Month: December 2024

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Dec. 20 granted clemency to 22 individuals, including 21 pardons and one commutation. Hochul said this action “recognizes individuals demonstrating remorse, exemplifying rehabilitation and displaying a commitment to improving themselves and their communities.” After implementing procedural reforms to strengthen the clemency process, the governor has made a total of 94 grants of clemency during her time in office. “Upon taking office, I implemented a series of […]

The BMS Playhouse Theatre on Dec. 22 was transformed into a cultural haven as Brooklyn’s cultural organization Tropicalfete hosted its signature year-end event, “The Finale: A Cultural Gift for the Community.” “This vibrant celebration honored remarkable achievements, showcased artistic talent, and underscored the organization’s commitment to preserving Caribbean heritage and promoting cultural education,” St. Lucian-born Executive Director and Founder Alton Aimable told Caribbean Life. “The evening’s honorees exemplified excellence and […]

With violent crime and gangland slaying spiraling out of control, authorities in Trinidad Monday announced the imposition of a state of emergency (SOE) from this week, giving police and soldiers additional constitutional powers to target heavily armed gangsters and others involved in reprisal killings and other violent crimes. The SOE, the third since more than 100 members of a Muslim sect had tried to overthrow the Trinidad government in a […]

January                                                          Despite medical complications, one of Grenada's top calypsonians and cultural figures, Valentine "Val" Adams, is still hitting the stage.  Adams was one of the main acts, primarily singing Christmas Carols, during the 40th Anniversary Gala celebration last Month of the Brooklyn-based Vincentian-American Independent National Charities, Inc. (VINCI) at El Caribe Country Club on Strickland Avenue in Brooklyn. "Although, like everything else, there were minor obstacles along the way, including […]

January Mayor Eric Adams has filed a US$708 million lawsuit against 17 charter bus and transportation companies in Texas. The lawsuit seeks to recover all costs New York City has incurred in providing emergency shelter and services to Caribbean and other migrants transported to New York City by the charter bus companies in the last twenty months. Many of the migrant and asylum seekers arriving in New York from the […]

On Christmas Eve night, the President of Guyana, Dr. Irfaan Ali, on behalf of the first family, extended holiday greetings to the nation, stating that love can foster unity and nurture compassion. The video message played after a State House Christmas Concert against a dazzling lightscape display on Main Street in Georgetown spoke of defeating the division. "At the heart of Christmas is a love so profound that it transcends […]

The coordinated efforts by Caribbean Community leaders to help install an interim government in trouble-prone Haiti, the battering the region took from increasingly powerful storms like Beryl in early July, mounting concerns about crates filled with high powered weapons from the US making it to the region and the tabling of legislation to make Jamaica a republic will likely rank as some of the major events of 2024. Until Superstorm […]

Since 2017, there has been a prominent figure in Brooklyn that many have seen around the Christmas Holiday season, bringing smiles and joy to the children and their families. The origin of this figure was Dec. 23, 2017 in Albany Houses, where a family who was burned out of their home had no plans for a joyful Christmas. That is when a known advocate of the people threw on a […]

Once the holidays are over, you may look around you at a floor full of spent wrapping paper and sad ribbons and wonder, “What’s next?” A whole new year, that’s what, and a dozen great books worthy of reaching back to find. Here they are, in no certain order, the Bookworm’s Best of 2024… FICTION If you’re a fan of best-selling novels, you won’t be surprised to see “Extinction” by […]