Archive for December 20th, 2013
2nd charge in WB killing
Masked men strike on Prospect doorstep
(CNS): Police have reported that there was an attempted robbery on Thursday night when a man was threatened on his doorstep at his home in Prospect, George Town. Officers went to the scene at Mangrove Avenue at about 9:21 last night. An RCIPS spokesperson said the victim was about to enter his residence when he was approached by three masked men, one of whom was armed with what appeared to be a hand gun. No one was physically injured and no shots were fired but police did not say what the robbers had demanded or if they left empty handed or howthey came and went from the scene.
Chamber’s new president an “agent for change”
(CNS Business): The appointment of an outspoken political activist as the president of the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce spells a new dawn for the association that represents a broad cross-section of Cayman’s business community. Johann Moxam has been a forthright advocate for many political issues in Cayman, from the 'one man, one vote' campaign last year to the promotion of independent candidates over political parties this year. He has described himself as “an agent for change”, promising to do all he can to be part of the solution. Confirmed in his new post on Tuesday at the annual general meeting, the director of Merrill Lynch’s Cayman office is expected to lead the Chamber in 2014 firmly from the front. Read more on CNS Business
Firefighters tackle major GT dump blaze
(CNS) Updated: The Cayman Islands Fire Service was busy tackling a major fire at the George Town landfill Friday. Areas of George Town were filled with billowing black smoke as the blaze, which started in the area where baled metals are stored and then spread to the tyre storage area, raged. Despite the thick acrid smoke, government officials said in a statement that it did not pose a health threat to the wider community because it was at a high enough level and the prevailing winds were carrying the smoke away. Firefighters had the blaze under control by lunch time, having begun battling it in the early morning hours. Fire officials had described the blaze as "a big one" earlier today.
The Department of Environmental Health noted that the blaze had not spread to other parts of the landfill.
The Ministry of Health, Sports, Youth and Culture and the Department of Environmental Health confirmed this morning in a statement that the fire appeared to start between 3:30am – 4:00am in the north-western corner of the landfill before it spread to the tyres.
"The Fire Services Unit was promptly notified and DEH staff and Fire crews responded immediately," government stated. 'They quickly created a fire break between the tires that had ignited and those that had not yet been reached by the fire."
The fire did not spread to the main waste disposal areas, they stated, and was contained in the bulk waste areas.
"The smoke from the fire has risen and remained at high enough levels to minimize impacts on residents and the harbour, and is being carried off-shore by the prevailing winds," the ministry said. "As a result of the efforts of Fire Services and DEH staff, the fire is currently under control and it is expected that it will be fully extinguished within the next four to five hours," officials said at 12:30pm.
The DEH said it was investigating the cause of the fire and apologized to the public for the inconvenience caused by the fire, adding that the ministry would provide further updates later today.