Ann-Marie Gray, 42, of Victoria district in Linstead, St Catherine was born 23 March 1982 to Hyacinth Ricketts and the late Dodley Gray. She attended Victoria Primary School. Gray, at different points, lived at Victoria, Rosemount and Wakesfield districts – all in Linstead. Steeped in industriousness, she worked for years at Nestle Jamaica Limited in…
PROMISE KEPT – Gospel Artiste Turns Concert Earnings Into Scholarships
LINSTEAD, St Catherine — Gospel artiste Alicia Spence has awarded scholarships to two outstanding students, fulfilling a promise that she had made. Jaeshawn Slowley and Jason Gray collected the scholarships valued at $30,000 each during their Jericho Primary School graduation, held at Jericho Baptist Church on the outskirts of Linstead, St Catherine. Emphasizing the importance…
The Spirit Of Christmas: Jamaican Writer Unveils New Book
KINGSTON – As the Christmas season approaches, Jamaican author Yvonne Morgan-McKenzie is bringing joy to readers with her latest release, Little T Meets Santa Claus/Father Christmas. The heartwarming tale is poised to resonate with both children and adult readers. “Anybody who takes up this book and reads it can see its worth,” McKenzie said enthusiastically….
BEACON OF THE DAY: Aliyah Sharpe – CXC Achiever Motivated By Mom’s Hard Work
KINGSTON – Aliyah Sharpe, who was crowned Miss Dunoon Park Technical High School 2023, has proven that she also is a model student in academics. She attained seven subjects in this year’s sitting of the CSEC exams, set by the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC). “After the exams, I was a bit doubtful about how I…
VIDEO: Principal Leaves School Where He Made History, Says He Paid His Dues
Ottis Brown got gifts and heartfelt commendations while performing final duties as the first principal of the 10-year-old Cedar Grove Academy in Gregory Park, Portmore, St Catherine. “Myself and those I had the responsibility to lead; we paid our dues,” he asserted in his last speech as principal delivered during the graduation ceremony at the…
VIDEO: Funeral Date Announced For Linstead Teacher
Relatives and friends will gather on Monday, 29 July 2024, to pay their last respect to 39-year-old public school teacher Cassandra Rigg, who died at the University Hospital of the West Indies during a brief period of illness. When she passed away on June 22, she was a teacher at Jericho Primary School in her…
REMEMBERING: Merlyn Grant, 77, Of Linstead, St Catherine
Merlyn Grant (Miss Merl), 77, was born to Inez Murray and Frederick Grant at Jericho Road in Linstead, St Catherine parish, on Sunday, 15 September 1946. She had eight siblings. Confident that a sound education could have steered her from a myriad of pitfalls, her parents enrolled her at Jericho Primary School and the Kingston-based…
BOG WALK | Gang Members Killed, Cops Wounded As ‘One Order’ Violence Erupts
The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) said two alleged gunmen were shot dead and two guns recovered, adding that two police officers were shot and wounded this morning during an operation to apprehend wanted men at West Prospect in Bog Walk, St. Catherine. One of the deceased is Peter Davis, who is also called ‘Devil’, whom…
State Of Community Concerns St Catherine Residents
By Jo’Ordine Tucker, Contributor The residents of Treadways, St. Catherine are concerned about the state of their community despite the re-election of Mr. Sydney Rose as Councillor. After the recent local government election in February 2024, the community of Treadways, Linstead, St Catherine is ready for this new tenure. Notwithstanding, there are problems they observe…
OBITUARY: Gladstone Harrison, 78, Of Lluidas Vale, St Catherine
Gladstone Lloyd Harrison (Valley and Pupa), 78, was born 14 April 1945. He is originally from Orange Valley district in Lluidas Vale, St Catherine. He later resided with his wife Retinela Moiten-Harrison and their children at Pennington district and subsequently at Pleasant Hill – all in Lluidas Vale. Harrison, who was employed to Worthy Park…
Alicia Spence To Launch First Album
Alicia Spence will mark another milestone in her musical career when she launches her first album in a highly anticipated Gospel concert at Dinthill Technical High School in Linstead, St Catherine Saturday evening, April 27. “I choose to release this album because I have a whole lot of songs,” she told The Beacon. “This album launch…
VIDEO: Boy Buried Second Time In Days
Twelve-year-old Omarco Brown, who died in a shooting incident at his Pusey home in Point Hill, St Catherine, has been buried twice in a week. His second burial, which was the correct one, happened at his home in Point Hill on Saturday, February 24. In preparation for that send-off, the body was exhumed from a…
VIDEO: Miguel Willis Sent Off With Football, Moving Tributes
The grief was palpalble in the community of Lluidas Vale in St Catherine as people – young and old – journeyed from near and far for one main reason – to show their last respect to a promising community youth who died early, leaving loved-ones in an emotional storm. Twenty-seven year-old Miguel Willis, better known…
VIDEO: Heartfelt Tributes For Jamaican Who Dies 11 Days After Reaching Cayman
A rural community in Jamaica is still mourning after one of its natives died 11 days subsequent to his arrival in the Cayman Islands. Dwayne Butler passed away in his nocturnal sleep on 21 December 2023 – two weeks after he celebrated his 40th birthday. His body was sent back to his native Jamaica for…
VIDEO: Massive Tourism Plan For Linstead – Proposed By Independent Candidate
An independent candidate who did not reap success in the Local Government Election yesterday is still hoping to one day being in a position to implement a massive plan, which he said would transform the bustling commercial hub of Linstead in St Catherine into a booming tourism town. Aron Hyman told The Beacon that his…
TWO MEN KILLED – One In Linstead; The Other In Guy’s Hill
