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The Senate yesterday (Jan. 23) passed a Bill to amend the Agricultural Credit Board Act in order to remove the grant and loan-making functions from that body. The Bill also proposes to provide for the strengthening of the supervisory and regulatory functions of the board to develop adequate information, control, evaluation and reporting systems to facilitate greater accountability and effective...

The National Water Commission (NWC) has spent more than $3 billion on the country's sewerage systems over the last few years, and continues to treat with urgency the restoration and rehabilitation of sewage treatment plants. Corporate Public Relations Manager NWC, Charles Buchanan, has said that over the last five years, the NWC had spent more on improving sewerage systems than...

Minister of Industry and Tourism, Aloun Ndombet-Assamba, is forecasting growth of between 3.5 and 7 per cent for South Coast tourism in the next 10 years, as she seeks to build partnerships with overseas interests. The Government's Ten-Year Master Plan strongly focuses on sustainable development on Jamaica's South Coast. "Based on the performance of other nature-based destinations in the Caribbean...

Minister of Education, Youth and Culture, Maxine Henry Wilson has spoken out against the loud noises and the general abuse of children, which ultimately affect a young child's ability to learn. She said auditory tests were given each year to children just starting school and what has been discovered from these tests, was that many of the children were unable...

Elsie Foster-Dublin, Jamaican-born Councilwoman of Highland Park, New Jersey in the United States, received the Adam Clayton Powell Political Action Award last month from the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) at the Cross Roads Theatre in New Jersey. The award, named after the famous American politician and the first Black congressman from the Eastern United States,...

The National Water Commission (NWC) intends to launch an aggressive public education campaign this year to promote water conservation efforts and educate customers about practices which affect their bills. Corporate Public Relations Manager at the NWC, Charles Buchanan, told a JIS 'Think Tank' session earlier this week, that consumers often complained about exorbitant water bills and ignored consumption patterns. "Most...

Novelette Morris, Auditor at the National Land Agency (NLA) walked away with the top ranking in the finance category of the 2003 Public Sector Brain Games tournament, which was staged on Friday, November 21 as part of Civil Service week activities. A beaming Mrs. Morris told JIS News that her triumph, in what was the toughest of the five categories,...

A special committee is to be set up in Montego Bay with a primary focus on the chronic problem of improper garbage disposal. The committee, which will comprise representatives from various civic and commercial organizations, and spearheaded by the St. James Parish Council, will be mandated to clean up Montego Bay. Chairman of the Civic and Community Affairs Committee in...

Over 3,000 students and teachers from schools in St. Ann took part in a sensitization programme, organized by the parish's Office of Disaster Preparedness (ODP) to mark Earthquake Awareness Week (January 11-17). Parish Co-ordinator, Alvin Clarke, said the main objective of the awareness programme was to provide the schools with information on the threats of earthquakes, how to prevent injury...

Minister of National Security, Dr. Peter Phillips has announced plans to build a new police station in Bath, St Thomas, during this year. The building will be constructed on premises, which housed the former police station in the community. The policemen are now operating out of a two-bedroom house, which is in poor condition. "The conditions under which the men...

Schools in North Central Clarendon have participated in special educational sessions, to commemorate Earthquake Awareness Week (January 11 to 16), under the theme: 'Earthquakes have no season: Be aware, you can prepare'. The sessions were co-ordinated by the Clarendon Parish Disaster Committee, in conjunction with the Jamaica Information Service (JIS), May Pen regional office. They were held on January 13...

CARICOM and the United States of America have pledged to contribute to the defense and security of the hemisphere in order to combat transnational crimes and terrorism. In a joint statement issued following a meeting on the Third Border Initiative in Monterrey, Mexico on Monday (Jan. 12) Caribbean leaders and the United States have agreed to take steps to promote...