Latest

State Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Luther Buchanan (2nd right), leads the discussion with members of the Rural Community Development Task Force on how Bethel Town in Westmoreland can become a model community. The group also toured Stetin in Trelawny on December 13 to get firsthand knowledge of the communities.

Major Work on Model Communities Early 2015

State Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Luther Buchanan, says efforts will be fast tracked in 2015 for the establishment of two model communities under the Government’s Rural Community Development Project, which is being funded by the Jamaica Social Investment...

Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment and Member of Parliament for East Rural St. Andrew, Hon. Damion Crawford (2nd L), discusses aspects of the mitigation strategies to be implemented in the Bedward Gardens community with Research Analyst at the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), Christopher Gayle (L), and Councillor for the area Artnel McDonald (R). Occasion was the breaking of ground for the mitigation project on Thursday (Dec.11) in the community.

$82 Million Landslide Mitigation Project Launched in Bedward Gardens

National Water Commission (NWC) Vice President for Potable Water Systems Operation and Maintenance, Mark Blair, has announced that the Commission will be launching operations in Cornwall Mountain and adjacent communities in Westmoreland, to regularize their accounts. He was speaking at the commissioning of the Barneyside water tank in Cornwall Mountain on November 28.

NWC to Regularise Customers in Westmoreland Communities

Minister of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change, Hon Robert Pickergill (2nd left), is the first to taste water from the commissioned Barneyside water supply system, on November 28. Joining him are (from left): National Water Commission (NWC) Vice President for Potable Water Systems Operation and Maintenance, Mark Blair; Mayor of Savanna-la-mar, Councillor Bertel Moore; Director at Rural Water Supplies Limited, Pastor Omar Oliphant; Rev. Enroy Clarke and Councillor Bernard Vanreiil of the Cornwall Mountain Division. The Barneyside water supply was officially commissioned by Minister Pickergill.

Improved Water Supply for Residents of Westmoreland

Technical Specialist with the Community Renewal Programme (CRP) at the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), Charmaine Brimm (right), speaking at a JIS ‘Think’, today (November 25). She gave details of a parenting workshop to be held for residents of Parade Gardens from November 25-27. At left is International Programme Director for The Art of Living Foundation (AOLF), Mr. Dushyant Savadia.

Parade Gardens Residents Take Part in Parenting Workshop

11 years ago CommunityHealth & Wellness

JCPD to Launch Database Next Year

The Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD) will take one major step towards improving its operations when it launches its multimillion dollar database next year. Executive Director of the Council, Christine Hendricks, informed JIS News that the system, which is funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) at a cost of US$450,605, will provide the country with a quick...

Minister of State in the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Colin Fagan (left), exchanges pleasantries with Custos of Trelawny, Hon. Paul Muschett, just before the start of the Fire Safety Awareness Week church service held recently in Trelawny.

11 years ago CommunityLocal Government

State Minister Calls for Community Action in Fire Prevention

Minister of State in the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Colin Fagan, is calling for community action in fire prevention and safety. Mr. Fagan, who was addressing the recent Fire Safety Awareness Week church service in Trelawny, informed that eight children were among the 16 people, who have died as a result of fires since the start...

11 years ago CommunityHealth & Wellness

Ebola Town Hall Meetings Get Underway Tuesday

Members of the public are being invited to attend a series of town hall meetings, to be held in major town centres across the island, as the Ministry of Health ramps up its Ebola public education and awareness campaign. The first meeting will be hosted by the North East Regional Health Authority (NERHA) on Tuesday (Nov. 25), at the Ocho...

Local Government and Community Development Minister, Hon. Noel Arscott (2nd left), is assisted by Health Minister, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson (3rd left), in performing the symbolic ribbon-cutting exercise to formally open the newly constructed male ward at the St. Thomas Infirmary in Morant Bay, St. Thomas, on November 21. The ward, which will house the 47 elderly males currently residing at the institution, was built at a cost of $31 million. Also participating in the exercise (from left) are: Morant Bay Mayor and St. Thomas Parish Council Chairman, Councillor Ludlow Mathison; Chairman of the Council’s Poor Relief Committee, Councillor Rohan Bryan; Member of Parliament for Western St, Thomas, where the infirmary is located, James Robertson; and Custos Rotulorum of St. Thomas, Hon. Marcia Bennett.

11 years ago CommunityLocal Government

New Male Ward Opens at St. Thomas Infirmary

The 47 male residents of the St. Thomas Infirmary in Morant Bay, are now enjoying much improved facilities, following construction of a new ward by the Government at a cost of $31 million. Financed by the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development and the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports, and Education (CHASE) Fund, the ward features double occupancy rooms; bathrooms;...

Custos of Kingston, Hon. Steadman Fuller (right), and Inspector of the Poor for Kingston and St. Andrew, Elaine Walker, listen keenly to a point being made by Town Clerk, Robert Hill, during the official launch of the Friends of the Marie Atkins Night Shelter Benevolent Society on November 21, on the grounds of the downtown Kingston-based facility.

11 years ago CommunityLocal Government

Jamaicans Urged to Help the Homeless

Custos of Kingston, Hon. Steadman Fuller, is appealing to Jamaicans not to turn a blind eye to those in need, but to extend a helping hand to the most vulnerable, particularly the homeless. “No longer can we ignore the indignity suffered by our people on the streets or just pass them off as ‘mad people’. These people are our brothers...

Director General at Jamaica Library Service (JLS), Karen Barton, says the service’s technology project will transform communities and libraries.

11 years ago CommunityEducation

JLS ICT Project To Transform Communities And Libraries

The Jamaica Library Service (JLS) is on a mission to transform public libraries and communities across the island by providing increased access to information and communication technology (ICT). This will be done through a project dubbed: ‘Using Technology to Empower Individuals and Communities for Development,’ which is being funding through a US$2 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s...

Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Public Service, Ambassador Douglas Saunders (left), presents Joy Bailey of the Ministry of Transport, Works and Housing, with her long service medal for outstanding contribution to the public sector, during the Jamaica Civil Service Association (JCSA) awards presentation ceremony at King’s House, on November 19. The ceremony formed part of activities for Civil Service Week 2014 - November 16 to 22 - under the theme: ‘Public Sector Advancement through Partnership and Collaboration’.

11 years ago CommunityExcellence in the Civil Service

Hundreds of Public Servants Honoured For Long Service

A total of 399 public servants, representing 21 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), have been recognised for upwards of 20 years of service to the Government and country. They were presented with awards at the Jamaica Civil Service Long Service Awards Ceremony held on Wednesday, November 19, at King’s House. The event was part of this year’s activities by the...