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  • Dutch hospital admits patient with ‘low suspicion’ of Ebola

    Dutch hospital admits patient with ‘low suspicion’ of Ebola

    In a development that comes hours after the World Health Organization raised the global risk level of the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to its highest tier, a Netherlands hospital confirmed Friday that it has admitted a patient for what it describes as “low suspicion” of the deadly virus.

    Officials at Radboud University Medical Center, based in the eastern Dutch city of Nijmegen, announced that the patient has already been transferred to a purpose-built specialized isolation ward, where medical teams will conduct ongoing observation, diagnostic testing and targeted precautionary treatment. As of Friday’s public announcement, the hospital has not released any additional identifying information about the patient, nor has it shared details about whether the individual has any recent travel history to Ebola-affected regions.

    This is not the first time the Nijmegen-based medical facility has found itself at the center of a public infectious disease safety conversation. Just months earlier on May 11, the hospital made international headlines when a dozen of its clinical staff members were placed into mandatory preventive quarantine. The quarantine was triggered after procedural mistakes occurred while the team was caring for an evacuee from the cruise ship MV Hondius who tested positive for hantavirus. The errors were made during the handling of the patient’s blood samples and the disposal of the individual’s urine, prompting public scrutiny of the facility’s infection control protocols at the time.

    Earlier on the same Friday this potential Ebola case was announced, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced that the global health body was upgrading its official risk assessment for the DR Congo outbreak to the top red level, amid a steady rise in confirmed and suspected fatalities from the virus. Tedros described the unfolding public health crisis in the central African nation as “deeply worrisome”, noting that official counts now stand at nearly 750 suspected Ebola cases across the country, with 177 suspected deaths tied to the outbreak.

  • Wolmer’s celebrates 297 years with bold vision for future

    Wolmer’s celebrates 297 years with bold vision for future

    One of the Caribbean’s most storied educational institutions marked a major milestone this week, as Wolmer’s Schools celebrated its 297th anniversary on Thursday with the launch of a transformative infrastructure initiative designed to cement its status as a regional leader in educational technology by its tricentennial in 2029.

    The announcement was delivered to hundreds of assembled students inside Kingston’s Douglas Orane Auditorium at Wolmer’s Boys’ School by Courtney Wynter, chairman of the institution’s joint board of management, during the annual Founder’s Day celebration. Wynter framed the multi-year expansion as a proactive response to shifting global workforce demands, driven by rapid technological advancement and the growing mainstream integration of artificial intelligence across every sector of the modern economy.

    “Positioning Wolmer’s for the next 300 years requires us to equip our students — both young men and women — with the tools and training they need to meet the challenges of a fast-changing future,” Wynter told the audience. The phased development programme, set to kick off in June 2025 and run through to the 300th anniversary celebrations in 2029, will overhaul the school’s tech and multimedia infrastructure to support next-generation learning.

    Construction work will get underway next month with the addition of a new floor to the institution’s sixth-form block. Over the first three years of the project, the school will add a minimum of 16 new purpose-built spaces, including a state-of-the-art lecture hall, expanded information and communications technology (ICT) laboratories, a full-scale professional multimedia production studio, and a centralized multimedia center designed to support cross-curricular tech-focused learning.

    Wynter emphasized that all new facilities will be fitted with cutting-edge, future-forward learning tools built to scale with emerging technological developments over coming decades. He confirmed the initiative represents the largest single infrastructure investment in Wolmer’s nearly 300-year history, a commitment that will firmly establish the school as the Caribbean’s premiere hub for technology talent development once completed.

    To deliver on the ambitious vision, Wynter called for full collaboration across all of Wolmer’s stakeholder groups, highlighting the critical need for financial contributions to the school’s expansion fund and ongoing professional upskilling programmes for teaching staff to ensure they can leverage the new facilities effectively.

