An Anguillian-owned luxury accommodation property, fittingly named Modena Villa, to reflect its modern, new and different architectural concept, was showcased on Tuesday this week leaving guests who attended the delightful open house function virtually spellbound. In short, as the invitation brochure described it, the villa, owned Mr. Leslie Richardson and family, is “a work of art.”

Unlike other public schools in Anguilla, the Alwyn Allison Primary School at West End does not have on its premises a portrait of the educator whose name it bears.

In view of this, the principal and staff there, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and the children of the late Mr. Alwyn Allison Richardson, a former headmaster there, are making arrangements to have a portrait of him mounted at the school.

Long-serving senior Anguillian police officer, Deputy Commissioner, Illidge Richardson, has been praised for his high level of commitment to policing on the island and the respect and dignity with which he bore himself.

The commendation came from Chief Minister and Minister of Home Affairs, the Hon. Osbourne Fleming, and Minister of Finance, the Hon. Victor Banks, at their press conference on Tuesday this week.

Though at present not in a position to provide a second daily flight to Anguilla from the San Juan hub, American Eagle has embarked on new initiatives to help sell the island. It is a collaborative effort involving the airline, the Tourist Board, the Hotel and Tourism Association and the Government. As an integral part of the arrangement, the airline has now stationed a local representative in Anguilla in the person of Mary-Jo Koebele.

Anguilla, like a number of other offshore financial centres in the Caribbean, is being called upon by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to put certain requirements in place in order to be a white-listed or clean jurisdiction for such business operations. So far, the island is well on such a path, according to Mrs. Lorna Smith, a Consultant to the Governments of Anguilla and the Turks & Caicos Islands on Tax Information Exchange Agreements (TIEAs).

The older generation may not readily realise it, but among the younger generation, and onlookers, dancing is rapidly becoming the major activity and pastime in the development of the performing arts in Anguilla.

School children in Anguilla returned to their classrooms this week feeling much safer than the week before when they were believed to be more exposed to infection from the swine flu.

The Supervisor of Elections, Mr Colville Petty, has repeated his call to all persons who are qualified to vote to make sure that their names are on the register of voters by going to the Central Electoral Office, which is open during regular business hours Monday through Friday, except on public holidays, and having them registered.

History was created at Island Harbour when the school there was renamed the Vivien Vanterpool Primary School in honour of the dignified and well-respected former educator, whose life and work contributed greatly to the educational development and success of many of the island’s professionals today.

After a long period of planning and fund-raising, the dream of a new Central Baptist Church Christian School, by Pastor Cecil Richardson, is being fulfilled with construction work having started on Monday this week.
The construction site, on six acres of land, is tucked away in the far north of what will be in time a major education and sports complex, involving Government and the private sector, located off The Quarter main road into the Cauls Pond Section.

This year the Open Campus Anguilla site, can boast of six graduands. They are Ingrid Richardson, Glen Boothe, Angelene Benn-Henry, Ruth Payne and Fiona Wilkinson with BSc Management Studies degrees from the Faculty of Social Science, and Shauna Connor with a B.Ed Administration from the Faculty of Humanities and Education. All the graduands will be awarded honours degrees. However, one student accomplished truly outstanding results; Ms Ingrid Richardson, currently the Senior Library Assistant at the Anguilla Public Library, obtained a First Class Honours degree with a 3.93 grade point average and was among the seven finalists regionally for the choice of Valedictorian of the Class of 2009.

As the electioneering campaign gathers momentum in Anguilla, a new candidate, in the person of Mr. Sutcliffe Hodge, has stepped into the political arena motivated by a desire to serve, or, in his words, “to rescue Anguilla.”

Mr. Hodge, an independent candidate, is highly qualified and experienced in business management and marketing, is known to be a very astute and assertive gentleman and is a graduate of Nova University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The Anguilla Government has instituted a medical air ambulance service for all Civil Servants and Pensioners and the first beneficiary has been school teacher. That person was recently flown to St. Kitts for treatment at an overall cost of US$15,000.

The Government entered an agreement with Medical Air Services Association (MASA) to provide the air ambulance transport, which was first announced by Chief Minister, Osbourne Fleming, at a recent press conference.

The governing United Front Party in Anguilla is now on the campaign trail with a series of public meetings, having just emerged from a two-weekend Convention. The indoor and private sessions were held among the party’s executive members and others at the Scouts and Guides Ruthwill Auditorium.