Sunday January 29, 2006
 The bauxite company, Alpart , last week presented seven students pursuing undergraduate studies at local tertiary institution with scholarships valued at $620,000. Each university level scholarship is worth $300,000.00 for three years while each college level scholarship is worth $120,000.00 for two years. Darrel Harriman Alpart’s general manager said that the scholarships were an expression of the company’s commitment to youth development in its operating area communities.

 Police Constable Clayton Salmon AKA “Chris” of Johnson Pen in St. Catherine has been reported missing since Friday last week. Chris is attached to the Hannah Town Police station. He was last seen around 11:00pm on Friday when he left home for an undisclosed location.

Monday January 30, 2006
 Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago today signed a document entitled ‘Declaration by Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community Marking the Coming into Being of the CARICOM Single Market’ making them the first six Caricom countries to have signed on to the single market. The ceremony was held at the Mona Visitors Lodge, University of the West Indies, Jamaica. Six other countries Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and the Greadines have committed to membership by March 31, 2006 by signing a document entitled ‘Draft Declaration of Intent by Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community on the Participation of their Countries in the CARICOM Single Market’. Bahamas and Haiti have signified no intention to participate while Montserrat, a British dependency, is still awaiting the authorization from the United Kingdom government.

 On Monday Kevin “Richie Poo” Tyndall former leader of the Papine based Gideon Warriors gang and his accomplice, Brenton Fletcher were found guilty of the murder of taxi operator Jervise Labbon who was killed in August 2003 in Mud Town, St. Andrew. Sentencing for both men will take place on Thursday. Richie Poo who was last year sentenced to 90 years in prison for the robbery and shooting of a businessman in Papine St. Andrew still has several other murder charges to face. Following the capture of Joel Andem the original leader of the notorious Gideon Warrior gang two years ago Tyndall took over leadership and managed to elude the police until last year when he was captured in Montego Bay, St. James.

 There have been reports from residents of several communities in parts of the Corporate Area and St. Catherine of widespread itching. Health Minister John Junor on Monday theorized that the problem may have been caused by heavy winds spreading cow itch pollen in the atmosphere.

Tuesday January 31, 2006
 Members of the Jamaica Gasoline Retailers Association (JGRA) are once again threatening an island wide shutdown of gas stations if Esso continues its lack of cooperation with the Board of Enquiry looking into its controversial pricing mechanism. Last November the JGRA took protest action against Esso claiming that Esso’s pricing mechanism was threatening the viability of its members. The Ministry of Labour intervened in the dispute averting an island wide shutdown of all gas stations and a Board of Enquiry was set up. Now the JGRA members are upset as they claim that Esso has failed to provide crucial information to the Board of Enquiry. They refuse to accept any recommendations from the Board without Esso making the necessary submissions. Reports are the Labour Minister Horace Dalley is expected to grant an extension to the Board of Enquiry to complete its work by the end February. This will be the second extension granted.

 The Honda Civic motor car belonging to police constable Clayton Salmon who went missing on Friday was found on Monday along the Dunbeholden main road in the vicinity of the Bernard Lodge cane fields in St. Catherine burnt to the shell. Constable Salmon left his home in Johnson Pen, St Catherine on Friday and has not been seen since. An extensive search was made in the Bernard Lodge cane fields by members of the Spanish Town police, the Flying Squad, Operation Kingfish and the Caribbean Search Centre without success. In the meantime residents of Johnson Pen have launched their own search of the area.

 On Tuesday Police Commissioner Lucius Thomas announced an eight-point Murder Reduction Action Plan during a press conference held at the Police Officers Club in Kingston. Commissioner Thomas said that the reduction and containment of homicide remains the number one priority of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) during 2006. The police are aiming for at least a 5 percent drop in crimes with this new action plan. Commissioner Thomas also pointed out that already for 2006 there has been a 23 percent decrease as for the month of January in 2005, 146 murders were recorded compared to 113 so far recorded for 2006.

Wednesday February 01, 2006
 On Tuesday fire destroyed Leodore Aluminum, Steel and Wood Company at 1 Cassia Park Road in Kingston leaving about 40 workers jobless. Fire units from York Park and Trench Town fire stations tackled the blaze whose origin is still unknown at this time. According to the companies management the building was insured.

 At the National Housing Trust’s (NHT) 30th anniversary launch on Wednesday, Prime Minister PJ Patterson announced that as of April 01, 2006 the benefits to NHT contributors will increase. The loan limits for scheme, open market and build on own land will increase from $1.5 million to $3 million dollars per applicant or $6 million for two applicants. The loan limit for service lots and house lots move from $600,000.00 to $1 million per applicant or for two applicants from $800,000.00 to $1.6 million. For home improvement, single applicant goes from $600,000.00 to $1 million and from $1.2 million to $2 million for two applicants. Revisions have also been made to the eligibility criteria. Presently applicants must account for and pay up, with interest, contributions due in the last seven years. This has been reduced to three years.

 According to statistics released from the office of the police commissioner, over eleven thousand deportees have arrived in Jamaica since 2003. In 2003, 3940 deportees arrived, in 2004 the figure stood over four thousand and in 2005, over 3300. Most of these individuals came from the United States and the United Kingdom with about five hundred from Canada. The main offences were drug related however also among their crimes are immigration offenses, illegal possession of firearms, robbery, rape, kidnapping, money laundering and murder. The increase in violent crimes in Jamaica is being linked by local investigators to the increase number of deportees to the island.

Thursday February 02, 2006
 The body of police constable Clayton Salmon was recovered Wednesday afternoon from a 30 foot abandoned well in an area known as Spanish Villa in March Pen , St. Catherine. Reports are that the police acting on information went to the area about 3:00pm where they found Constable Clayton’s nude body which was in an advance stage of decomposition. The Fire Brigade had to be called in to retrieve the body which was removed for post mortem. Constable Clayton’s licensed firearm has not been recovered.

 On Friday February 25, 3944 delegates will elect the People’s National Party’s (PNP) new leader. This was confirmed on Thursday at a press briefing at the PNP’s headquarters on Old Hope Road in Kingston. Delegates will include groups from 57 constituencies, most with one vote each, 225 delegates from the party’s National Executive Council (NEC), 50 delegates from the trade union affiliate, the National Workers Union (NWU) and 46 councilors. The voting will be conducted by the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) at Jamaica College. There will be 25 polling stations opened from 9:00am to 2:00pm. The new leader should be announced by 6:00pm on Friday February 25, 2006.

Friday February 03, 2006
 A new Courthouse is to be built in Port Antonio Portland by National Commercial Bank (NC. The 200 million dollar contract which has been awarded to Stresscon Jamaica Limited was signed on Thursday at NCB’s head office on Trafalgar Road in Kingston. The new courthouse which is set to be completed by March 2007 will be located at Boundbrook. The old Port Antonio courthouse is to be used as a branch of NCB.

 Kevin “Richie Poo” Tyndall former leader of the Gideon Warriors gang and Brenton Fletcher his accomplice, were today sentenced to life in prison for the murder of taxi operator Jervise Labbon. Tyndall will have to serve 35 years before being eligible for parole while Fletcher will have to serve 20 years.

Saturday February 04, 2006
 On Friday State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Senator Noel Monteith announced the government’s promise to create 14,000 new school places by September 2007 as part of the plan to transform the education sector. Based on an audit conducted by the Education Transformation Task Force on Schools Island wide, 429,000 new spaces are needed at the primary and secondary school levels.