during a meeting of the Standing Finance Committee of Parliament on Tuesday, Williams said 59 of the schools are serving as shelters for persons displaced by the hurricane.

Jamaicans are re-embracing Christianity to navigate the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Melissa as they seek spiritual reassurance and a source of comfort to deal with the trauma of the Category 5 storm. This is the assertion from Reverend Errol Rattray, chairman of the National Prayer Vigil, who said it was the prayer of Christians that protected Jamaica from being in an even worse state.

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange has announced that the official funeral for the late Reggae icon Jimmy Cliff will take place next Wednesday, December 17, at the National Indoor Sports Centre, beginning at 10 a.m. Cliff passed away on November 24 at age 81. He is being accorded an official funeral by the Government “for his immense contribution to Jamaican culture and entertainment”, said Grange.

Medical experts are calling for stronger adherence to the global One Health mandate by Jamaican authorities, citing the outbreak of leptospirosis following Hurricane Melissa a month ago as a clear indication of why such a move is pivotal. One Health, as outlined by the World Health Organisation (WHO), speaks to an integrated, unifying approach that aims to balance and optimise the sustainable health of people, animals, and ecosystems. “It recognises that the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, and plants is closely linked and interdependent,” states the WHO.

WESTERN BUREAU: Following calls from the St James Municipal Corporation (StJMC) for citizens to responsibly dispose of their garbage in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, residents of several communities across St James say they remain concerned about the availability of garbage trucks to collect their waste. The residents cite the growing pile-ups of their uncollected waste, and the risk of animals in their communities accessing the garbage, as reasons why the authorities must take swift action to rectify the issue.