GREAT BAY — On Saturday morning, the 7th of October (eta. 7 am), the Cygnus entered the port of Philipsburgh. On board of the cargo ship are the remaining materials for the waste disposal process: pressure sprayers, watertanks and chemicals to disinfect high priority areas. The first part was flown in from the Netherlands by an Antonov cargo plane last Saturday. Also on board of the Cygnus is a complete meteorological station, school bags and other education materials and nine trucks to assist the energy company GEBE in restoring the overhead lines. The meteorological station will probably be transported from…
Author: The Publisher
Philipsburg – The Inspectors of the Inspection/Permits Department from the Ministry of VROMI are currently assessing all structures post hurricane Irma and Maria. Homes that are deemed unlivable will be marked with the letter O. This information will be used in the social assessments. Structures that are marked with the letter B indicates severe structural damage. This information will be cautiously used for assessment for rebuilding. Structures with no markings have no structural issues. Home or property owners who are planning to reconstruct, repair or rebuild a structure that is not in accordance to their issued building permit, are requested…
GREAT BAY – United People’s Party (UP) Member of Parliament (MP) Tamara Leonard has written a letter dated October 6, 2017 to the Prime Minister William Marlin via the President of Parliament seeking information about employees of St. Maarten Cable TV. “St. Maarten is in a dire economic state due to Hurricane Irma. This is no time to add more uncertainty in our community, and more importantly an increase in unemployment,” part of the letter reads. “After hearing the plight of the workers at St. Maarten Cable TV, a company acquired by St. Maarten Telephone Group of Companies TelEm, I…
Philipsburg — The staff of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Primary School (MLK) received a token of appreciation in recognition of World Teacher’s Day on Thursday morning from Lazy Lizard Restaurant. “I was elated when Mr. Nikhil Kukreja did not hesitate to team up with me by showing some appreciation to our staff especially on their special day,” said Stuart Johnson School Manager of MLK. Johnson added, “this Teacher’s Appreciation Day we are at school instead of traditionally being on midterm break which makes it feel somewhat different. So, I encourage you to keep faith and remain committed despite the new…
MAHO BAY – On October 5, 2017, the first distribution of funds from the gofundme.com/sonestasxmstaff campaign, which was highly supported by past guests, family and friends to provide aid to employees of The Maho Group and Sonesta Resorts Sint Maarten, has commenced and in progress this week. A central location for this distribution was graciously provided by the Belair Community Center making it a convenient location for staff with limited transportation. FIRST ROUND OF DONATIONS OF THE GOFUNDME.COM/SONESTASXMSTAFF CAMPAIGN FUNDED BY GUESTS, FAMILY AND FRIENDS TO AID THE MAHO GROUP AND SONESTA RESORTS ST. MAARTEN STAFF, WAS DISTRIBUTED AND FACILITATED…
Philipsburg — Ministry TEATT on Friday announced that the first arrivals at the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) on October 10 and at Port St. Maarten on November 11, will be greeted by staff of both strategic ports and personnel of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau in shirts with a clear message: St. Maarten is open for business. Or, to put it simple, “Yes, We’re Open! Several volunteers will also be present in the shirts. The shirts depict an airplane for PJIA and a cruise ship for Port St. Maarten. Adorned in St. Maarten colors, the commemorative logo also features…
Kralendijk – During its visit to Bonaire on October 3rd the Board of financial supervision Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (Cft) emphasized the need for an adequate budget execution (such as key role functions) and the management of government entities in its meetings with the Executive Council and the Island Council. “It requires collaboration and effort of not only the finance department but of all the management boards, the Executive Council and the Island Council in order to improve this rapidly,” was the statement of the new Cft chairman Raymond Gradus. New Cft chairman Raymond Gradus: “Fulfilling crucial functions and…
The Today newspaper’s run as the country’s most critical and reliable news course ended on Friday, October 6 after seventeen years. The printed version of the paper has been taken out of circulation, because the company’s ownership could not justify the heavy investments a restart would require after the damages inflicted by Hurricane Irma. During an emotional meeting in a conference room of the Bute Hotel, located just behind Today’s destroyed office building in Philipsburg, the owner – Finance Minister Richard Gibson Sr. – informed the staff about his decision on Friday afternoon. He offered staff members three months of…
GREAT BAY – “I have no doubts that we will come back in better shape,” says businessman Michael Ferrier. “Compared to a month ago, the island is already looking great.’ By Hilbert Haar Ferrier, owner of the NAPA auto and truck parts stores on our island says that he is happy with the support from the Netherlands. “They really stepped up to the plate. We have to leave politics out of this; we just have to go on with little steps. First clean your own garden, and then clean the street.” Ferrier’s first concern in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma…
The ongoing series of arrests of looters the police have been announcing practically on a daily basis will surely bring a certain amount of satisfaction to the main victim of these crimes. Namely the business community. However, we are curious to find out what made these people think that they would be able to get away with this level of mass looting. When we look at the police photos of the confiscated goods and how these items were stored in hallways of houses and sometimes openly on front porches and in backyards, we really wonder how the looters – and…
