Abeng — Jamaica news

Water, Environment and Climate Change Minister Matthew Samuda has detailed major investments aimed at improving potable water access, reducing system losses, protecting ecosystems and strengthening Jamaica’s response to climate risks.

Parents protested outside Godfrey Stewart High School in Savannah-la-Mar, saying storm-damaged classrooms remain unsuitable months after Hurricane Melissa and are disrupting learning.

Television Jamaica staged its official FIFA World Cup 2026 launch at Mandela Park in Half-Way Tree, outlining its broadcast plans and drawing football fans into games, quizzes and live entertainment.

St. Elizabeth stakeholders have completed a recovery readiness workshop aimed at strengthening disaster planning after Hurricane Melissa. The assessment will feed into a final report for future resilience and recovery work across the parish.

PBC Jamaica’s June 5 newscast covered renewed Jamaica-Ghana relations, Hurricane Melissa recovery housing, court disruptions in western Jamaica, market developments, regional health milestones and cricket promotions.

Government announcements on June 5 covered drought relief, hurricane shelters, disaster readiness, health cooperation with Ghana, agriculture plans, student welfare in Cuba and support for businesses hit by Hurricane Melissa.

Government has outlined new spending for drought relief, community roads, drains and emergency shelters, while also updating disaster readiness, overseas health recruitment, agriculture cooperation and student support in Cuba.

Jamaica is pushing a national agriculture overhaul focused on food security, climate resilience, farm recovery, water access, technology and new opportunities for young farmers.

A new report released by Earth Insight in partnership with the Jamaica Environment Trust and ten other civil society organisations around the world reveals that Jamaica’s most ecologically important marine habitats could be directly threatened by offshore oil and gas exploration in the Walton-Morant block, off the island’s south coast. Fossil Fuel Threats to the Ocean: Marine Life and Coastal Communities at Risk draws on geospatial analysis to document how the Walton-Morant block and its associated risk zones overlap with nearly all of Jamaica’s coral reefs, seagrass beds, and the fishing grounds that coastal communities have depended on for generations

Malvern, St Elizabeth — Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness on Thursday urged private insurers to pay up Hurricane Melissa-related claims, insisting this is critical to national recovery. He juxtaposed their performance with that of the National Housing Trust (NHT) which he said has paid out billions to just under 4,000 mortgagors who submitted claims for property damaged

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness says 300 additional container homes are due in Jamaica today as the Government expands housing support for people displaced by Hurricane Melissa, including residents of Parottee, St Elizabeth.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the Malvern project gives selected NHT contributors land in a planned St. Elizabeth community, with roads, drainage, electricity and street lighting already in place.

The National Housing Trust has transferred possession letters for 27 serviced lots in Malvern, St Elizabeth, giving selected contributors a prepared base for home construction.

The Government will invest $200 million this year to expand capacity at care facilities, thereby easing overcrowding and freeing up bed space.Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Desmond McKenzie, explained that the issue of social cases occupying hospital beds has been long-standing.He noted that a special effort will be made this year to address the matter in collaboration with other Ministries, including the Ministry of Health and Wellness.McKenzie was making his 2026/27 Sectoral Debate presentation in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, June 3.Meanwhile, work is under way to rebuild and relocate several infirmaries damaged by Hurricane Melissa across the parishes of Trelawny, Westmoreland, St Ann, and St Elizabeth.A sum of $54 million has been allocated for the restoration of the St Elizabeth, Hanover, and Westmoreland infirmaries.McKenzie announced that new infirmaries will be built in Trelawny, St Elizabeth and St Ann.In addition, a new wing will be constructed at the Spanish Town Infirmary in St. Catherine this year at a cost of $70 million.“We continue to put in the work in our infirmaries to strengthen them and make them places where people will feel comfortable

Kingston, Jamaica — Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Desmond McKenzie, has announced the allocation of an additional $60 million to assist municipal corporations with improving emergency shelter accommodations across the island. He made the disclosure during his contribution to the 2026/27 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday

More than 500 ganja farmers in Western Westmoreland were registered Thursday under a Ministry-backed initiative aimed at moving growers into the legal cannabis framework.

Residents in Westmoreland are being urged to avoid contact with flood waters and to keep children out of inundated areas as health officials seek to reduce the risk of leptospirosis, following recent heavy rainfall across the parish. Health Promotion and Education Officer for Westmoreland, Gerald Miller, told JIS News that recent persistent downpours have resulted in flooding in several low-lying and flood-prone communities, creating conditions that could expose residents to potentially serious diseases

Concerns are being raised about St. Elizabeth’s preparedness for another storm, with claims that many emergency shelters remain unusable and residents have not been given a clear parishwide plan.

