ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – Wednesday June 10, 2015 SportS | page 20 dellavedova sparks Cavs Aussie’s defense impacting Curry High of 89 Low of 76 Moderate with wave heights of 3 to 5 feet. editorial | page 4 Cruise berthing: pros and Cons begin to Crystallize Legislators vote to pull Compass advertising James Whittaker jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Legislators voted on Monday to pull Government advertising and cease any com- mercial activity with the Cayman Compass newspaper in response to an editorial which Premier Alden McLaughlin has de- scribed as “treasonous.” The premier again condemned the edi- torial about corruption in the territory, pub- lished Wednesday, June 3, saying it was a “full frontal assault on the Cayman Islands and its people” as he gave his support to economic sanctions against the newspaper. Following the premier’s accusations on Friday, Mr. Legge and his wife, co-publisher Vicki Legge, were placed under police protec- tion and left the island temporarily. The newspaper dedicated its front page on Monday to an image, “in memoriam” of free speech in the Cayman Islands. East End legislator Arden McLean, who brought the motion Monday night to cease commercial activity with the Compass, had a message for Mr. Legge. “Stop destroying our country and running it down,” he said. “Tombstones? We have to be careful about how we plant them and whose name appear upon them.” Several other legislators condemned the original editorial, which suggested Cayman’s leaders had been slow to respond to allega- tions of bribery within FIFA, involving Cayman soccer official Jeffrey Webb, in part because corruption was so commonplace in the terri- tory that people were slow to recognize it. Sports Minister Osbourne Bodden said, “I think it is only in the Cayman Islands that such an act could be done and such a peaceful revolution take place. Most times when this happens people are run out of town.” Politicians agreed to suspend the usual standing orders, governing Legislative Assembly procedure, on Monday night to bring the motion against the Compass during a hearing of Finance Committee to discuss the Rolston Anglin disquAlified fRom dRiving Former minister pleads guilty to being in charge of vehicle while intoxicated Carol Winker cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Former minister for education and deputy premier Rolston Anglin pleaded guilty on Monday to being in charge of a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. The offense occurred around 11 p.m. on Sept. 21, 2014, at West Bay Road in the vicinity of the roundabout near the Fidelity Financial Centre and the Galleria Shopping Plaza. Magistrate Grace Donalds heard details of the charge from the Crown and then mitigation from defense attorney Lloyd Samson. The magistrate was advised that Anglin had a previous conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol. For that offense, which occurred in May 2012, he had been fined $500 and disqualified for 12 months – from March 26, 2013 to March 26, 2014. She therefore increased both penalties, making the fine $650 and the disqualification period 15 months. In this latest incident, Anglin was in charge of a Honda Accord while his blood-alcohol level was 0.159. The legal limit in Cayman is 0.100. Police officers found him behind the wheel with the vehicle’s engine running. The vehicle was up against a curb and partially obstructed the roadway. There was no damage to his vehicle or to any other property. Mr. Samson submitted a letter from GASBOY system will be upgraded, not replaced Minister says cards add security, control Charles dunCan cduncan@pinnaclemedialtd.com The GASBOY system, cited in several government audits as subject to wide- spread abuse by government employees, will be upgraded with a new GASBOY system, Planning Minister Kurt Tibbetts said last week. The Internal Audit Unit in 2010 and the Auditor General in 2012 reported long- standing problems with the management system for the government fuel depot. It ap- pears, according to Mr. Tibbetts’s responses to questioning in the Legislative Assembly Finance Committee, GASBOY won the new contract to replace the system. The old system, which is still in place, is “very much outdated,” the minister said. The new system, he said, will have au- diting and security features to help prevent misuse and theft. The update, he said, will be in the “near future.” East End MLA Arden McLean, ques- tioning the planning minister in the Finance Committee last week, said of GASBOY, “It is a system that is doomed for failure and it has always been doomed for failure.” Mr. Tibbetts said the new system will allow government to set time restrictions and a maximum volume for the gas cards. The software also has tracking and au- diting built in, so managers can monitor employee fuel use. The new GASBOY also has physical security that uses a microchip on the car to confirm that it’s a government ve- hicle before the pump will dispense fuel. