The southern chapter of the Jamaica Medical Records Association will be staging several activities at locations across central Jamaica to observe Health Records Week, being observed from October 15-20.

A church service will be held on Sunday, October 15 at the Holiness Christian Church at 71 Manchester Road in Mandeville to begin the week.

On Wednesday, October 18, there will be a special open day and exhibition at the Mandeville regional hospital, at which representatives from the Registrar General's Department and the National Health Fund will be present to deal with members of the public on pertinent matters such as the need for proper registration of births and deaths.

- JIS

The long-awaited construction of a modern Yallahs bridge is to become a reality. According to Dr. Fenton Ferguson, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Transport and Works, "tiling will take place in the latter part of this month". The contract has been tendered to Mabey and Johnson from the United Kingdom, and the project is expected to last for 18 months with approximate cost of J$1 billion.

The bridge, an important link between Kingston and St. Thomas, has been undermined by flood waters and suffered damage during hurricanes, at times, leaving the parish cut off from the rest of the country. It was temporarily fixed with a bailey bridge after the structure was washed away during Hurricane Ivan in 2004. The bailey bridge suffered the same fate during flood rains in 2005.

- Marlene McPherson

The overflowing sewerage plant in Duncan's Hill, Trelawny has attracted the attention of the Trelawny Health Authority, and an action plan is now being contemplated.

"Based on a preliminary report, this is not a problem that can be fixed overnight, an entire sewage plant will have to be built, but the health authority will ensure that all is done from a health perspective to alleviate the problem," explained Dr. Marcia Johnson-Campbell, the medical officer of health for Trelawny.

The problem came to light in 2002 when residents began experiencing a foul faecal stench, coming from their plumbing outlets within their homes, especially when there was a water lock off.

Residents at the National Housing Trust development are complaining bitterly that the plant, which was constructed as a 'temporary facility' in 2000, is posing a health risk, as its contents are running onto the roadway in the community.

Some 36 female chicken farmers in Northwest Clarendon have benefited from a training programme in the rearing of chickens.

The training took place on Tuesday, October 10 at the Spaldings United Church in the parish, and was conducted by the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), the Ministry of Health and Jamaica Broilers Company.

According to Pauline Smith Stone, acting deputy parish manager at the RADA Clarendon office, the training looked at the proper care and management of poultry, the proper disposal of waste during the production process, and the slaughtering of the birds.

Less than two months into the new school year, the staff and students at Charlemont High School in St. Catherine have just begun to find their footing in respect of the problem of accommodation.

This was the assessment given by Jennifer Gidden, vice-principal of the 28-year-old institution, in an interview with The Gleaner on Thursday, October 12.

She said that notwithstanding the recent construction of additional classrooms, there is the need for at least one more in order to comfortably house the students. She noted that this year's intake of GSAT awardees was 50 above the normal quota.

Other pressing needs outlined by Ms. Gidden include a woodwork room, an auditorium, and additional lab and canteen space.

- Elgin Taylor

The estimated value of properties lost in St. Elizabeth due to fire and other hazards between September 1 and October 9 has been put at $6.2 million.

The revelation was made by Homer Morris, the deputy superintendent of the St. Elizabeth Fire Brigade, in his monthly report tendered at the recent monthly general meeting of the St. Elizabeth Parish Council.

He said that over the period, the brigade received over 29 emergency calls of which 24 were genuine fire calls.

Over the past three months, the St. Elizabeth Fire Brigade has benefited from the addition of two new fire trucks which were bought by the Government.