The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has disclosed the identities of two men who have been shot dead in the parish of St Catherine – one in the Linstead police area and the other in Guy’s Hill. The victim in the Linstead attack is 55-year-old Renford Paisley, a driver from Main Street in Bog Walk –…
EWARTON DIVISION: Tinling Confident PNP Will Retain Ewarton Division
Donald Tinling is oozing confidence ahead of the Local Government Election on Monday, February 26. He is representing the People’s National Party (PNP) in his native Ewarton Division in St Catherine. “I am 100 percent confident going into this election because, to be honest, the people of Ewarton know that the People’s National Party has…
LLUIDAS VALE DIVISION: Grant Pushing For Victory Despite PNP Jitters In Lluidas Vale
Despite his party being faced with challenges in the Lluidas Vale Division in St Catherine, 36-year-old businessman Karl Grant is confident that he will win the area for the People’s National Party (PNP) in the Local Government Election on Monday, February 26. “My level of confidence going into the election is 100-and-more-percent because my team…
VIDEO: ‘They Welcome Me’ – JLP Candidate Predicts First Victory In Lluidas Vale
Joel Williams is confident that the community-based work he has done in the past few years will enable him to emerge victorious in the Local Government Election on February 26 in a stronghold of the People’s National Party (PNP). He is representing the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in the Lluidas Vale Division, located in the…
I Am Getting Great Responses – Independent Candidate Seeks Historic Win In Lluidas Vale
Fitzroy Bennett, better known as “Chris”, has been nominated to contest the upcoming Local Government Election, claiming that he is the first independent candidate to be contesting the Lluidas Vale Division in St Catherine North West. He is optimistic that he will emerge victorious at the polls on February 26 especially if residents vote based…
Mother Presumed Dead In Fire At House She Shares With Boyfriend At Kellits
A young mother identified by her alias ‘Thread” is believed to have died under questionable circumstances in a house fire last night at Comsee district in the Kellits area of Clarendon. Charred human remains, believed to be hers, were found among the rubble of the burnt building where she lived. Though residents have drawn conclusion…
VIDEO: St Catherine Councillor Switches Division, But Still Confident Of Victory
Jennifer Hull of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) has become a household name in the constituency of St Catherine South Central, which covers a section of Spanish Town. “I love to represent; I love people and I love serving. That’s the reason why I choose to be in representational politics,” she declared. Hull operates politically…
PHOTOS: Skeletal Remains Found in Croft’s Hill, Believed To Be Missing Man
Skeletal remains found today at Guava Ground district in the Croft’s Hill police area of Clarendon are believed to be those of 51-year-old Glester Townsend, who was reported missing a year ago. He is from Guava Ground, where the remains, as well as items of clothing, were discovered in a forested area. A length of…
VIDEO: Former Principal Honoured By Past Students Over 40 Years Later
Former school principal Rita Ellis Rowe’s love for the public service is beyond question – and so too is her love for her native country. Forty-two years after she retired as principal of Bermaddy Primary School on the outskirts of Linstead in St Catherine, her past students gathered at Dinthill Technical High School to honour…
OBITUARY: Allison Levers, 57, Of St Ann
Allison Levers, 57, was born 22 October 1966 to Barbara Murdock and Keith Levers in St Ann. She had 12 siblings. Her pursuit of a sound education resulted in her enrollment at different schools, including St Ann’s Bay Primary, Ferncourt High, and the College of Hospitality in her native parish. In her spare time, Allison,…
BREAKING NEWS: Local Gov’t Election Set For Monday, Feb 26
The long-delayed Local Government Election will be held on Monday, February 26, 2024, according to Minister of Local Government Desmond McKenzie, who is also a member of the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). He also announced that Nomination Day is Thursday, February 8. McKenzie made the announcement this afternoon while addressing a gathering of mainly…
OBITUARY: Lehan Gardener, 12, Of Linstead
Lehan Geanntae Gardener, 12, was born at Spanish Town Hospital 07 August 2011 to Marsha Gray Gardener and Cleon Gardener. Her big dream was to become a pastry chef. That’s the reason she never hesitated in putting her baking and cooking skills to the test – leaving tantalizing aroma and tastes at her Rosehall home…
VIDEO: Merlene Brown And Denroy Francis Tie The Knot After 13 Years
Promises of a lifetime of togetherness echoed within the walls of Spanish Town Seventh Day Adventist Church in St Catherine where scores of people had gathered for the exchange of nuptial vows between two long-time lovers. Merlene Brown and Denroy Francis formally became one on 10 December 2023 after a 13-year-old love affair that produced…
LINSTEAD NEWS: Two Shot, One Dead – Police
Fifty-nine-year-old Leon Peters from Commodore district in Linstead, St. Catherine, was shot and killed last evening (December 30) on Gillette Street in Linstead, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) confirmed, adding that another man was also shot and wounded. The JCF said: “Reports from the police are that, about 6:15PM, the complainant [who was shot and…
VIDEO: BISHOP FRANK OTTO – A life of illness, deaths, success and worship
Bishop Frank Otto, revered especially in business and religious circles, is being celebrated for serving as pastor of Linstead Pentecostal Tabernacle in St Catherine for 48 years and counting. Members of his church threw him a special ceremony at their sanctuary on Sunday afternoon, December 10, 2023. “I have enjoyed ministry tremendously. If I have…