Headline News
Poacher steals DoE truck
(CNS): Updated — A man suspected of violating the Marine Conservation Law made off in one of the Department of Environment’s trucks on Wednesday afternoon when DoE enforcement officers tried to apprehend him. The man, who was reportedly found taking a large number of conch and lobster in South Sound, stole the DoE vehicle as he tried to avoid arrest by officials, one of whom was injured with a fish hook by the suspect. The poacher was then pursued by a joint team of RCIPS officers and members of the DoE. Police eventually apprehended both him and the DoE truck on Bodden Road, George Town. Police said they had arrested a 52-year-old man for traffic and marine offences. (Photo by Dennie Warren Jr)
The DoE has confirmed that the vehicle was taken during the attempted apprehension of the suspect after the marine officer was injured but it was recovered after the chase. DoE staff are currently assisting the police with the enquiry.
CUC to pay for green power
(CNS): The country’s power company will be paying people who are generating renewable energy 37 cents per kWh for the electricity they send back to the grid under a new programme launched this month. Following agreement with the electricity regulator, CUC has revised its Consumer Owned Renewable Energy programme (CORE) and introduced a Feed-in Tariffs structure (FIT). The firm said this provides significant incentives to consumers generating energy from renewable sources and will allow local customers to connect small scale solar systems or wind turbines to CUC’s distribution system and to reduce their monthly energy bills while connected to the CUC grid.
Managing Director of the Electricity Regulatory Authority of the Cayman Islands, Philip Thomas, said the development of renewable energy systems is critical to reducing Cayman’s dependence on diesel. “The FIT program is consistent with ERA policies and that of the recently formed Government National Energy Policy Committee,” he added following the approval of CUC’s programme.
To begin with FIT will run as a pilot programme for a year or until the quota of 1MW of capacity has been filled on a first come first serve basis at 37 cents per kiloWatt hour, CUC has said. Applicants will be able to start exporting energy to the grid within 30 days of completion of the application to CUC, subject to approval by the Central Planning Authority. The FIT contract agreement will be for a term of 20 years to allow owners a reasonable return on their investment in renewable energy.
According to CUC, customers will be billed monthly at the normal retail rate, currently at 30 cents per kWh, for their total energy consumption and then will be credited monthly at the FIT rate of 37 cents. At the end of each calendar quarter, CUC will make a payment to CORE customers for the credit balance on their accounts.
President and Chief Executive Officer of CUC, Richard Hew, said the firm was pleased to introduce the Feed In Tariffs to both existing and new CORE customers. He said they would be able to generate energy through renewable means while connected with and benefitting from CUC’s reliable electricity distribution system.
“We look forward to an increase in the amount of renewable energy available to our system as we introduce some diversification of energy sources and displace fossil fuel used and its associated emissions,” Hew said of the this first step towards greener future for the island
The minister responsible for power, Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, said government wholeheartedly supported the FIT programme. “It dovetails into the National Energy Policy, as a means of encouraging consumers to reduce their utility bills while doing a small but important part in becoming more environmentally conscious.”
CUC officials said the maximum permitted size of the individual renewable energy systems will be the lesser of the CORE customer’s peak demand for existing systems measured over a period of up to twelve months, where that information is available, or estimated peakdemand for new connections, with a maximum of 20 kW for residential systems and 50 kW for commercial systems.
There is no difference between the residential FIT rate and the commercial FIT rate, but to provide opportunities for everyone under the pilot, commercial customers will be limited to 70 percent of the 1 MW capacity, leaving the rest for residential customers.
This programme is at least a baby step towards protecting the environment. “By utilizing renewable energy instead of fossil fuels to generate electricity, CUC and its customers will be able to reduce exhaust gas emissions, reduce the use of non-renewable natural resources and contribute to the overall protection of the environment both in Grand Cayman and globally,” the firm said of the move.
At a recent press briefing, Hew said that CUC was working hard on finding reliable renewable energy resources but he said that it would be a long time before alternative energy sources could generate anything more than a fraction of the power needed to keep Grand Cayman plugged in. He said the focus was still on wind power, which he said was the most promising for Cayman in the immediate future as solar panels were still not yet cost effective. The challenge, however, for the wind project was finding a suitable location for the number of turbines needed.
