Local News

The Anguilla Regatta that is to take place on May 9, 10 and 11 promises to be bigger and better than ever. The Government of Anguilla, through the Anguilla Tourist Board (ATB), on Friday presented the Anguilla Sailing Association (ASA) with a cheque for US$25,000.00 making them the headline sponsor of the event. The Regatta is being organized for the sixth year by the ASA and all the proceeds will go to the Anguilla Youth Sailing Club.

Anguilla was amongst fourteen islands represented at the 9th Annual Island Fest held by CSA (Caribbean Student Association) at Johnson & Wales University in Providence Rhode Island, on April 19th 2008.

The Ministry of Social Development on Monday 21st April assembled a wide range of stakeholders at the Paradise Cove Resort for a planning and development workshop. The workshop was designed to establish among critical stakeholders the basis and the way forward for the proposed Job Education and Skill Development Initiative or Job Link-Up.

Even though the seas came up strong and the fishing was uncomfortable the fish harvest was good. Four nice sized Wahoo and three Dolphinfish however took most of the day and many miles were traveled.

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.

Media representatives were told on Wednesday by Sergeant Randolph Yearwood of the Royal Anguilla Police Force that there were 15 crimes on the island during the period April 9-15.

The Royal Anguilla Police Force is now preparing to question Devon Otto, who is a murder suspect in the shooting death of Devon Ryan of Blowing Point in July last year.
Otto, who was able to evade capture in Anguilla, eventually traveled to St. Maarten to hideout and reportedly became involved in offences there and attracted the attention of the Dutch Police. He was caught last week during a raid at a house and is now in custody there.

Officials of the Ministry of Tourism and the Anguilla Tourist Board, along with a number of valued partners referred to as “correspondents”, will be meeting on Tuesday, April 22, for the first Annual Mid-year Review of the island’s tourism strategy.

Following the recent ground-breaking ceremony for the Fairmont Project at the Forest Bay area, the developers undertook to carry out certain work, on the beach and the surf, involving the use of heavy equipment and the removal of sand reportedly for eventual replacement.

The Royal Anguilla Police Force is investigating the circumstances surrounding three fatal incidents. One of the latest two occurred in The Valley in the early hours of Tuesday, April 15, when Randy Atwell, 38, of North Side, died after the green Ford Ranger (P 9293) he was driving collided in the Babrow building.

The Department of Social Development (DSD) held its first Staff Development Day for 2008 on Wednesday 2 April. This annual one-day exercise was designed to assist in the personal and professional development of the staff.

At a press briefing held at the ECCB boardroom in the Fairplay Commercial Complex on April 16 at 10:00 am, Temenos and Flag Anguilla announced its support for the tenth annual Optimist Triathlon.

The 19th Biennial Conference of the Caribbean Women’s Association (CARIWA) will be held in Anguilla with the Teachers’ Resource Centre being the main venue.

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

In celebrating First Caribbean International Bank’s five year anniversary, Marie Rey announced on Wednesday April 16, that a donation in the amount of USD $10,000 would be made towards an IT Centre in the Public Library. The Chief Minister of Anguilla, the Honourable Mr. Osbourne Fleming, as well as the Minster of Social Development, the Honourable Evans Rogers, sat alongside Mrs. Rey at the head table and were much appreciative of the gift. The following is an excerpt of Mrs. Rey’s speech:

The Health Authority of Anguilla held a meeting for executive management and managers at the Teachers Resource Centre. The purpose of this meeting was to bring managers up-to-date with some reorganization initiatives and to impress upon managers the importance of keeping in mind at all times three key points – accountability, responsibility and ownership.

“Innovation and Economic Development: The Anguilla Experiment” - Dr Aidan Harrigan, PS EDICT, Government of Anguilla was warmly received as keynote speaker for the Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Association (AHTA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) at Frangipani Beach Resort on Thursday 10th April 2008.

The world-wide Seventh-day Adventist Church, renowned for its spiritual and physical care of everyone within its reach, is continuing, with even greater zeal, to meet the needs of the whole person in these increasingly difficult times facing humanity.

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.