Construction of the Balaclava Fire Station in St. Elizabeth is slated to commence shortly. This follows approval of funds for the project by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development. “The estimates… were handed to me earlier today (October 26) and we are going to be providing the funds to commence… so that Balaclava will finally have the Jamaica...

Yallahs and surrounding districts in St. Thomas now have the benefit of a new fire station, which was built in the community at the cost of approximately $162.6 million. The facility was officially opened by Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, on Wednesday (October 26). The two-storey building comprises office space, a small conference room, male and female dormitories,...

Broadleaf, in Manchester, is the latest location to receive free Internet under the Universal Service Fund (USF) Community Connect initiative. The community Wi-Fi hotspot was commissioned into service on October 24 and is the second of three to be launched in the Manchester Central constituency, on the recommendation of Member of Parliament, Rhoda Moy Crawford. Two schools, as well as...

Parents and other residents across St. Elizabeth are being encouraged to institute fire safeguards at home to protect their children. Mayor of Black River, Councillor Derrick Sangster, said parents should be mindful of where matches and flammable material are kept and ensure these are not accessible by the youngsters. “Let me also implore all fathers and mothers not to [light]...

The elderly and persons with disabilities are among the vulnerable groups being targeted by the St. Elizabeth Fire Division, during the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) Fire and Life Safety Awareness Week, being observed from October 23 to 29. “We will be focusing on our most vulnerable community, which sometimes is overlooked [because] most times, based on our stats, we have...

The Social Development Commission (SDC) is deemed to have a pivotal role to play in helping to divert young people from getting involved in illicit activities. Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, says a number of criminal activities islandwide are being perpetrated by teenagers, noting that meaningful youth engagement by the SDC is needed to help...

The Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) has been lauded for its successful transformational programmes in the Kingston Western constituency, by the Parliamentary representative, Hon. Desmond McKenzie. Mr. McKenzie, who is also the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, says all the communities in the constituency have benefited from development initiatives spearheaded by the agency, and “West Kingston is a...

The Government has set up a mechanism to allow the diaspora to be more involved in the support of community development projects in Jamaica. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) at a ceremony held yesterday (October 19) at the Ministry’s offices, 2 Port...

Lowe River and Ulster Spring in Trelawny are the latest communities to receive free Internet service under the Universal Service Fund (USF) Community Wi-Fi Programme. The secured hotspots were officially launched in the two communities on Monday (October 10). The initiative aims to increase access to the Internet across Jamaica’s 63 constituencies as part of the Government’s digital inclusion programme....