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  • Blood Bank fears

    Blood Bank fears

    Three years after an initial audit identified systemic problems at Jamaica’s National Blood Transfusion Service (commonly referred to as the Blood Bank), insiders and labor representatives are sounding the alarm that the dangerous gaps in operations have never been fixed — and have likely grown far worse, putting public health at severe risk.

    A confidential 2023 internal audit conducted by Jamaica’s Ministry of Health and Wellness, obtained exclusively by the Jamaica Observer, lays bare dozens of high-risk failures across every core function of the Kingston-based facility. The audit, which assessed operations between March 2022 and March 2023 as part of the ministry’s routine annual risk-based oversight, examined everything from blood supply planning and donation processing to compliance with Caribbean regional health standards, record-keeping, and inventory management.

    Auditors uncovered a cascade of critical violations that directly threaten patient safety. Among the most alarming findings: 79 blood donors who tested positive for infectious diseases had their results never marked on official processing records, meaning there was no clear tracking of which blood units should have been discarded. In another incident spanning three months in 2022, 995 bags of collected whole blood had no independent review of their processing records, and four contaminated units were only marked “Do not use” in pencil with no formal follow-up.

    More than 900 whole blood units collected during that same period were not tested for pathogens within the mandatory 24-hour window after collection, with delays ranging from one to 10 days. Additional gaps included 1,027 blood request forms missing key details such as the requesting medical officer’s name, signature, registration number, and blood unit expiry date; 25 forms with incorrect laboratory identification numbers; and a poorly maintained inventory system with no evidence of required daily physical counts, leaving 246 daily inventory reports unsubmitted for review.

    Sixty-seven blood units and components were released to clinical settings with no formal request on file, and informal telephone requests for blood were never logged. Form adjustments were made regularly with no documentation of which staff member made the changes. Records also showed a 386-unit discrepancy between the number of blood units logged as released and the number verified as released, with no explanation for the unaccounted for units.

    On the administrative side, 22 out of 25 reviewed standard operating procedures (SOPs) had expired between April 2022 and March 2023. One core SOP for blood collection has remained stuck in draft form since 2018, 10 SOPs were never signed, reviewed, or approved by responsible leadership, and the facility has no active steering committee to guide organizational decision-making. The Blood Bank also failed to adhere to the Caribbean regional requirement that SOPs be reviewed annually, instead following an unscheduled three-year review cycle that violates regional standards.

    Last week, frustrated Blood Bank workers spoke to the Observer on condition of anonymity, with others conveying their concerns through their trade union representative. Insiders said they decided to speak out after years of failed attempts to push leadership to address the gaps, with public frustration boiling over following a recent incident: an infant born with cancer reportedly contracted syphilis via a blood transfusion at Kingston’s Victoria Jubilee Hospital.

    A senior Blood Bank source argued that persistent systemic flaws like those that led to the infant’s infection stem from unqualified personnel being placed in critical roles, particularly in the Quality Control Department. “Because of the lack of experience in the Quality Control Department, the Blood Bank started to struggle. They should have been implementing strong measures to ensure that the system functions at the highest level. What happens is that people are learning on the job,” the source explained.

    The insider called for an independent special audit to assess whether any of the 2023 report’s serious flaws have been fixed, and to trace how many contaminated blood units may have already entered the public supply. “You may come to now find that by going back through all the documentation that you have more than one positive unit of blood that may have left the Blood Bank, and we need to find out how widespread the problem is,” the source added. “Somebody needs to be held accountable.”

    Multiple attempts by the Observer to get official comment from Blood Bank leadership and Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton were unsuccessful. Tufton is scheduled to deliver his 2026/27 Sectoral Debate address to Jamaica’s House of Representatives the day after the Observer’s reporting.

