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Lake Urges Ministry To Get Rid Of Nipa-Board

St. Maarten – United people’s party MP Maurice Lake urged Education Minister Rita Bourne-Gumbs yesterday to get rid of the board at the National Institute of Professional Advancement (Nipa).

“When the school started in 2014 it had 288 students. In 2015 there are just 65,” Lake said. The board does not live up to any deadlines Read more

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Verene Shepherd Lectures At University On Saturday

Dr. Verene Shepherd. Photo courtesy VAS

St. Maarten – Dr. Verene Shepherd is the key note speaker at a lecture entitled “Reparatory Justice and the Decade for People of African Descent: The Caricom Case,” organized by the Independence for St. Martin Foundation (ISMF) at the University of St. Martin on Pond Island on Saturday at 8 p.m.

Keynote speaker Dr. Shepherd is an author, historian, and professor at the University of the West Indies, Jamaica. “The lecture focuses on the Caricom case for Reparations Read more

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St. Maarten Government Falls – Three Coalition Members Defect

Picture: St. Maarten Parliament

NEWSFLASH!! St. Maarten– The Gumbs government fell shortly after 12.30 p.m. today (Wednesday, September 30, 2015) after the parliament passed a motion of no-confidence submitted by Democratic Party MP Sarah Wescot-Williams with an 8-7 vote Read more

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Elton Jones About Five Years Country St. Maarten: “Basically We Are Back To Colonial Status”

Former Island Council member and Commissioner Elton Jones. Photo Today / Milton Pieters

St. Maarten /By Hilbert Haar – Eleven days from now, St. Maarten will mark the fifth anniversary of its existence as an autonomous country in the Dutch Kingdom. Are we better off than before, or not? And where do we go from here? Elton Jones, a former Island Council member and a former Commissioner back in the nineties, is of two minds: we’re not better off, but there is still hope for our country.

“The politicians in Philipsburg set the bar far too high,” the former air traffic controller says Read more

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Lions Clubs Net Over $6,200 For Dominica Disaster Relief

St. Maarten – A joint Radiothon by Lions Clubs of St. Maarten, Saint Martin and St. Barths raised $6,262.55 for the Dominica relief effort over the weekend. The Lions Clubs of St. Maarten, Fort Louis, Doyen, Qualichi and Ile de St. Barthelemy raised the funds in just four hours.

Even though the result is short of the $30,000 target set for the Radiothon, the Lions Club members are satisfied with the joint effort and the generous pledges that were made by members of the public in such a short time.

“We received very few pledges from the many large companies on St Read more

Tax-Compliance Measures Are Not Working

Cft: “Structural overhaul personnel costs necessary”

St. Maarten – Measures the government has put in place to increase tax compliance are not working. This appears from the reaction from financial supervisor Cft to the second execution report 2015. In the first half year, tax revenue fell 8 million guilders below budget. For the whole year, St. Maarten expects to collect 8.6 million guilders less than budgeted.

Nevertheless, the government wants to increase income levels for 2015 to 470 million guilders but, as this newspaper already reported last week, this does not have the approval of the financial supervisor.

“By taking additional measures St Read more

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Maduro Donates Bulletproof Vests

MP Franklin Meyers wears a bulletproof vest, surrounded by representatives of Maduro and Sons and the two Chief Inspectors. Photo contributed

St. Maarten – S.E.L. Maduro and Sons donated ten bulletproof vests to Chief Inspectors Rudolf Bloeiman and Ricardo Henson. The vests are for members of the bike patrol who are considered the ambassadors of St Read more

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Port Attends Security Conference

GREAT BAY – Port St. Maarten Security and several law enforcement agency representatives from St. Maarten recently attended a Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL) security conference where a strategic security alliance has been formed.

RCCL allowed a team of security and law enforcement professionals from St. Maarten to speak at the conference held by Global Security for the company’s security staff. This conference is held twice a year, and this is the first time that a port destination has been included as speaker.

The St Read more

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Serial Robber Drags Down Young Cousin With Him

Prosecution demands 15 and 10 years for seven robberies

St. Maarten – Jurendy Jacob B. has a criminal record that goes back to 2006. Yesterday the 27-year-old was in court for a dozen armed robberies, committed between November 29 of last year and June 1 of this year. Prosecutor Nanouk Lemmers demanded a 15-year prison sentence in the Court in First Instance. B. dragged down his 23-year-old cousin Lorine L. with him; she is facing a 10-year prison sentence for providing transport and for firearm possession Read more

Scell Officially Opened At Usm : “Develop Commitment To Lifelong Learning”

St. Maarten – The University of St. Martin (USM) officially opened its new school named “The St. Martin School of Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning (SCELL)”, which was launched on August 1, this year. Ministers Rita Bourne-Gumbs and Claret Connor represented the Council of Ministers at the reception while Managing Director of the Windward Islands Bank Derrick Downes is the first official donor of the programs the school offers.

Master of Ceremonies Rolando Tobias gave an introduction giving insight about the many programs SCELL offers: professional trainings for organizations, organizational event planning, Women Island Network, AHLEI certified hospitality & restaurant training, community personal development workshops, young professionals network, forward action mentoring program for youth, educational workshops for schools, motivational presentations and business power networking.

