Bounty Killer to receive Kingston key as Walters dies from Guardsman fire burns

Dancehall veteran Rodney Price, better known as Bounty Killer, is set to receive the key to the city of Kingston on Tuesday, July 28, in recognition of his contribution to Jamaican music and culture. As part of the tribute, Wenchman Road will be renamed Rodney Price Drive.

In separate news, 43-year-old Damian Walters, an employee of the Guardsman Group of Companies who was critically hurt in the Guardsman explosion and fire, has died. Walters succumbed to his injuries on Monday while being treated at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, Georgia, after he was airlifted for specialist care following severe burns in the May incident. Several people were injured in the blaze.

The National Water Commission has warned customers in Washington Gardens, Marley and nearby communities to expect nightly lock-offs from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. until further notice, as prolonged heat and dry weather strain supply. The NWC apologised for the inconvenience and urged residents to store and conserve water.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining has launched a heifer distribution programme that will send 400 pregnant heifers to dairy farmers and schools islandwide, including Knockalva Polytechnic College, Northern Caribbean University and Sydney Pagan STEM Academy. Agriculture Minister Floyd Green said selected high schools will also get infrastructure support to build lasting dairy systems linked to school nutrition.

Parents are being urged to give children aged nine to 14 a single dose of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. Westmoreland Medical Officer of Health Dr Marcio Graham, speaking at a monthly meeting of the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation, said the jab is available for boys and girls and can guard against cervical and other HPV-related cancers later in life. He encouraged families to use the summer to update medical checks and immunisations before the new school year.

Jamaica will host the free Caribbean Continuity Conference on Thursday, July 23, from 10:00 a.m. at the University of the West Indies Regional Headquarters at Mona. Professor Sonjah Stanley-Niaah, director of the Centre for Reparation Research at UWI, said the gathering — themed Shared Histories, Shared Futures — will examine reparatory justice and Afro-descendant heritage linking Jamaica and San Andrés, with partners including the Embassy of Colombia and the African Caribbean Institute of Jamaica. A keynote from Dr Alberta Gordon May of San Andrés is planned via Zoom, with panel contributions including Dr Marcus Goff of the UWI law faculty. Stanley-Niaah noted Jamaica’s long role in reparations advocacy and a United Nations resolution in March 2026 recognising chattel slavery as the gravest crime against humanity.

Sugar Lifestyle CEO Gabrielle Burgess previewed the 2026 Art and Lifestyle Expo, set for Sunday, July 26, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Jamaica Pegasus Legacy Suite and Terrace Gardens. The free, family-friendly showcase will feature about 40 local businesses across art, fashion, food and entrepreneurship, with live readings, yoga and other terrace activities. Burgess said the event is endorsed by the Jamaica Business Development Corporation and the MSME Alliance and aims to help artisans whose distribution has suffered since Hurricane Melissa.

Police are asking the public to visit the Mandeville Police Station to identify property recovered last Friday in Greenville and Hatfield, including phones, televisions, cameras, tools and other valuables. The All Voices Route Taxi Association, through president Lorraine Finikin, has called on the Transport Authority to probe a viral clash between police and a taxi operator and for officers to enforce the Road Traffic Act.

On the sports desk, Jamaica’s top junior tennis player Alyssa James, ranked 41st in the world, is home after exiting the junior Wimbledon singles and doubles in the second round. She will prepare for the hard-court season and the Junior US Open in her final junior year before joining the University of Virginia.

Birthday greetings on the programme included reggae icon Damian Marley, a heavenly tribute to producer Duke Reid, and Hyacinth Walters — affectionately called Fleet Foot — Jamaica’s oldest Olympian, who turns 100 after competing at the 1952 Helsinki Games and winning medals at the Central American and Caribbean Games.