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  • Hanover hosts first youth entrepreneur competition

    Hanover hosts first youth entrepreneur competition

    HANOVER, POINT — A pioneering initiative aimed at unlocking the entrepreneurial potential of young Jamaicans has officially launched in the parish of Hanover, bringing transformative opportunities for 48 ambitious student business owners and aspiring founders. Dubbed the Youth Entrepreneur Programme (YEP) Competition, the first initiative of its kind across Jamaica, is the result of a collaborative partnership between the Social Development Commission (SDC) and Infiniti Co-operative Credit Union, with additional support from local political leadership. The launch ceremony was hosted Wednesday at the Grand Palladium Hotel, drawing attendees from across the education, finance and public sectors.

    The programme draws participants from four of Hanover’s six high schools: Rusea’s High, Green Island High, Merlene Ottey High, and Knockalva Technical High. The 12-week competition will run through to a final judging and awards event scheduled for June 10, giving young founders time to launch and scale their ideas. Every approved participant — whether entering as an individual or a small team — will receive JMD $10,000 in seed capital, deposited directly into a dedicated Infiniti Co-operative Credit Union youth savings account. To secure a spot in the competition, all submitted ventures were required to meet three core criteria: they must address an unmet need in the participants’ school or local community, feature a clear element of innovation, and demonstrate viable potential for long-term operation beyond the programme timeline.

    For many participating students, the programme offers a critical stepping stone to grow ideas they have already begun building from scratch. Jessica Gray, a ninth-grade student at Rusea’s High, already runs a small successful business operating across neighboring St James and Hanover, supported initially by family, friends and community members. Speaking to reporters at the launch, Gray shared her excitement for the opportunity to scale her venture, noting that the seed funding will allow her to purchase additional inventory to better serve her growing customer base. Beyond her business ambitions, Gray plans to pursue a career in law, building her enterprise alongside her academic studies.

    Other students are launching new ventures tailored to gaps they have observed in their own school communities. Orlando Hylton, an upper-sixth-form student at Green Island High, is launching a stationery business to address the absence of an on-campus bookstore for students. Open about the inherent risks of entrepreneurship, Hylton said the programme’s support gave him the confidence to move forward with his idea. Like many participants, Hylton balances his business goals with long-term professional plans: he aims to work as an airline pilot and operate a livestock farm in his spare time, and has already made plans to pass the stationery business on to a classmate if he chooses not to continue running it long-term.

    Kamachia McBean, a 10th-grade student at Merlene Ottey High, already runs a thriving cookie business that draws strong support from her peers and generates solid profits. She has already mapped out how she will use her seed funding: expanding her product line to include doughnuts and assorted snacks to grow her customer base. McBean’s long-term career plans include nursing as her primary goal, with flight attendant and professional chef as alternate paths, but she emphasized that she intends to keep running her food business regardless of which career direction she chooses.

    Beyond seed funding, the programme includes a robust structure of ongoing support and recognition for all participants. Every contestant will receive comprehensive training and mentorship in core business skills including general entrepreneurship, marketing strategy, and social media marketing. Business expos will be hosted at each participating high school, giving students a platform to showcase their products and services to peers, school staff and local community members. When the competition concludes in June, top-performing participants will receive additional grant funding to scale their ventures: first place will take home a trophy, certificate and JMD $90,000 business grant, second place earns a trophy, certificate and JMD $60,000 grant, and third place receives a trophy, certificate and JMD $30,000 grant. Special school-level awards will also be distributed, and every participant will receive a certificate of participation to acknowledge their work.

    Tova Trench-Anderson, SDC Parish Manager for Hanover, emphasized the transformative long-term impact the programme aims to deliver. “We commend these schools for answering the call and taking the bold step to invest in their students’ entrepreneurial potential,” she said. “By the end of this programme, we expect our participants to demonstrate increased confidence, stronger leadership skills, improved financial discipline, and practical experience in running a business. More importantly, they will have laid a solid foundation for future entrepreneurial pursuits.”

    Infiniti Co-operative Credit Union has contributed nearly JMD $1 million in total funding to the programme, in addition to providing expert mentorship for participants. Conroy Ward, Regional Sales Manager for Infiniti Co-operative Credit Union, outlined the practical guidance the credit union’s team will provide to young founders. “We are going to guide the students along the way, giving information on how to budget, how to save, how to create a cash flow and how to create a network,” Ward explained.