    St Patrice Ennis, general secretary of the Union of Technical, Administrative & Supervisory Personnel (UTASP), which represents Blood Bank employees, told the Observer that staff warnings about operational failures have been ignored for years. “For a prolonged period various members of staff have written complaints and expressed concerns about the operating procedures at the Blood Bank and had warned about the potential for the occurrence of this kind of situation,” Ennis said, referencing the infant’s syphilis infection.

    Ennis said he is outraged by the incident, noting that no official has yet given public assurance that current blood testing and distribution processes are free of dangerous flaws. “While we may know of this incident, we can’t say with certainty that this is isolated. They [staff members] expressed that the procedures were not being followed and the warnings for the potential of such occurrence were ignored. These problems are solvable problems, and that is what makes it frustrating and makes one feel angry. These are problems that can be solved and not at any great expense,” Ennis said.

    “We know what is to be done and it is just to hold people accountable. Until we start to do that we are going to have recurrences of problems and we are going to seem alarmed only when it reaches the public domain. We are not even sure if after that case which we are talking about, if proper measures have been put in place to correct it. This can affect any one of us,” he added.

  • Haiti records sharp increase in rapes

    Haiti records sharp increase in rapes

    In a stark new update from the United Nations, humanitarian officials have sounded the alarm over a dramatic and deeply concerning spike in gender-based violence (GBV) across Haiti in the first quarter of this year, as the Caribbean nation grapples with an already devastating, wide-ranging humanitarian crisis.

    Farhan Haq, the United Nations Deputy Spokesperson, told reporters Tuesday that UN humanitarian partners working on the ground in Haiti have documented nearly 2,000 reported incidents of gender-based violence between January and March 2025 – averaging 21 reported cases every single day. What makes this surge even more alarming is the sharp rise in the proportion of cases involving the most extreme form of violence: rape. Data shows that over 70 percent of all recorded GBV incidents in the first three months of the year were rape, a major jump from the final quarter of 2024, when rapes accounted for 49 percent of total incidents.

    The overwhelming majority of these recent rape cases were gang rapes, Haq confirmed, with armed groups identified as the primary perpetrators. Nearly all survivors are women and girls, reflecting a targeted pattern of violence against vulnerable communities in Haiti’s ongoing conflict. This jump in gender-based violence is not an isolated shift; it follows a consistent upward trend that began last year, when humanitarian partners recorded just over 8,000 total GBV incidents across the country – a 25 percent increase compared to 2024 figures.

    As the crisis deepens, however, life-saving support services for survivors are facing crippling funding shortfalls that are putting lives at further risk. Haq emphasized that as of mid-year, only $1.2 million of the $15 million required to fund GBV response and support services has been secured by humanitarian groups – that equals just 8 percent of the total funding needed to meet existing needs.

    This severe underfunding is already having direct, deadly consequences for survivors. Haq explained that the funding gap is drastically limiting survivors’ ability to access emergency medical care within the critical 72-hour window immediately following an assault, a window that is essential to preventing long-term health harm and providing life-saving interventions. It also restricts access to specialized psychosocial support, which helps survivors process trauma, and cuts off access to temporary emergency shelter for those forced to flee their homes after an attack.

    While Haq noted that some survivors have still been able to access core services, including medical care, mental health support, and safe spaces for women and girls, through the limited resources currently available, he stressed that the scale of unmet need far outpaces what humanitarian groups can currently provide.

    The United Nations and its partner organizations operating in Haiti have issued an urgent call for immediate action to scale up funding for critical services, including gender-based violence response, physical health care, protection programming, and psychosocial support. The call specifically prioritizes regions that have seen the highest concentrations of violence and displacement in recent months.

    Gender-based violence is just one facet of the broader humanitarian catastrophe unfolding across Haiti. Haq confirmed that an estimated 1.45 million Haitians are currently internally displaced by ongoing conflict and insecurity, while close to 6 million people – half of the country’s total population – are currently facing acute food insecurity, with many struggling to access even basic daily necessities.

