Archive for September 22nd, 2009

Lions reach out with new events for world sight day

Lions reach out with new events for world sight day

| 22/09/2009 | 0 Comments

(CNS): For more than 11 years, Lions World Sight Day, held annually in October, has focused attention on eliminating preventable blindness and improving sight and each year  clubs around the world conduct special sight-related projects including from collecting eyeglasses and conducting vision and diabetes screenings to educational programs to inform communities about the importance  of eye health and diseases that can impair sight. This year the Lions Club of Grand Cayman we will be launching a poster competition in primary schools, an essay competition in middle/high schools and will launch its first ever corporate sports day.

 

The Lions club said the poster competition will give youngsters a chance to be imaginative and show off their artistic skills to create a colourful poster for the slogan and the middle and high School students the opportunity to express their literary side with an essay in 1000-1500 words on questions relating to vision.

The first annual Corporate Sports Day on Saturday 17 October will be a fund day for grown ups who will be engaging in some traditional sporting events with a new twist. Lion President Debbie Ebanks said

“We are organising these events to celebrate World Sight Day,” said Lion President Debbie Ebanks. “The schools competition coincides with the start of our Sight Screening programme and it is important that children understand how invaluable their sight is.  At the same time we need to raise funds to run these programmes so that’s why we are asking our corporate friends in the community to come out and support our First Annual Corporate Sports day.”

Lion Debbie said it promised to be a fun filled day with corporate teams competing hard to win the trophy. 

“There will be games like basketball, football, egg & spoon race, cricket and lots more,” she said. “It is an event that everyone can come out and support and we will have food and drinks for sale.  All proceeds from the event will go towards our sight programmes in the Cayman Islands.  I am asking all businesses in the community to support this very worthy cause and bring your colours.  Let’s all have some fun, get fit while at the same time helping those in need.”

Entry is $200 for a team of five which includes registration and t-shirts. To register please e-mail your team members and shirts sizes to lionsclubofgrandcayman@gmail.com or call Julie at 926 1598 or Debbi 925 6628.

 

 

 

 

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Lady lion reaches ripe old age of 95

Lady lion reaches ripe old age of 95

| 22/09/2009 | 0 Comments

(CNS): A pride of some fourteen lions joined Lion Winnie Chung to celebrate her 95th birthday last month when members from the Lions Club of Grand Cayman got together for the big day. Lions Winnie and her late husband Louis also a lion settled in the Cayman Islands in 1973 where their son in law Peter Balls helped chartered the Lions Club of Grand Cayman in 1972.  As International Director Louis and his wife Winnie continued to travel throughout the world furthering the cause of Lionism and promoting the Cayman Islands. 

Lion Winnie travelled extensively to many international conventions over the years and at a meeting in New Mexico Winnie promoted the idea of women having their own clubs which was supported by Lion Louis andis illustrated by the Lions Club of Tropical Gardens of which Lion Winnie is an honorary member.

Since then lions and lady lions have come together in the same club and equality among lions has seen the President of the Lions Club of Grand Cayman once a men only organisation being held by a woman Lion Debbie Ebanks.

Lion Winnie supported her husband who was recognized for his dedication to the Lions movement back in 1976 when he received the Lions International Foundation Melvin Jones Award which at the time was only awarded to 8 Lions worldwide.

Lion Louis and Winnie’s two children Maxine Everson and Jackie Balls now live in Grand Cayman and remember those early days in Guyana of being called ‘cubs’ (today known as Leos) and ensuring they did  their fair share of hard work at any Lion project.

 

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Avoiding crime 101

Avoiding crime 101

| 22/09/2009 | 0 Comments

(CNS): Following the previous success of its seminar ‘Design out crime’, the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) is teaming up once again with the University College of the Cayman Islands (UCCI) to offer residents another chance to hear how that can avoid becoming victims of crime. The free crime awareness seminar devised and administered by RCIPS Inspector Anthony White (left), who holds a PhD in Criminal Justice, is a two-hour presentation and aims to increase awareness of crime prevention measures.

