Children abandoned - Five young ones among 60 patients deserted by relatives Four of the five children abandoned at the Spanish Town Hospital in St Catherine have spent their entire lives at the facility, a situation Chief Executive Officer Jacqueline Ellis says is unacceptable. The latest child – a male who is one and a half years old – has remained at the hospital 11 months after being discharged. Hospital records show that four of the children – whose ages range from 10 months to two and a half years old – were left by their parents shortly after birth to be adopted. The other child was left there for “care and protection”.
Jason Arday planned Jamaica visit to encourage parents of autistic children The late Cambridge professor Jason Arday was set to deliver a message of hope to Jamaican parents of autistic children before his untimely death, organisers of the Hope, Tools and Tomorrow Autism Summit have revealed.
Hutchinson plans to rally Labourites for JLP’s fourth term WESTERN BUREAU: While J.C. Hutchinson will be stepping down as the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) deputy leader in charge of Area Council Four come October, he has made it clear that he plans to remain active to help secure a fourth consecutive term for the party. In reminding party supporters that he has served as an officer of the area council for more than two decades, Hutchinson said he intends to use his retirement from the position to focus even more on helping the JLP secure victories at the municipal and parliamentary levels.
Library closure raises fears for students, residents in Oracabessa “What is a community without a library to help the kids with assignments and things to print?” That is the question a 15-year-old St Mary student is asking as the Oracabessa Branch Library faces closure, leaving students and residents uncertain about where they will turn for books, Internet access, printing, and a place to study. The Jamaica Library Service (JLS) says the branch was temporarily closed on August 15 because of concerns about the safety and condition of the building. The closure came ahead of the August 31 expiration of its tenancy arrangement.
High-school friends create AI companion for mental wellness More than two decades after they met in high school in Jamaica and became friends, Rene Myrie and Francine Forbes have combined their professional knowledge to create Choobi, an artificial intelligence-powered mental wellness companion.
Expansion joint issue continues to dog Howard Cooke Boulevard bridge WESTERN BUREAU: Motorists and pedestrians are again calling for a comprehensive repair of an expansion joint on a bridge along Howard Cooke Boulevard in Montego Bay. The bridge has faced recurring structural challenges and repeated failures of its expansion joints since being constructed as part of the North Coast Highway in 2001. At least three failures have occurred since 2020. Nicola Thomas, a concerned Montego Bay resident, noted that the situation could endanger pedestrians, including athletes who use the thoroughfare as a running route.
Coopers Pen tax tangle - $26-million bill due to TAJ over disputed land New Falmouth Resorts Limited is facing a mounting $26.3-million tax bill on more than 260 acres of prime land, which is now at the centre of a public dispute between Coopers Pen residents and the company. Official Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) records obtained by The Gleaner reveal that the company, which acquired the land in March 2006, has failed to pay property taxes for six consecutive years since 2020, racking up more than $2 million in penalties. Tax on the land, currently valued at $390 million, amounts to $3.4 million annually.
Reading renaissance - Results continue to give implementers of grade-seven literacy initiative reason to smile Grace Baston, the lead implementer behind the Grade Seven Academy Reading initiative at Holy Trinity High School in Kingston, could not be more pleased with the latest findings from the third student-administered assessment of grade-eight students this year. Compared with the first assessment, the latest results show a 91.7 per cent improvement, while less than one per cent of students declined and 7.5 per cent remained at the same level. The findings are contained in the executive summary for the 2026 academic year.
‘Slow learners’ shine at CSEC The 2026 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) English language examination success of young grades 8 and 9 students Andrelissa Brown and Tegan Brown of St Thomas Technical High School continues to demonstrate how students adjudged to be ‘slow learners’ can shine as a result of strategic interventions.
Highway menace - Former legislator, daughter and friend survive collision with stray cow on May Pen-Mandeville toll road Three passengers counting their blessings, a wrecked Mitsubishi Pajero and a dead cow were the grim remnants of a frightening late-night collision last week on the May Pen-to-Mandeville leg of the toll highway. Stray cattle had breached the fencing and wandered onto the dark roadway, where vehicles travel at speeds of up to 110 mph.