WESTERN BUREAU: Residents of a section of Cooper’s Pen, Trelawny, were jolted from their slumber on Tuesday morning to find a demolition crew flattening their houses in a pre-dawn operation involving bulldozers, tractors, and sledgehammers. When the hours-long exercise, carried out under the watchful eyes of a bailiff and a strong police contingent, ended, 20 predominantly concrete houses lay in ruins as their bewildered owners looked on in disbelief.

Lamenting that allegations surrounding the operations of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) have become “fodder” for those opposed to the regional court, veteran attorney Bert Samuels yesterday argued that the claims have no bearing on the court’s integrity. Speaking during a press conference, Samuels said the allegations do not concern the delivery of judgments, the credibility of the CCJ’s president, or its judges.

As the busiest stretch of the hurricane season approaches, some residents living near the banks of Sandy Gully are worried that floodwaters could rise rapidly and destroy their homes because of the large amount of debris, displaced surfaces, and collapsing walls along the waterway. Sandy Gully is the largest conduit for carrying stormwater to the sea in the Corporate Area. The Gleaner yesterday visited two communities along the waterway where residents are increasingly anxious about the condition of the gully and the potential threat of flooding.

WESTERN BUREAU: A 33-year-old British man sought refuge inside the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, St James, on Monday night after gunmen fired shots into the vehicle he was driving, injuring him. About 9:30 p.m., the man – a forex trader of a Valley Mill address in the United Kingdom – was travelling with his partner and two Jamaican relatives along Queen’s Drive, near the airport, when the attack occurred. According to police reports, after the vehicle stopped at a traffic light, a motor car pulled up alongside it, and the occupants opened fire.

The Supreme Court has stayed proceedings that could result in the dismissal of a St Elizabeth case-management officer over her alleged involvement in partisan political activity ahead of the general election last year. The stay bars the Office of the Services Commission and the Attorney General’s Department from taking further action against the officer, Toni Bailey-Cowan, while she challenges the constitutionality of the proceedings.

More than $75 million in cash and thousands of pieces of counterfeit merchandise carrying the labels of globally recognised brands were seized by law-enforcement authorities during multiple operations on the weekend. The counterfeit merchandise, which includes more than 300 pairs of ‘Nike Air Force One’ sneakers as well as ‘Gucci’, ‘Polo’, ‘Reebok’, ‘Crocs’, and ‘Jordan’ apparel, has an estimated value of $4 million.

Western Bureau: With the September 2026 deadline for the phased opening of the US$354-million Montego Bay Perimeter Road Project fast approaching, steady progress is being reported by Minister of Works Robert Morgan. The perimeter road is a major infrastructure development aimed at easing the severe traffic congestion plaguing the western city while also unlocking new lands for sustainable development. The construction is being managed by the National Road Operating and Constructing Company Limited (NROCC) and is being built by China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC).

The allegations that have emerged about the operations of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) have not affected the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) stance that it should replace the Britain-based Privy Council as Jamaica’s final court of appeal, party President Mark Golding has declared. In fact, Golding told The Gleaner that the emails cited by Trinidad and Tobago newspaper, the Sunday Express, “disclose an internal environment in which the judges feel free to express their independent and opposing views forthrightly to the president of the court”.

For Councillor Scean Barnswell, there was no time to deliberate when he spotted a man with a six-year-old girl, who had reportedly been abducted from St Thomas More Preparatory School in May Pen, Clarendon, last December. What took over was not a desire to be heroic or any thought that his actions would earn national recognition. It was, he said, a parental instinct to protect a child in danger.

WESTERN BUREAU: The murder of schoolteacher Andre James has rattled the Little London Infant and Primary School community as it mourns one of its most dedicated educators. James, 39, was found dead at a house in Pitini district in Bluefields, Westmoreland, on Sunday afternoon. “This school community will not be the same come September without Mr James,” school board Chairman Councillor Ian Myles told The Gleaner on Monday.

Several parishes will be under water prohibition orders as of this week. The National Water Commission (NWC) announced yesterday that it will issue a water prohibition notice tomorrow, with enforcement measures taking effect on August 17. The decision, which comes on the heels of daily water lock-off measures announced last week, followed a high-level stakeholder meeting yesterday involving the NWC and the Meteorological Service.

