ONE-MINUTE READS ... News from across Jamaica

St James cops seize more illegal guns

Eight illegal guns have removed from the streets of St James by the police since the lawmen launched a major initiative in the parish last week.

In the latest incident, two Glock pistols were seized on Jimmy Cliff Boulevard in the parish.

Three persons, including two women, were arrested in connection with the seizure.

Reports from the Montego Bay police are that about 2:15 p.m., a team of officers was conducting a joint police/military operation in the area when they signalled the driver of a Toyota Premio motor car to stop. He complied and the vehicle and its occupants were searched and the weapons found and seized.

The St James Police Division last Tuesday embarked on a 14-day operation targeting criminals in the parish. Last Thursday, three high-powered rifles and a handgun were seized in Salt Spring.

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Ramble Bridge in St Thomas to be closed

The Ramble Bridge in St Thomas will be closed to vehicular traffic for six weeks, starting tomorrow. The National Works Agency (NWA) said the closure is being done to facilitate the replacement of the wooden bridge deck.

Stacy-Ann Delevante, acting communication manager at the NWA, said the bridge is scheduled to be reopened on September 28.

During the period of closure, motorists are being advised to use an alternate route and to obey posted warning signs and the instructions of flag persons.

The Ramble Bridge connects the communities of Llandewey and Yallahs to areas such as River Head, Richmond and Cedar Valley.

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Housing boom promised for Westmoreland

Approximately 4,500 new housing solutions are coming on stream for Westmoreland, Prime Minister Andrew Holness has announced.

Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony for the Sheffield Palms housing development in Retreat in the parish last Friday, Holness said that several key projects will be undertaken that will reshape the housing landscape in the parish and improve the living conditions of residents.

Among the projects under development are Shrewsbury Phase 1 to provide 32 housing solutions and the Savannah Park project, with 41 housing units.

Prime Minister Holness also unveiled projects that are slated to start in 2024 and 2025.

"We have Shrewsbury phase two with 27 housing solutions. We have Orlands, 520 housing solutions ... we have Paradise, with 2,453 housing solutions and that's projected to start next year," he indicated.

"We have Negril Spot, with 1,040 [units] that are under development and we are projecting a 2,025 start and we have Fontabelle, with about 325 units and we are projecting a 2,025 start," he added.

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Chang labels situation in Haiti as tragic

National security minister Dr Horace Chang has described the deteriorating security conditions in Haiti as tragic, and has reaffirmed Jamaica's commitment to assist in the restoration of law and order in the French-speaking Caribbean country.

Chang, who visited a group of Haitians at a facility in Robins Bay, St Mary, yesterday, said the situation in Haiti is of "great concern" to the Government of Jamaica.

Thirty-seven Haitians who arrived by boat in Jamaica's north-east parish of Portland in July have applied for asylum in Jamaica.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness said Jamaica is prepared to deploy troops to Haiti as part of a multinational response to deteriorating security conditions there. Yesterday, Chang blamed the situation in Haiti as being responsible for the 37 Haitians arriving on Jamaica's shores.

"The tragic situation that is taking place in Haiti and that has led to the arrival of this group in Jamaica is of great concern to the Government of Jamaica. It is for this reason that Prime Minister Holness has been actively leading in the regional and global discussions towards a long-term solution to the crisis in Haiti," he said.

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