USM Board President Valerie Giterson-Patophlet called the SCELL program the new vehicle to move the university forward Read more

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St. Maarten Prime Minister In The Netherlands For Talks With Kingdom Relations Minister

Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs is in the Netherlands for talks with Kingdom Relations Minister Ronald Plasterk. There is no information available about the content of these talks at this moment, but the photo seems to suggest that, after all the tensions that have marred the relationship between the Kingdom and St. Maarten, Gumbs and Plasterk now appear to be the best of friends Read more

St. Maarten Prime Minister In The Netherlands For Talks With Kingdom Relations Minister

Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs is in the Netherlands for talks with Kingdom Relations Minister Ronald Plasterk. There is no information available about the content of these talks at this moment, but the photo seems to suggest that, after all the tensions that have marred the relationship between the Kingdom and St. Maarten, Gumbs and Plasterk now appear to be the best of friends Read more

Mp Marlin Wants To Talk About Dress Code

St. Maarten – There are zero journalist here. They are boycotting this meeting of parliament,” National Alliance faction leader William Marlin said yesterday afternoon during the debate about the deal the harbor made with developer Zebec Read more

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Mp Marlin Wants To Talk About Dress Code

St. Maarten – There are zero journalist here. They are boycotting this meeting of parliament,” National Alliance faction leader William Marlin said yesterday afternoon during the debate about the deal the harbor made with developer Zebec Read more

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Meeting About Zebec-Deal Continues: Opposition Questions Deal, Coalition Praises Harbor

St. Maarten – Parliament will have to wait until this afternoon for answers to the questions it posed yesterday in a public meeting about the settlement between the Harbor Group of Companies and real estate developer Zebec over the failed Harbor Village project.

As Today reported on Monday, September 14, social insurance agency SZV borrowed the harbor $10 million on a short 3-month loan to settle the dispute with Zebec.

Yesterday’s meeting did not bring anything new to light Read more

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Meeting About Zebec-Deal Continues: Opposition Questions Deal, Coalition Praises Harbor

St. Maarten – Parliament will have to wait until this afternoon for answers to the questions it posed yesterday in a public meeting about the settlement between the Harbor Group of Companies and real estate developer Zebec over the failed Harbor Village project.

As Today reported on Monday, September 14, social insurance agency SZV borrowed the harbor $10 million on a short 3-month loan to settle the dispute with Zebec.

Yesterday’s meeting did not bring anything new to light Read more

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Mp Silveria Jacobs Embarrassed By Ministers’ Crude Language

St. Maarten – National Alliance MP Silveria Jacobs admonished Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs and Vice Prime Minister Dennis Richardson yesterday for the language they have used in public fora Read more

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Garbage Meeting Fizzles: Many Questions, No Answers And No Solutions

St. Maarten – At the end of a long meeting, finally there were some fireworks when opposition MP asked Vromi-Minister Claret Connor to answer one question: “Is there a contract with a company to build the waste-to-energy plant and how does this jive with your visit to a project in Miami?”

Minister Connor, who had just said that he would be able to inform the parliament on Monday when he would be able to answer the more than one hundred questions MPs had asked, did not bite Read more

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Gebe’S 55Th Anniversary: Laptops For Students

St. Maarten –  At a special ceremony held on the parking lot of Gebe’s main office in Philipsburg, the utility provider demonstrated that they are not only known for providing water and light, they also recognized and equipped five students at the elementary level that have attained exceptional grades.

The event that coincides with Gebe’s 55th anniversary was just one way of giving back to the community. Each of the students was presented with a Dell laptop. The recipients are Jaidev Nainani from the St Read more

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Mp Heyliger: “The Dutch Keep Terrorizing Our Little Country” : Constitution Day Triggers Calls For Independence

St. Maarten – Parliament unanimously approved changes to several ordinances to establish the second Monday of October as Constitution Day, an official holiday. Under this legislation. Kingdom Day (December 15) will disappear from the local holiday-calendar. While approving the legislation was a formality, several MPs used the opportunity to express their sentiment about the country’s road towards independence.

“Moving towards the end goal – independence – it makes sense to move away from a day that celebrates that we are a part of the Kingdom,” National Alliance faction leader William Marlin said Read more

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Ombudsman Ducks Question About Uncaring Civil Servants

St. Maarten – “There is a group of civil servants that feels that the LMA protects them and that it is difficult to dismiss them. Is that part of the problem? Is there a sentiment that some civil servants just don’t care and that they don’t have to follow recommendations?” with that remark, independent MP Leona Marlin-Romeo, who worked as a civil servant at the census office, seemed to give a spark to a meeting of parliament where Ombudsman Dr Read more

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Dutch Representative Screens Troonrede In Holland House: “We Have Shared Interests”

Dutch representative Gert Versluis (left) and Milton Peters College Director Wim de Visser at the presentation of the Troonrede by King Willem Alexander at Holland House. Photo Today / Hilbert Haar

St. Maarten – The instruction of the Kingdom government to amend the 2015 budget is a “mega-challenge,” Dutch representative Gert Versluis said yesterday at an informal gathering at Holland House where his office screened the Troonrede of King Willem Alexander. “It is good that we have a very good minister of finance here who is qualified to tackle that problem Read more

Minister Richardson Criticizes Attorney-General Schram: “Justify Your Claims Or Shut The Hell Up”

Justice Minister Richardson is tired of accusations about corruption. Photo Today / Milton Pieters

St. Maarten – “My position has changed: it is put up or shut up. Justify your claims or shut the hell up. This has to stop,” Justice Minister Dennis Richardson said yesterday afternoon in parliament about the statements Attorney-General Guus Schram made last Friday about the interconnection between the underworld and the legitimate part of St. Maarten’s society.

“There are numerous indications showing that the underworld and the legitimate society in St Read more

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Parties Upset About Delay Landfill Meeting

St. Maarten – Opposition parties National Alliance and Democratic Party are upset about the postponement of a meeting they had requested about the landfill. “We do not take the postponement lightly,” the parties said in a press statement last night.

The meeting was initially moved to last Wednesday – beyond the four day term between a request and a meeting being held – due to the absence of Vromi-Minister Marcel Gumbs, the closing and opening of parliament and the swearing in of new ministers.

“All valid reasons for us to agree to Wednesday Read more

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