Albert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer

Culture Minister Olivia Grange.
April 7, 2026 by Albert Ferguson

Jamaica rejects St Kitts’ claim of first legal recognition of Rastafari

WESTERN BUREAU: The Government of Jamaica has pushed back against claims that St Kitts and Nevis is the first Caribbean nation to recognise Rastafarianism in law, insisting that Jamaica has long…
Delano Seiveright.
April 7, 2026 by Albert Ferguson

Students urged to embrace financial readiness for a changing Jamaica

WESTERN BUREAU: Delano Seiveright, state minister in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, has called on Jamaican students to embrace financial readiness as a fundamental life skill,…
Dr Marcia Johnson-Campbell, regional coordinator for priority non-communicable diseases at the Western Regional Health Authority.
April 6, 2026 by Albert Ferguson

Jamaica’s bittersweet reckoning

WESTERN BUREAU: Jamaica is facing a bitter truth about its sweetest habit. From vending machines on university campuses to roadside coolers and taxi stands, sugary drinks have become the nation’s…
Fayval Williams, minister of finance and the public service, speaking at the University of Technology Western Campus Business Seminar.
April 4, 2026 by Albert Ferguson

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Minister Fayval Williams is urging tertiary students to become ambassadors for Jamaica’s student loan programme, saying outdated perceptions about the scheme could be…
Jason Russell (left), president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Dwight Crawford, deputy mayor of Montego Bay, in conversation during the University of Technology, Western Jamaica Campus School of Business Administration annual semi
April 5, 2026 by Albert Ferguson

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…
Mark Hart, chairman of the Montego Bay Free Zone Company.
April 2, 2026 by Albert Ferguson

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…
Dwight Crawford (centre), deputy mayor of Montego Bay, stresses the importance of keeping the South Gully clear to prevent flooding while Audley Gordon (left), executive director of the National Solid Waste Management Authority, and Shenique Johnson, deput
April 1, 2026 by Albert Ferguson

NSWMA clears mouth of MoBay’s South Gully

WESTERN BUREAU: A major clean-up operation at the mouth of the South Gully is bringing renewed focus to proper waste disposal and regular drainage maintenance as Montego Bay prepares for the 2026…
Scott Renner (right), United States Embassy chargé d’affaires in Kingston, is provided with an update on the Hope Mobile Clinic in Barrett Town, St James, by Dr Didinu Tamaklor, country director for Project Hope, and Kamesha Kelly-Swaby, emergency respo
March 28, 2026 by Albert Ferguson

U$22m relief effort bearing fruit, says US Embassy official

WESTERN BUREAU: The United States (US) has indicated it is satisfied that its US$22-million hurricane relief support is helping Jamaicans recover from the devastating impact of Hurricane Melissa,…
Delano Seiveright.
March 27, 2026 by Albert Ferguson

New ganja permits to bring small farmers into legal market

A major expansion in access to Jamaica’s regulated cannabis industry is under way, with new permit regimes aimed at bringing more small and traditional farmers into the legal framework. The reforms,…