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When the Logos Hope book ship docked at the Montego Bay pier on January 20 to begin its two-month stay in the island, among the 350 crew members on board was Jamaican Tamara Francis. The young woman, who was born in Salt Marsh, Trelawny and grew up in Montego Bay and Kingston, gave up a career in radio broadcasting two...

Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Local Government, Hon. Robert Montague, says that community response to the series of Parish Development Symposia has been overwhelming, so far. Speaking with JIS News after the Trelawny Parish Symposium, on the grounds of the Jamaica Baptist Union's Conference Centre, Duncans, Trelawny, on Tuesday (February 23), Mr....

Prime Minister Bruce Golding said that a single regulator for prescribed services, of which telecommunications and utilities are a part, is being considered by the Public Sector Transformation Unit and also the reviewers of the Telecommunications Act. Mr. Golding was speaking at the official opening of the downtown offices of the Spectrum Management Authority (SMA) recently. The SMA moved downtown...

The telephone lines to 'Jamaica House Live' will re-open on Wednesday, February 24 at 8:30 pm with the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dr. Christopher Tufton sitting in as the host for Prime Minister Bruce Golding. The Prime Minister is away in Cancun, Mexico attending two regional meetings that will run from Feb 21 to 23. The Agriculture Minister will...

Prime Minister Bruce Golding has congratulated the Spectrum Management Authority (SMA) for their bold move to relocate their offices from New Kingston to Harbour Street, Downtown Kingston. The move relieves the organization of $2 million in rent monthly and supports the Prime Minister's mandate that government offices relocate to downtown. "You are blazing the trail of bringing the government back...

Prime Minister Bruce Golding told residents of Hannah Town community that the re-established community development centre could be an instrument of transformation if they utilize it to its highest potential. The Prime Minister who gave the keynote address at the opening ceremony of the development centre on Thursday (February 18) said the centre represents a transition from a bitter past...

The Government has taken steps to improve the living conditions of residents in two informal settlements. In Portmore, twenty one families are to gain security of tenure on lands which they now occupy under the Local Improvements (Community Amenities) Act. Cabinet has approved the purchase of 1.3 hectares of land at Wallens Pathway for the sum of $7.5 million by...

Prime Minister Bruce Golding yesterday (Feb 21) told the first Mexico-Caricom summit in Cancun , that there's an urgent need to change the approach to development assistance provided under trade agreements which tend to be more focused on policy reform, preparing enabling legislation and technical support for implementation. These trade agreements he said, should address the building of trade-related structures,...

Children Advocate, Mary Clarke, while lauding the Foster Care Programme as a viable alternative to the institutionalisation of children in need of care and protection, has made a number of proposals to improve its effectiveness and efficiency. The recommendations, which include mechanisms to properly assess those with learning disabilities, increasing the stipend paid to foster parents, and developing minimum standards...

The parish of the St. Mary was the stop for the Local Government Department on Thursday (Feb.18) as it continued its island-wide series of symposia, aimed at engaging ordinary Jamaicans in the process of developing a 20-year sustainable development plan for their communities and parishes. The event, held at the Anglican Church Hall in Port Maria, attracted a large turnout...

A team of Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) and National Works Agency (NWA) officials and engineers, lead by Deputy Mayor of Kingston, Councillor Lee Clarke, toured the Liguanea Post Office on Thursday, to get a firsthand look at its structural condition. The tour was triggered by a report to the KSAC Council from the Corporation's City Engineer, Norman Shand,...

Initiatives being undertaken by government towards the sustainable development of Portland were recently outlined to residents and other stakeholders by Minister with responsibility for Information and Member of Parliament for Western Portland, Hon. Daryl Vaz. Speaking at the function held on Tuesday (February 16) at the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE), Mr. Vaz stated that the government is...