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  • Bolt statue captivates tourists in Falmouth

    Bolt statue captivates tourists in Falmouth

    FALMOUTH, Trelawny – What began as an unfinished construction project altered by an extreme hurricane has quickly become one of Jamaica’s most beloved new tourist destinations. The 10-foot bronze statue of sprinting legend Usain Bolt, mounted on a newly redesigned fountain at Falmouth’s historic Water Square, has drawn a continuous stream of international visitors eager to snap photos with the monument honoring the world’s fastest man.

    The site, located just steps from Falmouth’s historic cruise port, has become a must-see stop for thousands of passengers who disembark from large cruise ships each week. During a recent visit to the popular attraction, Jamaica Observer spoke with tourists and local guides about the statue’s unexpected rise to fame, and got the latest update on plans for its official dedication.

    Andy, an excited visitor from New York, called the stop a highlight of his Jamaican trip. “It is great! Fantastic! I just found out that the statue is here. My tour guide brought me here and I just had to take pictures with it,” he said.

    Local tour guide Dillion Wilmot explained that Bolt’s global fame makes the statue a draw for nearly every cruise group that comes to Falmouth. “A lot of people come off the boat and they do love to come and take pictures at the statue of Usain Bolt because everyone has heard about him. Most haven’t seen the statue yet, and many have never visited Water Square before. When they come off the ship, they love to see these historical sites and learn about the country’s great people,” Wilmot said, adding that visitors also enjoy learning the deep history of the square itself.

    Water Square holds major historical significance: it was home to one of the earliest piped water systems in the Western Hemisphere, constructed all the way back in 1798. The original fountain on the site dates to 1805, and has been updated and redesigned multiple times in the centuries since.

    Elliot, a tourist from Idaho who was visiting with a group of American travelers, said the statue lets visitors connect with the national pride Jamaicans have for their most iconic athlete. “I like it because we saw Bolt on television and the way his people greeted him when he came home, it was a big excitement for his country. He’s special,” Elliot said.

    The path to the statue’s current popularity was an unplanned one. The Jamaica Defence Force and Trelawny Municipal Corporation partnered to build the new fountain and install Bolt’s statue, but the site remained closed to the public ahead of its planned official unveiling. That changed last October, when Category 5 Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica with maximum sustained winds of 185 miles per hour. The storm ripped away the protective covering that hid the statue from public view, unexpectedly revealing it to the world months ahead of schedule.

    Since that accidental unveiling, visitors have flocked to the site nonstop, turning it into one of the parish’s top tourist attractions. Officials now say an official dedication ceremony will be held in the near future, after months of delays. The event was originally planned for last Christmas, but had to be pushed back due to supply chain issues that slowed work on the redesigned fountain.

    Olivia “Babsy” Grange, Jamaica’s Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment, and Sports, confirmed that the fountain and statue are now fully complete, and officials are just finalizing a new date for the dedication. “I have to speak with the mayor of Falmouth. We had planned to do it at Christmas but we didn’t do it at Christmas. So now we have to select an appropriate date. But it’s ready,” Grange said, noting that the supply delay stemmed from the time it took to source custom parts for the redesigned fountain.

    Falmouth Mayor C Junior Gager, who also chairs the Trelawny Municipal Corporation, said the public will be notified of the dedication date as soon as it is finalized with Grange’s team. Once fully operational, the fountain will feature eight water jets that spray into the air above the base of the statue. Two new storyboards will also be installed at the site: one detailing the life and career of Bolt, who was born in Trelawny’s Sherwood Content community, and another highlighting the long history of Water Square itself.

    The redesigned fountain will also include programmable colored lighting that will be used to mark national and cultural holidays, including Emancipation Day and Christmas Day. Grange confirmed that all infrastructure for the lighting feature is already in place. “They haven’t turned on the lights full time yet but the fountain is all wired and everything. When we turn the water on it’s going to be lit. It’s complete, it’s ready,” she said.

