Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie Copyright © 2025 Multimedia Jamaica Ltd Once known for its thriving agriculture and export markets Hanover’s capital of Lucea has been reduced to a town plagued with many ills Sitting as a major hub between the tourism hotspots Montego Bay and Negril the seaside town is grappling with deteriorating road conditions The state of the town has been a source of contention for many years president of the Hanover Chamber of Commerce “Lucea is bursting at its seams.” Anderson-Gayle said the state of affairs has been affecting productivity and the earning power of the wider parish – the smallest of 14 in the island – which is wrapping up its year-long celebration of its 300th anniversary [Businesses] have to close early or people can’t pass through the town It also stops a lot of businesses from happening because people are not able to shop or go about their daily lives “I think Lucea is bursting at its seams and the tax office have outgrown the spaces they are in,” the chamber president told The Sunday Gleaner recently Lucea is reduced to just a drive-through town it serves as the closest location to conduct business and engage in other activities The cramped town centre is home to a bus park Anderson-Gayle pointed out that the congested town is not ideal for foot traffic and you cannot walk because the roads are so [congested],” she lamented But even getting to the town centre is a major challenge as motorists have to dodge large craters along the main corridor leading into the capital This hindrance has been the source of morning traffic jams which often stretch to the nearby Johnson Town Residents complain that what would normally be a quick drive lasting less than 10 minutes now takes up to an hour and a half because of the road conditions and the slow-moving traffic Several attempts by The Sunday Gleaner to discuss the affairs of the Hanover capital with Mayor Sheridan Samuels were unsuccessful Our news team was able to speak with Lucea Deputy Mayor Andria Dehaney-Grant who agreed that the town’s road infrastructure is in dire need of a complete overhaul Although the National Works Agency (NWA) has done patching work on that thoroughfare Dehaney-Grant told The Sunday Gleaner that much more is needed to fix the issues affecting the low-lying main road “I know that from time to time the NWA has patched some areas but I believe it is time for us to do total rehabilitative work Every day we have hundreds of tourists pass through Lucea going to Negril and we talk all the time about how much money we earn from the tourism dollars but I think we need to spend some of it on the infrastructure [mainly] the roadways,” Dehaney-Grant said she expressed discontent with the daily long lines of traffic leading into the town centre we won’t get better if we can’t use the time spent in traffic to do something productive We can’t have a productive society if we waste so much time in traffic I believe that the people in this parish are really suffering at this time and I have to pass through the traffic every day Prime Minister Andrew Holness acknowledged the situation in his Budget Debate presentation earlier this year “The old coastal towns of Lucea and Hopewell in Hanover did not benefit from modern urban planning best practices,” he told the House on March 21 they both date back hundreds of years to a time when horse and buggy were the common mode of transportation The roads through the towns are now major bottlenecks.” Holness said the Government would be constructing a Lucea/Hopewell bypass which would be a four-lane highway starting along the Long Hill bypass that is currently being constructed “The alignment will then traverse westward for approximately 30 kilometres with link roads to the main road before and after the town of Hopewell before terminating on the westward side of the town of Lucea,” he said The town also contends with inadequate parking spaces poor infrastructure to accommodate pedestrians and lacks a central sewage system The 2018 Hanover Development Orders notes: “The majority of the business establishments in Lucea have been constructed without adequate provision of on-site parking Although there is a municipal park in the town this is inadequate based on the volume of vehicles accessing the town on a daily basis This has resulted in undue obstruction from parking along the roadway.” It noted further that the pedestrian environment in the town was “often unsatisfactory” surfaces are often uneven and poorly maintained,” the document says Lucea also has to contend with the issue of flooding should there be any rainfall in the parish While the blame is often placed on the nearby Riley River Dehaney-Grant is insisting that the town’s drainage systems are inadequate “That boils back down to the drain infrastructure on the roadway We know that the Riley River sometimes floods because of bamboo but now we are realising that even when the bamboo doesn’t cause the river to flood there is a section of the roadway that’s being flooded The drain infrastructure there is no longer able to take the amount of water that is being washed down,” she said Dehaney-Grant told The Sunday Gleaner that Lucea is also plagued with a consistent water shortage Referencing a recent fire at the town’s market she pointed out that residents are often left with the short end of the stick “After the fire truck depleted its water trying to put out the fire there wasn’t water in the town at that moment and they had to go to Green Island for water and ask for a truck from Montego Bay to come We have the Great River Water Treatment Plant and the Logwood Water Treatment Plant; that’s two water sources in the parish Many communities don’t even have potable water,” she stressed “It always takes a longer time for us to get any resources in this parish We deserve much better in terms of resources we are not able to do a lot because we don’t get the resources and the municipal corporation is not able to raise enough funds from [our] revenue areas We would appreciate it if we could get a little bit more attention to some of the things we need to be remedied in our parish,” Dehaney-Grant appealed NWA communications manager for the western region acknowledged that the town is “susceptible to flooding” “The major contributing factor to the flooding in Lucea is the low-lying nature of the town also creates a challenge,” Ricketts told The Sunday Gleaner the agency undertakes patching and local rehabilitation projects along the corridor There is an upcoming patching programme [that] will seek to address the worst affected sections of this corridor and other roadways across the parish,” Ricketts added Holness said that the Government may have to as Lucea could no longer accommodate the businesses as well as the people who traverse the town daily the chaos would cause the town to decay and collapse on itself This entire town of Lucea is at or just below sea level we must make it climate resilient,” he said we might have to find lands adjacent to the town and put in new roads put up new buildings and invite the people who are in the existing town to relocate there while we take the lands here and redevelop them because this town has historic value.” “It has become necessary to address the bustling overgrown state of the town of Lucea.” He added that the Urban Development Corporation had been tasked to utilise its expertise to focus on building away from the waterfront while maintaining existing buildings as heritage sites for tourism and various other economic activities He said the approach would be similar to that taken in the development of the Morant Bay Urban Centre in St Thomas A public park is also envisioned for the historic town rochelle.clayton@gleanerjm.com • The actual date of the establishment of the Hanover Parish Church is inconclusive but records of the earliest recorded baptism was 1725 The dates of the earliest recorded marriage and death were 1727 and 1749 There are claims that the parish church has a tunnel to Fort Charlotte which was built to defend the harbour from French raiders is the namesake of the George III’s Queen • The Lucea Police Barracks was once the Hanover District Prison from the 18th century • Piracy was one of the hallmarks of the early history of Hanover Pirates would operate from the nearby coast specifically Negril Bay which was once an embarkation point for pirates Henry Morgan who later became governor of Jamaica was said to be the owner of 4,000 acres of land in Riley the locals claimed it and funded outstanding amounts through a subscription service Lucea was a vibrant trade port as it was quite common for sales of slaves to take place at the port • Typical of the post-Emancipation period the economy of Hanover became diversified and less dependent on sugar The new peasantry engaged in the production of crops such as yam A particular variety of yam known as the Lucea yam later became affiliated with Hanover • Hanover saw items that were exported from the harbour up to the 1960’s In the 1970’s there was the exploration of crafts In the 1980s there was a sojourn into agro- processing with tumeric processing in 1962 a cocoa fermentary was established but exportation from that particular port ceased in 1983 when the port was closed – Source: National Library of Jamaica View the discussion thread. Through intellectual rigor and experiential learning two-year MBA program develops leaders who make a difference in the world Earn your MBA and SM in engineering with this transformative two-year program hands-on program that prepares adaptive problem solvers for premier finance careers A 12-month program focused on applying the tools of modern data science optimization and machine learning to solve real-world business problems Combine an international MBA with a deep dive into management science A special opportunity for partner and affiliate schools only A doctoral program that produces outstanding scholars who are leading in their fields of research Bring a business perspective to your technical and quantitative expertise with a bachelor’s degree in management We'll save you a seat in our MBA class when you're ready to come back to campus for your degree The 20-month program teaches the science of management to mid-career leaders who want to move from success to significance A full-time MBA program for mid-career leaders