The name Lloyd Barnes Smith is synonymous with the city of Montego Bay, St. James as is the popular and much sought-after community newspaper, The Western Mirror, which he has helmed for over 30 years. Widely referred to as ‘The Governor’, Mr. Smith is renowned for journalistic prowess, sharp business acumen and unwavering generosity to his beloved city. For these...

A good educator is one who seeks to improve the lives of future generations through deliberate actions in their daily work. This can be said of nation-builder and 2022 Prime Minister’s Medal of Appreciation for Service to Education awardee, Raymon Treasure, who was among 80 recipients honoured in September.   The decorated Principal of York Castle High School in St....

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Chukka Caribbean Adventures, Marc Melville, is more committed than ever to investing in tourism as a key driver of the growth in the sector and national development. Widely regarded as a visionary and one of tourism’s most influential minds, the 52-year-old, who heads the biggest attraction company in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean, says the...

O’Connor Basil Dawkins’ illustrious career in theatre has made him one of the industry’s greats. His exploits will, this year, see him being awarded the Order of Distinction in the rank of Officer (OD) for his stellar contribution to the creative industry, in particular theatre. “I am elated. I feel like I am collecting it on behalf of so many...

If the image of farmers on bended knees, manually tending to crops, comes to mind when thinking about the Canadian seasonal agricultural workers programme, then it might come as a surprise that the reality is it is largely mechanically driven. For the most part, Jamaican workers on the farms which JIS News has so far visited while accompanying a team...

Among the thousands of Jamaicans, who leave the island every year for Canada to participate in the Seasonal Agricultural Workers’ Programme, is a large group of women, who are holding their own alongside their male counterparts. They are employed on properties, such as a 2,500-acre apple farm in the Simcoe, Ontario area, where they are picking and packing the fruit....

Jamaican-born Sandra Samuels, the first black person to become Mayor of Wolverhampton, in the United Kingdom (UK), is proudly carrying the flag of her native country. Having served in the medical field as a nurse for 40 years, Councillor Samuels saw, first-hand, the gap in political representation for minorities and entered the political arena in 1998 and was elected a...

Jamaica has added its first North African company to the growing Global Digital Services Sector, which currently has more than 70 firms. The island is also the first Caribbean country to be selected to carry out business processing, information technology (IT), innovative consulting, and multichannel CX operations for global outsourcing giant, Intelcia, located in Morocco. Intelcia is a North Africa-based...

Nothing could stop former St. James High School student Abigayle McGrowder from acing her external examinations this year. Not even the financial constraints that made it difficult for her parents to afford to purchase a new pair of shoes for her to wear to school. With her mother laid off because of the COVID-19 pandemic and her stepfather’s salary slashed,...