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Lake Urges Meyers To Update Gebe Workers On Developments At Company

PHILIPSBURG--Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Lake urged Minister Angel Meyers on Sunday, to hold a general meeting to update workers of utilities company GEBE about the developments at the company.

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Illness Among Maho Guests Believed To Be Noro-Virus

~Maho taking measures~

MAHO--The illness amongst guests at the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort and Casino is believed to be a Noro-virus and the resort said it is doing its utmost to contain the spread of the virus.

Guests began falling ill with the stomach flu in recent weeks with the virus contained to three rooms as of mid-last week. However, after Wednesday, February 24, the guests in some 35 to 40 rooms at the Resort fell ill and up to Sunday guests were “getting better and the situation is still evolving,” the Resort told The Daily Herald on Sunday Read more

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Blue Zone Parking System For Marigot Starts March 1

MARIGOT--First Vice-President Guillaume Arnell announced Friday the Blue Zone parking system for the centre of Marigot will come into effect as of March 1, with the first month used as a trial period for consumers to get used to the system and obtain their parking discs.

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Investigation Into Illness Of Leeward Islands Debate Team Members

Press Release 

Minister of Public Health, Emil Lee dispatched a team of persons of the Collective Preventive Services, under the leadership of Dr. Asin to assess and investigate the disturbing complaints regarding several young persons participating in the Leeward Islands Debate competition becoming ill during the past 2 days. Most of these persons are staying at the Maho resort, but some from St Read more

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Arnell Tells Beach Tenants ‘Profiting From Government Property Is Over’

MARIGOT--Vice-President Guillaume Arnell said Friday St. Martiners had only themselves to blame for the current stand-off with the Collectivité over the new restaurants because of past practices on Orient Beach of sub-letting their establishments, even charging key money, adding that this abuse of government property is no longer toler Read more

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Richardson: ‘Lycée Violence Reflection Of School, Social And Societal Failure’

MARIGOT--Former President of the Collectivité Alain Richardson said Thursday, he strongly condemned the recent violence at the Lycée, calling for a halt to “cosmetic solutions” and for the State and the Collectivité to deal once and for all with the causes at their roots.

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Country Registers Second Confirmed Case Of Zika

PHILIPSBURG--St. Maarten has registered its second confirmed case of Zika virus, Health Minister Emil Lee disclosed at the Council of Ministers’ press briefing on Wednesday.

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Lee Debunks Assertions That Inspections Were Hindered

PHILIPSBURG--Health Minister Emil Lee on Wednesday debunked assertions from some Members of Parliament (MPs) that the Health Inspectorate’s food safety inspections had been hindered and obstructed when the joint inspections were temporarily suspended pending a review on February 5.

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Carty Showered In 52,000 Ways

TelEm Group Chief Commercial Officer (CFO) Brian Mingo, presents Keacy Carty with NAf 5,000 at the Caribe Lumber Ballpark, Sunday.

CUL DE SAC—Local U19 World Cup cricket hero Keacy Carty was showered with NAf. 52,000 from the business community for his 52 not out in the finals of the ICC Youth World Cup to help the West Indies beat India to win its first youth World Cup in Bangladesh last Sunday.

At a massive homecoming ceremony at the Caribe Lumber Ballpark which was organized by the Government of St Read more

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ST. PETERS --“We need to step up to the plate now and start practicing what we preach in our national energy policy. We are two steps behind because of the constant changes in Government and GEBE’s sense of direction and leadership,” said independent Member of Parliament Maurice Lake in a press statement on Sunday.

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Telegraaf “Uncovers” Hachchi On Front Page

THE HAGUE--The Dutch Telegraaf newspaper blasted resigned Member of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament Wassila Hachchi of the Democratic Party D66 on its front page Thursday morning with the headlines “Hachchi uncovered” and “Distributing flyers for 6.800 Euros.”       

  The newspaper article starts off with: “The career of Wassila Hachchi in the Hillary Clinton team doesn’t go further than distributing flyers on a voluntary basis Read more

Meyers To Pursue Parking Garage On Kim Sha Beach In Spite Of Lien

SIMPSON BAY--Infrastructure Minister Angel Meyers said Wednesday he intends to proceed with the development of a parking garage on the former Kim Sha property on Simpson Bay Beach in spite of the existing lien levied by Tesi N.V., a part of the Port de Plaisance Group.

