Archive for September, 2010
Witnesses truthful, says SG
(CNS): The solicitor general described the evidence of the crown’s two teenage eye witnesses as “remarkably similar” as she made her closing statement in the Grand Court on Monday. Summing up the prosecution’s case against Brandon Leslie-Ebanks, Patrick McField and Osborne Douglas for the murder of Omar Samuels, Cheryl Richards QC said the differences related to an independence of recollection rather than because they were unreliable or untruthful. She said witnesses can only say what they remember. Richards said the suggestion they were lying was implausible and did not bear scrutiny.
Diving death on Little Cayman
(CNS): A 70-year-old diver, who was visiting from the US, died this morning, Monday 13 September, around 10:45am following a diving trip off Little Cayman. Police reported Monday evening that the female visitor from Texas got into difficulties while scuba diving in the waters off Little Cayman. CPR was implemented by the district nurse but to avail. She was transported to Faith Hospital on Cayman Brac, where she was found to be dead on arrival. It appears that she was not travelling with any family or friends. Police say enquiries into the death are ongoing.
Radio Cayman & LIME get kids packed for school
(CNS): Telecommunications company LIME (Cayman) and Radio Cayman recently held a joint initiative to encourage members of the community to support a ‘Back to school back pack’ collection drive. As Radio Cayman’s adopted school, the George Town Primary School (GTPS) was the beneficiary of the jointeffort. Members of the community—both corporate and private citizens— were encouraged to make donations of school supplies. Items such as back-packs, notebooks, binders and binder refills, pens, pencils and just about anything used in the classroom , as well as cash donations, were dropped off at LIME’s Anderson Square and Galleria Plaza locations for a period of three weeks, from 25 August to 10 September.
A formal presentation of items collected was made on Saturday 11 September, at LIME’s Galleria Plaza location, during a LIVE Remote Broadcast on Radio Cayman from 11:00am to 1:00pm.
on hand for the occasion were George Town Primary School Principal Marie Martin, Vice Principal Dorothy Wilson, PTA President Magdalyn Robinson, students Joshua Bush, Oneil and Oneika Duncan, and Kaylee Simms, along with parents and friends, past students from the school, LIME’s Carolyn Lawe-Smith and Julie Hutton, Radio Cayman’s Cheryl Thompson and Deputy Director Paulette Conolly-Bailey, and Engineer Paul Dedrick.
Accepting the donations, Martin said they would go a long way in helping the children and their families at school who are experiencing difficult times due to the economic situation and that this was an excellent start to the school year for George Town Primary. She thanked Radio Cayman and LIME for spearheading the event and thanked the community for such an outpouring of generosity for the school.
Members of the community who made donations were also given a chance to win great prizes, such as a cell phone, top-ups and t-shirts compliments of LIME. This was an added incentive as well as an opportunity to thank the public for its generosity.
Organizers say the project was a great success and hope it will become an annual event.
UCCI invites scholars to present papers
(CNS): While the second international conference hosted by the University College of the Cayman Islands hosts is six months away, the college is already calling for papers for presentation at the conference, which next year will focus on ‘Leadership, Governance and Empowerment in the Caribbean’. Anticipated topics range from ethics in government, the psychology of leadership, the civil service and the political directorate, leadership in education, and governance in dependent territories, to cultural issues related to empowerment of men and women in Caribbean societies.
The conference takes place at UCCI 17 and 18 March 2011, and scholars and other practitioners in related disciplines are invited to submit by 30 December abstracts of papers for presentation at the conference.
At the inaugural conference held in March of this year several presenters were drawn from the local community. "We were delighted at the quality of, and interest in, the local presentations, and we urge persons who have special knowledge and experience in fields related to these topics to put forward their ideas for consideration," said Dr Livingston Smith, director of the Department of Research and Publications at UCCI.
Local presenters were joined by many scholars and other practitioners from the Caribbean and the United States. For this conference, organisers hope that interest will be sparked from even farther afield.
A comprehensive list of potential topics may be obtained by contacting Dr. Livingston Smith, at lsmith@ucci.edu.ky. Recommended length for abstracts is 250-300 words. These should be sent to Dr. Mark Minott, at mminott@ucci.edu.ky, or Professor Jennifer Williams, at jwilliams@ucci.edu.ky.
Full papers are due by end of January 2011.
CCTV in new Spotts Newlands community park
(CNS): In his keynote speech at the official opening of the Cecile Crighton Community Park in Spotts Newlands, Police Commissioner David Baines said the police service was winning the battle on crime and that community parks can help reduce crime rates, according to a release from Rotary Sunrise, which spearheaded the project. The state-of-the-art recreational facility includes not only the usual swings and slides but also free wireless Internet access, 24-hour closed-circuit television security, and a small rock-climbing wall. Other notable amenities in the lushly landscaped park are a basketball half-court, a gazebo, a barbeque area, picnic tables, seating area and restrooms.
