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Eighteen shelters which were opened in Clarendon last weekend (July 15 to 17), in response to the treat of Hurricane Emily, are now closed.In an interview with JIS News, Delroy Palmer, Parish Manager for the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, said they were able to provide supplies to about 1,000 persons in these shelters. "The Ministry of Labour and...

Minister of Agriculture, Roger Clarke emphasised today that the shared efforts of the public and private sectors in developing scientific innovations to advance the agricultural sector, would prove critical to its future. "The challenge we face today in trying to move the agricultural sector forward is, in simple form, making two or three blades of grass grow where one is...

Regional governments have been urged to focus on learning by experimenting, testing and modifying, rather than simply copying from developed countries, as the need for innovations to ensure competitiveness, market share and jobs expands. The call came today (July 19), from Senior Science and Technology Advisor to the Prime Minister, Dr. Arnoldo Ventura, who was addressing a regional training workshop,...

The Urban Development Corporation (UDC) continues to make development happen in education across the country, playing its part in the building of educational facilities for the nation's children. Thousands of students will benefit from learning opportunities under the North Western Schools Programme, under which 17 schools will be built in western Jamaica over time, providing additional places for some 16,000...

A number of corporate sponsors recently presented cheques valued at $216,000 to the National Youth in Agriculture Committee for the staging of the 2005 National Youth in Agriculture Day. The event will be held at the Denbigh Showground in May Pen on July 30 as part of this year's Denbigh Agricultural and Industrial Show. At the presentation ceremony held recently...

To promote healthier sexual lifestyle, the Clarendon Health Department handed over a condom vending machine to the proprietors of Liba's Esso Tiger Mart in May Pen, on July 14. Michael Bent, Clarendon's Health Department Parish Manager, in handing over the machine, explained that it was part of the Department's initiative to promote safe sex. "It is a pleasure for us...

Residents of the western parishes of St. James, Hanover and Westmoreland are once again counting their blessings, having been spared the worst effects of Hurricane Emily. As at Monday, there were no reports of significant damage to personal property or infrastructure, with the major problem being rising floodwaters, which necessitated the opening of 19 shelters to accommodate 219 persons. In...

Secretary Manager of the Morant Bay Parish Council, Clinton Gordon has said that there was minor damage to the parish's infrastructure during the passage of Hurricane Emily. "The level of flooding and dislocation that we had during Dennis was not experienced during Emily. The major areas of dislocation reported to the Council were land slippages in the hills of Trinity...

The National Youth Service (NYS) summer employment programme for the parish of St. James, was officially launched in Montego Bay on July 16, with some 168 young persons selected to participate in the programme. They will be placed in various participating businesses and organizations across the parish for three weeks, during which they will be paid a stipend, to assist...

The impact of Hurricane Emily on the parish of Portland over the week-end was minimal, compared to what Hurricane Dennis did to the parish on July 7. While Dennis caused a fair amount of damage to houses, crops and infrastructure in a number of communities, Emily's passing was felt with only widespread squally showers and road blockages on the main...

President of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), Senator Norman Grant, has said that the JAS will be seeking to introduce green house technology on a widespread basis, as well as tunnel-ventilated poultry houses, for the protection of vegetables and poultry in times of natural disasters. He told JIS News, that in the same way that countries in the North utilized...

The proposed Agricultural Development Fund, put forward by the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), would be an appropriate buffer for the sector in a post-hurricane recovery period. That is the word from President of the JAS, Senator Norman Grant. This fund, as proposed, would provide assistance for farmers on an ongoing basis for the development of agriculture, with elements specifically geared...