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Nature Foundation Helps Remove Wrecks From Lagoon

GREAT BAY–The St. Maarten Nature Foundation took part in the wide-scale cleanup of the Simpson Bay Lagoon spearheaded by Vromi Minister Maurice Lake and his ministry, in collaboration with the St. Maarten Marine Trades Association. The logistics were jointly organized by the Nature Foundation and the SMMTA.

During the cleanup the Nature Foundation focused on the removal of wrecks and major garbage on the lagoon Read more

New territorial archives and Media Library inaugurated

MARIGOT--The brand new building in Concordia that houses both the Territorial Archives and the Media Library was officially inaugurated Monday in the presence of elected officials, Director of the National Archives of France attached to the Ministry of Culture Hervé Lemoine, Director of the Archives Department in Guadeloupe Anne Lebel and numerous invited guests from both sides of the island.

Guests included principals of the collèges and schools, representatives of supervising contractor Semsamar, subcontractors, architects, representatives of the Philipsburg Jubilee Library, the Anguilla library, as well as employees and management of the Territorial Archives and Media Library.

Other personalities present, such as artist Roland Richardson and his wife, historian Daniella Jeffry, and President of the St Read more

Families of the Disappeared suffer as Northern Ireland drags feet on past

GLENAVY, Northern Ireland--As Brendan Megraw's coffin was lowered into his family grave 36 years after he was kidnapped and shot by the IRA, the mourners at the cemetery felt relief but also anger at Northern Ireland's reluctance to investigate its past.

Among those gathered at the graveside were relatives of a dozen other people "disappeared" by the Irish Republican Army in the 1970s and 80s Read more

‘The Sunshine-City, Guava-Berry sound’

Dear Editor,

St. Martin's (north and south) style of music has always intrigued me; therefore, I would like to tell my comrades about our unique style. If one would listen to tunes produced by The Mighty Dow, The Emperor Brat, King Patou, King T-MO, King Beau Beau, King Jacko, Doctor Jones, King Fish De Mega Boss, King Stunky, Ramon Wilson, Lino, Kaiso Genius, Rosan Maccow, The Mighty Baker Jr. one would hear 14 very different styles. But they all have what I would call the "Sunshine-City, Guava-Berry” flavour.

Here is a gentle reminder from The Mighty Dow's road-march tune "St Read more

style="text-align: center;">TODAY Newspaper Editor in Chief could have confirmed the screening reports by asking their Publisher.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Some of the candidates that ran on the UPP slate are enraged because they said they were treated like children when their party leader Theodore Heyliger interrogated them to see if any of them would have told him who leaked the screening results to SMN News Read more

>GREAT BAY:--- In December, University of Puerto Rico (UPR) students will turn in term papers and take final exams that reflect their study of Nativity, The Salt Reaper, and Brotherhood of The Spurs by the St. Martin author Lasana M. Sekou.
Some of the university students had more than just Sekou's poetry and fiction books to read. The Doctoral Program of UPR's English department brought Sekou to Puerto Rico to give a three-day lecture last October/November, according Dr Read more

style="text-align: center;">Prosecution Purposely delayed Investigations to Taint St. Maarten as a Country, were they instructed to destroy St. Maarten or are they incompetent?

PHILIPSBURG:--- The screening process that was conducted these past weeks by a team of persons including the prosecution can only be described as a one eye giant and the Prosecutors Office is failing to execute their duties or they are simply incompetent. At least two of the persons that failed the screening raised eyebrows Read more

Editorial - Best for now

"Only in St. Maarten," some people no doubt were saying after another news-filled Saturday, with word that four candidate minsters did not pass the screening and a –thankfully false – bomb alert that caused chaos at SXM Princess Juliana International Airport precisely during its busiest day and hours of the week.

Regarding the latter one can keep it short. Authorities need to take the incident very seriously and treat it like a major crime, because that's exactly what it was, with the entire island and its tourism economy as the ultimate victims.