Last year the power firm lost out on its preferred location for a wind farm in East End to the government’s weather radar system.“We are still committed to generating power through wind but we either have to find a way to co-exist with the radar or find another location,” Hew said.
Further details on and how to sign up are available at CUC’s Customer Service Department at 949-4300 or log on to www.cuc.ky. An agreement between the consumer and CUC will set out the terms under which services, connectivity, metering and billing credits will be governed.
On Cayman Brac in February 2007, the Earl of Wessex broke ground for the Cayman Brac Power & Light Company’s Wind Power Project at Stake Bay Point on the Bluff but this project appears to have stalled.
Men run down on pavement
(CNS): Two pedestrians were injured yesterday evening after being knocked down by a car while on the pavement on Eastern Avenue. One of the victims remains in hospital and is said to be in stable condition with abdomen, chest and arm injuries. The incident occurred around 5:30 pm on Tuesday (15 February) when the car reportedly mounted the pavement near CaymanShoe Shop, police said. The car crashed into a second vehicle after hitting the two men, who were walking along the pavement at the time. Although police arrested the driver, who was uninjured, on suspicion of driving under the influence, he was released later in the evening. (Photo Dennie Warren Jr)
One of the men hit by the car received leg injuries and was treated at the George Town Hospital before being released.
Police enquiries are continuing
East End gunman charged
(CNS): An 18-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder following an incident in the district of East End at the weekend. Police have not named the teenager but said he was expected to appear in court this afternoon (Tuesday 15 February). The chargesrelate to a shooting which occurred along Sea View Road at around 2.10 am on Saturday, 12 February. Police said that as two couples walked along the road towards the Pirate’s Cove Bar they approached a point close to the Old Post Office when a lone gunman appeared from the side of the building and began firing at one of the men. The man ran off from his friends along Sea View Road and was chased by the gunman.(Photo Dennie Warren Jr)
Several shots were fired and although none hit the intended victim some damage was caused to a house at the location. Although bullets were fired through the window the occupants of the house were also uninjured.
Later that day police said an 18-year-old man was arrested in connection with the incident in the district. The man has now been formally charged with attempted murder, possession of an unlicensed firearm and damage to property.
School kids robbed for $12
(CNS): Two men have been arrested, police said Tuesday, following the robbery of five school boys on Monday afternoon as they made their way to football at around 3:15pm. The teenagers, who were all 13 and 14 years old, said they were walking in Lingeane Circle towards the Truman Bodden complex in George Town when a grey motor car stopped beside them and the two men inside demanded that the boys hand over their cash and valuables. Although the teens told the police that the weapon was not pointed at them, one of the boys said he saw what looked like a gun in the car. According to reports on Cayman 27, the robbers fled with only $12.
Police said that two men were arrested in connection with the incident on Tuesday evening. One man, aged 45 years, was arrested on suspicion of theft and another, aged 22 years, was arrested on suspicion of robbery and possession of an unlicensed firearm. Both of the men are currently detained in police custody in connection with the robbery
The boys, who were walking from John Gray High School towards the Truman Bodden sports complex in broad daylight, were not hurt during the incident but police confirmed the boys had handed over a small sum of cash to the robbers before the men drove off.
When police attended the scene they took statements from the teenagers, including the report that they had seen what looked like a firearm within the car. Police said enquiries into the incident are ongoing.
Anyone with any information about the crime should contact George Town CID on 949-4222 or the confidential Crime Stoppers number 800-8477 (TIPS).
Cops want new traffic laws
(CNS):Police appeals for drivers to take more care on the roads continue to fall on deaf ears, following another major single-vehicle smash on the Linford Pierson Highway in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The commissioner has called on law -makers to pass recommendations made by police to ban cell phones and increase fines, among other things to address the on going road safety issues. At a recent press briefing he said that appalling driving standards were endemic and more still needed to be done. In the latest smash Police confirmed the Honda Integra was heading to Bobby Thomson Way, just after midnight when it collided into a rail at the side of the road. The driver sustained only minor injuries and was released from Hospital. Enquiries are ongoing. (Photo Dennie WarrenJr)
According to the latest police statistics, there were 1,374 road accidents in Cayman last year, which including seven deaths. Although accidents increased by 4% in 2010 compared to 2009, the history of road traffic accidents in Cayman is high. In 2008 there were over 1,500 smashes and 1,430 in 2007.
