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Scores of Portlanders braved unusually cool weather to participate in the annual carol service and Christmas tree lighting ceremony in the Port Antonio Town Square on Wednesday, December 15. The two-hour ceremony, which was organised by the Portland Parish Council, featured the singing of carols by a choir comprising students from a number of schools in the parish. Residents of...

The House of Representatives on Tuesday (December 14) passed a resolution for an extension of the postponement of Local Government elections to no later than March 31, 2011. State Minister with responsibility for Local Government in the office of the Prime Minister, Hon. Robert Montague, who piloted the resolution, noted that the decision was based on recommendations from the National...

With several development projects now taking place simultaneously within the parish of Trelawny, the major one which is the development of the Falmouth Cruise Ship Pier, the Trelawny Parish Council, is strategically placing itself as the source for information on all the projects taking place. An Information Centre is being established within the halls of the Parish Council, where residents...

Government is to establish a special fund to assist Parish Councillors in implementing development projects in their Council seats. The Divisional Empowerment Fund (DEF), which will be introduced in February 2011, will provide $100,000 for each Parish Council Division, to be utilised similar to the way the Community Development Fund (CDF) operates for Members of Parliament (MPs). Addressing the monthly...

Custos Rotulorum for St. James, Hon. Ewen Corrodus, has said that Justices of the Peace (JPs) are needed to restore strength and unity to communities, and to reconstruct the moral fiber of the Jamaican society. "It is no light matter that you have been chosen to serve your country in this capacity. You have been recommended and selected, based on...

A cheque for $800,000 to cover the tuition fees of 103 sixth form students at Cornwall College, in Montego Bay, was presented to Headboy, Jason Bowen, on December 2, by Member of Parliament for North West St. James, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang. Dr. Chang, who is also Minister of Water and Housing, said the money, which comes from the Constituency...

Prime Minister the Hon. Bruce Golding, has expressed confidence that the dream of a re-developed downtown Kingston is fast becoming a reality. Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Digicel Headquarters in downtown Kingston on November 30, Mr. Golding said the Government hopes to commence building a new headquarters for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade to...

The Boys' Town Telecentre/Computer Lab, which allows residents to have access to a wealth of information by the click of a button, was officially opened today (November 30). Located at Hugh Sherlock Hall on Collie Smith Drive in Kingston, the telecentre/computer lab provides a means for community members, especially young people, to improve their education, acquire skills and participate in...

Approximately $60 million is to be spent by the Department of Local Government to construct two Municipal buildings, and expand another facility, to accommodate the operations of three local authorities. The three authorities that will benefit are the St. Thomas and Westmoreland Parish Councils, and the Portmore Municipal Council. This was announced by State Minister for Local Government in the...

Minister of State for Local Government, Hon. Robert Montague, says that the government is fully committed to the reform process to make governance at the local level more effective. Giving the main address at a town hall meeting of the St. Mary Parish Development Committee held at the Port Maria Civic Centre on Thursday (November 25), Mr. Montague said that...

Nine markets are to be renovated under Phase One of an island-wide market beautification programme, to be spearheaded by the Department of Local Government. The markets are: Constant Spring, in St. Andrew; Ocho Rios and St. Ann's Bay, St. Ann; Buff Bay and Port Antonio, Portland; Oracabessa and Annotto Bay, St. Mary; Falmouth, Trelawny; and Lucea, Hanover. All the markets...

The Mayors of Portmore, Spanish Town and Morant Bay plan to revisit enforcement plans for 'no-build' zones in their respective parishes, to increase enforcement, following the devastation wreaked by Tropical Storm Nicole, recently. Jamaica's National Housing Policy, which is being fine tuned by the Ministry of Water and Housing, does not speak specifically to no-build zones. However, it speaks to...