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » The government fuel facility on North Sound Road. – Photo: ChRis CouRt2 LOCAL&REGIONAL Wednesday June 10, 2015 • Cayman Compass www. REGmovies.com SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted to any lm starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. y x *Additional charges will apply per 3D ticket requested. - WEDNESDAY - $8.00 SPY (R) 1:00 I 3:50 I 7 :10 I 9:55 SAN ANDREAS 3D (PG13) 12:45 I 3:20 2D I 7:15 I 9:50 2D PITCH PERFECT 2 (PG13) 1:10 I 4:10 I 7:15 I 9:50 ENTOURAGE (R) 1:15 I 3:45 I 7:20 I 10:05 TOMORROWLAND (PG) 1:00 I 3:55 I 6:50 I 9:45 POLTERGEIST 3D (PG13) 12:30 I 2:50 2D I 5:10 I 7:30 2D I 10:00 GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) – Guyana’s government says it hopes to work out a new extradition treaty with the U.S. after failed efforts to extradite fu- gitives who fled to the South American country. Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan says the 1931 treaty established when Britain ruled Guyana is vague and subject to judicial interpretation. Several suspects sought for U.S. extradi- tion have successfully challenged the treaty in court and remain free in Guyana. They faced charges ranging from murder to drug trafficking. Ramjattan said Saturday that the U.S. sometimes caught Guyanese fugitives when they visited nearby Trinidad, where the extra- dition process is easier. Talks on a new treaty have not yet begun. Expert to assist defense CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Simon Christopher Courtney ap- peared in Summary Court on Tuesday for an update on charges against him of causing grievous bodily harm, dan- gerous driving and leaving the scene of an accident. The charges arose from an inci- dent on Sunday, Jan. 25, in which two tourists walking along West Bay Road were injured. The defendant, an attorney, was charged in April. Attorney Laurence Aiolfi said the defense was in the process of in- structing an expert who could then as- sist in determining the next step. Magistrate Valdis Foldats set the matter for mention again on Tuesday, July 7. TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) – Honduras’ president ac- knowledged Wednesday that his election campaign re- ceived financing from busi- nesspeople linked to a so- cial security embezzlement and graft scandal that has sparked large protests, but denied any personal involvement. President Juan Orlando Hernandez said his National Party informed him that the funds involved 10 checks totaling about $150,000 in donations during his race for the Central American nation’s top office two years ago. He said the business- people who gave the checks to his party were to blame and urged that the funds be returned as soon as possible. “The investigations must continue no matter who may fall,” Hernandez said in a televised interview. Investigators allege that a network led by the then-director of the Social Security Institute fraudu- lently misspent millions of dollars on goods and ser- vices that were marked up more than 100 percent, with kickbacks paid by busi- nesses that benefited. At least part of the money pur- portedly ended up in the hands of the National Party. On Sunday, the prosecutor heading the case, Roberto Ramirez Aldana, fled the country after receiving death threats that authorities con- sidered credible. Thousands of people who organized through social media marched in cities around the country over the weekend to dem- onstrate against the scandal, with some calling for Hernandez to resign. The president, whose four-year term began in January 2014, waged an ex- pensive campaign to nar- rowly defeat Xiomara Castro, the wife of former President Manuel Zelaya, who was ousted in a 2009 coup backed by the National Party and the military. Hernandez said he has no intention of leaving of- fice. He denied his party is responsible for the scandal, but notably mentioned his vice president and former National Party chief, Ricardo Alvarez. “I do not know at the mo- ment if he has given a state- ment. Everyone must do so, and the court must issue its ruling,” Hernandez said. The former social secu- rity chief was captured after fleeing to Nicaragua and has since been imprisoned along with two former vice ministers of the Health and Labor ministries. They and the 18-member board of di- rectors of the Social Security Institute are under investi- gation. All are members of the National Party. Protesters plan to march Friday to local offices of the United Nations to de- mand the creation of an international commis- sion to investigate crime and impunity, similar to a body already operating in neighboring Guatemala SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – Puerto Rico is bracing for more austere water-ra- tioning measures amid a worsening dry spell. The U.S. territory has seen levels at its main res- ervoirs steadily drop in re- cent weeks. The director of the is- land’s water and sewer treatment plant is expected to make an announcement Sunday regarding new mea- sures. Alberto Lazaro pre- viously warned that water could be cut for up to two days at a time if the situa- tion does not improve. More than 160,000 people living in and near the capital of San Juan currently have access to water every other day. Investigators allege that a network led by the then-director of the Social Security Institute fraudulently misspent millions of dollars on goods and services. Guyana seeks new extradition treaty with US to nab