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>SIMPSON BAY:----For the fourth consecutive year, the Princess Juliana International Airport, SXM, in collaboration with Domino’s Pizza, will be saying “Bon Voyage” to about 30 students who will be departing the island Sunday, August 2, 2015, to further their studies in The Netherlands.
Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, Minister of Education, Sports, Culture & Youth Affairs Rita Bourne-Gumbs, and SXM Airport’s Managing Director Regina LaBega will all address the students before they board the KLM aircraft that will take them to Schiphol, Amsterdam.
During the special send-off, the students, while enjoying pizza and refreshments distributed by Domino’s Pizza, will be entertained by DJ King Kembe and MC Suppa.
They will also receive goodie bags containing SXM branded gift items fit for college-bound students Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:---- Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, Minister of Finance Martin Hassink, Vice Presidents of Parliament Leona Marlin-Romeo and Cornelius de Weever were in Anguilla last Friday to attend the change of the guard at the Monetary Council of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB).
In a ceremony that took place on July 24, Anguilla’s Chief Minister Victor Banks became the chairman which was held by Prime Minister of St Read more

>In a further reaction to the governing program 2014 -2018, " Ready to work for you", as received by Parliament from Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs , I cannot but express utter disappointment in the document that should have spelled out government's vision for the remainder of this governing term.

Considering that the government has presented the program to Parliament, I consider this the program of the Gumbs-cabinet Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:----- Prime Minister Hon. Marcel Gumbs invited Tracy Blijden who recently graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Culinary Arts and Food Service Management from Johnson and Wales University.
Blijden spent one month in Singapore and is now off to Germany to further gain experience and expand her craft in culinary arts. To hig Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister Hon. Marcel Gumbs earlier in the week received the Ombudsman 2014 Annual Report from Ombudsman Dr. Nilda Arduin. Also present for the presentation was student and former chair of the Youth Parliament, Rochana Richardson, who is currently on a summer job stint at the Ombudsman Bureau. The report has been sent to Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- As the uproar continues within the United Peoples Party (UPP) since most Members of Parliament from the UPP faction are in disagreement with their leader Theodore Heyliger, at least two Members of Parliament from the UPP faction and two of their coalition partners have decided to take the bull by its horns to do the work of the people.
SMN News understands that some of the UPP MP’s are saying that their leader is not leading the country instead he is always off island making his business deals which is causing serious problems within the party.
Therefore MP Franklin Meyers who is the deputy leader of the UPP and faction leader took the bull by its horns and decided along with MP Tamara Leonard, coalition partners Independent Members of Parliament Leona Marlin Romeo and Cornelius de Weever and presented their governing program to Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs in the presence of Minister Claret Connor on July 16th 2015 Read more

style="text-align: center;">International Justice Day

PHILIPSBURG:---- Acting governor for country St. Maarten his excellency Reynold Groeneveld called for a law faculty for the island during his address at the ceremony for comemorate justice day on Friday July 17. St. Maarten should work with the University of St. Martin to establish this as soon as possible said the acting governor.
The uniform division of the Justice chain marched from the Police station
in Philipsburg to the Festival village for the ceremony Read more

>AIRPORT/ PHILIPSBURG:--- The Management and Supervisory Board of Directors of the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIAE) has yet another set of questions to answer before the Prime Minister of St. Maarten Marcel Gumbs decide on whether or not he will sign the building permit registered under the number BP 229/14 that was sent to him on June 29th 2015 for signature since the department of VROMI completed their task and found no reason to withhold the building permit.
SMN News learnt that instead of Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs signing off the building permit so that PJIAE could continue with its renovations; he dispatched a letter to the Chairman of the of the Supervisor Board Mr Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:---- Prime Minister Hon. Marcel Gumbs attended the oath-taking ceremony at the Governor’s Cabinet on Friday for the first-Sint Maarten born Cardiologist Emiko Bird-Lake.
In the presence of her mother, Veronica Lake, and the husband of Emiko Bird-Lake, the oath was administered by Acting Governor His Excellency Reynold Groeneveldt.
Cardiologist Bird-Lake is part of a specialist rotational program established by St Read more

Shake up in current cabinet – Where does this leave Coalition partner MP Frans Richardson?

