Archive for March, 2012
Young men deny having guns
(CNS): Two young men both charged with possession of unlicensed firearms in relation to two separate offences pleaded not guilty to the charges against them in Grand court on Friday. As the police increase the pressure on local men suspected of being involved in gangs, they have made several arrests relating to gun crimes recently. However, both Robert Aaron Crawford and Kurt Carter pleaded not guilty to the respective firearms charges against them which include a nine-millimetre luger and a .38 revolver as well as ammunition.
Crawford was arrested in November last year following a car smash on the Esterly Tibbetts highway. He was charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm after police apprehended him as he tried to escape from the scene of the crash at around 3am in the morning. Police said at the time of his arrest that a nine millimetre Luger and ammunition was found in the bushes close to where he was caught.
Carter who was arrested following an incident on Hurst Road in Savannah in January has also pleaded not guilty to possession of an unlicensed firearm as well as wounding and unlawful use of a firearm in connection with the accusation that the teen shot and wounded Sean Dunbar.
Crawford was remanded in custody to Northward is set to go to trial before a judge alone in August and Carter who was also remanded in custody to the prison will return to court shortly to set a date for his trial.
Meanwhile, Leighton Rankine Jr also appeared in Grand Court for the first time on Friday morning having been served a seven count indictment relating to a shooting outside Club 7 last month. Rankine was arrested in the early hours of Ash Wednesday following the shooting and has been charged with attempted murder as well as possession of an unlicensed firearm after the gun used to shoot the victim was recovered at the scene.
Activists keep up pressure
(CNS): The various alliances and coalitions fighting to preserve the West Bay Road and stop the crown land swap being proposed with the Dart group were out in force on Saturday, keeping up the pressure on government. More than sixty cars as well as buses assembled at the cricket pitch in George Town in the afternoon for a motorcade, which took the protestors from the capital along the West Bay Road, past Camana Bay into West Bay and back to the stretch of road that will be closed if government goes ahead with the proposed plan.
Dozens and dozens of people who are opposed to the closure of the road for a number of reasons lined the roadside waving a variety of placards in protest about what many people believe is a poor deal for the Caymanian people.
Despite holding up traffic, the motorcade generated considerable support from other motorists and the community in general as the line of cars made its way from the capital to the premier’s district.
Although the group is facing an uphill struggle as Dart has already began work on the Esterly Tibbetts extension and has signed a preliminary deal with the National Roads Authority and government, the activist remained steadfast and determined in their opposition to the plans that they believe will also limit access to the last remaining undeveloped stretch of Seven Mile Beach. The Dart Group has also given the government a cash payment of $5 million as part of the preliminary deal, which the premier has said will be used for the save the mortgage programme and a number of community projects.
At an East End public meeting last month the premier stirred up controversy when he said that around $200,000 of that money would go towards projects in the district which would be led by John McLean Jr, who plans to run in the next general election and whom McKeeva Bush has endorsed as the UDP’s preferred candidate.
Although Bush later denied saying he was giving the money to McLean, it was made very clear that the project proposals the young would-be politician had taken to government for the district would be directly funded from this first tranche of Dart funds.
This first $5 million is expected to form part of a larger cash payment of around $20 million if the full investment deal with government goes ahead.
As well as making their opposition to the proposed deal which would see a stretch of road that is crown land swapped for land in West Bay and Barkers, many of the activists were also protesting against the premier and his government.
The motorcade came on the heels of a major demonstration in Bodden Town on Thursday evening against an another element of the planned investment deal, which includes swapping the George Town landfillsite for one in Midland Acres.
The various groups and coalitions that are opposing the controversial deal are also planning further demonstrations and intend to hold a rally outside the Legislative Assembly once the country’s parliament returns.
Although the premier has scheduled a meeting of Finance Committee early Tuesday morning before he heads to Washington, no dates have been released for legislators to return to the LA to deal with government’s legislative business.
UK wanted criminals to be named
(Daily Mail): Hundreds of dangerous criminals whoare on the run – including murderers and rapists – will be named publicly for the first time. Previously, police and government officials had refused to identify these offenders for fear of breaching data protection or human rights rules. But in a major victory for the Daily Mail, ministers are to overturn the ban and publish a list every three months. It is hoped the shift will see more offenders identified with the help of members of the public and put back behind bars. Justice minister Nick Herbert, who campaigned in Opposition for more openness in the criminal justice system, will write to chief constables in coming days to set out how the system will work.