    In response to the growing crisis, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has renewed its appeal for additional international funding, to both expand and strengthen support services for survivors of gender-based violence and scale up protection efforts in the areas of Haiti hardest hit by ongoing violence.

  • Regional countries urged to expand the role of nursing to strengthen health systems

    Regional countries urged to expand the role of nursing to strengthen health systems

    On the occasion of International Nurses Day, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) issued a clear call this Tuesday from Washington D.C., urging Caribbean nations to implement bold, targeted measures to reinforce and scale up advanced practice nursing across the region. PAHO officials frame this move as a foundational strategy to expand access to critical health services and build more resilient, community-focused health systems that better serve population needs.

    Across the Americas, including the Caribbean, nurses make up the single largest segment of the regional health workforce, totaling nearly 7.4 million practicing professionals. These frontline workers carry core responsibilities across every area of public health: from proactive health promotion and disease prevention to long-term management of chronic conditions, and ongoing support for vulnerable communities. Their work is particularly vital in rural and remote regions, where access to physician care is often extremely limited.

    Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, PAHO’s director, emphasized that advancing the role of advanced practice nursing requires four interconnected actions: integrating these professionals more deeply into primary health care systems, embedding innovative digital tools into nursing practice, expanding nursing education opportunities, and increasing nurse representation in public health policy development. All of these steps, he noted, are critical to boosting the accessibility, quality, and long-term sustainability of health care across the region.

    Advanced practice nurses are defined by PAHO as highly trained specialists with the qualifications to take on expanded, autonomous clinical responsibilities. This includes full scope of work from patient assessment, diagnosis, and treatment to ongoing monitoring of both individual and community health outcomes. Globally, more than 100 countries have already adopted these expanded nursing roles, with the United States and Canada operating long-standing, successful advanced practice nursing models. Several Latin American nations have already begun rolling out updated regulatory frameworks, specialized training programs, and new person-centered care models, but much of the Caribbean still has progress to make.

    Extensive global evidence, PAHO reports, confirms that when advanced practice nurses receive sufficient autonomy and institutional support, they directly improve population access to care, strengthen continuity of treatment for patients with chronic conditions, and boost overall patient satisfaction through a more compassionate, individual-centered approach to care delivery.

    Despite these proven benefits, widespread adoption of advanced practice nursing in the Caribbean still faces notable barriers. Outdated regulatory frameworks that restrict nursing scope of practice, a persistent shortage of specialized advanced nursing training programs, and systemic resistance to shifting traditional models of health care delivery all slow progress toward expansion.

    To address these challenges, PAHO has launched targeted regional support initiatives, working directly with national governments to update health workforce planning, foster collaborative interprofessional health care teams, and develop modern, person-centered regulatory frameworks that accommodate expanded nursing roles.

    In closing, PAHO reaffirmed that expanding advanced practice nursing is not just a measure to improve health system efficiency—it is a strategic, once-in-a-generation opportunity to move the region closer to universal health coverage, while building health systems that are more responsive to the actual evolving health needs of populations across the Americas.

  • Administrators hopeful as classes resume at STETHS after two-day shutdown

    Administrators hopeful as classes resume at STETHS after two-day shutdown

    SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth — Regular academic activities have restarted at St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) this Monday, nearly a week after a string of violent confrontations forced the Jamaican secondary institution to pause in-person classes for 48 hours. While students have returned to their scheduled lessons, school administrators remain deep in an official inquiry to determine accountability for the unrest that disrupted campus order.

    In an exclusive interview with the Jamaica Observer on Monday, STETHS Principal Keith Wellington outlined the next steps for the ongoing investigation, noting that multiple formal reports will be submitted to relevant oversight bodies before any disciplinary action is taken against students implicated in the brawls.

    “This is a deliberate, step-by-step process. What I can confirm is that we have fully resumed normal school operations today [Monday], and we are continuing to work through the completion of our internal investigation. Once we have gathered all relevant information, we will make the necessary referrals to the appropriate agencies,” Wellington explained.

