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City Manager Announces Retirement Date, Service To Tallahassee Spans 25 Years

SISTER CITY TALLAHASSEE, united States of America - Tallahassee City Manager Anita Favors Thompson announced that she will retire effective November 20, 2015.

“When I became City Manager in 1997, I made the commitment to always put people first and to focus on providing the best services possible to meet the needs of our community,” Favors Thompson said.

“Through my 25 years working for the city and through challenges and accomplishments, I’ve never wavered in my belief that a city’s greatest asset is its people Read more

Seven New Political Parties Report For 2016 Elections

St. Maarten – An astonishing number of seven new political parties reported to the offices of the Electoral Council yesterday to submit their request to be registered for the February 9 elections. Among them is the St. Maarten Christian Party, led by Pastor Wycliffe Smith. On the other hand, the party of European Dutch residents did not show up, reportedly because they did not have enough time to prepare their documentation.

With the seven new parties – if they get all their formalities in order – the field for the elections will consist of eleven and possibly twelve parties Read more

Mixed growth in the monetary union

>WILLEMSTAD/PHILIPSBURG:--- The government of Curaçao has embarked on a path of reducing the costs of the government apparatus and the social insurances while stimulating economic growth, that contributed to a real GDP growth of 0.4% during the second quarter of 2015.” the president of the Centrale Bank van Curaçao en Sint Maarten, Dr. Emsley Tromp, said in the Bank’s Quarterly Bulletin Read more

style="text-align: center;">Says crime spree is Minister’s indictment

PHILIPSBURG:--- Leader of the USP and Member of Parliament Frans Richardson on Monday called on Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson to resign immediately in the wake of unprecedented crime on St Read more

>Simpson Bay:--- An early Sunday morning shooting has left one person dead. The shooting took place shortly after 9am Sunday morning by Robbie’s Lottery located at La Palapa building in Simpson Bay. Persons on the scene said the victim that was shot dead seems to be an employee working for Robbie’s Lottery and he apparently got shot while trying to open the business place. However, that could not be confirmed by anyone. SMN News further learnt that the victim is of Latino decent.
SMN News contacted Police Spokesman Ricardo Henson for confirmation on the shooting, Henson who was on the scene of the shooting said “I am not giving you any information Read more

Dissolution decree corrected, sent back to Governor for his signature

PHILIPSBURG--It looks like elections on December 8 may still be in the cards. The Marcel Gumbs Cabinet has made adjustments to its draft national decree to dissolve Parliament and has sent it back to Governor Eugene Holiday for his signature.

The draft decree was sent to Holiday on the night of September 30, hours after the new National Alliance (NA)-led coalition passed a motion of no confidence against the seven-member Cabinet Read more

style="text-align: center;">Says Governor must sign decree dissolving Parliament ~

PHILIPSBURG:---- United People (UP) party fraction leader MP Franklin Meyers on Thursday night stressed that at some point “somebody has to make a stand somewhere” to stem the tide of constant government instability and address a flawed constitution Read more

Former MP De Weever stands trial for stealing blogger’s tablet

PHILIPSBURG--Former Member of Parliament (MP) Petrus Leroy de Weever (61) stood trial Wednesday on allegations he had stolen blogger J.R.’s tablet during an altercation on Front Street on January 11, 2014.

The Prosecutor’s Office considers the case proven and requested that the Court sentence the senior politician to payment of a NAf Read more

Editorial - Its very existence

Wednesday's Central Committee of Parliament session to discuss a comprehensive approach to achieve short-term results against the current spate of crime is certainly timely in light of recent events (see related stories). Within the past week alone two armed robbers were shot dead by money transport security guards of whom one also was injured, someone fired several bullets into the cashier's window of a casino and made off with cash, while a man was gunned down at a pool bar in Cay Hill.

