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Judge Orders Vromi Ministry To Justify Beacon Hill High-Rise Building Permits

Artists rendering of the Fan Coral Road 12 apartment complex in Beacon Hill.

 ~ Appeal proceedings delayed due to incomplete dossiers ~

PHILIPSBURG--The Court of Appeals was set to hear arguments on Monday regarding building permits issued by former Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI Egbert Doran (National Alliance) for two Read more

Passenger Transport Registration

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — The Inspectorate of Economic and Transport Affairs (IETA) instructs all holders of a passenger transport permit to register their operation with the Transport Control Unit no later than Tuesday, February 25, 2025, to receive a confirmation letter. The confirmation letter validates that the operations documentation and vehicle meet the applicable regulations to carry out service.

In prior years, the annual confirmation letter process was solely conducted to pay the annual road tax payments Read more

Grisha Optimistic With Results Of Budget Debate 2025

The motions and amendments put forward felt meaningful and purpose driven.

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications (TEATT), the Honorable Grisha Heyliger-Marten, expressed optimism and pride in the results of the 2025 Budget Debate held in Parliament this week. Reflecting on the collaborative efforts that marked the session, she stated:

This is the first time I have truly felt a genuine sense of teamwork and unity across the board within a coalition Read more

Court Of Appeals Exposes Minister Of JusticeS Failings In Police Promotion Case

~ Six dedicated police officers of the Sint Maarten Police Force who never give up.~

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten On Wednesday, January 15, 2025, the Court of Appeals for Civil Servants rendered a landmark decision in favor of six dedicated police officers of the Sint Maarten Police Force (KPSM), who had been fighting for years against the inaction of the Minister of Justice. These officers, who were denied rightful promotions, finally succeeded in their legal battle.

Despite losing their case in First Instance, the officers persisted and secured a decisive victory on appeal Read more

Education Minister Requests Investigation Into Fight Between School Bus Driver, Student

A screen grab of the altercation between the bus driver and student.

PHILIPSBURG--Minister of Education, Culture Youth and Sport (ECYS) Melissa Gumbs has requested a thorough investigation into an incident involving a school bus driver and a student outside a school bus on Tuesday.

 A video of the incident that was circulating widely on social media on Tuesday captioned bus driver vs student shows the school bus driver holding the student by his top against the school bus and pushing him away from the bus Read more

Kadaster And Kitlv To Preserve St. MaartenS Heritage Documents

Professors Francio Guadaloupe (left) and Diana Suhardiman (right) with Anelski Jundri Richardson of Kadaster.

PHILIPSBURG--Kadaster St. Maarten and the Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies KITLV have entered into a partnership to enhance the conservation and management of the islands historical documents. This collaboration, initiated by Professor Francio Guadeloupe under the Islanders on the Helm project, aims to safeguard vital heritage records for future generations.

The agreement focuses on specialized training for Kadaster staff, encompassing both technical aspects of document preservation and essential soft skills for effective file management Read more

Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina New YearS Address 2025

By the Honorable Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina

Good day to my people of St. Maarten, this great nation of ours.

Happy New Year to you and our visitors!

The clock has struck midnight, and we have officially welcomed 2025. I greet you with warmth and gratitude as we embark on this new journey together, full of hope and determination Read more

Half-Masting Of Flags On Monday In Tribute To Former Prime Minister Don Martina

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten The Government of Sint Maarten expresses profound sorrow over the passing of Dominico Felipe Martina, better known as Don Martina, former Prime Minister of the Netherlands Antilles, a statesman whose legacy of leadership, diplomacy, and vision left an indelible mark within the former Netherlands Antilles. In honor of his contributions, the national flags at the Government Administration Building in Philipsburg will be flying half-mast on the day of his funeral being Monday, December 30, 2024.

The Honorable Prime Minister of Sint Maarten, Dr Read more

Soul Beach Music Festival Returns To Its Roots In St. Maarten In 2025

GREAT BAY, St. Maarten The Soul Beach Music Festival is coming back to St. Maarten, where it began in the Caribbean as the Sinbad Soul Music Festival in 1995.

The popular music festival held usually during the US Memorial Day weekend, thereafter became an annual feature of Arubas tourism offerings for almost a quarter of a century.

We are most excited to welcome the Soul Beach Music Festival back to St. Maarten, announced Grisha Heyliger-Marten, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication.

Those who remember its beginning here as the Sinbad Soul Music Festival will recall the buzz and impact it had in attracting especially African-American tourists to our island Read more

Inspectorate Vsa Conducts Inspection At Smmc

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — On December 18, 2024, The Inspectorate of VSA conducted an inspection at the Sint Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) following a complaint received on November 28, 2024, regarding water issues in the sterilization room.

During the inspection water samples were taken from four tap-points in the sterilization room to determine if there was any form of cross-contamination in the water lines. The adjoining room, surrounding areas as well as the sewage water holding tank was inspected.

