WESTERN BUREAU: As businesses in western Jamaica continue restoring their operations following Hurricane Melissa, Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI) President Jason Russell says business operators must work together to boost...
WESTERN BUREAU: School administrators are urging the Government to introduce special insurance coverage for schools and their most valuable assets to better protect the education sector from future disasters, following the extensive damage caused...
WESTERN BUREAU: Linvern Wright, the president of the Jamaica Association of Principals of Secondary Schools (JAPSS), is expressing concern that the proliferation of technology as a learning tool in schools may be creating more problems than it...
WESTERN BUREAU: Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) President Mark Malabver is calling for the mandatory installation of a diversion programme in schools to assess children who may have learning deficiencies or behavioural issues, to ease pressure...
WESTERN BUREAU: With the 2026 Easter term set to begin next week, school administrators are again calling on the Ministry of Education to review its funding model, arguing that the current per-student allocation is no longer adequate to meet their...
WESTERN BUREAU: Lennox Wallace, parish manager for the St James Health Department, says the department is arranging to rent several garbage trucks to carry out its own waste collection in sections of the parish, a move bolstered by concerns about...
WESTERN BUREAU: Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton says he is hopeful that the hospitals in western Jamaica, which took a battering from Hurricane Melissa, will be restored by the end of January, easing the current need for field...
WESTERN BUREAU: Doctors and nurses at the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) in Montego Bay, St James, can now conduct operations in greater comfort and safety, after receiving an early Christmas gift of 1,440 disposable medical scrubs courtesy of...
WESTERN BUREAU: Residents of Farm Heights in St James last Thursday got a major boost in their bid to rebound from the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa, thanks to the supplies they received from the Janet Richards Foundation and the Kingston...
WESTERN BUREAU: Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton says the ongoing work to restore the operating theatres at five hospitals in western Jamaica, which were damaged during the passage of Hurricane Melissa, could be completed by...
WESTERN BUREAU: Following recent complaints from residents over the lengthy delays in garbage collection in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon, who is also chairman of the St James Municipal Corporation (StJMC),...
WESTERN BUREAU: Although the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW) reports that leptospirosis cases have begun to decline since mid-November, health minister Dr Christopher Tufton is warning Jamaicans not to become complacent in preventing the...
WESTERN BUREAU: A subdued atmosphere hung over the Ridgemount United Church in Mandeville, Manchester, yesterday as relatives and well-wishers said farewell to businessman Ruel Alphanso Crawford, a former Master Builders Association member and a...
WESTERN BUREAU: Following calls from the St James Municipal Corporation (StJMC) for citizens to responsibly dispose of their garbage in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, residents of several communities across St James say they remain concerned...
WESTERN BUREAU: As cleanup and restoration efforts continue following Hurricane Melissa’s passage on October 28, the St James Municipal Corporation (StJMC) is warning St James’ residents to properly containerise their garbage and not to carelessly...
WESTERN BUREAU: Despite the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa on October 28, organisers say the annual Christmas treat for children at the Mustard Seed Home in Adelphi, St James, will go ahead. Janet Richards, founder of the Janet Richards...
WESTERN BUREAU: The ongoing trial of 16 members of the Montego Bay-based Qahal Yahweh religious group has been rescheduled for continuation in the St James Parish Court on January 16, 2026, as the investigating officer – the prosecution’s intended...
WESTERN BUREAU: As many Jamaicans anxiously await to see what will unfold when Hurricane Melissa makes landfall, yesterday was a day of mixed feelings for several St James residents, who were seemingly uncertain as to whether the preparations they...
WESTERN BUREAU: Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon has issued a stern warning to residents of flood-prone communities in St James to relocate if Tropical Storm Melissa impacts the parish and weather conditions deteriorate to a level that endangers...
WESTERN BUREAU: Dr Kevin Brown, president of the University of Technology (UTech), Jamaica, wants the Ministry of Education to integrate African history into curricula, citing the importance of having students develop an appreciation for the...
WESTERN BUREAU: Councillors at the St James Municipal Corporation (StJMC) are calling for an improvement in the communication between the National Solid Waste Management Authority’s [NSWMA] Western Parks and Markets Limited and the residents of St...
WESTERN BUREAU: Dr Delroy Fray, the clinical coordinator for the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA), says hospitals under the region’s umbrella are well-equipped to face any emergencies that may arise should Tropical Storm Melissa impact the...
WESTERN BUREAU: Retired jurist Sheron Barnes has applied many lessons over several years from her time as a teacher and a journalist to her 15 years of experience as a judge, which have culminated in her being one of St James’ awardees of the 2025...
WESTERN BUREAU: Monday’s Heroes’ Day celebration was an emotional milestone for the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany as they received a special citation and the Key to the City of Montego Bay, St James, during the parish’s 2025 Heroes Day Civic...
WESTERN BUREAU: Despite a promise that repairs to the Montpelier main road, in St James, will begin before the end of the year, residents continue to express anger and frustration over the existing conditions. Among the vexing issues is a pothole-...