 Meyers said in the Council of Ministers Press Briefing that he will also look into holding former Infrastructure Minister Claret Connor "liable" for "any obstruction" to the parking garage project and for "reckless conduct" for signing an agreement with Tesi N.V Read more

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Heyliger Says Tortola’S New Pier Should Spur St. Maarten Revival

TORTOLA, BVI--St. Maarten has a leading role in the cruising world, but must keep a watchful eye on the developments of other destinations close to home, says United People’s (UP) party leader Member of Parliament Theo Heyliger Read more

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Doran-York Fosters Ties With St. Maarten-Oriented Groups

THE HAGUE--Minister Plenipotentiary in The Hague Henrietta Doran-York recently held an introductory meeting with Qualichi Faces Foundation, Unified St. Maarten Connection (USC) and Guidance Counsellors for St. Maarten students in the Netherlands. Doran-York hopes this is the start of closer ties among the foundations and with her o Read more

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The Salt Reaper CD, poetry by Lasana M. Sekou, music by Angelo Rombley.

Poetry-music review

Rediscovering the collaboration of Lasana Sekou and Angelo Rombley By Tamara Groeneveldt

GRAND CASE, St. Martin (February 14, 2016)—The Salt Reaper – selected poems from the flats by Lasana M. Sekou is a poetry-music CD from which each spoken word track unfolds like a morsel for the listener. As the poet’s voice and the negotiating music by Angelo Rombley travel into each poem or enter the listener, the whole palette of the listener’s senses becomes tantalized.The Salt Reaper poems vary from stingingly salty and succulently sweet, to scorchingly sour and bitingly bitter Read more

Cft Sends Govt. 'Recommendations' On Budget, Debate Now Set For Feb. 29

Finance Minister Richard Gibson

PHILIPSBURG--The Committee for Financial Supervision CFT has sent Finance Minister Richard Gibson five "suggestions" for the draft 2016 budget, which if taken up the Committee would be more inclined to give the budget its nod of approval.

  Gibson said in a press conference on Friday afternoon that the suggestions will be worked on by Government Read more

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1,300 Food Safety Controls In 2015

PHILIPSBURG--A total of 1,300 food safety inspections were conducted at food establishments in St. Maarten in 2015, Health Minister Emil Lee told Members of Parliament (MPs) during the continuation of the meeting of the Central Committee of Parliament on the draft 2016 budget on Thursday.

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Plasterk Waits For Official Reply To Dispute Regulation Proposal

THE HAGUE-Minister of Internal and Kingdom Affairs Ronald Plasterk said he is still waiting for an official reply to his recent proposal for a Dispute Regulation (Geschillenregeling). He is aware of the objections, but mostly from stories in the newspaper and not straight from the governments. Plasterk said this on Thursday during a meeting with the Second Chamber Committee for Kingdom Relations.

Plasterk notified the Second Chamber of his latest proposal two weeks ago. He sticks to his initial suggestion to have the Council of State of the Kingdom (Raad van State) act as the advisory authority Read more

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Hospital Faced With Bed Shortage In High Season

CAY HILL--St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) has a shortage of beds, but only in the high season, Public Health Minister Emil Lee told the Central Committee of Parliament on Wednesday afternoon.

The Medical Center has 66 beds, which are sufficient for needs in the low season. More than 80 beds are needed to cater to demand in the high sea Read more

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Tot Is ‘Disruptive’ To Growth, Says Gibson

PHILIPSBURG--The five-per-cent turnover tax (ToT) is “disruptive” and an “impediment to economic growth” due to its “multiplier effect” on the cost of goods and services, Finance Minister Richard Gibson told Parliament on Wednesday.

“We have to do away with it or move it down,” Gibson said of the ToT. He has the same belief about the country’s profit tax. It is tough to enforce the profit tax system, he said Read more

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Lee Seeking Cooperation With French St. Martin

PHILIPSBURG--Health Minister Emil Lee is seeking cooperation in the area of healthcare with French St. Martin.

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Study Financing Repayment Drops After Former Pm Stopped Collection

PHILIPSBURG--The amount of study financing repayment Government received from recipients in 2015 plummeted significantly after former Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs stopped the collection efforts.

Govt. Plans To Cut Fleet Via Vehicle Allowance

PHILIPSBURG--Government is looking into the possibility of cutting its vehicle fleet cost by moving to the payout of a vehicle allowance to civil servants who are assigned a vehicle due to their position or contract.

Prime Minister/General Affairs Minister William Marlin said in Tuesday’s continuation of the budget debate in the Central Committee of Parliament instead of buying more vehicles, Government will look into moving to the issuance of a vehicle allowance at the maximum of NAf Read more

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‘Shotgun Budget’ Tabled In Parliament By Gibson

Finance Minister Richard Gibson (right) with MP Maurice Lake. 

PHILIPSBURG--Parliament is faced with a “shotgun budget” as the draft 2016 budget was described by Finance Minister Richard Gibson Read more

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