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KINGSTON — "The thought of doing good for people inspires me the most," says Claude Hewitt Edwards, who is to receive the Badge of Honour for Meritorious Service at the 2011 National Honours and Awards Ceremony on Monday, October 17 (Heroes Day), at King's House. "I feel honoured to know that I am to receive such an award. It took...

The Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, the Hon. Olivia Grange, has launched Heritage Week and Community Development at a Service of Thanksgiving at the Church of God in Jamaica at Edgewater in St. Catherine. Heritage Week culminates with Heroes’ Day on Monday, 17 October 2011. The theme for Heritage Week is “The Journey Continues” and is intended to inspire...

KINGSTON — The transformation of downtown Kingston is rapidly gathering momentum, as evidenced by over 300 percent increase in expressions of interest in the tax incentive programme for urban renewal by interested investors, over the last 18 months. This was disclosed by the General Manager of the Urban Development Corporation (UDC), Joy Douglas, as she outlined the investment opportunities in...

KINGSTON — Health Minister, Hon. Rudyard Spencer, says the Ministry will be moving to address challenges at the Stony Hill Health Centre in St. Andrew, with a view to re-instating it to a Type V facility. Speaking with JIS News, following a recent tour of the centre, Mr. Spencer cited several shortcomings. “The medical rooms are seriously cramped…that has to...

KINGSTON — Minister of Health, Hon Rudyard Spencer, says that there has been an increase in the number of persons accessing care at public health centres in Portmore, St. Catherine. Speaking at the official reopening of the Waterford Health Centre, on Thursday August 25, in St. Catherine, the Minister said that health centre utilisation in Portmore had moved from 55,394...

PORT ANTONIO — A new community centre was opened in the community of Decoy, in St. Mary, on Wednesday, July 20. The building,  which was constructed  and equipped with funds from the Community Development Fund (CDF), and the European Union, comprises a  meeting area, two bathrooms and a kitchen area, and will serve as a venue for community activities, such...

PORT ANTONIO — The Portland Parish Council is staging a series of community meetings, as it seeks to get residents more involved in the process of governance and improve compliance in the payment of fees and taxes. Mayor of Port Antonio, Councillor Floyd Patterson, told JIS News that delinquency in the payment of relevant fees is affecting the Council’s ability...

PORT ANTONIO — The best of maroon culture and heritage were on display on Saturday June 25 at Asafu Yard in Charles Town, Portland. Organised by the Charles Town Maroons, the day was the culmination of the third annual International Maroon Convention, which began on Thursday June 23, to honour and draw national and international attention to the unique history,...

KINGSTON — Youth, Sports and Culture Minister, Hon. Olivia Grange, has announced plans to begin staging Emancipation Jubilee celebrations in Spanish Town, St. Catherine, beginning this year. The annual event, she said, will be in addition to the customary July 31 festivities in Seville, St. Ann, which precede Emancipation Day on August 1. After being off the calendar of events...

The Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) has reported substantial progress in preparing for the implementation of the Community Renewal Programme (CRP) this year. The CRP resulted from Prime Minister Bruce Golding’s mandate to the PIOJ to prepare a programme for long term stability and well-being, inclusive of violent and vulnerable communities and consistent with the goals of Vision 2030, following...

The pilot phase of the much anticipated Community Renewal Programme (CRP) could be rolled out as early as the end of March, according to officials at the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ). The programme, which is being coordinated by the Institute, will address poor housing, poor infrastructure, weak community governance and the lack of coordination of social intervention programmes. The...

Community leaders from across the parish of St. Catherine on February 18 participated in a workshop aimed at promoting awareness of the Vision 2030 Jamaica national development plan and its various benefits. The workshop, held at the Social Development Commission (SDC) office in Spanish Town, was the penultimate session in an island-wide series organised by the Planning Institute of Jamaica...