Thu | Feb 19, 2026

Stories by Mickalia Kington/Gleaner Writer

Published:Thursday | February 19, 2026 | 12:09 AMMickalia Kington/Gleaner Writer

A steel frame house left standing in Savanna-la-Mar after Hurricane Melissa tore through sections of western Jamaica has started a conversation about how the country should rebuild and whether it is time to rethink traditional block and steel...

Published:Friday | February 13, 2026 | 12:08 AMMickalia Kington/Gleaner Writer

Negril Councillor Arthel Colley is calling for greater investment in the resort town, arguing that insufficient spending by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) has left critical infrastructure issues unresolved and is negatively affecting both...

Published:Thursday | February 12, 2026 | 12:06 AMMickalia Kington/Gleaner Writer

Western Bureau: More than three months after Hurricane Melissa battered western Jamaica, life in sections of Darliston in Westmoreland remains defined by darkness, uncertainty, and mounting frustration, as residents continue to grapple with...

Published:Thursday | February 5, 2026 | 12:08 AMMickalia Kington/Gleaner Writer

At 100 years old, Isaiah Freckleton still marvels at the passage of time. Lying in his bed one night, alone with his thoughts, the centenarian found himself pondering. “I began to count from one to a hundred,” he said. “And I lay down, and I...

Published:Wednesday | February 4, 2026 | 12:07 AMMickalia Kington/Gleaner Writer

Western Bureau: Thirty new justices of the peace (JPs) were formally commissioned into service last Thursday during a ceremony in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland. The event brought together members of the judiciary, law-enforcement officials,...

Published:Saturday | January 31, 2026 | 12:06 AMMickalia Kington/Gleaner Writer

Residents of Darliston, Westmoreland are expressing deep concern over the closure of the local post office, saying that the move has placed a dreaded financial and physical strain on pensioners, PATH beneficiaries and postal workers, particularly...

Published:Tuesday | January 27, 2026 | 12:11 AMMickalia Kington/Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU: Nearly three months after Hurricane Melissa tore through western Jamaica, the Jamaica Public Service (JPS), in partnership with the Government, commissioned an emergency mobile power-generating unit in Darliston, Westmoreland, on...

Published:Saturday | January 24, 2026 | 12:08 AMMickalia Kington/Gleaner Writer

In the days following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, doctors at the Savanna-la-Mar Hospital began noticing a troubling pattern among patients seeking care. Dr Suman Vemu, orthopaedic surgeon at the hospital, described the surge in injuries...

Published:Wednesday | January 21, 2026 | 12:07 AMMickalia Kington/Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU: More than 300 women from across western Jamaica were given a rare opportunity to pause, breathe, and be nurtured during A Day of HERS, a women’s empowerment event hosted in Westmoreland last Saturday by the I AM … Foundation...

Published:Thursday | January 15, 2026 | 12:09 AMMickalia Kington/Gleaner Writer

The Savanna-la-Mar Health Centre in Westmoreland has received a major boost in its ability to respond to rising flu cases and ongoing post-hurricane challenges, following a significant donation of personal protective equipment (PPE) from the...

Published:Saturday | January 10, 2026 | 12:09 AMMickalia Kington/Gleaner Writer

Western Bureau: The Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) Ltd and the Government are reiterating a zero-tolerance stance against individuals demanding money from residents for electricity reconnections in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa,...

Published:Saturday | December 27, 2025 | 12:05 AMMickalia Kington/Gleaner Writer

Western Bureau: As Hurricane Melissa tore across Jamaica on October 28, crippling power grids and shutting down water supply systems mainly in the western region, one machine high in the Cockpit Country mountains kept producing clean drinking water...

Published:Friday | December 26, 2025 | 12:07 AMMickalia Kington/Gleaner Writer

A paraplegic senior displaced by hurricane damage is regaining a measure of independence, thanks to swift community action and quiet generosity in Green Island, Westmoreland. The woman, Claudette Quest from Glenbrook, Westmoreland, has been...

Published:Wednesday | December 17, 2025 | 12:08 AMMickalia Kington/Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU: Residents of Frome, Westmoreland, yesterday began accessing clean, drinkable water again with the installation of a community water filtration system at the Pan-Caribbean Sugar Company Limited (PCSC) factory. The system was provided...

Published:Tuesday | December 16, 2025 | 2:16 PMMickalia Kington/Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU: Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness on Saturday told displaced hurricane survivors sheltering at Petersfield High in Westmoreland that the Government is committed to relocating them to better living arrangements even as he stressed...

Published:Friday | December 12, 2025 | 12:08 AMMickalia Kington/Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU: Tension erupted inside the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation (WMC) yesterday as Councillor Lidden Lewis launched a dramatic but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to oust his People’s National Party colleague, Councillor Devon ‘Don...

Published:Monday | December 8, 2025 | 12:06 AMMickalia Kington/Gleaner Writer

Delta Airlines employees are lending a helping hand to communities affected by the Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica, bringing care packages, essentials, and even personal services, to residents in need. Unice Rashford, lead of the Delta Employee...

Published:Monday | December 8, 2025 | 12:06 AMMickalia Kington/Gleaner Writer

Savanna-la-Mar’s storm-ravaged market has once again become the centre of public frustration and political attention as residents and vendors plead for urgent repairs and clarity on its future. The facility, badly damaged during Hurricane Melissa...

Published:Saturday | December 6, 2025 | 12:12 AMMickalia Kington/Gleaner Writer

A call to unity and community action resonated through Pentecost Lane, Darliston, yesterday as Desmond McKenzie, minister of local government and community development, officially launched the National Cleanup Programme. The initiative seeks to...

Published:Saturday | December 6, 2025 | 12:09 AMMickalia Kington/Gleaner Writer

A break-in at the Petersfield High School shelter has escalated tensions between residents and authorities, prompting Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie to demand round-the-clock police presence and warn that the Government will not put up...

Published:Friday | December 5, 2025 | 12:45 AMMickalia Kington/Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU: Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie says he is “deeply disappointed” with the construction quality of the relatively new male ward Savanna-la-Mar Infirmary in Westmoreland, which sustained major damage during Hurricane...

Published:Saturday | November 29, 2025 | 12:09 AMMickalia Kington/Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU: Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has renewed his call for dignity to be placed at the centre of Jamaica’s hurricane recovery efforts, urging that assistance to affected residents be delivered in ways that uphold their pride and self...

Published:Friday | November 28, 2025 | 12:07 AMMickalia Kington/Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU: As Westmoreland grapples with contaminated water sources and a leptospirosis outbreak, more than 270 households in and around Frome received urgently needed water-filtration units on Thursday through a partnership involving Global...

Published:Thursday | November 27, 2025 | 12:08 AMMickalia Kington/Gleaner Writer

A birthday viist to a friend ended in terror for 30-year-old Bijorn ‘Cody’ Ellis of Bath district, Burnt Savannah, who was fatally shot by police along the Llandilo main road late Sunday. A close friend who was in the vehicle with him has rejected...

Published:Thursday | November 27, 2025 | 1:30 PMMickalia Kington/Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU: When Hurricane Melissa battered Jamaica’s southern and western parishes nearly a month ago, the silence it left behind — dead phones, vanished roads, unanswered calls — sparked a wave of action from the diaspora. Barrel drives,...

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