    The Founder’s Day event also reflected on Wolmer’s remarkable 297-year legacy of resilience and educational excellence. Wynter noted that through centuries of economic, social, and political upheaval, the institution has never merged, been absorbed into another body, or divested, retaining its independent identity as Jamaica and the Caribbean’s oldest continuously operating co-educational secondary school system.

    “Today we stand proudly as the oldest, and without question, the most well-rounded educational institution in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean,” Wynter said. “For 297 years, our core identity has been defined by two enduring attributes: a culture of resilience and an unbroken tradition of excellence.”

    Responding to common public narratives that often frame Wolmer’s reputation around its dominant performance in national inter-school athletic competitions such as the Manning Cup football tournament and the Inter-Secondary Schools Association Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs), Wynter reaffirmed the institution’s standing as the region’s top academic provider. “Wolmer’s is unquestionably the crème de la crème of Caribbean educational institutions,” he said. “No other high school in the country can claim consecutive top excellence ratings from the National Educational Institute Inspectorate — that distinction belongs to Wolmer’s alone. We pause today to thank the generations of leaders, educators, and alumni who laid this foundation of excellence that we build on today.”

    Thursday’s celebration included special devotions attended by students from both Wolmer’s Boys’ School and Wolmer’s High School for Girls, as well as a symbolic torch ceremony to mark the official countdown to the 2029 tricentennial, led by Wolmer’s Boys’ School Principal Dwight Pennycooke and senior teacher Princess Hemmings.

  • Senate president says Parliament will not ‘bow to intimidation’ over delayed FLA report

    Senate president says Parliament will not ‘bow to intimidation’ over delayed FLA report

    Political friction has intensified in Jamaica over the withholding of a sensitive Integrity Commission report tied to the Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA), as top parliamentary leaders have pushed back against growing condemnation from the country’s opposition bloc. Senate President Tom Tavares-Finson has issued a staunch defense of the decision to keep the controversial document off the parliamentary table, rejecting opposition claims that House Speaker Juliet Holness acted alone to delay its release and emphasizing that Parliament will not yield to outside pressure.

    During a Friday Senate sitting, opposition lawmaker Lambert Brown raised questions about whether other Integrity Commission submissions had been received but left untabled by parliamentary leadership. In response, Tavares-Finson confirmed that the FLA-focused report had been delivered to Parliament on March 30, 2026, but remains undisclosed to the public.

    For days following the revelation, the issue has roiled Jamaican politics and sparked widespread public debate. Opposition figures have accused the governing faction of intentionally delaying a report that is widely rumored to include damning findings of mismanagement and alleged improper conduct at the FLA. Much of the opposition’s criticism has centered directly on House Speaker Juliet Holness, with Opposition Leader Mark Golding arguing earlier this week that the failure to table the report promptly violates the core intent of the Integrity Commission Act.

    Tavares-Finson flatly rejected all claims that Holness made the call to withhold the report unilaterally or inappropriately. In a forceful address to the Senate, he clarified that the choice was a joint one made by the body’s top presiding officers — himself as Senate President and Holness as Speaker — after formal consultation with Parliament’s clerk and in-house legal advisors. He went on to accuse critics of deliberately singling out Holness in a coordinated effort to undermine her public credibility.

    “What is abundantly clear is that actors with full knowledge of the joint decision have falsely pinned the entire responsibility on the Speaker, all in a bid to besmirch her authority and tarnish her reputation,” Tavares-Finson said. “I am not shocked by these attacks. Jamaica has a long, well-documented history of segments of our society targeting and attacking women in powerful leadership positions.”

    Beyond defending the process that led to the decision, Tavares-Finson also justified its legality, noting that the Integrity Commission Act does not mandate that presiding officers table received reports within any set deadline. He explained that while the commission is tasked with submitting reports to Parliament for tabling, the ultimate authority to decide if and when a report is released publicly rests with the body’s presiding leadership.

