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Minister Of Justice, Addresses Urgent Situation At New Start For Children Foster Home

SAUNDERS, Sint Maarten — In response to recent developments regarding the structural integrity concerns at New Start for Children Foster Home in Mary’s Fancy, the Minister of Justice, Lyndon C.J. Lewis, in collaboration with the Foundation Judicial Institutes St. Maarten (SJIS), is taking swift action to ensure the safety and well-being of the foster children residing there.

The recent article published in The Daily Herald Newspaper on Monday, May 6, 2024, brought to light the critical situation faced by 19 foster children who may soon need to relocate due to cracks in the building walls and foundation of the foster home Read more

To All The Mothers Of St. Maarten, We Thank God For You.

Thank God for that one Sunday in May where we get the opportunity to pour extra love and adoration upon you. We are given the opportunity to remind you that you’ve been the architect of our dreams and the backbone of our families. You’ve laughed with us in joy, and wiped away our tears in sorrow, you’ve been the comforting embrace we seek.

The Caribbean mother has always been a figure of immense power and beauty and a fierce protector. You have shown us that wisdom doesn’t always come from books, but often from the lived experience Read more

Minister Jansen-Webster HonorsNurses On International Nurses Day

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — In commemoration of International Nurses Day, the honorable Minister of VSA Veronica Jansen-Webster made a special visit to the St. Maarten Medical Center and White and yellow Cross on Friday. The visit was a heartfelt gesture to express gratitude and appreciation to the unsung heroes of healthcare, the nurses.

Minister Jansen-Webster is deeply connected to the nursing profession through personal experience, having grown up with a mother, the esteemed Cecilia Webster-Cox affectionately known as Sis, who dedicated decades to serving the community as a nurse Read more

New Minister Of Finance Marinka Gumbs Addresses Nation With Vision Of Unity, Progress

~ First female Minister of Finance ~

In a humbling address to the nation, newly appointed Minister of Finance Marinka Gumbs, the first woman to hold the position, stood before her fellow St. Maarteners to express profound gratitude and outline a vision for the future of the island’s economy and society.

The Minister began by acknowledging the divine grace that has allowed her to take on this pivotal role Read more

Carnival 2024 Wraps Up Challenging Year

~ Carnival 2025 scheduled from April 21 to May 5 ~

PHILIPSBURG--After a year filled with unprecedented challenges, St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) has closed the 53rd edition of Carnival.

Despite facing various obstacles, the SCDF expressed gratitude for being able to reach the finish line, with SCDF President Edwardo Radjouki saying in a press release on Sunday, This can never happen again, this is not who we are.

Reflecting on a Carnival that looked and felt different from previous years, Radjouki referred to the division of Carnival people by one individual to please that individuals personal feelings Read more

Money Grows On Trees

St Peters – Its been an amazing past 8 months putting this project together. Every step of the way, everyday you face a challenge that allows you to exercise your mind and actions toward finding the right solution mentally, physically, spiritually or financially.

You can never tell the challenges you may face until you take your journey head on. Some of us may be faced with one of the above challenges, but today we will try to address those that are faced with financial challenges and perhaps offer an ecological solution.

Matshona Dhliwayo is a Canadian based Philosopher, Entrepreneur, and authorand is credited with saying, “Money doesn’t grow on trees, but grows on intelligent minds”.The phrase “money doesn’t grow on trees” is a metaphor that means money is not an unlimited resource that can be easily accessed, like leaves on a tree.It often appears in situations where someone is asking for money without having put in any effort to earn it.

We can agree to a part of this paragraph and respectfully disagree to another.

What we can agree to is the fact that it often appears in situations where someone is asking for money without having put in any effort to earn it Read more

Szv Now Covers Diabetic Foot Care Services

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten Social & Health Insurances SZV is excited to announce a new addition to our medical insurance coverage: services from The Diabetic Foot Care Sint Maarten Foundation (D-FOOT). This new benefit is a big step forward in ensuring our diabetic community has access to the necessary healthcare to improve their quality of life.

“SZV is committed to providing comprehensive healthcare services to our community. The addition of D-FOOT services to our coverage is a significant step in ensuring our diabetic population receives the specialized care they need Read more

President Of Parliament Continues Courtesy Visits

From left: Parliament Secretary General Garrick Richardson; President of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams with TWO local team members Leona Romeo and Tjandra Lake.