    Bolt, a retired sprinter widely regarded as the greatest sprinter in sports history, still holds the world records in the men’s 100-meter and 200-meter sprints, as well as the 4×100-meter relay. Over his legendary career, he won eight Olympic gold medals and 11 World Championships gold medals, cementing his status as a global sporting icon and a source of immense national pride for Jamaica.

  • Gordon summoned!

    Gordon summoned!

    A sitting Jamaican Member of Parliament is set to return for questioning before the national legislature’s Ethics Committee, after new public disclosures contradicted closed-door testimony he gave earlier this year that led to the House granting him an exemption from further scrutiny. The development, which has reopened a case many observers considered closed, was finalized during the committee’s second official meeting this session on Wednesday.

    The controversy at the heart of the recall traces back to a damning audit report from Jamaica’s auditor general, which investigated questionable procurement and import practices at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI). The report found that the public teaching hospital improperly leveraged its tax-exempt legal status to clear imported goods on behalf of four private sector entities, resulting in an estimated $23.1 million in lost public revenue. One of the private companies at the center of the audit findings is JACDEN, which lists St Andrew East Central MP Dennis Gordon, a member of the opposition People’s National Party, as a principal partner.

    Gordon first appeared before the Ethics Committee for a closed-door hearing on February 4, and the House of Representatives subsequently voted to grant him an exemption from further disciplinary or investigative action. That decision has now been thrown into question, after new information that has entered the public domain appears to contradict key details Gordon provided during his initial private testimony.

    Committee chair Marlene Malahoo Forte outlined the panel’s current position in remarks following Wednesday’s vote, emphasizing that the body is not moving immediately to reverse the House’s original exemption decision. Instead, the core question now before the committee is whether the information the original recommendation relied on was accurate, she explained.

    The push for renewed scrutiny came from St Andrew West Rural MP Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn, who called for a fresh review after cross-referencing the minutes of February’s closed meeting with subsequent public disclosures. Cuthbert-Flynn’s intervention effectively reopened a case that was widely considered settled after the House approved the exemption earlier this year.

    Not all committee members supported moving forward with the recall during Wednesday’s discussion. St Elizabeth South Eastern MP Franklyn Witter raised procedural questions about whether the committee had the authority to revisit a matter that the full House had already formally acted on, casting doubt on whether revisiting the exemption after it was approved was procedurally sound.

    Malahoo Forte pushed back on the need for procedural or legal hurdles, framing the current issue as a question of fact rather than a legal dispute. She argued that if new public information directly contradicts testimony Gordon gave during his first appearance, the only appropriate step is to give the MP an opportunity to respond and clarify the inconsistencies, noting that this adheres to the core principle of natural justice.

    “You do not make any binding decision affecting any person without first giving that person the opportunity to be heard, that is a basic tenet of natural justice,” Malahoo Forte said, adding that there is no need for outside legal counsel to resolve the current standoff.

    As the parliamentary body charged with reviewing allegations of misconduct among sitting MPs, including violations of conflict of interest and disclosure rules, the Ethics Committee’s next steps will focus solely on gathering clarification before any formal decisions are made. Malahoo Forte stressed that the panel has not yet moved to reverse the House’s original exemption, and is only seeking to verify the accuracy of the original testimony in light of new developments.

    “At this stage, we are not seeking to overturn the original recommendation we sent to the House. We simply want to examine the original findings against new information that has come to light,” Malahoo Forte said. “Once we receive clarification from the member, we will draft a new report and send it back to the full House for any further action it deems appropriate.”

    Following Wednesday’s discussion, the committee voted to formally summon Gordon back to appear under the House’s standing orders, rather than extending an informal invitation. The formal process requires official notice to be delivered through the clerk of Parliament, and will follow the established timetable ahead of the committee’s next scheduled sitting.

  • Pick up the pace!

    Pick up the pace!