    Local MP for Hanover Eastern Andrea Purkiss also announced at the launch that she would be adding extra funding to the programme’s prize pool, after being impressed by the quality and creativity of the students’ business ideas. “I am really delighted that the children are so creative in Hanover. I sat in that room and I listened to the business concepts, the names of the businesses that they came up with on their own,” Purkiss said. She also noted that in the wake of Hurricane Melissa, which recently impacted the region, building portable, income-generating skills for young people is more important than ever, giving students a reliable source of income they can depend on amid economic uncertainty.

  • ‘Keep Jamaica open’

    ‘Keep Jamaica open’

    The ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have sent global oil and petroleum product prices on a sustained upward trajectory, pushing Jamaica to the brink of a severe energy crisis that has sparked a public disagreement between the nation’s energy leadership and its largest small business advocacy group.

    Speaking at a post-Cabinet media briefing earlier this week, Energy Minister Daryl Vaz outlined the growing fiscal strain facing the Jamaican government amid skyrocketing global energy costs. For months, the administration has enforced a $4.50 per litre weekly cap on price increases for fuel produced by state-owned oil refinery Petrojam, a policy designed to shield consumers from the full force of global price hikes. Between March 12 and April 8, 2026 alone, the full average increase in transport fuel hit $49.20 per litre, with just $18 passed on to consumers. Petrojam has absorbed the remaining $31.20 per litre, accumulating a total of $1.3 to $1.4 billion (US$8.6 million) in losses over this period to cushion household and business costs.

    Vaz warned that this policy is no longer financially feasible. If the cap remains in place through June 2026, he projected the total cost to the government would reach $11.8 billion – equal to two-thirds of the current budget year’s total revenue, an amount he labeled “unaffordable and unsustainable.” Price increases for Jamaican consumers could come as early as next week, he confirmed. Beyond lifting the price cap, Vaz floated potential policy adjustments to cut national fuel demand, including reinstating a COVID-19-style hybrid work-from-home order to reduce road traffic. He emphasized that no final decisions have been made, but urged the public to begin conserving fuel immediately, noting that widespread traffic on Jamaican roads suggests many residents have not grasped the severity of the crisis tied to the Middle East conflict.

    That suggestion has drawn fierce pushback from Garnett Reid, president of the Small Business Association of Jamaica (SBAJ), the nation’s oldest and largest business membership organization. Reid flatly rejected any proposal to curtail commercial activity or mandate widespread remote work, arguing the move would devastate a small business sector that has already endured repeated crises in recent years.

    “Many small businesses have not even recovered from the damage of recent hurricanes, first Beryl in 2024 and then Melissa in 2025,” Reid told the Jamaica Observer. “Doors are just starting to open again after those disasters – we cannot force them to close now.” He added that widespread work-from-home policies are unworkable for the vast majority of Jamaica’s small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector, pointing out that frontline and in-person workers – from fire fighters and nurses to supermarket operators, tailors, barbers, and gas station attendants – cannot perform their jobs remotely.

    The SME sector serves as the backbone of the Jamaican economy, Reid noted, accounting for roughly 80 percent of total national employment and contributing billions in annual tax revenue. Already, small businesses are grappling with overlapping headwinds: high interest rates, devaluation of the Jamaican dollar, ongoing food price instability, and soaring utility costs. Any additional disruption to commercial activity would push countless vulnerable SMEs to close permanently, leaving them left behind in the nation’s economic recovery, he warned.

    Instead of imposing movement restrictions, Reid called on the government to pause all policy decisions and convene urgent talks with key private and public stakeholders to craft a collaborative solution. He also called for cross-party cooperation between the ruling government and opposition to address the crisis without damaging the economy.

    Reid did back some demand-reduction measures, voicing support for encouraging carpooling to cut fuel consumption, noting that shared commutes cut both fuel and toll costs for working Jamaicans. He also called on major utility providers, including the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS), to absorb additional costs rather than passing further rate hikes onto consumers. He pointed out that Jamaican ratepayers just approved a seven percent electricity rate increase and recently provided JPS with a US$150 million loan, arguing the company has room to absorb higher energy costs to protect struggling households and small businesses.

