CVM Sunrise highlights St. Catherine billboard rules, student mental health and public health concerns

CVM Sunrise’s May 20 broadcast moved across several public-interest issues, led by plans for tighter outdoor advertising controls in St. Catherine after controversy over a billboard the local authority considered inappropriate.

Spanish Town Mayor Norman Scott said the St. Catherine Municipal Corporation is working on a formal policy to guide the approval, placement and content of outdoor advertisements across the parish. He said the recent removal of the billboard showed the need for clearer standards, stronger accountability and a more transparent process for advertisers seeking permission to mount promotional displays.

The programme also highlighted the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ push to expand psychosocial support in schools. Dr. Judith Ali-B Thomas, team lead for the mobile mental health service, said emotional wellness should be treated with the same seriousness as physical health. The Wellness Express initiative provides private spaces for students to discuss emotional and psychological challenges, with Spot Valley High School hosting one of the events through a partnership involving several government ministries.

In a lighter segment, the show noted reports from the National UFO Reporting Center placing the Caribbean among regions with documented unidentified aerial phenomena. Jamaica was said to have at least 28 reported hotspots, ahead of Trinidad and Tobago with 14 and Barbados with eight.

Health concerns were also discussed as Dr. Alfred Dawes explained hantavirus, a rodent-linked illness usually associated with parts of South America, Asia and the southwestern United States. He said Jamaica has not recorded known cases, but warned that severe infections can require intensive care, an area where the country remains short of capacity. Dawes urged attention to rodent control, port surveillance and stronger public-health preparation.