In a historic decision for Caribbean regional tourism leadership, the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) has named Gregor Nassief, a veteran hospitality executive from Dominica, as its incoming president. The unanimous approval of Nassief’s nomination came during the organization’s May 12 Board of Directors meeting held in Antigua and Barbuda, held just ahead of the 44th annual Caribbean Travel Marketplace. Nominated by a broad coalition of CHTA member destinations across the region, Nassief ran unopposed for the role, cementing broad industry confidence in his leadership.
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Non-nationals on cocaine charges to sentenced for immigration offences
Two foreign men, Frank Garcia from Venezuela and Alister Haynes from Grenada, are on track to receive court sentencing on June 11 after pleading guilty to violations of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) immigration rules. The pair remain in remand as they fight separate, more severe charges related to the possession of hundreds of kilograms of cocaine for trafficking.
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Upcoming Library Week 2026 will celebrate ‘Empowering communities through knowledge, culture and innovation’
The Caribbean nation of Dominica is gearing up for its annual national Library Week celebration, scheduled to run from May 18 to May 23, 2026. Organized by the Dominica Library and Information Service, this year’s gathering centers on the unifying theme “Empowering Communities through Knowledge, Culture and Innovation,” a framing that underscores the deep, multifaceted impact libraries have on national life.
As a long-running annual tradition, Library Week was created to shine a spotlight on the core contributions that library institutions make across Dominica, from advancing formal education and boosting national literacy rates to preserving local cultural heritage and driving inclusive community progress. This year’s edition carries a focused set of goals: to ignite and nurture a lasting passion for reading among people of all ages, embed a culture of continuous lifelong learning, foster creative expression across communities, and expand public awareness of the full range of free resources and public services hosted by the country’s network of libraries.
According to an official announcement released by Dominica’s Ministry of Education, event planners anticipate broad public engagement for the 2026 celebration, drawing participants from student groups, local teaching communities, and casual visitors from across the country. Events will be hosted across multiple accessible venues to spread participation across the island, including the National Archives Unit, the national Documentation Centre, the Roseau Public Library, and regional branch libraries in three population centers: Portsmouth, Marigot, and Grand Bay.
The core mission of the 2026 Library Week initiative is to encourage residents of every age group to leverage library spaces more fully, positioning these institutions as dynamic hubs for academic study, personal exploration, creative innovation, and ongoing self-improvement. In an appeal to the public, the Dominica Library and Information Service has invited all community members to take part in the week of activities, and join in celebrating the enduring role libraries continue to play in driving national development and strengthening local community connections.
“Library Week is an important national observance that highlights the vital role libraries and archives play in education, literacy development, research, cultural preservation, and lifelong learning,” said Renita Charles, Chief Librarian of the Dominica Library and Information Service, in an official statement.
Members of the public seeking full schedules, venue details, and updates on 2026 Library Week activities can access additional information through three official channels: the Dominica Library and Information Service’s official website at dlis.gov.dm, the organization’s public Facebook page, or by visiting the DLIS headquarters located on Kennedy Avenue in the capital city of Roseau. A full audio breakdown of the week’s planned events from Chief Librarian Renita Charles is also available via the Dominica News Online platform.
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CARICOM Impacs, CBLA Crime Stoppers Foundation formalise alliance
On May 12, in Paramaribo, Suriname, two key regional security organizations have formalized a groundbreaking partnership aimed at tackling growing transnational criminal threats across the Caribbean. The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) and the Crime Stoppers for the Caribbean, Bermuda and Latin America (CBLA Crime Stoppers Foundation) signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during the Annual Conference of Caribbean Commissioners of Police (ACCP), laying out a structured path for deeper collaboration on crime prevention, intelligence sharing and citizen engagement.
The agreement establishes a clear, sovereignty-respecting framework for secure information exchange between the two entities. It leverages Crime Stoppers’ proven anonymous, confidential citizen reporting systems, which allow members of the public to share details about criminal activity without fear of retaliation. Under the terms of the partnership, CARICOM IMPACS will take the lead on assessing, coordinating and conducting strategic analysis of the collected intelligence, aligned with existing regional security protocols and the national legal frameworks of all participating countries.
This collaboration prioritizes addressing the full spectrum of transnational organised crime that undermines stability, prosperity and public safety across the region. Key priority areas include drug trafficking, illegal arms trade, illicit commercial activity, money laundering, gang violence, human trafficking, cybercrime, and other evolving organised criminal threats that have cross-border impacts.
