~ Council reminded MPs can make changes ~ PHILIPSBURG--"Difficult to comply with" and "complicated" were some of the ways some Members of Parliament (MPs) described the stipulations in the national ordinance on the registration and financing of political parties when they met with the Electoral Council in a meeting of the Central Committee of Parliament. Council member Linda Richardson, a former minister,...
MARIGOT--A tripartite Declaration of Intent to cooperate on chikungunya prevention was signed between President of the Collectivité Aline Hanson, Dutch-side Minister of Health Cornelius de Weever and Préfet Philippe Chopin at the Préfecture on Monday afternoon, as a follow up to the Letter of Intent on cooperation signed in February 2012. The six points in the agreement are: information to be transmitted...
WILLEMSTAD--The recent detention in St. Maarten of former police officer Rogelio Gregory Koeiman based on an extradition request from American authorities was unlawful, stated the Joint Court of Justice in Curaçao. The panel of judges agreed with the proposition by lawyers Marije Vaders and Eldon "Peppie" Sulvaran. The release of the suspect was ordered subsequently. Koeiman had been held in St. Maarten...
~ New board a reflection of party's vision ~ PHILIPSBURG--Hasani Ellis was elected President of the Democratic Party (DP) board during the party's congress at the Philipsburg Cultural and Community Center on Saturday night. The new board was elected against the backdrop of the party's new logo and to the music of the party's songs - adaptations of the popular tunes "Blurred Lines" and "Get Lucky."...
~ Party urged to rebuild from within ~ BELAIR--Former education and youth minister Silveria Jacobs was elected deputy leader of the National Alliance (NA) at the party's 2014 congress at Belair Community Centre on Sunday. Jacobs' appointment came as a result of a vote by the party's district representatives based on the stipulation of the party's constitution. Jacobs received 57 of the 91 votes cast,...
PHILIPSBURG--Three revellers in Saturday's lighted parade were taken to the police station and reprimanded for misconduct. The three were released "with a very stern warning" following the parade, police spokesperson Ricardo Henson said in a press release on Sunday. Apart from this, the parade, which began around 8:00pm at the Le Grand Marché parking lot in Cul de Sac and ended at the TelEm parking...
SABA/ST. EUSTATIUS--Two out of three persons ages fifteen and older in the Caribbean Netherlands drank alcoholic beverages last year. Heavy and excessive drinkers are most abundant in St. Eustatius, according to a survey carried out by Central Bureau for Statistics (CBS). The survey showed that half of women and 25 per cent of men in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba had not drunk alcoholic beverages...
PHILIPSBURG--Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Patrick Illidge (independent) has called on government to look into the purchase of Mary's Fancy Estate. He believes the plantation house can be restored and the property can be transformed into a botanical garden. Illidge said in Friday's Parliament meeting, dealing with government's decision to purchase Industry and Golden Rock Plantations (commonly...
THE HAGUE--Dutch Minister of Safety and Justice Ivo Opstelten has yet to decide on a request from St. Maarten Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson to supply additional detectives from the Netherlands. Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk stated this in a letter that he sent to the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament in response to written questions of Members of...
~ Large turnout at pension seminar ~ MAHO--Pension awareness should be embedded in the community just as much as sickness insurance. This is the view of Finance Minister Martin Hassink, who delivered a thought-provoking presentation to the large gathering of seniors and other persons who attended the general pension fund APS' pension awareness seminar at the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort on Friday. "In...
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PHILIPSBURG--National Alliance (NA) leader Member of Parliament William Marlin and fellow MP Louie Laveist want the campaign funds to political parties to be capped as a means to level the playing field. They also want to limit the amount of radio and television airtime political parties can have for the same reason. "We need a cap on spending," Laveist said. Neither he nor Marlin gave any indication...
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SUCKER GARDEN-- Shots were fired outside of a house on Sucker Garden Road on Thursday morning, but no one was reported to be injured. A woman called the police after hearing the gun shots. It transpired that the male resident of the house had an argument with two men, after which he had entered the house to collect a gun. He is then said to have fired into the air. Bullet shells were found on the...
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FORT AMSTERDAM-- Members of the Netherlands Royal Marines Detachment, the Vrijwillers Korps St. Maarten (VKS, St. Maarten Volunteer Corps), invited guests including Governor Eugene Holiday and a handful of tourists were present at Fort Amsterdam yesterday to welcome the Dutch Navy ship Zr. Ms. Zeeland. The VKS and the Netherlands Marines were in ceremonial uniforms to welcome the ship, which, in passing...
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PHILIPSBURG--The Council of Ministers will endeavour to make a decision on whether or not to pursue the dollarization of the St. Maarten economy in two months, said Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams on Wednesday. She said at the council's press briefing that government will try to go to Parliament with a preliminary decision based on the research done so far. Government has been exploring the possibility...
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PHILIPSBURG--Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams says the Department of Civil Registry is undergoing a clean-up of its registry that started some two years ago and no one is being targeted in the process. She was responding at the time to concerns raised by National Alliance (NA) Member of Parliament (MP) George Pantophlet regarding the writing out of persons living in the United States from the...
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CUL DE SAC--A fire of unknown origin destroyed the commentary booth at Caribe Lumber Ballpark last night. The fire destroyed the outer part of the booth and only an unusable skeleton of the booth was left standing after the blaze had been extinguished by the Fire Department. The commentary booth was a two-storey building. The lower flat was used for storage while the upper flat was used to broadcast...
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PHILIPSBURG--Shareholder Representative for United Telecommunication Services (UTS) Minister Dennis Richardson said his counterpart, Curaçao Minister Earl Balborda indicated that he would "take into consideration," St. Maarten's request to swap its shares in the company for control of UTS Eastern Caribbean. Richardson told The Daily Herald on Tuesday that Balborda indicated that the request would...
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~ To examine partnership possibilities ~ PHILIPSBURG--A Letter of Intent (LOI) has been signed between TelEm Group of Companies and United Telecommunications Services (UTS) to examine the possibilities of a partnership between the two companies. St. Maarten's Shareholder Representative for UTS Minister Dennis Richardson on Tuesday confirmed that an LOI had been signed, but directed this newspaper...
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PHILIPSBURG--St. Maarten Youth Members of Parliament (YMPs) got somewhat of an advantage for the upcoming Kingdom Youth Parliament (KYP) when they received a two-hour interactive training on Tuesday, from top Dutch debate expert and KYP debate leader Roderik van Grieken. The debate leader has only met with the Netherlands KYP team prior to meeting the St. Maarten team. He will not meet with the KYP...
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PHILIPSBURG--Local calypso legend Barbara Althea Nesbitt, better known on the island as Calypso Barbara, passed away in the morning of April 7. Calypso Barbara was born on July 2, 1940, and had been ill for some time. She was a talented musician, singer and songwriter who had been involved in local Carnival celebrations for decades and was particularly involved in Youth Carnival programmes. She supported...