eager to dedicate one year of discovery for a lifetime of impact A joint program for mid-career professionals that integrates engineering and systems thinking Earn your master’s degree in engineering and management Non-degree programs for senior executives and high-potential managers customizable program for mid-career professionals  a first-year doctoral student in the Economic Sociology research group at the MIT Sloan School of Management has won the 2024 Rafel Lucea Memorial Research Award How Ambiguous Emissions Reporting Standards Shape Workers’ Experience of Organizational Sustainability Goals,” is for a qualitative field-based research study he plans to undertake looking at work and technological change in the context of environmental sustainability in a power plant The Rafel Lucea Memorial Research Award was established at MIT Sloan in 2016 in memory of the late Rafel Lucea, who earned his PhD from MIT Sloan in 2007. Lucea, who went on to be a professor of international business at George Washington University, passed away in 2015 after a two-year battle with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) brain cancer Lucea focused his research on sustainability and social responsibility the compatibility and balance between the interests of profit-seeking organizations and the overall He was committed to understanding relationships and stories in specific contexts based on direct engagement and to the use of innovative methodologies that added rigor and measurement to that deep understanding IWER is a multidisciplinary research and teaching unit that is located within the MIT Sloan School.  IWER’s mission is to conduct and disseminate cutting-edge research that improves the lives of workers and their loved ones and guides managers in crafting a successful and inclusive future of work The MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER) is honored to be the institutional home for the Lucea Award and to continue to keep Lucea’s legacy and scholarship strong at MIT and beyond Both doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers at MIT Sloan are eligible to apply for the annual Lucea Award  which grants $2500 toward an innovative research project consistent with the spirit of Lucea’s interest in social and environmental sustainability and IWER’s mission of conducting and disseminating cutting-edge research that improves the lives of workers and their loved ones and that guides managers in crafting a successful and inclusive future of work The announcement of this year’s award took place the start of the IWER research seminar on May 14 The mission of the MIT Sloan School of Management is to develop principled innovative leaders who improve the world and to generate ideas that advance management practice Ashby-Brandon-Evansville senior Lucea Wales found herself a bit behind St Paul Academy - Summit’s Elizabeth Tuttle for the lead in the girls 100m hurdles finals race at the MSHSL Class A State Championships on Friday she believed in herself and trusted herself finishing with a time of 14.76 to secure a state title and become A-B-E’s first-ever state champion I’m proud of myself and my time more than anything.” “It was a fantastic race,” A-B-E co-head coach Adam Wagner said “She wasn’t leading at all for much of the race But we preach to our kids about being the best at the end of the race Wales believed she could finish stronger than everybody else in the race and that’s exactly what she did as she won the girls 100m hurdles state title by .24 “It’s a great end to a phenomenal career,” A-B-E co-head coach Robert Bosma said She’s such a technician with that 100m hurdles race and that race shows what type of competitor she is.” Wales’ time of 14.76 in the girls 100m hurdles is a new personal record Once she hit that finish line and knew she had won a state title I didn’t know if I wanted to start crying or what I’ve never felt anything like that in my life.” Wales had plenty of experience at the state level coming into Friday’s finals Wales placed 18th in the 200m dash (26.77) and 16th in the 300m hurdles (51.24) She placed seventh in the state in the 200m dash (26.68) in 2022 A night prior to her win in the 100m hurdles Wales placed 17th in the girls long jump (5-01.00) Wales rounded out her final state tournament experience with a sixth-place finish in the 300m hurdles While she didn’t finish as highly in the 300m hurdles as she would’ve liked to Wales and her coaches had to overcome the challenges that some small school districts face Starting before her state tournament appearance in 2022 Wales and her coaches made the journey up to Fergus Falls to prepare for the state tournament but Wales also found her own time to train for the state tournament “I have a couple of teammates that come with me to watch me and motivate me “She’s focused and dialed in,” Bosma said about Wales “A lot of the younger athletes have kind of figured that out and do the same thing Wales got her start in competing in the hurdles in the middle of her sophomore year left the program after that season to become the boys track and field head coach at Minnewaska He remains close with the program and was on the track to witness Wales win the 2024 MSHSL Class A girls 100m hurdles state title “We told her after she got third in the 300m hurdles in her sophomore year that she was going to be a state champion someday,” Traphagen said Her coaches and the staff did an incredible job of keeping her focused The next step for Wales is competing in college Wales said she is signing with North Dakota State University on Sunday and I just can’t wait to see how much better I will get there,” Wales said Jamaica — A 48-hour curfew has been imposed in sections of Lucea Hanover and will remain in effect until 6:00 pm on Saturday North: From the rear of the Johnson Town community to the seaside running along the coastline parallel to the main road in an easterly direction to the Elgin Town Sports Complex; travelling in a southerly direction to a point at the rear of Kew district; travelling in a westerly direction to the rear of the Brissett community; and West: From the rear of the Brissett community travelling in a northerly direction to the rear of the Johnson Town Community to the seaside location all individuals within its boundaries are required to remain within their premises unless otherwise authourised by the ground commander Bennie Smith loads up on tokens and counters in his Magic Commander Deck of the Week led by Warhammer 40,000 legend Magus Lucea Kane If you’ve followed my Magic exploits for a while you might remember my run with Villainous Wealth decks in Standard when I was in contention for Top 8 at a 2014 SCG Open I just couldn’t get excited enough about a Hydra deck to pull the deck together and sleeve it up.  I already had two Sultai decks so I didn’t need to check that color-combination box either Kane is definitely squishy as a 1/1 for four mana though if you cast her before your combat step which I typically do because of the +1/+1 counter synergies in the deck there are plenty of ways to ramp my mana to pay for commander tax If I do get to untap with her and start using her ability If you’ve got some questions about the finer details of how Magus Lucea Kane plays I’ve got the write-up from the Warhammer 40,000 Commander Release Notes in a spoiler box you can click or tap to reveal Spells with additional costs that include {X} won’t be affected by Magus Lucea Kane {X} must be in the spell’s mana cost A spell or ability with a cost that includes X They’re generally written “[Cost]: [Effect].” Some keyword abilities are activated abilities and will have a colon in their reminder text Triggered abilities (starting with “when,” “whenever,” or “at”) that ask a player to pay {X} aren’t copied Magus Lucea Kane’s ability will copy any spell or activated ability whose mana cost or activation cost contains {X} The {C}{C} created by the mana ability doesn’t need to be spent on the next spell or ability with {X} in its cost in order to copy it That spell or ability will be copied even if that mana is spent on something else or not spent on anything at all A copy is created even if the spell or ability that caused the delayed triggered ability to trigger has been countered by the time that delayed triggered ability resolves The copy resolves before the original spell The copy will have the same targets as the spell or ability it’s copying unless you choose new ones If the spell is a permanent spell with targets you may also choose a new target for that spell then it remains unchanged (even if the current target is illegal) so it’s not “cast” or “activated.” Creating the copy won’t cause abilities that trigger when a player casts a spell or activates an ability to trigger The copy will resolve before the original spell or ability does If the spell or ability that’s copied is modal (that is it says “Choose one —” or the like) You can’t choose to pay any additional costs for a copied spell effects based on any additional costs that were paid for the original spell are copied as though those same costs were paid for the copy too If the spell or ability has damage divided as it was put onto the stack although the targets receiving that damage still can The same is true of spells and abilities that distribute counters Any choices made when the spell or ability resolves won’t have been made yet when it’s copied Any such choices will be made separately when the copy resolves it’s put onto the battlefield as a token as the spell resolves rather than putting the copy of the spell onto the battlefield The rules that apply to a permanent spell becoming a permanent apply to a copy of a spell becoming a token The token that a resolving copy of a spell becomes isn’t said to have been “created.” Here are the deck stats from our friends at Archidekt: what other must-have cards might I have missed including here?  What is your favorite X-spell in Magic Do me a solid and follow me on Twitter!  I run polls and start conversations about Commander all the time, so get in on the fun!  You can also find my LinkTree on my profile page there with links to all my content I just want to say: let us love each other and stay healthy and happy.  