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The annual Alligator Pond regatta, with boat races as the main attraction, was revived on January 1, 2010. This event, which began in Manchester some 20 years ago as a New Year's Day spectacle, had been reduced to a fragmented activity, with no boat races. Programmes Co-ordinator at the Manchester Parish Development Committee, Ms. Angela Lawrence, told JIS News that...

The Government wishes to make it clear that there will be no retroactivity in the application of the General Consumption Tax (GCT) on electricity. A statement from the Ministry of Finance notes that there was never any intention to apply the special GCT rate of 10% to bills issued in January, since the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPSCo) bills its...

The importance of agriculture to the future of the country cannot be underestimated and the late Ivan Tomlinson was one of the stalwarts who played an important role in keeping agriculture viable in Jamaica when the importation of food items posed a threat to the local industry. One of his more significant contributions was through the Jamaica Agricultural Society when...

In his New Year's Message, Prime Minister Bruce Golding projects that the economy is expected to return to a path of modest growth by the middle of the year and that this represents a new beginning which must be accelerated. The Prime Minister highlighted tourism and agriculture as two industries that grew during the past year and restated the Government's...

Fellow Jamaicans!Happy New Year!As we begin a new year and a new decade, I shall address you from my heart, with the hope that I can connect with the heart of ALL who still believe in Jamaica. It is very evident, that our main goals this year must be survival and renewal. There are some significant personal and corporate decisions...

The legacy of the late Keats Hall to forest and watershed conservation and management in Jamaica is immeasurable. Our national record of maintaining valuable woodlands useful for construction, craft, agriculture, botanical and even marine uses, as well as watershed protection, would not be as advanced without his contribution to effective forest management. He was the first director of the, now...

The second tranche of the two-tiered income tax threshold increase for Pay As You Earn (PAYE) contributors and pensioners for the 2009/10 fiscal year, takes effect on Friday, January 1, 2010. The tax threshold will move from its initial increase of $320,736, which was effected on July 1, 2009, to $441,168. The new figure will double the level of just...

The Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) is pursuing discussions with the Department of Local Government regarding a possible increase in fees charged for services it currently delivers. Assistant Commissioner of the JFB and Chief Fire Prevention Officer, Samuel McIntosh, informed JIS News that an increase in the range of 17 per cent is being sought, which he pointed out would be...

Educator, Dr. Jean Beaumont, is imploring parents to work with their children to develop their reading skills. "You parents ought to work with your children all the time...You have to work with your children all the way through," she stated at an awards ceremony held recently at the Green Park Primary and Junior High School in Sandy Bay, Clarendon. According...

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) will observe Earthquake Awareness Week from January 9-15, 2010, under the theme: 'Learn, Plan, Prepare...the next big quake could be near!' Several activities have been planned by ODPEM to mark the Week, which is aimed at increasing the general awareness of the Jamaican public to the importance of preparing for an...

The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is reporting that the increased presence of policemen on the nation's streets over the last six weeks has resulted in a decline in the number of traffic violations as well as incidences of petty theft. In an interview with JIS News, head of the Traffic and Highway Patrol Division, Superintendent Radcliffe Lewis, said the recent...

Minister of State with responsibility for Local Government in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), Hon Robert Montague, has commended Mayors and Councillors for their commitment to the implementation of Local Government Reform over the past 2 years. Speaking with JIS News, at the first annual Local Government Recognition Awards for Councils, at White River, St. Mary, on Wednesday,...