One-Minute Reads: News from across Jamaica

St Thomas men facing wounding charges

Two St Thomas men are facing wounding charges stemming from separate incidents.

Shavez Whitely, 22, otherwise called 'Travis', of Fountain Road in Bath, was charged after an incident in his community on May 24. Reports are that about 11 a.m., Whitely attacked a man with a machete, inflicting a wound to his head. The man was admitted to hospital for treatment. The accused was arrested on a warrant and subsequently charged.

Meanwhile, 52-year-old Vernal Johnson, otherwise called 'Kabba' or 'Ninja', a higgler of Bamboo River, also in Bath, was charged following an incident on West Street in Morant Bay on June 18. Reports are that Johnson and another man had an argument, during which the complainant walked away. Johnson followed the man and stabbed him twice in the head. The wounded man was assisted to the hospital for treatment. Johnson was later arrested and charged.

Honorary consul in Atlanta receives US Presidential Award

Jamaica's Honorary Consul in Atlanta, Georgia, Dr Elaine Grant-Bryan, has received the US Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award.

The award, signed by President Joe Biden, is in recognition of her thousands of hours of service to the Jamaican diaspora, the Caribbean and the US.

She has also received the President's Volunteer Service Gold Award, a civil decoration established by former President George W. Bush to honour volunteers that give thousands of hours per year to help others. The awards were presented at a ceremony held on May 20 in Orlando, Florida.

Born in Kingston, Dr Grant-Bryan attended Excelsior and Kingston Technical high schools before pursing tertiary studies at Northwestern University, University of West Georgia, and Leadership Sandy Springs in 1978.

She returned to the island and worked with Air Jamaica and Jamaica Public Service Company before migrating to the US in 1987. A real estate broker, Dr Grant-Bryan was appointed honorary consul in 2018, representing her native country in Atlanta on a voluntary basis.

Cops find $83 million worth of cocaine in SUV

A St James banker is facing drug charges after approximately 25 pounds of cocaine, with a street value of US$550,000 (approximately $83 million) was found in her vehicle.

A team of officers assigned to the Area One Narcotics Police Division arrested and charged 36-year- old Sheena Headley, of Goodwill, with breaches of the Dangerous Drugs Act on Monday.

Reports are that about 6 p.m. on June 15, lawmen were in the area when a premises that was occupied by Headley was searched. One Toyota Prado SUV owned by her was also searched and the cocaine was found inside it. Headley was charged with possession of cocaine, dealing in cocaine, taking steps to export cocaine, trafficking cocaine and cnspiracy to export cocaine, following an interview session in the presence of her attorney. She is scheduled to appear before the St James Parish Court on June 29.

Government eyes new tourism zone for north coast

A new zone for tourism development is being created from Oracabessa, St Mary, to Port Antonio, Portland, that will cater to high-end visitors to the island.

Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett said the zone will bring a "new awakening" to the country's north coast and will follow a village-type tourism model with sophisticated facilities, as opposed to an all-inclusive, enclave setting. He was speaking at a welcome ceremony for the first scheduled commercial flight to the Ian Fleming International Airport in St Mary from Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, recently.

Bartlett said the airport will "play a key role [in the zone], because you're going to be able to bring those high-net-worth visitors into this place, and within a few minutes they will be in their wonderful villas and their beautiful hotels along the coast". Bartlett said the presence of a third international airport gives Jamaica the unique position in the region of being able to be connected within an hour from any point of entry into the country.