News

A new structure of taxi rates went into effect in Anguilla on Wednesday, November 23.

An American businessman, who has been a visitor to Anguilla since in the 1980s and fell in love with the island and its people, has now become a developer of this growing tourism paradise.

Unlike the past two years fair weather, under a beautiful moonlit sky, provided an excellent setting for the first four evenings of the Tranquility Jazz Festival, in Anguilla, which jump-started the 2005-2006 tourism season last week. These four evenings were the opening of the festival at Paradise Cove Resort on Wednesday, November 9, with a cocktail and welcome reception; the dinner and jazz concert at CuisinArt Resort and the performances on the Parking Lot at the National Bank of Anguilla and at Rumza on Thursday, Friday and Saturday respectively.

It is not known how many high profile persons were among the many visitors who flocked to Anguilla for the Tranquility Jazz Festival. However, The Anguillian’s attention was drawn to one of them as he sat dining and chatting away with a number of his accompanying friends at Johnno’s Beach Bar at Sandy Ground.

It is now the second week since the start of the 2005/2006 tourist season and the reopening of Anguilla’s classy hotels, famed restaurants, other accommodation facilities and guest services which continue to attract, delight and pamper our visitors season after season.

The 2nd Biennial National Development Conference opened at the Teachers’ Resource Centre in Anguilla on Wednesday, November 9, under the theme Empowerment of a People. A large number of persons, representing various sections of the public and private sectors, many of them being special invitees and commentators, turned up for the opening ceremony and first session of the conference.

The well-renowned Heritage Collection Museum, under the curatorship of Colville Petty, OBE, an authority on Anguilla’s history, has reopened for business after its annual two-month break. Located in East End, next to the East End Pond Bird Sanctuary, its opening hours are: 10.00 am to 5.00 pm – Monday to Saturday.
Heritage Collection provides a stimulating insight into the Anguilla of old.

Anguilla’s Chief Minister, Osbourne Fleming, outlined the island’s development programme at the opening of the OECS Authority meeting on Sunday, November 6. During his address he said the opportunity would be taken to discuss how the Heads of Government could assist Anguilla and how the Anguilla Government could help them in their development.

The Anguilla Government has taken the decision to place a halt on all new and major foreign investment tourism-related projects as from November 1st, 2005. The announcement was made on October 31 in a release from the Chief Minister’s Office.

Anguilla has broken ground for the construction of a Football Training Centre and Stadium at a cost of between 1.2 and 1.5 million US dollars. The ceremony was held at the Webster Park Annex

At a press conference on Wednesday, November 2, Chief Minister Osbourne Fleming said the agreement by the UK Government, following discussions with the Anguilla Government to localise the post of Deputy Governor as from next year, is a step in the right direction.

Social Security in Anguilla began a week of activities on Sunday, October 30 with its personnel attending a divine service at the Christian Assembly Church at Long Bay, conducted by Pastor Lucien McDonna.

Of late many Anguillians are becoming very health-conscious in view of the increasing chronic and death-threatening diseases affecting the local population and the world in general. Not to be accused of neglecting its advisory and prevention role on the island, the Primary Health Care Department, in conjunction with the Health Education Unit and the Community Nurses, has launched a series of awareness programmes to help maintain healthy life-styles among the island’s inhabitants.

The National Bank of Anguilla has taken its banking service to Sandy Ground with the official opening of an ATM there on Wednesday, October 26. It is located at the front of Sydans Guest House owned by Anne Edwards.

Conservation May Be An Answer

The continuing exorbitant price of fuel, especially gasoline, is a source of much concern to motorists in Anguilla and there are similar complaints in other islands of the Caribbean region. The situation has resulted from a general increase in market prices but on the international scene the cost of fuel, though up, is still far below the price in this area.

Massive Conference Centre Coming

Anguillian hotel developer, Quincy Gumbs, waved his hand towards his sprawling tourism project and said in a voice filled with confidence: “I am trying and someday I will reach there.”

"Better Safe Than Sorry"

Nestled between the sea on the west and the pond on the east, the narrow strip of inhabited land at Sandy Ground is one of Anguilla’s beauty spots but if misfortune strikes the area it can be swallowed up, threatening the lives and properties of the residents. So great is the concern about this possibility that the Department of Disaster Preparedness has come up with a Hurricane Evacuation Plan which was taken to the people there on Tuesday, October 11.

CM Issues Second Round of Public Consultations

Chief Minister, Osbourne Fleming, who told protesters last week that the Physical Planning Bill and the Labour Code Bill, will not be taken to the House of Assembly until the people of Anguilla are satisfied with their provisions, has announced a further series of public consultations on the draft legislation.

In an impressive ceremony, 96 students graduated from the Fifth Form of the Albena Lake Hodge Comprehensive School on Wednesday evening, October 12.

Anguilla’s Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, Victor Banks, delivered a broadcast on Tuesday, October 11, in which he deplored the way in which a number of Anguillian professionals and concerned persons responded to and held meetings on the Physical Planning Bill and the Labour Code Bill.