    A core pillar of the government’s defense is the existence of active court proceedings tied to the report’s release. Tavares-Finson confirmed that Parliament opted to delay tabling to allow ongoing litigation to move forward, explaining that officials wanted clarity on the court’s position before making the document public. “There is currently an active court case seeking to block the disclosure of this report,” he said. “We took the position that we should let these proceedings advance to understand the court’s direction, and we agreed the report should not be tabled until the legal issues are fully aired in court.”

    The Senate President also made a new disclosure during the sitting: he and Holness have received formal correspondence from Opposition Leader Mark Golding, who threatened to pursue legal action if the report is not tabled at Parliament’s next sitting. Tavares-Finson called the threat an unprecedented challenge to parliamentary governance, and said the move falls far below the standard of dignity expected from the leader of the opposition.

    “Without going into excessive detail, I want to make one thing absolutely clear: the presiding officers of this Parliament will not bow to any form of intimidation or threat,” he added. “We will manage the affairs of this institution in full accordance with established protocols, our standing orders, and the Constitution of Jamaica.”

  • Clampdown on roadside garages in Trelawny

    Clampdown on roadside garages in Trelawny

    FALMOUTH, Trelawny — Local municipal authorities in Jamaica’s Trelawny parish have stepped up enforcement against unregulated roadside garage operators that encroach on public roadways with vehicles under repair, with Falmouth’s mayor issuing a stark warning that non-compliant operators could have their abandoned or improperly parked vehicles hauled away by the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA).

    C Junior Gager, mayor of Falmouth, singled out a high-profile problematic operator based along Foreshore Road, a key entry corridor to the historic port town that has drawn consistent complaints from residents, business owners and visitors alike. Gager confirmed that the operator has already received two formal official notices to clear the road of parked service vehicles.

    The good news, Gager noted, is that the operator has begun to take steps toward compliance, with one side of the two-lane roadway now fully cleared of the parked vehicles that previously blocked through traffic and public parking spaces. Municipal works staff have been assigned to conduct constant monitoring of the site to prevent the encroachment from reoccurring, the mayor added, with regular on-site checks already underway to ensure full compliance is maintained.

    “We have tasked the superintendent of works with ongoing oversight of this area. As of this morning, he was on location confirming progress, because if full compliance is not achieved, we will be forced to implement direct enforcement action,” Gager explained in an interview.

    For local officials, the pileup of service vehicles along Foreshore Road is more than just an inconvenience: it is a public safety hazard and a major blight on the image of one of Jamaica’s most important historic tourist towns. Right after visitors pass the large “Welcome to Falmouth” sign marking the entrance to the town, they are immediately confronted by the line of partially disassembled vehicles lining both sides of the road, Gager said.

    Beyond the aesthetic damage to the town’s image, the encroachment has created a critical parking shortage for local residents and nearby business operators, who have flooded the municipal corporation with repeated complaints about the issue. The corporation’s current enforcement push will see officials continue issuing formal notices to all roadside operators that are illegally occupying public roadways, Gager confirmed.

    “To any operator that is storing vehicles on public roads: be on notice. The Trelawny Municipal Corporation is cracking down. We will be issuing formal notices, this illegal activity will not be tolerated. If you fail to comply with our requests, we will bring NSWMA trucks to remove your vehicles and take them directly to the municipal dump,” Gager warned.

    The mayor emphasized that the municipal government holds a core responsibility to keep public roadways safe for all users, including motorists and pedestrians. When vehicles are parked along the side of travel lanes, he explained, drivers are forced to swerve into oncoming traffic to pass, creating a high risk of head-on collisions and other serious accidents.

    Gager’s latest warning comes on the heels of a broader enforcement sweep recently carried out by the TMC in the upscale gated community of Florence Hall. During that operation, officials served notices to multiple property owners for violating local building codes, including one property owner who was storing several old, derelict vehicles on their residential land.

    In that Florence Hall case, Gager said officials are preparing to issue a second formal notice, and have ordered the property owner to clear the land and bring the site into compliance with local property maintenance regulations.

    The current crackdown is part of a broader municipal push to clean up Falmouth, improve public safety, and preserve the town’s historic character as it attracts increasing numbers of tourists and new business investment.

