WESTERN BUREAU: With Dream Weekend set to debut in Montego Bay, St James, Senior Superintendent of Police Eron Samuels is urging media houses to provide greater context when reporting crime statistics, insisting St James’ security gains deserve equal attention. Addressing Wednesday night’s Dream Weekend launch at Pier One, Samuels took issue with what he said was the way St James’ crime figures were sometimes presented, arguing that comparisons with the Corporate Area failed to account for Kingston being divided into six police divisions while St James comprises only one.

WESTERN BUREAU: A challenge has been issued to Jamaica’s micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to professionalise their operations and aggressively pursue government contracts. Addressing an MSME Procurement Project Launch and Boot Camp in Montego Bay, St James, yesterday, Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon said the initiative was aimed at strengthening Jamaica’s economy by expanding opportunities for small businesses through the Government’s policy that reserves 20 per cent of eligible public contracts for MSMEs.

A man sentenced to 18 years and six months in prison for sexually assaulting his two young female relatives, aged six and eight, in Manchester more than seven years ago, is to serve nearly the full term before becoming eligible for parole.

A Jamaican-American advocate has formally requested that members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation launch an inquiry into the third-country nationals (TCN) agreement signed between Jamaica and the United States (US). In a letter sent to federal lawmakers, New Jersey constituent Patrick Beckford asked US senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim, as well as Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, to demand full transparency from the US Department of State about the memorandum of understanding (MOU) governing the transfer, housing, and screening of migrant populations.

WESTERN BUREAU: Dream Weekend will introduce a dedicated ride-hailing app, 500 authorised vehicles, and fixed US$5 per-person fares as organisers seek to improve transportation and ease traffic congestion for thousands of patrons attending this year’s festival in Montego Bay, St James.

A St Catherine farmer has been charged with murder after allegedly attacking a bus driver with a pitchfork in Bois Content district in Old Harbour, St Catherine, on Wednesday night.

Another 39 outstanding Jamaicans have been honoured with the prestigious Governor-General’s Achievement Awards (GGAA) by Governor-General Sir Patrick Allen.

Despite having just nine graduates this year, Grove Primary and Infant School in St Andrew marked the occasion in style, with the establishment of a scholarship fund by a past student and the merging of its prizegiving function into the commencement ceremony.

It will cost taxpayers around $25 billion to execute the next phase of the Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to our Road Network (SPARK) project. Amid growing discontent over the state of the island’s road network, the Government, yesterday, launched the main road component of the SPARK programme. The transition into SPARK’s next phase follows the initial iteration, which is still ongoing and focuses on community roads.

Despite handling nearly 600,000 fewer passengers during the first five months of the year, Sangster International Airport is pressing ahead with a major expansion programme as it prepares for an expected rebound in visitor demand.

Medical chief of staff at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), Dr Carl Bruce, has rejected allegations that he assaulted colleague Dr Roger Hunter during a 2007 incident, describing the claims as “a complete falsification” while branding Hunter “mentally unstable”.

WESTERN BUREAU Driven by their love for Montego Bay and St James and their desire to lend a helping hand in times of need, a group of successful Montego Bay natives, some based overseas, have come together to create a non-profit entity dubbed MoBay Stronger Foundation Limited.

Life insurance is known as one of the hardest products to sell, with a first-year failure rate of over 90 per cent among sales agents, it is reported. The intangible nature of life insurance and the reluctance of people to readily discuss the subject of death, among other issues often lead to consistent rejection from prospects.

Opposition spokesman on finance Julian Robinson on Tuesday warned that persons who have insurance policies should brace for sharp increases owing to significant costs that have already been imposed on insurance companies by the Financial Services Commission (FSC), the body that regulates them.

WESTERN BUREAU: Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon has become the first Jamaican selected to serve on the Steering Group of the Coastal Cities Coalition (3C), placing the city at the table where global strategies for coastal climate resilience are being shaped.

Cabinet Minister Audrey Marks has denied proposing the controversial deal under which Jamaica would receive up to 10,000 third-country nationals (TCNs) from the United States (US).

WESTERN BUREAU: Reverend Glendon Powell, the chairman of the St James Ministers Fraternal, is urging every church in the parish to join the organisation, arguing that a united church is critical to confronting crime and other social ills affecting communities.

