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CAYHILL:--- On Tuesday, March 21st, 2017 nurses of the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) collaborated with Rotarians of the Rotary Club of St. Maarten-Mid Isle to officially launch the baby bags in their “Welcome Baby” project.

The launch included a presentation by Rotarian Denise Antrobus, Rotarian Anjali Manek, and Nurse St. Cyr of the OB/GYN ward, who started the “Welcome Baby” initiative to support new mothers in need, as part of her objectives for this year. The presentation informed the invited guests about the project in detail and also allowed both organizations to present a “Welcome Baby” bag to the first official new mom in the project Read more

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Mussington And Charville Unite In Bid To Topple Team Gibbs In Second Round

MARIGOT--In a development widely expected following last Sunday’s result in the first round of the Territorial Council Election, Louis Mussington’s Movement for Justice and Prosperity (MJP) and J Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- Through its work, Transparency International (TI), a global organization, hopes to realize a world in which government, business, civil society and the daily lives of people will be free of corruption. Upon a country’s request, TI assesses its weaknesses and strengths with regard to integrity and good governance. Assessments were conducted in the Netherlands in 2012, for Curaçao in 2013 and for Sint Maarten in 2015.

To be able to assess a country’s integrity, TI looks at several pillars such as the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government, the public sector, law enforcement agencies, etc Read more

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MARIGOT: --- The Leader of MJP Loui Mussington has changed his party name to Alliance for Hope, Prosperity, and Justice as he formed a new list with the leader of HOPE Jules Charville. Mussington told SMN News late Tuesday afternoon that he did everything possible to form a list based on the way the people voted and he also wanted to include MVP since they were the third highest vote getter but the leader of MVP did not go along with his proposal because he is leading the list Read more

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Minister Gibson: Let’S Keep Up This Trend

PHILIPSBURG – Minister of Finance Richard Gibson in Wednesday’s, March 15, Council of Ministers Press Briefing gave a short update on his Ministry’s activities.

This week he was paid a visit by Minister of Finance of Curaçao Kenneth Gijsbertha, where in an extensive meeting, common issues were addressed, amongst which the Central Bank Read more

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Sarah: D66 ‘Will Push For Improved Relations’

PHILIPSBURG--The Democrats 66, led by Alexander Pechtold, “will push for improved and respectful relations in the Dutch Kingdom, that is my fervent hope, in any case,” said Democratic Party (DP) leader Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Wil Read more

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Major Steps For International Protection Of Caribbean Sharks Following Dutch Proposal

CAYENNE, French Guiana - Great news for shark conservation in the Caribbean. On March 13th, 2017 it was officially decided to protect eight shark species under the international Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) Protocol following a proposal by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs in cooperation with a team of shark experts. The SPAW protocol is the only cross-border legislative instrument for nature conservation in the Wider Caribbean Region Read more

Minister Jacobs: Give A Helping Hand

PHILIPSBURG – In Wednesday’s, March 8, Council of Minister’s Press Briefing Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Silveria Jacobs updated on the following:

This weekend the SXM DOET will be happening all over the Dutch Kingdom. She commended the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School management and staff for initiating the painting of their school, as well as their benches.

As a result of the initiative of the Ministry, three public schools will have murals done Read more

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Minister Of Finance: It System Held Together With Hanger Wires And Tape

PHILIPSBURG – Minister of Finance Richard Gibson addressed the Press in Wednesday’s, March 8, Council of Minister’s press briefing.

First, he mentioned the closing of the Receiver’s and Census Offices “because of a smell that was detected this morning in the building. It has not been discovered yet where that smell is coming from, what’s the source of the smell or the nature of the smell, whether it is sewage, electrical, or another.”

“The Fire Department came and aired out the building, and hopefully by lunchtime there is a plan that the Receiver of taxes, the Census office will again open,” he said.

“We’ve been experiencing breach in terms of a virus attack again Read more

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Temporary Replacement Of Cpo

Due to the temporary appointment by the Honorable Minister of Justice Rafael A. Boasman of CPO Steven Carty who is assisting the management team of the Pointe Blanch Prison to restore order and  improve the situation at the prison, left the Philipsburg, Guana Bay, Hope Estate and Point Blanch areas temporarily without a Community Police Officer.