If the call made to the police is in any way traceable no time should be lost in trying to find out who is responsible Read more

North Korea: our supporters may be behind Sony attack

SEOUL/BOSTON--The Pyongyang government's state-run media said the cyber attack on Sony's Hollywood studio may have been the work of pro-North Korean supporters in a report on Sunday that dismissed charges that the country itself was to blame as "wild rumour."
  "The hacking into Sony Pictures Entertainment might be a righteous deed of the supporters and sympathizers with the DPRK in response to its appeal," the article by the KCNA news agency said, using the official DPRK acronym for North Korea.
  The article, which represents the nation's most detailed response about the attack to date, denounced South Korea, accusing Seoul of "floating the false rumour that the North was involved in the hacking."
  It also warned the United States that "there are a great number of supporters and sympathizers with the DPRK all over the world."
  It said 'Guardians of Peace,' the hacking gang that has taken responsibility for the attack at the Sony Corp unit, was one such group Read more

Maccow’s St. Maarten debut lasts 59 seconds

PHILIPSBURG--The hammer hit the old metal brake drum with a loud thud. The referee signalled for the boxers to fight. It was the second bout on This is War card promoted by Bobby Ottley and B.O.S.E. Promotions at L.B. Scott Sports Auditorium Saturday night. The stands were half full.

Local fighter Sidney Maccow was to face Justin Gogulski from Curaçao Read more

Wrecks removed in lagoon cleanup

SIMPSON BAY--Nature Foundation focused on the removal of wrecks and major garbage from Simpson Bay lagoon during Saturday’s lagoon cleanup organised by the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI together with St. Maarten Marine Trades Association (SMMTA).

With the assistance of the Maritime Affairs Department many wrecks were removed within the lagoon, including those which were damaged by Hurricane Gonzalo and were wrecked to the side of t Read more

More surveillance cameras to be installed on French side

MARIGOT--The Executive Council voted at its most recent meeting last week for sixteen more surveillance cameras to be installed on the French side, as well as four cameras that can read number plates on cars.

The total cost of the cameras, installation and the necessary infrastructure work amounts to 4,281,357 euros. The project has been awarded to the company GETELEC.

The Executive Council also authorised the President to sign off on two lots of office and school furniture to be provided by Cariburo.

In addition, the President signed and confirmed the engagement for the rainwater management study in Belle Plaine that will be undertaken by the companies SAFEGE and Independent Consulting Engineers (ICE) N.V., financing for which has been provided by Interreg Caraïbes Read more

Colombia’s Maria Lopes-Perez is Miss Caraïbes Hibiscus 2015

MAHO--Maria Alejandra Lopez-Perez from Colombia was selected Miss Caraïbes Hibiscus 2015 on Saturday evening at Casino Royale in Maho. The beautiful Colombian, who was also Miss Pan-America in 2013, beat eight other contestants for the crown.

Originally there had been 13 contestants, however, Miss St. Martin/St. Maarten Lisandre Nicoise had withdrawn from the competition, and contestants from Curaçao, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela's flights were cancelled as the result of a bomb scare at SXM Princess Juliana International Airport Read more

Mexico says evidence now proves missing students were burned up

MEXICO CITY--Mexican authorities on Sunday said that mounting evidence and initial DNA tests confirmed that 43 trainee teachers who were abducted by corrupt police 10 weeks ago were incinerated at a garbage dump by drug gang members.
  Attorney General Jesus Murillo told reporters that one of the students had been identified by experts in Austria from a bone fragment in a bag of ash and bits of burned tire found in a river where drug gang members said they tossed the students remains.
  "This scientific proof confirms that the remains found at the scene coincide with the evidence of the investigation," Murillo said Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Reliable information reaching SMN News states that Finance Minister Martin Hassink will be the scapegoat that will be used by the UP/De Weever/LRMarlin coalition. Sources close to the formation of the government labeled the Marcel Gumbs cabinet said that the incoming Prime Minister intends to ask Finance Minister Martin Hassink to stay on board until they find a suitable candidate to take up the post.
The source said that Hassink will agree to stay for a period of three months since he cannot abandon the ship now, Hassink even told members of the media when he was asked two weeks ago if he will stay on for the full term and he made it clear that he will for three months and after that serve as an advisor to government if they so desire Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- On Saturday, December 6, 2014 the Latin American Parliament, Parlatino, celebrated its 50th Anniversary in a Commemorative General Assembly in Panama. A delegation comprising of Members of Parliament of Sint Maarten headed by the President of Parliament, Hon. Lloyd Richardson, MD attended this gathering.

The gathering started with the raising of the Parlatino flag, singing of the Parlatino anthem, paying homage to the founders and former Presidents of Parlatino, speeches from dignitaries followed by the presentation of gifts from the member countries to Parlatino amongst others.