    ### Montego Bay Perimeter Road Project Delayed to 2027, Sparking Outcry From Local Business Leaders

    For a city long crippled by crippling urban traffic congestion, the Montego Bay Perimeter Road Project has stood for decades as a beacon of hope — a promised solution that would cut through gridlock and unlock new economic growth for Jamaica’s iconic western tourism and commercial hub. But that hope has once again been pushed into the future, as local business leaders are voicing deep frustration over the news that a key section of the transformative infrastructure project will not be completed until May 2027, more than a year later than the most recent public target.

    The new completion timeline for the Long Hill Bypass segment was confirmed earlier this week by the National Road Operating and Constructing Company (NROCC), the state-owned entity managing the project on behalf of the Jamaican government, in response to inquiries from the *Jamaica Observer*. When reached for comment by the outlet Wednesday, Nadine Spence, second vice president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI), made clear the business community’s anxiety over the extended delay.

    “Time means money, and the longer this project drags on, the more revenue and opportunity we lose,” Spence told the *Observer*. “We are deeply concerned about this new delay — this project has been waiting for generations, and every extra month of gridlock holds our city back.”

    Robert Morgan, Jamaica’s junior minister with responsibility for public works, pinned the latest schedule shift on widespread damage inflicted by Category 5 Hurricane Melissa, which slammed into the island last October and devastated the Catherine Hall and West Green neighborhoods, where much of the bypass construction is concentrated. Morgan added that the project already suffered prior setbacks from Hurricane Beryl, which hit the island in 2024.

    But while Spence acknowledged that natural disasters are unavoidable, she argued that project managers have failed to prioritize urgency to get work back on track. She has also thrown her support behind a compromise proposal: open already completed segments of the bypass to the public while remaining construction wraps up, to deliver at least partial relief to frustrated motorists and businesses.

    “At one point, officials told us one leg of the route would be opened early,” Spence noted. “We are asking that this plan be revisited. Even partial access would make a huge difference for our city while we wait for the full completion, and we would welcome that right now.”

    The revised timeline sees mixed deadlines across different segments of the project: the Montego Bay Bypass and West Green Avenue sections are now targeted for September 2026, while the Barnett Street leg has been moved up to an April 2026 completion. Even with that small acceleration, the new 2027 deadline for the Long Hill Bypass has done little to calm local nerves.

    Spence specifically highlighted concerns over the upcoming Dream Wknd 2026 festival, scheduled to take place from July 30 to August 3 that year. The event is expected to draw thousands of visitors to Montego Bay, a city already struggling with daily traffic gridlock that the road project was designed to fix. With the bypass set to remain unfinished for the major tourism event, Spence warned the delay will exacerbate existing congestion issues.

    “This delay just means Montego Bay will continue to grapple with persistent traffic snarls that hurt every part of our local economy,” Spence said. “When you host a major international event like Dream Wknd that brings thousands of extra people to the city, the impact of uncompleted infrastructure is going to be felt by everyone — visitors, locals, and business owners alike. Traffic conditions are completely unpredictable: some days you can move normally, and other days the whole area is gridlocked for hours. It’s a waste of time, a waste of energy, and it makes our city far less efficient for business and daily life.”

    Mark Kerr-Jarrett, a prominent Montego Bay real estate developer and long-time advocate for the bypass, echoed Spence’s concern, describing the project as “desperately needed” and “decades overdue.” Beyond hurricane-related damage, Kerr-Jarrett argued that unnecessary bureaucratic red tape around land acquisition is also holding up work on the Long Hill segment.

    “I’ve been told that the National Land Agency now requires a pre-check plan to be submitted alongside every land acquisition and sales agreement for the project,” Kerr-Jarrett explained. “This requirement is completely unnecessary, and it adds massive amounts of time to the process. Getting one pre-check plan approved can take up to nine months, which pushes every single acquisition back by a minimum of four months, and as much as nine.”

    Looking beyond the current construction delays, Kerr-Jarrett is also calling on the Jamaican government to reverse its plan to charge tolls on the completed bypass, arguing the road is core public infrastructure that should be free to use for local residents and motorists.