    Long-term, Reid urged Jamaicans to transition to solar energy to reduce the nation’s reliance on volatile imported petroleum. While upfront installation costs are high, he noted that multiple financial institutions offer low-interest loans for solar conversion, and over time households can cut their monthly electricity costs to between $4,000 and $5,000, creating long-term financial stability even amid global energy volatility. Reid also joined calls for a rapid end to the Middle East conflict, which is the root cause of the current price spiral, noting that Jamaica is facing consecutive crises from hurricanes to geopolitical energy shocks, with the 2026 hurricane season set to begin in just months.

    As of April 9, ex-refinery fuel prices in Jamaica stood at $176.88 per litre for E10-87 gasoline, $184.32 for E10-90 gasoline, $189.25 for automotive diesel, and $196.09 for ultra low sulphur diesel. Prior to the escalation of Middle East tensions, Brent crude traded steadily near US$70 per barrel. Prices rose above US$100 in early March and peaked above US$119 later that month, but saw a sharp drop on Friday following an announcement from Iran’s foreign minister that the Strait of Hormuz – a critical chokepoint for global oil shipping – would remain fully open to commercial traffic for the duration of the current ceasefire. Following the announcement, Brent crude fell back to below US$90 per barrel, while NYMEX light sweet crude, the U.S. benchmark, also posted significant losses.

  • Driver damages fresh concrete as road works continue in Bathlodge

    Driver damages fresh concrete as road works continue in Bathlodge

    An act of disregard for construction zone safety has thrown a wrench into ongoing road improvement works in Bathlodge, after a motorist intentionally broke through clearly marked barriers and drove across uncured, freshly poured concrete. The incident has left infrastructure teams dealing with unexpected damage, pushed back project timelines, and driven up costs for the public works initiative.

    This road upgrade project forms a small part of a nationwide infrastructure program designed to revitalize road networks across multiple communities. From the start of works in Bathlodge, construction teams put in place clear warning signage and physical barriers to block off the section of fresh concrete, which needs sufficient time to fully harden before it can bear vehicle weight.

    In an official public statement, local authorities confirmed that the motorist deliberately crossed the restricted boundary, causing irreversible damage to the uncured surface. Construction officials emphasized that even if a newly paved surface appears dry to the naked eye, it has not finished the curing process and cannot withstand vehicle traffic. Relying on visual inspection alone to judge a surface’s readiness, they noted, often leads to preventable damage like the incident in Bathlodge.

    In the wake of the damage, road work crews have issued an urgent call to all road users—both motorists and pedestrians—to respect all safety protocols at active construction sites. They are urging the public to stick to clearly marked detour routes, follow all posted road signs, and adhere to instructions from on-site construction workers at all times.

    The damage has already forced a delay to the completion of the Bathlodge section of the project, adds unplanned extra costs to the initiative, and disrupts the carefully mapped progress of the wider infrastructure upgrade. Despite this setback, authorities have expressed gratitude for the general public’s ongoing patience and cooperation as they work to complete upgrades that will benefit the community’s road network long-term.

  • Hero Rat Honoured with World’s First Statue in Cambodia

    Hero Rat Honoured with World’s First Statue in Cambodia

    On the eve of 2026 International Day for Mine Awareness, a historic ceremony in Cambodia’s Siem Reap province revealed a one-of-a-kind tribute: the world’s first statue honoring a landmine-detecting rodent, Magawa, the extraordinary African giant pouched rat whose life-saving work made large swathes of the Southeast Asian nation safer.

    Over his five years active service, Magawa’s sharp nose helped locate more than 100 buried landmines across an area of contaminated land spanning more than 141,000 square meters, a plot roughly equal to 20 soccer fields. Trained by APOPO, the Belgian non-profit organization that develops detection animals for humanitarian mine clearance, Magawa leveraged unique biological advantages that set him apart from human-led demining teams. His small, light frame never weighed enough to trigger the sensitive explosives he sniffed out, allowing him to cross dangerous minefields without risk, and he could clear an area the size of a tennis court in just 20 minutes, a task that would take a human deminer many hours to complete.

    Magawa’s groundbreaking contributions earned him a spot in humanitarian history in 2020, when he became the first rat ever awarded the PDSA Gold Medal, the prestigious honor recognizing animal bravery and devotion to duty in saving human lives. After a career marked by consistent, life-saving work, Magawa retired from active duty in 2021 and passed away in 2022 at the age of 8, an advanced lifespan for his species.