Health Promotion and Education Officer for Westmoreland, Gerald Miller. (Photo: JIS) Residents in Westmoreland are being urged to avoid contact with flood waters and to keep children out of inundated areas as health officials seek to reduce the risk of leptospirosis, following recent heavy rainfall across the parish

Vice President of Marketing for the United States based Golden Krust restaurant chain, Steven Clarke, delivers brief remarks during a Post Cabinet Press Briefing at Jamaica House on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. (Photo: JIS/Danielle Myers) The United States‑based, Caribbean‑owned restaurant chain Golden Krust has pledged to rebuild the canteens of seven schools across Jamaica that Hurricane Melissa damaged

The blistering midday sun beat down on Thornton, St Elizabeth when THE STAR visited the modest home of the Williams family. Inside the concrete dwelling, the heat was almost unbearable but, for 70-year-old David Williams, discomfort has become a part of daily life

Public health officials in Westmoreland are cautioning residents to stay away from floodwater after recent heavy rains, warning that contaminated water could increase the threat of leptospirosis.

Nickel Green says he is racing to secure overseas care for his daughter Nickkara, who was diagnosed with a rare Stage IV cancer after years of severe pain.

Kingston, Jamaica — The Government is looking to roll out the Nurturing Early Scientific Thinking (NEST) programme in all early childhood institutions (ECIs) across the country by year’s end. The NEST pilot, conducted between February and June 2025, engaged 25 early childhood institutions in Kingston and St Andrew and, according to the Minister of Science, Technology and Special Projects, Dr Andrew Wheatley, they were deliberately selected to include schools in zones of special operations, low-performing institutions, and compliant schools

Opposition Spokesperson on Justice, Zuleika Jess, is pointing to what she calls a crisis in the court system in western Jamaica, in particular in the parishes hardest-hit by Hurricane Melissa last October. Jess, in her maiden presentation in the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, called attention to the matter and accused Justice Minister Delroy Chuck of incompetence

As temperatures rise across Jamaica, researchers warn that sargassum may appear earlier and in heavier amounts, creating odour, skin irritation and cleanup challenges at popular beaches.

Several Eastern Westmoreland residents remain in tents, under tarpaulins or in damaged structures seven months after Hurricane Melissa. With the new hurricane season under way, many say they are anxious and still waiting for help.

Opposition MP Zuleika Jess criticised the Justice Ministry over conditions at rural courthouses, citing water, security and repair problems in Santa Cruz, Westmoreland and wider western Jamaica.

Zuleika Jess, MP, says Westmoreland residents are being unfairly burdened as court users must travel to Lucea, Hanover, because the parish court cannot host circuit matters.

Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie says $60 million will go toward shelter supplies, while $70 million has been approved for drain-cleaning work this hurricane season.

The OUR says Jamaica’s utilities are entering hurricane season with Melissa repairs still unfinished. Regulators are requiring updated emergency plans and backing new funding arrangements for JPS.

Opposition spokesman on agriculture and fisheries Dr Dayton Campbell is calling for the establishment of a permanent Agricultural and Fisheries Disaster Recovery Fund that will provide relief to farmers and fishers impacted by natural hazards and other severe weather events. Campbell, who is also the Member of Parliament for Westmoreland Eastern, made the call on Tuesday during his contribution to the sectoral debate in the House of Representatives

Against the background of numerous allegations of educators sexually violating students, director of investigations, inspections and compliance at the Office of the Children’s Advocate (OCA) Keisha Rodriguez-Mills, has called on school officials to “be more aware”. According to Rodriguez-Mills, some school administrators have adopted a false sense of comfort when such individuals resign, only to be rudely awakened when the educator repeats the inappropriate behaviour at another institution

The National Parenting Support Commission says thousands of Jamaican parents are receiving monthly training, school-based guidance and specialised support through partnerships with ministries, foundations and community stakeholders.

Westmoreland Man Facing Firearm Related Charges Detectives assigned to the Westmoreland Policing division have charged a man with Assault at Common Law, Wounding with Intent, and Using a Firearm to Commit a Felony in connection with an incident that occurred in the parish on Saturday, May 23. Charged is 32-year-old Javier Dacosta of Carlton Street, Grange Hill, Westmoreland

Cabinet has approved a two-stage 16% fare increase for public passenger vehicle operators, with route taxi base fares moving from $113 to $122 in June and $131 in July.