    “The people who need this road the most are the ones who can’t afford to pay tolls to use it,” he said. “Even though it’s called a bypass, this is core municipal infrastructure built specifically to cut congestion in the heart of Montego Bay. It should be treated as such.”

  • Manhunt!

    Manhunt!

    A manhunt for the armed men filmed in a viral social media clip opening fire in Jamaica’s Corporate Area community of Jarrett Lane dramatically ramped up this Wednesday, with the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) confirming 12 people have been taken into custody and multiple pieces of illegal contraband seized during targeted residential searches. The aggressive law enforcement operation was triggered after a 45-second video circulating online since Tuesday captured the group discharging multiple rounds into the air above a gathered crowd, prompting senior police officials to order an immediate, coordinated response.

    Leading the operation, Assistant Commissioner of Police Michael Phipps outlined that the sweep kicked off at approximately 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, bringing together more than 100 trained law enforcement officers from three specialized units: the Kingston Eastern Division, Area 4 Fugitive Apprehension Team, and the Specialised Operations Division. Over the course of the day, teams carried out synchronized search warrants across 12 separate properties spanning 42 individual homes throughout the Jarrett Lane neighborhood.

    During the searches, officers uncovered a haul of incriminating evidence alongside controlled substances. “We recovered a quantity of ganja, five 5.6-millimeter cartridges designed for high-powered rifles including the M16, multiple spent bullet casings, an empty high-capacity rifle magazine, and what are known as lead sheets, which are tied to offences under the Law Reform Act,” Phipps explained in an exclusive interview with Jamaica Observer. “Based on the evidence found, we have arrested 12 people on suspicion of criminal involvement,” he added.

    The materials recovered tie into the Law Reform (Fraudulent Transactions) (Special Provisions) Act, widely referred to locally as the Lottery Scam Act, legislation crafted specifically to target large-scale fraud schemes and identity theft operations. Key crimes covered under the act include theft and trafficking of personal access information, obtaining funds through false pretenses, intimidation of scam victims, and operating residential properties to facilitate fraudulent activity.

    Lead sheets, a core piece of evidence for these cases, are detailed documents that compile full personal information of potential scam targets: including full names, residential addresses, phone numbers, United States Social Security numbers, private banking details, and other sensitive data that scammers use to manipulate vulnerable people into sending money under false pretenses.

    Phipps made clear that the JCF will not end its efforts until the armed men seen in the viral video are taken into custody, alongside rooting out all other criminal networks operating within the Jarrett Lane community. “This operation is a critical win because the seizure of ammunition and these fraudulent materials will significantly disrupt the criminal operations based out of 72 Mountain View Avenue, the hub of activity in the Jarrett Lane area,” Phipps noted.

    The senior police official also issued a stark nationwide warning to any other individuals engaged in or considering joining criminal activity across Jamaica, emphasizing that the JCF will move quickly to apprehend anyone breaking the law. “We are telling any person thinking of following this path not to get involved. The men seen firing these weapons will be hunted relentlessly, and we will take every necessary action to send a clear message: this kind of reckless, dangerous behavior will not be tolerated in this country,” Phipps said.

    He reaffirmed the JCF’s long-standing commitment to safeguarding Jamaican communities and clearing illegal firearms and ammunition from the nation’s streets. “As I have always said, and I want to make this crystal clear: the reckless display of gunfire that these men showed in that video is something the Jamaica Constabulary Force will not accept in any way, shape, or form,” Phipps stressed. As of Wednesday evening, investigations remain active and ongoing, with detectives continuing to collect evidence and track down all persons connected to the public weapons discharge incident.

  • Nieuwe aanvallen in Golfregio ondanks afgesproken staakt-het-vuren tussen VS en Iran

    Nieuwe aanvallen in Golfregio ondanks afgesproken staakt-het-vuren tussen VS en Iran

    Just days after a landmark two-week ceasefire agreement was reached between the United States and Iran, the fragile truce in the Persian Gulf region has been shaken by a wave of coordinated drone and missile attacks targeting three Gulf monarchies. The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, and Bahrain have all confirmed that the incoming strikes originated from Iranian territory, marking a sharp escalation that tests regional and international hopes for de-escalation.

