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Draft Budget Up For Approval On Monday

PHILIPSBURG--Finance Minister Richard Gibson Sr. will be back in Parliament on Monday at 2:00pm to present the draft 2017 budget for approval. The budget will pass into law once approved by Parliament. However, it will still need the stamp of approval from the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT.

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Court Finds Wilders Guilty Of Inciting Racial Discrimination

AMSTERDAM--Strong reactions have erupted after right-wing politician Geert Wilders was found guilty of inciting racial discrimination against Dutch Moroccans in a court on Friday. Wilders was condemned for his actions leading a Party for Freedom PVV rally calling for “fewer” Moroccans in March 2014 -and now has a criminal record- but he received no punishment from the three judges.Read more

Resort Calls For Govt. To Pay $1.5 Million Overdue Payment

SIMPSON BAY – Simpson Bay Resort Management Company (SBRMC) employees are calling for a years-long overdue payment in excess of $1.5 million to be paid out to their employer by the government. This is in connection with undue salary payments made to Pelican Resort Management Company workers after the hotel had been sold and its ownership transferred to SBRMC.

More than 100 Pelican employees, under the belief that they were employed by new owner SBRMC, were paid monthly salaries for almost a year pending a court case, while not working at the hotel Read more

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Information Session Held On Istep For Public School Management

BELVEDERE, St. Maarten  – The Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport held an information session on iSTEP (Inspiring Students with Technology in Education Project) for the school managers, adjunct managers and student care coordinators of all public schools on December 1st, 2016.

The session was facilitated by Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Ms. Silveria Jacobs, the iSTEP Team and the head of Division for Public Education, Mrs Read more

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Eyebrows being raised as to where police and prosecution found manpower and tools to investigate cyber crimes?

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prosecutor’s Office on Thursday extended the pretrial detention for well-known teacher and unionist Claire Elshot who was arrested on Sunday evening for allegedly threatening an employee of the Court of First Instance. The employee it is understood is a court recorder and is also a neighbor of Elshot who recently opened the ACE foundation in Cole Bay with the assistance of NAGICO.
SMN News learned that the courthouse employee and her relatives refused to use their entrance and instead have been using the narrow entrance leading to the ACE Foundation Read more

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Information Session Held On Istep For Public School Management.

BELVEDERE:---  The Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth, and Sport held an information session on iSTEP (Inspiring Students with Technology in Education Project) for the school managers, adjunct managers and student care coordinators of all public schools on December 1st, 2016. The session was facilitated by Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Ms. Silveria Jacobs, the iSTEP Team and the head of Division for Public Education, Mrs Read more

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Mlk Submits Lists Of Concerns To Minister Of Education.

PHILIPSBURG -- On Tuesday, December 6th, the management and staff of the Dr. Martin Luther King School, provided a list of concerns. Minister Jacobs was surprised and dismayed to learn that the challenges being faced had not yet been dealt with when management and teachers requested an urgent meeting on these topics.
Head of DPE, Mrs Read more

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Pompei Suspects Released By Appeals Court.

PHILIPSBURG: --- The four suspects that were arrested in the Pompeii investigation on November 1st has been released by the Court of Appeals on Friday. Attorney at Law Shaira Bommel confirmed to SMN News on Friday that the four suspects namely Etienne Toochie Meyers, and his employees Dulcia Florentina, Louella Rog and Ramphis Rondei were all released on Friday.
The judge of instruction had extended the pretrial detention of the four suspects to 60 days but the Meyers family filed an injunction against the decision of the judge of instruction to have the suspects released Read more

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Govt. Invests Naf. 225,000 In Led Lighting System

PHILIPSBURG--The Government of St. Maarten plans to invest NAf. 225,000 on a full-fledged LED lighting system for the new Government Administration Building, according to Minister of General Affairs William Marlin on Thursday. The s Read more

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Mlk Jr. Primary Receives 10 Tablets

PHILIPSBURG – On Thursday morning, December 8, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Primary School received a contribution of 10 tablets.

The 10 tablets will be utilized throughout the student population instead of granting it to 10 specific students. This approach will ensure the tablets are utilized to their maximum potential by more students.