The police management team has therefore appointed CPO, Inspector Rensley V Read more

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Boasman’S ‘Lizzy Lizard’ Most Checked-Out At Library

PHILIPSBURG – “Exciting reading happens in March and February for International Women’s Day and Black History Month. Early in the year I’m also very curious about the performance of books published in St. Maarten,” by House of Nehesi Publishers (HNP), said Jacqueline Sample, president of HNP.

Libraries, book distributors, and bookstores may provide some objective information about the performance of books. Philipsburg Jubilee Library (PJL) has a list of HNP books checked out by library customers from 2014 to 2016.

“Lizzy Lizard was checked out the most among the 12 HNP titles that were borrowed a number of times from PJL in 2016,” said Sample.

Lizzy Lizard by Robin Boasman was taken out 20 times in 2016, outperforming other HNP books by at least 10 points Read more

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GREAT BAY:---“Exciting reading happens in March and February for International Women’s Day and Black History Month. Early in the year I’m also very curious about the performance of books published in St. Martin” by House of Nehesi Publishers (HNP), said Jacqueline Sample, president of HNP.
Libraries, book distributors, and bookstores may provide some objective information about the performance of books. Philipsburg Jubilee Library (PJL) has a list of HNP books checked out by library customers from 2014 to 2016 Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- Due to the temporary appointment by the Honorable Minister of Justice Rafael A. Boasman of CPO Steven Carty who is assisting the management team of the Pointe Blanch Prison to restore order and improve the situation at the prison, left the Philipsburg, Guana Bay, Hope Estate and Point Blanch areas temporarily without a Community Police Officer.
The police management team has therefore appointed CPO, Inspector Rensley V Read more

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Caribbean Awaits Trump Moves On Climate Funding, Paris Deal

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent – Caribbean leaders worry that with climate change sceptic Donald Trump in the White House, it will be more difficult for small island developing states facing the brunt of climate change to secure the financing necessary to adapt to and mitigate against it.

Mere days after Trump’s inauguration, the White House ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to delete a page about climate change from its website Read more

Minister Jacobs: Not Just A Marketing Issue, Not Just A Culture Issue, It’S A St. Maarten Issue

PHILIPSBURG – Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Silveria Jacobs in Wednesday’s, March 1, Council of Ministers Press Briefing, updated on issues within Division of Public Education.

After having received a list of grievances last year 2016, from the various public schools, meetings were held with both management and teachers, and those grievances were brought forward to the ministry, Minister Jacobs informed.

Areas of complaint covered, lack of a discipline policy; serious issues with discipline within schools; children with learning disabilities; adherents to the school curriculum; lack of parental involvement; day to day maintenance of school premises, among others.

The Department of Education, Department of Youth Affairs, Head of the Division Inspection and Exams Head of the Division Public Education, and the Secretary General hosted a meeting where these concerns were brought forward and brainstorming and action planning took place on how to facilitate solving some of these grievances.

“The plans are currently underway, some of them in the beginning phases, others as they are long-term still need to begin Read more

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*** Breaking News *** Two Arrests In Fatal Shooting At Hope Estate

UPDATE Prosecutor’s Office Bulletin:

OVER THE BANK, Sint Maarten — Members of the St. Maarten Police Force and the Kingdom Detectives Cooperation Team (RST) led by the Prosecutor’s Office and in the presence of the investigative judge held two house searches in Pointe Blanche and in Belvedere on Tuesday afternoon, February 21, 2017.

Two suspects H.H.M. (22) and H.F.M Read more

PHILIPSBURG:---Utility provider GEBE and the St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) have partnered for Carnival 2017 to specifically highlight SCDF’s Culture Night and culture in general throughout Carnival. The two entities are no strangers, having partnered for well over three decades in various forms.

SCDF President Alston Lourens accepted GEBE’s contribution towards Carnival 2017 on Thursday from the company’s Chief Operations Office Veronica Jansen-Webster and the Chief Financial Officer Iris Arrindell.

Lourens expressed thanks on behalf of the board and volunteers of the SCDF and noted that it’s a perfect fit for GEBE to support Culture Night as it will feature the various national groups that make up St Read more

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Admitted that they have made several mistakes and are busy cleaning up to enhance their services.

