OCHO RIOS, St Ann:

With the Jamaica tourism sector reeling from the world recession, the 730-room Sunset Jamaica Grande Hotel continues to benefit from its vast conference facilities and is moving to enhance its benefits from this area.

General Manager Clifton Reader says with an "extremely challenging" summer season, on the heels of a testing winter season, the hotel is hoping that conference clients will return as leisure clients after their experience at the property.

"The summer will be extremely challenging because already we are seeing that some months are going to be even more challenging than last year, so we have to prepare. Fortunately for us, we have conference facilities and we're hoping to equalise the system of guests coming from abroad with local business. We're depending on local leisure market. I mean with the good road into Port Antonio from Montego Bay, coming from Kingston, we're hoping this will be party central for all Jamaica," Reader told The Gleaner.

Meanwhile, the hotel recently hosted 30 travel agents from the United Kingdom who flew into the island as part of the Jamaica Jamboree promotion by the Jamaica Tourist Board.

- Carl Gilchrist

MANDEVILLE, Manchester:

The board of management, students, teachers and others turned out on Thursday, June 18, at the Manchester High School to honour the contribution of six retired staff members.

The Manchester High School Cadet Unit got the afternoon's affair started, marching in unison to the beat of drums as they guided the limousine bearing the honourees to the school's auditorium. Stepping out on to a red carpet, they were escorted into the hall by students to the delight of waiting well-wishers.

Those honoured were Leonie Brown, who served for 40 years, during which she was vice-principal and acting principal as well as head of the Home Economics Department; Sandra Forbes, who was absent, served for 38 years; Phillip Stewart served for 34 years as part of the ancillary staff; Lillieth Ledford gave 26 years of service; Florence Kennedy gave 12 years of service and Michael Ajodhia served the institution for eight years.

- Angelo Laurence

CORNWALL MOUNTAIN, Westmoreland:

As the campaign heats up in the Cornwall Mountain division for this month's by-election, the People's National Party (PNP) is taking no chances. The party's candidate Bernard Vanriel is up against the Jamaica Labour Party's Keith Barnes in the July 14 race.

The PNP took its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting to the parish on Sunday; there, Chairman Robert Pickersgill told reporters that this by-election was different from the two recent ones in Portland and St Catherine.

"At West Portland and North East St Catherine when it comes to responsibility, we did not discharge it," Pickersgill said. "We have to admit that there was no functioning organisation but in this case, it is different, we have a base to work from."

- Dalton Laing

PORT MARIA, St Mary:

The Transport Authority, in its attempt to hear the views of the public, met with public-transport operators and members of the general public at the Port Maria Civic Centre on June 25. This is the second stop, the first was in Montego Bay.

This forum was geared towards highlighting the issues that existed in the parish, both from the standpoint of the operators of public transport and also from the authority.

Bindley Sangster, the delegate from the Ministry of Transport and Works, told the gathering that the ministry was committed to bringing to the fore initiatives that will accrue benefits to the legal taxi operator such as group purchasing which will allow legal taxi operators to purchase goods for their vehicles such as gas and tyres at concessionary rates, providing life insurance packages for taxi operators and reasonable insurance packages for members of taxi associations.

The main problems identified by the Transport Authority for the parish are the illegal operators, the inadequate terminal and parking facilities, the loud music being played by bus and taxi operators, heavily tinted vehicles, poor driving habits of the legal and illegal operators and the poor manner of dress by taxi and bus operators.

- Lisia Lynch