  • Record medals tally for Saint Lucia at CARIFTA Aquatics

    Record medals tally for Saint Lucia at CARIFTA Aquatics

    The 2026 CARIFTA Aquatics Championships wrapped up its four-day run on April 7 at Martinique’s Pierre Samot Community Aquatic Centre, and the Saint Lucia national swim squad has emerged with a historic milestone to celebrate. The island nation’s swimmers secured an unprecedented total of 14 medals across individual events, marking a one-medal increase from their 2025 performance and setting a new national record for the regional competition.

    Leading the charge for Saint Lucia was 11-12 age division standout Sapphire Parks, who turned in a dominant performance that cemented her status as one of the region’s most promising young swimmers. Defending her division title from the previous year, Parks expanded her personal medal haul from eight in 2025 to 10 this year, closing out the competition with an overall tally of five gold, four silver, and one bronze to earn 88 total individual points. Her standout results included a gold medal win in the 100m breaststroke, where she clocked a finishing time of 1:21.23, and a silver medal in the 200m backstroke with a time of 2:38.13.

    Reflecting on her performance after Monday’s preliminary and final events, Parks opened up about the mix of progress and resilience that defined her competition. “In the first three events that I did, I didn’t really hit personal bests as much as I wanted,” she explained. “But in the last event, the 200m individual medley that I’m really proud of right now, I dropped a lot of time, and that made me really happy. It made up for the rest.” On the final day of competition, Parks added a fifth-place finish in the 400m freestyle final to her overall results.

    Beyond Parks’ historic individual performance, several other Saint Lucia swimmers turned in impressive results to push the team to its record medal count. Tyler Dantes claimed one gold medal for the squad, while Antoine Destang earned two silver medals, and Maya Andrew took home a bronze medal. Dantes also posted eighth place in the 11-12 boys’ 50m freestyle and sixth in the 200m backstroke, cutting an impressive 10 seconds off his previous personal best time in the process. Destang, competing in the 15-17 boys’ division, notched a fourth-place finish in the 50m freestyle and eighth in the 200m freestyle. Young swimmer Fayth Jefferey came just short of qualifying for the 100m breaststroke finals in a tightly contested preliminary round.

    When the final scores were tallied, Saint Lucia secured 12th place in the overall team rankings with 156 total points, a solid finish that reflected the team’s consistent performance across four days of competition. The Bahamas claimed the overall team title with a dominant 795 total points to top the regional rankings. Comparing the 2026 result to last year’s, Saint Lucia’s 2025 medal count stood at 13 medals: four gold, four silver, and five bronze, making this year’s 14-medal haul a new benchmark for the country’s aquatics program.

  • Day After Election to Be Public Holiday, PM Announces

    Day After Election to Be Public Holiday, PM Announces

    Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne has made a key announcement at the official campaign launch of the incumbent Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP), confirming that the day after the upcoming April 30 general election will be designated a nationwide public holiday. The announcement came as the party kicked off its bid for a fourth consecutive term in office at a well-attended rally held at People’s Place, where Browne addressed thousands of enthusiastic supporting supporters. Alongside the holiday declaration, Browne formally confirmed the full election timeline: Nomination Day is scheduled for April 13, with general voting to follow 17 days later on April 30. Positioning the public holiday as a pre-emptive celebration, the ABLP leader made clear he is confident of a victory for his party at the polls.

    In a wide-ranging campaign speech outlining the ABLP’s record in government since the party first took power in 2014, Browne framed the past decade as a period of profound national transformation, summing up the country’s trajectory as a shift “from struggle to strength.” He opened his assessment of the administration’s achievements by addressing the state of the economy when the ABLP took office, noting that the previous government left behind widespread mass job losses. Since taking power, Browne asserted, his administration has not only restored full employment to the islands but has also steered the country toward consistent, long-term economic expansion.

