News

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the start of phase two of the School Tax Relief (STAR) program benefit season on Tuesday, July 22. She said eligible homeowners in communities with school tax due dates in August or September will start receiving their STAR benefit in the coming weeks. The governor said most homeowners eligible for a STAR credit will receive a check between $350 and $600. Hochul said most seniors eligible […]

Over the weekend, an off-duty Border Patrol agent visiting Fort Washington Park in Manhattan was shot in the face in an apparent attempted robbery. The agent, who thankfully survived the encounter, managed to shoot his attacker, who was later taken into custody by police. Police later revealed that the suspect in the brazen shooting, identified as 21-year-old Miguel Mora, had been wanted on charges in two other incidents: a robbery […]

The New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), an umbrella policy and advocacy organization that represents over 200 immigrant and refugee rights groups throughout New York, said on Tuesday, July 22, that a new video shows inhumane conditions inside the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Detention Center at 26 Federal Plaza in lower Manhattan. "Today, newly released video shows what immigrant New Yorkers have been telling their families and attorneys for […]

Former Trinidadian Prime Minister Keith Rowley reported to the nation on Monday how he was humiliated in Antigua a week ago after he was detained for secondary questioning because his name was on the list of a global policing system. Rowley, 75, called reporters to his private home to detail how he was twice flagged as a criminal suspect while traveling to and from neighboring Montserrat, where he was attempting […]

After delivering back-to-back electrifying performances at BRT Weekend in the US and the legendary Wireless Festival in the UK, dancehall heavyweight Masicka was set to bring the same high energy to the Reggae Sumfest stage as he made his highly anticipated return to the festival last weekend. "His global dominance continues to rise following a show-stopping performance at Bounty Killer's US return concert at Brooklyn's Barclay Center, and special guest […]

Trinidad and Tobago’s global musical influence continues to rise as Soca sensation Kes The Band makes a vibrant appearance in the newly-released Netflix film Madea’s Destination Wedding with his celebratory track “Love It.” Jamaican entertainment publicist, Ronnie Tomlinson, CEO of the New York-based Destine Media, told Caribbean Life that the track, “a joyful dancehall/reggae fusion,” written by Kitwana Israel, is featured in the soundtrack of Tyler Perry’s latest blockbuster, which […]

The Brooklyn-based Shoot for the Stars Foundation on Sunday, July 20, hosted its annual Pop Smoke Day, commemorating the life and legacy of the late Canarsie rapper Bashar Barakah Jackson, also known as Pop Smoke. The full day event, led by Pop Smoke’s Jamaican-born mother, Audrey “Mah Smoke” Jackson, honors Pop Smoke’s “impact on the community, and perpetuates his spirit of upliftment and unity,” Ms. Jackson told Caribbean Life. She […]

Thousands of fun-seekers on July 13, reveled on the grounds of Monte Irvin Orange Park, Orange, New Jersey, many wearing Caribbean colors to celebrate the annual Guyana and Caribbean Fun Day, hosted by Guyanese American Lady Ira Lewis in collaboration with Senator Britnee N. Timberlake. Opening her speech with Bob Marley's hit song "One Love," Sen. Timberlake spoke of the importance of unity among diasporans, "not buying into anything that […]

The Brooklyn-based West Indian American Day Carnival Association (WIADCA) has released its theme, "Vive Le Carnivale," for this year's New York Carnival Week 2025. Rhea Smith, WIADCA's Trinidadian-born board member, told Caribbean Life on Monday, July 21, that arguably the largest carnival in North America is expected to exhibit "a vibrant celebration of Caribbean heritage, music, and unity. "From Aug. 28 – Sept. 1, Brooklyn will be lit with six […]