“I am extremely grateful for this contribution to our school as we continue to promote technology usage throughout the school. Technology is the way forward and it’s time we embrace it in every classroom,” said Stuart Johnson, School Manager of the Dr Read more

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Minister Jacobs Attends “I Am King” Youth Forum

BELAIR – The Youth Department in collaboration with the Division Educational Innovation (DEI) is coordinating and executing a series of events falling under the “I Am King” project.

The “I Am King” project was launched in 2015, and the “I Am King” Youth Forum was held on Wednesday December 7, at the Belair Community Center, where Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Silveria Jacobs was in attendance Read more

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Copppal Rejects Possible Attempt To Recolonize Dutch Caribbean

SANTO DOMINGO/ KRALENDIJK РThe Permanent Conference of Political Parties of Latin America and the Caribbean COPPPAL, rejected by a communiqu̩, the possible attempts to recolonize the so-called Dutch Antilles as a violation of the agreement signed at the United Nations in 1954, urging the Netherlands to initiate a process of decolonization and self-determination of the people under its control.

“In a meeting led by Manolo Pichardo, president of the entity, in Bonaire, the islanders expressed their fear of what they define as redeployment actions such as: Financial Supervision, Judicial and the massive entry of European Dutch to the islands with the right to vote, because this could have a decisive impact on matters concerning the natives,” said the document.

Also present at the meeting was Rudy Croes, vice president and coordinator of the COPPPAL decolonization commission, where Statia and Bonaire rejected – by referendum – the current status of the Dutch colonial municipality.

According to the statement, COPPPAL, demands to put Bonaire, Statia and Saba on the list of the Committee of Decolonization of the United Nations of Non-Self-Governing Territories that do not have its own government Read more

Attempted Robbery At Prime Distributers

Prime Distributors on Thursday.

COLE BAY--A group of men attempted to rob Prime Distributors in Cole Bay on Thursday just after 4:00pm. Acting police spokesman Inspector Steven Carty stated that patrols were dispatched to Prime Distributors for the robbery in progress.

  The robbers however left before patrols arrived. A search was done of the surrounding areas but to no avail Read more

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Resort Calls For Government’S $1.5 Million Overdue Payment.

SIMPSON BAY;---- Simpson Bay Resort Management Company (SBRMC) employees are calling for a years-long overdue payment in excess of $1.5 million to be paid out to their employer by the government. This in connection with undue salary payments made to Pelican Resort Management Company workers after the hotel had been sold and its ownership transferred to SBRMC.

More than 100 Pelican employees, under the belief that they were employed by new owner SBRMC, were paid monthly salaries for almost a year pending a court case, while not working at the hotel Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:---- On Thursday morning the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Primary School received a contribution of ten tablets.

The ten tablets will be utilized throughout the student population instead of granting it to ten specific students. This approach will ensure the tablets are utilized to their maximum potential by more students.

"I am extremely grateful for this contribution to our school as we continue to promote technology usage throughout the school. Technology is the way forward and it's time we embrace it in every classroom," Stuart Johnson School Manager of the Dr Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- Ambulance and police rushed to Gladiola Road Mary’s Fancy on Thursday afternoon when a construction worker fell and died on the spot. Even though police and ambulance personnel was on the scene, interim police spokesman Steven Carty said he was not aware of the incident.
Based on information SMN News received from bystanders is that some construction workers were working on a property located at Gladiola Road and one of the workers who was busy mixing cement across the street fell down and died on the spot Read more

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Ministra Jacobs Asistió A Feria De Salud Y Bienestar En El Vocacional

Traducido por Máximo Castro

SOUTH REWARD – Bajo el lema “Dependiendo el uno del otro para crear un futuro saludable”, la Escuela de Formación Profesional de St. Maarten (SMVTS) celebró el lunes su tercera feria anual de Salud y Bienestar.

La Ministra de Educación Silveria Jacobs, así como la Jefa de la División de Educación Pública, Glenderlin Davis-Holiday estuvieron presentes.

La Ministra Jacobs, animó a todos los estudiantes a aplicar toda la información obtenida en la feria de salud y bienestar Read more

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Barbados Told To Repair Leaky Mains To Ease Water Woes

KINGSTON, Jamaica  –  A Trinidadian scientist has a very simple message for Barbados as the country grapples with chronic water shortages brought on by a prolonged drought: fix the pipes!