    Today, as Cambodia works toward its national goal of eliminating all landmines from its territory by 2030, Magawa’s legacy continues. A new generation of APOPO-trained HeroRATS continues his mission, clearing contaminated land to allow communities to return to farming, building homes, and using land that has been off-limits for decades. This new permanent statue ensures that Magawa’s extraordinary contribution will not be forgotten, standing as a reminder that the most impactful heroes often come in the most unexpected packages.

  • Iran kondigt heropening Straat van Hormuz aan na staakt-het-vuren in Libanon

    Iran kondigt heropening Straat van Hormuz aan na staakt-het-vuren in Libanon

    On April 17, a fragile 10-day ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon came into force, triggering a chain of developments that have sent ripple effects across global energy markets and international diplomacy. A day after the truce took effect, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi announced that the Strait of Hormuz — one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints — would reopen to all commercial shipping traffic for the full duration of the ceasefire. The US-brokered ceasefire marks the first major de-escalation of cross-border violence that erupted between the two sides in early March.\n\nA senior anonymous Iranian official clarified that all commercial traffic will be restricted to designated safe shipping corridors, with military vessels barred from accessing the waterway during the truce. Around 20% of the world’s total oil and liquefied natural gas supplies pass through the 21-mile-wide strait, making its closure earlier this month a shock to global energy systems that sent crude prices soaring to record multi-year highs and sparked widespread anxiety across international financial markets. Within hours of Araqchi’s announcement, global crude prices dropped 11% and major stock indexes around the world extended upward gains as investor fears of prolonged energy supply disruptions eased.\n\nDespite the positive market reaction, major global shipping firms have adopted a cautious approach to resuming transit through the strait. German shipping giant Hapag-Lloyd announced it would pause transits through the waterway indefinitely while it assesses ongoing security risks, while the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association has highlighted lingering hazards including unmarked naval mines and unpredictable security conditions in the region.\n\nThe volatility around the strait has already impacted broader global economic projections: the International Monetary Fund revised down its 2024 global growth forecast earlier this week, warning that a prolonged escalation of Middle Eastern tensions would significantly increase the risk of a global recession, driven largely by energy supply disruptions tied to the strait’s closure.\n\nWhile the truce has cleared the way for the strait’s reopening, the US military blockade of commercial vessels bound for Iranian ports remains in full effect. US President Donald Trump confirmed via social media that the blockade will stay in place until a comprehensive broader agreement is reached with Iran, noting that most core negotiating points have already been settled and he expects a final deal to come together quickly. Trump added that while talks were originally scheduled to potentially take place this weekend, logistical hurdles have made that timeline increasingly unlikely.\n\nIranian officials have confirmed that significant disagreements remain between the two sides, most notably over the future of Iran’s nuclear program. During Friday prayers in Tehran and Isfahan, senior Iranian clerics emphasized that Iran would not accept any negotiating terms that amount to national humiliation, rejecting the current US proposal out of hand. Behind the scenes, however, Pakistani-mediated negotiations have reportedly made quiet progress. An anonymous Pakistani diplomatic source told reporters that a preliminary memorandum of understanding could be signed in the coming days, with a full comprehensive agreement targeted within 60 days. A senior Iranian official has also confirmed that the preliminary deal includes provisions to unfreeze billions of dollars in Iranian assets held in overseas accounts.\n\nThe most intractable sticking point in the nuclear negotiations remains the timeline for a pause in Iran’s enrichment activities. The US has proposed a 20-year moratorium on high-level uranium enrichment, while Iran has offered to accept a three to five year pause. Iran continues to demand the full lifting of all international sanctions, and has so far refused to agree to the complete removal of its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium, though diplomatic observers have noted early signals that a compromise on this issue could be possible.\n\nTrump has repeated his previous claims that US forces have already destroyed Iran’s stockpiles of highly enriched uranium, a claim that Iranian state media has flatly denied, adding that Iran has never entered into negotiations to transfer its nuclear material to the US.\n\nTurning back to the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that paved the way for the strait’s reopening, the truce has largely held so far despite scattered reports of minor violations by Israeli forces. The cross-border conflict reignited on March 2, after Hezbollah launched rocket attacks into northern Israel, prompting a full-scale Israeli military offensive into southern Lebanon that Lebanese authorities confirm has killed more than 2,000 people to date. Israel has not yet issued an official response to the ceasefire announcement as of Friday.\n\nEven with the temporary truce in place, displaced Lebanese residents have begun returning to their homes in southern Beirut’s suburban districts, a small sign of tentative normalization after weeks of deadly conflict.

