‘Bittersweet’ justice Nearly four years after the disappearance of social media influencer Donna-Lee Donaldson shocked the nation, a judge yesterday ordered that her boyfriend, former Police Constable Noel Maitland, serve a life sentence and spend more than three decades behind bars before becoming eligible for parole.
Jamaica’s tourism set to benefit from war in Middle East Western Bureau: Dr Carey Wallace, executive director of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), says Jamaica’s tourism sector is poised for further growth as global travel disruptions on account of the ongoing war in the Middle East is redirecting visitors to the Caribbean. Speaking with The Gleaner during the Tourism Linkages Network’s speed networking forum, in Negril, Westmoreland on Thursday, Wallace said the resort town was deliberately selected as the host location due to its strong recovery following Hurricane Melissa.
Robinson urges PM to rethink governance structure, avoid capital spend bottleneck Opposition Spokesman on Finance Julian Robinson has argued that meaningful growth in the Jamaican economy will remain elusive unless and until the Government takes concrete steps to unclog the bottlenecks that are preventing the full spend of the capital budget. In his contribution to the 2026-2027 Budget Debate on Thursday, Robinson contended that one of the clearest indictments of the Government’s management of the economy was the problem of the underspending of the capital budget.
St James’ new probation office to strengthen rehabilitation push, says Cuthbert-Flynn WESTERN BUREAU: A newly retrofitted probation office, which was officially commissioned into service in St James yesterday, forms a part of the Government’s continued push to strengthen rehabilitation within Jamaica’s correctional system. The commissioning was carried out by Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn, state minister in the Ministry of National Security and Peace.
Russell bows out after steering scouts through pandemic and storms WESTERN BUREAU: Garth Russell, who recently demitted office as the chief commissioner of the Scout Association of Jamaica, says he is leaving with “a heart full of gratitude and deep respect”, though his six-year tenure was marked by crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and hurricanes Beryl and Melissa. According to Russell, the pandemic and the hurricanes not only tested the resolve of the movement but allowed scouts to practically demonstrate the Scout Law, which states that “a scout has courage in all difficulties”.
Stakeholders urged to seize new opportunities in tourism Western Bureau: Tourism stakeholders are being urged to strengthen local supply chains and seize new opportunities within Jamaica’s expanding tourism industry, features that were highlighted at Thursday’s Tourism Linkages Network’s speed networking forum in Negril, Westmoreland. Dr Carey Wallace, executive director of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), said the initiative aims to ensure more Jamaican businesses benefit from the billions of dollars generated by the sector each year.
Linkages forum opens doors for small business owners Western Bureau: Small business owners, manufacturers, service providers and other stakeholders with links to the local hospitality sector got a chance to connect with the sector’s decision-makers at Thursday’s Tourism Linkages Network’s (TLN) speed networking forum in Negril, Westmoreland. The event, organised by the TLN in partnership with the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA), provided a platform for entrepreneurs to showcase their products and services directly to hotel representatives.
Big Budget counterplan The parliamentary opposition has outlined a raft of measures it says would spare taxpayers the $18 billion in new taxes announced by the Government for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. The Opposition has also urged the administration not to extract the $11.4 billion from the National Housing Trust but instead use the money to address the critical housing needs of Jamaicans.
Moyston: Persad-Bissessar mirroring Dominica’s Charles in backing US over regional neighbours Forty-three years after the late Dominican leader Eugenia Charles facilitated the 1983 American invasion of Grenada – by allowing her country to be used as a launching pad – Dr Louis Moyston, a lecturer in the Department of Government at The University of the West Indies (UWI), believes history will judge her and Kamla Persad-Bissessar, prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, in a similar light for siding with the United States (US) against regional neighbours.
Filth and hazards on Waltham Park Road The smell hits first. It is nauseating, and the sight of piles of garbage is scarring. Amid potholes and contaminated water, Waltham Park Road in Kingston has become a hazardous mess. Residents and commuters say the situation has persisted for years, with sewage and household waste regularly overflowing onto the roadway and sidewalks – a public- health risk and daily nightmare.