Visit my Decklist Database to see my decklists and the articles where they appeared Groundbreaking for the new Palladium Hotel in Lucea according to Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett The Gleaner has learned that the 900-room luxury hotel will be constructed at a cost of over US$300 million 600 housing units will be built to accommodate hotel workers The Palladium is one of three new Spanish hotel projects set to break ground in Jamaica this year The other two include a 1,000-room facility in Runaway Bay developed by Bahia Principe; and a 700-room project in Richmond The Runaway Bay project will include not only 1,000 new rooms but also a fisherman’s village project by Secrets Resorts is expected to employ approximately 2,000 people Groundbreaking for the two additional hotels is planned for the first half of this year The Gleaner has been informed that all necessary environmental and regulatory studies have been completed to facilitate the commencement of these projects Minister Bartlett signed agreements with the three Spanish investors totalling approximately US$2.2 billion for these tourism developments while in Madrid the total investment will generate around 20,000 new jobs in construction and tourism services Providing an update on the projects late last year Minister Bartlett stated that all three developments are progressing He mentioned that environmental impact studies had been conducted and investors would be holding town hall meetings with residents in the affected communities to provide details and gather feedback Minister Bartlett announced plans for a new 1,000-room Viva Wyndham hotel in Negril though he did not disclose further details about this project The expectation is that all three developments will be completed and ready for occupancy by the 2026/2027 tourism season Minister Bartlett and his tourism team will be in New York from February 26-27 for a media blitz The diaspora market accounts for approximately 10 per cent of Jamaica’s visitors with the majority coming from the United States “The diaspora is an important part of our overall marketing strategy and we will continue to invest in outreach within the community,” Minister Bartlett said editorial@gleanerjm.com View the discussion thread. BRANDON – Fresh off becoming Ashby-Brandon-Evansville’s first state champion senior Lucea Wales has made her college decision official as she signed with the North Dakota State Bison to compete in track and field Wales was a three-time state meet qualifier for A-B-E and made the state finals a couple of times In addition to winning the 2024 MSHSL Class A girls 100m hurdles state title on June 7 Wales placed sixth in the 300m hurdles (46.01) She also placed 17th in the girls long jump (16’4) at the Brandon-Evansville High School in Brandon and did so alongside her brother Solomon signed with Minnesota State Moorhead for wrestling Solomon was a two-time state qualifier for the West Central Area-Ashby-Brandon-Evansville Knights at 138 pounds Solomon will be teammates with Anthony Sykora once again at MSUM competing for WCA-A-B-E won a state title at 170 pounds in 2022 and had a 13-14 record as a freshman at MSUM Lucea will join a couple of Alexandria natives Aleah just completed her sophomore year competing for NDSU while Jaelyn will be an incoming freshman from Alexandria Jaelyn placed third in the Class AA 800m run (2:16.24) and sixth in the 1600m run (5:04.00) at the 2024 state meet and also helped Alexandria place fourth in the 4x400m (4:01.52) Jaelyn helped the Cardinals win the 2024 MSHSL Class AA girls team state title A mere three months after a section of the pothole-riddled Lucea main road another contract has been signed for fresh repair work as it is now back to its former state following recent rains the member of Parliament for Hanover Western will help to reduce the daily congestion in the town This as traffic is regularly reduced to a crawl as motorists struggle to navigate the potholes She expressed her support for the quick repairs but suggested that a longer-term strategy be crafted to ensure the durability of the roadways “We need a long-term fix for Seawall my conversation really is on how we can ensure that when we fix it So what I have invited the NWA technical team to do is to devise a long-term solution,” she said several roadways in Western Hanover will be fixed under the REACH and SPARK programmes Efforts by The Gleaner to ascertain the cost of the newest contract and the total sum which was spent three months ago were unsuccessful as Davis did not provide that information motorists using the heavily trafficked roadway between Montego Bay and Negril have complained about the time it takes to get from one resort town to the other due to the poor state of the roads it is taking up to one hour to traverse because of the bad road conditions you can almost double that time,” a motorists told The Gleaner “The 400 metres of roadway (Seawall Drive) dubbed Main Street Lucea from ‘Keep Left” to the Lucea town centre At the most recent monthly meeting of the Hanover Municipal Corporation pleaded with the authorities to fix the roads saying it was (negatively) impacting the police’s crime-fighting duties and hurting traffic management View the discussion thread. Minister of Local Government and Community Development has assured vendors affected by an early-morning fire at the Lucea Market in Hanover that efforts will be made to restore the facility swiftly leaving vendors devastated as they count their losses reportedly running into millions of dollars and units from the Negril and Montego Bay fire stations responded bringing the blaze under control by 5:15 a.m An initial assessment revealed that 23 stalls were destroyed One firefighter sustained non-life-threatening injuries during the operation and is currently receiving treatment at hospital “I feel the pain of the vendors who have lost their goods and whose incomes have therefore been curtailed,” said Minister McKenzie “I want to let them know that every effort will be made to rebuild quickly so that they and their customers will have a secure space to conduct business especially with Christmas less than three months away.” “While investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing we will begin assessing the structural damage immediately to create an even better environment for vendors and shoppers.” McKenzie also expressed relief that the injured firefighter was not at risk of permanent injury or death “He was electrocuted while helping to extinguish the fire,” the minister explained “A preliminary assessment suggests electrical faults may be responsible for the incident.” “We’ve had fires at several markets over the past year and I urge everyone who relies on these facilities to take greater care.” but they didn’t have enough water to fight the fire claiming they arrived unprepared and without sufficient water With no water available in the town’s hydrants they were unable to contain the fire promptly a firefighter suffered an electrical shock after coming into contact with a live Jamaica Public Service (JPS) transmission line “The firefighter was transported to Noel Holmes Hospital for treatment He has since been discharged after being examined by a doctor.” The 28 stalls destroyed in the fire sold a variety of goods One vendor estimated her losses at over $500,000 Lucea Mayor Sheridan Samuels expressed sympathy for the affected vendors but criticised the lack of water in the town’s hydrants “Some of the shops could have been saved if it weren’t for the water situation,” Samuels stated When they tried to refill from the hydrants Samuels also reiterated the Hanover Municipal Corporation’s longstanding plea to the National Water Commission to address Lucea’s water shortage “I really feel for the vendors,” he added “I don’t yet know the full value of the damage but I hope assistance will be provided soon.” “We’re awaiting the full assessment of the damage so we can direct our efforts towards re-establishing the market and rebuilding what was lost.” bryan.miller@gleanerjm.com View the discussion thread. Acting Superintendent of Police Andrew Nish has joined the growing list of persons calling for the authorities to repair the roadway in Lucea which is riddled with potholes and leaking water mains causing stressful situations for motorists and pedestrians alike During the July monthly meeting of the Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC) Nish pleaded with the corporation to do what it can to remedy the conditions on the roads leading to Lucea and Hopewell police personnel are having a hard time controlling the traffic flow through the two towns because of the bad road conditions “We are talking about some huge potholes which also leads to a pile-up of traffic,” said Nish “The water flowing on the driving surface along both main roads is also a recipe for disaster.” Nish said he contacted the National Water Commission (NWC) about the water flowing on the road surface and the utility company responded and remedied the situation “This [potholes and leaking water mains] has huge implications for the smooth flow of traffic in both towns and is also critical for commerce and general activities,” said Nish Westmoreland to Montego Bay in St James and vice versa regularly reel off horror stories about missing appointments and being trapped on the road because of the traffic snarl which sees a 45-minute drive taking more than an hour and 45 minutes Some of those persons have missed their flights out of the island “I had to replace the front-end parts on my bus and right now I am hearing rattling sounds under my bus which means something has gone bad under there again,” a public passenger vehicle (PPV) operator told The Gleaner earlier this week The controversial traffic crash on Independence Day involving Custos of Hanover Dr David Stair and senior justice of the peace Alvin Jackson is believed to have been caused by pothole-riddled roads in Lucea Jackson’s car crashed into the custos’s vehicle when the latter stopped to allow other vehicles to negotiate the potholes In responding to blame being heaped on the HMC and the National Works Agency (NWA) for the failure to repair potholes said the fixing of the pothole-riddled Lucea main road is not the responsibility of the municipality but that of the NWA and the member of parliament He said the HMC does not have the resources to have that kind of work carried out “I am wondering why it is taking them [the NWA] so long to fix this thoroughfare People