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Diamond Sox Football Club retained its corner league title on Saturday, September 17, the biggest night of football within the last three years at Bramwell Clarke Sports Complex in Ewarton town, St Catherine. The team finished second in 2018, but won in 2019 when the league was last held. There was no competition for the following two years (2021 and 2022) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The league returned this summer under new management – the Ewarton Community Development Committee (Ewarton CDC), headed by Sashoy Thomas. The tournament, which was formerly known as Robert Pickersgill Invitational Corner League, is now the Ewarton Invitational Corner League.Read More →

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Texal Christie, who exchanged mechanical engineering for the classroom, has been reaping the rewards of the career switch. The latest came on September 8 when he was among educators invited to Jamaica House, where they were awarded the Prime Minister’s Medal of Appreciation for Service To Education. “I feel very elated,” the Kellits High School principal told The Beacon after collecting the award from Prime Minister Andrew Holness. He added: “I know I put in the work, but, to know that persons are seeing your work especially when you work quietly, it is really a very good feeling.” Christie was born at Morgan’s Pass districtRead More →

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His surname, Dun-well, perhaps says it all. Dshawan Dunwell, who lives on the outskirts of Spanish Town in St Catherine, is no ordinary 16-year-old. He just completed fifth form at St Jago High School and, already, he has amassed a total of 14 subjects from the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC). He did them at the CSEC and CAPE levels, and in the calendar years 2021 and 2022. Putting the icing on the proverbial cake, Dshawan got the best grade possible (Grade One) in 12 of the 14 subjects. “I am very happy with my performance; all that hard work paid off,” he told The Beacon.Read More →

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Though convinced that she has been doing a spectacular job, Shernette Nelson-Powell was doubtful about being numbered among educators receiving the Prime Minister’s Medal of Appreciation for Service To Education. She collected the prestigious prize from Prime Minister Andrew Holness during a ceremony held at Jamaica House on September 8. “I am humbled by the award actually; I really didn’t think that I would have gotten it,” said Powell, Principal of Point Hill Leased Primary School in St Catherine. She added: “I was nominated by the St Catherine Teachers’ Association and when they sent the form to be filled out, honestly, I said I wasn’tRead More →

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DEAR EDITOR, My name is Evon Brown, and I live at Forte Street in Linstead, St Catherine. From the 12th of July, my Flow Yaaad And Road WiFi service has been down to date. Despite repeated complaints and calls and WhatsApp communication been myself and Flow, the issues is still unresolved. Flow is however sending me bills same way. They send me a bill stating l should pay $1,383.00. l paid them $1,500.00 July and August. In July while making one of my regular reports about still not having service, one of the representative let me know it is because of the balance on myRead More →

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A mother is grieving the death of a second son while she prepares to bury another – Chavator Beckett, better known as Beeto. Beckett’s older brother, Kevin Lee, 35, died at Kingston Public Hospital a few hours before daybreak today, September 8. He was serving 35 years at Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre for murder. It is said that he had been complaining about an illness in recent times. He was taken to hospital where he was admitted. A representative of his family has claimed that he was admitted without being treated or properly supervised. “He (Lee) was feeling ill for about a month afterRead More →

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The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is facing criticism after releasing without charge a man whom it had listed as wanted in relation to the shooting of a police inspector at Linstead, St Catherine, on Monday, September 5. The man, who was taken into custody, is 25-year-old Randall Gallimore, otherwise called ‘Nibbs’, from Wakefield district in Linstead. The JCF published his photograph, name and address while identifying him as a suspect in the shooting of Police Inspector Damian Butler. His photo was published on the same day the officer, as well as a taxi operator, was shot and wounded near Wakefield taxi stand in Linstead. WhenRead More →

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Icilda Parker-Dunkley was among people singing her husband’s praise during his burial at New River in Santa Cruz, St Elizabeth, on what turned out to be a wet Sunday afternoon, September 04. Stanley Overton Dunkley, better known as Waff Waff, 77, who escaped death on previous occasions, passed away on 31 July 2022 while undergoing treatment for illnesses at Black River Hospital in his native parish. “He is a nice person and kind; I miss my husband,” Parker-Dunkley told The Beacon after laying a wreath on her spouse’s grave, build beside that of his older brother Ricardo Dunkley. The remote family plot, in the vicinityRead More →