Some 8,600 offences were recorded last year, which, although down 23% on the 2009 figure of a whopping 11180 tickets, was still a very high number.
Despite the continued campaigns by the RCIPS and the pleas from senior officers, the accident toll remains disproportionate for the size of the driving population and the miles of road, with many accidents being single vehicle crashes.
Speaking at a recent press briefing regarding crime and traffic statistics David Baines said that the 300 collisions that took place in the last six-weeks or so of last year was a clear indication that much more needed to be done to educate drivers.
“Drink Driving, the use of cell phones while driving, speed and appalling driving standards are endemic and all of these issues will be addressed in our planned National Road Safety Strategy,” he said. “Too many lives have been lost on our roads – and that’s why two years ago we made some significant recommendations to legislators. These include raising fines, banning cell phones and introducing new road traffic charges.”
However, he said that the police can only enforce the legislation that is in place and the RCIPS needed the backing of legislators to make the roads of the Cayman Islands as safe. “We look forward to the days when our recommendations are passed into law,” he added.
It’s not only local drivers who are adding to the traffic woes. A visitor to Cayman was involved in what could have been a serious accident Monday in down town George Town. However, no one was injured when a Suzuki APV van took a nosedive onto the iron shore in front of Atlantis Submarine. According to a report on Cayman 27, the driver said the vehicle’s floor mat got stuck on the accelerator when the van over ran the parking block and tipped onto the ironshore with the driver and his passengers on board, who were planning a trip on the Atlantis Submarine. (Photo Courtesy of Cayman27)
Arden: ‘Get on with job’
(CNS): The PPM’s representative for East End has said the commissioner of police should get on with the “darn job” of fighting crime instead of blaming the US firearms policy for the problems in the Cayman Islands and the region. Arden McLean said that the fight against crime should be government’s top priority. The premier, the governor and the police commissioner, he said, should be doing everything they could to make the country safe but instead they were doing nothing. Accusing the premier and his Cabinet of jet-setting around the world, spending the people’s money, which should have been spent on fighting crime, McLean told the PPM conference on Saturday that there was nothing more important than the needto address people’s safety. (Photo Dennie Warren Jr)
McLean said that if he sounded angry it was because he was, as in six months there had been three shootings in his district of East End and nobody was doing anything about it.
Giving his parliamentary report at the PPM’s special conference, called to transfer the leadership of the party, McLean accused the premier of doing nothing to address the problems of crime except blame the governor. While “he, his cohorts, his friends and his Cabinet” all jet-setted around the world spending money which could be spent on addressing the crime problem, nothing was being done to secure the safety for the people of the country.
Renewing his call to Police Commissioner David Baines to act, he said no expense could be spared to tackle the crime, which had “the country in a choke hold” as there was “nothing, nothing more important” at present.
He implored the governor to instruct the commissioner of police “to stop blaming the US firearms policy for the deaths of young Caribbean men. Tell him to stop talking about getting rid of some of the crime fighting equipment that the PPM bought and get on with the darn job,” he stated angrily, as he referred to the plans by the RCIPS to sell some of the marine unit fleet.
He told the people that if their government couldn’t tackle crime they needed to take a leaf out of the book of the people in Egypt and demand the government step down.
McLean said that from the very beginning of this current government’s administration it was clear that the formulation of policies in the interest of the people was the furthest thing from their minds. He said the government chose to blame the PPM for everything, especially the capital projects, despite the findings of the independent Miller Commission that these were not to blame for the public finance problems.
He noted that although the opposition had offered to sit down with government and help find a way forward through the recession, the offer was persistently rejected, as were the proposals put forward by the PPM to tackle the economic slump. He said the premier either ignored or publicly derided suggestions to flatten import duty rates, to sell Boatswain Beach and the Stock Exchange and to return the fees back to earlier levels to stimulate economic activity. He also said the opposition had supported the parliamentary pay cut of 20%, which although suggested by government was later rejected.
Over the last 21 months the PPM parliamentary group had submitted many questions and motions concerning matters that concern the people, McLean revealed, but unfortunately their questions have not been answered and motions have not been scheduled to be debated.
“This government continues to exercise might over right,” he added. “You all will recall when the premier chose substance over process by overruling the legitimate recommendation of the Central Tenders Committee on the government’s financing arrangements and awarded the contract to Cohen and Co … We strenuously opposed that action and were chastised on the basis that we did not want the country to move forward.”