have to go to work and do other business and the whole situation is a major setback,” said Samuels workmen believed to be affiliated with the NWA were seen using heavy-duty equipment to repair the roadway in the vicinity of the GV service station where the accident involving the custos and Jackson occurred Efforts to get a comment from the NWA were unsuccessful editorial@gleanerjm.com View the discussion thread. the chief executive officer (CEO) at the Noel Holmes Hospital in Lucea says the plans for major improvements at the Type C hospital are about 80 per cent complete in relation to the design for the scope of work to be done “We have been working on it (the development plan) for the past two years,” said McLennon who noted that the scope of work would involve a major overhaul of the hospital “It involves expanding the hospital from a 60-bed to a 120-bed facility expanding services such as X-ray and laboratory laundry; it’s like we are revamping the current structure of the hospital and giving it a fresh and more modern look,” he added McLennon said the plan would include additional accommodation for staff which is currently a major issue; and an up-to-date operating theatre which will significantly improve the offerings of the hospital in relation to medical care “Most institutions have living quarters for their staff; unfortunately our living provision is very limited so we are hoping that with additional accommodations it will create a pull effect for individuals to come to Noel Holmes to work,” he said the development plan was created based on a mandate that was given to the management committee by the Ministry of Health & Wellness which instructed that any plan being developed for the hospital must be comprehensive With respect to the development of the plan McLennon said it would be done in two stages – the design stage and the costing stage then we will know where we are in terms of whether the ministry is going to finance it or we may have to get private sector support,” said McLennon who noted that he was not yet able to determine a completion time for the two phases of the project Quizzed as to where he expects the classification of the hospital to fall when the project is completed he noted that while hospitals are categorised as grades A he could not say what classification will be settled on “Where the Ministry of Health is moving to now is to have community hospitals and if we are a community hospital then all the services that the developmental plan is going to offer would fit what a community hospital should be providing,” he emphasised if you are looking on it from that perspective we would just want to be recognised as a community hospital and provide the services that a community hospital should.” the chairman of the hospital’s management committee said the committee is fully supportive of the development plan to improve the hospital “If the work environment is toxic for workers or patients at the facility You want an environment where there is friendliness and you are comfortable,” said Hamilton who further noted that improvements in the physical infrastructure at the facility will automatically bring an improvement in the behaviour of persons working there and using the facility View the discussion thread. the expanded Grand Palladium Hotel is projected to add 1,900 more hotel jobs which will mark the second phase of the Lucea is still going through the approval process including a public consultation of the expected impact on the community where it is to be developed allowing residents to confront the developer Grand Palladium II is projected to add 949 new hotel rooms but a few elements are still to be finalised 16 or 20 overwater bungalows to the property to attract luxury travellers It’s projected that the overall Grand Palladium workforce will rise to 3,500 employees: 1,600 in phase one and 1,900 in phase two it’s estimated that the hotel will ‘induce’ another 2,200 jobs whose business operations benefit from the presence of the hotel Grand Palladium II will take up to two years to construct It will adjoin the Grand Palladium Jamaica Resort & Spa The expansion will encompass 475 family rooms and 474 adult-only rooms in a six-storey hotel The environmental impact assessment for the hotel development touts the economic benefits of the hotel but also warns that the Grand Palladium II project poses environmental risks “including the degradation and loss of natural habitats as well as adverse effects on noise levels The environmental impact report incorporates the results of community surveys showing that most viewed the development as positive: 94 per cent felt the hotel expansion would provide jobs 18 per cent felt it would foster national development 1.5 per cent felt it would improve infrastructure and 4.0 per cent felt it would attract more tourists The proportions exceed 100 per cent due to multiple responses offered to single queries More than one-third of respondents felt the expansion would negatively affect the environment loss of vegetation and overall damage to the ecosystem about 1.0 per cent of community members interviewed felt the project would result in a negative economic impact for the community Half of these concerns related to expectations of “increased crime and an influx of criminal elements in the community” Others felt it would result in more traffic congestion in its most recent update on pipeline investments expects investors to pump up to US$2.4 billion into new hotel room construction in the medium term Grand Palladium was not included in that filing Amid an employed labour force of 1.42 million the Statistical Institute of Jamaica counted 121,000 hospitality jobs grouped under ‘accommodation and food service activities’ steven.jackson@gleanerjm.com View the discussion thread. who is also the chairman of the Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC) is calling for the National Works Agency (NWA) to do a better job as it relates to the cleaning of the Venture Gutter the main drain that passes through the main commercial area in the parish capital Samuels said the HMC has been cleaning and maintaining the lower sections of that drain for several months without any assistance from the NWA even though the NWA is responsible for cleaning the drain “We have seen where the rain fell recently and the Venture Gutter was a small way from overflowing its banks so we see where danger lurks if that should happen as the business areas and the market in the town of Lucea would be flooded,” said Samuels “The Venture Gutter is not the direct responsibility of the HMC we have placed a maintenance team inside there to clean one section but we are trying to get the resources from the Ministry of Local Government we have approached the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) because we have to use all we can to get this work done as a preventative measure,” added Samuels the HMC has been begging for some assistance from the NWA as efforts to get an approval from the Ministry of Local Government to use the HMC’s special grant-funding (SGF) to do the work was not approved “The NWA has not done anything to this drain from 2017 even though it is their responsibility,” said Samuels who also noted that the HMC has been begging and pleading for the drain to be maintained as residents living in proximity to the drain have been pleading for something to be done about it “I don’t want when anything happens (flooding caused from lack of cleaning of the drain) they go and take photographs and call my name,” said Samuels noting that most residents in the town are not aware that it is the NWA that is responsible to clean and maintain that drain View the discussion thread. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Hanover — A modern market is being planned for the same spot in Lucea where the previous one was gutted by a massive fire last month it is going to be state-of-the-art because we are not going to have the wooden structure anymore and we are thinking of getting on a two-floor level so that we can accommodate more vendors,” Mayor of Lucea Sheridan Samuels told a town hall meeting held at the Hanover Municipal Corporation’s (HMC) chamber on Tuesday He was responding to queries from president of the Hanover Chamber of Commerce Shermaine Anderson-Gayle who wanted to know what plans are in place to have the market rebuilt An early morning blaze destroyed 22 board shops and partially damaged six others on October 4 Councillor Brian Chambers (People’s National Party Lucea Division) told the Jamaica Observer that the local authority was awaiting official word from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development as to what support central government would be providing for the project the ministry has visited the site and done an evaluation; the corporation is now awaiting the green light The property was surveyed and the plan is being worked on for the reconstruction of that space We are waiting on the plan and funding from the ministry along with what we can put forward to get it reconstructed,” stated Samuels a vendor who suffered immense losses from the fire said she is in support of plans to construct a concrete structure “That will be great because the wall structure is more resistant to fire than the board which will easily catch fire,” she told the Observer as she sat under a far from adequate umbrella and kept a watchful eye on a colleague’s goods and household cleaning supplies among other items a refrigerator and two deep freezers in the October fire She said it has been a struggle since then “It is not good at all because there is no money I have to be scraping here and there,” she told the Observer She now vends while exposed to the elements and complained that she has to seek shelter in nearby buildings whenever it rains who bemoaned the slow pace at which things are moving “Losses were incurred so I will benefit from the arrangement if it unfolds,” said Douglas who sells herbs and natural food items it was also revealed during the town hall meeting that HMC has spent almost $3 million during the current financial year to undertake cleaning construction of U-drains and asphalting of the courtyard at the Lucea market Tuesday’s meeting was held in accordance with provisions outlined in sections 22 and 41 of the Local Governance Act of 2016 Marine park operator Dolphin Cove Limited