  • Brownskin Rae taps into faith and self-reflection with upcoming single ‘Father’

    Brownskin Rae taps into faith and self-reflection with upcoming single ‘Father’

    Dancehall performer Brownskin Rae is charting a new creative course, trading in her signature genre blend of melodic singing and gritty deejaying for a deeply personal, spiritually rooted direction with her upcoming lead single *Father*, set to drop on May 22. Centered on themes of faith, personal development, emotional resilience, and divine grace, the track marks the most intentional shift yet for the artist, who has built her fanbase on a dynamic, genre-bending take on traditional dancehall.

    In recent months, Brownskin Rae has felt a growing pull toward creating conscious, uplifting music that reflects her evolving personal journey. While she remains open to her earlier style of secular work and still enjoys the genre, her creative impulse has increasingly turned toward work that carries meaningful, encouraging messages for listeners navigating life’s hardships. “I have been yearning to write more conscious songs,” she shared in an interview about the new release. “I still have the talent to create secular music and I still listen to it, but my desire to make those type of songs is slowly dissipating.”

    The core mission of *Father* is to inspire audiences to stay grounded in their faith, remain true to their authentic selves, and hold onto prayer during life’s most challenging seasons, she explained. Brownskin Rae noted that for many people, personal struggles often feel too vulnerable to share with others, but turning to a higher power offers consistent comfort and guidance. “When you’re going through things, sometimes we don’t feel comfortable discussing them with anybody, but you can always call on God,” she said.

    True to her creative process, *Father* draws directly from Brownskin Rae’s own life experiences and emotional journey, weaving in themes of personal accountability, divine grace, and inner healing. The artist has long rooted her discography in personal truth, and this track is no exception. “I’m not perfect, but I ask God for grace and mercy,” she shared. “Most of my songs are based on personal experiences.”

    Musically, *Father* retains the artist’s iconic fusion of singing and deejaying, layered over an emotionally resonant production that balances raw vulnerability with empowering energy. Interestingly, the track’s origins came from an unexpected everyday encounter: Brownskin Rae was shopping for a new refrigerator for her mother’s home when she met a man named Odane, who connected her via phone to producer Gargon. After listening to a collection of instrumentals co-created by Gargon and Cucudon, one beat immediately stood out and stuck with her. “I let the beat sit for about a week, then one day I woke up and wrote the song,” she recalled.

    The track went through multiple stages of production before reaching its final form: it was first recorded with producer Supreme, before Brownskin Rae partnered with Feel Good Boss, who championed the project and connected her with audio engineer G1 to finalize the track. Full production credits for *Father* include Gargon, Cucudon, Supreme, Feel Good Boss, and G1.

    While the single marks a clear evolution in Brownskin Rae’s public artistry, she emphasizes that spirituality has long been a core part of who she is, not a new persona adopted for this release. “This side of me isn’t new. I’ve always been a strong, prayerful person,” she explained. “Life lessons and wisdom are steering me more now than before.”

    As an independent dancehall artist, Brownskin Rae reflected that her career path has been marked by unexpected challenges, setbacks, and changes of direction, all of which she now credits for her personal and creative growth. She has never sought to conform to industry expectations or copy the brand of other artists, instead trusting that closed doors are a form of divine timing and protection. “I’ve never tried to portray myself as another artiste or fit into a mold,” she said. “I believe if a door didn’t open, it was divine protection and timing.”

    Looking ahead, *Father* will serve as the lead single for Brownskin Rae’s upcoming three-track EP, which will also include the tracks *Sunrize* and *Cyah Give Up*. The full extended play is scheduled to launch before July this year.

  • Super David given edge in Monday Morning Trophy

    Super David given edge in Monday Morning Trophy

    One of Jamaica’s most anticipated annual thoroughbred racing events, the 10th edition of the $1.1-million Monday Morning Trophy, is set to take center stage tomorrow as the headline attraction of a nine-race program at the iconic Caymanas Park.

