Albert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer

From left: Mark Smith, immediate past president of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA); Mark Malabver, president of the JTA; and Evelyn Tugwell, retired JTA western regional officer, cut the ribbon to reopen the JTA’s Western Regional Office in Mon
January 5, 2026 by Albert Ferguson

‘If not now, when?’

WESTERN BUREAU: President of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) Mark Malabver says the long-running dispute over teachers’ salaries and conditions of service is not simply an industrial issue but…
CARICOM Chairman Terrance Drew.
January 3, 2026 by Albert Ferguson

As geopolitical fault lines test CARICOM unity, new chairman urges one voice

WESTERN BUREAU: Incoming Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Chairman Dr Terrance Drew is warning that rising geopolitical pressures and external policy shifts affecting Caribbean nationals are testing the…
JTA president, Mark Malabver. - File photo.
January 3, 2026 by Albert Ferguson

Malabver urges nation to rethink use of technology in classrooms

WESTERN BUREAU: Mark Malabver, president of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA), is urging the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information to pause and reassess the country’s heavy…
From left: Tishauna Mullings, mental health and psychosocial support (MHSS) coordinator with Project HOPE; Gloria Reid, an 86-year-old resident of Catherine Hall; Bishop Conrad H. Pitkin, Custos of St James; Bishop Wellesley Plummer, pastor of the Word of
December 31, 2025 by Albert Ferguson

Mental health advocate says trauma from Melissa only now surfacing

WESTERN BUREAU: Mental health advocate Tishauna Mullings is warning that the psychological toll of Hurricane Melissa is only now beginning to surface, two months after the storm left widespread…
Providence Baptist Church in Hodges Land, St Elizabeth, after Hurricane Melisa struck on October 28.
December 31, 2025 by Albert Ferguson

Storm damage cancels watch night services

WESTERN BUREAU: Reverend Godfrey Watson, chairman of the St Elizabeth Ministers’ Fraternal, says many churches across the parish will forgo their traditional watch night services to welcome the New…
Dr Bevan Earle, more popularly known as ‘The Dukeof Earle’, presenting school bags to children during his 39th annual Christmas Day treat at the Barrett Town Police Station in St James.
December 30, 2025 by Albert Ferguson

Duke of Earle delivers hope, again

WESTERN BUREAU: For nearly four decades, Christmas Day in Barnett Town has meant more than celebration. It meant preparation, hope, and a fresh start for hundreds of children in the St James-based…
Naudia Crosskill, chief executive officer, St James Municipal Corporation, sharing pleasantries with a female ward at the Mustard Seed Children’s Home in Moore Park, St James at their annual Christmas treat.
December 29, 2025 by Albert Ferguson

StJMC CEO urges compassion for the less-fortunate

WESTERN BUREAU: Chief Executive Officer of the St James Municipal Corporation Naudia Crosskill has issued a powerful reminder that wealth and status offer no immunity from life’s uncertainties, as she…
Hugh Grant, president and CEO of JPS.
December 27, 2025 by Albert Ferguson

JPS lights up Treasure Beach

WESTERN BUREAU: A large Jamaica Public Service (JPS) Emergency Mobile Power Generation Unit now supplying electricity to Treasure Beach and surrounding communities was officially launched on…
From left: Errol Lebet, chief executive officer, St Elizabeth Municipal Corporation; Richard Solomon, mayor of Black River; Dwight Salmon, councillor for the Black River Division; and Superintendent Coleridge Minto, head of the St Elizabeth Police Division
December 24, 2025 by Albert Ferguson

Black River’s Christmas tree lighting signals resilience, hope and the determination to rebuild

WESTERN BUREAU: Black River Mayor Richard Solomon says that, despite being scaled down, Monday night’s Christmas Tree-lighting Ceremony in the St Elizabeth capital symbolised resilience, determination…