PHILIPSBURG--President of Parliament, Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams is continuing her courtesy introductory visits Read more

Counterfeit Naf. 100 Banknotes In Circulation

PHILIPSBURG WILLEMSTAD The Centrale Bank van Curaao en Sint Maarten (CBCS) has detected counterfeit NAf. 100 banknotes in circulation. The counterfeit NAf. 100 banknotes are of very good quality, making them challenging to distinguish from genuine NAf Read more

Postal Services Acquires Cpost Intl.S Operations

PSS Director Marinka Gumbs (left) extended her gratitude to Jervhes Josephia, CEO of Cpost International N.V. (right) for his collaborative approach and vision in initiating their partnership.

PHILIPSBURG--In a strategic move aimed at bolstering its presence in the region, Postal Services of St. Maarten (PSS N.V.) has finalised the acquisition of Cpost International N.V.s (Cposts) operations, including PuntoMio, EuroMio, and MoneyGram services.

The integration of Cposts operations into PSS N.V Read more

Official Joint Statement From The Three Coalition Party Leaders Of Dp Pfp Now

PHILIPSBURG On Wednesday, 24 April 2024, MP Sarah Wescot-Williams (DP), MP Melissa Gumbs (PFP) and MP Christophe Emmanuel (NOW) issued a joint statement in reaction to the press release sent out by the Cabinet of the Governor Read more

Governor Baly Receives Final Report From Formateur L. Mercelina

HARBOUR VIEW, PHILIPSBURG On April 23, 2024, His Excellency the Governor of Sint Maarten received the updated final report from formateur L. Mercelina.

The formateur has accepted the commission to form a new government which has the support of a majority in Parliament comprised of the fractions of URSM, PFP, DP and NOW Read more

Postal Services Of Sint Maarten Completes Scquisition Of Cpost InternationalS Operations

Sint Maarten, Postal Services of Sint Maarten (PSS N.V.) completes the acquisition of Cpost Internationals N.V.s (Cpost) operations, to include PuntoMio, EuroMio, and MoneyGram services effective 25 March, 2024. This strategic move represents a significant milestone for PSS N.V., solidifying its position as a leading provider of postal and financial services in the region.

The integration of Cpost operations into PSS N.V. represents a significant advancement in international shipping solutions, offering customers in Sint Maarten improved convenience, efficiency, and affordability for their cross-border shipments.

Marinka Gumbs, Director of PSS N.V., expressed her enthusiasm with the acquisition, remarking, I am thrilled to witness the realization of our efforts to finally reintegrate MoneyGram services at the post office Read more

Update: Party For Progress St. Maarten

After a challenging, and at many times unclear, frustrating and incoherent screening process, the formation process has moved forward with the submission of the final formateur’s report to Governor Ajamu Baly.

Nine names were submitted: seven for the seven local posts and two for the Minister Plenipotentiary and Deputy Minister Plenipotentiary posts in the Netherlands. This includes PFP’s very own Raeyhon Peterson and Patrice Thierry Gumbs Jr Read more

Education Institutes In Kingdom Work Together

Group photo

WILLEMSTAD--Eighteen educational and knowledge institutions from the Caribbean part of the Kingdom and the Netherlands will continue, build and intensify their joint efforts in the fields of education, research and science. For example, they want to pursue and develop joint educational programmes.

  This special collaboration was highlighted during a recent knowledge mission led by caretaker Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science OCW Robbert Dijkgraaf in Curaao.

  Together with my fellow ministers from the other three kingdom countries, we have worked hard in recent years to increase cooperation within the kingdom, successfully Read more

Jicn Info Market About Detention, Reintegration

Interest was reportedly high.

KRALENDIJK--An information market on detention and reintegration was held in Bonaire on Thursday, attended by judicial law enforcement system partners and other stakeholders. Organised by Judicial Institution Caribbean Netherlands (JICN), it brought together a wide range of professionals involved in detention and reintegration, with the aim of exchanging knowledge, networking and promoting a successful return to society for persons from jail.

