Cash over claims WESTERN BUREAU: Warning that insurance alone is not enough to safeguard businesses from disaster, Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Jason Russell is urging entrepreneurs to strengthen their financial preparedness and build resilience to withstand unexpected shocks. Russell made the call while addressing final-year business students at the University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech) Western Campus Business Seminar held recently at the Sea Gardens Beach Resort.
Nail-biting triumph There were tears on both sides of the aisle as Jamaica College ended a 39-year drought to lift the Television Jamaica (TVJ) Schools’ Challenge Quiz (SCQ) defeating Westwood High School 30 – 28 in a fiercely contested final at the TVJ studios on Thursday.
New pilot links Clarendon farmers to corporate buyers A new initiative aimed at tackling market-access challenges facing small farmers in Jamaica is set to roll out through a 90-day corporate farmers’ market pilot programme spearheaded by Reality Focus Limited. The programme was developed in response to long-standing difficulties within the agricultural sector, particularly the challenge small farmers face in securing reliable and consistent markets for their produce, Reality Focus Operations Manager Stephen Richards told The Gleaner.
When doctors leave, what happens to the patients, Brown warns Senior trade unionist Senator Lambert Brown this week cautioned that the Government’s move to scrap incentive and emergency duty allowances for doctors who are mandated to work overtime could have a detrimental impact on the health sector should frustrated doctors decide to consider their options. Brown, who was making his closing submission Wednesday on behalf of the Jamaica Medical Doctors’ Association (JMDA) to a panel of three adjudicators at the Industrial Disputes Tribunal (IDT), said the medical professionals were just asking to be treated fairly.
Tourism rebound hits 80 per cent as Half Moon reopens – Bartlett WESTERN BUREAU: Jamaica’s tourism sector has rebounded to more than 80 per cent of pre-hurricane levels, with the reopening of Half Moon signalling renewed confidence in the island’s post-Melissa recovery. Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett said the recovery has been driven by the steady return of hotel rooms and visitor arrivals, supported by continued investment in the sector.
Williams bats for reformed SLB, saying it’s not a burden WESTERN BUREAU: Finance Minister Fayval Williams is urging tertiary students to become ambassadors for Jamaica’s student loan programme, saying outdated perceptions about the scheme could be preventing many potential recipients from accessing financing to pursue higher education.
Jamaican-American teen focused on giving back, preserving her heritage From age 15, Jamaican-American student Jadyn Sinclair has distinguished herself among her peers, being the youngest ever vice-president of the student government at the Bronx High School of Science in New York City – a predominantly Caucasian/Asian institution – before later becoming its first black student to be elected president.
‘Integrate or perish’ Retired former Jamaican Prime Minister P.J. Patterson has warned the 15-member Caribbean bloc, CARICOM, that it must “integrate or perish” in the face of mounting threats to international law, shifting political dynamics, and economic pressures affecting the region. Speaking at the Norman Manley Law School during the Council of Legal Education’s Distinguished Lecture Series 2026 yesterday evening, Patterson said the regional body risks failure without stronger systems to enforce its decisions.
Student in wounding case to face JC board In keeping with the Education Regulations of 1980, the Jamaica College (JC) student charged with wounding a classmate last Tuesday is to face the personnel committee of the school’s board, principal Wayne Robinson has revealed. Following a statement issued by the board on the March 24 incident – which left one boy with a broken nose and the other arrested – Robinson told The Gleaner that proper procedures will be followed, particularly as the matter could become a legal one.
MoBay Free Zone chair backs Holness’ plan to relocate BPO facilities inland WESTERN BUREAU: Mark Hart, chairman of the Montego Bay Free Zone Company, has endorsed the Government’s long-term plan to relocate business process outsourcing (BPO) operations from the coastal Freeport peninsula to purpose-built facilities along the new highway corridor. Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness, in his recent Budget Debate presentation in Parliament, outlined a sweeping vision for reshaping the economic geography of western Jamaica as major road infrastructure comes on stream.