St Ann biker killed, Papine Market killing and regional service changes lead Jamaica news

A 19-year-old man died and another motorcyclist was hurt Saturday after two bikes collided on the Stepney main road in St. Ann. Police named the deceased as Leroy Daley, a labourer from Stepney district. Investigators said the crash happened about 8:30 a.m. as Daley was riding along the roadway and came into collision with a motorcycle heading in the opposite direction. Both bikes were badly damaged, and both riders were taken to hospital, where Daley was pronounced dead. The other rider has been warned for prosecution, and the Alexandria police are probing the matter.

In St. Andrew, Kingston Mayor Andrew Swaby has appealed to residents of Mona Commons to stay calm after the fatal shooting of Papine Market supervisor Colleen Bernard on Friday afternoon. Swaby said Bernard was a valued worker and described the killing as senseless. He said police had caught the suspected attacker, and urged the community to allow investigators to complete their work. The mayor also said security at the market would have to be reviewed, along with support for Bernard’s relatives and Papine Market staff.

Jamaica Post is to restart package and small-package delivery to the United States on June 1, nearly nine months after the service was suspended. Minister of Efficiency, Innovation and Digital Transformation Ambassador Audrey Marks said a technological fix is now in place through a delivery duty-paid system. Jamaica Post suspended the service last August after a United States executive order ended duty-free de minimis treatment for all countries, affecting e-commerce operators, small businesses and other customers. Marks said duties can now be calculated and paid before parcels leave Jamaica.

Caribbean Airlines also announced network changes, saying it will end flights to Dominica, St. Kitts and the Ogle-Suriname corridor from June 1, while reducing Martinique and Guadeloupe service to twice weekly. The Trinidad-based carrier said the adjustments are linked to plans for a codeshare arrangement with an unnamed regional airline. Affected passengers may be rebooked where possible, placed on alternative itineraries, refunded for unused ticket portions, or allowed to keep ticket value as future travel credit subject to fare conditions. The airline did not release route-level financial data, passenger numbers or load-factor details.