>PHILIPSBURG:--- There seems to be an imminent shake up in the current Gumbs cabinet. SMN News wrote various articles mentioning that Minister Claret Connor will be removed from his post as Minister of TEATT and be placed at the Ministry of VROMI. On Wednesday evening the UPP faction leader and deputy leader Franklin Meyers announced that Minister Claret Connor will be moving to the Ministry of VROMI but the UPP deputy leader did not say how soon this will take place Read more

style="text-align: center;">GEBE Supervisory Board plans to file complaint against Maduro and Harley.

PHILIPSBURG: --- SMN News has landed its hands on some more documents relating to the dismissal of Romelio Maduro all of which was sent to the Council of Ministers on the decision taken by the Supervisory Board of Directors to dismiss the former Chief Operational Officer (COO) Romelio Maduro when they discovered that Maduro abused his position as the COO and head of the management team when he signed a contract with Alfred Harley under a company that is owned by his mother which is meant for inter-island purchasing and not consultancy.
On May 15th 2015, the supervisory board sent a letter to the Council of Ministers stating that they have taken a decision not to renew the working contract for Maduro Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister Hon. Marcel Gumbs is calling on the populace to be extremely careful not to light any bush fires and not to throw out any lighted cigarettes which could easily ignite a fire. The extreme drought has heightened the threat for bush fires.
The Meteorological Department of Sint Maarten seasonal outlook for July and August says that rainfall is expected to be below-normal to near normal.
Present observations are indicating that there is a greater than 90 per cent chance that El Nino will continue through the fall Read more

EXCLUSIVE: Mysterious draft MOU signed by GEBE COO and GB Energy Surfaced --- PM Marcel Gumbs and MP Theodore Heyliger witnessed signing at DIVI Little Bay Hotel.

style="text-align: center;">Supervisory Board of Directors allegedly Cancelled MOU --- Will Prime Minister come forward with signed copies.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The much talked about Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was signed earlier this year by the former COO of GEBE Romelio Maduro and the President of the G. B Energy Pablo Porles has surfaced. However, SMN News only managed to retrieve the unsigned copy which is documented as “Privileged and Confidential.” The MOU which several Members of Parliament requested and to date cannot receive was signed on February 4th 2015 at the Divi Little Bay Hotel in the presence of Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, the shareholder representative of the Government of St Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister Hon. Marcel Gumbs on Friday morning received the 2014 Annual Report from the Corporate Governance Council (CGC).
During the discussions, both the Prime Minister and the members of the CGC pointed out the importance of the CGC for the Shareholder and Government Owned Companies.
Representing the CGC was Read more

style="text-align: center;">Prime Minister allegedly lied to Parliament when he said he could not obtain documents -- Reliable Sources.

PHILIPSBURG:--- As the scandals at GEBE continues to surface SMN News managed to obtain some of the checks that were paid out to the owner of St. Maarten Service Provider Alfred Harley a former journalist on St. Maarten and former representative of UTS-St. Kitts and also the former executive director of SHTA (St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association.)
Harley told the newspaper he once worked for that he never collected any monies from GEBE however the checks written out to St Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:---  Prime Minister Hon. Marcel Gumbs on Thursday forwarded a letter of support to the Prime Minister of Aruba Hon. Mike Eman in connection with the untimely death of Aruban citizen Mitch Henriquez (42).
Gumbs in his letter to the Aruban Prime Minister expressed his condolences on behalf of the Government and people of Sint Maarten to the family, friends, the Government and people of Aruba.
Prime Minister Gumbs also stated in his letter to Eman that the Government of Sint Maarten is prepared to support Aruba’s call for an independent investigation by a commission into the death of Mitch Henriquez.
Such a commission would investigate what transpired and hold those responsible by seeking justice.
Sint Maarten is also prepared to support the candidacy of an Aruban to be a part of the independent commission.
The letter was also copied to Aruba’s Minister Plenipotentiary in The Hague, the Netherlands Hon Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- It was exactly a Cultural Manifestation on Wednesday, July, 1 at the Emancipation day celebrations which started Tuesday evening with the run to freedom at Diamond Hill Estate. A re-enactment of slaves running from the Dutch side of the island towards the French border while being chased by slave masters. It was an emotional evening, poetry and encouraging words portrayed by several speakers.

A cultural Parade started at 2:30pm at the start of Marigot Hill and made its way throughout Sint Peters Read more