The Gleaner Company (Media) Limited

As Black River prepares for major redevelopment, graduates of Black River High School have been encouraged to ready themselves for the opportunities ahead. Speaking at Wednesday’s graduation, Agriculture Minister and Member of Parliament for St Elizabeth South Western, Floyd Green, told the 168 students that finishing school was a notable milestone, but their future choices would determine whether they could seize what lies ahead.

The Government has earmarked $310 million to rebuild and strengthen St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) in Santa Cruz.Dana Morris Dixon, minister of education, skills, youth and information, announced the investment while addressing the school’s graduation ceremony on June 25, held under the theme ‘Through Challenges We Rise: Embracing Resilience and Achieving Success’.

Eight schools across Kingston and St Andrew will be outfitted with hydration stations as part of the Hydrate Caribbean Jamaica: Healthy Students, Healthy Futures initiative.The project aims to increase students’ water consumption, reduce dependence on sugary beverages, and foster healthier lifestyle choices while promoting sustainable habits through the use of reusable water bottles.

When the 2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize goes live across 54 countries on the evening of June 30 it will be hosted by Stacy-Ann Smith, a Jamaican communications and media specialist.The prize, run by the London-based Commonwealth Foundation, is an annual competition open to writers from across the Commonwealth of Nations. Smith, an award-winning writer and published author, is the second Jamaican in recent years to host the online ceremony.

Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton wants parents, schools, and community leaders to join in the ongoing fight against the use and distribution of synthetic and recreational drugs, describing it as a major health and social risk.

A man who had been serving a life sentence for murder had both his murder and firearm convictions quashed after the Court of Appeal ruled that the prosecution's case rested on unreliable identification evidence that should not have survived a no-case submission.The appellate court in a recently published judgment set aside Reid's convictions for murder, illegal possession of a firearm, and wounding with intent arising from a fatal shooting in August Town on October 26, 2018, and entered judgments of acquittal on all three counts.

WESTERN BUREAU:Despite a bone cancer diagnosis that prevents him from attending school physically and which has already robbed him of one leg, 17-year-old Caribbean Online Academy (COA) graduate Nathel Taylor is defying the odds by completing his education virtually, while pursuing his dream to become a doctor.

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness is to meet leaders of the tourism industry next week after the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) intensified its opposition to the proposed increase in general consumption tax (GCT) on tourism activities.

WESTERN BUREAU:Despite a bone cancer diagnosis that prevents him from attending school physically and which has already robbed him of one leg, 17-year-old Caribbean Online Academy (COA) graduate Nathel Taylor is defying the odds by completing his education virtually, while pursuing his dream to become a doctor.

LOS ANGELES (AP):While much of Hollywood was consumed by the streaming wars, Issa Rae was studying a different mode of entertainment thousands of miles away: microdramas.No stranger to creating a successful online series, the Emmy-nominated actor and producer became intrigued by China's booming market for the short, mobile-first soap operas, seeing its potential to build audiences and intellectual property.