The opening of the new park at the corner of Chime Street and Mocking Bird Crescent was celebrated on Wednesday evening, 8 September.
As the park will be enjoyed by both children and adults, Rotary Sunrise Youth Services Director Frank Balderamos announced a youth photography competition called 10Ten10 that will be held on the tenth day of the tenth month 2010.
Balderamos also noted that the park opening coincided with International Literacy Day, providing an opportune time for Rotary Sunrise to present to the principals of North Side, East End and George Town Primary schools boxes of books donated by cruise ship passengers. The books were donated through the Children’s Book Donation programme and the Festival of the Sea. Literacy Director Maree Martins, with the help of other Rotarians, presented a total of 832 books to the three schools that day.
In a release following the opening, Rotary Sunrise said that, in all, 60 sponsors contributed to the project by way of financial contribution or in-kind donations. Some individuals contributed funds on a voluntary basis and plaques have been mounted around the park to recognize these people. Sunrise Rotarian Claude Myles, who is a Spotts Newlands resident and main coordinator of the park construction effort, had a vision to create the park some eight months ago when he strolled by with his wife and noticed graffiti on the power poles and fences. The release said that Myles worked tirelessly to see the facility develop from a grassy piece of land to a new high-tech community park.
Rotary Sunrise Community Service Director Kim Remizowski was the MC for the evening. The program began with Karen Edie singing the National Song followed by the blessing of the park by Past President of Rotary Sunrise Gordon Hewitt. Rotarian Claude Myles gave the vote of thanks.
President of Rotary Sunrise Michael Levitt gave an address in which he thanked the Crighton family for the donation of the land and their financial support. He also recognized Past President Winston Connolly for his support and dedication to the project in his year as President of Rotary Sunrise. President Michael then thanked Rotarians Claude Myles and David Watler for coordinating the daily and weekly activities and for their countless volunteer hours of work towards the community park. He also recognized the Rotary Sunrise members and their families who came out every weekend to assist with the manual labor. In his closing, he officially handed the park over to the Spotts Newlands community for them to enjoy.
Chief Magistrate Margaret Ramsey-Hale, an Honorary Rotarian and resident of the Spotts Newlands area, spoke about how the park would be enjoyed by all families in the neighborhood. She alluded to how parks bring communities together and how a sense of “community watch” is born through a facility like the Cecile Crighton Park.
The keynote speaker for the evening was Police Commissioner David Baines, also an Honorary Rotarian. He spoke about how the police force was winning the battle on crime and how community parks can help reduce crime rates. He was impressed by how the private sector, neighborhood residents and Rotary Sunrise came together so quickly to bring this project to fruition, the release said. He thanked all the people involved in the project and wished to see more community parks appear on the island.
The ceremonial ribbon cutting was performed by Honorary Rotarian Rex Crighton, President Michael Levitt of Rotary Sunrise and Rotarian Claude Myles. Refreshments were served after the event as children played in the new facility. Residents and ceremony attendees mingled until dark.
Free family sailing this Sunday
(CNS): Building on the success of previous open days, the Cayman Islands Sailing Club (CISC) will be running a free family day this Sunday, 19 September, from 1pm to 5pm and is inviting the public to attend. No registration is required, just come to the club in the afternoon and enjoy the free sailing. The club will provide free boat rentals, food and drinks all afternoon. The free rental boats will include some brand new Picos which are just under 12 foot long and are ideal for learning how to sail. The theme is ‘Bring a parent sailing’ and children are encouraged to take their family and friends sailing. Sunday is also the final day of racing in the Governor’s Cup
Sailing Director, Michael Weber, said the idea was inspired by a similar event. “I saw a poster titled ‘Bring a kid sailing’ which encouraged adults to introduce young people to the sport. I thought that we could play on that and instead have kids bring their parents!”
Weber noted that the busy youth programme, which sees hundreds of children learning to sail every year, means that there are youths who have parents that don’t know how to sail. Mike Weber said, “This is a great time for kids to take mum or dad sailing, teach them what they know, and then get involved in the Sailing Club.”
Weber also noted that the open days will run monthly for the rest of the year as part of the Club’s plan to increase public awareness of its facility.
