Albert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer

Richard Solomon, mayor of Black River.
December 15, 2025 by Albert Ferguson

Generator-powered Christmas tree for Black River as recovery efforts continue

WESTERN BUREAU: A gasolene generator will be used to power a scaled-down Municipal Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in Black River, St Elizabeth, as parish leaders move to keep hope alive in…
December 13, 2025 by Albert Ferguson

St Elizabeth municipal services resume after Melissa

WESTERN BUREAU Richard Solomon, mayor of Black River and chairman of the St Elizabeth Municipal Corporation, says essential municipal services have resumed from the Jeremy Palmer Building in Black…
A UNDP team member assesses damage in Parottee, St Elizabeth, following Hurricane Melissa.
December 12, 2025 by Albert Ferguson

Concerns about risky rebuilding raised at St Elizabeth MC meeting

WESTERN BUREAU: Michelle Senior, parish manager at the St Elizabeth branch of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, is voicing new concerns about unsafe rebuilding efforts now under way in parts…
Jamaican craft Items from the Ocho Rios Craft Market in St Ann.
December 10, 2025 by Albert Ferguson

Gov’t targets craft sector as new pillar of creative economy

WESTERN BUREAU: State Minister in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce Delano Seiveright has declared that Jamaica’s craft sector is poised for a sweeping overhaul as the Government moves…
At left Dr Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie, chief medical officer, speaks with Dr Christopher Tufton (centre), minister of health and wellness, and crewmembers of the Ark Silk Road, a Chinese Navy hospital.
December 9, 2025 by Albert Ferguson

Chinese medical ship to assist in clearing surgery backlog across all health regions

WESTERN BUREAU: Jamaica’s chief medical officer, Dr Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie, says the arrival of China’s state-of-the-art medical ship could not have come at a more critical moment, describing it…
Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon (right) and vice-president of the Fujian Association of Jamaica, Yansen Li, at the handing over of Hurricane Melissa relief supplies by Chinese business communities in Montego Bay and Trinidad on Thursday.
December 9, 2025 by Albert Ferguson

J’can, Trindidadian Chinese communities partner to step up relief

WESTERN BUREAU: The Chinese community in Montego Bay, St James, has joined forces with the Trinidad and Tobago Chinese Chamber of Commerce to deliver humanitarian aid to residents still reeling from…
Chybar
December 9, 2025 by Albert Ferguson

Westmoreland wipeout

WESTERN BUREAU: Westmoreland is on the brink of an economic collapse, with the parish’s smallest businesses – the micro enterprises that employ hundreds and fuel daily commercial life – “pretty much…
The new Little London Police Station in Westmoreland.
December 9, 2025 by Albert Ferguson

Little London Police Station boosts safety, dignity for officers

WESTERN BUREAU After years in a cramped space under threat of eviction, police in Little London have moved into a modern station that leaders call a turning point for security and public trust in…
Far left, Jackie Josephs Haughton, board member of Manning’s Past Students Association York Chapter, presenting care packages to the students at Manning’s School
December 9, 2025 by Albert Ferguson

Diaspora group delivers relief to Manning’s School

WESTERN BUREAU When Hurricane Melissa tore through western Jamaica, destroying homes, schools and livelihoods, the Manning’s School Past Students’ Association, New York Chapter (MPSA NY), moved…