    To address widespread concerns over the rising cost of living, Browne highlighted a series of targeted policy measures rolled out by his government to ease financial pressure on households. These include the full elimination of personal income tax for residents, cuts to the Antigua and Barbuda Sales Tax applied to essential everyday goods, and a major expansion of government-run food assistance programs that support vulnerable communities. He also pointed to the government’s decision to maintain subsidies for fuel and household utility costs, explaining that the state has absorbed the bulk of sudden spikes in global commodity prices to avoid passing these additional costs onto local consumers.

    On infrastructure development, Browne pointed to a slate of ongoing and completed projects that have delivered tangible improvements to daily life across Antigua and Barbuda. These include widespread road improvement projects across multiple islands, a major expansion of national potable water production capacity, and large-scale affordable housing initiatives that have helped thousands of families achieve home ownership. These projects, he emphasized, are proof of the ABLP’s commitment to delivering concrete results rather than empty political promises. The prime minister also highlighted investments in two key public services: education and healthcare. Under the ABLP, he said, access to tertiary education has been expanded significantly for local students, and core medical services across the country’s public health system have been upgraded to better serve residents.

    Toward the end of his speech, Browne issued a call to action for all eligible voters, urging them to make the necessary preparations ahead of polling day, including updating or renewing their voter identification cards well in advance of the April 30 vote. With the election timeline now formally set, campaigning across Antigua and Barbuda is expected to ramp up quickly in the coming weeks, as the ABLP defends its record and its hold on government against opposition challengers.

  • Javid Noel becomes Grenada’s 3rd‑ever CARIFTA Octathlon Medallist

    Javid Noel becomes Grenada’s 3rd‑ever CARIFTA Octathlon Medallist

    Grenada’s storied tradition in combined track and field events gained a new milestone at the 2026 CARIFTA Games, where 17-year-old Javid Noel secured a bronze medal in the Boys’ Octathlon, becoming just the third Grenadian athlete ever to earn a podium finish in the discipline at the regional Caribbean athletics championship.

    Noel’s breakthrough regional performance came less than two months after he competed in his first ever official octathlon at the ARIZA National Championships, where he defeated St Andrew’s Anglican Secondary School rival Kidon Hillaire to claim the national title. A student at Grenada Boys’ Secondary School, Noel competes for the island nation’s acclaimed 473 MVP Track Club, where he trains under the guidance of Albert Joseph, one of the most decorated youth track coaches in Grenadian athletics. Over a decades-long career, Joseph has nurtured numerous elite athletes, including Olympic champion Kirani James, global sprinter Janelle Redhead and rising middle-distance star Ethan Sam, cementing his legacy as a foundational contributor to Grenada’s global standing in track and field.

    Consistent performance growth marked Noel’s path to the CARIFTA podium. After scoring 4,658 total points to win the national title, he improved his overall mark by 150 points to hit 4,808 at the regional championships, delivering targeted gains in several key events. He shaved almost a full second off his 110m hurdles time from the national championships, dropping from 17.31 seconds to 16.40 seconds, and added nearly 80 centimeters to his shot put throw, moving from 11.18 meters to 11.97 meters. He also cut 0.18 seconds off his 400m time, showing steady improvement across multiple disciplines despite limited training in two of the octathlon’s most demanding events.

    In a post-medal comment, Joseph praised his young athlete’s achievement while outlining areas for future growth, noting that Noel had barely practiced hurdles or the 1500m until the final two weeks leading up to the CARIFTA Games, leaving significant room for improvement. As Noel prepares to move up to the Under-20 age division next year, he will transition from the eight-event octathlon to the 10-event decathlon, a shift that brings new technical and infrastructure challenges. Joseph highlighted that access to adequate training facilities will be a key barrier: pole vault, a new discipline added in decathlon, requires specialized equipment that is only available at one national stadium, limiting consistent training opportunities.

