Moments after 22-year-old Tiana Dinham was named Jamaica’s 2026 Rhodes Scholar, she called her mother – on speakerphone. What followed was a moment overflowing with tears and emotion. Her mother screamed, “Oh my God!” 13 times – the words tumbling out in disbelief and joy – before finally catching her breath long enough to say, “I’m so proud of you,...

The Black River High School board and administration are mapping out a path for the safe return of students to the institution, which suffered significant damage during the passage of Hurricane Melissa. The first step was a clean-up day held on Friday (November 14), where parents, students, and other stakeholders came together to clean and clear debris from the school...

More than US$20 million has been raised through the GoFundMe platform, to date, from donors around the world to help families, businesses, and communities in Jamaica recover from Hurricane Melissa, which made landfall in the island on October 28. The figure was disclosed to the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) in response to a query made to the United States-based website....

Hurricane Melissa, at Category Five strength, has severely impacted the majority of residents in Black River, St. Elizabeth. Among those adversely affected is seven-year-old Layla Mullings, who conveys the devastation of her family home in Luana through drawings – one showing their house before the hurricane, the other capturing its ruin after the powerful cyclone swept across Jamaica on October...

The ‘FarmHers’ Market, held recently at the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport in New Kingston, provided a platform to celebrate and empower women who are contributing to Jamaica’s agricultural and agro-processing sectors. The event, held in observation of International Day of Rural Women (IDRW) 2025, was hosted by the Ministry in partnership with the Bureau of Gender Affairs....

When Glenevea Paul-Penny from St. Mary first picked up her crochet hook again last year, she had no idea that within months, she would be standing among some outstanding artists. Her intricately woven fibre art creation, ‘Jah Kass Seh Di World Nuh Level’, earned her a gold medal at the 2025 Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Visual Arts Competition. The...

In the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa’s devastating passage on October 28, two young survivors of the Category Five cyclone are calling for urgent community-driven recovery efforts. Their appeal reinforces the importance of proactive, collective action in tandem with national rebuilding initiatives. Above all, they are urging communities to set aside differences, where these may exist, and unite in the urgent...

Business interests and hospitality leaders across Jamaica are rallying around a bold message: entertainment and attractions will play a central role in jump-starting the country’s recovery from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Melissa. The consensus is that fast action in the resort belt, coupled with a visible return to normalcy through vibrant entertainment, will help restore confidence, reopen tourism, and...

Attorney-at-law Camille Marie Facey, on October 20, received the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander (CD) for her contribution to law, corporate governance, public policy and leadership. As she stood among fellow honourees, immaculately attired in a royal blue ensemble, the insignia placed upon her reflected decades of service, now being publicly acknowledged. Yet, in her humility, her...