Local News

Seventh-day Adventist from various parts of the Caribbean, involved in the Church’s Prison Ministry and Community Service Departments, ended a 5-day retreat in Anguilla on Monday this week. It also brought together administrative officials from the North Caribbean Conference, the newly-established Conference in Antigua and the Caribbean Union in Trinidad.

Anguilla Air Express, an airline operated by Anguillians Kirby Hodge and his wife, Rose, can take over the service of the American Eagle which this month withdrew from the island as part of its termination of flights to various other Caribbean destinations from the San Juan, Puerto Rico hub.

Director for the British Overseas Territories, Colin Roberts, said it was sad to see some of the things written on the blogs about the United Kingdom Government’s attitude towards Anguilla and about Governor Harrison.

Twelve students, who have completed the basic sciences programme at St. James School of Medicine in Anguilla, graduated from their initial training at a White Coat Ceremony held at CuisinArt Resort and Spa on Monday, April 18.
The international students completed four semesters or sixteen months of study in the basic sciences.

Acts of burglary, robbery and theft are continuing in various parts of Anguilla, according to the Police Report for the period April 13-20, although, in some cases, at a reduced level.

Some 200 students at the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School attended what was described as a World Affairs Mini Seminar at the Rodney MacArthur Rey Auditorium on Wednesday, April 20.

Hon. Evans McNiel Rogers, Leader of the Opposition and Elected Member for Valley North, has written to the Clerk to the House of Assembly requesting the Speaker to convene an urgent meeting of the House of Assembly to repeal the Interim Stabilization Levy Act recently passed in the House on March 24 2011.

1. Question: Did the British Government ask the Anguilla United Front (AUF) to put income taxes in place?

Saturday, April 16, marked Anguilla’s Second Extreme Bake Off Competition, hosted by the “Jesus Christ V.I.Ps of Anguilla,” whose President is Lisa Connor.

The aim of such an event was to promote and expose the baking talent of the competitors.

As part of the wider educational initiatives in Anguilla, a nursing training programme is being planned for the island and will be launched in the coming months.

Several top Anguillian Nurses have served the island with distinction over the years but retired unsung, with little expression of public gratitude for their services. Their names came up recently when Minister of Social Development, including Health, the Hon. Edison Baird, showered much praise on them. The occasion was the graduation of 21 Cadet Nurses from the Albena Lake Hodge Comprehensive School. This is what the Minister said:

The Director of all of the British Overseas Territories, Colin Roberts, said it was very fortunate, and a good thing, for him to be back in Anguilla, a very high-end tourism destination, on official business.

I have long maintained that one of the most significant events in the forward movement of the Anguillian people during the twentieth century was the establishment of the Social Security System, in 1981/82, by former Chief Minister Ronald Webster. The System which laid the foundation for the financial security of Anguillian people has become one of the island’s most viable, stable and reliable financial institutions – a development showpiece.

Anguillians now have an ongoing opportunity to have their blood pressure, sugar levels and prostate issues checked free of cost and then to learn what to do when they encounter a problem. This has been thankfully made possible through a collaborative programme launched on Monday this week by the Medical Air Services Association (MASA) and the Health Authority of Anguilla (HAA).

A 15-member Cancer Committee has been established in Anguilla to mount a campaign against the disease which is affecting a growing number of persons on the island.

Health Promotion Educator with the Health Authority of Anguilla, Jennifer Gumbs, said the campaign was aimed at addressing various cancer conditions and that a number of private sector organisations were being asked to choose one of them to be fought against.

The Financial Crime Unit of the Royal Anguilla Police Force wishes to inform the general public that we’ve received reports on Anguilla concerning an ongoing internet scam that seeks to defraud unsuspecting persons of their hard earned money. The fraudsters are using social media networks such as Facebook to contact victims and make offers for employment such as ‘A chance to get paid for shopping and dining out’, ‘Stay home and make money- no qualification required’ and ‘Get paid for completing this survey’.

The traditional Easter season kite-flying in Anguilla, banned by the Police in various areas to safeguard low-flying aircraft in the island’s air space, was permitted at the Point, at Island Harbour, as a fund-raising effort on Sunday afternoon, April 17.

The Anguilla Christian Council, comprising the Anglican, Roman Catholic and Methodist Churches, with the participation of their congregations in The Valley, began the present ‘Holy Week’ observance with a large turnout at the Palm Sunday procession.

Two leading Anguillian Ministers, the Venerable Archdeacon, Valentine Hodge, of the Anglican Church, and Superintendent of the Methodist Circuit, Rev. Dr. Wycherley Gumbs, both in St. Kitts, were among other members of the Clergy who participated in the Palm Sunday observance and procession there.

The Optimist Club here has come in for commendation on its participation in the Caribbean District of Optimist International’s Oratorical Contest 2011 in Kingston, Jamaica. The commendation has come from Mr. Timothy Hodge, Director of Social Security, whose daughter Jordia Hodge participated along with Javez Hamilton in the April 9th competition. Jordia, age 12, and Javez, age 14, are both students of the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School.