Seven men were fatally shot in separate police operations across St Catherine, St Andrew and Clarendon on Tuesday, while a policeman was injured and at least five firearms were reportedly seized, in what appeared to be one of the deadliest days involving the security forces so far in 2026. The bloodiest incident unfolded shortly after 1:40 p.m. in the Bog Walk Gorge area of St Catherine, where police reported that officers came under attack and engaged armed men in a shootout. 

A performance audit has unmasked severe structural and financial challenges at the National Water Commission (NWC), revealing that the utility provider is buckling under a staggering $33-billion debt while failing to execute critical water and sewerage infrastructure upgrades.

NEW YORK: As the Caribbean communities across several states celebrate Caribbean Heritage Month, a number of planned events have been spread across the United States for June. But absent for the second straight year is a proclamation from the Trump Administration to herald the month.

Jamaicans who take over Government lands with a view to becoming owners are being warned that effective June 9, 2026, those  who squat on Crown lands will no longer be considered for a settlement programme.

Transport Minister Daryl Vaz said yesterday that he was awaiting a report about what transpired with an aircraft operated by the largest airline in Venezuela which was “forced” to land in Jamaica on Saturday.

WESTERN BUREAU: Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness wants the beneficiaries of the National Housing Trust's (NHT) Malvern service lot development in St Elizabeth to build their homes within their financial means, arguing that sustainable wealth is created gradually through responsible homeownership and careful financial planning.

Western Bureau: Hundreds of cannabis [ganja] farmers from communities across Westmoreland Western gathered in Orange Hill last Thursday for a registration drive aimed at helping them transition from the informal market into Jamaica's regulated cannabis industry.

Outgoing Jamaica Association of Principals of Secondary Schools (JAPSS) President Linvern Wright has been widely praised as a fearless advocate for education, but he says his six-year tenure was marked by major disruptions and persistent systemic challenges.

A Jamaican man is among 17 naturalised United States (US) citizens targeted by the Trump administration for denaturalisation proceedings. According to the US Department of Justice, the Jamaican national, who has not been identified, was convicted of wire fraud. The administration is seeking to revoke the citizenship of the 17 individuals, who also include persons originally from Haiti, Cuba, Colombia, Mexico, the former Yugoslavia, and the Philippines.

Another cohort of 20 celebrated a milestone after successfully completing the Conversations for Greatness (CFG) Online Programme, an eight-week course delivered by the JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation. Designed to empower individuals to unlock their full potential, Conversations for Greatness is a signature initiative of the Foundation that equips participants with practical tools to transform limiting beliefs, strengthen emotional intelligence, and lead values-based lives.

WESTERN BUREAU: Residents of the Estuary Meadows housing scheme in Irwin, St James, are up in arms over a sewage problem plaguing the community that has worsened since the passage of the Category 5 Hurricane Melissa seven months ago. Estuary Meadows, also known as The Estuary (Phase 2), is a sister scheme to the Estuary Housing Development in Friendship, St James. It was built in 2021 by construction company West Indies Home Contractors (WIHCON) and the National Housing Trust (NHT).

More than a year after their contracts were not renewed, two former University of the Commonwealth Caribbean (UCC) lecturers who believe they were unfairly dismissed are pressing the institution to reach a reasonable settlement and pay what they say they are owed.

WESTERN BUREAU:  Growing frustration over the protracted delay in carrying out infrastructure repairs at Godfrey Stewart High School in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, boiled over late last week as parents, school administrators and stakeholders staged a protest calling for the resumption of work on damaged buildings. The concerns centre on repair and reconstruction works being led by the National Education Trust (NET) following damage caused by Hurricane Melissa. 

For Richard Byles, the night was not simply about recognition. It was a moment of reflection on a lifetime spent helping to steer Jamaica through some of its most challenging economic periods. The Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) governor was named the 2025 RJRGLEANER Platinum Awardee, receiving both the prestigious Platinum Award and the Public Service Award during a glittering ceremony at the RJRGLEANER studios on Lyndhurst Road.

Government officials and the top executive at Jamaica’s electricity distribution monopoly were still stumped yesterday as to why a series of “significant lightning activities” near critical power plants triggered a “cascading effect” that plunged the entire country into darkness for several hours on Friday into early Saturday. Hugh Grant, CEO of the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPSCo), acknowledged that a total collapse of the electricity grid “is not something we expect to happen.”

Winston Watson knows the communities between Negril, Westmoreland, and Montego Bay, St James, better than he ever wanted to. For more than two weeks, he and his relatives have criss-crossed western Jamaica chasing reported sightings of his missing father, Winston Watson Sr – a retired tour bus driver with dementia who disappeared from his Hanover home and has not been seen by his family since.

WESTERN BUREAU: Heart disease remains one of Jamaica's leading causes of death, and many of its victims may not realize they are at risk until it is too late. That is the warning from interventional cardiologist Dr Victor Elliott, who says cardiovascular disease continues to exact a heavy toll on Jamaicans despite advances in treatment and prevention. 