This Sunday 19 September is also the final day of racing in the Governor’s Cup, the prestigious annual J/22 regatta. This two day event will see the majority of the J/22 fleet competing for this prized trophy and will be a great opportunity for spectators to watch the boats racing in front of the sailing club and see the spectacle of the competitors and their boats coming ashore after the racing. Some of the competitors and other club members will be available to show visitors the J/22 yacht and answer questions about sailing and racing the boat.
The Sailing Club is located in Red Bay. Take Selkirk road, just after Hurleys supermarket and follow the CISC signs.
For more information, please email sailing@sailing.ky.
Flooding expected in low lying areas
(CNS): Update Tuesday 8am–Heavy rainfall is still expected throughtout the day on Tuesday which may cause flood water to accumulate in low lying areas. Hazard Management Cayman Islands (HMCI) is warning the public that roads, homes, businesses and parking lots may be affected. Residents in low lying areas may need to take precautionary measures if they live in areas with a history of flooding. An area of extensive cloudiness with widely scattered thundershowers associated with a surface trough/low pressure system over Jamaica moved into the Cayman area on Monday, 13 September. HMCI says it does not plan to open any shelters at this time, but residents should stay tuned to the media for further announcements.
In a warning released Monday morning, Hazard Management asks drivers to avoid driving in and around flooded roads if possible. “If you have to drive through flood water – drive very slowly. If you hit flood water at speed your vehicle may skid or sheer off. Be especially vigilant at night.”
Tuesday’s forecast calls for cloudy skies with a 50% chance of widely scattered thundershowers through early afternoon with shower and thunder activity decreasing to 30% thereafter. Showers may become locally heavy at times.Winds over open seas are East to southeast 10 to 15 knots. Gusty winds and rough seas are expected in and around heavy showers. Sea States are moderate with wave heights 3 to 5 feet. A small craft warning remains in effect.
The outlook is for a decrease in cloudiness and shower activity from Tuesday evening as the surface trough/low pressure system moves west of our area.
Meanwhile, the tenth named storm of the season – Julia turned into the seasons’ fifth hurricane this morning, but is forecast to follow this year’s trend for tropical weather systems and head on a northward path keeping away from land.
Police look for SUV in West Bay murder case
(CNS): The RCIPS is seeking information about a charcoal grey coloured SUV which was seen acting suspiciously in the West Bay area on Wednesday 8 September, the night 20-year-old Tyrone Burrell was shot and killed. The vehicle was reported to be close to Dominos Pizza, Garston Smith Drive, West Bay around 9.34pm. Burrell was shot around 8.00pm in Birch Tree Hill Road. The detective leading the hunt for the killer, Detective Inspector Lauriston Burton, is renewing his appeal for people who have information about the murder to come forward. (Photo Dennie Warren Jr)
Appealing for information on the SUV, he said, “I know this is some considerable time after the shooting took place but the actions of the driver drew attention to the vehicle. The car and driver may not have had any connection to the murder but we need to speak to the driver as a matter of urgency to establish if he/she had any involvement.”
The Royals Cayman Islands Police Service is also appealing for witnesses to the shooting death. “We know that there were around ten people attending a social event in the yard where this shooting took place,” Burton said. “When Tyrone was shot and killed those people scattered in all directions. Over the last few days we have traced a few of them, but others have not yet come forward.”
West Bay detectives have today, Monday 13 September, revealed that a post mortem examination carried out on Burrell on Saturday afternoon confirms the death was caused by a gunshot wound.
Anyone with information can call the following numbers:
West Bay murder incident room – 949-3999
RCIPS confidential line – 949-7777
Crime Stoppers confidential number – 800-8477 (TIPS)
Developer admits missing payments on Ritz duty
(CNS): In a statement criticising the recent CNS report regarding unpaid duty, the developer of the Ritz Carlton has admitted missing the last six quarterly payments owed to the public purse of $347,818. It accused this website of “inflammatory, inaccurate reporting” but did not say what was inaccurate or inflammatory about the article. The developer said the deferred duty payments owed to government began in 2005 and continued until March of 2009 when they stopped. He said this was as a result of discussions with government to restructure the payments due to the recession. “Since that application, the payments have been suspended while the request is under review by the Financial Secretary’s office – as is normal procedure in these instances,” the developer admitted but yet denied being in default.
Jobs to be saved for locals
(CNS): The labour minster said government is backing a private member’s motion to look at making some jobs the preserve of Caymanians only. The day after the premier had publicly berated protectionist attitudes in the country that were driving people and businesses away, his Cabinet colleague stated in the Legislative Assembly last week that government was setting up a committee that would look at which types of professions and specific jobs could be reserved for Caymanians only. Rolston Anglin acknowledged that there would be detractors but, he said, given the levels of Caymanian unemployment and the changing economic fortunes, it was time to look at the issue.