PHILIPSBURG: --- Management of USZV have started a nationwide campaign in an effort to inform the general public of all their rights and obligation while being insured at USZV. The staff of USZV has embarked on a mass media campaign, they are also going door to door and are prepared to meet with every stakeholder including the SHTA, to inform them that workers on St. Maarten must be insured regardless of their legal status, besides that every insured person must know what they are entitled to and as such USZV is committed to taking all action to fully inform the population.
Managing Director of USZV Glen Carty admitted that the health insurance company does have lots of problems that needs fixing, which he said will take a few years before they are up to par Read more

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Wednesday February 15th, Minister Plenipotentiary sat with her staff, to once again address the issue of rise in the unprepared “Free moving” students, (students that travel on their own, and not through the Bureau of Study financing), to The Netherlands, in an ambitious attempt to pursue their tertiary education.

For the past months, the cabinet of the Ministry Plenipotentiary in The Hague has been encountering numerous troubling situations with youngsters from Sint Maarten, who for whatever reason, have decided to take this route.

The Minister took note that while the students, making the choice to travel to the Netherlands on their own is on the rise, quite often the necessary preparations in terms of housing, the acceptance and enrolment into schools in particular, among other things, is not completed before these ambitious students leave Sint Maarten.

Being that they independently make contact with schools in The Netherlands, they are not in contact with the Study Financing Department on Sint Maarten, and therefore do not participate in the trainings offered that help the other students prepare for among other things, the change in the social and cultural landscape of the Netherlands to which they must adapt.

In most cases, this results in these students facing insurmountable issues, where they struggle to get a grip of the situation they are in Read more

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Is St. Maarten Against Refugees? A French Asylum Refugee Is Being Deported To Venezuela

1 in every 113 people on earth is an asylum-seeker, internally displaced, or a refugee. How many people do you know? Stand #WithRefugees pic.twitter.com/JAIhpGAMBu

— UN Refugee Agency (@Refugees) February 13, 2017

~Immigration is aware of 4 individuals who want to asked for asylum in St. Maarten~

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – About three weeks now Kleyber Jose Garcia-Arias (30) from Venezuela, has been incarcerated at the police station section of the Immigration Department, after he and his companion had a domestic dispute at an address on the Dutch Side Read more

Boasman: Priorities Are Very Clear On What Needs To Be Done

PHILIPSBURG – Acting Prime Minister Raphael Boasman updated the press and public in Wednesday’s, February 8, Press Briefing.

Last weekend, he had “discussions with the Chief of Police Mr. Carl John on the situation and early Monday morning I met with him, and the police management team to further discuss the situation. At that point I was presented with an immediate plan of action to deal with the situations with the robberies.”

Minister Boasman mentioned that there are other investigations that are taking place, and other actions that have been initiated like the search of the prison where a weapon was found.

“We discussed thoroughly the plan of action Read more

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Lost Bob Marley Tapes Restored After 40 Years In London Basement

KINGSTON, Jamaica  – Lost recordings by Bob Marley found in a damp hotel basement in London after more than 40 years have been restored.

The tapes are the original, high-quality live recordings of the reggae legend’s concerts in London and Paris between 1974 and 1978. Tracks include No Woman No Cry, Jamming and Exodus.

They were at first believed to be ruined beyond repair, largely because of water damage.

Marley, who died in 1981, would have been 72 on Monday.

The tapes were found in a run-down hotel in Kensal Rise, north-west London, where Bob Marley and the Wailers stayed during their European tours in the mid-1970s.

They were discovered when Joe Gatt, a Marley fan and London businessman, took a phone call from a friend, who had found them while doing a building refuse clearance.

From the 13 reel-to-reel analogue master tapes, 10 were fully restored, two were blank and one was beyond repair Read more

Jacobs: Ministry Is Systematically Looking To Prioritize All Challenges

PHILIPSBURG –  At Wednesday’s, February 1, Council of Minister Press Briefing, Minister of Education, Culture, Youth, and Sport Silveria Jacobs updated on the issues her Ministry was dealing with.

Agreements were finalized to get the works moving at the Leonald Connor School on “the critical upgrade, which we’ve been speaking about for quite some time.”

The company that won the contract was Hemco NV and Representative Henry Frederick signed an agreement Read more

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Haiti President-Elect Says Trump Business Background To Help Ties

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Haiti’s incoming president said he believed U.S. President Donald Trump‘s business background would give him a better grasp of bilateral relations, as the impoverished Caribbean nation recovers from a devastating hurricane.

President-elect Jovenel Moise, a successful banana exporter, was declared winner this month of a vote initially held in 2015 that had to be rerun more than a year later, due to allegations of voter fraud. He is scheduled to be sworn in on Feb Read more