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Approximately 300 displaced banana farmers from Maroon Town and surrounding communities in the Southern St. James recently benefited from a workshop to assess their skills needs and guide them towards other job options. Organised by the European Union-funded banana sector retraining programme, the event, held at Maldon Baptist Church, was the third in a series being held across the island,...

Superintendent of Roads and Works at the Clarendon Parish Council, Richard Clarke, has said that several road repair and maintenance projects are underway in the parish. In a recent interview with JIS News, Mr. Clarke informed that there is ongoing road maintenance, with the patching of several of the more badly affected roadways, which are used daily by the public....

In addition to its regular Monday meeting, the Cabinet is to hold two special meetings this week on Thursday, 15th January and Friday, 16th January. The additional Cabinet meetings this week have pre-empted the post-Cabinet Press Briefing which was scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday, January 14th, and which will now not take place. Meeting Agenda/Cabinet RetreatThe agenda of the Thursday Cabinet...

Dr. Patrick Linton Allen was born on February 7th 1951 in the farming community of Fruitful Vale, Portland, the fourth of five children of Ferdinand Allen and his wife, Christiana (nee Grant). He attended the Fruitful Vale All-Age School and, after successfully completing his GCE examinations in 1968 by private study, he joined the staff of the school as a...

The Trelawny Parish Council is putting plans in place for the staging of a Mayor's Forum in March, following the success of the inaugural event held last November. Residents of the parish had expressed satisfaction with the amount of information presented by Local Government representatives and heads of agencies at last year's event, which was held during Local Government Month,...

Prime Minister Bruce Golding, says the Church has a critical role to play in holding a community together, amidst the constant changes that have been taking place throughout the world, some of which have eroded the principles under which communities existed. He emphasised that "the things that hold a community together are not things that will exist or happen organically....

The Accompong Maroons in St. Elizabeth were recently encouraged by speakers addressing their 271st anniversary peace treaty celebration, to preserve their victory over the British and use it as a motivation for nation building. "There are certain defining moments in every nation's history that helped to create the current atmosphere that everyone enjoy. And that peace treaty which was signed...

Earthquake Awareness Month activities for St. Mary were officially launched at a function held at the St. Mary Parish Library in Port Maria on Wednesday (Jan. 7). The event, staged by the St. Mary Parish Council, was attended by a number of persons representing government and non-government organizations in the parish, and featured cultural presentations by students of Oracabessa, Islington,...

Government has finalized plans for the funeral services of the 14 persons who lost their lives in the December 19, Rio Grande Valley tragedy in Portland. Minister of State for Project Implementation in the Office of the Prime Minister, Daryl Vaz, says autopsies have been completed for all 14 victims and the funeral dates have been finalized. (See attached document)...

The Honourable Olivia "Babsy" Grange, Minister of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports, has called on the Social Development Commission (SDC) to do more to increase its contact with the 785 communities across Jamaica. Minister Grange's exhortation to the SDC came as she addressed a meeting of the board of directors and senior management of the agency yesterday (Thursday, 8th January...

Prime Minister, Bruce Golding, has urged Jamaicans to place greater emphasis on earthquake preparedness by becoming better informed, and more involved in the precautionary process. "I appeal to my fellow Jamaicans to participate in the activities planned for this commemorative week and avail themselves of all the necessary information that will aid in securing their own lives and properties in...

With immediate effect, nineteen senior officers and consultants of the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service and its tax related agencies have been re-deployed to give momentum to the Ministry's efforts to reform the Government's tax administration programme. Financial Secretary, Sharon Crooks has announced that effective Monday, January 12, the proposed Domestic Tax Administration Project will be activated and...