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The estranged common-law-husband of the woman slain at Lluidas Vale in St Catherine at nightfall on August 22 has been charged with murder. He is 34-year-old Sherwayne Collins from Dunfer district in Lluidas Vale as well as Riversdale in St Catherine. At the time of the incident, he was employed to Worthy Park Sugar Estate in Lluidas Vale as a cane cutter. It is alleged that Collins stabbed 35-year-old Alicia Patience, better known as Lisa, in her neck while she was in her bedroom. A few hours later, he showed up at Shady Grove Police Station in Lluidas Vale in the company of his workplaceRead More →

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A man was shot dead last night in Linstead, St Catherine, the Jamaica Constabulary Force has confirmed. His identity has not yet been ascertained. He was found lying face-down in a pool of blood on the road in the York Street area. That incident happened hours after a police inspector and a taxi-man were shot and wounded in Linstead town during a clash between cops and a gunman.Read More →

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The St Catherine North Police said they have identified a suspect in connection with the shooting of Police Inspector Damian Butler in Linstead, St. Catherine, today, September 5. A press release from the police force said the suspect is 25-year-old Randall Gallimore, otherwise called ‘Nibbs’, from Wakefield in Linstead. He was listed as wanted, but, shortly after, the police said he is in their custody. Reports reaching The Beacon are that the police approached a young man who was seen near Wakefield taxi stand in Linstead acting in what was believed to be a suspicious manner. The youngster had a bag, from which he reportedlyRead More →

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The Mount Zion House of Refuge Children’s Home in Linstead, St Catherine, was surprised with a donation of $100,000 on the closing day of the inaugural staging of the programme dubbed Football With A Twist. The five-week programme, which ran from July 8 to August 12, taught children discipline and other valuable traits through football. A total of 56 children – boys and girls from four to 12 years old – participated. One of them, Tsahai Clarke, told The Beacon that her summer was well spent as the initiative was also educational.   “It is very nice to just come out here and to playRead More →

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Shaquille Thomas, whose mother told The Beacon that he has Down syndrome, has been missing again. He lives with his father at Commodore district in Linstead, St Catherine. His mother, who lives elsewhere in Linstead, said she last saw Thomas last weekend, adding that he apparently went missing early last week. According to the mother, Thomas, 24, usually visits her for medication. She also stated that she recently took him to the hospital after noticing that he has stab wounds. Anyone knowing Thomas’ whereabouts should contact the Linstead Police at 876-985-2285, police 119 emergency number, or the nearest police station. In March this year, ThomasRead More →

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A man was shot dead a short while ago in a section of Linstead known as Baptist Corner. The victim is said to be known as Earl. That is the second murder reported today in the Linstead Police Area. Shortly before dawn, a woman was killed at her home at Berkshire Hall in the Redwood area. She is Nickesha DaCosta-Walters, better known as Mammy. For updates, SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel by CLICKING HERE.Read More →

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A woman was slain during a domestic dispute shortly before daybreak today at her home at Berkshire Hall in the Redwood area of St Catherine. Reports are that Nickesha DaCosta-Walters, better known as Mammy, was stabbed and her throat slashed. She was a mother of one son. Sources told The Beacon that the woman’s spouse is in police custody. It is said that he made a surprise return from the farm work programme overseas. While he was abroad, he reportedly was  told that his wife was cheating on him.  This is the second woman to die in such fashion in St Catherine since the startRead More →

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Retired educator Florence Spaulding-Ferguson has been laid to rest at Thetford Park Cemetery in Old Harbour, St Catherine. The 73-year-old lost her battle with stage four uterine cancer on Monday, 27 June 2022, at Linstead Public Hospital where she was admitted for just over a week. A number of people attended her thanksgiving service on Monday, August 15, at the Church of the First Born of Jamaica, Bethel Gospel Hall, in her adopted hometown of Linstead, St Catherine. She was an active member of that church, even serving as secretary. Mrs Ferguson, the ninth of 12 children for her parents, hails from humble beginnings inRead More →