    The principal added that a full detailed account of the incidents will first be presented to the STETHS school board for review, followed by an official report to Jamaica’s Ministry of Education. If any students require targeted support or intervention services, the administration will also coordinate those connections as part of the process.

    The school closure was first announced last Wednesday by Wellington, who notified parents and guardians that classes would be suspended to address a surge of violent incidents on campus. At the time, the principal emphasized that the shutdown was a necessary precaution to protect the physical safety of every student, teacher and staff member, and to create space for the institution to reestablish clear disciplinary standards.

    Unnamed sources familiar with the situation told the Observer that the decision to restrict campus access — only allowing students sitting external examinations and student-athletes preparing for competitive events to remain on site — came in response to at least three separate fights that broke out Wednesday, one of which reportedly involved a student brandishing a knife.

    According to on-campus reports, the first confrontation erupted mid-morning, leaving one student injured and requiring local law enforcement officers to step in to de-escalate the situation. In the hours after that initial incident, multiple additional brawls broke out across the campus, with some of the fights occurring directly in front of senior school leaders.

    When asked about the overall atmosphere on campus this Monday, Wellington expressed measured optimism that the institution can quickly return to its usual peaceful learning environment. He noted that the unrest also presents an opportunity to help students reorient to their core academic goals and reaffirm the school’s commitment to a safe, respectful campus culture.

    Wellington also shared an update on the school’s ongoing recovery from Hurricane Melissa, the Category 5 storm that caused extensive damage to STETHS’ campus six months prior. “The rebuilding work is well underway, though it is not yet finished. We project that almost all repair and reconstruction work will be wrapped up by the end of next month,” he confirmed.

    In addition to resuming full classes, the school has also ended a temporary class rotation system that was put in place to accommodate students preparing for external exams. With grade 11 and sixth form students now fully engaged in their external exams, their regular classrooms have been freed up for use by other grade levels, eliminating the need to rotate student groups in and out of the building each day.

    “With fifth and sixth form students occupied with exams, our on-campus student population is just under 1,200, down from the school’s total enrollment of 1,670,” Wellington said of the Santa Cruz-based institution.

  • WHO chief says ‘work not over’ after hantavirus evacuation

    WHO chief says ‘work not over’ after hantavirus evacuation

    MADRID, SPAIN – In the wake of a fatal hantavirus outbreak aboard the cruise vessel MV Hondius that prompted a full evacuation of passengers and crew, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has emphasized that the global public health threat remains low, even as vigilance must be maintained to contain the rare virus. The incident, which has claimed three lives and left one French passenger in critical condition, has triggered international public health coordination, alongside diplomatic negotiations over repatriation and care for those exposed. As of this week, health authorities are working to prevent further spread, while stressing that the outbreak does not mirror the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Three passengers have now died from the Andes variant of hantavirus, the only strain confirmed to transmit between humans. There are currently no licensed vaccines or targeted antiviral treatments for the pathogen, making monitoring and quarantine the primary public health interventions. As of Tuesday, an AFP compilation of official data places the total number of confirmed cases at seven, with one additional probable case, all among the ship’s passengers and crew. Exposed individuals hold citizenship from six nations: the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

    One French national over the age of 65 with pre-existing underlying health conditions remains in intensive care on mechanical ventilation, according to Dr. Xavier Lescure, speaking at a French health ministry press conference. The patient is classified as having a severe case of the rare disease, Lescure confirmed, without providing further personal or clinical details.

    The full-scale evacuation of more than 120 passengers and crew from the MV Hondius was carried out over Sunday and Monday off Spain’s Canary Islands, after the vessel was denied entry to Cape Verde. It had previously anchored off Cape Verde’s capital Praia, where three infected people were airlifted to Europe for emergency care last week. After Spain agreed to allow the ship to anchor for evacuation, the regional government of the Canary Islands publicly and strongly opposed the decision, creating tension between national and regional authorities.

