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Optimists from all over the Caribbean will gather in Ocho Rios from Friday, September 5 to Sunday September 7, 2008, for the Annual Convention of The Caribbean District of Optimist International. Friday will see the Lieutenant Governors for the 2008-2009 Administrative Year being taken through the paces in training seminars which will equip them for their year in office. The...

Director of the National Council for Senior Citizens, Beverley Hall Taylor, is appealing to citizens across Jamaica, to assist in this year's observance of Senior Citizens Week. According to Mrs. Taylor the Council has received overwhelming sponsorship support from organisations, but there is still need for persons to give a helping hand in every parish. "We have received wonderful support...

The Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), has announced that it will be registering some 1,000 farmers each month, over the next six to nine months, in an effort to compile data on all farmers and farms across the island. Making this announcement at yesterday's (Sept. 3) JIS Think Tank session, Executive Director of RADA, Alexander Powell, said the Agency was...

Minster of Water and Housing, Dr. Horace Chang yesterday (Sept. 3), presented cheques valued at $1.3 million, to Food for the Poor's Gloria's Place Cottage for Women and Children in Crisis, and the St. Peter Claver Women's Housing Cooperative. The presentation was made at the Minister's New Kingston office. The Minister was responding to a call for assistance from both...

Minister of Water and Housing, Dr. Horace Chang, is defending his Ministry's right to uphold the law, while at the same time providing adequate shelter for all Jamaicans. He was speaking against the background of the recent demolition of squatter settlements in Whitehall, Westmoreland, last week. "The Ministry of Water and Housing will always follow the law to protect all...

The St. Catherine Parish Council is to enforce regulations regarding no-build zones, and will be seeking the support of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), to ensure compliance. Chairman of the St. Catherine Parish Council, Mayor Dr. Andrew Wheatley, told JIS News that following the passage of Tropical Storm Gustav last week, and Prime Minister Bruce Golding's statement that no-build zones...

Chairman of the St. Catherine Parish Council, Dr. Andrew Wheatley, has said that all the drains in the parish could not accommodate the volume of water brought by Tropical Storm Gustav. Several communities in St. Catherine suffered from flooding, with the passage of the tropical storm. "If all the drains were well kept, they still could not have accommodated the...

Approximately 6,000 farmers in St. Mary have been registered so far, under the Farmers Registration Programme. Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) Parish Manager for St. Mary, Victor Edwards, said that the number represented the vast majority of farmers in the parish. He pointed out that the farmers have overcome the initial apprehension they had about the registration programme, and are...

The Jamaican High Commission in London has launched a special Relief Fund, in response to the damage caused to the island by Tropical Storm Gustav last week. The High Commission's Fund will go to the national Disaster Recovery Fund, which has been launched by Prime Minister Bruce Golding. In a statement to Parliament, the Prime Minister said while Gustav was...

Farmers and fisher folks are being urged by the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), to carry out the necessary post-storm recovery activities, to restore their operations in the shortest possible time. Giving reminders, Director, Division of Technology, Training and Technical Information at RADA, Phillip Chung, told JIS News that fish farmers should examine fish ponds for dead fish or contamination,...

At least three criminal courts will be outfitted with advanced technology by the beginning of the new legal year, commencing in late September. The purpose of the new technology is to produce transcripts of evidence, as part of the Government's 10-year Justice Reform Programme. Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Dorothy Lightbourne, made this disclosure at the official launch of...

The Government is making $140 million in loans and technical support available to resuscitate the dairy sector, and to increase milk production to 55 million litres by the year 2018. "Re-vitalization of the dairy sub-sector is a critical element of Government's policy of enhancing food security, livelihood protection and rural development for Jamaica," said Production Specialist at the Jamaica Dairy...