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The Social Development Commission (SDC) has partnered with the St. Andrew North Police Division, and Ministers’ Fraternal, to stage a grand sports day for residents of communities in and around the 100 Lane area of Red Hills Road on March 3. The event was officially launched on Saturday Feb. 11 at the Hillside Christian Church, 105k Red Hills Road, with...

The capacity of the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has been boosted, with the graduation of 149 new recruits from the Carl Rattray Staff College in Runaway Bay, St. Ann on Friday (Feb. 10). The recruits, which represent the 71st intake of correctional officers, successfully completed 20 weeks of intensive training at the institution. The 21 females and 128 males...

A special award aimed at rewarding the input of non-academic support staff at high schools, was officially launched at the Ministry of Education, Heroes Circle offices, on February 10. The award dubbed, ‘Education Support Staff Achievement’ (ESSA), is an initiative of Kingston Bookshop (KB), and seeks to recognise a wide cross section of personnel, including: clerks, bursars, librarians, ancillary staff,...

Minster of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Hon. Phillip Paulwell, has said that liberalisation of the energy sector is set to gather momentum and will soon result in full competition in the provision of electricity. To fast-track the process, and ensure that the new energy policy is developed and implemented in a seamless manner,  Mr. Paulwell has invited Cabinet  to...

Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, says a formal review is to be conducted on the impact of the abolition of the user fee policy on critical areas of the primary health care delivery process. "This review will determine the gaps in the system across a number of areas, including human resource, finance and the provision of medical, nursing,...

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Noel Arscott, is assuring the public that the fire at the Riverton City Landfill in St. Andrew is now "relatively" under control. The Ministry, in collaboration with various agencies, has been working to contain the fire and institute measures to abate the smoke nuisance since the blaze started on Monday night (February...

Chief Justice, the Hon. Zaila McCalla, said the judiciary fully embraces the move by Government to introduce restorative justice principles within the justice system. The Ministry of Justice is looking to apply the concept to the local court system, and is currently carrying out a pilot programme in four communities: Tower Hill, St. Andrew; Spanish Town, St. Catherine; May Pen,...

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Noel Arscott, is encouraging Parish Councils to seek out partnerships with the private sector, to ensure that projects undertaken on behalf of their constituents, can be completed. Speaking at a meeting of the Clarendon Parish Council, in May Pen, Friday February 10, the Minister said that parish councils had a lot of...

Jamaicans from all walks of life paid their last respects to Ambassador, the Hon. Dudley Thompson on Friday Feb. 10th. The Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity, downtown Kingston, where the official funeral service was held, was packed to capacity, as the country's leaders, representatives of academia, the business sector, civil society, the diplomatic corps, and ordinary Jamaicans, turned out...

With the tourist industry on a growth path, Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, Hon. Dr. Wykeham McNeill, says the Ministry is now working on strategies to maximise the opportunities within the sector, for all Jamaicans to benefit. He argued that the industry has the potential to provide many opportunities for upward social mobility, pointing out that there is now an...

Members of two vulnerable communities in  Westmoreland - McNeil Lands and New Roads - are now better equipped to deal with disasters, such as hurricanes and earthquakes, as some 100 persons from these areas have successfully completed intense training in a project called, ‘Building Disaster Resilient Communities’. The project was a three-year initiative lasting from November 2008 to September 2011,...

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Noel Arscott, says the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) has activated its emergency powers and has called in the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) to assist in bringing the fire at the Riverton Landfill under control. He also pointed out that the Ministry of Health has been active in the...