Rural Express

360-Degree Change For Troubled Rural Youth
THE PROBLEMS faced by boys in rural Jamaica have not gone unnoticed by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission's Festival Queen, Johnnel Smith.

Ochi Gets Taste Of 'Eat Jamaican' Campaign
THE EAT Jamaican roadshow promoting the message 'Grow what we eat - Eat what we grow', reached Ocho Rios, St Ann on Wednesday with Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Dr Christopher Tufton reiterating the importance of Jamaicans consuming more local produce.

Finally! - Mendez Residents To Get Water
SEVENTY-FIVE-year-old Franklin Swaby last week looked on in admiration at workmen laying pipes at his gate on behalf of the Rural Water Supply Ltd.

Blenheim Celebrates Busta's 127th Birthday
BLENHEIM, Hanover: THE RURAL birthplace of Sir William Alexander Bustamante came alive on Thursday as residents and other Jamaicans commemorated the 127th anniversary of the birth of Jamaica's first prime minister since Independence.

Mobile-Enrichment Cart To Enhance Learning At Eight Primary Schools
EIGHT PRIMARY and all-age schools in rural areas across Jamaica are to benefit from new equipment and computer software that will enable them to combat illiteracy and low numeracy skills.

100 And Still Standing
A HUNDRED years is arguably a milestone in the minds of many, but for centenarian Wilhelmina Josephina Baker, it's a walk in the park.

Her cheerfulness and kind-hearted disposition are immeasurable.

Stamping Her Mark On Cotton Piece
"LAST YEAR, I never have any money to buy a bun, and this year I get bun," 74-year-old Daphne Brown said after she collected her Easter bun and other food items from Janet Stamp, pastor of the Redemption Faith Ministries International Church in Cotton Piece, St Catherine, last Friday.

Local, American Rotarians Join Forces
HUNDREDS OF residents from communities in St Mary such as Free Hill, Retreat, Haywood Hall, Port Maria and surrounding areas benefited recently from free medical and dental care offered by visiting teams of professionals from the United States.

Dedicated To Farming, Music
TREADWAYS, St Catherine: HIS FETISH is not just musical. So, the rural district of Palm in Treadways has provided the grounds for roots-reggae singer, Max Romeo to embark on 'farming', his second love. Like he has done with music, the 66-year-old, born Maxwell Smith in Rosetta, St Ann, has been making farming his business.

Mixed Bag On Teachers' Day
IT WAS school as usual at the Glendevon Primary and Junior High School, as no special function was held to honour the teachers but some students obliged with cards and poems and tokens of appreciation.

'What Else To Do?'
GENUS, St Elizabeth:A VISIT to the community of Genus in South St Elizabeth at 10:30 on Tuesday morning finds a group of young farmers relaxing in the shade of a tree, having already returned from their fields.

That they have nothing else planned for the rest of the day, is a measure of the economic decline in this rural community over the past two years. They are not optimistic things will get better anytime soon.

Invaders Ready To Roll Again
BUNKERS HILL, Trelawny: IN EXISTENCE for 38 years, once reaching the prestigious premier league - a feat accomplished by larger, highly structured clubs - Invaders of Bunkers Hill in Trelawny have much to celebrate and much more to offer.

Healing The Silent Hurt
I DO not think there is another country on this Earth that is as good as we are at sweeping issues under the carpet. We chat too much about petty things and chat too little about important things. Patsy and Sheila (their names have been changed to protect their identities) now want to expose their life stories because they feel they represent generations of women and children and, to a lesser degree, men, who have been hurt and are still hurting because they are still being treated like chattel and very few people seem to be disturbed by their plight.

Tedious Drive
IT HAS been 14 years since Yvonne Shand-Clifford, ward assistant at Spanish Town Hospital in St Catherine, has been travelling from Troja in the parish to perform her duties.

HIV/AIDS Awareness In Schools Tops Parish Council's Agenda
TEN SECONDARY institutions are slated to benefit from the third phase of the St Catherine Parish Council's, HIV & Healthy Lifestyle School Intervention Project, first implemented in 2005.

Ground Broken For Cold-Storage Facility
FARMERS IN Manchester, Clarendon, Trelawny and St Ann will soon have a fully equipped 7,000-square foot cold-storage facility to store, package and distribute their produce.

Flu-Related Deaths On The Rise In Clarendon
THE MINISTRY of Health has begun an investigation to determine the cause of the increase in pneumonia and other flu-related deaths in Clarendon.

Orange Tree Farmers Bridgeless, But Hopeful
LLANDEWEY, St Thomas: ORANGE TREE is more than the name suggests, it is, according to residents of Llandewey, St Thomas, a vibrant farming area, which once also accommodated a thriving community

90-Y-O Receives After Years Of Giving
MANDEVILLE, Manchester: LONGEVITY, HAPPINESS and good health are rare and unsurpassed gifts of life enjoyed by any one person in today's world of environmental degradation and proliferation of diseases.

Spaldings High, Oh Spaldings High
SPALDINGS, Clarendon: HE IS a quiet, unassuming 14-year-old ninth grade student who will go down in history as being the boy who created an anthem for Spaldings High School.