Hero image
Top Story...

Children abandoned - Five young ones among 60 patients deserted by relatives

August 25, 2026 | News
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”.
Read More

Top News

Latest News

Caribbean urged to prepare for hotter, drier conditions

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – The Barbados-based Caribbean Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) and the University of the West Indies Climate Studies Group Mona (UWI CSGM) are urging the region to be fully prepared for potentially severe climate extremes. They are calling for governments, businesses, farmers, and households to take the necessary precautions as El Niño is expected to further strengthen, intensifying the hot, dry conditions being experienced in many parts of the region.

Makeshift classrooms to be erected at Ocho Rios Primary School

Makeshift classrooms are being erected at the Ocho Rios Primary School in St Ann, to ensure that more than 1,100 students can return to a single-shift school when the 2026-2027 academic year begins in September. Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Marlon Morgan, said the temporary facilities are being provided to ensure that the school can maintain its single-shift arrangement.
Entertainment 1 hour ago

Music icon and actor Dolly Parton dies at 80

AP – Dolly Parton, the country music icon whose soaring vibrato vocals, poignant songwriting and sparkling costumes defined her rise from a log cabin in the Tennessee mountains to the height of stardom and acclaim, has died. She was 80 years old. Known for her curvy physique, massive blonde wigs and skin-tight outfits that served her self-deprecating wit, she was among the most beloved personalities in music and beyond — the rare celebrity whose appeal transcended generations, geography and politics.
News
Updated 10 hours ago

Children abandoned - Five young ones among 60 patients deserted by relatives, leaving Spanish Town Hospital with multimillion-dollar monthly bill

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”.

Sports

See All
Members of the Hydel High School girls track and field team celebrating their ISSA GraceKennedy Girls’ Champs success.
Updated 10 hours ago

CUMBERLAND WINDFALL - Principal expects boosted sports programme after Hydel merger

Carlon Pitt, principal of Cumberland High School, says the institution’s merger with Hydel High School next month is expected to provide a significant boost to Cumberland’s sporting programmes. Hydel has been among the dominant schools at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships in recent years, winning the girls’ title in 2023 and 2025 under head coach Corey Bennett. The school has also enjoyed success at the Central Championships and Penn Relays, and has made its mark in the ISSA Manning Cup competition, reaching the quarter-finals last year.

Entertainment

See All
Miss Universe Jamaica 2026 Celene Hall.
Updated 10 hours ago

‘Surreal’ Miss Universe Jamaica win for Portlander Celene Hall

With Celene Hall being crowned Miss Universe Jamaica 2026 on Sunday, the parish of Portland was flung into the pageant spotlight for the second time in August, and both times were historic. When 25-year-old Celene Hall was crowned, she became the first woman from Portland to win the title in the pageant’s history. Earlier in August, 28-year-old Miss Portland, Christina Williams, was crowned Miss Jamaica Festival Queen 2026, making her the first Portland queen to win the title in 27 years. Williams was present on Sunday to cheer on her “parisheen” and savour her victory.

Business

See All

Lifestyle

See All
Introducing Mr and Mrs Johnson.
Updated 5 hours ago

Island Wedding | Love is right on time for Dexter and Tamalcia

Dexter Johnson and Tamalcia Johnson first met while working together in February 2024, but romance was far from Tamalcia’s mind at the time. Although Dexter was more familiar in Christian circles, he wasn’t someone she had taken much notice of — until she needed a master of ceremonies for an event.

Commentary

See All
This file photo shows contraband of cocaine confiscated in Kingston.
Published 15 hours ago

Editorial | The legitimate war on drugs

The Gleaner shares National Security Minister Horace Chang’s concern over the surge of cocaine seizures in Jamaica, which suggests a resurgence in the use of the island as a transshipment hub for drugs. There is logic, too, in the minister’s argument for wider hemispheric cooperation to neutralise what he sees as a potential threat to the gains made against domestic crime, as well as Jamaica’s broader national security.

Videos