    In a joint press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez held in Madrid Tuesday, following the completion of evacuation operations, Tedros pushed back against comparisons to the emergence of COVID-19. “There is no sign that we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak,” he stated, though he cautioned that vigilance is far from over. “But of course the situation could change, and given the long incubation period of the virus, it’s possible we might see more cases in the coming weeks.”

    All repatriated individuals are following public health protocols aligned with WHO guidance, which call for a 42-day quarantine period and continuous monitoring for high-risk contacts – a timeline matched to hantavirus’ maximum six-week incubation period. The Netherlands, which received 26 evacuees on the first repatriation flight Sunday, reported all passengers tested negative for the virus after thorough medical screenings. All 26 are still required to complete quarantine, per public health rules, and two subsequent flights carrying an additional 28 evacuees have also arrived in the country, with all passengers entering isolation.

    Tedros noted that while the WHO encourages all nations to adopt the organization’s recommended guidelines, individual countries retain the authority to set their own public health measures. Speaking at a summit in Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron said his country has the situation fully under control, and called for strengthened coordinated action between European nations and the WHO to manage the outbreak.

    The incident created unexpected diplomatic friction, as nations negotiated over responsibility for receiving the vessel and caring for exposed passengers and crew. In his remarks, Sanchez defended Spain’s decision to allow the evacuation off the Canary Islands, framing the choice as an act of global solidarity. “The world does not need more selfishness or more fear. What it needs are countries that show solidarity and want to step forward,” he said.

    After the full evacuation was completed, the MV Hondius departed Tenerife Monday with only a minimal skeleton crew on board. It is scheduled to arrive in the Netherlands this Sunday, where it will undergo full disinfection protocols.

    Hantavirus is naturally transmitted through contact with the urine, feces, and saliva of infected rodents. The Andes variant is endemic to parts of South America, including Argentina, where the MV Hondius departed on its transatlantic cruise bound for Cape Verde on April 1.

  • Audit raises questions about ODPEM’s management of disaster relief

    Audit raises questions about ODPEM’s management of disaster relief

    KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica’s national audit watchdog has raised serious red flags over how the country’s top emergency management agency handles public and donated disaster relief funding, including a major post-hurricane recovery program.

    The Auditor General’s Department (AGD) released a damning audit report Tuesday, which was formally presented to Jamaica’s parliament, calling out widespread systemic failures at the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), the government body tasked with leading national emergency response and recovery operations. The probe centered specifically on ODPEM’s stewardship of resources allocated to the Hurricane Melissa Relief Initiative, alongside broader oversight of the National Disaster Fund and the government’s Restoration of Owner or Occupant Family Shelters (ROOFS) shelter recovery program.

    According to the report, ODPEM has demonstrated significant shortcomings across three core operational areas: financial management, institutional governance, and program accountability. One of the most notable gaps uncovered is the extreme lack of transparency around how Hurricane Melissa relief resources have been deployed. As of the audit cutoff date of February 23, 2026, just 1.8 percent of total cash donations earmarked for relief efforts had been spent — a mere $26.2 million out of the $1.44 billion received.

    Auditors also found insufficient regulatory controls for donations processed through a partnering financial services institution. Key documentation gaps include the absence of a formal written agreement outlining terms for retained funds, and incomplete financial reconciliation records that make it impossible to fully track how all donations have been managed.

    For the ROOFS Program, which relied on emergency procurement rules to speed up delivery of shelter materials, the audit identified multiple critical gaps in operational oversight. ODPEM failed to carry out required due diligence on participating suppliers, did not complete formal verification that ordered materials were delivered, lacked proper supporting documentation for payments, and failed to maintain complete records of project completion. These failures mean regulators have no guarantee that $167.3 million worth of program materials were used fully and for their intended purpose, the report concluded.

