IRIE FM

Executive Director of the National Education Trust (NET), Latoya Harris-Ghartey says schools damaged by Hurricane Melissa are taking longer to be repaired, because it is building them to a higher standard.

Her comments come amid concerns from the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) about the pace of school repairs.

Mrs. Harris-Ghartey said the Education Ministry has so far spent $8.26 billion to repair schools damaged by Hurricane Melissa.

She said a total of 117 schools have been completed so far.

Mrs. Harris-Ghartey presented the figures during a Webinar hosted by the Higher Education Task Force for Disaster Resilience (HEDE) on Tuesday.

She said 682 schools were damaged by Hurricane Melissa.

A total of 308 are in the priority one category, where significant work is needed.

Mrs. Harris-Ghartey explained that net, which is the primary agency that develops infrastructure for schools is trying to remove zinc roofs from schools and provide slab roofs.

She added that the rebuilding process is further complicated by many of the school structures being old, requiring entire school plants to be built in some cases.

The highly anticipated heavyweight showdown between British former World heavyweight champions Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua finally is official.

The boxing standouts will fight December 11 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales and will be the headliner on Netflix.

The fight will be a co-promotion between Turki Alalshikh’s The Ring and Zuffa Boxing.

Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn is delighted its finally going to happen.

Fury (36-2-1, 25 kos) and Joshua (30-4, 27 kos) each have past boxing events on Netflix.

Joshua knocked out Jake Paul last December.

In July, he was knocked down twice in the first round against Kristian Prenga, but turned things around in the second for a vicious knockout.

Fury beat Arslanbek Makhmudov by unanimous decision – in April 2026.

The fighters are scheduled for a press conference next Wednesday in London.

Thousands of people are expected to have a great experience once again, as the  City of Lauderhill 7th annual Beer B-Que takes place on November 14th.

The event will make a return at the Central Broward County Park and Broward County Stadium.

The city of Lauderhill, widely known as the most Jamaican city outside of Jamaica with people often calling it “Jamaica Hill”, has had festival goers and beer lovers anticipating who the performers will be on this year’s staging.

Through their social media the city has been asking their followers to guess this year’s acts .

The event is adults only with a age 18 minimum requirement and will take place from 2pm to 11pm.

A beer b-que (or beer BBQ) is a style of barbecue sauce or cooking method that incorporates beer as a primary ingredient.

Census figures show more than 15,500 residents of Jamaican descent live in Lauderhill, making up roughly 21% to 27% of the total city.

The city features strong Jamaican representation in local government, including Mayor Denise Grant, who was born in Christiana, Manchester.

President of the Jamaican Bar Association, Tenneshia Watkins has called on Justice Minister Delroy Chuck to provide proof that the new Firearms Act contributes to a reduction in murders.

Speaking recently during the Judiciary’s Eastern Region Assize Church service, Mr. Chuck said a number of persons in both law enforcement and political circles are of the view that the Act is achieving its purpose.

This despite concerns from members of the legal fraternity that the Act does not provide incentives for lesser sentences to offenders who opt to plead guilty.

Several attorneys staged a silent protest outside the Supreme Court in Kingston yesterday, to highlight their concerns with the legislation.

Speaking to IRIE FM News, Ms. Watkins explained that while the Association welcomes the national decline in murders, it is concerned about the Minister’s statement on the gun law.

Ms. Watkins clarified that JAMBAR’s position on the Firearms Act does not mean that the group wants the Government to be soft on crime.

The Justice Minister will meet with JAMBAR and the Advocates Association this afternoon.

The Opposition has promised that it will use relevant constitutional and legislative mechanisms to push for amendments to the Firearms Act.

Spokesperson on Justice, Zuleika Jess made the comment following a silent protest staged by several attorneys outside the Supreme Court, yesterday.

The attorneys are calling for amendments to the legislation, particularly its mandatory sentencing provisions and the restrictions placed on judicial discretion.

In a statement yesterday, Ms. Jess said the Opposition submitted a formal notice of questions for oral answer to the Clerk of the Houses of Parliament, requiring Justice Minister Delroy Chuck to provide answers about the Firearms Act.