Speaking at the signing, CBLA Crime Stoppers Regional Director and CEO Alejo Campos described the agreement as a critical milestone in building stronger connections between regional governance institutions and civil society-led public safety mechanisms. He noted that transnational organised crime is changing and expanding at a rapid pace across the Caribbean, making coordinated regional action, public participation, and protected intelligence sharing more important than ever to protect nations, local economies and communities.
Lt. Col. Michael Jones, Executive Director of CARICOM IMPACS, echoed this sentiment, framing the partnership as a major advancement for the region’s collective security architecture. By combining Crime Stoppers’ extensive grassroots outreach and citizen engagement infrastructure with CARICOM IMPACS’ strategic cross-border coordination capacity, the partnership creates a far more robust and effective front against organised criminal networks. Jones emphasized that this shared commitment to collective intelligence will directly improve safety and security for residents across the Caribbean, Bermuda, and Latin America.
Beyond intelligence sharing, the partnership opens the door to future collaborative work across a range of complementary areas, including public education and awareness campaigns, training and capacity-building for law enforcement and community stakeholders, technical knowledge exchanges, and the development of unified regional crime prevention strategies.
As the operational arm of CARICOM’s regional crime and security agenda, CARICOM IMPACS plays a central role in coordinating intelligence and supporting operational cooperation between CARICOM Member States and Associate Members. For its part, CBLA Crime Stoppers already runs anonymous crime reporting programs and public safety partnerships across the Caribbean, Bermuda and Latin America, working alongside governments, law enforcement, international bodies and local communities to encourage greater citizen participation in crime prevention efforts.
This new agreement reflects a growing consensus across the region that effective action against modern organised crime cannot rely on law enforcement action alone. Successfully countering increasingly complex criminal threats requires trusted public engagement, coordinated cross-border cooperation, and modern, secure information-sharing ecosystems that can adapt to changing criminal tactics.
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Lennox Linton: ‘confirm your voter registration…your vote will definitely matter in the next general election’
Dominica’s ongoing electoral reform initiative has become a flashpoint of debate, as former United Workers Party political leader and president Lennox Linton has issued a urgent public call for all citizens to complete their mandatory voter registration confirmation before the October 14, 2026 deadline. Linton’s appeal comes as the nationwide confirmation exercise faces mounting pushback from high-profile critics, including one of the country’s most prominent business leaders, who have raised serious questions about the process’s credibility and transparency.
In a public statement emphasizing the foundational role of voting in democratic society, Linton framed participation as both a fundamental right and a core civic responsibility. “Your vote is your voice. Your vote is your choice. Your vote is your right. Your vote is your responsibility,” he told the public, reminding voters that under the newly enacted election law, any ballot cast by an unconfirmed registered voter will not be counted in upcoming elections. He urged people to not wait until the final days of the window to complete the process, stressing that every confirmed vote will shape the outcome of the next general election.
To streamline the confirmation process, local officials have set up dedicated confirmation centers across all of Dominica’s 21 constituencies. Voters are required to bring one form of valid government-issued identification — which can include a Dominica passport, a valid driver’s license, or a social security card — alongside a witness who is registered at the same polling station. For citizens who do not hold any of the primary acceptable identification documents, officials have outlined alternative documentation requirements: a original birth certificate, a formal affidavit of identity signed by a justice of the peace, and a certified passport-sized photograph.
The push for participation comes amid sharp criticism from leading Dominican businessman Gregor Nassief, who has emerged as one of the most vocal opponents of the current electoral setup. Nassief has argued that pervasive delays, systemic administrative failures, and a persistent lack of transparency have already eroded public trust in the country’s electoral system. Among his top concerns are the temporary suspension of continuous voter registration, slow processing times for voters who have already completed confirmation, and the absence of dedicated government-issued voter ID cards — all flaws he says threaten the legitimacy of the upcoming general election.
In a series of open public letters, Nassief has called for the entire Electoral Commission to step down, and demanded that the national government delay calling a general election until the system is fully functional and has earned widespread public trust. He has also proposed two key policy adjustments to address gaps in the current process: an extension of the voter confirmation deadline and a expanded, more aggressive public awareness campaign to boost participation rates. Nassief’s criticisms have been echoed by other opponents of the current reform framework, who warn that other unresolved issues — including unregulated campaign finance, unclear residency requirements for voters, and insufficient safeguards against electoral bribery — continue to undermine confidence in the fairness of upcoming polls.
Despite the widespread criticism of the process, Linton has maintained that individual citizen action remains critical, repeating his call for people to complete their confirmation as soon as possible. “Confirm your registration. Do it today. Ensure your name is on the new voters list. Your vote will definitely matter in the next general election,” he said.