We were informed that indeed there was an incident with water getting into the sterilization room Read more

Interim Results Of Landfill Fire Probe

Impact map

 KRALENDIJK--After the fire at Bonaires landfill near Lagun on November, the governor as chairman of the island policy team requested assistance from the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment RIVM. The Environmental Incident Service MOD of RIVM collected soil, plant and sweeping samples in the vicinity of the dump to gain insight into the spread of harmful substances that were released into the environment Read more

Pond Island, Philipsburg The Ministry of Public Health, Social Development, and Labor (VSA) has made history with its first-ever participation in the thrilling “Beat the Marines” challenge. The event brought together 15 teams to showcase endurance, teamwork, and resilience. The Honorable Minister of VSA, Mr. Richinel Brug and the Ministrys team proudly represented its commitment to promoting a healthy lifestyle, fostering team spirit and perseverance.

The team, consisting of Minister Brug alongside team captain Sharilyn Bryson, Jamie Mourilion, Cheyenne Gumbs, Shobhan Giterson, Michael Sommersal, and Herbert Martina, successfully tackled the demanding obstacle course Read more

Ser Sint Maarten Pays A Visit To Ser Netherlands And Provides Updates On Pending Advice.

THE HAGUE— On December 6, 2024, a delegation led by Harlec Doran, Chairman of the Social Economic Council (SER) of Sint Maarten, made an introductory visit to the SER in The Hague. The delegation was welcomed by Prof. Dr. Kim Putters, Chairman of the SER of the Netherlands. This meeting marked another significant step toward reestablishing the close collaboration between the two advisory bodies, originally initiated in 2012 by Ren A Read more

Seniors To Expect Increased Aov Pension Payment As Of January 1St, 2025

PHILIPSBURGMinister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor Richinel Brug signs off on Old Age Pension (AOV) increase. The AOV pension increase is set to go into effect January 1st, 2025. The maximum payout for seniors will be raised from NAf1,338,- to NAf1398,-.

I am happy to announce that management of SZV confirmed that they are currently making the necessary changes to ensure timely payment Read more

Collectivit Signs Tripartite Agreement With State, National Housing Agency

President Louis Mussington and Prfet Vincent Berton sign the housing agency agreement as Director General of Services (DGS) Natacha Ptrine (left) and Vice Presidents Read more

DATE ISSUED: Tuesday 10th December 2024 @ 12:00 LST (16:00 UTC) VALID UNTIL: Wednesday midday (12:00 LST) 11th December 2024WEATHER:This afternoon through Wednesday midday: Fair to partly cloudy and breezy with isolated showers.Forecast High: 31C / 88F                Forecast Low:  26C / 79FSunset Today: 5:37 P.M.                   Sunrise Tomorrow: 6:34 A.M.SURFACE WINDS: This afternoon through Wednesday midday: Northeast to east with a gentle to moderate breeze of 08 to 18 mph and higher gusts.SYNOPSIS: An incoming trough will influence conditions across the area this forecast period Read more

Public Weather Forecast For St. Maarten

DATE ISSUED: Wednesday 4th December 2024 @ 12:00 LST (16:00 UTC) VALID UNTIL: Thursday midday (12:00 LST) 5th December 2024WEATHER:This afternoon and evening: Fair to partly cloudy with isolated showers.Tonight, through Thursday midday: Variably cloudy and breezy with scattered showers.Forecast High: 31C / 88F               Forecast Low:  25C / 77FSunset Today: 5:36 P.M.                   Sunrise Tomorrow: 6:30 A.M.SURFACE WINDS: This afternoon and evening: Easterly with a light to gentle breeze of 6 to 12 mphTonight, through Thursday midday: East-northeast to east-southeast with a light to moderate breeze of 8 to 15 mph and higher gusts.SYNOPSIS: Generally stable conditions persist, and moisture levels fluctuate Read more

Soualiga Corporate Toastmasters Celebrates Its 20Th Anniversary With A Grand Gala

Soualiga Corporate Toastmasters Club (SCTMC) proudly Celebrated its 20th anniversary Saturday November 23, 2024, at the Paradise Hall. Among the guests were the keynote speaker, the founding members and First president the Honorable President of Parliament Sarah A, Wescot Williams, past presidents and members of the Club.

Celebrating milestones is one way that Toastmasters reflect on the progress made over the years and as well as consider opportunities for the future.

As our Keynote Speaker, the President of Parliament said that it is an incredible honor to stand before you today as we gather to celebrate the 20th anniversary of our beloved Soualiga Corporate Toastmasters Club! Two decades have passed since we first came together with a visionto cultivate communication, leadership, and personal growth in a supportive community.

Speech by MP Sarah Wescot-Williams on the 20th anniversary of the Soualiga Corporate TM Club.

As the founder of this club, she remembers our initial meetings filled with excitement and a hint of uncertainty Read more

Edson Hato To Leave As Representative Of Vnacs

WILLEMSTAD – Mr. drs. E. (Edson) Hato, MBA, has announced that he will continue his career elsewhere. As of the 1st of December 2024, he will stop as the representative of the Netherlands in Aruba, Curaao and Sint Maarten.

Mr. Hato: I have fulfilled the role of representative of the Netherlands in Aruba, Curaao and Sint Maarten with great passion. An educational and intensive period, in which I have worked for a fruitful cooperation between the four countries in the Kingdom. Although I can agree with the ultimate objective of this cooperation – a good relationship between the countries – I have a different view on the way in which we can achieve that goal Read more