Local News

Blossom Centre, a school project of The Arijah Children’s Foundation of Anguilla, was dedicated on Tuesday evening this week at Auckland House, the Law Building of Kentish & Associates at The Quarter, where it is housed.

Cape Air, the new airline serving Anguilla, made its inaugural flight to the island from San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Wednesday afternoon, December 22. The scheduled flights will be twice daily from San Juan at 9.45 a.m. and 2.35 p.m. and from Anguilla at 12.52 p.m. and 5.30 p.m.

The Atlin Noraldo Harrigan Parliamentary Building was the venue for the day-long Fourth Annual National Conference on Youth and Development which attracted many young people.

Unlike the two late budgets in Anguilla in 2010, Chief Minister and Minister of Finance and Economic Development, the Hon. Hubert Hughes, presented an early 2011 budget in the House of Assembly on Monday this week, December 13. He wasted no time in unduly delaying its passage by requesting the Speaker, Mrs. Barbara Webster-Bourne, to recall the House within two days, on Thursday, for the commencement of the debate.

Caribbean Commercial Bank has maintained its annual Children’s Gala for the 10th year, despite the financial difficulties, providing entertainment and gifts for hundreds of youngsters from throughout Anguilla.

Chief Minister, the Honourable Hubert Hughes, is scheduled to meet with various civil service organisations including the Civil Service Association and Union Leaders, Police Welfare Association, Customs and Police Sports Club, Nurses' Association, the Teachers' and Union and Church Leaders of various denominations and faiths (as representatives of their Churches) for discussion on the UK’s position pertaining to the civil service.

There is some left-over business from the Anguilla House of Assembly of Friday, December 10, which is yet to be completed.

The newly-appointed Second Nominated Member in the Anguilla House of Assembly, Leroy Rogers, was sworn into office by the Speaker, Mrs. Barbara Webster-Bourne, on Friday, December 10. He also took the oath as Deputy Speaker.

The well-established and highly motivated Klassique Academy of Dance and Performing Arts unleashed its 2010 Grand Production under the theme “Universal Movements Unleashed: from pointe shoes to tap shoes”, on Saturday night, December 11, at the Rodney MacArthur Rey Auditorium.

“Tis the Season.” Now is the time of year you are invited to parties and invite others to your home to celebrate the blessings of Christmas and the hopes and dreams for the New Year.

The majority of the 380 employees at Cap Juluca (with the exception of a number of them who were at work) crammed the Club House at the Temenos Golf Club on Thursday night, December 9, for the hotel’s 2010 Appreciation Awards Gala which included a sumptuous dinner.

With the gradual commencing of the 2010/2011 tourist season, there has been a new addition at Malliouhana Hotel & Spa at the picturesque Meads Bay Beach in Anguilla.
It is Linde Gallery, the first of its kind on the island and the third such line of collections in the Caribbean. The other two are located in St. Barths where the first was established in 2008 and the second in 2009.

On Tuesday December 14th at the Anguilla Great House, the Social Security Board hosted the annual Senior Citizens Luncheon. With Governor Alistair Harrison and the Hon. Chief Minister in attendance, both of whom gave brief remarks, the event was well attended and wildly entertaining.

Sitting next to his Permanent Secretary, Education, Mrs. Chanelle Petty Barrett, Minister of Social Development, the Hon. Edison Baird, expressed much pleasure on Wednesday that the Education Bill was now set for passage into law this week Friday, in the Anguilla House of Assembly.

Three members of the Anguilla House of Assembly are down to raise separate issues this week Friday morning, December 10. They are, in order of presentation, the Hon. Othlyn Vanterpool, Member for Island Harbour; the Hon. Evans Rogers, Member for Valley North and Leader of the Opposition; and the Hon. Chief Minister and Minister of Finance, Economic Development, Investment, Commerce and Tourism, Hubert Hughes, Member for Road South.

Police: While thefts are up, so are arrests

During the period December 1st to December 8th, there were six thefts in The Valley, Cove Bay, North Side, Little Dix, Island Harbour and South Hill. Items stolen included a Blackberry cell phone, water heater, water pump, fish pot, lobster and cash.

Governor Alistair Harrison opened his monthly press conference on Tuesday, this week, with two brief announcements for which he apologised. The first was that, contrary to an earlier statement, that he had reached the midpoint of his three-year appointment, the fact was that the Foreign Office had now decided for him to spend four years in Anguilla instead. That is an additional year to his appointment.

Community outreach personnel at the Department of Agriculture are expressing much pleasure over a papaya pilot project which has turned out to be a successful initiative, and they are equally surprised over the demand on the island for the vegetable.

Stakeholders in the Caribbean Basin Water Management Programme Inc (CBWMP), who met in Anguilla, have been told about the island’s National Water Policy which provides an overall guide to all agencies involved in the sector.

Bathing rituals, through all time, are one of the most primal ways to nurture ourselves. From ancient times to the present we have felt comforted and enlivened by our connection to water.