News

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Dr Kasan Troupe, addressing the launch of National Parent Month on November 12 at Tivoli Gardens High School in Kingston.
December 9, 2025

Cabinet approves $500-million relief grant to clean up schools

Cabinet has approved a relief grant of $500 million for schools damaged during the passage of Category Five Hurricane Melissa. “We have to clean up and we have to get the debris moved out of our…
A classroom at Baxter’s Mountain Primary flooded during Hurricane Melissa on 28 October 2025.
December 9, 2025 by Gareth Davis Sr

Baxter’s Mountain Primary appeals for urgent repairs

Flooded classrooms and a torn-off roof tell the painful story of Baxter’s Mountain Primary in St Mary, where students and teachers are appealing for urgent repairs. Hurricane Melissa left a trail of…
Rose Miller, financial education consultant at the JN Foundation
December 9, 2025

Growth & Jobs | Be wary of seasonal spending traps

AS ONE of the most intense shopping periods draws near, consumers are being urged to approach deals with care, as some promotions might overstate discounts, be misleading or fraudulent. This is a…
Volunteers remove metres-high seaweed that washed ashore at the Little Ochie Seafood Restaurant in Alligator Pond during the passage of Hurricane Melissa.
December 9, 2025

Earth Today | Spare a thought for Melissa’s ‘silent’ victims

THE ENVIRONMENTAL Foundation of Jamaica (EFJ) has urged attention for the ‘silent victims’ of the devastating Category 5 hurricane, Melissa, which battered Jamaica last month, leaving in its wake a…
A man looks at damage caused by Hurricane Melissa in St Ann’s Bay.
December 9, 2025

Earth Today | Climate connection made

THE CLIMATE Studies Group Mona, together with World Weather Attribution, has done a rapid assessment that reveals a clear link between Hurricane Melissa and changes to the climate associated with the…
Actor Tyrese Gibson (left) dances with the Iberostar team, which included entertainment manager at JOIA Rose Hall by Iberostar, Deivy Noel (right), and the entertainment dance group in the background.
December 9, 2025 by Janet Silvera

Iberostar reopens in high spirits, welcomes Tyrese Gibson on relief mission

WESTERN BUREAU: Two weeks after Hurricane Melissa battered Jamaica’s tourism belt, the Iberostar Rose Hall complex in Montego Bay, St James, roared back to life on Monday, welcoming its first new…
AT TOP: Pastor Alexander Wurm and his 22-year-old daughter Serena.
December 9, 2025 by Janet Silvera

‘He was a hero!’

WESTERN BUREAU: The Caribbean relief community is hailing the Cayman Islands-based missionary Alexander Wurm as a true hero, a man whose final flight embodied selfless love and service to Jamaica.
Nicola McCarthy (third right), grade-six teacher, with her students back in school at the Mount Fletcher Primary in Mavis Bank, St Andrew, after Hurricane Melissa.
December 9, 2025 by Karen Madden

Residents rally to keep children in school despite commuting issues

When Hurricane Melissa tore through Jamaica with Category 5 strength, raging floodwaters swept away several bridges, including one at Hagley Gap, on the border of St Andrew and St Thomas, and another…
MSC Divina docked at nearby Reynolds Pier.
December 9, 2025 by Carl Gilchrist

Ocho Rios pier reopens, offering relief for businesses

Under heavy clouds on Tuesday, the Zuiderdam cruise ship became the first vessel in more than a year to dock at the Ocho Rios pier after extensive repairs. The facility had been closed since suffering…