A 55-minute stand-off between Judge Maxine Ellis and attorney-at-law Matthew Hyatt unfolded in the Half-Way Tree Parish Court yesterday in the 31-year-old case involving Courtney Anderson, as the matter was not listed for hearing and the lawyer ‘sounded off’ after it was disclosed that the case file is still missing.

he two law-enforcement agencies that investigated a multimillion-dollar fraud at Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) nine years ago are now in the process of consulting the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) after the case against the five accused persons collapsed in court on Monday.

Teacher’s Day at St Richard’s Primary School took on a regal tone yesterday, with educators adorned in crowns, tiaras and sashes as the St Andrew-based school celebrated its heroes and heroines. The festivities were arranged by the school’s parent-teacher association (PTA), and teachers’ representative on the body, Leona Jones, described the day as a “wonderful experience.”

Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton says significant progress is being made to restore, expand and modernise key facilities at the Savanna-la-Mar Public General Hospital in Westmoreland, which was battered by Hurricane Melissa last October. Addressing a recent press briefing hosted by the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA), Tufton was quite optimistic about the pace and scope of the ongoing rehabilitation works.

A leading accountability campaigner is pushing for Jamaicans to stand up and be heard while cautioning against the powers that the Government has arrogated to itself in the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) bill. 

The Cabinet has approved a “heads of terms” agreement for a new licence that the Government is to negotiate with the Jamaica Public Service (JPS), subject to a non-disclosure agreement between the company and the administration.  A heads of terms agreement sets out the basic terms of a commercial transaction between parties. 

More than 40 Cuban doctors have opted to remain in Jamaica following the end of the decades-old contract between their government and Jamaica. Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton made the disclosure in response to queries from The Gleaner during a press briefing hosted by the University Hospital of the West Indies Institutional Review Committee at the IDB Building in New Kingston yesterday.

Jamaican drug lord Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke is now set to be released from prison in the United States (US) in almost 21 months after authorities there sliced another year off the prison time. This development comes as popular pastor Merrick ‘Al’ Miller, a longtime friend of the Coke family, said he has been told that the reputed Shower Posse leader is participating in religious-based and other programmes in prison.

For a growing number of Jamaican educators, the classroom is no longer limited to the physical space, but extends to their social media feed where their teaching expertise and experience become content for an engaged online audience comprising students, parents, and even colleagues.  But as many step into the role of teacher-influencer, they face a delicate balancing act sharing the realities of their profession while maintaining the ethical boundaries it demands. 

The Institutional Review Committee tasked with assessing the affairs of the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) says the use of its tax- exemption status to import items for private companies was “illegal”. “There is absolutely no evidence that those imports were provided by the board, [and] even had they been approved by the board, they would still be illegal,” said Professor Alvin Wint, a member of the Howard Mitchell-chaired committee.  

Five women who were arrested and charged nine years ago in connection with a multimillion-dollar fraud, which the authorities said was uncovered at Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ), were exonerated yesterday, ending a case plagued by nearly three dozen adjournments and an abandoned trial.

Airbnb stakeholders in Jamaica are urging the Government to be cautious in its imposition of a general consumption tax (GCT) on the industry, insisting that the move should reflect the reality of the sector, which they say is largely made up of small, independent Jamaican homeowners.

WESTERN BUREAU: The children of the late Montego Bay business Robert Rusell are expanding the family’s Deja Resort brand, with the acquisition of a property in St Ann, which will be added to its flagship hotel in the western city. The acquisition of the former Ambiance Hotel in Runaway Bay, St Ann, was completed just before Hurricane Melissa in October 2025, with the family now pushing to open it in time for the 2025 winter tourist season.

WESTERN BUREAU: Montego Bay businessman Howard Ward is to be immortalised by Anchovy High School after donating $14 million in cash and kind to aid in its post-Hurricane Melissa recovery, his latest contribution to the St James-based institution. School Chairman Nigel Golaub announced that a building at the institution’s Dr Fidel Castro campus in Montpelier is to be named in honour of Ward, who heads the Howard Ward Benefits Foundation.

The Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) is anticipating the outcome of a constitutional challenge brought by Opposition Spokesman on Education Damion Crawford against the Government over its alleged failure to guarantee children their right to quality publicly funded education at the pre-primary and primary levels.

Five women who were arrested and charged nine years ago in connection with a multimillion-dollar fraud, which the authorities said was uncovered at Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ), were exonerated yesterday, ending a case plagued by nearly three dozen adjournments and an abandoned trial.