criminals Attorney’s hit and run driving charges mentioned Honduran leader acknowledges campaign funds tied to scandal Puerto rico PrePares for stricter water rationing measures3 LOCAL NEWS Cayman Compass • Wednesday June 10, 2015 178476_PRINT-4x12-Butterfield-SyPage 1 6/5/15 5:47:08 PM Government weather radar down Forecasters must rely on satellite imagery until radar repaired Charles DunCan cduncan@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Cayman Islands National Weather Service Doppler radar system has been inoperable since Saturday evening, coming off line at the tail end of a week of rains that caused flooding across Grand Cayman. Weather Service officials said they hoped to fix a me- chanical problem Tuesday and get the weather radar working again. National Weather Service Director General John Tibbetts said a motor failed on the radar. The system provides live images of storms up to 250 miles out from Grand Cayman, helping forecasters and residents stay up to date on rain moving through the region. “We’re hoping it’s not too big of a deal,” Mr. Tibbetts said. As of press time Tuesday the radar was still down. Forecaster Avalon Porter said Cayman is not entirely without weather radar cov- erage. The radar on Grand Cayman is part of an in- ternational system and the weather systems on Cuba cover the Cayman Islands. Mr. Porter did say fore- casting is more difficult without the radar. Cayman’s radar, he said, “fills a void in the northwest Caribbean. The Grand Cayman radar picks up where Cuba leaves off to cover the territory south and west toward Mexico and Central America.” The radar here, Mr. Porter said, is part of an interna- tional mosaic system to track weather around the globe. Without radar, he said, the National Weather Service has to rely more on satellite imagery, giving a view from above of cloud system. The radar system cuts through those clouds to show the familiar color-coded rain maps. Rain slows, for now Mr. Porter said the clouds will stick around this week with fewer showers. This weekend the rain could pick up again, he said. He said the clouds and infrequent rain showers are coming from a weather system over the Yucatan. Rains last week battered Grand Cayman with several inches of rain a day for days in a row, accumulating more than 15 and a half inches over four days. The frequent showers flooded streets and homes. Many roads and yards are still flooded with standing water. ICCI launches online learning James Whittaker jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com The International College of the Cayman Islands is launching a new online learning program, starting in July for students in its Bachelor of Business Administration Program. The college’s president David Marshall said the program, which will fea- ture video lectures and podcasts from staff at the college, would be ex- tended to other courses, if successful. Faculty will start training this week on how to record lectures, post to YouTube and Vimeo, pro- duce podcasts and use com- munication tools like Skype and WhatsApp to stay in contact with students and engage them in academic content, he said “Offering online classes will open the doors of op- portunity for those other- wise unable to access a col- lege education,” he said. “This innovation is part of ICCI’s strong tradition of producing outstanding graduates for Cayman’s workforce for 44 years,” said Marshall. The online class launch follows seven months of planning and surveying the student and alumni popu- lations, he said. “A majority of ICCI’s students are working adults who face barriers to earning a degree because of work, civic, or family obli- gations. These courses are designed specifically to benefit students who have difficulty commuting to the Newlands’ campus.” Marshall says the online initiative allows students to attend virtual classes on their own schedules. Last month, ICCI won permission from its U.S. accrediting body, the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, to begin the pilot program. An ACICS ac- crediting team will also visit ICCI next year to en- sure students are achieving the same learning out- comes as those in face-to- face courses. “We know that stu- dents all over the world are already supplementing their classroom education with many online tools,” said Marshall. “Online learning is really the future for producing accessible, high quality and afford- able education, especially in Cayman were very few can stop work altogether to pursue their education.” Each online course typ- ically will have a set of readings, recorded lectures, videos, podcasts, discus- sions, tests and collabor- ative group projects. The course will be led by a cre- dentialed faculty member who will interact with stu- dents online about the course content each week and grade assignments. The college is seeking approval from ACICS to add additional courses from other degree programs. “Offering online classes will open the doors of opportunity for those otherwise unable to access a college education.” DaviD MaRshall Mr. TibbettsThe islands’ most-trusted news source 4 – EDITORIAL – Opinion&Letters The Cayman Compass welcomes comments, opinions and viewpoints from readers. Letters to the editor can be emailed to editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com, submitted via www.caymancompass.com, sent by post or hand-delivered to the Compass office. Wednesday June 10, 2015 • Cayman COmpass Cruise berthing: Pros and cons begin to crystallize You can’t make a rum cake without breaking a few eggs — and you can’t build a new cruise pier in George Town harbor without demolishing a significant amount of coral reef. As the recently published Environmental Impact Assessment illustrates, the proposed Grand Cayman cruise berthing facility is of such magnitude that its construction and operation will have unavoidable negative effects on the surrounding aquatic environ- ment, including the destruction of 15 acres of coral reef, as well as “increased stress on and degradation of” an additional 15-20 acres of reef. The dredging for the project will result in the loss of one of the Cayman Islands’ signature dive sites: the ever-popular wreck of the Balboa, a 375-foot freighter that sank in 1932. Further, according to the report, turbidity plumes (i.e. vast quantities of muck and mire stirred up by dredging and operations) may degrade the quality of diving at the spectacular Devil’s Grotto caverns off Eden Rock, and the Cali shipwreck, a 200-foot-long four-masted schooner which sank in 1944. Quantifying the impacts in terms of dollars — that tourists won’t be spending on recreation and water- sport activities in the harbor — consultants estimate that the damage to marine resources will cost Cayman about $100 million to $165 million over 20 years. That’s the negative side of the ledger (and doesn’t include the intrinsic, emotional and thus unquantifiable dimensions of how people may feel about doing harm to coral reefs and the living creatures they support). On the plus side, an earlier report, focusing on the business case for the project, estimated that the new cruise port would create nearly 1,000 jobs and inject $250 million or more into the local economy over 20 years. The project, as contemplated, would include two piers with space for four large cruise ships (including two suitable for the largest Oasis class vessels), but would not do away with the need for tender operations on days when five or more cruise ships are in port. The new Environmental Impact Assessment contains other items of interest, such as the con- sideration that some of the impacted reef, and also the Balboa, could be “relocated” out of harm’s way. However, that effort could cost some $13 million, with no guarantees that it will work, and with the caveat that a coral relocation program cannot possibly save all of the coral from being destroyed. In their assessment, consultants suggested a revised design for the port that would decrease the amount of dredging required, but would increase the area of “reclaimed” land to 7.7 acres, which could potentially be used for shops, restaurants and adminis- trative buildings. We commend EIA consultants Baird and Associ- ates for their report, which in our opinion appears to be methodical, objective and thorough. In other words, the report contains just the kind of information that Cayman’s leaders, and Cayman’s people, require in order to make the best decisions for the common good of our country. At this time, the Editorial Board has not arrived at a determination of whether or not Cayman should pursue the construction of cruise piers in George Town — or, if so, where cruise berthing should rank, in terms of priority and urgency, on the list of major capital projects, including Owen Roberts International Airport and the George Town Landfill. Our conclusions will become clearer as more infor- mation, such as that contained in the EIA, becomes available — particularly in regard to hard financial numbers, specifically, how Cayman officials plan to pay for the project under the restrictions of the U.K.’s Framework for Fiscal Responsibility and what our country can expect to receive in return. No project as significant as cruise berthing will be free from negative consequences. The ultimate question will be: “Is it worth it?” Cayman gov’t in third-world attack on local newspaper DaviD Marchant OffshoreAlert As someone who was thrown out of Bermuda in 1996 for no other reason than being an investigative journalist (or “a nuisance,” as the occupation is known locally), I’m well aware of how sensitive small coun- tries are to criticism. Their economies are fragile and journalists are expected to be part of a ju- risdiction’s promotional ef- fort, more than a purveyor of truth. The message to for- eign workers is clear: If you don’t like it, clear off. Over the weekend, the publisher of Cayman’s daily newspaper, United States national David Legge, did indeed “clear off,” at least temporarily, flying to the safety of the U.S. after the islands’ premier, Alden McLaughlin, accused him of treason, no less. Legge’s “crime” was that his Cayman Compass news- paper, inspired by the ar- rest in Switzerland of Caymanian FIFA VP Jeffrey Webb for suspected corrup- tion, published an editorial that can best be described as an exercise in stating the obvious, i.e. corruption was so much part of Cayman’s culture that locals “don’t know it when they see it.” The opinion echoed com- ments made by Cayman’s former auditor