    The feature race is structured as a Restricted Allowance II contest, open exclusively to native-bred three-year-old horses that have not claimed two career wins to date. A competitive field of eight contenders has been confirmed for the 7-furlong (1,400-meter) sprint, with racing analysts from The Supreme Racing Guide breaking down each runner’s potential to claim the top prize.

    First up is Minneha, a three-year-old bay filly sired by Savoy Stomp out of Red Gold. Analysts do not project her to be a competitive factor in tomorrow’s outing.

    In contrast, Charming Chaterbox, a three-year-old bay filly by Successful Native out of Morning Glory, turned heads with a stunning debut victory on February 21. She dominated that 5½-furlong contest, crossing the finish line 9¼ lengths ahead of the pack with a fast time of 1:08.3. With expected natural improvement from her first outing, analysts rank her as a serious contender for the trophy.

    Third in the field is Darwin, a three-year-old bay colt by Casual Trick out of Cape. The Supreme Racing Guide notes he has not displayed enough form to indicate he is prepared to secure a win in this race.

    Fourth is Super David, a three-year-old bay gelding sired by Patton Proud out of Storm Girl. He delivered a similarly dominant performance in his most recent start on May 2, romping to an 8¼-length win over 6½ furlongs with a time of 1:20.2. Analysts say the extra half-furlong for tomorrow’s race should not pose a problem for the colt, who is being pointed toward the 2000 Guineas later in the season. As such, he is widely considered a strong candidate to notch his second consecutive win.

    London Spirit, a three-year-old bay colt by Bern Identity out of Bluefield, does not appear to have the top-tier class needed to take home the victory, per analyst assessments.

    Sixth in the field is Tia Maria, a three-year-old chestnut filly by Bold Conquest out of Zacapa, who is making her return to the track after a 148-day layoff. Her last race was on December 26, 2025, where she finished seventh in the competitive Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes. Training reports indicate she has posted strong workout times in preparation for her seasonal debut. While there is some question over whether she will need this outing to shake off race rust, analysts agree she has the inherent class and talent to pull off a win.
    \nSeventh is Strong Aveenu, a three-year-old bay colt by Aveenu Malcainu out of Ruby Rose. While he claimed a win in his most recent start, analysts do not expect him to repeat that performance in this higher-stakes contest.

    Rounding out the field is Fidelity, a three-year-old bay gelding by Bern Identity out of Hush My Darling, who analysts project will be outpaced by the rest of the competitive field. The race is set to run tomorrow as part of Caymanas Park’s full racing card, with fans already anticipating a showdown between the event’s top contenders.

  • Alkaline shows postponed due to ‘family bereavement’

    Alkaline shows postponed due to ‘family bereavement’

    Just days after scrapping its originally scheduled Atlanta stop due to a family bereavement in the tour team, the Reggae Fest Tour has announced further delays for two high-profile shows headlined by celebrated dancehall artist Alkaline.

    Promoter CJ Milan broke the news to fans in an official statement posted to the Reggae Fest Tour’s verified social media channels, confirming that the New Rules tour stops planned for Miami and Philadelphia will not proceed on their originally marked calendar dates.

    In the immediate aftermath of the personal loss affecting the tour organization, leadership initially held out hope that the trio of scheduled events — Atlanta, Miami, and Philadelphia — could go forward as planned. But after additional internal deliberation, the team concluded that a full postponement of the affected dates was the most responsible path forward.

    “This was not a decision we made hastily or lightly,” the statement emphasized, adding a formal apology to every group affected by the last-minute changes: fans, venue partners, corporate sponsors, and ticketholders who had planned to attend.

    The two newly postponed shows were set to take place at Miami’s Kaseya Center on May 22 and Philadelphia’s Xfinity Mobile Arena on June 13. Per the official announcement, all tickets purchased for the original dates will be fully refunded to buyers, and organizers plan to share updated scheduling information for the rescheduled shows in the coming weeks.

