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Coopers Pen tax tangle - $26-million bill due to TAJ over disputed land

August 24, 2026 | News
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.
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$400,000 bail for two men charged in St James ammunition seizure

​Two men charged in connection with the recent seizure of 200 rounds of ammunition in St James have each been granted $400,000 bail. Jermaine Graham, 32, a deliveryman of Roehampton district, Anchovy; and 23-year-old teller Shamoy Staple of Paradise, Norwood, were each granted bail with one to three sureties when they appeared in the St James Parish Court on Monday.
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Man dies in head-on collision along Tower Isle main road

The St Mary police are investigating a fatal motor vehicle collision along the Tower Isle main road on Sunday, which claimed the life of a 30-year-old man and left several other persons injured. According to the police, shortly after 7:00 pm, a Honda CR-V was travelling from Port Maria towards Ocho Rios when, on reaching the vicinity of Columbus Avenue, it collided head-on with a Toyota Succeed travelling in the opposite direction.
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SLB appeals to customers to take advantage of Debt Rest initiative

The Students’ Loan Bureau (SLB) is appealing to its customers who have not yet taken advantage of their Debt Rest initiative to go to their website and make the application. The call came at a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank on August 24, as representatives from the bureau gave an update on the status of the programme since its launch last year.

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A demolished home in Cooper’s Pen, Trelawny.
Updated 17 hours ago

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.

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Jamaica’s Elias McLaughlin (left) battles with Logan Lee of Haudenosaunee during yesterday’s bronze medal match at the Stadium East field.
Updated 16 hours ago

Lacrosse team targets PALA Sixes Cup

Following Jamaica’s fourth-place finish at the Pan American Men’s Lacrosse Championship yesterday, the Jamaica Lacrosse Association (JLA) will now turn its attention to the PALA Sixes Cup, the first step in Olympic qualification. Jamaica finished fourth at the Pan Am Lacrosse Championships after a close 16-9 defeat at the hands of Haudenosaunee yesterday. Haudenosaunee had taken a slender 6-5 advantage by the end of the first quarter, and held the lead at the half, going into the break 8-7.

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Miss Universe Jamaica 2026 Celene Hall.
Published 12 hours ago

Celene Hall is Miss Universe Jamaica 2026

Miss Universe Jamaica Portland Celene Hall is Miss Universe Jamaica. The 25-year-old businesswoman, artist and philanthropist was crowned on Sunday night at the AC Hotel Kingston by Miss Universe Jamaica 2025 Dr Gabrielle Henry, who made her first public appearance at the pageant following an accident in Thailand last year where she represented Jamaica at the global Miss Universe pageant.

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Contributed Harro Ten Wolde, of Boehringer Ingelheim’s corporate communications division.
August 23, 2026

Jardiance drug searches spike 50% amid Usain Bolt campaign

The makers of the chronic kidney disease (CKD) drug Jardiance say that enlisting retired sprinter Usain Bolt as the face of their latest campaign has raised awareness, amid a spike in online searches. The campaign draws on the contrast between Bolt’s reputation as the world’s fastest man and Jardiance’s message about slowing the progression of kidney disease. The drug is co-owned by German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim and American drugmaker Eli Lilly.

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Friends Savannah-Rae Reynolds (left), a law student, and Chelsea Williams, a veterinary medicine student, turn heads in plunging looks. Reynolds wears a white cowl-neck top, while Williams opts for a silky champagne-coloured tie-string top.
Updated 16 hours ago

Something Extra | Monday

Reggae and dancehall artiste D’Yani officially launched his long-awaited album, LLAP — Live Life & Prosper, on Friday at 105 Water Lane in downtown Kingston. The memorable evening drew fans and members of the industry, including Ce’Cile, Ras-I, Sevana and Josef Bogdanovich, who came out to celebrate the artiste and support the latest chapter of his musical journey. Hosted by Jadeen ‘Jade’ McGhie, the event saw fans singing along to their favourite tracks as D’Yani shared personal insights into his musical journey and the inspiration behind the album.

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A demolished home in Cooper’s Pen, Trelawny.
Published 21 hours ago

Editorial | The fix for squatting

Coming so quickly after the Coopers Pen incident, last week’s vow by long-term occupiers of the Jacob Taylor Beach in Trelawny to resist their planned eviction by a state agency should concentrate the minds of the Jamaican authorities on the need for accelerated action to address the island’s deep-seated problem of land ownership and squatting.

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