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PHILIPSBURG:--- A shift in production by Bacardi at the worlds largest premium rum distillery is helping supply ethanol required to produce the much-needed hand sanitizers that are in high demand as a result of COVID-19. The Bacardi Corporation distillery in Catao, Puerto Rico, where more than 80% of the companys rums are produced, has partnered with Puerto Rico based manufacturer Olein Refinery to provide raw materials that will enable the production of more than 1.7M units of 10-ounce hand sanitizer Read more

Panneflek Proposes Rapid Tests At Airport For Visitors

Richard Panneflek

PHILIPSBURG--If industry partners and Parliament agree, St. Maarten could soon implement rapid-antigen testing for visitors to the island, based on a proposal by Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour VSA Read more

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Gibbs Joins Call For Lifting Of Travel Restrictions To French Caribbean

MARIGOT--Collectivit President Daniel Gibbs has written to French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe to urge him to lift air travel restrictions to the French Caribbean islands, as he has done already for Corsica, as the phased exit from lockdown continues.

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PHILIPSBURG:--- The St. Maarten Tourism Bureau, SHTA, St. Maarten Small Properties Association, Villas, Chamber of Commerce and United tour operator's foundation collaborates to launch 'Rediscover Your Island. The campaign aims to encourage residents to take advantage of lodging specials for staycations and to engage in activities on the island from participating entities.

The campaign focuses on the "Rediscovery" of St. Maarten to encourage our residents to explore and experience St. Maarten again Read more

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St. Maarten Tourism Bureau Partners With Stakeholders To Launch Rediscover Your Island Campaign

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – The St. Maarten Tourism Bureau, SHTA, St. Maarten Small Properties Association, Villas, Chamber of Commerce and United tour operator’s foundation collaborates to launch ‘Rediscover Your Island. The campaign aims to encourage residents to take advantage of lodging specials for staycations and to engage in activities on the island from participating entities.

The campaign focuses on the “Rediscovery” of St. Maarten to encourage our residents to explore and experience St Read more

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Release Of Names Of Companies That Received Payroll Support

Honorable Minister of Finance!

On behalf of the people of Sint Maarten and especially those persons who were financially affected due to the COVID-19 lockdown, I wish to thank you for creating the Sint Maarten Stimulus & Relief Plan (SSRP).

Via the SSRP you attempted to assist local businesses by means of two specific programs namely, the Payroll Support Program and the Lockdown Payroll Support Program. Both programs are to be financed via the liquidity support from The Netherlands Read more

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Panneflek Proposes Rapid Tests At Airport For Visitors

PHILIPSBURG. Sint Maarten If the industry partners and Parliament agree, St, Maarten could well become a global trendsetter with its institution of rapid antigen testing for visitors to the island based on a
proposal by Minister of Health the Honourable Richard Panneflek.

His goal is to test expeditiously all visitors as a means of protecting both guests and the population and reducing the spread and contamination of COVID-19 Read more

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Funding Approved For 8 More Trust Fund Projects

PM Silveria Jacobs during Fridays meeting.

~ 7 projects under implementation since established ~

PHILIPSBURG--A total of seven Trust Fund projects have been under implementation since its establishment and the Steering Committee has approved funding for the preparation of eight additional projects.

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Public Weather Forecast For St. Maarten

DATE ISSUED: Friday, June 05, 2020 @ 12:00 LST (16:00 UTC)

VALID UNTIL: Saturday midday (12:00 LST) June 06, 2020

WEATHER: This afternoon through Saturday midday: Fair to partly cloudy and breezy with isolated showers possible.

Forecast High:32C / 90FForecast Low:27C / 81F

Sunset Today:6:46 P.M.Sunrise Tomorrow:5:36 A.M.

SURFACE WINDS: This afternoon through Saturday midday: East northeasterly to easterly with a gentle to moderate breeze of 10 to 18 mph and higher gusts possible.

