Hero image
Top Story...

WATER CRUNCH - Drought drives up costs for car washes, laundries

September 02, 2026 | News
The severe drought conditions currently affecting the island have resulted in increased operating costs for water-related businesses in the Corporate Area as they seek alternative sources of supply to comply with prohibition orders and water-use restrictions. David Chambers, manager at Mountain Ridge Auto Spa on Mountain View Avenue in St Andrew, said the car wash had to pass on the additional expense to customers. “With rent, light, and utilities, I couldn’t cushion that, so I have to put on something,” he said.
Read More

Top News

Latest News

News

Update | eFitness services restored at examination depots

The Island Traffic Authority is advising the public that all its examination depots are now able to process Electronic Certificates of Fitness (eFitness), following disruptions caused by damage to fibre infrastructure yesterday. Drivers can now have their motor vehicles assessed and receive the corresponding eFitness certificate number via email. The authority says the Court Administration Division (CAD) and the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) have also been notified of the restoration of service.
News

Westmoreland woman charged for allegedly fabricating kidnapping

A 36-year-old Westmoreland woman has been charged for allegedly fabricating a story that she was kidnapped. Alecia Watkins, otherwise called ‘Renae’, of Petersfield, is charged with creating public mischief. The police report that on August 15, the father of Watkins’ child received a photo and a voice note claiming that she had been kidnapped, along with a demand for $600,000. The matter was reported to the Savanna-la-Mar police, and investigators from the Transnational Crime Investigation Division were contacted.
News

Two killed in separate gun attacks in St Catherine North

Two men were killed in separate gun attacks in the St Catherine North Police Division on Tuesday night, just 90 minutes apart. The victims, who are yet to be positively identified, are only known by the aliases ‘Yankee’ and ‘Chucky’. Police reports say Chucky was standing along St John’s Road in Spanish Town about 8:30 pm when he was approached by a gunman and shot multiple times. He was taken to Spanish Town Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

News

See All
Michael Barnett washes a car with water from one of his tanks at his Kingston Gardens Public Car Wash in central Kingston on Tuesday.
Updated 7 hours ago

WATER CRUNCH - Drought drives up costs for car washes, laundries

The severe drought conditions currently affecting the island have resulted in increased operating costs for water-related businesses in the Corporate Area as they seek alternative sources of supply to comply with prohibition orders and water-use restrictions. David Chambers, manager at Mountain Ridge Auto Spa on Mountain View Avenue in St Andrew, said the car wash had to pass on the additional expense to customers. “With rent, light, and utilities, I couldn’t cushion that, so I have to put on something,” he said.

Sports

See All
Amoy McKenzie (right) dribbles away from an opponent during a Jamaica Women’s Premier League football match.
Updated 7 hours ago

More than her scars - Football turns McKenzie’s fight for survival into new journey
Amoy McKenzie’s entire life has been defined by struggle. As an infant, she miraculously survived a catastrophic incident that left her with life-threatening burns and permanent scars across her body. As a teenager, the battle shifted inward, plunging her into a years-long struggle with depression as she wrestled with feelings of rejection. Today, the 21-year-old midfielder is ready to claim a new chapter in her journey, strengthened by her deep love for football.

Entertainment

See All
Singer Dre Island released his new album ‘Love is in the House’ early this summer, and now he is ready to take the project on the road.
Updated 7 hours ago

Dre Island bringing ‘Love is in the House’ stateside

Dre Island is preparing to take his Love is in the House project stateside later this year. His upcoming United States tour is expected to include stops in Boston, Massachusetts; Bridgeport and Hartford, Connecticut; Elizabeth, New Jersey; Brooklyn, New York; Providence, Rhode Island; and Atlanta, Georgia, among several other cities.

Business

See All
Scotiabank
Updated 7 hours ago

BNS flags rising Caribbean mortgage write-downs as parent posts record quarter

The Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank) disclosed slightly higher mortgage impairments in the Caribbean during its July third-quarter on a sequential basis, even as the Canadian parent reported record earnings and revealed steps to take full ownership of its Jamaican subsidiary. The bank’s overall improvement was “partially offset by higher mortgage impairment in Chile and the Caribbean”, according to the bank’s chief risk officer, Shannon McGinnis, in comments during an earnings call to analysts on August 25.

Lifestyle

See All
Royane Green, who began taking dance classes at the age of 16, is a professional dancer and a proud modern contemporary dance fitness instructor.
Published 13 hours ago

Royane Green champions dance fitness for body, mind

Zumba aerobic classes have become a popular fitness option, with workout routines incorporating musical genres such as hip-hop, soca, electronic dance music and even dancehall. But if you once had dreams of pirouettes, jetés, tendus, pliés and arabesques, or if these terms sound curiously enticing, the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts (EMCVPA), through the School of Continuing Education and Allied Programme (SCEAP), has introduced a modern contemporary take on dance fitness.

Commentary

See All
Many of the displaced families are now living in tents.
Published 13 hours ago

Editorial | Tackling squatting

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness’ pledge to relocate the Coopers Pen squatters whose homes were demolished last month, will address what he rightly described as a “humanitarian tragedy”. But finding alternative places to live for the 99 people who were, several years ago, ordered by the court to vacate the private property is like the proverbial finger in the dyke. It will do little to address the historic crisis of landlessness in Jamaica and the socio-economic problems that it breeds.

Videos

Can't Miss