is weighing its options for two long-standing projects as it seeks to unlock value from its assets in Turks and Caicos and Jamaica in an interview with the Jamaica Observer last week outlined plans for the potential sale of a prime three-acre property in Providenciales in Turks and Caicos and renewed efforts to sell a 22-acre site in Lucea Burrowes revealed that the company’s land in Providenciales could soon be divested due to slower-than-expected tourism growth in the area comprising three adjoining waterfront lots Despite its significant appreciation in value over the years Burrowes noted that the lack of cruise ship arrivals to Providenciales and the concentration of hotels in other areas have tempered expectations for the proposed dolphin park this land was worth six or eight times less than it is today but the reality is that Providenciales has not become what we hoped it would and the numbers aren’t high enough to support the kind of development we envisioned,” he explained the proceeds from the land would be reinvested in Dolphin Cove’s operations in Jamaica “We’re looking at pumping a couple of million dollars from the sale into local projects That’s our priority — developing Jamaica’s attractions further,” Burrowes said adding that a final decision on the Providenciales property will be made next year Dolphin Cove has renewed its push to sell its 22-acre property in Lucea listed for roughly US$18 million with Coldwell Banker Jamaica Realty The waterfront property is being marketed as a hotel development site with the stipulation that Dolphin Cove’s marine park will remain a central feature of the future resort “This land has incredible potential for a family resort and Dolphin Cove would operate right in the middle of it,” Burrowes said An earlier agreement with Reserve Investments Limited which planned to develop the property into a large family resort Dolphin Cove is actively seeking new buyers to bring the project to fruition we’re working with Coldwell Banker to find a buyer who can develop a hotel that aligns with our vision for the property,” he said Burrowes shared that the company has already received interest from potential investors “We’ve had some interest from a group that’s connected to a big hotel chain but we’re optimistic about finding the right partner,” he said Despite challenges with its international projects Burrowes emphasised Dolphin Cove’s commitment to expanding its footprint in Jamaica “We’ve always believed in the strength of Jamaica’s tourism product and that’s where we’re focusing our efforts The sale of either of these properties would provide the capital needed to develop additional attractions locally,” he said the company continues to attract visitors to its parks which Burrowes said are operating at full capacity “Our capacity in the parks remains high — 100 per cent That tells us there’s room to grow here at home,” he said Hanover — Seven months after securing a second term as mayor of Lucea has indicated that he will be leaving politics at the end of the term The mayor is also councillor for the Cauldwell Division a seat which he won on a People’s National Party (PNP) ticket I am telling you that this is my last stint I’m old now and I have to pass the baton on,” stated Samuels who is also chairman of the Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC) made the revelation during last Thursday’s regular monthly general meeting of the HMC He stressed that his departure will not come before the next general election which is constitutionally due by September 2025 the PNP won all seven divisions in Hanover This was done under the guidance of the two aspiring Members of Parliament Andrea Purkiss who is working in Hanover Eastern and Heatha Miller Bennett in Hanover Western Samuels said he wants to assist both women in winning the seats for the PNP “I am not leaving until we remain at seven [divisions] and to remain at two [seats] for the constituency I will be there to fight for all of that and it will happen Two plus seven is nine and that is what we are going to get,” said a confident Samuels He is in his second term as mayor and third as councillor for Cauldwell Division Jamaica — A massive fire destroyed several board shops at a section of the Lucea Market in Hanover on Friday morning A firefighter was also injured from electric shock in the incident Firefighters hard at work in a cool down operation on the compound of the Lucea Market Two fire units responded with additional support from the Montego Bay and Negril fire stations The fire was brought under control in about 45 minutes District Officer Emellio Somerville told Observer Online that some 22 shops were destroyed and six were partially destroyed because it’s not far from the station One or two attack lines (fire trucks) were brought into operation to try and suppress the fire,” stated Somerville we encountered some challenges as it relates to downed electrical wires which kind of hampered the operation somewhat,” the district officer added The cause of the fire and the estimated loss to property and contents are unavailable at this time A team is currently carrying out an assessment and investigation into the incident Hanover — The Lucea Infant School marked 10 years of giving back to communities in and around the town by selecting Noel Holmes Hospital children’s ward as this year’s beneficiary The Guidance Department’s Values and Attitudes Programme led a team of students and staff on a recent visit where about 15 care packages were handed out to young patients lunch was served to 30 children and their parents while medical supplies were handed over to the hospital the school’s outreach programme has given a helping hand to taxi drivers garbage collectors at Western Parks and Market and the indigent of Haughton Court Community Their focus has been on groups that are usually overlooked which is an initiative of the Ministry of Education is to make a difference through community service outreach while giving students an opportunity to build a foundation of altruism Each year the school chooses one main charitable activity and includes students in the donation process Contributions from various overseas and local donors including staff and parents of students attending Lucea Infant School The school’s canteen also contributed meals “We are ecstatic at the opportunity each year to positively impact our community in such a remarkable way,” Campbell-Matherson said “It gives us a chance to practice what we preach to our children at the foundation level.”” The school’s Principal Monique Watson-Robinson was equally happy with the work they are doing a lot of times persons don’t understand that it is not about collecting but about giving: giving back to the persons who not only have supported us “The children are in the hospital today and some of them are not able to see their loved ones; they are not able to go to school to play with their friends But when they see us coming in to give them all these goodies they will feel loved and appreciated during this season.”” Her sentiments were shared by Stephen Robinson who expressed gratitude for the gift received by his son “The presents are lovely,” he told the Observer “Giving back to the kids is always a good thing.”” Principal Watson-Robinson commended the school’s guidance counsellor and her team for the initiative “With persons like that it is a must that Lucea Infant School will definitely grow especially for the year 2025,” said the administrator.” thanked “all the various stakeholders including the parents and staff who contributed their time and efforts to this noteworthy initiative” “We look forward to your continued support and additional support from friends and well-wishers,” said the guidance counsellor Hanover — Councillor for the Lucea Division Brian “Penta” Chambers says steps are now being taken to have the section of Lucea Market which was destroyed by fire a week ago rebuilt But Chambers noted that the People’s National Party (PNP)-led Hanover Municipal Corporation is awaiting official communication from the Ministry of Local Government about the support it will provide for the recovery effort He said the parish council has taken the necessary steps to start the rehabilitation proocess while some of the vendors had insured their businesses the insurance company has come and done an assessment so it won’t be a long process,” said Chambers He said 20 of the 28 shops which were destroyed or damaged were insured the corporation is concerned that some of the shop operators – who depend on sales to send their children to school – have now been out of an income for more than one week.The councillor said information was provided to some of the operators on how they can contact the Ministry of Labour and Social Security for assistance An early morning fire on October 4 gutted 22 shops and damaged six others at the market In the immediate aftermath of the fire Davis declared that she was committed to working with the shop owners to help them rebound in a stronger position “I have spoken to the Minister of Local Government Desmond McKenzie and he has already committed to ensuring that these shopkeepers and shop owners are returned to what they were before,” Davis promised “When we have the names and the figures we can move to the next phase — which is starting the rebuilding process,” added the MP It’s time to excel with X-spells in Commander MTG Bennie Smith shows how to build around Warhammer 40K legend Magus Lucea Kane While Magus isn’t the “face” commander of the Tyranid Swarm precon Commander deck there are a ton of goodies that we’d want in a Magus deck so I’ll do my best to pick up at the very least the Tyranid Swarm deck for parts.  It doesn’t hurt that we’ve got brand-new art on all the reprints too Before we dig into cards we’d want in this deck, let’s review the card’s Release Notes: I think Magus works pretty much as you think it does If a spell you cast or an ability you activate has X in its cost and you’ve tapped Magus for mana you copy it.  If the spell is creating a permanent – like a creature – you’ll make a token copy.  Which sounds super-fun!  