The Hon Read more

style="text-align: center;">Nature Foundation Hopes Cleanup Will be a Yearly Event

SIMPSON BAY:--- The St. Maarten Nature Foundation took part in the wide-scale cleanup of the Simpson Bay Lagoon which took place on Saturday. The Minister of VROMI the Honorable Maurice Lake spearheaded the cleanup and the Ministry, the St. Maarten Marine Trades Association and the Nature Foundation jointly organized the logistics.

  During the cleanup the Nature Foundation focused on the removal of wrecks and major garbage on the lagoon Read more

style="text-align: center;">Prosecution Purposely delayed Investigations to Taint St. Maarten as a Country, were they instructed to destroy St. Maarten or are they incompetent?

PHILIPSBURG:--- The screening process that was conducted these past weeks by a team of persons including the prosecution can only be described as a one eye giant and the Prosecutors Office is failing to execute their duties or they are simply incompetent. At least two of the persons that failed the screening raised eyebrows Read more

Plans Little Bay Include Open Beach-Access

St. Maarten – Karis Development NV obtained a building permit for the construction of seven apartment buildings in Little Bay, between Little Bay Pond and the beach. The permit department at the Vromi-Ministry approved the permit on October 20. The building site became the center of a controversy earlier this week, after the landowner closed off public access to the beach. The gate has since then been reopened, but public concerns about free access to the beach persisted.

Vromi-Minister Maurice Lake showed the building plans yesterday to reporters Read more

Cps Appeals To Garages And Tire Shops To Help Stop Mosquitoes

St. Maarten – The Collective Preventive Services (CPS), is appealing to garage owners and tire repair shops to take measures to remove mosquito breeding sites from their establishments and to maintain on a daily basis control measures to eliminate any standing water on their premises.

Accumulation of rainwater in tires provides breeding space for mosquitoes that carry the dengue/chikungunya-causing virus. According to the CPS, Minister of Public Health Cornelius de Weever, ‘Get Checked” campaign, is in line with the appeal for residents, and business owners, to check-in and around their homes, and businesses in order to reduce breeding sites of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, and make them mosquito-free zones.

“The design of tires makes them ideal breeding sites for several species of mosquitoes, some of which are very important vectors of disease.  Since they are easily filled by rain and collect leaf litter, they provide an ideal incubator for mosquito larvae Read more

Sint Maarten Represented At Parlatino 50Th Anniversary Celebration

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – On Saturday, December 6, 2014 the Latin American Parliament, Parlatino, celebrated its 50th Anniversary in a Commemorative General Assembly in Panama.

A delegation comprising of Members of Parliament of Sint Maarten headed by the President of Parliament, Hon. Lloyd Richardson, MD attended this gathering.

The gathering started with the raising of the Parlatino flag, singing of the Parlatino anthem, paying homage to the founders and former Presidents of Parlatino, speeches from dignitaries followed by the presentation of gifts from the member countries to Parlatino amongst others.

The Hon Read more

SXM Autism Association

~ Training to better understand autism ~

SXM Autism Association is continuing to work to fill a need in our community. They have organized training on autism designed for the general public, in partnership with National Education, General Social Security Fund (SSTC) in Guadeloupe and SESSAD (Service d'Education Spéciale et de Soins à Domicile) in France. The training was held in late November and early December.

Understanding autistic people is the focus of the training, and it is based on applied analysis of their behavioural cues Read more

Editorial - Improved compliance

Today's news that the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT has given St. Maarten until January 31 to establish the 2015 budget is most welcome. The original December 15 deadline had clearly gotten out of reach, in part due to the recent political developments and issues with the screening of candidate ministers.

Affording the incoming UP-led coalition more time to present amendments bringing the draft in line with CFT's advice and the Kingdom Consensus Law on Financial Supervision shows the necessary respect for the Gumbs Cabinet that – after all – will have to work with it Read more

Four minister candidates reportedly fail screening

PHILIPSBURG--It appears that efforts to put together a new cabinet have come up a few ministers short. Four of the minister candidates reportedly have failed the extensive screening to take up a post in what has been billed as the Marcel Gumbs Cabinet.

Those said to have failed the security and integrity screenings are finance minister candidate Richard Gibson Sr., health minister candidate Leroy de Weever, infrastructure minister candidate Peggy-Ann Brandon and deputy minister plenipotentiary candidate Lucas Berman.

According to people close to the issue, attorney and former minister in the Netherlands Antilles Gibson Sr Read more