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Jamaica’s fitness sector is coming together to grieve the passing of Andro Henry, a widely respected and deeply adored trainer who spent more than three years as a core member of the Express Fitness Limited team. Henry, 51, passed away on Monday, one week after experiencing a combined heart attack and stroke that left him hospitalized. The 51-year-old, who left behind a spouse and children, built a reputation across the industry for his unwavering commitment and unmatched skill as an instructor, colleagues say.

In an interview with Observer Online on Tuesday, Deon Earle, Express Fitness’ coordinator for fitness and wellness, reflected on Henry’s enduring legacy with the company. She shared that Henry first joined the Express network as an outside contract instructor before transitioning to a full, permanent role with the brand. Over his tenure, he built a loyal following, particularly among older adult clients who responded to his patient, encouraging coaching style. Henry taught three weekly daytime classes covering spin cycling, aerobics, and core-focused abs training, drawing consistent crowds to every session. “It is a tremendous loss for all of us,” Earle told reporters. “He was the kind of instructor who never missed a shift, no matter what challenges came his way. Rain or shine, he was there ready to work. Everyone in the local fitness industry knew who he was, and he was second to none at what he did. His influence stretched far beyond just the walls of Express Fitness.”

Michelle Gordon, Chief Executive Officer of Express Fitness Limited, echoed those tributes, framing Henry as far more than an employee—he was a beloved member of the company’s extended family. Gordon emphasized that Henry had a unique gift for lifting up everyone he interacted with, infusing every class and conversation with contagious energy that left clients feeling stronger and more confident. For three years, she said, Henry pushed both his clients and his coworkers to grow and reach new personal goals. “Every spin class, every senior class, every quick chat in the hallway, he was a constant source of positivity,” Gordon said. “We are absolutely heartbroken to lose him far too soon. But we will carry the spirit he brought to this place forward, and honor him by living out that same commitment to lifting each other up every day.”

As news of Henry’s passing spread across the local fitness community, tributes from former clients and fellow trainers began to circulate, highlighting his kind demeanor, professional dedication, and lasting impact on the health and wellness of hundreds of people who trained with him over his career.

In the rural Jamaican community of Salt Marsh, Trelawny, months of unmet demand for clean piped water boiled over into organized public protest on Monday, when frustrated residents blocked a key thoroughfare to demand action from the National Water Commission (NWC). In response to the demonstration, the state utility has now formally committed to restoring full water service to the affected area by May 15, with emergency trucked water deliveries to bridge the gap until repairs are complete.

The water crisis traces back to October 28 last year, when Category 5 Hurricane Melissa shifted an NWC transmission pipeline that serves Salt Marsh and its adjacent Davis Pen neighborhood. Ever since, residents have been completely cut off from piped water supplies. For nearly six months, community members repeatedly reached out to the NWC to request repairs, seeing only a brief burst of on-site work over three consecutive weekends before crews halted operations five to six weeks ago.

Left with no other option, residents took to the main road connecting Salt Marsh Square and Davis Pen before 5 a.m. on Monday, placing large boulders across the pavement to block all vehicle traffic. The gridlock stranded hundreds of commuters, including schoolchildren and working residents, bringing daily life in the area to a standstill. Protesters carried placards emblazoned with the local term “Wata,” and voiced their anger over unaddressed promises and mounting costs.

Local resident Renford Jackson, speaking on behalf of the demonstration, emphasized that the community had no intention of ending the protest until a permanent solution was put in place. “It’s been this way since the hurricane. We had good water supply until the storm shifted our pipeline from Davis Pen down to Salt Marsh,” Jackson explained. “We got repeated promises, NWC personnel came and started work, then suddenly they disappeared. A single day without water is terrible — six months is unbearable. If protesting is what we need to get attention, we will stay here as long as it takes.” Another protester added a widespread grievance: even with no water running through their pipes, residents are still receiving full monthly water bills from the NWC.

The water shortage has hit the local Salt Marsh Primary and Infant School particularly hard, with acting principal Venesha Brown Gordon warning that the ongoing crisis is derailing learning for students, especially those preparing for the 2026 Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations scheduled for later this month. On the day of the protest, less than 20 percent of the school’s student body was able to attend, thanks to the road blockage that stranded most children and staff. “We already lost significant learning time right after Hurricane Melissa hit,” Brown Gordon told reporters. “Now grade six students are just weeks out from their high-stakes PEP exams, and we are also running internal assessments. The children are the ones bearing the brunt of this crisis. I implore authorities to fix the water issue so we can get back to normal teaching and learning.”

Since the storm damaged the pipeline, the school has relied on stored water in holding tanks for its primary and infant programs, requiring weekly emergency water deliveries from the NWC to keep the campus running. Even with that support, access to water remains a constant challenge for the institution.