Let’s dig in I wanted to take a look at the cool creatures with the ravenous mechanic Past ravenous and ravenous-esque creatures typically have zero power and toughness and enter the battlefield with X +1/+1 counters where X is what you paid in the X part of the casting cost you get to draw a card when the creature enters the battlefield What’s awesome is that Magus taps to add two extra mana making it quite easy to satisfy ravenous for most of those creatures but you’ll get both the creature and the token copy with ravenous to enter the battlefield and draw you two cards Having eleven creatures in the deck that will often double up and draw you two cards will keep this deck drawing gas throughout the game.  All the extra abilities on top of ravenous are just gravy.  I’m going to play all of these what other cards are you excited to try out in your Magus Lucea Kane deck?  Are you going to pick up the whole Tyranid Swarm deck or just some key singles chairman of the Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC) says the corporation stands ready to provide the National Works Agency (NWA) with a solution to fix the perennial bad-road situation in Lucea who was addressing Thursday’s monthly meeting of the HMC said: “The NWA needs to come and talk with us If we at the HMC had the monetary resources we would get the problem solved a long time ago Give us the money and let us do the job,” said Samuels given Hanover’s importance to the local tourism sector fixing the problematic roadway in Lucea would be an ideal project for the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) as several tourists on their journey between Montego Bay and Negril have been seriously inconvenienced by the delays that occur along that roadway “Do not let the tourists say that they are not coming back to Jamaica because of that piece of roadway Give us the money and let us fix it,” urged Samuels “What we have been seeing happening out by the seawall in the Seaview Drive area where we are having the challenges in terms of road conditions and traffic back-up .. we in the HMC have met with our chief engineering officer and discussed the situation And what she has said and explained to us is really what we know should happen.” based on the conclusion drawn by the chief engineering officer which should offer protection to the roadway which runs alongside it which has compromised the strength of the structure itself and we need to lift the roadway somewhat,” explained Samuels Reference was also made to a section of the roadway on main street in Lucea in the vicinity of the G V service station which has reportedly been repaired by the NWA on three occasions since 2024 The road is however observed to have since fallen into a state of disrepair causing frustration for pedestrians and motorists alike who have had to be skilfully negotiating to avoid injuries and accidents Traversing the road network in the capital Lucea has proved to be quite problematic for motorists as traffic congestion sometimes results in delays of up to two hours despite constant complaints that the NWA’s method of repairs “The roadway there is below sea level if you are constantly using asphaltic concrete just like what is used in the vicinity of the Flat Bridge (in St Catherine) All you have to do is tell the motorist to drive with caution,” Samuels explained View the discussion thread. was damaged during the passage of Hurricane Beryl on July 3 Responding to queries from the Jamaica Observer permanent secretary in the Ministry of Science and Transport Carol Palmer said a contractor has been identified and up to last Friday the premises had been inspected and an assessment completed is for costing of items on the bill of quantities to be submitted for approval The office building lost most of its roof during the hurricane and tarpaulin has been used to cover the gaping hole that is not enough to keep the area from being soaked whenever it rains The garage where employees park their vehicles also lost its roof When the Observer visited the depot last Friday there were few people with vehicles for inspection but vendor Mico Davis was still there hoping to find a few customers He was dismayed at the conditions under which depot staff are working and is hoping the building will be fixed soon “I came here to sell natural juice and coco bread and I realised that the roof blew off The staff them still push through the uncomfortable situation,” said Davis BRANDON — In the world of high school athletics not all sports are created equal — specifically in terms of the facilities that student-athletes have to work with in some of the smallest school districts but basketball players on Minnesota State High School League teams are going to have a gym to practice in Softball and baseball players have fields to prepare on That’s not always the case in track and field Not all programs at the Class A level even have a track or jumping pits to work with The Ashby-Brandon-Evansville program practices in Ashby with the use of a dirt track There is a short long-jump runway to practice on Throwers have a cement pad to work from for shot put and discus with a limited throwing area A-B-E is certainly not hosting any home meets on its schedule That’s why seeing the way sophomore Lucea Wales burst onto the scene no matter the competition has been so gratifying for the A-B-E program this spring I do think sometimes kids go into these meets and say I’m still coming out here and I’m going to kick your butt anyways.’ It’s a mentality we’ve tried to instill into them that we can still go out there and do these things But we’ve made things work so that she does have some ability to go out there and do well in the jumps.” Wales became the first A-B-E track and field athlete to qualify for state since 2018 and the first to do it in a running event since 2015 She almost qualified in all four of her events from the section meet Wales finished third in a talented field of triple-jumpers out of Section 6A 10-inches from the meet would tie her with Anna Hennessy of Lewiston-Altura for the fifth-best seed mark of anyone in the Class A state meet “My goal at the beginning of the season was to make it to state in one event,” Wales said I realized it was possible to make it in three I was pretty disappointed in my performance at sections My distances and my times were not where I wanted them to be.” Wales has proven to be a natural in track and field and an example of why so many coaches at the high school level encourage kids to be multi-sport athletes who lives near Millerville north of Brandon but she was a softball player in 7th-grade It was not until her freshman year that she joined the A-B-E track and field team Both Wales and Traphagen pointed to 10 years of competing in gymnastics as being a great benefit for her on the track The flexibility and strength-building exercises she worked on as a gymnast translate to the track where she is a natural hurdler “I think (gymnastics) really helps,” Wales said and the power I have for running comes from that.” Coaches immediately saw flashes of the athlete Wales was early in her freshman season They had her training in mid-distance events like the 400 dash and 800-meter run but Traphagen quickly saw potential in her as a sprinter in practice he decided to run her in the 200-meter dash to see how she would do and Wales ended up suffering a leg injury that limited her for the next few weeks You could see it in her eyes that she’s a competitor,” Traphagen said “That’s when I knew this kid could be really special ‘I don’t want to lose ever.’ She is not afraid of hard work She desires to be pushed harder and harder.” That competitive nature has been a big part of Wales’ success and ability to overcome some of the disadvantages of being in a small program Wales and her coaches were making the nearly 40-minute drive to Fergus Falls from Brandon the evening of June 6 to practice on the Otters’ facilities ahead of the state meet Traphagen called the coaches for Fergus Falls incredibly gracious when it comes to allowing them to do some work on their track when needed They rely on that to get a full practice routine in Wales was not actually completing any jumps outside of meets Traphagen said the team uses early-season meets as "glorified practices" in preparation for the championship portion of the season “I’ve had like maybe one practice of actual jumping,” Wales said “It’s kind of hard going into a meet where everyone has been practicing jumping One thing coaches can work on with her consistently is her approach to the jumps and that’s a big thing for athletes,” Traphagen said “They need to be confident in their approach where they’re starting from and where they’re hitting the boards A great jumper is normally going to need very good speed Wales enters the Class A prelims on June 9 knowing she has to be at her best to advance to the finals in all of her events Her seed mark in the long jump of 16-05 is 12th best out of 20 athletes while her 200 dash time (26.77) is eighth and 300 hurdles time (49.58) is 14th fastest seed times going into the state meet have potential to be deceiving with high winds sometimes being a factor at section meets that are run on different dates “I want to make it to finals in everything and place,” Wales said of her goals at state Perhaps more importantly than what happens this week Wales and her coaches hope her success this spring could be a springboard for A-B-E going forward It’s not unrealistic to say that making a state meet can feel out of reach sometimes for the smallest teams in Class A sections that often feature 20 or more programs competing for limited entries “I hope that it makes people realize that it is actually possible to go to state,” Wales said It was just kind of a meet that only the top athletes make it to Hopefully they realize they can do it too.” it’s really gratifying being my last year here that we could get someone through to state,” he said “I’m hoping that lays the foundation where they can just keep building off of that I want to see the Ashby-Brandon-Evansville team competing with the Minnewaskas the top teams and the bigger schools because I do think there are enough athletes here We just need to get them more exposed to it.” This season figures to be just the beginning for Wales’ success in the sport She wants to compete in track at college in a few years First-place finishes at the section meet and program records in addition to the 200-dash A-B-E record (26.22) she already has A challenge for coaches going forward will be figuring out the four events at a section meet that will allow Wales the