PHILIPSBURG – The Court in First Instance acquitted three looting-suspects of all charges on Wednesday morning, though in one case the judge noted that the acquittal went against her heart. Jonathan Jose U.M. was the first one to get off the hook. The 37-year old Venezuelan benefitted in a way from the fact that the police force was overwhelmed and understaffed after Hurricane Irma hit the island on September 6. “Dossiers are not always complete and in many cases it was difficult to track the origin of goods,” the public prosecutor said. “The defendant was arrested in a place where stolen foods were…
Author: The Publisher
~ European commission suggests redirecting monies to disaster fund ~ Great Bay – St. Maarten is among Caribbean overseas countries and territories attending the 11th EDF (European Development Fund) Caribbean OCTs (Overseas Countries and Territories) Regional meeting and workshop, this week. The OCTs are 25 countries and territories, which have special links with Denmark, France, the Netherlands or the United Kingdom. The meeting is presided over by a representative of St. Maarten, who has been selected Regional Authorizing Officer, and takes place in Bonaire on November 23 and 24. Earlier discussions between the OCTs and the European Commission concluded to…
PORT ST. MAARTEN – Representatives from the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunications (Ministry TEATT), Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure Management (Ministry VROMI), SXM Airport, Taxi Association DSTA, St. Maarten Tourist Bureau (STB), and Port St. Maarten, took a bus tour recently around the country along the route that taxis and tour busses will be taking passengers when the first commercial cruise ship calls start early December. The objective of the bus tour was to see the country through the eyes of the visitor while driving along the designated routes. The tour allowed key…
PHILIPSBURG – On Wednesday November 22nd, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, began the distribution of the larger school and office supplies to the public and subsidized schools and organizations. The supplies distributed was part of the requested supplies by the schoolboards after the assessments were done post Hurricane Irma. The supplies were sent via the Karel Doorman through the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science in the Netherlands. The supplies are to assist in the recovery and bouncing back of the schools. Schoolboard representatives and other representatives of subsidized organizations related to Culture, Youth and Sport, namely…
Harbour View — Police was called Thursday morning on November 23rd at the SZV-office, to intervene in a problem between a client and the staff that office. Police spoke to the suspect identified with initials O.A. who stated that for some time now he has been given the “run around” by management and staff of the SZV regarding medical attention and treatment for his physically impaired child. This morning at the SZV-office the situation got of hand according to the suspect as again he was given the run around. The situation got heated and broke out into a fight involving…
PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten (Thursday November 23rd, 2017) — Social & Health Insurances SZV had to close its doors to the public today (Thursday November 23rd) due to an unforeseen incident where SZV staff and security were physically attacked by a visiting customer. For privacy and legal reasons, it is not customary for SZV to disclose the details of incidents to the media or public but we see it important at this time to inform that these actions are never tolerated. All incidents where security has been breached are followed by an official police report and when required pursued further by…
PHILIPSBURG – Rainforest Adventures opened its doors to a select audience on Wednesday, ahead of its official opening on Friday. This weekend, locals with a thirst for adventure will be able to hop on the Soualiga Sky Explorer for a peaceful trip to the top of Sentry Hill, located at the Rockland Estate, part of the Emilio Wilson Estate for a reduced price of $54 for adults and $39 for children and seniors. The real adventurers have the option to take the spectacular Flying Dutchman zip line from the top all the way down in around thirty seconds. There is…
PHILIPSBURG — The Chief of Police Carl John and the Commander of the VKS Antonio Rogers met on Wednesday November 22nd for talks regarding the safety of the community of Sint Maarten and the working cooperation between both entities. The VKS has been working under the supervision of the police department for quite a number of years with positive results. Both the Chief of Police and the Commander of the VKS are doing their utmost to improve this working cooperation. The main topic of discussion was the upcoming tourist and Christmas season where the decision was taken that KPSM, the…
POND ISLAND — When the St. Maarten Tzu Chi Foundation noticed that the residents of Pond Island were heavily affected by Hurricane Irma and that many of their homes had been badly damaged and they were without electricity and water, the foundation decided to coordinate one of its “three goods” relief effort for the residents. The three goods relief effort signifies the importance of thinking good, speaking good and doing good. The foundation noticed the situation in the district during a visit on Tuesday, November 14, and immediately coordinated a relief, which was held soon after on Sunday, November 19,…
Philipsburg – In a collaborated effort, the Ministry of VROMI and the Steelcrushers BV have embarked on a project to have all the zinc, car wrecks and other metals removed from the island in the very near future. The company has brought in various pieces of machinery, including a huge grabber, to be able to start clearing up the zinc depot beside the Little League stadium. The huge car wreck depot from the former Bakker recycling and the items presently stored on the landfill will also be removed. Seeing the amount of damaged cars on the island, the Ministry of VROMI expects…
