Kimone Francis

New Falmouth Resorts Limited is facing a mounting $26.3-million tax bill on more than 260 acres of prime land, which is now at the centre of a public dispute between Coopers Pen residents and the company. Official Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) records obtained by The Gleaner reveal that the company, which acquired the land in March 2006, has failed to pay property taxes for six consecutive years since 2020, racking up more than $2 million in penalties. Tax on the land, currently valued at $390 million, amounts to $3.4 million annually.

New Falmouth Resorts Limited is facing a mounting $26.3-million tax bill on more than 260 acres of prime land, which is now at the centre of a public dispute between Coopers Pen residents and the company. Official Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) records obtained by The Gleaner reveal that the company, which acquired the land in March 2006, has failed to pay property taxes for six consecutive years since 2020, racking up more than $2 million in penalties. Tax on the land, currently valued at $390 million, amounts to $3.4 million annually.

Four of the five children abandoned at the Spanish Town Hospital in St Catherine have spent their entire lives at the facility, a situation Chief Executive Officer Jacqueline Ellis says is unacceptable.

Four of the five children abandoned at the Spanish Town Hospital in St Catherine have spent their entire lives at the facility, a situation Chief Executive Officer Jacqueline Ellis says is unacceptable. The latest child – a male who is one and a half years old – has remained at the hospital 11 months after being discharged. Hospital records show that four of the children – whose ages range from 10 months to two and a half years old – were left by their parents shortly after birth to be adopted. The other child was left there for “care and protection”.

Four of the five children abandoned at the Spanish Town Hospital in St Catherine have spent their entire lives at the facility, a situation Chief Executive Officer Jacqueline Ellis says is unacceptable. The latest child – a male who is one and a half years old – has remained at the hospital 11 months after being discharged. Hospital records show that four of the children – whose ages range from 10 months to two and a half years old – were left by their parents shortly after birth to be adopted. The other child was left there for “care and protection”.

For a year, her voice has been the steady authority at the gates of Petersfield High School in Westmoreland, shouldering the job of keeping hundreds of students safe behind the institution’s walls. But, as the parish continues to grapple with the devastation left by Hurricane Melissa – the Category 5 storm that battered western and parts of central Jamaica last October – Joan Forbes Scarlett, the school’s security guard, finds herself in a personal crisis. She is unable to shield her own family from an unfolding disaster.

A botched emergency response at a multi-vehicle crash scene on Norman Manley Boulevard in Negril, Westmoreland, has led to the disclosure by the Ministry of Health and Wellness that the ambulance and company involved have not been inspected for operation. Several people were injured, two seriously, after a Toyota Coaster bus, Corolla Fielder and Toyota Voxy collided on the busy thoroughfare in July. However, the transport of the injured was hampered because the Jamaica Fire Brigade’s (JFB’s) ambulance was down for repairs.

A botched emergency response at a multi-vehicle crash scene on Norman Manley Boulevard in Negril, Westmoreland, has led to the disclosure by the Ministry of Health and Wellness that the ambulance and company involved have not been inspected for operation. Several people were injured, two seriously, after a Toyota Coaster bus, Corolla Fielder and Toyota Voxy collided on the busy thoroughfare in July. However, the transport of the injured was hampered because the Jamaica Fire Brigade’s (JFB’s) ambulance was down for repairs.

Local policymakers have partnered with international legal experts to overhaul Jamaica's adoption and foster care frameworks, aiming to strengthen child-safety protocols and eliminate bureaucratic delays that leave prospective parents on years-long waiting lists while children remain stranded in state care.

Local policymakers have partnered with international legal experts to overhaul Jamaica’s adoption and foster care frameworks, aiming to strengthen child-safety protocols and eliminate bureaucratic delays that leave prospective parents on years-long waiting lists while children remain stranded in state care. Global legal body Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) has pledged to work directly with the Government and state agencies to build a tailored child-protection framework as the country reviews its domestic adoption and fostering legislation.