Spike in violence overwhelms QEH emergency care
Asharp increase in gunshot and stabbing victims is overwhelming the Accident and Emergency (A&E) department at Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), forcing doctors to shelve other serious patients to deal with lifethreatening injuries, hospital officials said on Monday. The surge in violent crime is stretching resources thin and disrupting critical care, they said. In the past […]
Sponsorship changes for NAPSAC and BSSAC on the horizon
The Ministry of Education is seeking new title sponsors for NAPSAC and BSSAC. Senior education officer Headda Phillips-Boyce said today that the ministry was in talks with the organising committee of the annual track and field competitions to acquire title sponsors that are inline with the National School Nutrition Policy. Phillips-Boyce acknowledged contradictions between traditional […]
Protecting student privacy – The urgent need for stronger data policies in Caribbean schools
In a February 5, 2025, article published in The Jamaica Gleaner titled Data Privacy in Jamaican Schools, concerns about data privacy practices in Jamaican educational institutions were brought into sharp focus. The piece highlighted the risks tied to collecting, storing, and managing sensitive student and staff information, emphasising the urgent need for stronger regulatory oversight […]
Major drug bust leads to multiple arrests
Six persons are currently in police custody following a major drug bust on Sunday at Welches Beach, Christ Church. Members of the Narcotics Division of the Barbados Police Service and other law enforcement agencies conducted the operation, which resulted in the seizure of 566.90 kg of suspected vegetable matter, estimated to have a street value […]
New multi-million Fire Service complex to be completed by April
The Barbados Fire Service and Emergency Service Complex at The Pine, St. Michael, is expected to be completed in April 2025. The initial cost of the project was $30 million; however, due to supply chain disruptions and structural modifications to improve storm resilience, the cost has risen by $3.5 million. Minister of Home Affairs Wilfred […]
PSV operators halt night services amid rising crime concerns
Several privately owned public service vehicle (PSV) operators have suspended evening services due to safety fears, potentially leaving commuters stranded as the state-owned Transport Board said it could not increase capacity to meet the shortfall. Chairman of the Association of Public Transport Operators (APTO) Anwar Nana confirmed that his members have decided to stop […]
No bail for student accused of Community College stabbing
Insisting that violence in schools must be taken seriously, a court prosecutor successfully opposed bail for a 20-year-old student charged in connection with last week’s stabbing incident at the Barbados Community College (BCC), which left another student hospitalised. Shelton Dewayne Milton Blackman, of Denton Road, Grazettes, St Michael, was remanded to Dodds Prison when […]
Our Schools—Time for Action
Recently, we were jolted by another violent incident within our educational institutions—last Wednesday’s stabbing at the Barbados Community College, which left a male student with several wounds to his torso and another student being remanded to Dodds on Monday when he appeared in court in connection with the incident. Violence produces no winners. Hence, […]
No mobile clinic on Valentine’s Day
The Ministry of Health and Wellness mobile clinic will not operate on Friday, February 14, as previously publicised. The mobile clinic’s services, which are available from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., can be accessed for the rest of the week as follows: Tuesday, February 11: Jordans Supermarket, Speightstown, St Peter Thursday, February 13: Boscobelle […]