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Rotary Sunset Installs 2023-2024 Board

Orient Bay, St. Martin– The members of the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset celebrated an auspicious moment as they held their 2023-2024 Board Installation Ceremony at Coco Beach Restaurant on Saturday, August 19th, 2023. Distinguished guests, such as the Past District Governor, Mr. Louis Wever, and his wife Rotarian Amanda Wever, Assistant Governor and Club member Elisia Lake and well-wishers gathered at the restaurant to share and engage in what was called a night of fellowship. The evening was filled with various special moments that made this event an unforgettable one.

Assistant Governor Elisia Lake proudly re-installed Rotarian Kimberley Duzong as the clubs President for the new Rotary year 2023-2024 Read more

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Candidates in this article:

Joining The Party For Progress

Dear fellow Sint Maarteners,

I want to start by addressing those of you who might be feeling indifferent about casting your vote as we stand at the crossroads of another crucial election season. It’s not uncommon to hear the sentiment that all politicians are the same, and that regardless of who you vote for, nothing truly changes. I understand this feeling of disillusionment, as I, too, have felt the despair that many of us on the island feel.

Instead of merely complaining about it, I chose to take action several years ago and started writing articles that focused on raising awareness on crucial topics such as integrity, accountability, good leadership, and vision Read more

Paco Isenia Declares Candidacy For Upcoming Parliamentary Elections With Ursm.

EMPOWERING YOUNG PROFESSIONALS TO BELIEVE IN A BRIGHT FUTURE

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten– An aspiring young professional, dedicated to fostering positive change and championing the aspirations of the next generation, URSM Candidate Paco Isenia, is proud to announce his candidacy for the upcoming parliamentary elections with the Unified Resilient Sint Maarten Movement (URSM) Read more

Attorney At Law Sjamira Roseburg Sponsors Breakfast Program At Psve

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Attorney at Law, and URSM candidate, Ms. Sjamira Roseburg has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and committed herself to donate daily breakfasts to the PSVE school for the entire 2023/2024 school year and beyond.

The intent of the breakfast program is to assist those students whose families are facing financial hardships. The MOU, which set forth a firm commitment to maintain the breakfast program in conjunction with PSVE and the Rotary Club of St Read more

Brug Releases Statement On Decision To Remove Black Curtains

Philipsburg — As a future candidate of the Unified Resilient Sint Maarten Movement Party (URSM), I am elated with the decision to remove black curtains from our voting booths. This decision attempts to give each and every aspiring candidate for political office an even playing field. There are so many (young) persons who have the interest of this country at heart, who have the will to make changes that will benefit the population, but because of the factor of vote-buying are constantly being overlooked.

If we think things are rough now, believe me, it can get a lot worse if we dont make better choices at the polls on E-Day (election day) Read more

Rogerrel Mauricia Concern By Custom Officers Working Conditions

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — President of the NAPB, Rogerrel Mauricia, has responded to a recent article circulating on social media and in newspapers in Sint-Maarten. The article highlights the concerns raised by custom officers regarding their working conditions and salaries. The president of NAPB Sint-Maarten was also contacted by his counterpart from Curacaos union S.T.R.A.F.F., which represents custom officers and police, when the news broke.

During the meetings held by NAPB Sint-Maarten in early August 2023, this union leader visited the custom office and observed that the current structure of the custom department is problematic, potentially leading to issues Read more

Us Party: The Abuse Of Our Most Vulnerable Must Stop

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Leader of the US party Mrs. Pamela Gordon-Carty on Sunday expressed great displeasure in how the citizens of country St. Maarten are being treated, especially senior citizens. In her opinion the same rhetoric is used every election to capture the vote of senior citizens after which they are forgotten while their cries continue to fall on deaf ears. I want to publicly convey my disgust with the behavior of promising in vain and using the weaknesses of this vulnerable group to roll in votes, it is a total disgrace, said Gordon-Carty.

