For more than two decades, Shelley Wong has quietly but decisively shaped the teaching of French in Jamaica. Her commitment to rigour in the classroom, openness to innovation and sustained focus on student achievement have now been recognised with a French national distinction: appointment as a Knight in the Order of the Palmes Académiques.

WESTERN BUREAU: While most of the public health centres in western Jamaica have been returned to full service since the passage of Hurricane Melissa six months ago, residents of Catherine Hall in Montego Bay, St James, are appealing to the authority to speed up the restoration of their facility, which remains out of service. “The health centre is quite an important part of the community, because health is the only wealth some of us will ever have,” said Carlton Smith, a resident. “Anything involving health should always get priority attention.”

Still grappling with the physical and psychological toll of Hurricane Mellissa, schools across the worst-affected parishes are racing to ready grade-six students for the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) exams, now just days away.

Investigators probing Sunday night’s shooting at the Big Wall Carnival after-party say it is still “very early days as it relates to charges”, even as eyewitness accounts, reported security gaps, and the experience of an injured American visitor intensify scrutiny on safety at major entertainment events. The event, staged for several years after the Carnival road march, was held this year at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre on Hope Road in St Andrew.

An eighth-grade student has been hospitalised with life-threatening injuries to his kidney and intestine after he was reportedly shot by a policeman during an incident his family claim was unprovoked. The 13-year-old Cedric Titus High student was on the rooftop of a bar adjoining his home in Rio Bueno, Trelawny, on Sunday night, when a uniformed cop inside the venue fired a single bullet that struck him, according to a family member.

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP): Hungarian voters yesterday ousted long-serving Prime Minister Viktor Orbán after 16 years in power, rejecting the authoritarian policies and global far-right movement that he embodied in favour of a pro-European challenger in a bombshell election result with global repercussions.

Western Bureau: Despite the best efforts of the police and an overall decline in major crimes in the parish, Superintendent Andrew Nish, the police commander for Hanover, says there has been a slight uptick in murders over the corresponding period last year, which has prompted a new drive to blunt lawlessness. Nish, who started the year with a resolve to have Hanover reclaim the title as the nation’s safest parish, said that while the serious crime portfolio, which includes murders, shootings, rape and break-ins, continues to be an area of concern.

A 100-member-strong mission from the Jamaican-American Law Enforcement Organization (JAMLEO), comprising officers in the New York Police Department (NYPD), will arrive in Jamaica on April 26 for a three-day visit to uplift and empower students at Unity Primary School in Westmoreland. This will be the third such visit by JAMLEO to schools in Jamaica. The first visit in 2024 focused on schools in St James where they visited Mount Alvernia and Cornwall College and the second visit last year focused on Marcus Garvey Technical High School in St Ann.

For more than 150 years, the Kentucky Derby has stood as one of the most iconic and prestigious traditions in American history. Established in 1875 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, the Derby quickly became known as ‘The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports’. Yet, its significance reaches far beyond the race itself. It represents discipline, legacy, culture, and the pursuit of excellence at the highest level.

WESTERN BUREAU A diplomatic dispute within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has intensified after Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) stayed away from an emergency meeting convened to address concerns it raised about the reappointment of the regional bloc’s secretary general. Dr Terrance Drew, chairman of CARICOM and prime minister of St Kitts and Nevis, confirmed that neither T&T Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar nor any representative of the twin-island republic attended the 25th Special Emergency Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government on Saturday.

As we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, it is my prayer that you will receive fresh revelation of what this sacrifice means for you. This is why we have been studying blood covenants in the Bible. While it may seem like a gory topic to some, we need the perspective it offers to recognise how significant Jesus’ sacrifice was. We have been discussing the practice of Threshold Covenants.

Recently, the Caribbean nation of St Kitts and Nevis (SKN) recognised, in law, the Rastafari movement, which originated in its sister CARICOM nation of Jamaica. It was widely reported that SKN is the first Caribbean nation to officially recognise Rastafarianism.

A businessman who was acquitted of criminal charges has claimed in a multimillion-dollar lawsuit that police investigators ignored evidence that exonerated him and instead relied on “unreliable or incomplete” information. John Levy also claimed in the lawsuit that senior executives at energy company West Indies Petroleum Limited (WIPL) acted “maliciously” by making or causing complaints to be made to the police against him knowing that the allegations were false.

Local women’s health experts are urging girls and women – particularly those aged 15 to 26 and in their reproductive years – to protect themselves against the human papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause several diseases, including cervical, vaginal, vulvar, anal and oral cancers. Cervical cancer remains the second most common cancer affecting women in Jamaica. The ICO/IARC Information Centre on HPV and Cancer notes in its 2023 Jamaica Fact Sheet that annually, some 390 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed in the island and nearly 250 deaths recorded.

A quiet shift is under way in some Jamaican schools, where long-standing rules governing how boys – especially those of African descent – wear their hair are being tested, stretched, and, in some cases, rewritten. For decades, school grooming policies have enforced a narrow standard, particularly for boys. While girls have gradually been granted more flexibility – through allowances for natural styles and, in some schools, extensions that match their hair – boys have remained tightly regulated. Now, that imbalance is drawing scrutiny from students, parents, and some educators.

WESTERN BUREAU: A man believed to have been the mastermind behind Tuesday’s murder of deejay Roger ‘Jaggy D’ Walker, a police source told The Gleaner, was shot and killed in a gunfight with the Hanover police early Friday morning. The deceased man, who was of Bamboo address on the outskirts of Hopewell, where Walker was killed, was identified by relatives as 30-year-old Romaine ‘CJ’ Humphrey.

WESTERN BUREAU: Vendors at the Charles Gordon Market in Montego Bay are once again crying foul against the St James Municipal Corporation (StJMC) over the market’s conditions and accusations of unfair treatment by the municipal authorities, following the confiscation of several vendors’ carts and other items on Friday morning.

An autopsy has been scheduled for April 28 to determine the cause of death of a newborn at Cornwall Regional Hospital as grieving mother Shandale Ballentine has launched a crowdfunding campaign to assist with funeral expenses for her son, Ramontay Rakai Ranger. Ballentine said the decision to seek public support came after family and friends, aware that both she and her partner are currently on unpaid leave, encouraged her to create a platform for donations. A distraught Ballentine told The Gleaner that she does not want to burn her son’s body.

Warning of the threat the ongoing Middle East conflict poses to the Caribbean’s food and economic security, Wendell Samuel, assistant secretary-general (ASG) of CARICOM, is calling for stronger regional coordination to enhance resilience, bargaining power, and capacity to absorb external shocks.

WESTERN BUREAU: Lucea Mayor Sheridan Samuels is accusing a church in the Hanover capital of squatting, saying the building it is occupying is owned by the Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC), which needs it to establish a tourism training centre. “Right now, the building is captured by a church, and we need that building because we have plans for the youth within the parish. We are to put in place there a training centre in collaboration with the Grand Palladium Hotel and HEART/NSTA Trust,” Samuels said at Thursday’s HMC monthly meeting.

A US federal court has confirmed a US$43.7-million arbitration award in favour of Jamaican-Canadian investor Michael Lee-Chin, rejecting the Dominican Republic’s bid to overturn the ruling. US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the District of Columbia issued the decision last month, siding with Lee-Chin after the Dominican Republic asked the court to throw out the award. The court said it would adopt “Magistrate Judge Faruqui’s well-reasoned report and recommendation in full”.

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.