He said that the opposition had since been vindicated, however, as on February second the premier was forced “curiously to back-pedal and terminate the previously announced award” because the “increase in the price of the interest rate cap is of such magnitude that it would wipe out the cost minimisation advantage that had been agreed”, he quoted from the premier’s recent announcement. However, McLean said he believed this was “rubbish”and that it was “friends, friends, friends” that had wiped it out.
Saying this was only one example where government was not following the process as set out by the law, he also spoke about the recent angry debate in the Legislative Assembly during the tax concession amendment bill, when the entire opposition walked out of parliament. “This behaviour further manifested itself when I expressed my concerns that the amendments to the tax concession law would allow Cabinet to grant any company tax exempt status and open the door to potential abuse of process once again,” he added.
He warned the people not to celebrate too much over recent announcements by the premier that the deficit had been turned into a surplus due in part, according to government, to a reduction of expenditure. He said the revenue was from first six months of the financial year when it is generally higher than the latter half as it coincides with payment of statutory fees.
However, the East End representative pointed to the good news coming from that US that its economy was showing signs of improvement and “despite the government’s fumbling”, he said that there was still hope that Cayman would recover from these hard times.
Kurt bids emotional ‘adieu’
(CNS): Despite voluntarily relinquishing the post, the former leader of the opposition and the PPM has vowed to continue supporting the party he founded in any way it needs him in future. Bidding an emotional farewell to the party’s top job, but not to politics, on Saturday night, Kurt Tibbetts said he intended to be the best representative George Town could ever have. The PPM founder said that he went into politics because he wanted to serve and that had not changed. He said that when he started, in his mind it was not to become Leader of Government Business but to serve. However, he said there had been many lessons along the way and one was the need for structure in politics, which drove the formation of the PPM.
In an emotional presentation at the special party conference and as the first ever politician to relinquish a position of political leadership voluntarily in the country’s history, he said that while people had said his stepping aside was bittersweet he did not think it was, as it was the right thing to do. “It needs to be done,” he said, adding that nothing stays the same forever and as good as anyone might be they can only be effective for a certain time and he said he was able to recognize that.
“I can still be whatI should be for this movement, to my constituents and to my country,” he said. “I can serve in other ways and I will.” Tibbetts said that while money drives some, self satisfaction for him came from serving his fellow man and he couldn’t survive if he did not do that. “I will go back to where I started and be the best representative the district of George Town has ever seen,” the former party leader promised as he made his final speech in the role.
He said his party colleagues faced “a brave new world”, and despite offering his support whenever and however it was needed to the new leader, he said he would not impose himself. He pointed out that no one can do it alone and the PPM had always been about team leadership. “Working together iswhat makes it work,” Tibbetts added.
As he passed on the leadership of the PPM to Alden McLaughlin, he said the future of the organisation was as bright as it ever was but he pointed out how important the involvement of the people was to the party and that if the community wanted good government they had to be involved.
Tibbetts said the creation of the PPM was to provide organisation and structure in politics to allow the country to move away from voting for people just because they liked a person — but to give the people a political movement that was representative of them, a party in which they could participate and claim ownership.
The people have to do their job, he said, to make sure their MLAs are representing them. He pointed out the people had to say what they did or did not want as this was a crucial part of representative government, Tibbetts added before he stepped aside.
PPM to fight all 18 seats
(CNS): Full Report — The opposition intends to field 18 candidates in the next election, the new leader of the party has announced. Making his maiden speech as leader of the People’s Progressive Movement at Saturday’s party conference, Alden McLaughlin said the PPM would be putting up members in every constituency in the 2013 poll. Although two years and three months away, the new opposition leader said the election campaign had to start now as he promised to bring the PPM back to the people. He said that while the party was perceived as being on the side of right, it had been labelled as weak against a party seen as “wrong but strong”. McLaughlin said the PPM would become the party that was both “right and strong”.
Despite the various issues concerning the current government that he said were of concern to the people, from the government’s failure to implement a national plan to address crime to unlawful behaviour regarding procurement and freedom of information, McLaughlin said the PPM must not assume it would be returned to office.