As Jamaican businesses confront climate-related disruptions, evolving market conditions and increasing pressure on critical infrastructure, resilience has become more than a business continuity consideration. It is now a strategic imperative for organisations seeking to protect operations, sustain growth, and remain competitive in an increasingly complex environment.

Patients at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) are expected to benefit from faster diagnoses, expanded access to specialist treatment and enhanced critical care services following a major expansion of the hospital’s clinical capabilities and healthcare workforce.

WESTERN BUREAU: Residents of St James are being encouraged to contact the relevant authorities for assistance whenever they see homeless people, including those who may have mental health challenges, roaming the streets of Montego Bay and the wider parish. In recent times, there have been complaints about the actions of certain homeless people in Montego Bay. Reports include one man taking up residence at the Jarrett Park complex and another setting up a living space on the sidewalk near the Decarteret Hotel along Jimmy Cliff Boulevard.

Allegations that have emerged about the operations of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) should be urgently addressed, a former senior regional diplomat has asserted. “It is not a trivial matter, and I am hoping that those responsible for the CCJ itself will in fact treat it with the urgency and the seriousness with which it deserves,” Ambassador Byron Blake, former assistant secretary general of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), told The Gleaner yesterday.

Two Jamaican lottery scammers directed their elderly American victims to deposit millions of dollars into accounts they used to operate separate used-car dealerships in Jamaica, United States (US) authorities have charged. The allegations were detailed in documents filed in a US court in the case against Jordan Trought, the Jamaican lottery scammer who pleaded guilty for his role as a high-ranking member of an international fraud scheme that stole more than US$9 million, or about J$1.4 billion, from more than 200 elderly American citizens through a sweepstakes scam.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) A suspended Catholic priest on a tiny Caribbean island is embracing calypso to make his voice heard on topics including Gaza and sexual abuse within the church. Father Gerard Paul, who hails from Grenada, can no longer officiate masses, funerals, weddings or baptisms after repeatedly criticising the church and clergy. But that hasn’t stopped him from preaching via the lilting rhythms of calypso, an Afro-Caribbean music genre known for its witty lyrics and satirical social commentary.

Heightened security and growing unease gripped Kingston Freeport Terminal Limited (KFTL) on Saturday, a day after a major cocaine bust led to the arrest of eight people and intensified an investigation into an alleged drug-smuggling syndicate with connections to the facility. The Sunday Gleaner has learnt that the container seized during Friday’s operation was scheduled for export and was laden with goods labelled “jerk seasoning”, according to a source familiar with the investigation.

WESTERN BUREAU: They are two Kingston women with different lives and different histories of alleged abuse, but when Karen P.* and Janice Q.* speak about the policeman they say finally listened, the name is the same. Corporal Adrian Cornwall. After years of frustration, fear and what they describe as disappointing encounters with some members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), both women credit Cornwall with giving them something they desperately needed: the feeling that somebody believed their complaints required action. Karen goes even further.

A heavy influx of foreign plastic waste bearing Spanish and French labels is piling up along Jamaica’s eastern coastline, creating a severe environmental hazard that threatens marine life and the food chain. In Holland Bay, St Thomas, the pile-up of largely non-biodegradable debris includes beverage containers, household packaging, and commercial waste from products widely distributed in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Haiti, Guadeloupe, and Martinique.

Just 22 minutes apart on July 28, two police officers in different parishes accidentally shot themselves with licensed firearms. A few days later, a policewoman was injured after her Glock pistol was discharged inside her home, an M16 rifle was unintentionally fired at a Kingston police station, a correctional officer accidentally discharged his service weapon while carrying out a prescribed safety procedure, and a one-year-old girl was shot with her father’s police-issued firearm.

São Paulo, Brazil: Brazil is awaiting Jamaica’s response to a proposed sanitary agreement that would clear the way for poultry and pork exports to the island. Although Brazil is one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of animal protein, it is currently not authorised to export poultry or pork to Jamaica because no bilateral sanitary certification agreement is in place. Brazilian beef exports to Jamaica are also limited to processed or canned products.

The Kingston Freeport Terminal Limited (KFTL) was under a virtual lockdown for several hours until late Friday as security forces continued a high-level operation into a major cocaine bust that the police have estimated at approximately J$1 billion. The operation reportedly began Thursday morning and remained active late Friday as police, the Jamaica Customs Agency and other members of the security forces restricted movement in and around the port while pursuing leads into the shipment and persons who may have been involved.