  • CARIFTA Champion Deshawn Smart to train with Anderson Peters

    CARIFTA Champion Deshawn Smart to train with Anderson Peters

    Fresh off a dominant gold medal performance at the 2026 CARIFTA Games, rising Grenadian javelin prospect Deshawn Smart is poised to enter a transformative new phase of his athletic career. The 17-and-under standout, who claimed the top spot on the podium with a 65.09-meter throw just 3.75 meters off the event’s long-standing record, will now train alongside two-time world champion Anderson Peters under the tutelage of Paul Phillip, Grenada’s most decorated track and field coach.

    For most young Caribbean athletes, a CARIFTA title represents the crowning achievement of their early careers. For Smart, however, the win looks to be just the starting point of what experts predict could be a historic trajectory. The athletic community has already drawn comparisons between Smart and his new training partner: when Peters claimed CARIFTA U17 gold in 2012, he recorded a winning throw of 60.50 meters, five meters shorter than Smart’s 2026 winning mark. Peters himself has confirmed that Smart is already five meters ahead of where he was at the same age.

    To nurture this once-in-a-generation talent, Niade Simon, head coach of Smart’s home team Altitude Track Academy, made the proactive decision to move Smart into the St David Track Blazers Camp — Grenada’s most successful and proven javelin development program. This is the same program where Phillip coached Peters to global stardom, including a 2024 Olympic bronze medal.

    “Deshawn has continued to show dominance and consistency, but he still has to improve on his technical abilities,” Simon explained. “For now, it’s back to the lab.”

    The arrangement reflects a collaborative, community-centered approach to athlete development: Smart will retain his membership with Altitude Track Academy while training full-time under Phillip, bridging the foundation of his early success with the elite coaching needed to reach his full potential. “It’s always hard to let go of someone that you’ve invested in,” Simon admitted. “But I trust Coach Paul to do what’s best for his development.”

    Born and raised in the small community of Hermitage, St Patrick, Smart’s rise to prominence stems as much from his relentless work ethic as it does from his natural physical talent. A student at St Andrew’s Anglican Secondary School, Smart’s discipline has stood out to coaches throughout his development; Simon often gave up his own lunch breaks to lead extra training sessions, which Smart never missed.

    Despite Smart’s clear elite potential, his path to future competition podiums faces significant practical and financial barriers. His daily commute between Hermitage and St David, paired with the costs of elite nutrition and specialized athletic equipment, creates a heavy financial burden for the young athlete and his team. Simon has issued a public call for support from both the Grenadian government and local private sector, arguing that a talent of Smart’s caliber should not be held back by a lack of resources. “The talent is evident. The guidance is proven,” Simon said.

    As Smart settles into his new training regime under Phillip, the entire nation is watching closely. What began as the emergence of a promising young teenager is now shaping up to be the evolution of a potential future world champion. If Smart continues on his current trajectory, Grenada’s already legendary javelin legacy will not just be preserved — it will be redefined for a new generation.

  • VIDEO: Grieving mother on murder charge arrives in court

    VIDEO: Grieving mother on murder charge arrives in court

    A 46-year-old Layou security guard, grieving the fatal shooting of her son just seven days prior, has made her first court appearance alongside a 22-year-old local man, after the pair were hit with conspiracy and murder charges over the death of a 19-year-old labourer.

    Rosia John and Augustus Mathews, a Layou resident, face two formal criminal allegations connected to the killing of Perrance Mathews, a 19-year-old Layou-based labourer. Court documents outline that between April 10 and April 13, 2026, the two defendants conspired to carry out a plan that would have culminated in a murder. The second, more severe charge accuses them of intentionally and maliciously causing Perrance Mathews’ death by shooting him multiple times across his body.

    Authorities confirm the alleged crimes took place in Buccament, a coastal community in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. On Friday, April 17, 2026, John and Mathews appeared at Kingstown’s Serious Offences Court for the formal reading of their charges, an event that was captured on video by local media.

    The court appearance comes exactly one week after a double shooting in Kingstown’s Stoney Ground neighbourhood that claimed the life of John’s 29-year-old son, Enrique John, also known locally by the nickname Shoubu. Raheem Guy, 22, was also killed in that same April 10, 2026 attack. The overlapping timeline of the two violent incidents — the double killing that left Rosia John bereaved, followed just days later by her being charged in the murder of 19-year-old Perrance Mathews — has cast a spotlight on the surge of violent gun crime impacting the small Caribbean nation.

