Local News

Mr. Clive F. Smith, an Anguillian, who was awarded the prestigious Chevening Scholarship by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London, through the Governor’s Office in Anguilla, has been notified by Swansea University in Wales that he has successfully completed his Postgraduate Studies which led to a Master of Science Degree in Social Development.

Scotiabank Anguilla has presented three brand new computers with attached printers as well as a cheque for US$2,000 as part of its continuing support for education and students on the island.

Following discussions between the Director of the Anguilla Social Security and the Health Authority of Anguilla regarding the importance of a dialysis unit to health care in Anguilla, the Health Authority of Anguilla is pleased to report that on Thursday, 29 January 2009 at the Social Security Board’s Annual Business Plan Presentation it was announced that the Board had agreed to fund the procurement of a Modular Dialysis Unit at a cost of US$140,000.00.

The new BlackBerry® Curve™ 8900 smartphone, the thinnest and lightest full-QWERTY BlackBerry smartphone, is now available in Anguilla and other Caribbean countries from LIME, the Caribbean’s only full service telecoms provider and Research In Motion (RIM) a global leader in wireless innovation.

In keeping with its 2005 Manifesto, the Government of Anguilla is corporatising the Airport and Seaports into a single corporate entity that will be responsible for the management and operations of the Airport and Seaports. The draft final report on a study of the legislative and institutional requirements for a ports authority was received by the Government of Anguilla in December 2008 along with an action plan and timetable for the implementation of the Anguilla Air and Seaports Authority. According to the action plan the legislation for the Authority should be passed by April 2009 and the Authority is expected to be established by June 2009. The consultants for this corporatization project are DLN consultants International Inc out of Barbados.

“For the first time in the 47-year history of Jamaica, a Seventh-day Adventist will hold the nation’s highest office,” Mark Kellener, Editor of Adventist Review wrote in the latest issue of the publication. “Patrick Allen, President of the Church’s West Indies Union, is expected to take office as Jamaica’s sixth Governor General in late February. Jamaican Prime Minister, Bruce Golding, announced his appointment in a Parliament session on January 13, 2009.”

A cruise ship trip to St. Maarten enabled Arthur Allen, who produced the first topographic maps of Anguilla 52 years ago, on which most of the current survey work for other maps is based, to visit the island on Tuesday this week.

Anguilla’s top Clergyman, the Rt. Reverend Errol Brooks, returned to the island this week from the ancient Egyptian city of Alexandria, where he attended a meeting of Primates and Moderators of the Churches of the world’s Anglican Communion. The gathering was called at the invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Dr. Rowan Williams.

The Community Relations Department of The Royal Anguilla Police Force, in partnership with The Teacher Gloria Omololu Institute is pleased to announce that it has just concluded its Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E) grades three (3) and four(4) programme at The Teacher Gloria Omololu Institute.

The new paintings and giclee prints of Paul Elliot Thuleau, a French artist, started at the Savannah Gallery on Saturday February 7. There are several oil paintings on canvas and five of these are based on the villas of Cap Juluca. Thuleau likes to paint scenes using doors and windows of traditional homes of Anguilla and he liked the challenge of painting the white buildings of Cap Juluca instead of the bright colours he often uses. He captures the atmosphere of the houses through the windows and doors with the use of shadows and plants.

The Ministry of Health and Social Development has described the recently concluded three-day In-country training workshop as being a success.

Some thirty-three (33) participants from various Government departments were trained in the following areas:

Infection control
International Health
Regulations
Case Management
Triage
Taking and shipment of samples
Management of excess mortality

Fellow Anguillians, in my last article I attempted to explain what a Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) is and why one is needed for Anguilla. In this article I will discuss zoning, which is the term generally used to describe the concept of grouping compatible land uses together, and its role as a land control tool.

Now into its second year, Lanston Connor and his organising team are reminding Captains, crew members and boat racing enthusiasts of the Annual Memorial Boat Race, which is held on the last Sunday in February, in memory of the late Jeff Garfield Webster of Island Harbour.

Anguilla’s Director of Social Security Mr. Timothy Hodge has called for the country’s Social Security System to be proactive in the challenging times which confront us as the global economic crisis begins to impact Anguilla. He issued this call as he presented the Social Security Board’s 2009 Programme of Activities and Budget last Thursday at the Teachers’ Resource Centre Auditorium. Noting that this was the second such public presentation, the Director stated “as fiduciaries we owe a duty of care and loyalty to our contributors whose funds we hold in trust. Our values driver ACTIVE starts with Accountability, and so in this environment where corporate governance must be more than a catchy phrase or buzz word, we are doing our part to be accountable - open and transparent.”

The Anguilla Electricity Company (ANGLEC) is installing a brand new and costly 5.2 megawatt diesel generator at its Corito Power Station.
ANGLEC’s recently-appointed General Manager, Tommy Hodge, told The Anguillian that the engine, ordered a year and a half ago from Wartsila, Finland, was purchased at a cost of US$5.8 million. Its installation should be completed by mid-April and will give the company the capability of meeting the growing demand for electricity until at least 2013.

Police in Anguilla are investigating a series of thefts and burglaries across the island which are keeping them very busy. In the latest of these, the Police responded to burglary at South Hill at the Adrian T. Primary School on February 2. It was found that intruder(s) used what appeared to have been a welding torch to burn off the lock at the entrance door thus gaining entry. A number of computers were stolen, a matter which the Police are investigating.

Digicel, the fastest growing mobile operator in the Caribbean and new entrant to the Central American market, today unveiled details of an exciting new promotion – “Double the Love for Valentines”.

The Financial Investigation Unit of the Royal Anguilla Police Force is currently assisting authorities from Demark, now in Anguilla, in the pursuit of a money-laundering case which arose from insider trading offences in the United States and in Denmark.

The Community Relations Department of the Royal Anguilla Police Force, in partnership with the Central Christian School are pleased to announce through this medium that they have just concluded their Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) Grade Two Programme at the Central Christian School.

On Thursday, 22 January 2009, the ECCB Agency Office made presentations to students of The Valley and Island Harbour Primary Schools, and the Teacher Gloria Omololu Institute for their participation in the Financial Literacy Month (FLM) 2008, Primary Schools Essay Competition and the ECCU Financial Literacy Schools Artwork Contest. Both contests were held in October 2008 as part of the Bank’s Annual FLM activities.