    Noel’s bronze extends Grenada’s decades-long dominance in combined events at the CARIFTA Games, where the small island nation has already claimed six gold medals in the Open Heptathlon. That legacy includes past titles from Kurt Felix and Lindon Victor, two Grenadian decathletes who went on to compete at the Olympic Games and earn global rankings among the world’s top combined events athletes. Before Noel’s 2026 bronze, only two other Grenadians had reached the octathlon podium at CARIFTA: Shyiem Phillip, who took silver in 2025, and Javel St Paul, who earned silver in 2014.

    For Grenadian athletics, Noel’s performance confirms that the country’s pipeline of young combined events talent remains strong, though sustained progress will depend on addressing infrastructure gaps to support the next generation of rising decathletes as they work toward international competition.

  • Dominica’s NCD Coordinator for World Health Day, 2026

    Dominica’s NCD Coordinator for World Health Day, 2026

    To mark World Health Day 2026, held annually on April 7, Dr. Lynora Fevrier-Drigo, Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Coordinator for Dominica, delivered a national address that balanced urgent calls to address pressing domestic public health challenges with measured optimism for the island nation’s health future. Aligning with the 2026 global theme “Together for Health: Stand with Science,” Dr. Fevrier-Drigo centered her remarks on three core pillars: cross-sector unity, evidence-led policy and programming, and shared collective responsibility for public health outcomes across the country.

    In her address, Dr. Fevrier-Drigo acknowledged that non-communicable diseases remain the single largest threat to public health in Dominica. Up-to-date national public health data shows 32% of Dominican adults live with hypertension, while 18% are diagnosed with diabetes. More than 20% of the total population struggles with overweight or obesity, rates that place significant long-term strain on both individual health and national healthcare systems. Rather than framing these statistics only as a cause for alarm, Dr. Fevrier-Drigo framed them as a sign of progress: improved surveillance and growing public awareness have helped more people access testing and diagnosis, reflecting a more informed population and a more responsive public health system than in decades past.

    Dominica has made substantial investments in upgrading healthcare infrastructure to tackle NCDs in recent years, particularly at the Dominica China Friendship Hospital. The facility has expanded its diagnostic and treatment capabilities to include cutting-edge imaging and radiology services, a fully equipped modern pathology laboratory, and specialized dialysis care for patients with chronic kidney disease. Through a new partnership with the China Institute for Cardiovascular Imaging, the hospital now offers advanced cardiac diagnostic services including echocardiograms and cardiac MRIs—medical resources that rank among the first of their kind available across the Caribbean region.

    Beyond specialized hospital care, the government has prioritized strengthening primary healthcare access to ensure NCD screening and ongoing chronic disease management is available free of charge to all residents in every district across the island. This decentralized model, Dr. Fevrier-Drigo noted, reflects the nation’s unwavering commitment to health equity, guaranteeing that all Dominicans can access life-saving care regardless of their income level or geographic location, removing barriers that once delayed diagnosis and treatment for rural and low-income communities.

    Policy reform has been another core pillar of Dominica’s national NCD response. The country has adopted and implemented all key World Health Organization recommendations for reducing NCD risk, including higher tobacco taxation, mandatory clear nutrition labeling for processed foods, and legal restrictions on the marketing of unhealthy food and beverage products to consumers. Dominica has also deepened regional public health collaboration through the Pan American Health Organization, joining the flagship Hearts in the Americas initiative designed to expand access to cardiovascular care across the Western Hemisphere. Aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the nation has formally committed to cutting premature mortality from NCDs by 30% by 2030.

    Mental health has also been elevated as a top national public health priority, with ongoing work to update outdated mental health legislation and fully integrate mental health support services into primary care settings across the country. This shift, Dr. Fevrier-Drigo explained, reflects a growing understanding that holistic, person-centered care is essential to effectively addressing NCDs, as mental health and chronic physical health outcomes are deeply interconnected.