Clarendon has emerged as a national leader in local development planning, becoming the first parish in Jamaica to formally integrate migration into its long-term growth framework—a move officials say signals a fundamental shift in how communities plan for the future. The milestone was marked last Thursday, during a handover ceremony for the Migration Chapter of the Clarendon Local Sustainable Development Plan (CLSDP) at the Clarendon Municipal Corporation (CMC).

The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) carried out a mini dump removal exercise in Kitson Town, St Catherine, last Thursday, as part of a broader push to eliminate illegal dumping across the parish. It follows complaints from residents and local representatives about the spread of makeshift dumping areas. Andrew Gooden, the NSWMA’s parish manager for St Catherine, said the agency had struggled with illegal dumping in recent weeks.

Airbnb stakeholders in Jamaica are urging the Government to be cautious in its imposition of a general consumption tax (GCT) on the industry, insisting that the move should reflect the reality of the sector, which they say is largely made up of small, independent Jamaican homeowners. “Many hosts are small, independent operators, and sudden cost increases could place real strain on their ability to remain active and compliant,” Airbnb Community Leader for Jamaica Sherie-Ann Anderson told The Gleaner.

A symbolic unveiling of a renovated monument at Old Harbour Bay, St Catherine, on Sunday marked 180 years since the arrival of the first East Indians to Jamaica, reinforcing a shared history rooted in resilience, adaptation and cultural exchange. The ceremony, led by Jamaica’s Indian High Commission, revisited the historic site where the first group of East Indian indentured labourers arrived aboard the SS Blundell in 1845.

Amid historic levels of fatal shootings by the security forces Jamaica’s police chief has exhorted cops to exercise self-discipline, describing it as “more important” than the checks and balances that come with oversight. At the same time, Police Commissioner Dr Kevin Blake has again urged Jamaicans to join the appeal to “violent and hardened criminals” that they should not confront cops with deadly force.

Attorney-at-law and former government minister Leslie Campbell has died. The Gleaner understands that Campbell, who also served as a senator, was battling illness for the past year.

The Jamaica Labour Party is mourning the death of Deputy Treasurer Leslie Campbell. Campbell died on Sunday morning after battling illness.

In an uncommon moment of agreement, both defence attorneys and prosecutors are aligned on the Government’s plan to amend the Firearms Act. But the Advocates Association of Jamaica (AAJ) says the reforms should go further by eliminating the controversial 15-year mandatory minimum sentence altogether.

Rising fuel prices are forcing schools to brace for a possible return to online learning, with at least one Kingston institution already preparing as the Middle East war persists.

Frank Sondern, the Regional Director for RIU hotels in Jamaica, says the Spanish hotel chain will temporarily close the RIU Palace Hotel, in Montego Bay, for four months to facilitate extensive refurbishing, which should take the exercise to the end of August.

Government Senator Dr Elon Thompson has accused some persons online of carrying out what he described as a “digital mobbing” of Speaker of the House of Representatives Juliet Holness in the wake of the kerfuffle over the removal of the mace by Opposition MP Angela Brown-Burke and her subsequent suspension from the sitting by the presiding officer.

Petrojam is strongly dismissing as false a message circulating via WhatsApp and social media platforms warning of a fuel shortage.

Over strong objections by prosecutors and the police, a judge has offered popular St Ann-based attorney Debby-Ann Samuels a multimillion-dollar bail package with strict conditions.

Former Public Defender Arlene Harrison has welcomed Wednesday’s landmark Constitutional Court ruling on the controversial Bengal mining permit, describing it as a pivotal moment in the protection of Jamaicans’ environmental rights.

The cessation of flights by United States budget carrier, Spirit Airlines, is not expected to have a major impact on Jamaica, according to Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett.

A 53-year-old mason has been arrested and charged following the seizure of a firearm and ammunition during a police operation in St Andrew on Friday night.

Jamaica will receive new direct flights from Canada after Porter Airlines announced expanded service to Montego Bay for the 2026 to 2027 winter season.

Police in Manchester are probing a double murder following the fatal shooting of a man and a woman in Farm district in the south of the parish on Saturday morning.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining is targeting the recovery of the yam industry with a $100 million investment. Portfolio minster Floyd Green said the support is part of a broader strategic response to the agricultural industry, following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa. He was speaking on Tuesday during the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) Recovery and Investment Forum held at the ministry’s playing field at Hope Gardens in St Andrew.