Yard Report on The Tradewinds Brief

Yard Report: The Pension Office Says 'Late July 2026,' Howard Lau Says 'Not My Bill,' and the Reggae Girlz Say 'Guyana, Hold My Coffee'

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 11:00:00 -0400

Kingston morning. Another Sunday of the Gleaner delivering exactly the news we knew was coming but hoped would not. Let us walk through it.

The pension scandal finally gets its Sunday front page

The Gleaner’s lead today is the story they have been building to for months. Retired police officers who served three decades cannot pay their light bills because the JCF pension system is broken. “Marlon Campbell” (pseudonym, smart) retired after over two decades in the force, left almost a decade ago, and is still waiting for his final pension letter. He is receiving an interim monthly pension of J$100,000 — the figure that precedes the final amount, the one you get while the paperwork grinds.

Yard Report: Dem Charge Jaii Frais, MSMEs in Triple Threat, Second Sibling Gone in Spanish Town, and a Canadian Man Steals De Hurricane Relief

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 08:30:00 -0400

Morning, Jamrock. Yard Report here on a Saturday morning, working through coffee and trying to reconcile the week’s news with the limited supply of patience I woke up with.

Let me walk you through what we have.

Jaii Frais Charged: “Survival” on Trial

Popular vlogger Jhaedee Richards — known to his large audience as Jaii Frais — has been charged. Wounding with intent. Shooting with intent. Possession of a prohibited weapon. The charges come six days after the shooting at the Big Wall carnival afterparty in St Andrew, during which Frais and two other men were injured.

Yard Report: The Vlogger, the Mayor-Chopper, the Oil We Shouldn't Want, and the Trench Town Birthday Party That Turned Into a Crime Scene

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 08:00:00 -0400

Morning, Jamrock. Yard Report here from Kingston, processing the week the only way I know how — slowly, with black coffee, and with the grim understanding that the news will somehow get worse before I finish typing.

Let’s see what we’re working with today.

Jaii Frais: The Custody Clock Ticks Down

Popular vlogger Jaii Frais — real name Jhaedee Richards — has been in custody since Sunday following a shooting at the carnival after-party Big Wall. This morning, a Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court judge ruled that the police must either charge him or release him by 6 p.m. today.