The US party leader insisted that too many political games are played instead of dealing with what she termed low hanging fruit Read more

Attorney At Law Sjamira Roseburg Inspires & Motivates St. Dominics Fifth Formers

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — On Tuesday, August 8th, URSM Candidate, Ms Sjamira Roseburg, was invited to St Dominic High School to speak to their current Fifth Formers. The topic of her speech incorporated the theme Preparation For the Real World with International Sights. Ms. Roseburg commenced by sharing her inspirational journey towards becoming a successful attorney which in turn led to the establishment of her very own law firm Consider It Solved by Roseburg and Partners Read more

Mp Grisha Heyliger-Marten Reminds Ministers Of Growing Backlog Of Responses

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — During a joint press briefing with her colleague MP Sarah-Wescot Williams on July 18th, MP Grisha Heyliger-Marten, expressed her concerns about numerous pending meetings and the lack of timely responses from letters to Government within the legal timeframes set out in the Rules of Order of Parliament.

Just last week alone, my office sent out reminders to three individual Ministers, Heyliger-Marten stated in a press release issued on Tuesday afternoon.

According to Heyliger-Marten, the Hon Read more

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Candidates in this article:

Dp Leader Wescot-Williams: If You Tell A Lie Often Enough, You Start To Believe It Yourself.

I was forewarned, but the question still remains, Why DP and me?

When asked to explain her statement , MP Wescot mentioned the veiled threat she received of, Are you sure you want to do this? Its going to get nasty! A clear reference to the DPs announced return to the political field.

We see this threat manifesting itself from many angles. Some of it for money, some for sensation and yet others from an angle of plain and self-consuming hatred.

With respect to MP Brison latest disgraceful assault on one of St Read more

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Candidates in this article:

Usp Leader Mrs. Gordon Carty: Unfair Employment Practices

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Lately, I have noticed that a lot of our employment vacancies are being advertised via online Dutch mediums rather than in our local newspapers and other media outlets as stipulated by law.

Some of the online Dutch outlets include:
www.jobnet.nl,
www.simplyhired.nl,
https://www.nationalevacaturebank.nl, https://www.uitzendbureau.nl/vacatures/sint-maarten, and
https://bkv.jobs/nl/zorgprofessional/werken-in-het-buitenland/sint-maarten Read more

Gebe Hacking Scandal: A Wake-Up Call For Change

By David Salomon

In March 2022, St. Maarten’s utility company GEBE fell victim to a devastating cyberattack that resulted in the loss of all its billing information. The consequences of this breach have been far-reaching, exposing a web of nepotism and favoritism within the company, which has left us, the citizens, grappling with confusion and soaring bills.

The graph below illustrates the alarming trend in electricity bills since January 2021, with the red trend line showing a steep increase over the years Read more

New Us Party Leadership: Educating Its New Candidates

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Leader of the US Party, Mrs Pamela Gordon Carty, recently declared that she was content to see that a valiant attempt is being made by the other political parties to educate their incoming potential candidates. On the other hand, she remains skeptical as it appears to be a copycat phenomenon that seems to have been initiated as of late. The USP has been providing informative sessions to the citizens of St. Maarten under its new leadership team since November of 2021 Read more

Chris: Vanity Projects Still Being Prioritized Over Public Interest

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Leader of the NOW party (Nation, Opportunity, Wealth) MP Christophe Emmanuel on Sunday said that the National Alliance led government of St. Maarten has clearly prioritized political vanity projects over issues that matter most to the population. So much so, he said, that the government sees no need to provide relevant and factual information on ongoing projects such as the hospital and the airport, but choose instead to roll-out projects meant to distract people over the summer break.

There are so many issues that affect our people direct and indirectly that this government is willfully and strategically ignoring due to the fact that elections are on the horizon Read more

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Candidates in this article:

Emmanuel Wants Guarantees From Govt. On Student Housing In Holland

~ Not exploring solutions is unacceptable ~

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Leader of the NOW party (Nation, Opportunity, Wealth) MP Christophe Emmanuel is calling on the Minister of Education Rodolphe Samuel to assure and guarantee parents that their children travelling to the Netherlands to further their studies this year will have adequate, stable student housing once they arrive in the country in a few weeks.

The MP said he is very concerned about the status and mental health of St Read more

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Candidates in this article:

Rollocks Jr, Donates School Supplies

Sucker Garden, Sint Maarten —Rollocks Jr. Candidate for the URSM Party has announced, that he is donating Back Packs and school supplies, and stands in solidarity with struggling single mothers and parents, who have difficulty in finding school fees and school supplies on a yearly basis.

Although parents generally purchase school supplies at the start of the school year, the need for some items, like backpacks, varies with use and daily wear and tear.