According to reports from Curaçao, the latter is believed to have been a gang member there of the No Limit Soldiers (NLS) in Koraal Specht who also was said to have been detained, but later released, for the fatal shooting of Jean-No Sanon in Cole Bay on October 27, 2014 Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:---- On September 25th and 26th a conference on elderly care was held for medical professionals. The conference was organized by a collaboration platform of the Ministry, Health Care institutions, the AUC and the NASKHO and hosted by the AUC in Cupecoy.
With an attendance of about 150 health care professionals, including participants from Statia and Saba, the conference was very successful Read more

Elderly Care Conference Very Succesful

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - On September 25th and 26th a conference on elderly care was held for medical professionals. The conference was organized by a collaboration platform of the Ministry, Health Care institutions, the AUC and the NASKHO and hosted by the AUC in Cupecoy.

With an attendance of about 150 health care professionals, including participants from Statia and Saba, the conference was very successful Read more

PRESS RELEASE: NATIONAL ADDRESS BY PM GUMBS

My fellow St. Maarteners,

I want to address you now directly, after a week of political turmoil which has culminated in a constitutional crisis. The outcome of this crisis will determine the democratic future of St. Maarten. So it is extremely important that everyone, young and old, understand what it constitutes.

The legal nature of this crisis however is very complicated, although for some of us it seems to be so simple. You may have followed the discussions in the press Read more

style="text-align: center;">My fellow St. Maarteners,

I want to address you now directly, after a week of political turmoil which has culminated in a constitutional crisis. The outcome of this crisis will determine the democratic future of St. Maarten. So it is extremely important that everyone, young and old, understand what it constitutes.

The legal nature of this crisis however is very complicated, although for some of us it seems to be so simple. You may have followed the discussions in the press Read more

Tourist who gave birth prematurely in DR faces US $280,000 bill for ‘time difference’

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic--After enduring the trauma of a premature delivery in a foreign country and all the attendant concerns about her tiny newborn baby, a British tourist now faces a potential US $280,000 medical bill.

Sharon Halls, of Ipswich in Suffolk, was 28 weeks and six days pregnant when she unexpectedly went into labour and gave birth to a daughter, Evie, in a private hospital in the Dominican Republic on September 28.

But after paying over US $13,000 for initial emergency care, Halls (36) learned that her travel insurance provider may not come up with the money.

Infinity Insurance Solutions said it had not decided whether it would cover the cost because the time difference between the Dominican Republic and the United Kingdom meant that when she gave birth she was over the 29-week mark, which was when the cover ceased to be valid.

Halls and her partner Daniel Compton (35) have now been forced to set up a GoFundMe page in a desperate bid to raise enough money to move Evie from a public hospital, which they say is dirty, according to a report in The Mirror.

The couple were attending a friend’s wedding in Punta Cana when Halls was taken to hospital with early contractions, which she later learned had been brought on by an infection.

Halls said she had been given clearance to travel by her hospital in Britain, The Mirror reported.

Writing on the fundraising site, Halls gave a compelling account of the events of September 28 and continuing.

“Little Evie was born breach before I could even lay flat,” she said.

“She was so tiny and blue, it took them a few minutes to get a response, but we then heard to our delight a little cry.”

But while Evie “looked healthy,” she could not breathe on her own.

Halls went on to describe the “substandard conditions” in the public hospital they were forced to move to.

“The sanitation and level of care is next to nothing; she was placed in dirty incubator lined up next to other sick newborn babies (15 plus in room).

“The equipment was old and even the blanket she laid on was stained and ripped Read more

Editorial - Eyes on the ball

It appears St. Maarten is again caught in a “Mexican standoff,” as NA leader William Marlin called it back in 2013 when much of the cabinet with his party’s signature wanted to dissolve Parliament and call early elections after losing its majority support Read more

Parliament Goes All Out Against Attorney-General Schram “His Remarks Are As Bad As The Crimes He Fights”

MP William Marlin: “The AG insults everybody in St. Maarten.” Photo Today / Leo Brown

St. Maarten – Parliament unanimously make minced meat of the remarks Attorney-General Guus Schram made on September 11 during the installation of Judge Sander van Rijen and demanded his resignation (see related story on our front page).