Senior police officers will have to disclose the names unless there are good reasons not to, he will say. The list will include details of those criminals designated as ‘unlawfully at large’. That includes anyone who has escaped from prison, or failed to return to jail from day release.
30% duty for GT dump
(CNS): Government would need to raise an additional $18-23 million to deal with the current landfill at the George Town location, Mark Scotland has claimed. The minister for health told his constituents in Bodden Town that to get that cash government would have to raise duty to as much as 30% to pay for it but the proposal being considered by Dart would not cost the public purse anything. As a crowd of demonstrators chanted and pushed home their opposition to the plan to open a new waste-management facility in Midland Acres, Scotland said the facility would not be a dump and accused the demonstrators and opposition of misleading the people and offering no alternative solutions.
Shouting to be heard above the demonstrators at a government public meeting on Thursday evening in the district, despite having a microphone, Scotland said, “No one is moving any dump to Bodden Town.” He said that the type of facility being proposed would have no impact on the surrounding area and people would not be able to see it.
Scotland said that the government did not have the resources to implement the solution that had been put forward, referring to the Wheelabrator bid which had been selected by the Central Tenders Committee following a request for proposals at the end of 2010.
“While it could be argued that the solution put forward could solve the problem, it could cost you, the Caymanian people, substantially more money than the proposal we are now considering for the facility … I didn’t make that up,” he added as the demonstrators grew louder.
“The study that the PPM did for the landfill said we would need to raise the fees and taxes on our people by an additional $18-23 million a year to be able to operate that facility at the George Town dump … Instead of import duties being at 22% we would have to raise important duties to over 30%,” he added. Scotland said the capital costs to tackle the dump at its current location would be over $100 million.
He said the public private partnership which was being proposed by the Dart group was a practical solution because it would not cost the people anything substantial. He said neither the PPM nor the current government could afford to do it without increasing fees on everyone. In the face of the chanting, he said the objectors had to stop misleading the public as the minister claimed the Dart proposal was not a ‘dump’ but a waste-management facility.
“Look at any urban city in the US today and see where the waste-management facilities are,” Scotland said as he suggested they were all near residential or commercial areas. “They have little impact on their surrounding areas.”
The minister said the new landfill would include recycling, composting, waste to energy and other methods. A technical review was currently being undertaken, which involved a wide range of government agencies, he revealed, including the National Roads and Water authorities, planning, the Department of Environmental Health, the Petroleum Inspectorate, fire service and the Department of Environment.
He said the terms of reference for the Environmental Impact assessment were now being finalized but there was much work to be done on both the technical as well as the policy side as laws will need to be changed.
Scotland accused the opposition of not having the political will or the resources to address the problem but claimed the UDP did have the political courage to do what is right for the whole country, as the protestors in his constituency continued to chant.
Both Scotland and Dwayne Seymour, the government legislative members for Bodden Town, face an uphill battle to persuade their constituents that opening a new landfill and waste-management facility in their district is a positive move.
While Scotland made it clear that government was pressing ahead with the proposal for the relocation as part of the ForCayman Alliance, Seymour, who acted as master of ceremonies for the meeting on Thursday, emphasised that nothing was finalized as he acknowledged that he had not said very much publicly about the proposal. “That does not mean it has my consent,” he said as he skirted around offering his full support to the project. Seymour told his constituents that he believed the UDP government would get to the right solution to address the landfill problem.
The current proposal forms part of a deal which government is negotiating with the Dart Group. The private sector investor has proposed giving government land in Midland Acres in exchange for the land at the current dump. Dart has proposed developing a new modern waste facility there and then handing over the running to government. It will then remediate the current landfill and cap the mound to create a more aesthetic appearance which the developer has said would then enable it to begin work on the major residential elements of Camana Bay.
