Growing demise of banana
WE ARE talking about the basis of the lives of all rural Jamaicans, and the basis of our self-esteem. "With my strong right hand, I am a banana man," no longer has much relevance for us. We produced 200,000 tons of bananas in 1965...

'I am amazed at the low level of support'
IN JAMAICA, farming is more important than in most other countries for several reasons. With 201,800 men and women in October 2004, it is our largest category of worker. Between 2002 and 2004, it lost 5,000 workers...

A need for technology
MY FIRST call, therefore, is that we need a technologically-led agricultural industry. We can no longer rely on tradition and general beliefs. Our laboratories and experimental plots should be humming with work.

'Political federation not an option for Jamaica'
DR. PETER Phillips, a candidate for the presidency of the governing People's National Party (PNP), has ruled out the option of seeking to take Jamaica into another political union of the former British West Indian territories...

Bee-ware! - Spelling whiz Regina Bish aims for glory
AFTER FINISHING second two years consecutively, Regina Bish of Kensington Primary School finally won the St. Catherine title of The Gleaner's Children's Own Spelling Bee.

Kensington Primary blazes trail in Portmore
NESTLED IN Greater Portmore is one of the education sector's biggest secrets. Kensington Primary, founded in 1996, is making a name in the 'Sunshine City' with a strong emphasis on discipline and helping children...

31 acts of Parliament got go-ahead last year
RECORDS FROM the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel (OPC) indicate that a total of 31 acts of Parliament and numerous pieces of subsidiary legislation were enacted between January and December last year.

Portland cops recount outlaw's capture
PORTLAND: IT WAS a display of sheer professionalism which led to the apprehension of reputed crime lord, Charlie Junior - Portland's most wanted, by the police on January 20 without any incident.

Hospital gets endoscopy machine
BLACK RIVER, St. Elizabeth: Lloyd Corney, a Jamaican businessman living in the United States, has donated an endoscopy machine, worth about $2 million, to the Black River Hospital, in St Elizabeth.

'Ochi' bus operators restive
TOUR BUS operators who conduct business at the Ocho Rios Cruise Ship Pier are angry at what they described as unfair practices by bus dispatchers at the pier. They are accusing the dispatchers of operating a payola scheme...

Drivers freed of manslaughter
SPANISH TOWN, St. Catherine: 44-YEAR-OLD VERNAL Johnson was freed of a charge of causing death by dangerous driving when he appeared in the St. Catherine Circuit Court, last Thursday.

Birds of a father ...
I FEEL like Old MacDonald. Two of our birdies have flown the coop, my neighbour's parrot tried to, and one of my two little chick-chicks is very ill. It could be worse. I could be like Farmer Bill.

Tony Spaulding: 'Trench Town Rock'
CHRISTMAS 2005 was not a happy time in the constituency of South St. Andrew. Guns blazed throughout its pockets, resulting in the deaths of several persons and forcing frightened residents to stay home.