The gathering offered an opportunity to learn from each others expertise, share experiences and work together to improve detention and reintegration processes Read more

Swept Under The Rug

I presented a motion in June of 2021 almost 3 years ago asking that the subject of debt cancellation for St. Maarten be discussed. I was moved to do so after discovering that St. Maarten was paying 12.7 million guilders annually on an almost 1 billion guilders debt. It is no secret that it would take some 100 years to pay it off, hence my motion which was unanimously supported.

The International Monetary Fund had also suggested that the Dutch government look at Debt cancellation, however what came afterwards due to the covid19 pandemic is additional loans of some 300 million guilders Read more

Collectivit Formally Opens Its School Of Public Management

Collectivit President Louis Mussington talks at the opening of School of Public Management in Grand Case Beach Club on Tuesday.

MARIGOT--The first Public Management School for St. Martin (Ecole du Management Public (EMP)) officially opened in Grand Case Beach Club on Tuesday with an introduction to the first twenty candidates and an overview of the courses starting on the same day.

The opening ceremony was attended by Collectivit President Louis Mussington, Dput (MP) of St Read more

Get Up And Stand Up With R4cr!

St Peters The 1973 Hit Song Slogan by the great Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, today plays one of the roles towards motivating many community oriented activist. The phrase GET UP, STAND UP, stimulates our minds and souls to ACT ! Act on behalf of nature, cultural preservation, injustice, prejudice, workers rights, quality education, protecting our children, the right for peace and justice, oppertunity and over all love for humanity.

None of the above, is worth giving up the fight, and because some choose not to give up the fight, it brought an abundance of possibilities to those that deserved it.

Resources for Community Resilience (R4CR) has done just that Read more

Island Gems SupportsAnimal Care Groups

CAY HILL — The stray and unwanted pet population on the island continues to be a challenge for residents, visitors and the animal care organisations working tirelessly to curb the problem on both sides of the island. To this end, Island Gems Charity Foundation has made its annual donation to three very active groups to aid with spay/neuter campaign and awareness.

Receiving each US $750 in vet care coverage via St. Maarten Veterinary Clinic are St. Maarten Animal Welfare Foundation, SXM Paws and I Love My Island Dog Association Read more

Outgoing State Secretary At Parliament

Caretaker State Secretary for Kingdom Relations and Digitization Alexandra Van Huffelen, accompanied by a delegation of support staff and head of the Dutch Representation Office in Philipsburg VNP Chris Johnson, visited the House of Parliament and met with the President of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams and faction leaders on Mon Read more

Tourism Office Promotes Destination In Colombia

St. Martin Tourism Offices promotion managers Emile Louisy (right) and Christopher Rodriguez (left) with Colombian travel agents.

MARIGOT--St. Martin Tourism Office carried out major promotional campaigns in South Americas second largest country from February 28 to March 8.

The tourism office notes Colombias dynamic economy and demographic dynamism makes it a prime target for destination St. Martin. With a population of 51 million, Colombia is a market waiting to be conquered with opportunities offered by Copa Airlines since the resumption of SXM-Panama rotations.

To continue to position itself in the Colombian market the tourism office took part in the Vitrina Turistica Tradeshow, the countrys most important tourism fair, organised every year by the Colombian Association of travel agencies ANATO in Bogot Read more

Jacobs Advocates For Domestic Violence Prevention At Un Forum

Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs (left) at the forum.

 

PHILIPSBURG--Caretaker Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs advocated for domestic violence prevention at the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at the United Nations Headquarters earlier this week.

Jacobs led the delegation to the forum, which included Chef de Cabinet Jessica Weeks, Department Head of Community Development, Family and Humanitarian Affairs (CDFHA) Chantale George-Groeneveldt and Women's Desk Policy Worker at Staff Bureau Tatia Brunnings.

Jacobs spoke on behalf of the Kingdom during the High-Level Group of Friends for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls Read more

Huhcf Adult Literacy Graduation 2024

In a heartwarming ceremony filled with pride, determination, and celebration, the Hearts United Holistic Care Foundation marked the successful completion of its Adult Literacy Program for the second time. On March 7th, 2024, amidst cheers and applause, 19 students donned blue graduation gowns and silver stoles, symbolizing their achievement and dedication to self-improvement. The event, held at the John Larmonie Center in Philipsburg, was a testament to the transformative power of education and the unwavering commitment of both students and educators.

The journey of these remarkable individuals began in June 2022, when they embarked on a path to literacy and empowerment Read more