The seminar highlight to companies, businesses and home owners what they can do to protect themselves, their customers and their property, and give all Cayman Islands residents some general advice on how to stay safe and protect themselves.

“The last seminar of this kind was very successful and we had some excellent feedback from those attending,” said Inspector White. “We hope that anyone who missed the first round will take advantage of this one.”

The two organisations hope to spread important safety messages and highlight what steps can be taken to help prevent crime from occurring. Although mainly targeted towards the business community and home owners, all members of the community would be sure to benefit from the seminar.

“We know people are concerned about crime and we want to play our part in tackling these important issues,” said UCCI President, Dr. Brian Chapell who has offered university facilities at no cost.

The presentation covers many aspects of ‘designing out crime’ from environmental design to situational crime awareness. Members of the community are encouraged to attend one of two sessions taking place on Saturday, September 26 and there will be no cost to those attending. Additional sessions will be added as necessary to meet demands.

Two sessions are available on Saturday, September 26 at UCCI:  12pm – 2pm and 6pm – 8pm. Residents are encouraged to arrive early to ensure a seat as the event will be open to everybody on a first come, first serve basis.

Anyone with information about crime taking place in the Cayman Islands should contact their local police station or Crime Stoppers on 800-8477 (TIPS). All persons calling crime stoppers remain anonymous, and are eligible for a reward of up to $1000, should their information lead to an arrest or recovery of property/drugs.

 

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Recruits in training to swell police ranks

Recruits in training to swell police ranks

| 22/09/2009 | 38 Comments

(CNS): Although most other government departments are currently facing recruitment freezes-  not so for the Royal Cayman Islands police Service which recently welcomed fourteen new police recruits who have now started their fourteen week training programme. The trainee cops will learn about policing in the classroom and cover issues such as diversity, statement writing, crime scene management, neighbourhood policing, self defence, physical training and first aid before hitting the streets in the various districts.

Head of the Training Department, Inspector Anthony White said there is a lot of hard work ahead for the recruits, but also a lot of support. “There is a lot for the recruits to take in and there will be plenty of challenges ahead,” he said. “But, they also have a team of dedicated police trainers who will help them along the way.”

One recruit, 27-year-old Cheryl Williams, served as a Special Constable in Cayman Brac before applying to the regular police service and says she has always wanted to make a difference in her community. “I’ve always liked helping people,” she said, “and I look forward to being a part of the solution to some of the problems I see around me everyday.”

Leo Anglin who is 23 said on his third day in training that although they haven’t got into the hard stuff just yet, he can see there will be challenges ahead. “I know it’s likely to be difficult at times, but with the help and support of fellow classmates, there is nothing we cannot get through,” he said.

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Dixon’s trial still on

Dixon’s trial still on

| 22/09/2009 | 1 Comment

(CNS): Despite that fact that the Crown has now dropped two charges relating to one of the cases against suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police Rudolph Dixon, the trial is still set to go ahead on Monday 28 September. Dixon appeared in Grand Court this morning before Justice Roy Anderson to have the misconduct and perverting the course of justice charges relating to a gambling arrest in Cayman Brac dropped from the indictment.

Tonya Lobban appeared on behalf of the prosecution and told the court that the Crown “offered no evidence” on the first two counts on the indictment but confirmed the prosecution was pushing ahead with a trial for the remaining counts. The trial which was scheduled for two weeks will now focus on just one incident relating to Dixon’s alleged misconduct for instructing a police inspector at George Town police station to release a prisoner arrested on a DUI in June 2004.

During the brief mention Dixon’s attorney raised the fact that the Crown had not yet responded to the defence with regards to requests it had made last week to submit documentation relating to the remaining charges. The Crown said that it would be happy to deal with those matters before the trial begins on Monday. 

Dixon’s legal proceedings are the last directly connected to Operation Tempura and the Special Investigation Team (SPIT) and in particular Senior Investigating Officer Martin Bridger.

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Possible flu outbreak at Lighthouse School

Possible flu outbreak at Lighthouse School

| 22/09/2009 | 4 Comments

(CNS): Both the Education Department and the Health Services Authority (HSA) say that plans are in place to deal with a possible flu outbreak at the Lighthouse School. Seven staff members of the school called in with flu-like symptoms today and public health officials are investigating, a government release says. Medical Officer of Health Dr Kumar and staff have already met with the Education and Health ministries’ chief officers and the chief education officer to discuss the best approach.