best chance at advancing and placing high at state athleticism — Traphagen said she has all of what it takes to thrive at the Class A level she doesn’t complain or second guess,” Traphagen said I think she will end up in her career as a state champ If she keeps going on the road she’s going and she stays healthy that’s a very good possibility she’ll be at the top of the podium one of these years or multiple years.” View the discussion thread. View the discussion thread. Jamaica — Hanoverians who were spared the wrath of Hurricane Beryl three weeks ago were confronted with a new disaster as a mini tornado wreaked havoc on shops and other structures within the town of Lucea on Thursday said to have originated from the vicinity of the renowned Lucea Harbour made its way onto land within the Lucea Fishermen Village along Church Street upon witnessing the unfolding disaster sought refuge within nearby buildings Although parked vehicles in the vicinity remained relatively untouched and at least one board building was displaced from its original position Observer Online caught up with a man who gave his name as Leslie during a visit on Friday morning He remarked that the storm that struck on Thursday exhibited a higher level of destructiveness when juxtaposed with the impact of Hurricane Beryl “When it blows I run and jump across a fence I don’t know how I reached cross way the fence,” stated Lesley who along with others was assisting with the clearing up of the area The board building belonging to two women was one of the buildings that was ripped from its foundation The owner had left a few minutes before the storm to purchase something in the town They were talking about big breeze what day you know [but] ah this you call big breeze because Beryl never deal with the place so you know It was just the three dropped down round deh so what day pon di house (another building in the area,” stated Lesley The little breeze blowing right now mek mi fraid.” Gary Barrett said he was on the outside having lunch when a strong wind developed with a lot of dust He ran inside the building for refuge but the strong wind did not spare the roof of one side of the building which came off in whole Barrett lost electricity supply and had other damage he managed to temporarily put in place the roof on a section of the building “It is kind of hard on me but I’m trying,” stated Barrett As Barrett tried to put the pieces back together he is thankful that things were not worse “I feel very concerned about it because I think it will be coming back mi give God thanks for that because it could be worse Someone could have died,” reflected Barrett The Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC) will be building a house for an indigent resident on Labour Day is in keeping with the Labour Day focus on persons with disabilities the elderly and the vulnerable under the theme ‘Ramp up the Access… Show that you Care’ Deputy Mayor of Lucea and Chairperson for the Corporation’s Public and Civic Affairs Committee said the construction of the house will provide safe shelter for an elderly resident from the Hog Bush section of Haughton Meadows “He has been living in a shack and is in dire need of assistance,” she said while addressing a recent meeting of the Public and Civic Affairs Committee Councillor Dehaney-Grant is urging citizens to participate in Labour Day projects in their respective communities and to identify the elderly the disabled and the vulnerable for assistance Send An Email Get the latest news & updates from the JIS sent to your inbox While not many of us can pull off one of Bulgari’s spectacular high jewellery watches like those presented in the Garden of Eden collection with opulent gemstone flowers winding up the arm take heart because there are other women’s collections designed for everyday wear One of these is the best-selling Lucea collection launched by Bulgari in 2014 Lucea gets a stylish makeover just in time for the LVMH Watch Week The two new Lucea models come in dainty 33mm two-tone steel and rose gold cases with a height of 9.16mm Part of the design tweaks included slimming down the bezel that is presented here in polished rose gold and set with brilliant-cut diamonds The redesigned bracelet continues with the two-tone steel and rose gold theme of the case; the central link is crafted in satin-finished rose gold flanked by polished H-shaped stainless steel links that taper slightly as they reach the folding clasp the dial of the Lucea is created using the intarsia technique The first step involves artisans cutting the brittle mother-of-pearl into elongated triangles to simulate the sun’s rays These slivers are then arranged on the dial to create a sunburst pattern with three-dimensional pleats that play beautifully with the light The impressive green malachite dial captures Bulgari’s predilection for brightly coloured gemstones small pieces of the grained mineral are cut by hand and assembled like a Roman mosaic on the dial Round brilliant-cut diamonds represent the hour markers and are claw-set in gold square appliques The automatic movement powering the new Lucea models has an ETA 2892 base and delivers a 42-hour power reserve The mother-of-pearl Bulgari Lucea retails for EUR 17,200, while the green malachite version has a price tag of EUR 19,200. For more details, please visit bulgari.com continues to celebrate 300 years of being accorded its status Events are being spearheaded by the Hanover Municipal Corporation’s Civic and Community Affairs Committee; its subcommittee Hanover 300; and the Social Development Commission (SDC) The parish reached the milestone last November and the celebrations commenced then with a church service and gala event who was from the House of Hanover in Germany told JIS News that the milestone was a significant one for the parish “Three hundred years is really a lot of years to celebrate; there are lots of things that we have done We have had a Governor-General and Prime Ministers [as well as] many other persons who are outstanding and making their mark out there in society,” she pointed out Among the list of notable Hanover natives are National Hero the Right Excellent Sir Alexander Bustamante; former Governor-General Professor Sir Kenneth Hall; former Prime Minister Dehaney-Grant was speaking with JIS News during the recent Hanover Main Street Festival held at Sir Alexander Bustamante Square in the parish capital which formed part of the series of celebratory events vendors and government agencies were among the Festival’s participants The event was also held to promote economic resilience and sustainable growth by spotlighting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) It also provided sales and networking opportunities for citizens Among the schools which performed were Lucea Primary The Deputy Mayor informed that vendors who participated in the event were from the Lucea Market She pointed out that vending fees were waived for the event to incorporate them as well so that they can come and sell some of their wares to get some resources in order to feed their families as they lost their livelihoods in the recent fire in the market,” she said told JIS News that while a number of the events planned for this earlier this year fell through as a result of several factors the group was determined to press on with the celebrations He added that the committee plans to end the celebrations next January with a grand gala and dinner at the Princess Resort in the parish residents are elated to have the celebrations The Hanover Main Street Festival was staged in partnership with the HEART/NSTA Trust Jamaica Fire Brigade and Members of Parliament culminated with a talent show and a retro party Jamaica – The body of a man pulled from a river in the vicinity of the bypass road now under construction in Irwin is believed to be that of one of the escapees from the Lucea lock-up over the weekend The body was taken from the river by the police and firefighters on Monday It is being theorised that the man was shot and killed sometime between Sunday night and early Monday morning disclosed that they believe that the body is of one of two men who escaped from the lock-up in the early hours of Sunday morning The other man was reportedly taken back into custody after being arrested on Sunday The police have not officially released the identity of the deceased man as yet There was also another incident during the night that the St James police were called upon to investigate residents stumbled upon a body and summoned the police the unidentified man was seen with gunshot wounds to the upper body He was transported to hospital where he was pronounced dead More than 20 shops were destroyed by a fire at the Lucea market in Hanover on Friday morning Colossal NYC-based photographer Lucea Spinelli has a special appreciation for light and motion in her series of moving images titled Phōtosgraphé and park benches as backdrops and props for luminous forms that seem to bounce effortlessly through the frame In some pieces the light mimics the pathway of ghostly human figures while in others it sparkles like fireflies or expands like a rainbow Do stories and artists like this matter to you? 