    In closing, the Reggae Fest Tour extended gratitude to its community of supporters for their patience and understanding through what the organization described as an unexpectedly challenging period.

    These latest postponements do not exist in a vacuum: they come as the entire U.S. live entertainment sector grapples with a growing, widespread trend of tour disruptions. Over the past several months, dozens of major artists across pop, rap, and reggae genres have been forced to cancel or delay scheduled tour dates, driven largely by mounting concerns around underperforming ticket sales.

    High-profile examples of this trend already include rapper Post Malone pushing back the launch of his latest headlining tour, and hip-hop artist Waka Flocka Flame scrapping a series of scheduled shows in New York City.

    Industry analysts have coined the term “Blue Dot Fever” to describe this current crisis, a reference to the bright blue markers that highlight unsold seats on most major online ticketing platforms. Researchers and industry insiders point to three core contributing factors that have dragged on live music attendance in 2026: steadily climbing average ticket prices that outpace consumer inflation, an oversaturated market packed with more touring acts than audiences can support, and a permanent shift in post-pandemic consumer spending that prioritizes essential goods over discretionary leisure experiences.

    While organizers have stressed that the Reggae Fest Tour’s postponements were driven exclusively by a private family loss, with no connection to ticket sales, the delays still land at a moment of unprecedented pressure for tour promoters and artists across all genres, who are struggling to adapt to shifting market conditions.

    Even amid the latest setback for Alkaline’s U.S. run, loyal fans of the dancehall star remain optimistic that rescheduled dates will be confirmed soon. Anticipation for the artist’s first tour stops in the region in years has not faded, with many followers continuing to express excitement for the chance to see Alkaline perform live once the tour gets back on track.

  • Chasing the special one

    Chasing the special one

    In a sport that has long been dominated by male participants, a small but growing cohort of women is reshaping the landscape of professional horse racing, carving out lasting legacies and challenging long-held industry norms. One of these trailblazing women is Shauna-Kay Hinds, founder and owner of the Jamaica-based O&S Racers syndicate, who notched another milestone in her rising career on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at Jamaica’s iconic Caymanas Park.

    On that sunny Saturday, Hinds’ 4-year-old and up runner Bob The Builder crossed the finish line first in the day’s second event: a Restricted Allowance III contest open to native-bred horses (non-winners of four races) and imported horses (non-winners of three races) contested over 7 ½ furlongs, or 1,500 meters. Guided by two-time defending champion jockey Raddesh Roman, Bob The Builder outpaced second-place finisher Star Quest, ridden by Robert Halledeen, and third-place runner Thousand Treasures, piloted by Dane Dawkins, winning by three-quarters of a length with a final time of 1:33.4, split into 24.1 seconds for the first quarter, 47.1 for the half, and 1:12.2 for six furlongs.

    For Hinds, the victory was far more than a routine trip to the winner’s enclosure. It served as hard-won validation of her growing operation and a critical step forward toward her long-term goal of claiming an owner’s championship title. Speaking immediately after the race with Jamaica Observer’s *The Supreme Racing Guide*, Hinds shared her unbridled excitement. “I am very elated,” she said. “I think there’s some justification in this win in that we had a race earlier and I was really looking forward to him beating certain horses in that race and he met up back with them this time and he did put down a show and I am happy for that.”

    Hinds’ entrance into the world of professional horse racing ownership was no random accident. For more than 20 years, she has been immersed in the sport through her husband Oneil, himself a long-time racing owner. “Well, my husband has been in horse racing for over 25 years and, you know, he loves it and naturally I became a part of it as well,” she explained. “It was probably a few years ago that I decided that I wanted my own owner syndicate and so that’s how I got involved.”

    What began as casual participation alongside her husband quickly bloomed into a deep, abiding passion. “I love the horses, it’s a joy to visit them at the stables, and being a part of the preparation and everything. I really loved it, this is just icing on the cake,” Hinds said.