    Dr. Fevrier-Drigo emphasized that sustained progress cannot be achieved by the government alone, noting that cross-sector collaboration has already driven meaningful momentum across the country. Agricultural programs are expanding local production of nutrient-dense fresh produce, making healthy food options more accessible and affordable for all residents. Primary and secondary schools have integrated health and life skills curricula to help young people build lifelong healthy habits. Meanwhile, community organizations, faith-based groups, sports clubs, and local workplaces have emerged as key hubs for promoting physical activity, holistic wellness, and shared accountability for public health.

    The address closed with a direct call to action for individual Dominican citizens to join the national movement for better health. Dr. Fevrier-Drigo highlighted that free regular screenings for blood pressure, blood glucose, and cholesterol are available at every local health center, and encouraged all residents to take advantage of these services to catch potential health risks early. She also promoted purchasing locally grown produce as both a health-conscious choice that supports personal wellness and a patriotic action that bolsters the island’s domestic agricultural sector. Leveraging Dominica’s abundant natural landscapes, she urged residents to incorporate regular physical activity—from daily walking to community sports—into their routines, and to encourage friends, family, and neighbors to adopt healthier habits as well.

    “We are building a healthier Dominica, and the science tells us we are on the right path. What we need now is for every Dominican to walk it with us. Together for health, stand with science, stand with Dominica,” Dr. Fevrier-Drigo concluded.

  • Nine released in WASA vandalism investigation

    Nine released in WASA vandalism investigation

    In an update from Trinidad and Tobago law enforcement Wednesday, nine people taken into custody over the widespread recent vandalism of critical Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) facilities across Tobago have been freed as the probe continues to advance. Among the group released around midday Tuesday were one current WASA employee and two women, with all nine hailing from distinct communities across the twin islands, including Claxton Bay, Golden Lane, Smithfield, Scarborough, and Delaford, according to Superintendent Rodhil Kirk, the lead officer on the case, who shared details with local outlet the Express.

    Kirk stressed that the release of the detainees does not signal a conclusion to the investigation, which he noted is currently progressing through a sensitive phase. “They were released pending further enquiries into the matter. It does not mean that the investigation has stopped. The investigation remains ongoing at a sensitive stage,” Kirk stated. He also issued a public appeal for residents to maintain heightened awareness of activity near WASA sites, urging anyone who observes suspicious behavior to come forward immediately with information to assist the probe.

    The coordinated acts of intentional damage targeted four of Tobago’s core water infrastructure hubs between March 27 and 28: Arnos Vale Well #4, Bacolet Well #3, Bloody Bay Well #1, and the Claude Noel Highway Well, which includes a major supply tank farm. The destruction severely disrupted water distribution networks across large swathes of the island, leaving thousands of local residents without reliable access to running water and forcing urgent last-minute adjustments as crews worked to restore services.

    The incident drew swift and harsh condemnation from top regional and national officials. Minister of Public Utilities Barry Padarath joined Tobago’s Chief Secretary Farley Augustine in labeling the coordinated attack as an act of “domestic terrorism”, noting the deliberate threat it posed to public welfare. In response to the attack, the national government has already moved to deploy additional security resources to protect utility sites across the country, and is collaborating with the Attorney General’s office to draft stricter legal penalties for individuals convicted of damaging critical public infrastructure.

    For its part, WASA has reminded the public that damaging public utility property constitutes a serious criminal offense under two existing laws: the Summary Offences Act (Chap. 11:02) and the Malicious Damage Act (Chap. 11:06). Convictions under these statutes can result in substantial fines and even custodial sentences for perpetrators. In addition to ramping up physical security patrols and monitoring at its highest-risk facilities, the authority has launched a dedicated 24/7 Vandalism Hotline at 465-2949 to allow anonymous tip-offs from the public about planned or suspicious activity.

    Investigating authorities are continuing to piece together evidence and identify any additional perpetrators connected to the attack, with officials repeatedly emphasizing that acts of vandalism against critical water infrastructure do not only cause temporary service disruptions. They also pose a direct threat to the health, safety, and daily routines of all local residents, highlighting the need for collective community action to prevent similar attacks in the future.