WESTERN BUREAU: The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) says it is urgently in need of additional workers and trucks to handle the backlog of garbage piling up in Hanover. Speaking at last Thursday’s monthly meeting of the Hanover Municipal Corporation, Mark Jones, the public cleansing manager at Western Parks and Market (WPM), said there is a dire need for drivers and sanitation officers, which is impacting the ability to address the growing garbage backlog.

Road safety officials are intensifying efforts to reduce Jamaica’s annual road death toll to fewer than 300, with a renewed focus on curbing motorcycle fatalities and protecting vulnerable road users.

While many students preparing for the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) were narrowing their focus to books and past papers, Darien Hudlin was chasing a different goal – a spot on his school’s football team.

Seventy per cent of the more than 34,000 contracts entered into by Jamaican public bodies during the last financial year, with a combined value of $370 billion, were awarded using either the single-source or emergency-procurement methods, the Integrity Commission (IC) has disclosed.

At first glance, they could pass for the centrepiece of a dessert table – swirls of frosting, rich colours and toppings that look good enough to eat. But the cupcake-like creations that drew double takes at Christmas in July are not baked treats. They are handcrafted candles made by Danielle Harrison, a Grade 12 student at St Andrew High School for Girls, who is turning a childhood fascination into a growing business.

For decades, the phrase ‘pageant queen’ conjured up images of evening gowns, flawless make-up, and carefully rehearsed answers about world peace. Yet at the Denbigh Agricultural, Industrial and Food Show in May Pen, Clarendon, on July 31, a different kind of royalty will take centre stage – one expected to explain the complexities of Jamaica’s agricultural sector as confidently as she walks in heels.

The Jamaican Bar Association (JamBar), in partnership with Scotiabank, hosted a fireside chat on personal development and financial empowerment for legal professionals on Saturday at the Scotiabank Corporate Learning Centre in Kingston.

Western Bureau: Last week’s opening of National Commercial Bank Jamaica’s (NCB) new branch in Falmouth, Trelawny was warmly welcomed by residents and business leaders, many of whom say the facility offers a far more comfortable banking experience than the previous location.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – A group of Caribbean leaders met with senior clergy from the Church of England on Tuesday as the push for slavery reparations intensifies, with activists also calling for the independence of British, French, Dutch and US territories in the region.

Road safety officials are intensifying efforts to reduce Jamaica’s annual road death toll to fewer than 300, with a renewed focus on curbing motorcycle fatalities and protecting vulnerable road users.

BRADES, Montserrat, CMC – Caribbean governments are being urged to carefully balance short-term fuel subsidies with long-term investments as the conflict between the United States and Iran drives up global oil prices and strains already limited public finances.

Detectives in St Catherine are investigating the fatal stabbing of a man during a dispute in Gregory Park, Portmore, on Monday.

Nearly four years after he was accused of shooting a man along Old Harbour Road in St Catherine, a Kingston labourer was today acquitted of gun-related charges in the Gun Court.

Nearly four years after he was accused of shooting a man along Old Harbour Road in St Catherine, a Kingston labourer was today acquitted of gun-related charges in the Gun Court.

Dear Mrs Huntington My green card will expire in November. I know I can apply for renewal only six months before expiration. My question is whether I need to provide an US address or use my Jamaican address for the card to be mailed to. I travel between Jamaica and US, as my children are citizens there.

The Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA) is advising the public that the northern portion of Jamaica’s airspace, the Kingston Flight Information Region, will be temporarily restricted on Thursday arising from the planned launch of SpaceX Starship Flight 13 from Starbase in Texas, United States.

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), El Niño conditions have developed in the tropical Pacific and are expected to intensify over the coming months.

WESTERN BUREAU: A call is being made for people to refrain from prematurely trying the case against Police Constable Andrew Wilson, who is charged with murder in the controversial May 17 shooting death of Latoya ‘Buju’ Bulgin, in the court of public opinion.

WESTERN BUREAU: Eleven-year-old Yori Vanriel has emerged as western Jamaica’s top-performing boy in this year’s Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations, earning 394.9 out of 400 and ending a two-decade wait for Montego Bay Preparatory to produce the region’s top student.

Police Commissioner Dr Kevin Blake says domestic violence remains one of the country's most pressing public safety challenges, even as murders continue to decline.

A church secretary who allegedly fraudulently converted $2.5 million entrusted to her by her bishop for safekeeping appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court last Thursday, where she handed over what she said was the remaining $372,000 owed.

Nearly two years after being convicted for the contract-style killing of his wife, Simone Campbell-Collymore, and the murder of her driver, Omar Collymore is set to face trial over an alleged gun attack on his former lover.

The St Thomas police are investigating the fatal shooting of a man on Sunday night.

Jamaica recorded 16 murders during the week of July 5-11, as the country’s downward trend in homicides continued.

The six people who were accused of stealing approximately $9 million worth of goods from a GraceKennedy complex in St Catherine were freed in the parish court on Friday after the case was dismissed for want of prosecution.

The long-running dispute over the proposed boundaries for Portmore intensified last Thursday as the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) began the process of finalising constituency and electoral boundaries for the country’s proposed 15th parish.

As a child growing up in Sign, Orange district, St James, Roshann Watson did not have the luxury of financial stability, but she had an insatiable curiosity about the human body. Today, that curiosity has blossomed into extraordinary academic success at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, where she graduated with a 4.02 GPA and is set to begin pursuing a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree in September.

The Turks and Caicos Islands Bar Council is exploring opportunities for greater collaboration with Jamaica’s legal fraternity as part of efforts to strengthen regional partnerships and advance the legal profession across the Caribbean.

Dressed in yellow and white, family and friends gathered inside the Trinity Moravian Church in Richmond Park, St Andrew, on Saturday to celebrate the life of Donna-Lee Sophia Donaldson. A smiling photograph stood at the altar in place of the body of the vibrant young woman, whose infectious laughter, warmth and wit once filled every room she entered.

For years, Parliament’s Ethics Committee has largely operated outside the public eye, quietly examining matters ranging from conflicts of interest to allegations of misconduct involving legislators. Marlene Malahoo Forte wants Jamaicans to see that work for themselves.

The first thing many shoppers notice at Coronation Market these days isn’t the smell of fresh produce or the chorus of vendors calling customers. It’s the price of onions. “Five hundred dollars a pound!” one vendor shouts, hoping not to scare away another customer.

Six years ago, when Skai Harvey began her journey at the Hague Primary and Infant School in Trelawny, her classroom was a computer screen. Like the many students who started school during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, her schooldays were spent in virtual classrooms, broken mainly for scheduled breaks. Occasionally, too, she would engage in online games after school with her friends.

For Jamaicans who have already signed up for the new national identification (ID) card, one question has loomed larger than most: Can I actually use it? At least where the country’s banks are concerned, within the last month, the answer is increasingly becoming yes.

The dangers of prolonged standing have often been overlooked by those who engage in the practice, including teachers, nurses, barbers, hairdressers, security guards, and other workers. Prolonged standing may contribute to significant health problems such as chronic back pain, swollen feet, an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, varicose veins, and musculoskeletal pain, especially in the shoulders and neck.