    Like every thoroughbred owner, Hinds has experienced the full emotional spectrum of the sport: the soaring highs of upset victories and the devastating lows of unexpected loss. She speaks with pride of Bob The Builder’s steady rise through the ranks, but the horse that still stands out as her most beloved is Incredible Jo, a standout runner that passed away before he could fulfill the team’s high hopes for his career. “It has been so much from him [Bob The Builder] coming up but since me owning the horses, I think Incredible Jo was one of the biggest horses and so sad that he passed,” she said. “We had high hopes for him but unfortunately it is all a part of the game but I think he was one of the best horses we had.”

    These contrasting highs and lows have done nothing to dim Hinds’ ambition. Currently, her O&S Racers syndicate holds third place in the 2026 Jamaican owners’ championship rankings, with eight total wins across five horses and $5,300,300 in total stakes earnings. The current leader, Carlton Watson, holds 10 wins across nine horses with $11,963,457 in stakes, followed by second-place Oakridge Farms, which has seven wins across five horses and $6,472,450 in stakes earnings.

    “I want to be a champion owner, definitely,” Hinds affirmed. “Right now I am third in the owners’ championship, you know, we don’t have the materials to say alright we are the champion owner this year but eventually we will get there one day.”

    For Hinds, the path to the top is one that requires patience and intentional strategy. In an industry where a single exceptional horse can redefine an owner’s career, she understands that waiting for the right opportunity is a core part of the process. “We are taking it one day at a time. Sometimes it is not just getting a horse, but it is getting that special one and so we are looking for that special one,” she noted.

  • Govt to explore concessionary toll fee for PPV operators

    Govt to explore concessionary toll fee for PPV operators

    KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica’s island-wide network of taxi and public passenger vehicle (PPV) operators are adopting a cautious, wait-and-see stance after Minister of Transport Daryl Vaz publicly committed to holding negotiations with toll road operators by June. The talks will explore the feasibility of rolling out a specialized discounted toll rate for PPV operators, who frequently traverse the island’s toll highways multiple times per day.

    Vaz made the announcement during a Monday press briefing held at the Half-Way-Tree Transport Centre in St Andrew, an event organized to address longstanding frustration over an unfulfilled 16% fare increase that was agreed upon for public transport operators back in 2023. The minister noted that the proposal for the concessionary toll rate was first brought to his department by the Transport Authority, and he has made it a priority to advance the talks before the end of next month.

    “I want to give you a commitment that I’m going to pursue in June, a negotiation with the toll operators to see whether or not we can come up with some concessionary toll fee for the public transport operators who apply those routes on a daily basis and sometimes several times for the day,” Vaz stated. He added that toll operators already hold existing concession agreements with the Jamaican government, creating a framework for discussion on further adjustments for PPV operators.

    The minister emphasized that his department has prioritized support for the struggling public transport sector in recent months, pointing to previous policy changes that opened up under-serviced routes previously controlled by the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) to independent operators. He noted that, unlike private motorists and commercial businesses, public transport operators rely on toll roads far more heavily for their daily income, creating a strong case for a targeted usage-based discount.

    “I think that will go a far way in easing some of the burdens and the stresses that the public transport operators are facing… I just want to indicate that I’m very well aware of the challenges that you are facing,” Vaz said.

    Despite the minister’s public reassurances, sector leaders have pushed back on framing the toll concession as a solution to the industry’s core grievances. Charles Powell, president of the Southern Taxi Operation, argued that the transport sector has long been sidelined by government policymakers, and that current operating costs already leave most operators running at a loss rather than turning a profit.

    “The Minister of Transport, does not recognise and respect the transport sector. If they respect the transport sector, they will do something for us. This is the only sector the government doesn’t look out for. They push us away. If you check the maintenance cost of a vehicle, it is a loss, not a win win,” Powell told local outlet Observer Online.

    Powell explained that while the discounted toll rate would deliver modest benefits to the small subset of PPV operators that regularly use toll highways, it would do nothing to address the needs of the vast majority of the sector. He added that the government’s top priority should be fulfilling the 2023 written agreement to implement the 16% fare increase, rather than focusing on a policy that only benefits a small group of operators.