  • Deputy Prime Minister Hanley Meets with SKNOC on Transformative National Physical Education Initiative

    Deputy Prime Minister Hanley Meets with SKNOC on Transformative National Physical Education Initiative

    BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – In a landmark step toward reimagining youth development and education across the federation, St. Kitts and Nevis’ Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Hon. Dr. Geoffrey Hanley held a strategic planning meeting Wednesday with senior leadership from the St. Kitts and Nevis Olympic Committee (SKNOC) to advance a groundbreaking national physical education transformation initiative. The proposed partnership, backed by regional sporting bodies, aims to embed high-quality physical training and Olympic values into the core of the nation’s school curricula over the next five years.

    The SKNOC delegation, headed by SKNOC President Dennis Knight, included Technical Director Lonzo Wilkinson and Brazil-based sports methodologist Léo Cursino, who contributed expertise to the program’s design. The comprehensive National School Physical Education Programme was developed in close collaboration with the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO), bringing regional resources and global best practices to the local education system.

    Slated to launch in August 2026 and roll out incrementally through August 2031 in two distinct phases, the initiative includes a wide-ranging set of interconnected components to build sustainable, long-term capacity for physical education across the country. Key provisions of the program include certified professional training for current and prospective physical education teachers, a standardized, licensed national physical education methodology aligned with international standards, a cloud-based digital platform to streamline lesson planning and student engagement, cutting-edge AI-powered pedagogical tools to personalize learning experiences, and a fully accredited undergraduate degree pathway specifically tailored for physical education educators to formalize professional qualifications.

    Beyond physical education infrastructure, the SKNOC also proposed integrating the International Olympic Committee’s global Olympic Values Education Programme (OVEP) into local school curricula. Knight explained that a locally customized OVEP syllabus would embed the three core Olympic values – excellence, friendship, and respect – into daily school activities, supporting holistic character development for students and strengthening grassroots sporting culture across St. Kitts and Nevis.

    Deputy Prime Minister Hanley praised the proposals as timely, visionary, and perfectly aligned with the government’s existing strategic priorities for education reform, youth empowerment, and community development. He expressed strong enthusiasm for deepening the ongoing partnership between the Ministry of Education and SKNOC to turn the outlined plans into actionable, on-the-ground programs for the nation’s youth.

    “These initiatives present a powerful opportunity to transform how we educate, inspire, and support our young people,” Hanley said in remarks following the meeting. “My Ministry looks forward to collaborating closely with the Olympic Committee to make these proposals a reality for the benefit of our students and our nation.”

    In the coming months, the Ministry of Education and SKNOC will hold a series of follow-up technical discussions to finalize formal implementation plans, secure resourcing, and prepare for the program’s launch in August 2026.

  • Hamilton Bank defends selection of St Mary’s for Penn relays debut

    Hamilton Bank defends selection of St Mary’s for Penn relays debut

    For Saint Lucia, the 2026 Penn Relays marks a historic milestone – it will be the first time a team from the Caribbean island nation competes in the world-famous annual track and field event hosted in Philadelphia. But the road to this debut has been marked by online speculation and social media rumors questioning why St Mary’s College (SMC) was selected as the nation’s representative, prompting sponsoring organization Hamilton Reserve Bank to step forward and set the record straight.

    Hamilton Reserve Bank, the largest global bank headquartered in the Caribbean with more than $6 billion in total assets under management, is covering all travel and participation costs for SMC’s trip to the April 23–25 event. In response to growing public speculation about the selection process, bank representatives have repeatedly emphasized that the process was free, fair, and fully above board, with pre-planning that long predated key local competitions.

    Senior Relationship Banker Lauaina Dupres, who led the coordination for the bank’s sponsorship, shared details of the timeline in an exclusive interview with local outlet St Lucia Times. According to Dupres, the selection process was finalized at least two to three weeks before Saint Lucia’s annual Island Champs competition, which kicked off in early March. Contrary to viral social media claims that the bank overturned the meet’s results – which saw Vieux Fort Comprehensive Secondary School claim the boys’ team title over SMC – Dupres confirmed that the Island Champs outcome had no influence whatsoever on the final selection.

