No reset for Caribbean - Tapia sees little change in US policy despite Democratic gains in mid-term elections Former United States (US) Ambassador to Jamaica Donald Tapia has described the recent US midterm election results as a vote against President Donald Trump and his policies, rather than the Republican Party. In a wide-ranging telephone interview with The Gleaner, Tapia discussed several issues, including the fate of Kari Lake’s nomination as US ambassador to Jamaica, the need for Jamaica’s political leadership to be bold in its dealings with the US, and the need for comprehensive reform of the US immigration system.
‘A lot of chatter’ - Former US ambassador to Ja urges island to make more forceful demands for productive deals with northern neighbour Former United States (US) Ambassador to Jamaica Donald Tapia says the Jamaican Government needs to be more forceful in negotiating deals with the US, arguing that it must do more to secure economic opportunities for the country. In an interview with The Gleaner, Tapia urged the Government should develop programmes and present them to the US administration to help Jamaica secure better deals. “There is a lot of chatter. A lot of noise but no follow-up,” he told The Gleaner.
Gov’t slapped with massive payout - Judge awards St Elizabeth woman more than $10 million in damages for negligent medical care The Government has been ordered to pay more than J$10 million in damages to a St Elizabeth woman for negligent medical care she received from a doctor at a public clinic, which left her in pain for months. June Hyman was awarded J$7.9 million in general damages, with interest at three per cent from August 2013 to September this year. She was also awarded special damages of US$16,312 (approximately J$2.5 million) and J$271,604, following an assessment of damages hearing in the Supreme Court on October 9.
MoBay gets traffic lifeline - Perimeter Road opening set for December as Long Hill bypass targets April completion WESTERN BUREAU: Works Minister Robert Morgan has announced that a major section of the Montego Bay Perimeter Road in St James will be opened to motorists ahead of the December 15 start of the winter tourist season, while the Long Hill Bypass is scheduled for completion in April 2027.
Department cites security concerns amid recovery of phones and weapons The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) is moving to curtail the practice of relatives and friends delivering food items to inmates at correctional centres. Commissioner of Corrections (Ret) Brigadier Radgh Mason says the DCS is taking steps to ban the practice, which he expects to be halted in the near future.
Holness eyes foreign labour for NaRRA Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has reiterated that the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) may have to source some of the skills needed to rebuild western Jamaica from overseas amid a shortage of skilled labour in the construction industry. Speaking at a National Housing Trust (NHT) ceremony at which 25 young Jamaicans were awarded scholarships under the agency’s Construction Scholarship Programme, Holness said it was time for the industry to expand its capacity to meet the country’s demands.
No food in the fine print - Former USF attorney says contracts with CMU and training institution made no provision for meals A former Universal Service Fund (USF) legal officer yesterday testified that neither of the agency’s contracts with the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) nor with a private training institution made provision for meals for participants in an unattached youth training programme. Instead, she said participants received a monthly stipend of $10,600 from USF, paid fortnightly, to assist with transportation and the purchase of meals.
Farm Heights United Basic School reopens hurricane-damaged KG3 classroom WESTERN BUREAU: The Farm Heights United Basic School in Farm Heights, St James formally opened its restored KG3 classroom for kindergarten-level students on Wednesday, following the classroom’s extensive repair work to fix damage that it sustained during the passage of Hurricane Melissa last October. The restored classroom, which serves children advancing from the kindergarten level to primary school level, was sponsored by the Kingston-based law firm DunnCox.
Spring Mount road in limbo - Gov’t weighs costly repairs against alternative routes more than a year after Melissa WESTERN BUREAU: More than a year after Hurricane Melissa destroyed a section of the Spring Mount main road in St James, the Government is still grappling with whether to repair the critical roadway or abandon it and establish alternative routes. According to Works Minister Robert Morgan, repairing the roadway would cost millions of dollars in taxpayers’ money, only for it to potentially collapse again within five years because of the unstable nature of the terrain.
BUGGERY LAW SHOWDOWN - Tomlinson banking on Trinidad ruling to bolster similar legal challenge for Jamaica next year Gay-rights activist Maurice Tomlinson has expressed optimism about buggery law reform in Jamaica following the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council’s (JCPC) decision to decriminalise same-sex intimacy in Trinidad and Tobago. “This is a wonderful development not only for my case against Jamaica’s archaic anti-buggery law but also for regional human rights. One of the Caribbean’s final courts has struck down a vestige of our dark colonial past that kept our citizens in bondage,” he told The Gleaner hours after the judgment was handed down on Tuesday.