News

The Government of Anguilla, with the support of all political factions and the general public on the island, is hotly pursuing full internal self-government even at the cost of being forced into independence although this ultimate status is not yet on the cards.

Two big and separate meetings were being held simultaneously in Anguilla in the middle of the week. One of them was the first mid-year review of the island’s tourism strategy and was held at the Royal Caribbean Resort conference room facility.

Officers of the Anguilla Fire Service battled for a considerable period at around midday on Wednesday, April 23, to put out a fire which completely gutted one of the island’s semi-traditional houses at North Valley.

On the heels of the announcement that Cap Juluca had been purchased by an investor syndicate led by noted travel industry executive, Adam Aron, former owner of the world famous resort, Dion Friedland, has distributed his gift of one million US dollars to the 400 employees. The gift, on the sale of the property, was a promise that Mr. Friedland made to the Honourable Chief Minister, Osbourne Fleming, on behalf of the Cap Juluca employees last year.

The Ronald Webster Park, which featured prominently over the years as the main venue for large public gatherings in the political life of Anguilla, will be the location on April 28 for a big meet-the-people forum on the island’s constitution.

A capacity crowd attended the celebration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of St. Andrew’s Anglican Church at Island Harbour, Anguilla, on Sunday, April 13.

They are rolling out one after the other. First it was Festival Del Mar, the newest initiative by the Anguilla Tourist Board held in conjunction with the Island Harbour community during the Easter weekend.

The announcement that the Anguilla Democratic Party (ADP) is reorganising itself under the principles of its constitution, with the aim of contesting the next general election on the island and bringing about change, has brought swift reaction from the Hon. Victor Banks, former Political Leader of that party.

Festival Del Mar, held at Island Harbour Bay on March 22 and 23, has been described as a success despite the odds which militated against it. One of the competing drawbacks, until he was rescued, was the disappearance at sea of village fisherman, Sam Webster, which had not only overshadowed the event, but threatened its cancellation.

Anguilla’s top Clergyman, the Rt. Rev. Errol Brooks, celebrated the Tenth Anniversary of his Consecration and Ordination as the Bishop of the Diocese of the North-Eastern Caribbean and Aruba with a Special Service at St. Mary’s Anglican Church on Wednesday evening, March 26.

Forty-six-year-old Samuel (Sam) Webster, of Island Harbour, is alive today because of his faith in God, his will to survive and his ingenuity to protect himself in the merciless deep 35 miles east of Anguilla. He was thrown from his boat, Try Hard, when his hand mistakenly put the engines at full throttle on Friday afternoon, March 14.

The Anguilla Circuit of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court said farewell on Monday this week to Sir Brian Alleyne who has served for three years as Acting Chief Justice in the nine jurisdictions of the sub-region.

A campaign involving the Royal Anguilla Police Force, the Governor’s Office and Government Departments in the United Kingdom is now in place aimed at addressing the increasing problem of dangerous driving and the need to ensure safety on the island’s roads.

At a meeting between Ministers, public officers and ferry boat owners and operators on Thursday March 6th, the ferry boat operators have agreed to new fares for the service between Anguilla and French St. Martin. Effective Monday 17, 2008 fares are as follows:

Persons 6 years and over: US$15.00
Persons 2 to 5 years: US$10.00
Persons Under 2 years: free

Island Harbour Bay, now virtually quiet, except for the gentle waves caressing the many fishing boats at anchor and crashing against the shoreline, will buzz with activity on Saturday and Sunday, March 22 and 23. That is when Festival Del Mar (Festival of the Sea) will be held there attracting large crowds from across the island.

Police in Anguilla are looking for a missing motorist whose car was involved in a road accident on the Stoney Ground main road, in the early hours of February 23, which resulted in the death of village resident Nell Rogers.

The 3,700-odd shareholders of the National Bank of Anguilla Group of Companies will be delighted to hear that the Bank has now reached its first one billion dollars in assets. The announcement was made on Wednesday, February 27, by Chief Executive Officer, E. Valentine Banks at a press briefing called for that purpose.

Come Saturday, March 1, residents in Anguilla will begin paying five cents more for electricity in terms of fuel surcharge. ANGLEC’s General Manager, Neil McConnie, says the company was forced to increase the fuel surcharge from its present rate of 26 cents per unit to 31 cents. He nevertheless pointed out that the company will be absorbing 22 cents of the increased amount in order to reduce the burden on customers and emphasised the need for electricity consumption to save on bills.

In the continuing spate of serious and minor road accidents in Anguilla, Nell Rogers, 44, of Stoney Ground, died some hours, at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, after he was severely injured on Saturday, February 23.

Anguilla’s Revolutionary Leader, James Ronald Webster, has risen above the den of noise about an annual national holiday for his birthday simply to send a statesmanlike message to citizens urging them to continue to build and strengthen their homeland for another 40 years.