To this end, Rollocks Jr Read more

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Candidates in this article:

Island Council Adopts Social Minimum, Salary Minimum Motions

SABA Two motions were presented to the Island Council by Island Council Members Elsa Peterson and Vito Charles, both of the WIPM party, one motion addressing the continued urgency to establish the social minimum and a second motion on the minimum salaries of the Public Entity Saba with a cost-of-living adjustment.

Peterson and Charles submitted their motions during a meeting of the Island Council to handle the 2022 Year Report and the first 2023 budget amendment. Petersons motion instructed the Executive Council to take a number of actions Read more

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Candidates in this article:

To Parents Of Students That Will Immigrate To Further Studies

On Sunday, July 9 th , 2023 during my livestream Sunday Chat I interviewed a young
man named Elisha Jones, who is currently a student in The Netherlands. He gave us
an idea of real life in The Netherlands, and shared his experiences from when he left
St. Maarten to when he arrived in The Netherlands.

From registration at the Gemeente to finding an apartment, he elaborated on the
expectations and the actual realities; the hard facts and how at times ones faith is
tested.

I have been preaching to all parents to put your faith in God, and keep praying for
your children Read more

Chamber Of Commerce ViewS To The Introduction Of The Caribbean Guilder

(NEED AND/OR ECONOMIC IMPACT ANTICIPATED)
Philipsburg – The St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce and Industry (COCI) has taken note of the intention of the Central Bank of Curacao and Sint Maarten (CBCS), on the introduction of the Caribbean Guilder. The decision to introduce a Caribbean guilder in replacement of the Antillean Guilder is said to be based on the notion that this new guilder can help foster economic stability and prosperity within the monetary union Read more

Brug Says Reparations Can Be Very Instrumental In Eliminating Poverty On Sint Maarten.

PHILIPSBURG –In a press statement this weekend Richinel Brug made his position known on the debates surrounding Emancipation Day activities in the Kingdom, apologies by Dutch Government in 2022, reparations and poverty on Sint Maarten.

On July 1st, 2023, the Kingdom will be commemorating 150 years of abolishment of slavery in Suriname and the islands in the Caribbean side of the Kingdom Read more

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Candidates in this article:

Nagico Insurances Advises: Be Prepared, Stay Prepared This Hurricane Season

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Being prepared for hurricane season is of utmost importance due to the potential risks storms and hurricanes poses. Powerful tropical storms can cause significant damage to infrastructure, disrupt essential services, and pose serious threats to life, that is why it is crucial to be prepared.

We live in the Hurricane belt and are familiar with storm preparedness measures, but lets not take them for granted, NAGICO said in a statement Read more

Interparliamentary Kingdom Consultations (Ipko) To Be Held In The Hauge, The Netherlands

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten —A delegation from the Parliament of Sint Maarten left for The Netherlands to participate in the Interparliamentary Kingdom Consultations (IPKO) from June 15, 2023, with the Netherlands as host country. Delegations from the Parliaments of Aruba, Curaao, and the Netherlands will also be participating.

The IPKO will commence on Wednesday, June 1, 2023, with opening remarks by the Chairperson of the IPKO, followed by speeches by the three delegation leaders of the Parliaments of the Countries Read more

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Candidates in this article:

Sint Maarten Lions Club Hosts Successful 43Rd Multiple District 60 Convention

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — The Sint Maarten Lions Club hosted a very successful 43rd Multiple District 60 Convention with over 300 Lions and Leos from countries as far south as Suriname up to Grand Cayman in the north and including all the English-speaking Caribbean islands staying at the luxurious Divi Resort Hotel. Delegates from French St. Martin, Guadeloupe, Martinique, France and the U.S.A. also participated in the Convention. Delegates were honored with the presence of specially invited guest, Past International President of Lions Clubs International, USA, Lion Al Brandel and his Partner-in-Service, Lion Dr Read more

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Candidates in this article:

Noise Pollution In St. Maarten And Ideas For Solutions

By Beverly Mae Nisbeth

Noise pollution has ballooned into a major problem in St. Maarten. It is a monumental and universal challenge other countries, regionally and internationally, are also confronted with it. This article will explain what noise pollution is, sources of noise pollution, the effects of noise pollution, and offer, what the author considers, viable and sustainable solutions.

WHAT IS NOISE POLLUTION?

Noise pollution is defined as any level of noise that is annoying or harmful Read more