Housing & Construction: Prime Minister Andrew Holness broke ground for 700 homes at Greater Bernard Lodge in St Catherine, urging local contractors to adopt modern, sustainable building tech to speed delivery and move beyond “matchbox” designs. Education & Infrastructure: Black River Primary reopening in St Elizabeth remains delayed after Hurricane Melissa damage, with unstable internet and unfinished electrical and furniture work keeping classes off for now. Local Governance: St James Mayor Richard Vernon says the StJMC will use existing laws to tackle squatting while awaiting a national squatter policy. Security & Trade: A St James man, Roderick Spence, was charged after a Kingston Freeport Terminal probe found 103 parcels of cocaine and 123 of ganja in a container bound for the US. Agriculture Protection: Jamaica’s Agricultural Protection Branch reports recovering over J$17.6m in stolen produce since January and laying more than 2,200 charges. Energy & Offshore Oil: United Oil & Gas hired NRG to study rig and long-lead needs for offshore Walton-Morant drilling as farm-out talks continue. Tourism & Food Systems: Tourism officials push hotels to buy more Jamaican produce via digital supply networks and forward procurement to strengthen food security. Digital Resilience: The Universal Service Fund says solar-powered Wi-Fi hotspots keep community connectivity running during grid failures.