The increase marks the sharpest annual rise in decades according to latest figures published by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on December 27.

The report highlighted a significant and multifaceted crisis in which families with children are disproportionately affected, with a 39% increase in this demographic compared to the previous year.
The data also showed nearly 150,000 children were homeless on a single night in January, highlighting a crisis in family stability.

As of December 2024, the Gun Violence Archive reports that there have been over 600 mass shootings in the United States this year, a mark that the nation has exceeded in the last four years. Defined as incidents where four or more people, excluding the shooter, are injured or killed, these events have occurred in a variety of settings, from schools and workplaces to places of worship and public gatherings. The widespread nature of these shootings underscores their complexity and the multifaceted approach needed to address them.

It is further understood that the veteran law enforcer, with 32 years of service in the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), is tipped to head the St Andrew Central Police Division and promoted to the rank of superintendent.

In the summer of 2021 the former operations officer at the Kingston Eastern Division, took over the reins at Old Harbour from then DSP Damion Manderson, now commander in charge of the St Andrew South Police Division at the rank of superintendent. 

This was revealed by the Health Systems Strengthening Programme (HSSP) – a specialized unit in the Ministry of Health and Wellness tasked with the implementation of modernizing the health sector.

In a progress report released at the turn of the new year, the HSSP said e-Care will be fully onboard at all state-run health facilities “in the coming weeks”.

According to the latest staff order published on the JCF website, DSP Harris is one of nine senior officers affected by a leadership reshuffle spearheaded by Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Donovan Graham. Formerly in charge of Area 4, ACP Graham will now lead the Border Security Branch in this latest organizational realignment.

As initially reported by Old Harbour News, DSP Harris, a seasoned law enforcement officer with 32 years of service, has been reassigned to lead the St. Andrew Central Division based in Half-Way-Tree, Kingston.

These deaths represent an increase of over 1,000 on the total killings for 2023, according to figures verified by OHCHR.  A further 2,212 people were injured and 1,494 kidnapped.

“These figures alone cannot capture the absolute horrors being perpetrated in Haiti but they show the unremitting violence to which people are being subjected,” said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk.

Shocking massacre

In its latest survey released earlier this week, the tourist resort city came out ahead of Leeward Settlement in the Turks & Caicos and San Juan, Puerto Rico in a ranking topped by The Bahamian capital Nassau.

Launched in 2013, Getmyboat is the world's biggest and preferred marketplace for boating experiences of all kinds.

Each year the company analyses all boat rentals, charters, and demand data for Caribbean cities to determine the rankings.

The event will take place January 16, starting 9:00 am at the Twickenham Park Church of the Open Bible, Spanish Town, St. Catherine.

In partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the event is designed to equip micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) owners with the opportunity for strategic networking, access to financing and digital technological solutions, all tailored to strengthen their businesses and increase productivity.

The exercise, which will run from January 12-26, is a multinational, multiagency and multi domain event.

It is expected to simulate real-time scenarios to provide the appropriate response.

Exercise Event Horizon, which is now in its third year, is a high-level validation programme designed to simulate real-world threats or disasters in a controlled environment.

The exercise provides participating nations and agencies (local, regional and international) with the opportunity to test their readiness, coordination, and operational capabilities.

The honourees include John Fothergill, Murrell Gordon, Kenneth A. Clarke, and Simeon Campbell.

The group also recognised other leaders who, from the 1950s through the 1990s, worked through the Old Harbour Bay Primary School’s Parent-Teachers Association (PTA), to secure land for the development of the Old Harbour Bay Community Centre.