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People’s National Party (PNP) candidate for the Lluidas Vale Division in St Catherine, Moneque Brown, has called for the person who murdered a woman in the division last evening to face the “full extent of the law”, adding that the crime is gruesome. Alicia Patience, better known as Lisa, was killed at her home at Dunfer in Lluidas Vale at nightfall yesterday, August 22. A photo shows her with a stab wound to the throat. She has two young sons, none of whom belongs to her common-law-husband. Her common-law-husband, who is from Riversdale in St Catherine, surrendered to the Lluidas Vale police a few hoursRead More →

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The community of Lluidas Vale in St Catherine remains stunned by the fatal stabbing of a young mother of two boys, Alicia Patience, better known as Lisa. She was killed at nightfall yesterday (August 22) during a dispute with her common-law-husband at her residence at Dunfar, Lluidas Vale. A photo obtained by The Beacon shows the woman on her back on a bed with what appears to be a stab wound to her neck. Residents eventually removed her from the building and placed her in a police vehicle, which left the scene destined for hospital. However, Patience, who worked from home as a hairdresser, didRead More →

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Eight people are now without employment amid another closure and change of management facing the PETCOM Gas Station in the rural community of Lluidas Vale, St Catherine. The current operator, Sydney Rose, who also is Councillor for Treadways Division in the Linstead area of St Catherine, told The Beacon that he is giving up the operation. He cited security reasons linked to two robberies that took place recently – not at Lluidas Vale, but at a cooking gas business he operates at 118 King Street in Linstead, St Catherine. “They robbed the business [in Linstead] twice in 12 weeks; the last one was on theRead More →

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Leroy McKenzie (Mass Curtis), 66, of Brandon Hill in Clarendon, died of natural cause on Sunday, 17 July 2022. He was born in the parish of St Catherine 10 April 1956 to Muriel McKenzie of Brandon Hill and Azariah McKenzie of Top Hill district in Lluidas Vale Division, St Catherine. He was the sixth of 12 children for his parents. While Mass Curtis was enrolled at Top Hill Primary School in St Catherine, his family relocated to his mother’s community of Brandon Hill. That’s how he ended up also attending Brandon Hill Primary School. Mass Curtis was a mason as well as a farmer. ForRead More →

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A bus operator, who plied the route between Linstead and Spanish Town in St Catherine, died in hospital after being shot by a police officer in the Spanish Town Bus Park on Saturday, August 13. He is 39-year-old Alton Reid, better known as Benji, from Bagbie district in the Troja area of St Catherine. The Jamaica Constabulary Force, while not giving details, said Reid was shot during “a confrontation with the police”. It is said that Reid died in hospital two days after the shooting incident. A relative of the deceased told The Beacon on condition of anonymity that the police shot Reid while heRead More →

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The Jamaica Constabulary Force said its officers seized a shotgun during an operation at Swamp Lane in Bog Walk, St. Catherine, yesterday, August 16. It added: “Reports from the Bog Walk Police are that, about 5:30PM, lawmen were in the area when a premises was searched and the illegal firearm was found inside the roof.” No one was arrested in relation to the seizure. The operation was carried out by a team of officers assigned to the Counter-Terrorism and Organized Crime Investigations Branch (C-TOC). Subscribe to our YouTube channel by CLICKING HERE.Read More →

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A farm worker died in a crash in the United States yesterday (August 13) – three days after he left Jamaica. He is Dopson Wynter from Pennington district in the Lluidas Vale Division of St Catherine. A representative of the Ministry of Labour contacted the family last night to officially confirm the incident. Details about the crash are still sketchy. However, reports reaching The Beacon are that Wynter died on the spot after the cart he was driving while on the job was hit by another vehicle. He was a farm worker for decades. While in Jamaica, Wynter operated a taxi. He has four childrenRead More →