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More Than 60 Culture Department Workers Expected Back to Office After Building Retrofit
Antigua and Barbuda’s government is moving forward with long-overdue upgrades to its public infrastructure, with dozens of public employees poised to get back to full-time in-office work in the coming weeks. The announcement was made during this week’s post-Cabinet briefing, where government officials shared new details on a nationwide audit of all state-owned buildings aimed at addressing longstanding occupancy and safety issues.
Maurice Merchant, the nation’s Director General of Communications, explained that unsafe or inadequate building conditions have disrupted public service operations for months, forcing hundreds of civil servants to adjust their work arrangements drastically. “You would be shocked – or maybe not even surprised – to learn that a large share of government workers have either been heading home by midday or working entirely remotely because of problems with their assigned office buildings,” Merchant told reporters during the briefing.
The Ministry of Works has been leading the multi-phase project, conducting full structural and safety assessments across all public facilities, completing targeted repairs, and compiling a final audit report to present to Cabinet for further action. Among the government departments most severely impacted by poor building conditions was the Department of Culture, which has operated entirely remotely for an extended period, according to Merchant.
After the government finished full retrofitting work on a newly designated building that has now passed all safety and occupancy inspections, more than 60 Department of Culture employees will be required to return to in-office work at the updated facility within the next few weeks. The retrofitting project addressed all structural, accessibility, and safety concerns to bring the building up to modern public sector occupancy standards.
In addition to the Department of Culture update, Cabinet also confirmed that the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s building has been declared safe for full occupancy after technical assessments from the Ministry of Works, clearing the way for that department’s staff to also return to normal in-office operations. As a long-term measure to maintain safe working conditions across all public buildings, the government has also created a dedicated deep-cleaning division within the Ministry of Works. This new unit will be responsible for regular inspections and maintenance to ensure all state-owned facilities continue to meet public health and occupancy safety standards moving forward.
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School controversy after student allegedly struck in face by teacher
A quiet urban primary school in Saint Lucia has become the epicenter of a growing public controversy after an alleged assault on a second-grade student that unfolded on Friday, May 8. Local broadcaster MBC Prime was the first outlet to break the story on the following Monday, bringing forward claims from a mother that her young son was struck in the face by his classroom teacher with a hard object.
According to the mother’s account, shared in a televised interview with MBC, the incident was triggered by the boy turning away from a educational video the teacher had put on for the entire class. After two separate instances of the child looking away, the mother says her son told her the teacher threw a medication bottle at him on the third occurrence. The boy was left with a visibly swollen nasal bridge, an injury his mother directly links to the impact from the bottle. When the mother first confronted the educator about the incident, she claims he initially admitted to throwing the bottle toward her son after the class had ended.
Immediately after seeking medical care for her son’s injury, the mother approached the school’s principal to demand accountability and resolution. Dissatisfied with how the school leadership addressed her complaint, she escalated the issue, reaching out to local education department officials and filing a report with national police. However, as St Lucia Times has confirmed through independent sources, the mother remains unhappy with the slow, passive response she has received from regulatory authorities.
As the story has spread through the local community, deep social tension has erupted in the neighborhood where both the family and the accused teacher reside. In a disturbing turn of events, the educator has been targeted with direct threats from community members angered by the allegations.
Notably, the teacher involved has long been associated with a prominent local Saint Lucian organization focused on youth mentorship, which promotes strict discipline and positive character development among students, adding another layer of complexity to the unfolding situation.
When reached for comment by St Lucia Times, representatives from the Ministry of Education confirmed that a formal investigation into the incident is currently active and ongoing. Amid escalating conflict and safety concerns for staff and students, authorities have announced the school will be fully closed this coming Friday, May 15 to prevent further confrontation.
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International HR Day virtual celebration on 20 May 2026
What started as a global initiative to honor the unsung work of human resources professionals has grown into a beloved annual community gathering in Grenada, thanks to the dedication of a local HR consultancy.
International HR Day was first established back in 2019 by the European Association of People Management (EAPM), created with a clear, enduring mission: to formally recognize and celebrate the critical contributions that HR and people professionals make to workplaces and industries across the globe. It took until 2023 for the initiative to capture the attention of Grenada-based J’s HR Consultancy, which immediately recognized it as a valuable opportunity to shine a spotlight on the vital work done by local HR practitioners across the Caribbean island nation.
After embracing the project in 2023, the consultancy launched its first virtual celebration of International HR Day in 2024, followed by a second gathering in 2025. Both events succeeded in sparking widespread enthusiasm across Grenada’s HR community, drawing 30 to 40 practicing professionals to each session. Following both events, attendee feedback consistently reflected a strong demand for more regular networking and recognition opportunities for the island’s HR sector.