    Beyond the specific program findings, the audit also assessed whether ODPEM’s internal control systems are robust enough to prevent, identify, and address fraud, waste, and misuse of public and donated disaster resources. The report confirmed that significant unaddressed gaps also remain in the ongoing oversight of the broader National Disaster Fund, raising questions about the agency’s ability to responsibly manage disaster resources at a systemic level.

  • PFJL CEO says Harbour View’s relegation, Treasure Beach’s survival underline changing landscape

    PFJL CEO says Harbour View’s relegation, Treasure Beach’s survival underline changing landscape

    One of Jamaican football’s most storied institutions will not feature in the 2025-26 season of the Wray & Nephew Jamaica Premier League (JPL), after Harbour View FC’s relegation brought an end to 30 consecutive years of top-flight competition. But according to Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL) chief executive Owen Hill, this surprising outcome is not a tragedy for the league — instead, it is proof of the growing competitiveness and rising strength of Jamaican football clubs outside the traditional urban heartland of the sport.

    Known affectionately as the “Stars of the East”, Harbour View FC ranks among the most successful clubs in JPL history, tied for second place with five league titles. The club, which has produced and hosted a long list of Jamaican national team stars including Ricardo “Bibi” Gardner, Jermaine Hue and the late Luton Shelton, claimed its most recent league title just four years ago, and finished fourth in the regional Concacaf Caribbean Cup only three years ago. This season, however, inconsistent performances left the club 13th in the league table with 38 points, landing them firmly in the relegation zone.

    Hill acknowledged the deep heritage and historic contributions Harbour View has made to Jamaican football, but told local outlet Jamaica Observer that past glory offers no guarantees of a permanent top-flight spot. “It’s a highly competitive league, so no team can count on a spot unless they earn it every season,” Hill explained. “Longtime fans and loyal supporters may feel a club with Harbour View’s legacy always deserves a place in the top flight, but the reality is that other teams have stepped up and delivered when it counted most this season. Harbour View simply did not get the results they needed, and that is the nature of the league: underperform, and you will be relegated.”

    Harbour View’s relegation marks the first time a club from Jamaica’s Corporate Area (the Kingston and St Andrew metropolitan region) has dropped out of the JPL since Boys’ Town FC was relegated in 2018. The contrasting story of Treasure Beach FC this season underscores the shifting balance of power between urban and rural Jamaican football. Based in St Elizabeth parish, Treasure Beach pulled off one of the season’s biggest surprises by retaining their JPL spot, clinching safety on the penultimate matchday to finish 11th in the table with 43 points.

    This achievement is even more remarkable given the challenges the club faced this season: in their second ever campaign in Jamaica’s top flight, the club was forced to pause play for nearly two months after Hurricane Melissa caused widespread damage to the club’s infrastructure and the surrounding St Elizabeth community in October.

    Hill says the club’s resilience deserves high praise, and their success proves that top-tier Jamaican football talent is distributed across the entire island, not just concentrated in the capital. “I have been really impressed with what Coach Kemar Ricketts and his Treasure Beach side have accomplished this year, especially after how hard they were hit by Hurricane Melissa,” Hill said. “They have approached every match with incredible focus and diligence, and that has paid off.

    “This is clear proof that quality football talent is not limited to Kingston and St Andrew. There is elite ability across all of Jamaica’s rural parishes. When you look at what teams like Treasure Beach, Chapelton, Mount Pleasant and Montego Bay have built, they have created a strong, interconnected network of talented players and coaches that have steadily raised the overall standard of the Jamaica Premier League.”

    Hill added that Treasure Beach’s underdog success is an inspiring narrative for the league, highlighting the power of resilience in the face of hardship. “This has been a tough testing season for many clubs, but the spirit Treasure Beach has shown speaks volumes about what Jamaican football is made of. It helps us reinforce the message that the JPL is the place where the nation’s best talent emerges, and we need to keep investing in developing the sport across the entire country.”

