White Horses, ST. THOMAS
For the past five years, Upliftment Jamaica, a non-governmental organisation based in White Horses, has been charting a course of hope and a vision of prosperity for thousands of residents.
As the organisation gets ready to roll out its annual celebration activities, executive director Sandra Kenton-Fraser told Across The Nation that she was very upbeat about the prospects of the group.
Arthur Green
Morant Bay, ST. THOMAS
Fire destroyed a seven-
bedroom house in School Lane, Morant Bay, last Friday, displacing nine persons.
According to the Morant Bay Fire Department, the cause of the blaze has not yet been determined. Superintendent Clinton Samuels said that one unit from the Morant Bay Fire Station had responded and was able to prevent further damage to adjoining properties.
The fire, which was discovered at about 8:30 p.m., destroyed the entire premises. Investigations are continuing.
Arthur Green
Spanish Town, ST. CATHERINE
The St. Catherine 4-H Club has launched a walkathon to raise money to fund training programmes and provide scholarships for clubbites.
The club expects to raise $250,000 from the event, said Colin Woodham, 4-H parish development officer for St. Catherine.
He told JIS News that "because of its (4-H) significance and far-reaching impact on the various communities within the parish, we are asking everyone to give their unwavering support to the walkathon."
Custos of St. Catherine, the Rev. Sophia Azan, who launched the fund-raiser at the Rose Hall 4-H training centre in Linstead, urged support for the walkathon.
JIS News
Walderston, MANCHESTER
The chief education officer in the Ministry of Education and Culture, Adele Brown, has congratulated the Lowe River Primary and Junior High School in Trelawny for its achievements, and one teacher even hailed it as "one of the best schools in the island".
These sentiments were expressed recently during an appreciation ceremony for the United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) post-Hurricane Ivan restoration, and the opening of two new classrooms at a cost of $6 million.
"On behalf of the ministry, I thank the USAID for making this school one of our centres of excellence," Mrs. Brown said. "I congratulate the school for the high level of trained teachers: all are well trained, diploma-trained and 30 per cent of them have degrees. That is better than many high schools."
Programme coordinator, Germain Reid, said, "We know that Lowe River will continue to be the best school in the island of Jamaica."
Byron McDaniel
Lucea, HANOVER
The Hanover Parish Council has come out in praise of the local government reform process, noting that it had facilitated improvements in the council's operations.
"We have seen some positives coming out of local government reform," said secretary/manager, Alfred Graham.
He told JIS News, that the process had resulted in a strengthening of the staff complement by the inclusion of more senior posts, and the filling of those positions with highly qualified and adequately trained personnel. This move, he said, had resulted in "great improvements" in the efficiency level within that parish council, and also better delivery of service to the public.
JIS News
Rio Grande, PORTLAND
The National Works Agency (NWA) is to conduct emergency work on the road in the Rio Grande valley area, which was damaged by heavy rains, recently.
Minister of State in the Ministry of Transport and Works, Dr. Fenton Ferguson, announced this during a press briefing at the end of a tour of the area on Friday, December 2.
The purpose of the tour was to provide Dr. Ferguson with a first-hand view of the damage caused by rain and the inconvenience being experienced by residents of the area.
Heavy rains on November 25 and 26 caused flooding and landslides in a number of communities, resulting in blockages in some sections, and damage to some houses and road surfaces.
JIS News
Boscobel, ST. MARY
Beaches Boscobel Resort & Golf Club awarded team members with prizes valued at over $250,000 at the recently held July to October 2005 quarterly team members awards ceremony at the resort.
Guest speaker at the event, Christopher Zacca, implored the team to uphold the values of hard and honest work, commitment, respect, collaboration and cooperation for personal and workplace success.
The top team member for the quarter, Cornell Radcliffe of the sanitation department, walked away with a certificate of achievement, a 30-piece dinner set valued at $3,000 and a host of other prizes.
The cream of the managers and supervisors for the quarter are Brian Forsythe, sanitation manager, and Ava Gardener, a restaurant manager.
Contributed
Chatham, ST. JAMES
Community members of Chatham, Goodwill and Blytheston came together on December 4 to recognise retired educator, Catherine Thorpe.
The occasion was also used to present her with the Badge of Honour for Meritorious Service in the field of early childhood education, which she was unable to collect at King's House on National Heroes Day in October due to illness.
At the ceremony, which was held at the Bethtephil Baptist Church in Chatham, Ms. Thorpe, 83, was showered with accolades and citations by several representatives from the communities.
JIS News