Property market rebounds in 2011, review finds
(CNS Business): Property purchased in the Cayman Islands in 2011 by the Dart Group amounted to 28% of the total value of all transfers and amounted to more than CI$139 million, according to the fourth annual, independent review of the Cayman Islands property market by chartered surveyors, Charterland Ltd. Of the 1,286 transfers registered in 2011 at least 82 of these properties were acquired by companies in the Dart Group – equating to just over 6% of the total number of transfers. However, even ignoring acquisitions by Dart, the review found that there was a substantial recovery in the Cayman property market last year, especially in the high end market, with the number of transfers, excluding the Dart Group, up 18% over 2010, and the total value of up 39%. Read more on CNS Business
Regional football moves forward with new statutes
(CNS): In the wake of last year’s scandals, the members of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) met in Willemstad, Curacao, this week for an Extra-Ordinary Congress where members adopted the new CFU statutes. Jeffrey Webb, Chairman of CFU Normalisation Committee and President of the Cayman Islands Football Association (CIFA), said the three day programme was extensive and included a delegation from FIFA, supporting the initiative and providing one-on-one development sessions with each member association. The programme also included meetings of the Legal, Football and Finance Committees.
According to officials, the legal committee had spent the past two months developing a comprehensive draft of CFU Statutes and collaborated with the member associations to ensure they were involved in the review process, prior to arriving in Curacao.
A thirty page semi-final draft Statutes was presented at the Extra-Ordinary Congress, which was reviewed to allow member associations a final opportunity to contribute, share concerns or provide alternate wording, until the document was adopted and approved in its entirety.
“It was evident throughout the three days, that the CFU members continue to be focused on our sport, accessibility and development,” said Webb. “Every member of the CFU continues to be committed to the union’s solidarity, but it was the unanimous adoption of the CFU Statutes that highlighted this message. We are embracing our future with purpose, passion and performance. It is a great day for football in the Caribbean, and steers our course for a great future.”
Local pro squash player gets nation building cash
(CNS): Professional local squash player Cameron Stafford has been given cash from the government’s ‘Nation Building Fund’ to train and participate in ten tournaments back to back in Australia, government officials have revealed. GIS said in a release that Stafford aims to raise his world rankings, so he can graduate to the big, prestigious tournaments with his ultimate goal to be the world number one. Starting at 408, in the last five months his world ranking has increased to 239. The 2011 Caribbean under-19 squash champion and Island Games silver and bronze medallist has been given US$ 11,500 and says he looks forward to making his country proud by improving his game.
The premier handed over the grant cheque to Cameron recently stating he was very proud of the “rising star” who he said joined “a praiseworthy group of world-class young Caymanian sportspersons,” as he added that it was “precisely for such instances” that the Nation Building Fund was created.
“One has only to see Cameron play or even speak about squash to recognise his potential and dedication to his game,” McKeeva Bush said. “Squash is a demanding sport, requiring peak physical fitness. I wish Cameron the very best in his efforts to consolidate his ranking, technique and skills in the coming months.”
Stafford’s prior victories include two Caribbean junior champion trophies, the regional under-17 gold as well as helping the Cayman boys’ team garner the team gold. He says he now hopes to improve his game, so he can qualify to play in the New York tournament which he considers one of the best in the world. His anticipates his participation there will be all the more sweet since the Cayman Islands is one of the silver sponsors of the tournament.
Before finding his niche with squash Stafford tried his hand at cricket, football, baseball, sailing and tennis. Since he turned 13, he as dedicated mush of his day to playing, viewing and learning about squash. Stafford credits his success so far to his dad John Michael Stafford, originally from Guyana and a former Olympian in sailing, his Caymanian mom Janie and his ex-coach Dean Watson, who at one time was ranked 81st, worldwide, as a squash player.
The Cayman Islands Squash Club was a second home to Stafford as he worked on his game, attended a number of world tournaments, and witnessed first-hand how the pro-tour works before deciding to join it. “I thought long and hard about going pro and am totally grateful that my parents backed me all the way,” he revealed.
His local coach found him another coach in Amsterdam, a city he considers one of the best places to train in squash. Grateful to all who supported him to become a top athlete, Stafford said his thanks go especially to the CI National Squash Association, Coach Glenn Stark for helping him prepare for the ten tournaments ahead, his new manager Amanda Stark and Mark Hennings of Cayman Contractors“because without these people this trip wouldn’t be possible.”
You can follow Cameron and his playing on Twitter@squashpro92 and on Facebook by clicking on the like bar on his page: Cameron Stafford Athlete.