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See our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy Hanover — The issue of traffic management continues to be an issue in Lucea Mayor of Lucea Sheridan Samuels had called for police assistance in monitoring the flow of traffic in the town of Lucea but the police say they alone cannot address the situation suggesting a traffic light is needed to address congestion in a section of the town I think we may need some traffic signals to regulate the traffic or else it will continue The police alone cannot do that,” said newly assigned operations officer for the Hanover Police Division Deputy Superintendent Angela McIntosh Gayle She said her traffic team is currently doing a good job but is stretched major changes were made in the town whereby Willie Delisser Boulevard was reverted to two-way traffic as was obtained approximately two decades ago The move has drastically eased the traffic congestion for vehicles passing through the town from St James towards Negril but it has also created another issue Motorists passing through the town from Negril towards St James Deputy Superintendent McIntosh Gayle believes a traffic signal would alleviate the delays faced by motorists heading from Negril to St James Mayor Samuels agreed that while the changes made in December are paying off the corporation had recognised the developing issue because you have the vehicles coming from this side going there which is stopping the ones coming from Negril DSP McIntosh Gayle also noted that while repairs done to the main road that passes through Hopewell have alleviated some of the traffic issues in the coastal town the undisciplined use of the roadway by motorists is an issue McIntosh Gayle said motorists are stopping on the roadway to support vendors She also pointed to the lack of discipline displayed by delivery truck drivers they are not going into the physical space; they tend to be on the side of the road That is cause for concern,” stated the officer Deputy Superintendent McIntosh Gayle also pointed to the lack of parking spaces for the police in the congested town She has called for reserved parking for the security force “We have to be driving around to find somewhere to park,… and parking on the soft shoulder is not good when we park there persons are going to say they can park there [too],” reasoned DSP McIntosh Gayle Mayor Samuels said a parking area has been reserved for the police at no cost we have had this question as it relates to parking We have identified the area from the back of the post office there up to the pedestrian crossing We are reserving it for police parking,” stated Samuels and we said that we would give all the vehicles a parking permit just to park in that location And if anybody outside of police parking parks out there And if any police park there with a vehicle that we did not give the permit to they are going to be clamped also,” added Samuels He said there is a proposal for the reserved area to be painted in blue Deputy Superintendent McIntosh Gayle also spoke about people parking their vehicles in the corporation’s managed transportation centre in Lucea who thanked the police for the information said he is aware of the issue but thought a stop had been put to it officially opened the Princess Grand Jamaica and Princess Senses The Mangrove Resorts in Green Island promises to transform Jamaica’s tourism sector by creating sustainable economic growth and employment opportunities Speaking during the official opening ceremony Holness had high praise for the resorts’ exceptional design Noting that every room offers a full view of the sea he described the property as “one of the most beautiful hotels that I have seen.” The Prime Minister commended the local workers who contributed to the construction of the resorts He also acknowledged the substantial risks involved in such a large-scale project emphasising the critical role of economic stability in attracting investments “You can only get that understanding of risk if the Government and the economy in which you are investing [are] stable and what this Administration has done is to provide This is the environment in which investors can take risks The Prime Minister shared an optimistic outlook for the tourism sector by announcing that at least three new hotels are in the pipeline for development with several others already under construction and plans for 500-900 additional rooms by existing resorts “This doesn’t mean that we should stand still There is another step for the country to take Meaning not to give up the stability that we have gained but now we need to put our next foot on the other rung of the ladder,” Dr the sector will strategically pivot to focus on speed and efficiency as well as improving infrastructure to support more investment opportunities Prime Minister Holness further stated that most importantly the sector will ensure that the people of Jamaica benefit from the stability similarly celebrated the development and commended the management of the Princess brand for their confidence in Jamaica He acknowledged the transformative impact of the multimillion US dollar investment which will create between 1,500 and 2,000 jobs for Jamaicans Bartlett also highlighted the resorts’ unique ecological integration of a mangrove forest “There’s no other hotel in the region that has a mangrove forest as part of its attraction Princess is the first truly sustainable hotel development in Jamaica,” Minister Bartlett added The resorts aim to elevate the all-inclusive experience with plans to introduce Jamaica’s first full-service casino by the fourth quarter of 2025 the development features a triple-generation plant and solar facilities designed to significantly reduce energy consumption The plant is powered by natural gas and has a reverse osmosis facility for water treatment with plans to expand to 1,700 in the coming weeks He also highlighted their commitment to the community through initiatives such as adopting Green Island High School and Harding Hall Preparatory as well as supporting local health facilities such as Noel Holmes Hospital in Lucea and Savanna-la-Mar Public General Hospital solid relationship with this community,” Mr Get the latest news & updates from the JIS sent to your inbox. when you buy something through our retail links Sounds gloriously simple — but I can't relate I'll be honest — I am not that person But I wouldn't hesitate to say a flatiron is the most important tool in my arsenal Abandoning these hair rituals is out of the question for me — and so is having scorched hair in the process I've always doused my hair in heat protectant and dialed the heat setting down to salvage my long And though I've had every intention of selecting the perfect temperature I've never known for certain if it was exactly right T3 recognized this as a common concern among its consumers which led them to more than 1,000 hours of testing and the development of the T3 Lucea ID Hair Straightener two years 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morning) even less heat is needed to touch up second- or third-day styles — and of course the T3 Lucea adjusts this for you so you are always using the least amount of heat to get the very best results And while it's not quite damage-free heat-styling yet So good in fact we gave the T3 Lucea ID Hair Straightener a 2020 Best of Beauty Breakthrough Award Check out the full list of Allure's 2020 Best of Beauty winners. All products featured on Allure are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links. Hanover — Western Parks and Markets (WPM) Waste Management Limited the regional arm of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) says it will be demolishing two concrete garbage receptacles in Lucea which it claims are an eyesore is against concerns expressed last week by councillors in the Hanover Municipal Corporation said the entity will be collaborating with volunteers and community leaders to engage in a pre-Labour Day clean-up activity in Lucea on Thursday It added that their efforts will include the demolishing of the concrete receptacles in Brissett and Haughton Court and clearing and properly disposing of waste from illegal dumpsites The entity said the project will also have a beautification aspect whereby landscaping and creating community gardens or recreational spaces in the cleared areas will be carried out the aim of the project is to transform the neglected areas into clean and beautiful spaces that will not only improve the environment but also enhance the quality of life for residents The agency said the initiative forms part of its ongoing commitment to promoting sustainable waste management practices and fostering cleaner communities WPM Public Cleansing Inspector Rosemarie Erskine told the monthly general meeting of the Hanover Municipal Corporation last Thursday that it was with mixed emotions and excitement that the WPM will be taking on the project and is hoping for full support Erskine said the hope was to sell the idea of cleaning and beautifying the areas Mayor of Lucea Sheridan Samuels and councillor for the Lucea Division Brian “Penta” Chambers made it clear that they were not in support of the project I think you could use your time better to look at different projects on Labour Day and give back something to the community itself Build a ramp to go somewhere [or] build a house for [an] indigent person I think you could better use your time in the space other than to go and demolish a thing that you don’t have a plan as to going forward to deal with the waste in the communities,” said Samuels Build a bigger skip down there,” added Mayor Samuels “Are you sure that you would want to have that on the highway leading to Negril” Do you want the people to keep it at home where rats and leptospirosis kill them in their own space what is going to happen as the deputy [mayor Andria Dehaney Grant] said you are going to say that you are coming in on Tuesday and when we save the garbage for Tuesday you don’t come until next Tuesday or the other Tuesday,” argued the mayor who is also the chairman of the Hanover Municipal Corporation that the receptacles are unsightly due to improper use by the public most of whom she said are not from these communities We have sat there and observed for hours trying to figure out [how they are being used] It is really a difficult situation to deal with because it simply means that we will have to provide a truck to clean those almost every day We have two units in the parish which is not enough we will have to be very strategic in how we do this please understand,” Erskine requested of the councillors as she noted that further dialogue would be had with them who are members of the People’s National Party argued that residents within these communities will also suffer because of inadequate and poor collection schedules They said that some sections of these communities have inaccessible lanes to trucks and people living inward will not hear the tooting of the truck’s horn “The problem is not with the citizens and how they dispose of the garbage The problem is with the NSWMA because they are not removing this garbage timely Why do you want to remove it because you see some garbage spilling over What kind of arrangement will you have with the community “This arrangement that you have will not work Because if you don’t have enough trucks to just stop at one location you are going to drive through the entire community stop[ping] at every single gate and you don’t have enough trucks to do that.”