For some boys, the journey from childhood to manhood is shaped by challenges that are not always visible in the classroom. Low self-esteem, peer pressure, limited motivation, difficult home circumstances and the absence of positive male role models can influence how they learn, behave and see themselves.

The St Thomas Health Department will host a series of free back-to-school medical clinics and vaccination drives across the parish throughout August, as part of its annual public health outreach programme. Medical teams will provide health assessments, administer HPV and other routine vaccines where required, and complete school medical forms, to help ensure students are prepared for the new school year.

Experienced attorney-at-law Kelly-Ann Murdock has officially been installed as the country’s chief corruption prosecutor, about four months after acting in that role at the Integrity Commission (IC). Murdock, who is the director of corruption prosecution at the IC, has the task of prosecuting acts of corruption and related offences, including illicit enrichment, bribery, and failing to file or filing false statutory declarations. At the same time, Sashein Wright-Chin has been appointed director of corruption prevention, stakeholder engagement and anti-corruption strategy.

São Paulo, Brazil: Brazil is awaiting Jamaica’s response to a proposed sanitary agreement that would clear the way for poultry and pork exports to the island. Although Brazil is one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of animal protein, it is currently not authorised to export poultry or pork to Jamaica because no bilateral sanitary certification agreement is in place. Brazilian beef exports to Jamaica are also limited to processed or canned products.

The Kingston Freeport Terminal Limited (KFTL) was under a virtual lockdown for several hours until late Friday as security forces continued a high-level operation into a major cocaine bust that the police have estimated at approximately J$1 billion. The operation reportedly began Thursday morning and remained active late Friday as police, the Jamaica Customs Agency and other members of the security forces restricted movement in and around the port while pursuing leads into the shipment and persons who may have been involved.

A Jamaican man recently pleaded guilty for his role as a high-ranking member of an international fraud ring that stole more than US$9 million from over 200 elderly Americans in a decade-long sweepstakes fraud scheme, United States federal prosecutors announced. Thirty-year-old Jordan Trought entered a guilty plea on June 1 for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, and bank fraud. Trought was arrested in Jamaica in August 2025 and extradited to the United States to face charges.

AP – Airline passengers know to expect possible flight delays when weather forecasts call for thunderstorms, heavy snow or strong wind. The omens are less obvious on a hot summer day with clear skies. Yet extreme heat also disrupts flights and travel plans. On the hottest days, thinner air can make it harder for aircraft to get off the ground safely. Airlines may have to lighten the load by removing passengers or cargo, or carrying less fuel.

WESTERN BUREAU: As Jamaica celebrates its 64th year of independence this year, Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon says that the nation’s growth over the decades is connected to the history of the African continent, with the Caribbean and African regions’ collaboration being indicative of strength across borders.

WESTERN BUREAU: Montego Bay-based reggae artiste Hezron Clarke never expected to be publicly honoured on Independence Day for his musical contributions to St James and the wider Jamaica.

FALMOUTH, Trelawny: The historic Water Square in Falmouth provided a fitting backdrop on Thursday as the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), in partnership with the Trelawny Municipal Corporation, hosted the parish’s Independence Civic Ceremony. The ceremony, commemorating Jamaica’s 64th Anniversary of Independence under the theme ‘United in Celebrating Resilience’. brought together government officials, civic leaders, members of the uniformed services, students, and residents in a patriotic observance celebrating Jamaica’s achievements.

WESTERN BUREAU: Disappointment over low public turnout overshadowed St Elizabeth’s Independence Day observance on Thursday, as civic and municipal leaders gathered with only a handful of residents to mark Jamaica’s 64th year of Independence. The flag-raising ceremony, a symbolic display of resilience and national pride, was held against the backdrop of the parish’s ongoing recovery from Hurricane Melissa, which destroyed homes, public facilities and the municipal offices.

NEW YORK: Jamaicans across the United States and Canada have been well represented among the 140 people in this year’s list for national honours and awards list. At least 12 diasporans are set to be among those honoured on National Heroes Day in October. Heading the list is Donette Chin-Loy, who has been awarded the Order of Jamaica (OJ), the nation’s fourth highest national honour. She has been honoured for her contribution to nation building in Jamaica and Canada.