The Rainforest Adventure Park’s zip line will take people to the top of Sentry Hill for spectacular view. The project is a fait accompli and the time to object to it is passé, which obviously does not mean that everyone is happy with this development. As the project nears completion by next summer it is however time to look at its impact and the first issue that comes to mind is traffic. Another issue that is still a reason for concern has to do with the developer’s pledge to restore Emilio Wilson’s house on the property and to give some…
Author: The Publisher
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Married couple spending vacation on St. Maarten celebrate wedding anniversary in style the way one only can in St. Maarten. Story and photo’s by Milton Pieters. Mr. and Mrs. Smith celebrate wedding anniversary in style By Milton G Pieters GREAT BAY- In most cases, after one’s wedding day, it’s the last time a bride would be seen in her elaborate or not so elaborate wedding gown. But Carter Smith had an ace up his sleeve when he arrived on the Friendly Island with his wife Michelle. Carter and Michelle were legally married after a well-organized but surprised elopement, but that…
It has long been believed that human beings are able to spontaneously burst into flames and burn to smoldering ashes. This is called Spontaneous Human Combustion or SHC. The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has given new life to this urban legend or myth surrounding SHC and turned it into a reality show of epic proportions on an international scale and with a billion dollar price tag hardly ever seen before. Samsung estimates the total costs for this total recall to be in the billions. This reality show supposedly even had an episode featuring a burnt out ambulance on St. Maarten.…
PHILIPSBURG — Elections are over and we have a new coalition government in place to be sworn in on October 30th. Now there is a wind of change blowing through this country and it has changed direction. But not the kind of change we want. The smoke from the dump fire is now blowing all the way up into the Cul-de-Sac basin reaching Saunders, St. Peters and South Reward. With the present outcry for something to be done, the incoming minister of VROMI will have his work cut out for him. Not an easy task given the complexities of such a…
Close windows and doors if downwind from landfill fire for those with respiratory challenges GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) – The Fire Department, is advising persons living downwind from the landfill fire, including the Cul-de-Sac basin and Cole Bay area, to close windows and doors, especially persons who have a respiratory challenge, and for persons who suffer from asthma, shortness of breath, or any other respiratory challenges. The Fire Department is monitoring the situation at the landfill on Pond Island. The company responsible for the management of the landfill is working diligently to get the fire under control. The smoke…
GREAT BAY – Financial supervisor Cft has received annual financial reports for 2015 from just three out of 41 government entities that are obliged to produce such reports- social and health insurer SZV, the Central Bank of Curacao and St. Maarten and Saba Bank Resources. Of the SMH care company NV the latest annual report known to the Cft dates back to 2008. Cft-chairman prof. dr. Age Bakker writes in a letter to Finance Minister Richard Gibson that the annual accounts have to be compiled the latest five months after the closing of a financial year. Only 3 out of…
GREAT BAY – The supervisory council of the St. Maarten Tourism Authority does not support the appointment of Rolando Brison as its director, the board said in a press statement issued yesterday. “Under the current conditions, given information obtained since the interview of Brison and based on the articles of incorporation the supervisory council cannot and will not support the appointment of Brison,” the press release states. When news about Brison’s pending selection as the top candidate for the job emerged from a photo-op with Tourism and Economic Affairs Minister Ingrid Arrindell and her puppet master MP Silvio Matser, criticism…
It appears now that Tourism end Economic Affairs Minister Ingrid Arrindell has been lying about the candidacy of Rolando Brison as director for the St. Maarten Tourism Authority. Contrary to what the minister claimed in August, Brison was not the top candidate for all members of the selection committee. She also broke the agreement to vet the top-three candidates first and announced an appointment afterwards. With MP Silvio Matser in the background it may be understandable that this happened, but it remains unforgivable. To add insult to injury, the supervisory council of the STA made crystal clear yesterday that it…
AMSTERDAM – The closure of five prisons in as many years against the background of a falling crime rate, is the kind of news many governments would give their eye teeth for, St. Maarten included. But not everyone in the Netherlands is happy, as Gordon Darroch reports. The Dutch cabinet has faced awkward questions since Justice Minister Ard van der Steur told parliament in March that the rapid decline of the prison population has left around one-third of cells empty. Unions accused him of breaking a promise made by his predecessor, Fred Teeven that no more jails would shut before…
GREAT BAY – The Netherlands is hesitant about becoming a part of the solution for de-risking on the islands out of concerns about the supervision of the Central Bank, Finance Minister Richard Gibson said yesterday. The minister has discussed the de-risking issue with American authorities together with Curacao’s Finance Minister José Jardim. The islands, together with Jamaica, want an exception similar to the solution the Americans have granted to Mexico. Correspondent banks in the United States threatened to cut ties with banks on the islands out of fear for huge fines that could come their way as a punishment for…