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Police have released the identity of the man who died in a motor vehicle crash before daylight yesterday, August 6, at Cotton Piece district in Ewarton, St Catherine. He is 30-year-old Roneil Steer from Victoria district in Linstead, St. Catherine. A woman with whom he was traveling suffered minor injury. The JCF said: “Reports from the Ewarton Police are that, about 2:05AM, Steer was driving a 2014 grey Nissan AD Wagon when he lost control of the vehicle, hit a wall and overturned.” Steer, who was partly flung from the vehicle due to the impact of the collision, died on the spot. He was travelingRead More →

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Blossoming in a single-parent household sheltered by her mother, Head Girl of Linstead Primary School in St Catherine Rihanna Gyles is proud of her performance in the Primary Exit Profile (PEP). That assessment is used to place students in secondary schools. “I feel very good about my performance because I did my very best and scored the highest out of all Grade Six students at my school,” the aspiring doctor told The Beacon. A break-down of the PEP results shows that she scored 94 per cent. She also performed at the highest level (Highly Proficient) in three of the four curriculum-based subjects – Language Arts,Read More →

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A man was shot dead last night at Linstead in St. Catherine – specifically on Peck Street, which is notorious for night-time prostitution. He has been identified as 33-year-old Chavator Beckett, otherwise known as Beeto, from Princessfield near Linstead. Highly placed sources told The Beacon that Beckett had just carried out a transaction with a woman and was leaving the location shortly before 9pm. Another man reportedly appeared, pretending as though he was seeking to get intimate with a prostitute. He, however, brandished a gun and shot Beckett several times. Reports are that Beckett ran a short distance before he collapsed and died. A woman,Read More →

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Jordane Thompson, otherwise called Pops, is a hard-working young farmer in his rural community of Cowley, located in St Ann and close to the town of Kellits in Clarendon. He has a reputation for giving jokes. But there hasn’t been much for Thompson to joke about since Monday morning, July 25, when he heard about the death of his mother, Icylin Smythe, who lived in Kingston for years with her common-law-husband. The death, in and of itself, is a massive blow. It gets even worse when one considers the purported circumstances. Thompson told The Beacon that, based on information he received, his 54-year-old mother collapsedRead More →

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Khaleel Hawkes will be the highest academic achiever entering grade seven at the revered Glenmuir High School in Clarendon in September. His exceptional performance in the Primary Exit Profile (PEP), which is used for high school placements, is what sets him apart. The 12-year-old attained the highest level of ranking (Highly Proficient) in all of the curriculum-based tests he did in PEP. They are Language Arts, Social Studies, Mathematics and Science. Khaleel scored a whopping 98 percent in the Ability Test. “To be honest, achieving these scores wasn’t so hard for me. I think it’s one of my natural talents retaining information easily. Of course,Read More →

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A family is seeking answers even as it struggles to come to grips with the death of its loved one – Laynia West of Linstead in St Catherine. The 21-year-old, who is said to have struggled with a mild form of sickle cell, died at Kingston Public Hospital shortly before dawn on Tuesday, July 5. That’s a few hours after she was transferred from Linstead Public Hospital. Her mother, Tayeen McLean-West, recalled taking her daughter to Linstead Public Hospital on Sunday July 3 after she woke up experiencing a painful crisis associated with sickle cell. McLean-West said her daughter’s condition deteriorated rapidly over the twoRead More →

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Perhaps a sign of humility, Jahi Ebanks, who has a track record of academic excellence, said he was “flabbergasted” by his results in the Primary Exit Profile (PEP). That assessment is used to determine high school placements across the island. Jahi’s performance in the four curriculum-based tests (Mathematics, Language Arts, Science and Social Studies) has been categorized as Highly Proficient. That is the highest level of achievement that one can attain in those subjects. In relation to the Ability Test, the 12-year-old scored 98 percent. With an impressive placement score of 394.4, Jahi has been rewarded a place at Munro College – his dream school.Read More →