Jamaica

ST. GEORGE'S, Grenada -- Hurricane Ivan took aim yesterday at Jamaica and possibly Florida after killing 23 people in five countries and devastating Grenada, where police fired tear gas to stop a looting frenzy and barricaded roads leading into the capital. Ivan, the deadliest hurricane to hit the Caribbean in a decade, pummeled Grenada, Barbados, and other southern islands Tuesday. It weakened slightly and was downgraded yesterday from a Category 5 hurricane -- the most powerful -- to a Category 4 storm packing 150-mile-per-hour winds but was still expected to pound Jamaica today.

By Matt Rocheleau, Town Correspondent Police in Jamaica Plain are warning area motorists about an increase in reports of wheels and tires being stolen from parked cars, with some vehicles being left resting atop cinder blocks. Most cars being targeted are Honda Fit and Honda Civic models, according to an e-mail sent to community members from the District E-13 station of the Boston Police Department. A law enforcement official said those car models are targeted because their smaller wheels are not only easier to steal, but are also particularly desirable...

CARY, N.C.-- Tony Meola's 100th international appearance didn't go quite as he hoped -- but at least he didn't get a loss. Ben Olsen scored the tying goal in the 25th minute off a record-setting assist from Landon Donovan and the United States salvaged a 1-1 tie against Jamaica last night in the final exhibition game before coach Bruce Arena chooses his 23-man World Cup roster. It was Donovan's 23d career assist, moving him ahead of Cobi Jones for the most in national team history as the US avoided losing for the first time in 17 games against Jamaica (9-0-8)

By Matt Rocheleau, Town Correspondent The Family Service of Greater Boston based in Jamaica Plain will receive a $40,000 grant in conjunction with an award honoring the organization's CEO for "outstanding leadership. " (FSGB) Randall Rucker Randall Rucker, who heads the 177-year-old Boston human service and child welfare agency, received the 2012 Peter B. Goldberg ARAMARK Building Community Executive Leadership Award, officials said this week.

A judge in Jamaica has refused bail for a popular rapper facing two murder charges. The ruling Wednesday rejects a bail application by 35-year-old Vybz Kartel (VIBES KAR-tel) in the slaying of a 27-year-old music promoter who was gunned down on a street corner in July. Resident Magistrate Opal Smith has not given a reason for refusing bail. Kartel has also been charged in an August slaying. Assistant Police Commissioner Ealan Powell has said the dancehall reggae star is being investigated in connection with "a number of murders, shootings and gunrunning.

Teofilo Gutierrez scored in the 55th minute and Colombia beat Jamaica 2-0 in an exhibition match Tuesday night. Gutierrez received Radamel Falcao's centering pass from the right wing and converted a shot past Jamaica goalkeeper Dwayne Miller. Jamaica nearly tied it in the 80th minute when Omar Daley's shot just inside the large area caromed off the crossbar. Jackson Martinez added another goal in the 90th. Martinez retrieved a loose ball after Miller deflected Pablo Armero's shot and converted inside the 6-yard box. Colombia won both matches of a two-match U.S....

Demar Phillips scored two goals 13 minutes apart in the second half to lift Jamaica past Guatemala 2-0 in a Group B CONCACAF Gold Cup match Friday night. Phillips broke a scoreless tie with his first goal in the 65th minute. He received Keammar Daley’s pass, dribbled toward the left wing of the penalty area, eluded defender Jonathan Lopez and beat goalkeeper Ricard Jerez with a shot that landed inside the right post. Jamaica (2-0-0) clinched the victory on Philips’ second goal in the 78th minute.

NEGRIL, Jamaica -- The script called for free-for-all partying, Jamaica style, and the student tour package reps were cast as our enablers. It was the final week of the season, and the youngish staff seemed exhausted. But in the first day's orientation, they still gamely attempted to use the phrases "hook up" and "get trashed" as often as possible. After all, we had ostensibly paid to have one of those vacations we would recall in old age as the last stand of crazy youth, assuming we would remember anything after all that "getting trashed.

VALDIVIA, Chile - A day after surviving a first-game scare, the United States routed Jamaica, 115-47, yesterday, clinching a semifinal spot at the FIBA Americas tournament. Seimone Augustus had 19 points and Tina Thompson added 18 as the US team scored the first 9 points and never looked back. The United States (2-0) struggled in its first game against Cuba, winning, 85-79, after trailing most of the game. There was no such trouble yesterday. Leading, 14-7, Kara Lawson came off the bench to score 5 quick points and give the United...