“As a first step public health officials will test all symptomatic staff to see if we are really dealing with the flu,” Dr Kiran Kumar said. The test results are due tonight and based on the results, the Education and Health ministries will determine the next step. “This is exactly the kind of situation we were preparing ourselves for and our preparations are paying off. Seamless cooperation is invaluable when responding to a possible flu outbreak,” Dr Kumar stated.

Chief Education Officer Shirley Wahler said the school will remain open and teachers will immediately adopt additional preventative measures: “In keeping with the Education Department’s contingency plans, we were able to redeploy staff to keep the school open. However, our first priority remains the safety and health of our children.”

She confirmed that parents will receive letters from the department detailing the situation.
“We will keep parents as updated as possible, and they should not hesitate to contact the school or the Education Department should they have questions or concerns,” Wahler said.

“Staying home when you are sick, keeping sick children out of school and frequent hand washing remain the best defenses against flu,” Dr Kumar concluded.

For more information on H1N1 visit www.CaymanPrepared.ky or www.hsa.ky. The Health Services Authority also offers the public direct responses to their flu queries through its flu email and message system – flu@hsa.ky. This complements the 24-hour flu hotline (926-2812) manned by HSA staff.

 

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Wong takes on expanded enforcement unit

Wong takes on expanded enforcement unit

| 22/09/2009 | 19 Comments

(CNS): The new deputy chief immigration officer will be responsible for strategic oversight of the Immigration Department’s Enforcement Unit at a time when there are growing concerns about crime and increased instances of work permit abuse by employers and employees, a government release states. The department has also recently been granted permission to recruit an additional nine officers for this unit in order to allow for increased operational capability. Garfield (Gary) Wong has been appointed as Deputy CIO (Enforcement, Intelligence and Asylum) with effect from 1 October.

An interview panel that included the present and previous chief immigration officer picked Wong, whose role will also require him to liaise with other law enforcement agencies both in Cayman and elsewhere on issues of mutual interest.

Chosen by recently-appointed Deputy Chief Secretary Franz Manderson, Linda Evans, who stepped into Manderson’s shoes as CIO, and Deputy Chief Officer Eric Bush, Wong brings to his new position significant experience having been an immigration officer for his entire working career. He worked in the Enforcement Unit as a senior immigration officer from 1989 to 1992 and then returned to the Unit in 1994 at the time of the Cuban refugee crisis. The following year he was promoted to assistant chief Immigration officer and he remained with the Enforcement Unit until 2001. He has also spent stints during his twenty-year career managing the airport and seaport border control operations and since 2005 he has been the Assistant Chief Immigration Officer in charge of visa control.

One of Wong’s immigration career highlights was his work with the Enforcement Unit during the Cuban refugee crisis in the early 1990s. His outstanding efforts earned him the Queen’s Certificate and Badge of Honour.

Endorsing the appointment, CIO Evans said, “Mr Wong’s broad experience of immigration generally and his specific experience in the area of enforcement make him the ideal person to lead this very important aspect of our operation.”

Congratulations on his DCIO appointment have also been extended by Manderson, a long-time colleague whose new responsibilities include the Immigration Department. “Having witnessed Mr Wong’s professional development over many years I have no doubt that his skills and experience are ideally suited to his new responsibilities and I am delighted to appoint him to the position of Deputy Chief Immigration Officer,” Manderson said.

In response to his appointment Wong said,“I am deeply honoured by the appointment and I know it will be challenging but I will do my best to serve the people of this country. One of my first priorities will be to focus on removing those persons who have no right to be here including work permit holders with no work.”