Toddler teachers pass through government course
(CNS): Ninety six early year practitioners from both public and private kindergartens and nurseries have now completed the education ministry’s Early Years Introduction Course facilitated by the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) unit. Government officials said the course provides base level training in order for practitioners to “provide a strong foundation” for the children they work with. The ministry has emphasised the need for all children to have a strong foundation and reform of the early years is a priority area in the education reform ministry officials have said.
Last month 12 practitioners in Cayman Brac and 84 from Grand Cayman who work with preschool babies and toddlers from 6 months to five years of age, received certificates to say they had completed government’s course.
Education minister Rolston Anglin said great teachers can inspire young minds, and young people, despite their circumstances, can prevail.
“I am so pleased at the number of you that have completed the initial training and thank you for all of your diligent work and your continued support to the Early Childhood Curriculum.” He added.
The premier was again on had to offer his support to the education minister’s work when said that children deserve qualitylearning experiences with caring and knowledgeable adults
“You nurture and support our children from infancy to primary levels. Your training shows you the best practices to implement in each of the centres and I applaud you all for participating,” McKeeva Bush added.
Harbour House 12 Mile Banks and Back race
(CISC): The Harbour House 12 Mile Banks and Back race was organized by the Cayman Islands Sailing Club on Saturday February 25th 2012 and the cruisers took advantage of good winds.Perfect conditions blessed the first cruisers race of the year which was sponsored by Harbour House Marina. Only five boats made it to the starting line with some last minute withdrawals due to missing crew or unready boats. When going offshore it is highly recommended that boats are adequately prepared and amply crewed.
The course was roughly 50 miles long and the first boat across the line, Java Knight, finished in just under four and a half hours. The next three boats all finished within 40 minutes of each other. The winner on corrected time was Pie Seas 3, skippered by Jonathan Cuff, his first podium position with his new boat.
Mr Cuff said, “My boat was better prepared than inthe past and I had some knowledgeable crew on board which made a difference”. It’s always been fun to take part in Cruiser races but it’s even better to get a trophy”.
It was also a first podium for Russ Sager and Decadence 1 who took third place. Brando had to withdraw as they only had two on board but at least they kept their mast intact this year.
The competitors expressed their thanks to Peta Adams, Mary Caley and Terrie Farrington for doing Race Committee and to Harbour House Marina for their support.
Results:
Place Boat Skipper
1st Pie Sees III Jonathan Cuff
2nd Java Knight Fu Liem
3rd Decadence I Russ Sager
4th Panacea Mark Rickman
5th Brando Bill Powers
Place Boat Skippe
The dates for the 2012 Cruisers series are: Sunday 25th March, Saturday 5th May, Sunday 24th June, Sunday 15thJuly, Sunday 9th September and Saturday 3rd November.
The other two major races for the Crusier fleet for 2012 are the Easter Round the Island (April 6th) and Beach and Back (Sep 22nd).
For more information on Cruiser racing please contact Rick Caley at admin@sailing.ky
Teachers asked to inspire kids at conference
(CNS): Teachers across the Cayman Islands were asked to both ‘care’ and ‘inspire’ in their work during a conference that focused on national strategic priorities, sharing good practice and connecting with children. Government’s information service said tin a release that educators were encouraged to seek the highest standards for students at the ministry of education workshops held on Monday at the Mary Miller Hall. Rolston Anglin the education minister told teachers the theme of the conference drove to the heart of any education system. “It speaks to where you as teachers engage children to become lifelong learners,” he said.
“You have an awesome responsibility to come up with ways to teach, care and inspire….We empower you in your position and expect all of you to care to develop our kids into future leaders,” he added.
Officials from government said that throughout the conference, each of the teachers participated in over 60 workshops, many of which were delivered by educators currently in the government system, touching on areas that included the curriculum, behavioural studies, technology and even our culture as it is related to discipline.
Premier, McKeeva Bush was also there and offered his backing for the teacher’s training session. “Supporting our teachers’ professional development is a critical step to keep up to date with new resources and tools to allow our children to be ready for the future,” he said.
The Key Note Speaker, was Patrick George Smith, Associate Vice President from Northern Caribbean University, who asked the educators to dream the impossible for their students. “The future doesn’t happen, we create it. Recognize and respond with your students’ feelings. You are the ones that will shape the reality for your students and always remember if the standards are clear and the process is there, your students can make it,” he said, according to the release from GIS.