Ryan Johnson scored a flukey first-half goal that bounced off the back of the head of the goalkeeper and Jamaica defeated Honduras 1-0 on Monday night to capture Group B and advance to the Gold Cup quarterfinals. The 58th-ranked Reggae Boys (3-0) will play the second-place finisher in Group C — it might be the United States — on Sunday in Washington, D.C. Honduras (1-1-1) falls in the bracket with defending champion Mexico and will face Costa Rica on Saturday at the New Meadowlands Stadium.

Amnesty International urged Jamaica's government Tuesday to appoint an independent fact-finding panel to investigate human rights violations allegedly committed during a bloody state of emergency to catch gang boss Christopher "Dudus" Coke. The London-based rights group complained that "two years have passed with no answers" since the May 2010 emergency was declared and security forces launched an offensive to capture the fugitive leader of the Shower Posse, a notorious Jamaican gang named for its members' tendency to spray victims with bullets.

Police have arrested a popular Jamaican dancehall deejay on a U.S. extradition warrant. Authorities say that Busy Signal is a fugitive wanted on decade-old drug conspiracy charges in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Agents with Jamaica's organized crime division arrested him at the international airport in the capital of Kingston. He had just arrived on a flight from London, where authorities first detained Busy Signal for allegedly traveling with false documents. Police said Tuesday his real name is Glendale Goshia Gordon, but he was reportedly traveling...

By Matt Rocheleau, Town Correspondent An 18-year-old from Dorchester, accused of fatally shooting a man during a drug deal at a Jamaica Plain home last month, was arrested and held without bail Friday, authorities said. Charles Reddicks was arrested Friday morning for allegedly shooting 25-year-old Mariano Malave to death, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office said in a statement. He was arraigned Friday afternoon on a murder charge at West Roxbury District Court, officials said.

Eight people accused of defrauding U.S. citizens through a multinational lottery scam were arrested during raids of several homes on a single street in Jamaica's capital, police announced Thursday. A police statement said officers detained six males and two females during the Wednesday night operation in Havendale, a middle-class community at the foot of the mountains that tower above Kingston. They also seized nearly $150,000 in cash, jewelry, eight flat-screen television sets and five cars, including a BMW 5-series luxury sedan.

Three young turks from Jamaica Plain recently launched a pop-up restaurant. Philip V. Kruta, 22, Jeremy Kean, 25, and Corey Isgur, 23, opened Whisk, a chef's tasting experience at Fiore's Bakery, based on the premise that quality meals can be accessible and affordable. So far, seatings have sold out. "Whisk is a place for you if you're a foodie and can't afford to spend a lot of money on fine dining," says Kean. The pop-up was launched with the help of bakery owner Charles Fiore, Kruta's former employer.

(Globe Staff file photo / By David L. Ryan) Could there be a monster living beneath the serene waters of Jamaica Pond? By Matt Rocheleau, Town Correspondent State officials released some 1,150 fish into Jamaica Pond last month, saying the bounty would feed the imaginations of local anglers as winter gives way to spring. However, some speculate that the annual hefty stock of trout and salmon could feed a different hunger: a mysterious monster that lurks beneath Boston's largest body of freshwater.

My girlfriend and I are looking for a warm getaway this winter, but don't have a huge budget. Do you know of any relatively inexpensive hotels in Jamaica close to the ocean that aren't incredibly tacky? P.L., Charlestown An affordable and stylish Caribbean hotel in the winter can be an oxymoron. With hurricane season over, and snowbirds looking to escape plummeting temperatures, hotels often increase their rates simply because they can. But two Jamaica properties that won't put a dent in your wallet and will please the eye are Jake's and the Rockhouse Hotel.

KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Former heavyweight champion Trevor Berbick was found dead in a church courtyard yesterday with chop wounds to his head, police said. Police have arrested a man and were interrogating him at the Port Antonio police station in Portland, Constable Sheldon Francis said. Mr. Berbick's body was discovered about 6:30 a.m. in his hometown parish of Portland, constable Beverly Howell said. The former fighter, believed to be 52, was pronounced dead by a doctor in the church courtyard.

Jamaica's two main political parties are investigating allegations a Jamaican fraudster gave them millions in 2007. A confiscation order by a Turks and Caicos court claims that convicted fraudster David Smith gave generously to both the Jamaica Labor Party and the People's National Party. Former Prime Minister P.J. Patterson is accused of accepting $1 million from Smith, who ran a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme through a phony investment group called Olint. Patterson of the PNP denies "soliciting or receiving any such gift.

This weekend , community activists, politicians, and developers will converge on Jackson Square in Jamaica Plain. They will celebrate the imminent emergence of structural steel in the square. The stated reason for this weekend's party is construction of a 103-unit apartment building. But the celebration is really about the triumph over urban renewal. For more than 50 years, outdated transportation policy shaped the neighborhoods around Jackson Square. When that steel rises above 225 Centre Street, Jackson Square will finally begin being shaped by something other than a...