Five Jamaicans are among six people indicted in the United States (US) over an alleged multimillion-dollar sweepstakes fraud scheme that prosecutors say primarily targeted elderly Americans across the country.

WESTERN BUREAU:  Dr Kimorley Humphrey, the principal director of the Ministry of Health and Wellness' Community Action for Rewarding Engagement (CARE) Fund, wants community organisations to seize a new opportunity to secure government funding for projects tackling some of Jamaica's most pressing health and social challenges.

WESTERN BUREAU: In addition to its traditional offerings, come September, St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) will expand its technical and vocational curriculum to include robotics, music production, and television and radio production at the sixth-form level.

WESTERN BUREAU: Despite reduced hotel capacity following Hurricane Melissa, Dream Entertainment expects up to 30,000 visitors to descend on Montego Bay for this year's Dream Weekend, betting that the city's growing network of villas, guesthouses and short-term rentals will comfortably absorb them.

At least two of Jamaica’s national footballers support Belgian football star Jérémy Doku’s decision to leave his World Cup team camp in the United States to travel to London for the birth of his first child.

Western Bureau: More children in Westmoreland have been referred to the National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA) in the first five months of this year than in any complete year since at least 2023, with marijuana use emerging as a commonly used substance among minors.

The Jamaica Medical Doctors Association (JMDA) says its call for individuals to wear blue in solidarity with medical interns achieved a 99 per cent success rate, as concerns mount over excessive working hours and conditions that doctors describe as exploitative.

Sometimes Mikayla Brown forgets she has only one leg. The 20-year-old University of Technology (UTech) student moves through life focused less on what she has lost and more on what lies ahead — completing her degree, building a career in human resource management, and one day representing Jamaica on the world stage as a para archer.

WESTERN BUREAU: A Kingston-born aviation executive, who has returned home to lead American Airlines' operations in Jamaica, is describing the appointment as the «ultimate homecoming» after 17 years in the industry. Terrence Baker has been appointed general manager for American Airlines in Jamaica, succeeding Damion Vanriel, who recently moved into a senior regional role within the company.

Western Bureau: Reports that a policeman was equipped with a body-worn camera that captured an incident in which he shot and injured a man recently in Salt Spring, St James, have been hailed by a security expert as the type of accountability that the Jamaican people want to see.

For years, police have warned that unregulated gambling or gaming machines — popularly known as ‘poker boxes’ — were becoming a magnet for criminal activity. Today, as the authorities move to formalise and regulate Jamaica’s rapidly expanding gaming industry, a growing wave of thefts, break-ins and illicit trafficking involving the machines is threatening to undermine those efforts.

TRAILBLAZER, SCHOLAR, teacher, leader, mentor are among the descriptors for Prof John Agard who died recently at the age of 71. However, while his passing marked the end of an extraordinary career, it has not marked the end of his influence.

An independent legal opinion out of Trinidad and Tobago has described the controversial reappointment of CARICOM Secretary-General Dr Carla Barnett as procedurally flawed, and legally void.  The conclusion was made in a 48-page document authored by Rajendra Ramlogan, professor of commercial and environmental law at The University of the West Indies, St Augustine.

Hospital and healthcare services could face disruption today as the Jamaica Medical Doctors Association (JMDA) has called for doctors and supporters to wear blue as a visible sign of solidarity with interns who are planning to take protest action.

The name of Brandon Henry, a newly minted medical doctor, reverberated throughout the Main Medical Lecture Theatre at the University Hospital of the West Indies last Thursday as the former Wolmerian collected four awards, including one for achieving the best overall academic results across the UWI campuses in the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) May/June final examinations.

As more young Jamaicans turn to digital spaces for emotional support, demand for the U-Matter Chatline continues to grow, reinforcing its role as a critical mental health lifeline for youth.

WESTERN BUREAU: Agriculture Minister Floyd Green wants local farmers and their counterparts in the Diaspora to be strategic in their planning, noting that those who plant crops without first identifying a market are setting themselves up for disappointment.

WESTERN BUREAU:  Alexander Williams, Jamaica’s high commissioner to the United Kingdom (UK), wants Jamaica to train more engineers and maritime experts so that the nation can become a naval power in the Caribbean region and improve its capacity to combat the illicit trans-shipment of contraband.

