The administration of the Lewisville High School in St. Elizabeth has taken a proactive step in better preparing students and staff to respond to potential earthquakes. The institution, through its safety and security committee, recently enlisted the aid of several entities in the parish to stage an earthquake and evacuation drill. Key among the entities are the St. Elizabeth Municipal...

Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, who recently embarked on a three-parish tour of Western Jamaica (January 19 to 21), says the Government is fully committed to improving working and living conditions in rural Jamaica. The Minister, accompanied by ministry and local officials, toured sections of St. James, Hanover and Westmoreland. He reiterated the point that...

A newly formed community disaster risk management group in the New River District of St. Elizabeth is positioning itself as the first line of defence against natural hazards and disasters. The five-member team of dedicated men and women have been active in the community since July 2021, sensitising and preparing the residents of New River to respond quickly to major...

The Warsop Community Development Committee (CDC) in Trelawny and the Social Development Commission (SDC) have joined hands and heart to construct a house for an elderly woman in the community who has been living in less-than-ideal conditions. Seventy-one-year-old Violet Palmer is a widow and has no children. She has been depending on other relatives for shelter at a house that...

Prominent philanthropist and business woman,  Icylin M. Golding, will be officially installed as Custos of St. Catherine on Tuesday (November 23). It is a position that comes after a lifetime of service to the parish as a community stalwart, business operator, board member of several schools, including Chairman of the Old Harbour High, provider of scholarships for needy and promising...

For most 17-year-olds, the approach of summer 2021 represents a time when their sole focus is on preparing for final and exit examinations, all while looking forward to a much needed break from online learning and face-to-face instruction. However, for one teen, The Queen’s School student, Kyla Gaynor, responding to the requests of her peers in fulfilling extracurricular obligations while...

As the first ever Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) Youth Ambassador, The Queen’s High School fifth-former, Kyla Gaynor, has grand ideas to execute during her one-year tenure. In the first month alone, Ms. Gaynor has already proposed several ideas to ODPEM to increase engagement. “A suggestion I made is for a virtual town hall meeting. With the...

As the 2020/21 academic year beckons, several parents and students would have applied for varying forms of financial assistance to help cushion the challenges associated with the purchasing of books and uniforms, and payment of tuition or fees. While all financial aid have their own set of eligibility requirements that must be met in order to be considered for the...

Shelter Managers in St. Elizabeth have been proactive in their preparation for the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, which lasts from June 1 to November 30. Over the past month, Shelter Managers throughout the parish have been busy engaging in shelter management forums and training exercises as well as stockpiling resources as the hurricane season approaches its peak period from August...