Professor of Tropical Island Ecology at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine John Agard said before the authorities here worry about the possible impact of climate change on the water supply, they should first seek to curtail the amount of water being lost through leakage.

“Why don’t they fix the pipes? Do that first before you worry about climate change, because with that alone you are losing more water than you will lose from the decrease in precipitation,” Agard said at an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) outreach event for the Caribbean held last week in Jamaica.

He cited a European Union-funded Global to Local Socio-Economic Climate Change Project which states that the anticipated ten to 11 per cent decline in precipitation due to the effect of climate change was far less than the amount of water being lost through leaky mains.

“Water leakage from pipes underground in Barbados is more than 40 per cent, and therefore they can manage climate change very well by saving water leakage underground.

“These are the kinds of lessons that we should act upon,” said Agard, a lead author of the fifth assessment report on the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

He said the EU-funded study also placed Barbados on the list of the ten most water-impoverished countries in the world, adding that in addition to being in this grouping, a decrease in precipitation for the island would naturally “be terrifying”.

Agard explained that “Barbados has very good numbers to run models” because every house and every factory is metred.

“They know exactly how much water is
produced and how much water is used, because in Barbados they send everybody a bill for their water, so they measure everything.”

But he said the leakage of water underground due to old and rotting pipes was not unique to Barbados.

“I would be shocked if it’s any different in Jamaica or in Trinidad Read more

$80,000 Spent On Govt. Christmas Decorations

PHILIPSBURG--During the handling of the draft 2017 budget discussion in the Central Committee meeting on Monday, Member of Parliament (MP) Tamara Leonard requested information on the amount spent by Government for Christmas decorations this year.

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Naf. 10 Departure Tax Pending For Country

PHILIPSBURG--A departure tax of NAf. 10 is pending for the country. This tax, when implemented by Government, will affect all passengers leaving the country, except cruise ship passengers. Finance Minister Richard Gibson anticipates this tax will raise some NAf Read more

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Minister Jacobs Attends Health And Wellness Fair At Vocational

SOUTH REWARD – Under the theme “Depending on Each Other to Create a Healthy Future,” the St. Maarten Vocational Training School (SMVTS) held its 3rd annual Health and Wellness fair on Monday, December 5.

Minister of Education Silveria Jacobs as well as Head of Division Public Education Glenderlin Davis-Holiday were in attendance.

Minister Jacobs encouraged all students to apply all the information gained at the health and wellness fair Read more

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Successful Conference On Bonaire On Political Future Of Dutch-Administrated Caribbean

Kralendijk, BONAIRE – Recently, Foundation Nos Kier Boneiru Bek organized a conference at Plaza Hotel, which addressed a better future for Bonerian people, and for the other sister islands administrated by the Dutch.

After the conference, a gala dinner was held at Eddy’s restaurant with keynote speaker Dr. Corbin. Both events were successful and participants said that the conference was very informative and of international standard.

The Aruba delegation represented by Dr Read more

Successful Conference On Bonaire On The Political Future Of The Dutch Administrated Caribbean

BONAIRE - Recently Foundation Nos Kier Boneiru Bek organized a conference at Plaza Hotel which has put a foundation for a better future for the Bonerian peoples and of our other sister islands which are administrated by the Dutch. Following after the conference a gala-diner was held at Eddy's restaurant with keynote speaker Dr. Corbin. Both events were successful with good attendance and got from the participants and the public which followed the vents through the media that these were very informative and of international standards.

The delegation Aruba represented by Dr Gerrit Croes and of Curacao by Mr Read more

Minister Jacobs Attends The 3Rd Annual Health And Wellness Fair At The St. Maarten Vocational Training School

SOUTH REWARD, St. Maarten – Under the theme “Depending on Each Other to Create a Healthy Future,” the St. Maarten Vocational Training School (SMVTS) held its rd annual Health and Wellness fair on Monday, December 5th, 2016. The Minister of Education, Ms. Silveria Jacobs as well as the Head of Division Public Education, Mrs. Glenderlin Davis-Holiday were both in attendance Read more

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