Deputy Prime Minister Dr Horace Chang has rejected suggestions that the Government would allow criminals to be imported into Jamaica, describing the claim as “ridiculous” and politically distorted.

The businessman, who arrived in Jamaica from China 20 years ago, strongly believes “companies that work across cultures come up with better ideas and find answers faster. They also build things that last”.

While some stakeholders have welcomed the increase in the national minimum wage, which takes effect today, they argue that it will do little to offset the rising cost of living and are calling for a further top-up.

A call for greater government accountability drew hundreds of people to Cross Roads, St Andrew, on Tuesday as the Advocates Network for Jamaicans staged a rally highlighting a range of national concerns, from the handling of Hurricane Melissa relief funds to governance, transparency and constitutional reform.

China has rebuffed comments by United States (US) ambassador nominee Kari Lake, as it defended its 53-year relationship with Jamaica, pointing to over US$2.1 billion in local investments and recent disaster relief as proof of a mutually beneficial partnership. The response comes a week after Lake signalled to a Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing that she intends to counter China’s influence in Jamaica.

WESTERN BUREAU: Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon has joined the call for more authentic, community-based attractions in the western city in a push to move it beyond just beaches, hotels and a bustling nightlife.

Camperdown Primary and Infant School teacher Duval Ebanks envisions a classroom of the future equipped with sensory technology that creates an interactive and sustainable learning environment for his students.

The JN Foundation is inviting students and their guardians to apply for its 2026 Primary Exit Profile (PEP) Scholarships and Grants Programme, which will provide financial support to high-achieving students transitioning to secondary school.

The JMMB Group recently hosted a client mixer and official branch opening at its newly relocated May Pen Financial Life Goals Centre. Dubbed ‘Celebrating New Spaces, Strengthening Connections’, the event marked both a warm opportunity to reconnect with clients and the formal acknowledgement of the branch’s relocation to its modern, expanded facility at Millennium Mall earlier this year.

Western Bureau: Dr Luz Longworth, the senior corporate director at Sandals Corporate University, has described excellence as a choice that people should make when they decide to serve others.

Jamaica has recorded a second consecutive week of single-digit murders, with six homicides reported across the island between June 21 and June 27, according to the latest serious crime statistics from the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).

Nearly 30 residents spent close to two hours pressing Member of Parliament (MP) for St Andrew North Western, Duane Smith, on Sunday over deteriorating roads, stalled infrastructure projects, roadside businesses, and the use of constituency funds during the Havendale Meadowbrook Citizens Association’s (HMCA) monthly meeting.

Within days of each other, Jamaicans have been confronted with a series of grim discoveries: decomposed bodies in rivers, bushes and remote communities; skeletal remains hidden in vegetation; and victims whose disappearances ended in tragedy.

Brooklyn Congresswoman Yvette Clarke has harshly criticised the ruling by the United States Supreme Court to remove Temporary Protected Status from Haitians and Syrians.

WESTERN BUREAU Declaring that «many of our people are dying» because of a lack of medical attention,” Reverend Glendon Powell, the chairman of the St James Ministers Fraternal, is taking Jamaica's public healthcare system to task over what he considers its various failures.  

The CAF-Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean has launched a Venezuela Recovery and Reconstruction Fund with an initial contribution of US$1 million, as governments, humanitarian organisations and members of the Venezuelan diaspora mobilise to respond to one of the country's worst natural disasters in recent history.

For Inspector Seanene Steer, policing is more than enforcing the law. It is about leadership, discipline, and inspiring others to achieve their best. Since joining the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) in 2002, the little girl who knew from age 10 that she wanted to be a police officer has served for the last 24 years in various units, including Mobile Reserve, now Special Operations, Kingston Central, St Andrew Central, and now Manchester.

Twelve years ago, Claudia Edwards-Bethel told The Gleaner she was in hiding. The Jamaican mother, who had accused a senior Bahamian immigration officer of rape after what began as an immigration arrest, said she feared for her life and pleaded with authorities for protection as the investigation unfolded. «I feel down. I feel bad. I feel scared. I am afraid for my life,» she said then.