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…
Author: The Publisher
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…
~ 70-95% of Some Coral Species on Sint Maarten Reefs Suffered Extreme Hurricane Damage ~ GREAT BAY — The St. Maarten Nature Foundation has been continuously monitoring coral reefs both inside and outside of the Man of War Shoal Marine Protected Area in order to determine the impact of Hurricane Irma. Intense impacts have been recorded on certain coral species and on the reef, however also some reef recovering has already been recorded. Acropora coral (Elkhorn and Staghorn) were hit the hardest by Hurricane Irma: this particular group of species is very prone to intensive water movement and has caused large…
Philipsburg — On the topic of the recently announced roof repair program, Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams has requested Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure, the Honorable Mr. Christopher Emmanuel and Minister of Health Care, Social Development & Labor, the Honorable Mr. Emil Lee to answer the following questions urgently. Can the Parliament be told of the conditions, selection and the criteria of the roof repair program? Will this include self-help? Is it coordinated with the Red Cross roof repair program? Can the Parliament be told how the bidding took or will take place? The selection of…
NEW YORK — While attending the International Donor’s Conference in New York, coordinated by the United Nations Development Program, Minister of Justice Rafael Boasman had the distinct pleasure to meet and converse with former US President Bill Clinton during a lunch hosted by the chairman of CARICOM for heads of states and heads of government. Clinton expressed his heartfelt sympathy to the people of St. Maarten for the damage they suffered with the passing of the Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria. Clinton was a speaker at the two days CARICOM-UN pledging conference held in New York on November 21st. In…
PHILIPSBURG — Ekta Foster-Lachmandas a graduate of St Dominic High School’s Class of 2008 successfully defended her PhD thesis on November 15, before the Faculty of Medical Sciences of Radboud Universiteit in Nijmegen. The title of her dissertation was Host Response to Tuberculosis: Impact of Diabetes and Cellular Metabolism of Immune Cells. Radboud University Medical Center Media Relations Office issued the following summary of Ekta’s thesis: She “has examined host responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, integrating immunology and cellular metabolism, in the laboratory of the Experimental Internal Medicine of Radboudumc and the A-star institute in Singapore. Part of her work specifically…
Grand Case, St. Martin—While St. Martin waits for tourists to return, the island’s other seasonal guests have been quietly arriving. Migratory birds travel thousands of miles every year to spend the winter here. The fifth-annual Migratory Bird Festival celebrates these birds from 9am to noon on Saturday, November 25th at Kali’s Beach Bar in Friar’s Bay. The event is free and open to all. “Welcome back! is our theme this year,” explained Jenn Yerkes, President of Les Fruits de Mer, the association that organizes the festival. “We’re welcoming back the birds, and after the destruction caused by Hurricane Irma, we’re also…
~ Deadline to register new political parties November 23, 2017 ~ Philipsburg: The Electoral Council of Sint Maarten hereby reminds any prospective political party that in order to participate in the parliamentary elections on February 26, 2018, it is required to apply for the registration of the party and its reference with the Electoral Council no later than Thursday, November 23, 2017. According to article 16 of the National Ordinance on Registration and Finances of Political Parties: new parties must submit a written application to register the party with the Electoral Council. Together with the application for registration of the…
~ Queen Wilhelmina Library Donation Drive in aid of the Philipsburg Jubilee Library ~ PHILIPSBURG — The Philipsburg Jubilee Library is pleased to announce it has received $900 from Saba’s Queen Wilhelmina Library. Saba’s Queen Wilhelmina Library organized a fundraiser drive held on Monday October 23rd 2017, to assist St. Maarten’s library after the passing and destruction of Hurricane Irma and Maria to the library’s structure. The much needed funds will be used for new materials and activities for children’s programs that will be hosted by the library in the hopes to continue encouraging a reading community among St. Maarten…
