Who shot Dr. Frank?
Former Cabinet Minister Frank McField was shot in the right leg sometime in the early morning of 1 December. He was airlifted the next day to Miami and underwent surgery to repair a shattered bone.
He initially gave no indication of how he came to be shot. Rumours circulated that he had accidently shot himself, but almost two weeks later, Mr. McField said he did not shoot himself or commit any illegal act.
Mr. McField did not say who shot him and called the matter “a complicated situation”.
He did say there was an ongoing police investigation, but by the end of the month, no arrests were made.
Derek Wight passes on
In early December the Caymanian Compass ran the obituary of businessman Derek Brian Wight who died 26 November, 2011.
Mr. Wight will be remembered for improvements to cricket in the Cayman Islands, as well as his business acumen. Many will remember the first supermarket in Cayman, By-Rite Supermarket, Bata Shoe Store, Tom-Sun Garage, McTaggarts Appliance and Paint Store, Treasure Cove Duty Free and Walkers Road Texaco. He also developed properties associated with these businesses, including the Eden Centre. He was a founding member of Cayman National Bank, a founding shareholder of both Jacques Scott and Cayman Distributors and a founding member of The Chamber of Commerce and was chairman of the Water Authority during one of the most critical periods of expansion in its history.
Guns smuggling ring revealed
Documents filed in US District Court in December revealed details of a firearms smuggling ring that dated back to 2008.
Brandon Leslie, also known as Brandon Ebanks and Mikkyle Brandon Leslie, who was acquitted of murder charges in Cayman in late November, was arrested by US authorities when he attempted to enter the United States a few days later.
The documents filed in court supporting his arrest gave extensive details of a incident in November 2008 where Cayman Islands Customs intercepted automatic weapons and ammunition concealed in a refrigerator, which lead to the conviction of Michael Timothy Ebanks. They also gave details of another instance of attempted arms smuggling to Cayman that led to the convictions of three people in Florida.
However, the court documents filed in the US not only implicated many other Cayman Islands residents in the plots, but detailed other instances where concealed firearms were shipped to Cayman and then not seized when they arrived.
Civil servants get raise
Less than a month after Premier McKeeva Bush delivered a budget address titled “Responsibility in times of austerity” the Cayman Islands government gave all civil servants a 3.2 per cent raise – the amount of a cost of living allowance they had been given in July 2008 and then had taken away in July 2010.
Premier McKeeva Bush said in August the raise was possible because Cayman ended the last budget year with a $25 million surplus. However, in his Strategic Policy Statement issued on 1 December, Mr. Bush announced the government was facing a $4.5 million operating deficit.
Mr. Bush said times were difficult for everyone and civil servants were no different than other people.
No more yapping and driving
After legislators approved amendments, Governor Duncan Taylor signed the a revised Traffic Law that will outlaw the use of hand-held cell phones while driving.
Hands-free cell phones will still be permissible with certain stipulations.
The amendments also paves the way for 100 per cent electric cars in Cayman; requires road and written driving tests for foreigners who come to the Cayman Islands; outlaws the practice of wheel clamping as a way of public parking enforcement; and creates criminal offences for careless driving.
Government OKs West Bay Road deal
The Cayman Islands Government, the National Roads Authority and Dart Group signed a deal that will lead to the closure of about 2,500 feet of West Bay Road, the completion of the Esterley Tibbetts Highway all the way to West Bay and the redevelopment of what was the Courtyard Marriott Hotel, which has been closed since November 2008 after damage caused by Hurricane Paloma.
The deal was signed despite a petition circulated that had several thousand signatures of voters, expatriates, visitors and even children. However, Premier McKeeva Bush said the petitioners misled people by making them think the road closure involved the transfer of the Seven Mile Beach Public Beach to the Dart Group, something that was borne out by comments made by those who signed the petition.
Bandits rob jewellery store
In one of the boldest robberies ever, three masked men wielding axe-like tools entered the Magnum Jewellery store on Cardinall Avenue.
The robbery occurred in broad daylight just before noon on one of the busiest Christmas shopping days of year, with thousands of cruise ship passengers in town.
The bandits used their tools to break the glass panels of the store’s jewellery cases and made off with an undisclosed amount of merchandise.
After the robbers left, the came back again and took more merchandise before fleeing for good.
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