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THURSDAY OCTOBER 9, 2025
BROWARD FAMiLiES BRACE FOR
MULTIPLE SCHOOL CLOSURES Broward County School Board members met Tuesday to discuss the next phase of the district’s Redefining Schools initiative, a sweeping plan that could see several schools across the county closed or repurposed in response to declining enrollment and reduced state funding. So far, 34 schools have been identified for review, with at least six elementary and middle schools potentially slated for closure by the 2026–27 school year. continues on B3 – School closures
Howard Hepburn Broward County School Superintendent
Golding and Holness clash again over Jamaica’s republic path Jamaica’s Opposition Leader Mark Golding and Prime Minister Andrew Holness are once again at odds over how Jamaica should complete its transition to a republic. The latest clash stems from Holness’ proposal for Golding to meet with Justice Minister Delroy Chuck to restart constitutional reform discussions — a suggestion Golding has flatly rejected, insisting that only direct talks between the two leaders can move the process forward. In his letter dated October 3, 2025, Golding said the reform process must begin with direct engagement between himself and the prime minister if Jamaica is to make meaningful progress in completing what he called “the unfinished circle of Independence.” His response followed a September 30 letter from Holness proposing that Golding meet
Holness
Golding
with Chuck to resume talks on constitutional reform. Golding said he had expected the prime minister to invite him to a meeting to chart the way forward, based on Holness’s call for partnership at his recent inauguration at King’s House. At that ceremony, Holness had reportedly told him, “Mark, let us partner
together to complete the work we started in making Jamaica a republic.” “The proposal for me to meet with the justice minister will not initiate the required partnership of which we had spoken,” Golding wrote. “It is you and I, as leaders of Jamaica’s two major political parties, who must establish a basis for the required partnership if the
reform process is not to become another exercise in futility.” The Opposition Leader reaffirmed his support for Jamaica to achieve full sovereignty by both removing the British monarch as head of state and ending appeals to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London. He noted that this dual goal has long been the position of the People’s National Party (PNP) and argued that both issues must be addressed together for the country to achieve genuine constitutional reform. Golding also cited historical precedents for bipartisan cooperation, noting that significant constitutional advances have always required cross-party consensus. He referenced the collaboration between Norman Manley and Alexander Bustamante leading to continues on A4 – Jamaica’s Republic Path
W H AT ’ S I N S I D E
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CARIBBEAN Trinidad Prison Chief reports over 600 drone drops bringing contraband into jails a4
WOMEN IN FOCUS JMEA Annual Awards Gala celebrates rum pioneer Dr. Joy Spence A8
SPORTS Andre Blake’s brilliance carries Union past MLS powerhouses to 2025 Shield title B7