Before the NWC issued its formal promise, local councillor Roydel Hamilton of the People’s National Party, representing the Martha Brae Division, publicly called on top national officials including Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness, Trelawny Northern Member of Parliament Tova Hamilton, and Water Minister Matthew Samuda to intervene and resolve the long-running issue. Hamilton noted that at a recent council meeting one month prior, NWC representatives had committed to finishing repairs within 30 days — a deadline that passed with less than half the work completed. “This situation cannot continue,” Hamilton stated from the protest site.

In its official public response, the NWC confirmed that repair work on the damaged pipeline network is advancing, noting that roughly three kilometers of pipe suffered major damage during Hurricane Melissa, with overall completion of the project standing at roughly 30 percent. While most of the larger Martha Brae–Salt Marsh system has already been restored, key sections of the line serving Salt Marsh and Davis Pen require full replacement and extensive rehabilitation. The utility says its work includes not just fixing broken pipes, but upgrading the entire network to improve long-term resilience against future storm damage.

Before full service is restored on May 15, the NWC will conduct mandatory pressure testing and sterilization of the repaired line to ensure water meets safety standards. Along with ongoing emergency trucked water deliveries to the community, the utility also confirmed that it is investigating the widespread complaints about incorrect billing for undelivered water. Following the NWC’s announcement, protesters stood down their road block, with residents now waiting to see if the utility meets its mid-May deadline for full service restoration.

Addressing a landmark anniversary gathering for local justices of the peace (JPs) in Jamaica’s St Catherine parish, Justice Minister Delroy Chuck has issued a urgent call for volunteer judicial officials to abandon superficial community engagement and lead grassroots efforts to dismantle violent gang networks that have turned large swathes of the country into what he describes as a long-standing “killing field”.

Speaking Sunday at the 4th anniversary service of the St Catherine Justices of the Peace Association, hosted at New Life Community Church International Worship Centre, Chuck pushed back against a pervasive culture he says has corrupted part of the JP system: a tendency for many volunteers to treat their role as nothing more than a symbolic title for resume-padding, or what he dubs the harmful misinterpretation of the JP acronym as “Just Profiling”. He stressed that the mandate of justices of the peace extends far beyond routine administrative tasks, requiring active, on-the-ground work to reduce violence, support marginalized community members and repair fractured social cohesion.

Chuck used the occasion to urge all JPs to redefine their roles as frontline agents of social change, particularly amid a rare positive shift in national crime data. Official statistics show that Jamaica has recorded 143 murders so far in 2024, a notable drop from the 203 murders reported during the same period last year. While welcoming this downward trend as a small victory, Chuck warned that deep-rooted systemic challenges remain, from rampant gang activity and widespread extortion to quiet community complicity that allows criminal networks to retain power.

To counter these threats, the minister called for coordinated collective action across all segments of Jamaican society, highlighting an underutilized leverage point: women with family or romantic ties to gang members. Chuck argued that while reaching hardened gang members directly is often difficult, mothers, sisters and girlfriends of offenders can cut off a key source of criminal power by refusing to accept profits from illicit activities including extortion, armed robbery and transnational scam operations.

“Tell the mothers, the sisters and girlfriends to tell them that you don’t want anything from them, because when they rob, they will tell you they have to look after the girlfriend, [and] that is how they exercise their power in the community,” Chuck explained.

He also issued a stark warning about the long-term risks of failing to confront organized crime decisively, drawing a parallel to the ongoing crisis in neighboring Haiti, where armed gangs now control large portions of national territory and effectively override state authority. “We want to get rid of all the gangs in Jamaica, because if we don’t do it, every single one, they could flourish like in Haiti, where in Haiti it is the gangs who run the country, and we must never allow any gang to run any community in St Catherine or Jamaica,” he said.

Chuck added that law enforcement remains committed to rooting out extortion that preys on low-income working Jamaicans, from bus drivers and conductors to small informal vendors selling goods at roadside markets in Linstead and Bog Walk. Closing his address, he reinforced that JPs, as trusted community leaders, bear a unique responsibility to drive local change, emphasizing that their standing comes from tangible good works rather than empty titles.

“You, the justice of the peace, are the best of the best in the parish and you must see yourself as the best, but not by profiling, but by doing good works and assisting your fellow human being,” he added.

A lively community parade has rolled through urban streets, bringing crowds of onlookers out to cheer on a colorful procession of participants. Among the standout groups taking part were performers from the Xodus troupe, whose elaborately costumed members drew cheers and applause from spectators lining the route. Organizers had spent weeks preparing for the event, ensuring all participants and floats were fully ready to hit the road and deliver a memorable experience for attendees. The procession moved slowly and steadily through the city, winding its way past popular landmarks and residential neighborhoods in a long, snaking line that stretched for blocks. Spectators were encouraged to follow along behind the truck leading the parade route, joining in the festive atmosphere as the event made its way through the city. The parade has become a beloved annual tradition for the local community, drawing participants and visitors from across the region each year to celebrate local culture and bring neighbors together.