    “What we want is the 16 per cent increase where we have signed off on with a written agreement from 2023. Few taxi operators and bus people use the toll. So, you are not going to help the vast majority of operators, only a few. So, I am not with that….. But it is good for who is using the toll,” Powell argued.

    Other sector leaders have opted to withhold comment on the announcement, choosing instead to wait for the outcome of the Jamaican Cabinet’s scheduled decision on the issue on June 1, leaving the industry in a holding pattern as stakeholders await further action from the government.

  • Funcaandun targets July’s $10-m Diamond Mile

    Funcaandun targets July’s $10-m Diamond Mile

    On a sunny Saturday, May 16, 2026, the 2024 Horse of the Year and Mouttet Mile champion Funcaandun reaffirmed his status as one of the most formidable thoroughbreds in modern racing, delivering a breathtaking, dominant performance to claim the $1.75-million Seeking My Dream Trophy by a commanding 3½-length margin. The five-year-old American-bred runner now has a highly anticipated berth in the $10-million Diamond Mile, scheduled for July 17, firmly within his reach.

    Trained by elite horse trainer Jason DaCosta and ridden by veteran jockey Robert Halledeen, Funcaandun covered the 7½ furlong (1,500-meter) course in a blistering time of 1:30.10, coming within less than a second of Sky Train’s 43-year-old standing track record of 1:29.2 set back on May 7, 1983. The race’s split timings were recorded as 23.2 seconds for the first quarter, 45.4 for the half-mile, 1:11.3 for the six-furlong mark, and 1:24.0 heading into the final furlong.

    From the starting gate, Halledeen stuck to the pre-planned race strategy, settling Funcaandun comfortably in third position as front-runners California Crown (ridden by Aaron Chatrie) and Neo Star (ridden by Tajay Suckoo) set an early heated pace down the backstretch. As California Crown attempted to accelerate and extend his lead entering the half-mile turn, Halledeen remained perfectly in control of Funcaandun, biding his time for the optimal moment to strike.

    As the field approached the final stretch, Halledeen gave the signal to advance, and Funcaandun responded with immediate, explosive speed. He swept past the leading rivals turning for home and powered away from the pack, leaving his competitors far in his wake. In an extraordinary result for the stables, California Crown held on to secure second place, while Girvano (ridden by Jaheim Anderson) rallied from the back of the field to claim third—completing a full sweep of the top three finishing positions for owner Carlton Watson and trainer DaCosta.

    In a post-race interview, DaCosta praised his team and the trio of horses for the perfectly executed race plan. “Everything went exactly as we mapped it out,” he said. “We had California Crown out front setting the pace, and he held on strong to finish second— I couldn’t be prouder of how he performed today. Funcaandun sat right off the pace just as we planned, and Girvano came from behind to take third. It couldn’t have played out better for us.”

    Addressing the upcoming Diamond Mile, DaCosta noted, “Once Funcaandun hits the front at the furlong pole, no one is going to catch him. The $10-million Diamond Mile in July is definitely a possibility, but we’ll monitor how he recovers from this race before making a final decision.”

    Halledeen echoed his trainer’s comments, explaining that the race instructions were straightforward: hold third behind the two early leaders and wait for the right moment to make a move. “He pulled so effortlessly from the half-mile to the quarter, I barely had to guide him through the turn,” Halledeen said. “When I asked him to go up the straight, it was almost effortless. Even with the hot sun, he handled every step of the 7½ furlongs like the champion he is. People say he’s getting older, turning into what you might call an old man now, but he’s still here competing at the highest level. He proved he’s still the same champion that took Horse of the Year honors back in 2024.”

    Following the race, DaCosta posed for photos with Halledeen aboard Funcaandun and Chatrie aboard second-place finisher California Crown. The photograph was captured by photographer Garfield Robinson.