WESTERN BUREAU: For decades, Deputy Prime Minister Dr Horace Chang has lived a life dictated by public service. From student leadership at Cornwall College and The University of the West Indies to medicine, politics and national security, he has spent much of his adult life making decisions, solving problems and carrying responsibility. But after open-heart surgery forced him to step away from the daily demands of public life last year, Chang found himself confronting something he rarely had time to consider. Himself.

WESTERN BUREAU: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security and Peace Dr Horace Chang had just completed another gruelling election campaign. The veteran politician, known for his demanding schedule and relentless work ethic, felt well. There was no chest pain, no shortness of breath, and no warning signs that anything was seriously wrong. Then a routine medical examination revealed a reality that would force one of Jamaica's most seasoned public figures to confront his own mortality. Three blocked arteries. Open-heart surgery. And months of recovery.

Western Bureau: Sergeant Darral Ellis, sub-officer in charge of traffic in Hanover, has expressed concern about the failure of road users to obey traffic regulations, which he says is a major contributor to road crashes in the parish, particularly fatal accidents. “My biggest concern is that motorists are not adhering to requirements of the Road Traffic Act – the rules of the road – and it is that failure to comply with these laws why we are having those accidents,” said Ellis.

If the spring season has brought an urge to scrub your living space from top to bottom, why not clear out the digital detritus cluttering your electronic devices and online accounts at the same time? Carrying out the digital equivalent of spring cleaning a home isn't just an opportunity to tidy up our online lives. Eliminating dust bunnies like dormant accounts and forgotten files can help protect personal data, according to cybersecurity experts.

Retired Court of Appeal President Justice Ian Forte has died at age 89. He enjoyed a legal career spanning more than five decades and held some of the highest judicial offices in Jamaica and across the Caribbean. He served as Jamaica's director of public prosecutions (DPP) from 1977 to 1988 before joining the Court of Appeal, where he served from 1988 to 1999. He later became president of the Court of Appeal, from which he retired in 2005.

The Senate yesterday approved the amendments to the National Housing Trust (NHT) Act paving the way for the Government to withdraw $11.4 billion annually from the NHT over the next five years to support the Budget.  The Government used its majority in the Senate to pass the proposed statute with 10 votes in favour, while the eight Opposition members voted against it. Two lawmakers were absent. 

Western Bureau: Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has declared that Jamaica can no longer afford a public bureaucracy that delays critical infrastructure projects for years, arguing that excessive procedures are driving up costs and placing unnecessary burdens on citizens. Holness, who was speaking at Friday’s opening of the new Troy Bridge in Trelawny, which was built to replace an older structure that collapsed in August 2021, is pushing for major reforms to the Government's approval and investment systems.

Energy Minister Daryl Vaz says he expects to update the country on Saturday following what he described as an “unacceptable” all-island power outage that left Jamaica in darkness for nearly two hours on Friday night.

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has defended his Government’s extension of legislation to draw down a further $57 billion from the National Housing Trust (NHT) for budget support, arguing that this will not impair the state agency’s ability to deliver benefits to contributors.

Former Prime Minister Bruce Golding has suggested that lawmakers revisit the proposed impeachment law he attempted to introduce over 15 years ago, arguing that “the existing accountability framework needs to be strengthened”.

National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang has come to the defence of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA) Shane Dalling after the opposition People’s National Party called for his resignation in the wake of a report from the Integrity Commission (IC) on the operations of the entity.

The country’s independent fiscal monitor has raised concerns that more than $57 billion that were programmed by the central Government and several self-financing public sector bodies for capital works projects in the last financial year were unspent.

Businessman Kent Brown is pursuing nearly $9 million in damages against the Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA), alleging that the agency's failure to issue renewal certificates after approving his licences led to the collapse of his firearms-related businesses.  The lawsuit was filed in March 2022 and a defence from the FLA in 2023. A hearing date has not yet ben set.

Jamaica has been elected to the executive committee of the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM), securing a prominent role in shaping regional gender policy over the next three years.

Drone technology, robotics, and esports recently took centre stage at Jamaica House as Jamaica Drone Soccer delivered a live demonstration highlighting new opportunities for STEM education, innovation, and youth development.

An Integrity Commission (IC) probe has exposed severe Firearm Licensing Authority data manipulation, revealing that an employee falsified electronic records to target a prominent licensed dealer when he, among other things, logged that a dead man had purchased ammunition.

As cyber threats grow more sophisticated and artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes the digital landscape, organisations worldwide face a persistent shortage of cybersecurity talent, according to Fortinet’s 2026 Global Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report.

WESTERN BUREAU:  Once boundaries are determined through an upcoming survey, about 150 residents of Rose Heights in St James Central are set to receive land titles, formalising ownership of the properties they occupy. The announcement was made by Heroy Clarke, member of parliament for the area, at his Constituency Development Fund (CDF) consultation meeting at Cornwall College in Montego Bay last Thursday.