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Young sailors travel afar

Young sailors travel afar

| 22/09/2009 | 0 Comments

(CNS): Members of the Cayman Islands Sailing Team have had a successful summer competing in seven international sailing regattas, the Cayman Islands Sailing Club reports. Team members travelled as far afield as Brazil, Canada, Italy and the United States of America. At the Optimist World Championship in Brazil, Matthew Courtis came a very impressive 48th out of 211 boats. This concludes an excellent season for Courtis who also finished 20th at the United States Optimist Championship and took first place at a regatta in Texas. Matthew will now focus on qualifying for the Youth Olympic Games in 2010. (Photos CISC)

At the World Byte Championships in Canada, Marina Maffessanti, Chris Delaney (above) and Lizzy Wauchope (below) raced in a fleet of forty boats. Delaney led the team with a 25th place finish, Maffessanti was close behind in 29th, and 14 year-old Wauchope came 31st.

Meanwhile, Cayman Laser National Champion Nick Taylor, had an outstanding finish in the Laser Radial division at the Olympic Classes Regatta in Canada. Taylor sailed to a sixth place finish out of 87 boats. Taylor will be defending his title as Cayman’s top Laser sailor at this year’s Laser Nationals in November.

Stuart Jennings and CISC Sailing Director, Mike Weber headed off to the two-person 29er class World Championship in Italy and also competed in the North American Championship in Canada. The duo placed mid-fleet in both events and are preparing for the 2010 World Championship in January.

And Laser sailor, Rob Jackson, performed well at the Laser Master World Championship in Halifax, Canada, where he finished 21st in a fleet of almost 40 boats.

Weber noted the high level of competitive sailing done by this year’s team. “To have our sailors at four different world championships is quite a feat for a small country. I am very proud of our team, in particular our youth sailors, who have represented Cayman so well at these prestigious events.”

Weber also highlighted that, “competing at this level on the international circuit was only possible due to generous sponsorship by Cayman companies. We would like to thank our 2009 sponsors, Conyers, Stuarts, and Butterfield Bank, for their continued support for youth sailing and racing.”

The team will continue practising and are looking forward to the Scotiabank National Youth Sailing Championship to be held at the Cayman Islands Sailing Club on October 24th and 25th and also the RBC School Sailing Championship on November 27th.

For more information on the Cayman Islands Sailing Team, please contact Mike Weber at sailing@sailing.ky
 

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Cops crackdown on window tints in face of crime

Cops crackdown on window tints in face of crime

| 22/09/2009 | 50 Comments

(CNS): The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) Traffic Management Unit said that it is vital that they can see into cars and are warning drivers to remove any illegal tint from their cars or face prosecution. The warning comes ahead of a planned crackdown on vehicle window tinting that police suggest is not only dangerous, but can unnerve other drivers as well as hamper police work. The unit also reported another busy week of traffic collisions and speeding drivers

“Overly tinted cars can put a fear into other drivers and the community,” said Sergeant Kim Ramoon of the Traffic Management Unit. “It’s also important that police can see into vehicles. Anyone who is found with illegal tint on their cars will face prosecution.”

The Unit said it was again kept busy week when between September 14 and 20 it detected 160 traffic offences and dealt with 20 traffic collisions. Of note; 102 speeding tickets were issued, 45 traffic tickets were given out and two drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Anyone with information about crime taking place in the Cayman Islands should contact their local police station or Crime Stoppers on 800-8477 (TIPS). All persons calling Crime Stoppers remain anonymous, and are eligible for a reward of up to $1000, should their information lead to an arrest or recovery of property/drugs.

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Cayman still waits for FCO green light on borrowing

Cayman still waits for FCO green light on borrowing

| 22/09/2009 | 49 Comments

(CNS): The Cayman Islands is still waiting for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to give the cash strapped government permission to access the loan it has negotiated with a number of financial institutions. Despite the fact that CI government officials have spent the better part of last week  in meetings in London, the UK has still not given its go-ahead. On Monday evening, Leader of Government Business McKeeva Bush told News 27 that he was confident that the UK would come through with a ‘yes’ in the end. He said that the UK government needed to use “common sense and not ideology".

Bush said that he was not asking the UK for one red cent but was trying to catch up. He said he really believed that the UK had to be practical but that it was right when it came to creating a sustainable revenue base. “I think we can do that without doing an income tax or a property tax,” he said.

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