WESTERN BUREAU: Eleven-year-old Jassonia Beadle, head girl of Park Mountain Primary and Infant School in St Elizabeth, is Jamaica’s top performer in the 2026 Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examination, having attained the highest national score among primary school students — 394.2 out of a possible 400 points. Beadle, who hails from the Longwood district in St Elizabeth and aspires to become a doctor or nurse, achieved the feat despite her school being damaged by Hurricane Melissa last October, which caused scheduling setbacks.

The Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information says performance in this year's Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations remained stable, with most students achieving proficient or highly proficient ratings despite the disruption caused by Hurricane Melissa last October. “It was a difficult year with the hurricane, but we persevered,” said Education Minister Dr Dana Morris Dixon as she announced the 2025-2026 results during a news conference on Monday.

WESTERN BUREAU:  Business leaders in western Jamaica have endorsed a call by Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness for a national culture of efficiency, saying productivity and accountability are critical to Jamaica's long-term prosperity. Addressing the approximately 1,000 delegates at the opening ceremony of the just-concluded 11th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference, Holness argued that Jamaica's future prosperity will depend as much on its culture and values as on its natural resources.

As the summer holidays begin and children spend more time online and away from direct supervision, the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) is raising concerns about the growing risks facing minors. The CPFSA’s concerns follow two recent cases in St Thomas and St Elizabeth that have reignited discussion about child safety in both physical and digital spaces.

CMC: The University of the West Indies (UWI) has joined the international community in mourning the passing of Emeritus Professor John Agard. Agard, who was 71, died on Friday, has been a colossal figure on the global landscape for decades.   “He was a brilliant, innovative, enterprising person who gave so much to The UWI, his community and beyond.

WESTERN BUREAU: The Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) is pushing back against criticism of managed beach access, arguing that proper regulation rather than unrestricted entry is essential to protect beach users, coastal environments, and the country's tourism industry.

Growing unease over the controversial third-country nationals (TCN) agreement between Jamaica and the United States (US) has triggered pushback from trade union leaders, amid fears that the island could become a holding ground for undocumented migrants.

Anthony Simpson never knew his father; the story he was told is that soon after he was born, his father came to see him at the hospital, took one look at him, and concluded he was not his child. Simpson was born with only one leg and eight fingers. After his father’s declaration, his mother panicked and abandoned him at the health facility. Neglected by his parents, he was nurtured by hospital staff and, eventually, caregivers at the SOS Children’s Village in Stony Hill, St Andrew, where he grew up.

For many Jamaican fathers, farming is more than a livelihood; it is a way of life. It is a profession that requires patience, resilience, sacrifice, and faith. These same qualities are often reflected in how they raise their children and build strong families.

One has lived 106 years, most of that as a father, watching Jamaica, his family and generations of children grow around him through joy, hardship and loss. The other is just 37, still learning fatherhood in real time, raising three children on his own, including a daughter with autism, while trying to stay ahead of life's daily demands.

Western Bureau:         The National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA), is calling on communities to abandon outdated beliefs and embrace efforts to protect children’s mental health and well-being as they too experience the stress, trauma and anxiety associated with adults.

WESTERN BUREAU: Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton says Jamaicans living along the island’s north coast will soon begin to benefit from significantly improved healthcare services as restoration work on Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) nears completion and the new Western Child and Adolescent Hospital is almost ready to open.

Charging that the Government has abandoned rural development as a national priority, Opposition spokesman on rural and community development Dr Kenneth Russell on Wednesday proposed sweeping reforms, including a National Rural Development Framework and updated legislation to strengthen community development across Jamaica.

The completion date for phase one of the SPARK (Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to our Road Network) programme has been officially revised from the end of 2026 to March 31, 2027, says Works Minister Robert Morgan, who stressed on Wednesday that the administration is prioritising quality and comprehensive infrastructure — such as installing water and sewer utilities alongside repaving — over rushed, short-term patching.

Opposition Leader Mark Golding’s recommendation for the Jamaican Diaspora to be integrated into the country’s governance structure has been dismissed as “farfetched” by political commentator Lloyd B. Smith, who insists that focus should instead be placed on developing local talent.

The Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) is intensifying its call for Cabinet Minister Dr Andrew Wheatley to be removed from the Cabinet following the Integrity Commission’s (IC) recommendation that he be charged with illicit enrichment.