The Government has commenced the transitioning of workers at the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) and its four regional branches into 3,813 new permanent positions. The transition exercise, which includes drivers, sanitation officers and operational staff, marks a significant step in enhancing the stability and efficiency of solid waste management services across the country, said Executive Director of the...

Homeless persons and other vulnerable individuals in St. Elizabeth were pampered and feted in observance of World Homeless Day on October 10. The event, held at the Drop-In Centre in Black River, was organised by the Poor Relief Department of the St. Elizabeth Municipal Corporation under the national theme, ‘Advocate, Rehabilitate, Reintegration: The Journey Home’. Activities focused on raising awareness...

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, says the Ministry has spent more than $350 million, so far, on social infrastructure and programmes in Westmoreland. Speaking to JIS News after the handover ceremony for two housing units in the parish, under the Ministry’s Indigent Housing Programme, in Belvedere on Friday (October 11), the Minister noted that the...

Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Richard Vernon, has announced plans for the repair of more than 20 roads across the parish by December 2024. The $150-million initiative is being led by the St. James Municipal Corporation, in partnership with the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), and the National Housing Trust (NHT). The Mayor, who is also...

Local Government and Community Development Minister, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, is appealing to family members to not abandon their homeless relatives and help provide safe accommodation for them. “Many of our homeless friends and families, they come from homes, but some of their families have abandoned them, turned their backs on them and turned them out… . I call on Jamaicans...

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says road repairs have commenced under the Relief Emergency Assistance and Community Help (REACH) Programme, which supports post-Hurricane Beryl recovery efforts. He was providing an update on the REACH Road Rehabilitation Programme’s implementation in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (October 8). REACH was initiated by the Government to repair widespread road...

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, says that Ministry officials will continue to meet regularly with farmers and other stakeholders to evaluate hurricane recovery efforts. The Minister, who was speaking to farmers and fisherfolk following a tour of sections of St. Ann North Western on October 2, said that the visits to various farmsteads and fishing beaches...