SYNOPSIS:

A tropical wave will move across the Lesser Antilles during this forecast period Read more

Prison Visits Resume Thurs.

PHILIPSBURG--Inmates at the Pointe Blanche prison are now able to receive visitors again, as visitation resumed on Thursday, June 4.

Physical visitations were suspended on March 18 due to the measures imposed by Prime Minister and Chairperson of the now disbanded Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Silveria Jacobs to help stem the sp Read more

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Minister, Police Urge Buyers To Be Wary Of Stolen Vehicles

~ Offer tips on what to do before purchasing ~

PHILIPSBURG--Justice Minister Anna Richardson and the St. Maarten police are urging persons who are in the market looking for vehicles to purchase, to be wary of stolen vehicles and to take precautions to ensure that the vehicle they are purchasing is not stolen.

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Prison And House Of Detention Resumes In-Person Visitation

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – The Ministry of Justice would hereby like to inform the general public that visitation at the Point Blanche Prison and House of Detention has resumed today June 4th, 2020.

Physical visitations were suspended on March 18th, 2020, due to the measures imposed by the Prime Minister the Honorable Silveria Jacobs in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic.

While physical, in-person visitations were suspended, inmates had the opportunity to utilize web portals to
communicate with their families and lawyers on a weekly basis.
The Ministry of Justice and the Prison and House of Detention’s main priority is the health and well-being of the inmates and their staff, therefore all necessary precautions have been put in place to maintain the guidelines recommended by the Government of Sint Maarten, Collective Prevention Services, and the World Health Organization.

The adjusted measures are as follows:
All persons accessing the prison grounds must first wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water before entering.
A mask will be provided to Prison staff only upon entry Read more

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Inso To Deliver Final Design For New Hospital End Of July

VSA Minister Richard Panneflek.

PHILIPSBURG--Italian company Inso is expected to resubmit the final design for the new St. Maarten General Hospital by the end of July.

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Prison And House Of Detention Resumes In-Person Visitation.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Ministry of Justice would hereby like to inform the general public that visitation at the Point Blanche Prison and House of Detention has resumed today June 4th, 2020.

Physical visitations were suspended on March 18th, 2020, due to the measures imposed by the Prime Minister the Honorable Silveria Jacobs in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic.

While physical, in-person visitations were suspended, inmates had the opportunity to utilize web portals to communicate with their families and lawyers on a weekly basis.

The Ministry of Justice and the Prison and House of Detention's main priority is the health and well-being of the inmates and their staff, therefore all necessary precautions have been put in place to maintain the guidelines recommended by the Government of Sint Maarten, Collective Prevention Services, and the World Health Organization.

The adjusted measures are as follows:
All persons accessing the prison grounds must first wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water before entering Read more

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POND ISLAND, Sint Maarten – Dear SMCU,
I fail to understand why the correspondence sent to you on Monday June 1st, 2020 is considered disrespectful.

The company simply forwarded a proposal for cost-cutting measures and explained why this is required. We were clear and transparent in our communication as to why we need to proceed in this manner and also as to what costs we need to cut/are looking at cutting, in an attempt to safeguard the company and all the employees. No disrespect was meant, we are merely looking for a way in which we can cooperate to achieve what we must.

In that respect, the fact that the Unions president went to the media and made several untrue and unfounded accusations about management mismanaging the company, does not contribute to such a cooperation between parties Read more

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July 1 Earliest St. Maarten Can Reopen Airport, Dependent On Covid-19 Status

TEATT Minister Ludmila de Weeer.

PHILIPSBURG--July 1 is the earliest date that St. Maarten can reopen its airport to receive visitors, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunications (TEATT) Ludmila de Weever announced on Wednesday.

