Local News

Two young Anguillians 12-year-old Jordia Hodge and 14-year-old Jahvez Hamilton, walked away with the third place prize at the Optimist Club’s District Oratorical Contest held in Kingston, Jamaica, at the Norman Manley School of Law on Saturday 9th April, 2011. Both Jordia and Jahvez represented the Optimist Club of Anguilla in the prestigious competition which is held annually to afford young people an opportunity to voice their concerns on issues that are of regional and international importance.

Thirteen scientists, including an official from the French Rail Transportation Authority, were in Anguilla for a tour of the Blowing Point and Sandy Ground seaports as well as the Clayton Lloyd International Airport.

More details have become available about Radio Anguilla’s new public information programme, ZONE, now in its third episode this week.

Chief Information Officer and creator of the programme, Ivor Hodge, spoke to The Anguillian about its purpose and scope.

Another Anguilla “first” was announced today at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Annual General Meeting and simultaneously in London, New York, Toronto and Amsterdam.

President of the Anguilla Chamber of Commerce, Keithley Lake, says that direct foreign investment, financial services and the construction industry were continuing to underperform on the island. He was at the time delivering an overview of the territory’s economic situation and the functioning of the Chamber in a report to the organisation’s Annual General Meeting at the Anguilla Community College on Tuesday this week.

The sleepy fishing village of Island Harbour comes alive on Easter weekend, April 23rd and 24th, 2011, to the rhythms and flavours of the 4th annual Festival del Mar .

Located at the eastern tip of Anguilla’s undulating shoreline, the village’s rich history dates back to the early 1600s when it is said a boat carrying a group of missionaries from Ireland was shipwrecked just off the northern coast.

Diaspora youth representatives at the recently concluded African Youth Forum are calling on the Member States of the African Union (AU) to create the social and professional infrastructure in an enabling and welcoming environment that would support their reintegration. The meeting’s outcomes are to be presented for consideration by the next AU Summit in Equatorial Guinea in July 2011. The theme of the Summit is: “Accelerating Youth Empowerment for Sustainable Development.”

The Ministry of Social Development presently has several pieces of legislation that have been gazetted and are awaiting their first reading in the House of Assembly. These Bills, which include the Parole of Prisoners Bill and its regulations, the Probation Bill, the Domestic Violence Bill and the Importation of Cadavers Bill, can be found on the government website www.gov.ai. Alternatively copies can be obtained from the Ministry of Social Development.

The burnt-out and sunken yacht in Road Bay is the subject of investigation in Anguilla following its complete destruction when it caught fire late Wednesday evening, April 6.
Superintendent of Ports, Edwin Harris, told The Anguillian that the wreck of the catamaran was lying 10-15 feet at the bottom of the bay and posed no hazard to vessels operating there. He said, however, that within days of the investigation the wreck would be removed and taken ashore.

The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States is using Anguilla and St. Kitts as pilot locations for the development of community-based risk reduction projects, and began a two-day workshop towards that end on Monday this week.
The workshop, attended by participants from Anguilla and St. Kitts, and held at the Soroptimist Centre, targeted emergency management, environmental planning and social development agencies.

With the world lost in a flurry of conflicting strife, troubles continue to loom on every hand, and we with mortal vulnerability pause to question: “What’s next?” The nature of this series of articles is mildly prophetic. They take into consideration world events conducive to scriptural predictions and aim to inform and remind readers that certainly there is a great day coming when the God of all creation shall intervene to bring all this end-time trouble to an imminent end.

Lying in a forgotten corner of bush next to Bonjour Café (formerly Roadwell Café) in Sandy Ground are the lost markers of a forgotten heritage. Several years ago the area was ‘mined’ for cut stone and today all that remains of a dozen or more broken tombs and headstones are three: Rebecca Hughes (d. February 1, 1775), Margaret Richardson (d.December 24, 1773) and Ruth Romney (d. September 29, 1779).

Tourists visiting Anguilla now have an additional opportunity to enjoy the natural beauty and environment of the island, by traversing and relaxing at the just-opened Pelican Trail and Water Sports facility cascading 400 steps down to the sea.

On Wednesday April 13 Alliance Insurance of George Hill, presented the Annual Recognition Award for the Advancement of Disaster Risk Reduction and Mitigation, to Aubrey Smith of Island Harbour. The award was presented by Acting Deputy Governor, Arjul Wilson and Sandra Lovell, Manager of Alliance Insurances Services Limited.

Kasseem Forde, President of the Anguilla National Youth Council (ANYC) attended a recently concluded Commonweath Youth Leadership Summit facilitated by the Commonwealth Youth Programme Caribbean Centre in Bridgetown, Barbados.
For three days Youth leaders from 21 countries, together with the President of the European Youth Forum and members of the Duke of Edinburgh Award, looked at practical ways to strengthen youth governance networks at both the national and regional levels based on measures that have worked regionally and in Europe.

It all started as a routine day at the Mall. From a distance we could see a large gathering around a table. First thing which came to mind was another time share offer. Out of curiosity we stopped and was approached by a young lady telling us about a destination we never heard of. Her name is Lisa Webster of Tranquil Villa Management. We were further introduced to Mrs. Marie who is the North American representative for Anguilla.

The much-publicised Anguilla Education Bill 2011 has again been through the rigors of another lively debate. It was a public consultation…for the third time and the venue was the Rodney MacArthur Rey Auditorium on Tuesday, April 5. The longstanding draft Bill, fashioned from an OECS model, waspreviously taken before the House of Assembly last year, but was deferred pending further views from the public.

The American Eagle made its last flight to and from Anguilla on Monday this week, April 4, the previously announced date for the discontinuation of the flights to this island and other Caribbean destinations.

With the passage of the Stabilisation Levy in the Anguilla House of Assembly, the Comptroller of Inland Revenue, Gecheal Richardson, and her staff, are now taking on the task of explaining the system to various private sector representatives to ensure a smooth transition of the tax as possible. It is expected that a series of organised explanatory and working sessions will commence next week for all groups and representatives of employers as well as self-employed persons.

Police Report

Ten criminal matters were recorded by the Police in Anguilla during the period March 30-April 6.