Ms. Jess, who is an attorney said her questions were submitted to parliament on Tuesday.

She said the Opposition stands in solidarity with the attorneys, noting that their protest exposes a systemic crisis being caused by the Firearms Legislation.

She claimed that the legislation is destroying innocent lives, instead of targeting violent criminals.

Ms. Jess added that the Opposition will not relent until fairness is guaranteed to all offenders under a revised Firearms Act.

Sandals Resorts staff members are being assured that their jobs remain as is, amid concern about the impact of a partnership arrangement with Royal Caribbean Cruise lines.

Executive Chairman of Sandals Adam Stewart, encouraged team members to continue their work, because it’s business as usual.

He emphasised that the partnership with Royal Caribbean is the start of a growth strategy, to go beyond the Caribbean with more offerings and new experiences for guests.

Mr. Stewart said he will visit all properties in the resort chain over the next few weeks to discuss the partnership with stakeholders and respond to any concern they have.

He was speaking with travel advisors in a virtual meeting yesterday.

President of the Jamaican Bar Association, Tenneshia Watkins, says she is entering tomorrow’s meeting with Justice Minister Delroy Chuck with an open mind.

Jambar and the advocates association participated in a silent protest outside the Supreme Court in downtown Kingston over the Firearms Act, particularly its mandatory sentencing provisions and the restrictions placed on judicial discretion.

Both groups have been invited to a meeting with Chuck tomorrow at 2 p.m.

Speaking with IRIE FM News this afternoon, Ms. Watkins said the protest was a good start to amplify advocacy for changes to the Firearms Act.

Ms. Watkins lamented that it is unfortunate that attorneys had to resort to a silent protest in order to be called to a meeting.

Meantime, President of Advocates Association of Jamaica, Tamika Harris says this morning’s silent protest was well supported in Kingston.

However, other members of the association in other parishes were not able to stage similar protests.

Ms. Harris says the call to a meeting with the Justice Minister provides hope that issues with the gun Act will be finally heard.

Justice Minister Delroy Chuck is to meet tomorrow with representatives of the Advocates’ Association of Jamaica and the Jamaican Bar Association to discuss their concerns about the Firearms Act.

A number of attorneys staged a silent protest outside the Supreme Court in downtown Kingston, highlighting issues with the mandatory sentencing provisions and the restrictions placed on judicial discretion.

The protest, dubbed ‘Enough is enough silent protest: A fairer Firearms Act for a safer Jamaica’, was organised by the two associations.

Mr. Chuck says he is disappointed with the actions taken by the lawyers, as he had indicated a willingness to meet with the associations to discuss the issues.

He reiterates the Government’s concerns about gun crimes.

Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness says Jamaica has done extremely well in its recovery since Hurricane Melissa last October.

While acknowledging that there is work to be done and that some persons have not received benefits, Dr. Holness says he rejects criticisms that the Government has not done a good job.

On the weekend, Opposition Leader Mark Golding described the Government’s response to the disaster as an abject failure of the people, saying there is no coherent recovery plan and that the people have largely been abandoned.

In defending the work of his administration, Dr. Holness says the country has made a strong start and the aim is to improve on what existed before Hurricane Melissa.

The Prime Minister states that Jamaica’s hurricane response has improved dramatically and is comparable or even better than other countries which have had a similar experience.

Agriculture Minister Floyd Green has announced an additional $50 million for the drought intervention programme, targeting water storage and drip irrigation systems.

He made the announcement during a media briefing at his ministry’s office in Kingston, yesterday.

The Minister noted that the additional support is intended to improve water efficiency as rainfall resumes.

Meanwhile, he stated that the Essex Valley irrigation project in St. Elizabeth is nearing completion, with the first farmers expected to receive water by the end of September.

He described the project as the largest investment in irrigation undertaken in Jamaica and the Caribbean.

More than 150 farmers have expressed interest in the system, with 40 having applied and paid for the service and are expected to be among the first beneficiaries.