    For all his enthusiasm about the rise of rural clubs, Hill stressed that the PFJL’s core goal remains building the strongest possible league, regardless of where teams are based. “We are committed to giving equal opportunity to every potential participant. From the league’s perspective, our only job is to create an environment that fosters fair, healthy competition — and that is exactly what we are seeing now, as talent is no longer restricted to the capital.

    “Any organized, well-structured side can now compete week in and week out against the best teams in the country. For me, whether an urban or rural club stays up or goes down doesn’t change what we need to do: our mission is to provide an enabling environment where participating players and clubs get real value from their involvement, whether that leads to professional contracts abroad, better playing conditions at home, or sustainable financial returns for club owners.”

  • Plane crashes while en route to Grand Bahama

    Plane crashes while en route to Grand Bahama

    NASSAU, BAHAMAS – In an update released Tuesday, the Bahamas Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) has confirmed that a small twin-engine turboprop aircraft carrying 10 people crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Florida’s Fort Pierce coast while on final approach to Grand Bahama International Airport.

    The plane involved in the incident, a Beechcraft 300 King Air registered under the tail number HP-1859, departed earlier Tuesday from Leonard Thompson International Airport located on Abaco island in the Bahamas, according to AAIA’s official statement.

    Midway through the planned flight, the aircraft’s pilot-in-command issued an emergency alert to regional air traffic control. Moments after the distress call, all communication with the plane was lost, the agency confirmed.

    Immediately following the loss of contact, air traffic control teams at both Freeport and Nassau activated their full emergency response protocols. Key search and rescue stakeholders were notified right away, including the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the United States Coast Guard, and the Bahamas Air Search and Rescue Association (BASRA).

    Coordinated search operations led by the U.S. Coast Guard quickly located the wreckage of the downed aircraft in waters off Fort Pierce. All 10 people onboard were pulled from the ocean alive, with three individuals sustaining non-life-threatening injuries. The AAIA reports that the full investigation into the root cause of the crash is currently underway, with updates to come once preliminary findings are compiled.

  • Project STAR honours five Salt Spring community champions

    Project STAR honours five Salt Spring community champions

    In St. James, Jamaica, five dedicated local residents of the Salt Spring neighborhood have earned the distinguished title of Community Champions from the social development initiative Project STAR, honored for their years of consistent volunteer leadership and unwavering commitment to lifting their community.

    The formal award ceremony took place during a recent public town hall meeting hosted by Project STAR at the Salt Spring New Testament Church, bringing together community members, local organizers and initiative leaders to celebrate the recipients’ contributions. Per an official statement from Project STAR, the honorees—Travis Cooke, Oraine Lawson, Barbara Beadle, Ann Marie Douglas and Sherri-Kay Morris—were recognized for impactful work spanning across four key areas: youth mentorship, community organizing, public communications and local entrepreneurship.

    Barbara Beadle, a long-serving community volunteer and assistant public relations officer for the Salt Spring Community Development Commission (CDC), was singled out for her steady, unwavering support of Project STAR since the program launched in Salt Spring in early 2024. The initiative noted that Beadle consistently shows up to contribute her time, energy and encouragement to any project or group that needs support, from youth outreach to senior engagement. In her response to the award, Beadle shared that the honor came as a complete surprise, adding that she never pursued recognition for her community work. “I am well elated. I appreciate it. I wasn’t looking for it,” she said. Beadle, who helps facilitate connections between the Project STAR team and residents across all age groups, expressed hope that the program’s positive impact would endure long after its formal period of operation ends, noting that local residents are prepared to carry forward the work the initiative started.

    Ann Marie Douglas, known affectionately by neighbors as “Ms Chin”, was recognized for her relentless grassroots organizing work, where she has encouraged hundreds of local residents to take part in Project STAR programs focused on strengthening family support systems and expanding access to job opportunities. Speaking after receiving her award, Douglas simply shared, “Well, I feel good.”

