Local News

A 74-pound mega Wahoo fish, and two others weighing 60 and 33 pounds (gutted weight) made for “a very good day of fishing,” said Island Harbour fisherman, Patrick Webster.

The smaller Wahoo was the first fish to fire and was caught on the larger rod and reel rig. However, this particular setup is not Patrick’s magical lucky rod and reel.

The Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources (DFMR) would like to announce the beginning of the sea turtle nesting season in Anguilla. Although turtles are known to nest throughout the year, peak activity occurs between March and September. During these months the department puts a special focus on documenting any nesting or nest hatching activity.

Primary School students in Anguilla joined their counterparts in many countries and territories in observing Commonwealth Day on Monday, March 9. The event is not a school holiday but rather an opportunity for students, in particular, to learn about the Commonwealth of 54 independent nations and more than 20 dependencies. About 1.7 billion people live in the Commonwealth of Nations.

The Anguilla House of Assembly, which temporarily postponed the passage of the Prisoners Bill and the Probation Bill, may now be in a better position to consider the two pieces of draft legislation. This follows a thorough airing of the Bills at a public consultation held at the Teachers’ Resource Centre on March 2.

A core group comprising residents with a strong sense of community spirit, with a few of them being political aspirants, is at work at Island Harbour looking into ways and means of improving the village and taking particular interest in its young people.

There seems to be no let up in the number of burglaries in Anguilla week after week.

The Police reported on Wednesday that of the 17 crimes committed during the period February 25-March 4, there were 8 burglaries. They occurred at Tanglewood, Sandy Ground, Stoney Ground, The Valley, West End, Long Ground and South Hill.

Police in Anguilla reported on Wednesday this week that following a tip off from an anonymous telephone caller, they were just in time to stop a prisoner who had already cut his way through his cell from escaping. What is more, is that the perimeter fence had also already been cut obviously by an outside accomplice to facilitate the prisoner’s exit from the prison’s compound.

Senior Police Officer in Anguilla, Emris Rogers, has been promoted to the rank of Inspector after acting in the post since last year.

Readers will have seen the report in this edition of The Anguillian in which the Chief Minister reported that there was a settlement out of court in the case in which the four Ministers of the Anguilla Government sued Mr. Don Mitchell for writing on his blog that they were corrupt.

At this week’s Tuesday press conference, Chief Minister, Osbourne Fleming, told reporters he regretted to bring up a matter in which the four Ministers of Government had sued former High Court Judge, Don Mitchell, who stated on his blog that they were corrupt. He thought, however, that he should refer to the matter to clear the Ministers’ names by saying that the issue had now been settled out of court with their acceptance of a financial offer from Mr. Mitchell, QC.

Several employees at Malliouhana Hotel and Spa were awarded at its first Monthly Employee Recognition Awards Ceremony towards the end of February.

On Tuesday 3rd March, I fulfilled a promise I had made sometime earlier - that the Social Security Board would donate a portrait of Mr. James Ronald Webster to the Tender Loving Care Home Care Facility in the Valley. The framed photograph was reproduced by Ivor Hodge from among those he took on March 2nd, 2006 at Mr. Webster’s 80th Birthday Celebrations.

The Anguilla Beautification Club Flower and Garden Show last weekend has been described as the best yet in the ten years of the event. The Wallblake House was filled with the many flower arrangements and plants and the former church held a fantastic orchid display, children’s art and embroidery.

A number of persons in Anguilla, drawn mainly from various departments of the Public Service, and to some extent from the Anguilla Red Cross, have benefited from a series of courses organised by the National Disaster Management Committee.

The Health Authority of Anguilla has carried out a review of its performance during the period July to December 2008 and its Chief Executive Officer, Darlene Baptiste, has stressed that every effort will be made to constantly improve the work of the organisation.

The Central Christian School at Rey Hill has now completed its annual sports day events and is prepared to participate in the upcoming Primary Schools Athletic Competition.

The Anguilla Tourist Board and LIME, which has replaced Cable and Wireless in Anguilla, have contributed US$33,600 and US$23,000 respectively towards the sponsorship of Moonsplash, the annual music festival put one each year on the island by Bankie Banx, and a cadre of visiting and local musicians and singers, at his Dune Preserve at Rendezvous Bay.

A few weeks ago, island guests from Madison, Wisconsin, USA, Ed and Tricia Ornes, along with their children and grandchildren, were exploring the rocky coast just east of Mimi Bay when Ed discerned an unbroken, stoppered bottle with what appeared to be a roll of paper inside. With much excitement, the family gathered to study this find and the wiser heads prevailed: they would wait until returning to their villa before opening the bottle.

It’s not an easy task to get the Class A Boats ready for a race and so at the Island Harbour pier, captains and crew members did their share in setting up the boats on Sunday March 1, for the 2nd Annual Jeff G. Webster Memorial Boat Race as fans and tourists looked on.

The Anguilla House of Assembly has given its approval to legislation formally establishing a National Community College for the island.