Free tickets for Festival Song Grand Final

Free tickets for Festival Song Grand Final

Free tickets for the July 27 Festival Song Grand Final are being given out at Tastee restaurants in Cross Roads, downtown Kingston and Half-Way Tree in St Andrew.

This year's Jamaica Festival Song Grand Final will see all 11 of the competition's finalists going head to head in a battle of performances on the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre stage in Kingston.

Andrew Clunis, director of marketing and public relations at the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission, is urging persons to go out and get their tickets in time for the show.

"Patrons will be able to collect their tickets up to the day of the event. It is important that everyone has a chance to witness what I believe will be one of the grandest Festival Song showdowns," said Clunis.

St Mary farmers group producing gluten-free flours

The Jeffrey Town Farmers' Association (JTFA) is currently manufacturing and selling several food products to boost its community development initiatives that support the farmers and rural communities in St Mary.

The social enterprise is producing gluten-free flours, including cassava, breadfruit and sweet potato, and its flagship product the sweet potato pudding mix, for 10 supermarket outlets in Kingston.

The products are the brainchild of the JTFA's women's group, which has developed a product line that includes breakfast porridges and pancake mixes that are also used in the community's schools feeding programme.

More than 100 two-bedroom units to be built at Twickenham

Some 110 two-bedroom, single-storey duplex units will be constructed under phase four of the Twickenham Park Housing Development project in St Catherine.

Cabinet has awarded a $1.2-billion contract to Ashtrom Building Systems Limited for the construction of the units. The National Housing Trust is undertaking the development of the housing development project.

Karl Samuda, minister without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister, said the development is consistent with the Government's drive to build out homes that are appropriate for the people of Jamaica.

State of emergency extended in the western parishes until October 28

Despite being under a state of emergency, 149 murders have taken place in the parishes of St James, Westmoreland and Hanover.

"Cumulatively, the three parishes have accounted for 20 per cent of the murders committed throughout the country over the period January 1, 2019 to the present," Prime Minister Andrew Holness said.

The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a 90-day extension of the state of emergency in the western parishes until October 28. Prime Minister Holness argued that there have been tremendous gain since its implementation, but there is more to be done.

"Since the implementation of the state of public emergency over the period April 30 to July 21, murders and shootings in the parish of St James have been reduced by 40 per cent and 27 per cent, respectively, when compared to the equivalent period, that is February 5, 2019 to April 28, 2019, prior to the declaration," he said.

He said that murders and shootings in Westmoreland have been reduced by 74 per cent and 70 per cent, when compared to the equivalent period prior to the declaration.

Murders have been down by 33 per cent and shootings have dropped by 80 per cent in Hanover.