    Sherri-Kay Morris, chief public relations officer for the Salt Spring CDC, was honored for her work keeping the community well-informed and actively engaged with initiative activities, ensuring open and accessible communication between program organizers and local residents. Morris shared that she felt “elated and excited” to receive the recognition, noting that most ongoing community work rarely receives public acknowledgment. She also praised Project STAR for its community-centered approach, noting that the initiative followed through on all its commitments, and stood out from other programs by centering resident input from the very start, designing tailored programs for children, youth and seniors based on what local people said they needed. “They came in, they promised, they delivered, and they even added topping to the cake,” Morris said.

    Travis Cooke was recognized for his deep commitment to youth development through his work with the Kicking Forward Football Programme, which uses the popular sport as a platform to mentor at-risk young people and guide them toward positive life outcomes. Project STAR highlighted a recent example of Cooke’s dedication: when the community took a youth tournament trip to May Pen, Cooke volunteered his vehicle to transport participants free of charge, even covering all road toll costs out of pocket to uphold the program’s motto: “Everybody Fahwud”, or “Everybody Forward”.

    Oraine Lawson, a key community leader based in Salt Spring’s Melbourne neighborhood, became involved with Project STAR through the initiative’s nano-grants program, which supports local small business owners. After receiving funding to expand his own business, Lawson has dedicated his time to encouraging other local residents, especially emerging entrepreneurs, to take advantage of the resources and opportunities Project STAR offers.

    Saffrey Brown, project director for Project STAR, offered formal praise for all five awardees in her closing remarks. “I commend each of this year’s Community Champion awardees for the consistent service, leadership and care you demonstrate every day. Your example strengthens Salt Spring and inspires others to step forward. Thank you for helping to ensure that everybody fahwud,” Brown said.

  • Trump nominates former news anchor Kari Lake next US Ambassador to Jamaica

    Trump nominates former news anchor Kari Lake next US Ambassador to Jamaica

    On Monday, former U.S. President Donald Trump put forward a nomination that has already sparked political discussion: tapping controversial former television news anchor Kari Lake Halperin to serve as the next U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica. Should the U.S. Senate vote to confirm her appointment, the Arizona-based Republican will step into a role previously held by Nick Perry, a Jamaica-born diplomat who held the post from 2022 through January 2025.

    Now 56 years old, Lake built a 20-plus year career in broadcast media before entering politics. She launched her media journey in Arizona back in 1991, working her way up local industry ranks to become one of the state’s most recognizable and popular news anchors. Earlier in her political affiliation, Lake identified as a Democrat, and over her journalism career she secured high-profile interviews with two sitting U.S. presidents: Barack Obama in 2016 and Donald Trump in 2020.

    Lake’s sharp turn toward hardline pro-Trump politics followed the 2021 U.S. Capitol riot, an event incited by Trump supporters seeking to overturn the 2020 presidential election result. Since that attack, Lake emerged as one of the most prominent voices in American politics pushing false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. This unwavering denial of the election’s outcome earned her fierce loyalty from Trump and the core of his Make America Great Again (MAGA) base, but political analysts widely argue that this same stance contributed to her two high-profile election defeats. In 2022, she lost her bid for Arizona governor to Democratic candidate Katie Hobbs, and she suffered a second defeat in a 2024 U.S. Senate race against Democrat Ruben Gallego.

    Prior to this ambassadorial nomination, Lake held a key role within the second Trump administration. In March 2025, Trump appointed her as a senior advisor to the U.S. Agency for Global Media, a federal body that oversees the Voice of America and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting. Her mandate in that role was to restructure the agency and reduce its overall size and scope. During her tenure, she implemented deep cuts to both staff and agency operations, a move that was later ruled illegal by a federal judge, according to multiple news reports.

    Outside of her professional and political life, Lake has been married to Jeff Halperin since August 1998, and the couple shares two adult children.