There has been a significant improvement in living conditions in State-run infirmaries across the island. Infirmaries, which are essential facilities offering shelter and support services to the elderly, destitute, and mentally ill individuals who have no other means of care, have been given priority treatment by the Government, through the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, and are being...

Julian Davis-Buckle is now the highest-ranked female in the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB). Mrs. Davis-Buckle, who joined the Brigade 27 years ago, has moved through the ranks of the organisation and is now Assistant Commissioner in charge of Area II, which includes Trelawny, St. Ann, St. Mary and Portland. But her journey in the organisation almost did not happen as...

Lloyd Lovindeer’s iconic song, ‘Wild Gilbert’, gives a masterclass in storytelling, as it chronicles, most comically, the passage and aftermath of Hurricane Gilbert over Jamaica on September 12,1988. However, there was nothing comical about the damage and devastation that the Category Three hurricane left in its wake 35 years ago. As citizens who experienced the duration and aftermath of the...

Residents of the community of Cheswick in St. Thomas will soon benefit from several infrastructural projects being undertaken by the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development. These projects are estimated to cost approximately $120 million and aim to improve the infrastructure and facilities in the Cheswick community. The infrastructural improvements fall under the Rural Development Programme, which is spearheaded...

The Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) is urging vigilance by parents and guardians to prevent fires while children are at home during the summer months. Public Relations Officer for the JFB, Emilio Ebanks, shares with JIS News several recommended precautions that families should observe to prevent fires. Mr. Ebanks emphasises that underaged children should never be left alone at home. “When...

The once congested streets of Morant Bay, St. Thomas, are today a picture of free-flowing traffic and clear sidewalks, following several measures undertaken by the parish’s Municipal Corporation. Among the initiatives are the repainting of the yellow no-parking zone lines, increased provision of parking areas, the clamping of illegally parked vehicles, the strict enforcement of one-way streets and addressing illegal...

Excitement and anticipation permeated the atmosphere as Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, officially opened the Falmouth Homeless Shelter in Trelawny on May 5. However, of the persons gathered for the occasion, none was more excited than Patsy Wilson, who told journalists that the shelter should be more comfortable than the chairs at the Falmouth Public...

Imagine hurriedly responding to an emergency call, with a focus on getting to the location as quickly and safely as possible and, upon arrival, there is no emergency. The men and women of the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) know all too well about such situations. In fact, in 2022 the JFB responded to 1,220 malicious false alarms, an increase of...

Members of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) team are thankful for the additional new garbage trucks and motorcycles that the entity has acquired to bolster its vehicular fleet. The 50 new garbage trucks and 10 motorcycles were recently handed over to the agency during a ceremony at National Heroes Park in Kingston. The vehicles, valued approximately US$6.9 million,...