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PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of VROMI Egbert Jurendy Doran told members of the media on Wednesday that he already informed the Prime Minister and Minister of TEATT that the Council of Ministers needs to call in the boards of GEBE to a shareholders meeting. Doran made the declaration when members of the media asked for clarification on the disconnection notice GEBE published on Tuesday Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- Management of TELEM in the person of the Chief Executive Officer Kendall Dupersoy dispatched a 3-page letter to the St. Maarten Communication Union on Wednesday as the company and the union representative continue discussions on the 12.5 % cost-cutting measures that government asked the company to impose due to the deman Read more

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Public Weather Forecast For St. Maarten

DATE ISSUED: Wednesday, June 03, 2020 @ 12:00 LST (16:00 UTC)

VALID UNTIL: Thursday midday (12:00 LST) June 04, 2020

WEATHER: This afternoon through Thursday midday: Fair to partly cloudy with a brief local shower possible.

Forecast High:32C / 90FForecast Low:28C / 82F

Sunset Today:6:45 P.M.Sunrise Tomorrow:5:36 A.M.

SURFACE WINDS: This afternoon through Thursday midday: Easterly with a gentle to moderate breeze of 08 to 17 mph.

SYNOPSIS:

A tightening pressure gradient across the region will produce gentle to moderate winds across the region Read more

Mp Heyliger-Marten: Round Table Conference (Rtc) In June 2021 To Finalize Decolonization

PHILIPSBURG–Member of Parliament and Faction Leader for the United People’s Party the honorable Grisha Heyliger-Marten is calling on the Dutch Government to finalize the decolonization process that it started almost seventy years ago.

Her position is consistent with the proclamation of the period 2010-2020 as the Third International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10th, 2010 via resolution 65/119.

In a press release issued on Wednesday June 2, 2020, MP Heyliger-Marten said the Round Table Conference between the Government of the Netherlands and the six Dutch Caribbean islands should be held by June of 2021.

Heyliger-Marten sent shockwaves throughout the Netherlands Kingdom on May 19th when she submitted a Motion to Parliament in St Read more

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Exclusive: Smcu President Ludson Evers Busted For Trying To Rip Off Telem.

~ Evers wanted payout totaling Naf 202.864 and become a contractor.~

PHILIPSBURG:--- President of the St. Maarten Communication Union Ludson Evers has been caught with his pants down when documents provided to SMN News shows that Evers tried to rip off TELEM by submitting a timesheet for overtime post-Irma. SMN News learned that Evers told management of TELEM that the Chamber of Labor Unions made an agreement with the Labor Department to pay employees overtime during working hours. SMN News learned that Evers was not successful in getting the overtime payment he requested since the union could not produce the written agreement between the unions and the Department of Labor.
While Ludson along with other members of the Chamber of Labor Unions have been bashing TELEM for paying an excessive amount of money  to contractors, he himself submitted a proposal to TELEM management for early retirement on March 19th and to then acquire a contract as a contractor for the company.
Ludson wanted TELEM to pay him a total of NAF 202.864.00 which includes his social plan for an early retirement lump sum for 8 months NAF 65.440.00 and 24 months at 70% totaling NAF 137.424.00.
According to documentation, SMN News obtained Management of TELEM rejected the proposal on May 27th Read more

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~ Car theft ring ratted out.~

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Justice Anna Richardson announced on Wednesday that St. Maarten has received the draft report that the CFATF will publish in the near future. The report indicated that St. Maarten is now compliant with the CFATF. Minister Richardson said that the additional information St Read more

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~Unions responded to governments proposal on cuts~

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Finance Ardwell Irion said the government is working on ways to be more transparent regarding the companies that have received payroll support thus far this will enable workers to see if their bosses got the stimulus and did not pay them. The Minister called on companies that were paid to disburse the funds immediately by paying their workers Read more

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~ Called on Residents to exercise caution as St. Maarten cannot afford 2nd shutdown.~

PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister of St. Maarten Silveria Jacobs got emotional during the weekly council of ministers press briefing when speaking about the 15 COVID-19 deaths in St. Maarten. Jacobs called on the people of St. Maarten to continue to practice social distancing and all other guidelines as the island begin to return to some normalcy since the shutdown in March 2020 Read more

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