Local News

Anguillian Mark Romney, 45, has been appointed the new Country Manager for LIME in Anguilla with effect from Monday this week, February 2. He succeeds Sutcliffe Hodge who served the company, then Cable & Wireless, for 16 years first as Manager Sales and Marketing and, more recently, in the capacity of General Manager and Chief Executive before his transfer on promotion to the Windward Islands.

Childhood obesity is a serious problem in Anguilla, as it is worldwide. Obesity is a complex condition, with medical, social, and psychological ramifications. Studies show that as much as 77% of overweight and obese children remain so into adulthood. Certain non-communicable diseases – diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, high cholesterol, joint disease – are directly linked to obesity. Aside from the harmful effects to the individual, these diseases put a major strain on health care and business/commerce, as more and more people require medical care and sick leave.

Crime, Illegal Immigrants, Financial Woes, Bonds And Treasury Bills, Constitution
Anguilla’s Chief Minister and Minister of Home Affairs, the Hon. Osbourne Fleming, has issued a call to all persons on the island to join the Government and the police “to take on board” the problem of crime facing the community.

A National Consultation was held in Anguilla on Monday and Tuesday this week aimed at developing a Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, an Action Plan and a Public Education and Outreach Programme for the island. The work in Anguilla is part of a project in the Caribbean UK Overseas Territories to enhance capacity for adaptation to climate change.

Shem Liddie, a young man from East End, is the winner of the large and brand new Avalanche Jeep valued at some US$49,000, and imported by the Police from dealers in St. Maarten.

Schools in Anguilla are finding it helpful in their food preparation lessons for their students to visit hotel restaurants and kitchens to get a peek into how they function.

All is not well in Anguilla. When I read the paper, listen to the radio, scan the blogs, or log onto local internet forums, one thing is clear: people in Anguilla are concerned, confused, angry, even scared about the level of violence, crime, drug and alcohol use, and general disconnect among the youth on the island. I don’t hear many people denying that these are growing concerns. What I do hear is a tremendous difference of opinion as to why all of this is occurring and what should be done to make things better. Clearly there are no simple answers. I am not a criminologist, nor a sociologist, and I am not an Anguillian, so I can’t offer a magic solution. However I am an educator, and I strongly believe that a great deal more can be done within the schools to improve the outlook for the youth of Anguilla, and thus reduce the level of crime and violence.

The Honourable Minister of Social Development, Mr Evans McNiel Rogers, publicly condemns the acts of burglary that have been taking place at public schools in Anguilla over the past months. Various schools have suffered loss of their IT and other equipment at the hands of vandals, the most recent being the Adrian T Hazell Primary School which lost 7 computers in a recent burglary.

The Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) hosted a three-day in country workshop, which began on February 3 2009, in an effort to strengthen the capacity of member states to detect and respond to outbreaks of Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI) with emphasis on Human Influenza. The objectives of the workshop are to strengthen the capacity of health professionals for the detection and early case management of clusters of Severe Acute Respiratory Infections at the level of health facilities; emphasizing the early identification of newly emerging viruses and outbreak investigation of any case or clusters of cases in order to control them in a timely fashion, as well as to provide tools for the improvement of the response capacity of health facilities to sporadic or epidemic outbreaks of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI).

The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) will issue a new one dollar ($1) coin in February 2009 in commemoration of the Bank’s 25th anniversary, which was celebrated on 1 October 2008.

The following is a press release issued by Minister of Finance and Tourism, Mr. Victor Banks.

Over the past three weeks there have been at least three attacks and robberies on restaurants and restaurateurs on the island especially after closing time. In one of these incidents two owners (a couple) were cowardly and viciously attacked with what was apparently a blunt instrument by two assailants wearing masks and dark clothing.

The Regional Contact Centre, operated in Anguilla as part of the service of Cable & Wireless in the Caribbean since October 29, 2001, is now closed.

Owner of the Caribbean Beacon Radio at Sandy Hill, Anguilla, Mellisa Scott, widow of the late Gene Scott of Los Angeles, California, is the principal organiser of a religious musical event which is expected to provide a lot of publicity for the island while at the same time presenting “The Love of God through music and The Word.”

I began working in September of last year as a substance abuse counsellor in the schools of Anguilla. Part of my role is working one to one with students who have either been found to be using or are suspected of using marijuana. So far I have been impressed with the students I have been working with. They show an interest in the subject at hand and have challenged what I’ve said on numerous occasions about some of the effects of marijuana. This keeps me on my toes and also forces me to reassess the research and evidence out there regarding the short and long term effects of marijuana use, especially the impact marijuana can have on young people, whose brains and bodies are still developing. The main aim of this article is to explore some of the myths that I’ve heard over the past few months.

As LIME continues the aggressive transformation of its business across the Caribbean, the Company is announcing the consolidation of its five existing Contact Centres into three, effective 31 January, 2009.

Anguilla’s Commissioner of Police, Keithly Benjamin, has made the point that the current recession affecting the island should not result in an increase in crime but, noting recent events, he has warned all persons not to become complacent and to take simple but necessary precautions to ensure personal safety.
He noted that there were some determined individuals on the island who were bent on living on the proceeds of acts of robbery and burglary and lamented that it was disheartening that such persons were being protected by some good citizens because they were not the victims of the plunder and violence.

On Thursday, January 22, at its regular weekly meeting, Rev. Lindsay Richardson addressed the Rotary Club to inform Rotarians about services he provides in Anguilla.
Reverend Richardson is a Correctional Services Counsellor at Her Majesty’s Prison on the island. His mandate is to work with, and provide appropriate and benevolent counselling to, the inmates of the prison.

The 12th Annual Awards Presentation Ceremony hosted by the local production entity Kreative Communications Network (KCN) will commence at 7:30 pm on Saturday 7th February 2009 at the Next Level upstairs English Rose Restaurant.

Fellow Anguillians, I am encouraged to see the development that has occurred on our beloved Anguilla. However, having been trained in the area of land development, I am compelled to stress the urgent need for us to have a Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP). A CLUP is a written document (text and graphics) that reflects how and for what purposes land owners of a particular community desire their land to be developed.

The Board of Directors of The Anguilla Community Foundation (ACF) and the Teacher Noonie Fund would like to express our sincere thanks to all those who came to the Inaugural Celebration, to those who made donations and to our many sponsors. We are pleased to announce that all the proceeds (approximately $17,000 U.S.) were contributed to The Teacher Noonie Fund which will be used to support youth and early childhood education.