“By any standard the government must get a failing grade,” the new opposition leader told the audience of around 250 people but he warned that its failure would not mean an automatic vote for the PPM next time. “The PPM is not the automatic choice of the people as they now say they don’t trust party politics,” he said. However, McLaughlin said, this owed much more to the politics of the parties and not political parties themselves, which, he said, had been around since the 1950s.
The PPM leader said the party had to reconnect with the people and regain its original reputation of being the party of inclusion. He said members had to be prepared to fight harder for what was right and to represent the views of the people, and as an opposition McLaughlin said the PPM would have to prove itself. “We will need to push and shove and agitate for what we want. We can no longer be sidelined as mere observers. We haveto become involved in the action,” McLaughlin said.
He noted that whatever the criticisms of the previous administration, it was clear that its record in office when it came to integrity was impeccable as he noted that, had there been even the remotest hint of any impropriety, the premier would have found it. The fact that after more than two years McKeeva Bush had found nothing was evidence of the PPM’s clean record, he said. “Most people believe we are the good guys. But in the same breath they usually say they don’t believe we are fighters.”
That needed to change, the party leader said. He noted that voters should not have to choose between “wrong and strong” or “right and weak” but said the PPM must become “right and strong” as he called members to action.
“We have allowed other people to define who we are,” he lamented as he pointed to policies associated with the party which were misconceptions. He said it was a myth that the PPM was anti-expat as the rollover policy was a creation of the UDP in response to the 3000 status grants. He said that with an expat chairman the PPM had never pushed anti-expat policies or sentiments. “There is no bigotry in the PPM; the only thing that we are ‘anti’ is poor governance.”
He called on people to join the PPM from all walks of life to help shape the party. McLaughlin said he wanted to start a national conversation in which everyone was invited to the table to express their views — expats and locals, old and young.
While he promised that the core principles of the PPM, as established under the leadership of Kurt Tibbetts, would remain the solid foundation of the party, McLaughlin said the party needed to engage with the politics that affects young people in particular and fight for their needs.
He noted that although the voices of disquiet were increasing and getting louder and many more people had found their voice in recent times, too many people were still suffering in silence. The recession, he said, had brought many issues to the forefront, such as the fundamental structural social problems throughout the community that had to be addressed. Promising to make the PPM the true representatives of the ordinary people, he called on the people to join the party and share the vision.
See more on CNS tomorrow from the PPM party conference.
Murder trials postponed
(CNS): The trial of the man accused of murdering Jeremiah Barnes, which was due to start next month, has been delayed until August. As a result of a change in legal representation, Devon Anglin’s (26) trial over the fatal shooting of the 4-year-old boy at a West Bay gas station last year has been delayed by another five months, despite recent pleas to the court by the child’s mother for the case to be expedited. Anglin’s new attorney, Lucy Organ, who only took up his case last week, has been given time to find leading counsel and prepare his defence after Clyde Allen, who had been representing Anglin, came off record last month. With the court docket full, the first available date for the three week Grand Court trial was August, the court heard Friday.
Raziel Jeffers (27) has also had his Grand Court trial for the fatal shooting of Marcus Ebanks postponed, though a new date has not yet been set. Despite facing several serious charges, Jeffers has no legal counsel after rejecting two different lawyers since he was first arrested last year for the shooting, which took place in Bonaventure Road. Jeffers currently faces three murder charges. In addition to Ebanks, he is charged with murdering Damion Ming, who was shot and killed in his yard in the Birch Tree Hill area of West Bay in March last year, and Marcos Gauman, who was gunned down in Maliwinas Way, also in West Bay, in the same month.
Jeffers said that he was trying to find representation but his previous lawyers were not “doing what they were supposed to", he told the court on Friday, adding that in all the time he had been on remand he had only seen legal counsel for 35 minutes and it was the lawyers that had got him in the situation of being unrepresented. The defendant also claimed there were issues regarding disclosure of important phone records in his case, a point which crown counsel denied and stated that all relevant material had been served on Jeffers’ previous attorneys.
Justice Marva McDonald-Bishop, who was presiding over Friday’s proceedings, instructed Jeffers to find counsel before he returned to court next week for a further mention but agreed to vacate the current March trial date in order to give him time to find a new lawyer. "The court cannot wait forever for you to secure counsel,” she warned, adding that he had already been given a reasonable opportunity.