Dr. Eileen Chin (left) of LASCO, Robert Webster, LASCO's community relations manager, and Megan Morgan, resident of White Marl, share a joke during the launch of the White Marl/ Central Village Business & Community Committee at LASCO's White Marl offices on Wednesday. - Contributed

More jobs for the disabled

WESTERN BUREAU:

Disabled persons will soon be able to access the more than 2,000 job opportunities expected to be created by Spanish hotels in the coming months, according to the Spanish Jamaica Foundation (SJF).

According to the foundation, under a recently signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) between SJF and the Jamaica Council for Disabled Persons (JCDP), individuals with disabilities will be trained for jobs within the hotel sector.

Under the agreement the SJF will adapt a special training programme established by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and the JCDP with a view of integrating persons with disabilities in the hotel sector.

- Claudine Housen

Goat-breeding facility opened

SPANISH TOWN, St. Catherine:

Food for the Poor and the Tamarind Farm correctional facility on Thursday opened a goat-breeding station in Spanish Town.

The end product is a 2000-square foot goat pen tied to an adjacent pasture, which is able to facilitate 55 goats, at a cost of just under $100,000.

Kids will be kept and bred at eight months of age and given to farmers islandwide. Pregnant mothers will be kept until they have kids, while bucks will be reared and sold.

- Paul-Andre Walker

Hurricane Preparedness Expo for Portmore

PORTMORE, St. Catherine:

Today, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) is hosting its annual Hurricane Preparedness Expo at the Portmore Mall, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

This year's expo will include the participation of some 20 exhibitors, all showcasing products and services, to get patrons better prepared for the hurricane season and any other type of disaster.

The day's activities will include quizzes, spot prizes and a host of performances from several schools in Portmore.

Storyteller Amina Blackwood Meeks and dub poet Raja Moses will also be present.

- Contributed

Sandals named Green Hotel of the Year

OCHO RIOS, St. Ann:

Sandals Grande Ocho Rios Beach and Villa resort in St. Ann was recently named the 2007 Green Hotel of the Year at the American Express Caribbean Environmental Awards.

The awards came as part of the opening ceremony of the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Conference in Miami, Florida.

The resort was honoured for demonstrating responsibility for and commitment to environmental and social performance through its policies, plans and activities.

Coming tops at the award ceremony was virtue of Sandals receiving the highest combined scores of any resort in the Caribbean based on a number of criteria, including: environmental management and stewardship, conservation of natural resources, awareness and community activities, infrastructure and technology, and health and safety.

- Contributed

Social intervention for Central Village

WHITE MARL, St. Catherine:

Representatives from the private sector, political parties, community associations, religious fraternity, state agencies and the Jamaica Constabulary Force on Wednesday joined forces to launch the White Marl/Central Village Business and Community Committee.

The launch was announced during a special ceremony at the LASCO Group of Companies' White Marl offices in St. Catherine.

The committee will spearhead social intervention activities in the volatile area, by giving of their expertise, finances and time in undertaking development projects.

Some 60,000 residents of the targeted area are to benefit from the oranisations' programmes.

- Contributed

Cornwall Regional receives funding for major projects

MONTEGO BAY, St. James:

The Cornwall Regional Hospital in Montego Bay has secured funding for upgrading projects and acquiring equipment.

The funding includes $15 million from the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund for electro-surgical units, orthopaedic drills and a C-Arm Unit.

The National Health Fund has donated $61 million to replace windows and an elevator at the hospital and, in collaboration with the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica, will also provide a grant of $12 million to the hospital, for its asbestos abatement project.

Asbestos is a strong, incombustible fibre, commonly used in the past for fireproofing and insulating buildings, but if inhaled, the substance can cause serious respiratory problems and even cancer.

Grants totalling $44.7 million will be used to facilitate power factor correction, waterproofing of roofs and patios, and the painting of floors at the hospital.

- JIS

Banbury Bridge opens

BRANBURY, St. Catherine:

Minister of Housing, Transport, Water and Works, Robert Pickersgill, on Tuesday officially opened the $40 million Banbury Bridge in St Catherine.

The bridge, which links the bustling commercial town of Linstead with adjoining farming communities, is 43 metres long and constructed of high-grade rust-resistant 'Corten' plate steel, which is guaranteed to last at least 100 years with minimal maintenance. It also facilitates two lanes of traffic.

Minister Pickersgill noted that the bridge will enhance economic life in the area, because it now connects several citrus, sugar cane and poultry-rearing farms, along with other farming interests and housing developments.

The bridge was built under the Mabey and Johnson/R.A. Murray/Government of Jamaica Bridge Building Programme.

- JIS