“I do not want to get into a debate with the attorney-general,” National Alliance faction leader William Marlin said Read more

Chairman of Cft Age Bakker: ‘Curaçao remains on track with 2016 budget’

>Willemstad:--- The budget for 2016 is solid. The Cft had a number of recommendations on the draft 2016 budget, particularly focused on the downward revision of the budgeted economic growth figures and a more realistic capital service. The Government has taken the recommendations of the Cft and the Advisory Council into account and adjusted the budget accordingly, which resulted in a budget that is now in order.

The Board of financial supervision for Curaçao and Sint Maarten (Cft) visited Curaçao in the last week of September Read more

Tax-Compliance Measures Are Not Working

Cft: “Structural overhaul personnel costs necessary”

St. Maarten – Measures the government has put in place to increase tax compliance are not working. This appears from the reaction from financial supervisor Cft to the second execution report 2015. In the first half year, tax revenue fell 8 million guilders below budget. For the whole year, St. Maarten expects to collect 8.6 million guilders less than budgeted.

Nevertheless, the government wants to increase income levels for 2015 to 470 million guilders but, as this newspaper already reported last week, this does not have the approval of the financial supervisor.

“By taking additional measures St Read more

Mp Marlin Wants To Talk About Dress Code

St. Maarten – There are zero journalist here. They are boycotting this meeting of parliament,” National Alliance faction leader William Marlin said yesterday afternoon during the debate about the deal the harbor made with developer Zebec Read more

Mp Marlin Wants To Talk About Dress Code

St. Maarten – There are zero journalist here. They are boycotting this meeting of parliament,” National Alliance faction leader William Marlin said yesterday afternoon during the debate about the deal the harbor made with developer Zebec Read more

Regina LaBega asked to vacate airport post

AIRPORT--Princess Juliana International Airport SXM Managing Director Regina LaBega reportedly has been given eight weeks to vacate her post at the facility.

LaBega did not respond to an e-mail seeking a comment on the matter last night.

The Daily Herald understands that there were issues in connection with her screening by the national security service.

This newspaper also was told by a reliable source that Labega apparently was the only director of a Government-owned company who had been reluctant earlier this year to submit herself to the screening, which is now mandatory Read more

Editorial - Costly oversight

The answers on the settlement between the Harbour Group of Companies and Zebec provided to Parliament on Tuesday afternoon were to the point and clear. Deputy Prime Minister Dennis Richardson, assisted by Port St. Maarten Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark Mingo, said there was nothing sinister about the matter and it basically boiled down to a dispute over giving further content to a general property lease agreement for a Dutch Village to be built by the developers of Blue Mall.

The latter’s interpretation of the deal was not deemed favourable for the Harbour, particularly its separate arrangement with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines (RCCL) that initiated an own US $100-150 million venture, including a hotel near the area in question Read more

Pope meets Fidel Castro, warns against ideology on Cuba trip

HAVANA--Pope Francis met Cuba's revolutionary leader Fidel Castro on Sunday hours after warning Cubans to beware the dangers of ideology and the lure of selfishness as their country enters a new era of closer ties with the United States.
  Latin America's first pope and Castro, the region's last surviving leftist icon of the 20th century, discussed religion and world affairs at the home of the 89-year-old retired president for about 40 minutes Read more

It’s time to move on

Dear Editor,

If government officials cannot address the public in a sober and civil manner, then they need to reconsider their position and move on. It is totally unacceptable for representatives of the people to express themselves in ways that are substandard to effective leadership. This pattern of behaviour seems to be a developing trend - a style that exposes their state of mind – a mind that is overruled by frustration, which has lead them to the point where they are unable to guide their thoughts.

Politicians, who are called to lead, would be cognizant of their choice of words and actions Read more