Building on that momentum, J’s HR Consultancy has announced its third annual virtual International HR Day event, scheduled to take place via Zoom on May 20 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. local time. The free event is supported by Grenada’s growing local HR community, and will feature a lineup of special programming designed to honor and inspire local practitioners. Attendees will hear motivational keynote messages from some of Grenada’s most prominent local business leaders, and will receive special greetings from two cross-regional HR leadership figures: the President of the Human Resource Management Association of Guyana, and the President of the Association of HRM Professionals of St Lucia.
Beyond professional insights, the event will also offer attendees space to relax, connect with peers, and reflect on their work over the past year, with several attractive raffle prizes up for grabs. J’s HR Consultancy has credited a diverse group of local corporate and community sponsors for making the event and its giveaways possible, including Women’s Haven, Caulco Inc – Cauls Food Store, Belmont Estate, True Blue Bay Boutique Resort, McIntyre Bros Ltd, ACADO Grenada, and NOW Grenada.
As the event date approaches, J’s HR Consultancy founder and lead consultant Janel Jeremiah encouraged HR professionals across Grenada to prioritize their own professional growth, and to continue driving positive change within their organizations even amid ongoing industry challenges. The consultancy is also inviting local employers to partner with the organization to help make this year’s International HR Day celebration a memorable experience for all HR and people professionals across the country.
HR professionals interested in attending can register for the free event at the following link: https://forms.gle/YTkWzRC88FKe3Ycc7.
This announcement is a contributed piece published via NOW Grenada. NOW Grenada does not take responsibility for opinions, statements, or any third-party media content shared by contributors. Readers can report any concerning abusive content via the platform’s official reporting channel.
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Police officer completes US maritime training course
On Thursday, the top leadership of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force publicly recognized the achievement of Superintendent Irvin Alfred, the head of the service’s Police Marine Unit. Alfred recently crossed the finish line of the highly regarded International Maritime Training Course hosted by the US Coast Guard Training Center based in Yorktown, Virginia.
Widely respected across global law enforcement circles, this specialized program is built around sharing proven best practices developed by the US Coast Guard and other United States government agencies. Its core mission is to upskill senior maritime policing and security officers, arming them with cutting-edge operational insights, advanced strategic leadership capabilities, and specialized proficiency in two critical areas: maritime security and large-scale emergency response.
Throughout the 13-week intensive training cycle, Alfred dove deep into a comprehensive curriculum that covered a wide range of high-stakes, practical skill sets. These included advanced search and rescue protocols, transboundary maritime law enforcement, strategic crisis communications frameworks, coordinated emergency management, tactical waterborne operational tactics, marine environmental safety and pollution response, command structure leadership, and conflict de-escalation and response in high-risk armed scenarios. For the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force, Alfred’s newly expanded expertise is expected to strengthen the nation’s maritime security capacity and improve response outcomes for coastal and marine emergencies in the region.
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Vigil Held in Urlings for Three Fishermen Missing at Sea
On a quiet Thursday evening, residents across St. Mary’s South filled a gathering space not for celebration, but for collective grief and quiet solidarity, gathering to honor three Urlings fishermen who have remained unaccounted for after going missing out at sea.
The close-knit coastal community came together in hushed, solemn reflection to remember the three missing men: Devon Prince, known locally by his nickname “Grease Gun,” Adrian Pryce, who went by “Ivan,” and Carlton Pitt, affectionately called “Nagamootoo.”
As dusk fell over the coastal neighborhood, attendees lit small, flickering candles that cast warm, gentle light across the crowd. Many joined in spoken prayers for the missing men and their families, sang traditional hymns, and stood shoulder-to-shoulder to demonstrate unwavering support for the relatives and loved ones left waiting for answers.
This emotional gathering underscored the deep, interwoven bond between the Urlings community and the ocean that surrounds it. For generations, the sea has served as both the primary source of livelihood for many local families and a core part of the region’s cultural identity, tying residents together through shared daily work and generational tradition.
In an official statement released after the vigil concluded, event organizers emphasized that the entire region stood united with those affected by the disappearance. “We stand with the families, friends, and the entire Urlings community during this difficult time,” the statement read.
Beyond honoring the three missing fishermen, the vigil also carried a message of hope: attendees expressed their wishes that the families waiting for updates would find the strength and comfort needed to navigate this uncertain period. The tribute closed by reaffirming that the three men, remembered as beloved “sons of the soil,” would never be forgotten by the community that raised them.