    Dupres explained that the requirements set out by Penn Relays organizers narrowed the field of eligible teams early on. Initially, event organizers requested that Saint Lucia field either an all-boys or all-girls squad, and all team members needed to secure valid travel visas to enter the United States in time for registration. To streamline the process, the bank reached out to Saint Lucia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports for recommendations, and the ministry put forward SMC as an eligible candidate. When the ministry followed up with information about Vieux Fort Comprehensive, the registration deadline had already passed, leaving only SMC positioned to meet all requirements.

    “This was something that happened so fast,” Dupres noted, adding that she was not even familiar with the Island Champs schedule when the initial selection was being finalized.

    Contrary to further speculation that this would be a one-time opportunity limited to a single team, Dupres shared that Hamilton Reserve Bank has long-term plans to expand sponsorship for Saint Lucian track and field at the Penn Relays. Unlike smaller Caribbean nations, established track powerhouses such as Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago regularly send multiple teams to compete at the event, and the bank aims to grow Saint Lucia’s participation to match that level.

    “We are looking to do this again next year, to sponsor more schools, to have three or four teams from Saint Lucia,” Dupres said. “So it’s a trial process. We’re just trying this. It’s the first time that we’re doing something like that… We’re working towards getting some other students and other schools on board for next year.”

    Dupres added that bank leadership was caught off guard by the wave of negative public reaction that followed the sponsorship announcement in early April. Despite the unexpected pushback, the bank remains committed to deepening local partnerships with Saint Lucian educational and sports institutions to create more developmental opportunities for the nation’s young athletes.

    In the lead-up to the team’s departure for Philadelphia, Hamilton Reserve Bank and the St Mary’s College delegation are scheduled to hold a joint public press conference in the coming days to address further questions from the community.

  • Fiery ABC Highway crash hurts five; road safety chief urges caution

    Fiery ABC Highway crash hurts five; road safety chief urges caution

    A devastating early-morning collision involving four vehicles on Barbados’ ABC Highway left five people hospitalized on Thursday, after two of the involved cars burst into flames following impact. The crash unfolded at the height of the Thursday rush hour, around 7:30 a.m., along the stretch between the Kingsland junction near Deighton Griffith Secondary School and the Henry Forde Roundabout in Newton.

    Initial accounts of the incident confirm that three of the vehicles were traveling in the direction of Kingsland, while the fourth was moving along the opposite carriageway when the collision occurred. Emergency response teams rushed to the scene immediately after reports of the fire broke out, and all five injured casualties were quickly transported via ambulance to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital to receive urgent medical care. Local law enforcement has launched a full investigation into the crash, with no definitive findings on contributing factors released to the public as of yet.

    In the wake of the incident, the president of Barbados’ Road Safety Association, Roland Lowe, spoke exclusively to Barbados TODAY to renew urgent calls for heightened driver vigilance across the island, pointing to a troubling upward trend in road accidents in recent months. Lowe, who has personally observed the increasing frequency of both minor and serious collisions during his own travels, emphasized that the growing rate of incidents is a major cause for public concern.

    Lowe highlighted driver inattention as one of the most persistent, preventable causes of collisions across the country, singling out mobile phone distraction as a particularly common dangerous habit. “It only takes a split second of looking away from the road to cause a catastrophic crash,” he noted, urging all road users to remain fully focused on their surroundings behind the wheel.

    He also called out the rising trend of reckless risky overtaking, especially among less experienced drivers, warning that attempting to overtake multiple vehicles in unsafe conditions endangers not just the reckless driver, but every other person sharing the road. “There is no reason to take these unnecessary, dangerous risks,” Lowe stressed. Given Barbados’ small geographic size, he added, cutting corners behind the wheel to save a few minutes makes no sense: “If you have an appointment to keep, the simplest solution is to plan ahead and leave your home a few minutes early, rather than risking lives to make up time.”

    Lowe also flagged a relatively new potential hazard on Barbados roads: the growing fleet of electric vehicles. Having tested multiple electric models himself, Lowe noted that the sharp, instant acceleration of EVs catches many drivers new to the technology off guard, as the relationship between accelerator input and vehicle response differs significantly from traditional gasoline-powered cars. “Drivers who are not familiar with how EVs handle need to take extra time to adjust and exercise extra caution on the road,” he said. It remains unclear whether any electric vehicles were involved in Thursday’s ABC Highway crash.

    Closing his statement, Lowe reiterated his call for consistent patience, attentiveness, and responsibility from all drivers, framing these simple habits as the most effective tools to cut collision rates and make Barbados roads safer for everyone.