general, Canadian Dan Duguay, at The OffshoreAlert Conference in 2013 during a session en- titled “Corruption in OFCs: How Big Is the Problem & What Is Its Impact on International Business?”, a video of which can be viewed on OffshoreAlert. com. Corruption was “en- demic in the country,” said Duguay, who reeled off a few of the most egregious examples, including a scam whereby “pretty much ev- eryone in Cayman” has a card to illegally obtain free gas from a fuel facility in- tended for government vehi- cles only. The “sense of enti- tlement” was so strong that the average person couldn’t see anything wrong with it, said Duguay. … [redacted to conform with Cayman Islands defa- mation laws] Despite a plethora of evidence to the contrary, Cayman’s current pre- mier claimed in his re- sponse to the local newspa- per’s opinion on corruption that “Cayman operates a zero tolerance approach to anyone carrying out illicit activities in these islands” before describing the edi- torial as “a treasonous at- tack on the Cayman Islands and on all the people of Cayman.” Cayman’s Finance Committee then voted to stop spending public cash on advertisements in the newspaper, a significant financial blow in such a small market. With such a “head-in-the- sand, cry-baby” approach to the most pernicious finan- cial crime facing the world today, McLaughlin’s words and the Finance Committee’s actions will do little to in- spire confidence among the outside world that a juris- diction routinely described as “the world’s fifth largest financial center” will do its part to fight what is a global problem. Yes, that’s right, whatever corruption exists in Cayman pales with what takes place in countries like the United States and the United Kingdom. At least in those countries, however, there is recognition that a problem exists and journal- ists are free to report about it without some hot-head leader putting their safety at risk. McLaughlin needs to act more like Obama and Cameron and less like Putin. Cayman’s first-class finan- cial services sector can ill- afford to have a third-world political leader. © 2015, OffshoreAlert Printed and Published by: Caymanian Compass Limited (a subsidiary of Pinnacle Media Ltd) Compass Centre Shedden Road, George Town send us yOur VieWs Or neWs: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman, KY1-1108 Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@pinnaclemedialtd.com adVertise With us: Telephone: (345) 949-5111 Email: sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com Website: www.caymancompass.com PUBLISHERS daVid r. legge and Vicki l. legge EdITOR-In-CHIEf daVid r. legge A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will find their own way” FrOm the Web “Premier calls anti- corruption editorial ‘treasonous’,” June 8 We all need to look and see who has brought this scandal down on the Cayman Islands; not the Cayman Compass. Ron Clair Ebanks The point of the editorial is spot-on, and is evidenced by the recent story of MLAs paying cash to constituents out of their own pockets. This itself is a form of corruption – it is buying a vote. And the problem, when raised by one MLA, was dismissed by others as no big deal. This is exactly the point – it’s corruption that a blind eye is turned toward. steven White This is a direct attack on Mr. Legge. I am sure the pre- mier was fullly aware that his words would incite ha- tred against Mr. Legge, his family, the Compass editors and other employees. This isn’t much different than an- other MLA’s warnings of rev- olution and bloodshed. michael Davis Can you imagine if the Compass passes on Alden’s comments to international media, and these comments are published globally? Whose image do you think will suffer more? Compass? Think again … Forest anda5 LOCAL NEWS Cayman Compass • Wednesday June 10, 2015 FUEL THE DIFFERENCE. GRAND PRIZE OF $5,000! $1000 FOR 9 FINALISTS! DEADLINE: JUNE 13TH WHO’S ELIGIBLE? - 8-12 year olds eligible to enter - All schools in the Cayman Islands VISIT WWW.RUBISCAYMANISLANDS.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION WHAT ACADEMIC SUBJECTS, EXTRACURRICULAR OR SPECIAL INTEREST ACTIVITIES ARE HIGHLIGHTED? eg. Music, Studies, Arts, Dance, Sports a). Go to WWW.RUBISCAYMANISLANDS.COM and click on the Rubis Top Student link to the contest. b). Scan and upload a copy of your application form with parent/guardian signature that agrees to the terms of the contest. c). Scan and upload the costs/estimates for what you want to use the grant funding on. Please attach for both KY$1000 and KY$5000 estimates. d). Upload your video presentation. Your video must not be longer than 4 minutes. ROUND ONE - APPLICATION SUBMISSION MAY 27TH - JUNE 13TH ROUND TWO - SEMI FINAL VOTING JUNE 13TH - JUNE 20TH ROUND THREE - FINAL TOP TEN BY ONLINE PUBLIC VOTING JUNE 20TH - JULY 17TH Hey kids do you do well in sports, music, art or academics? Is there a special activity that you are really great at doing? Introducing Rubis Top Student. An 8 week contest brought to you by Rubis Cayman Islands. All kids who live in Cayman ages 8-12, now have an incredible opportunity to further develop themselves in an area that they are passionate about. Rubis is here to help fuel the future of our kids in the Cayman Islands. HOW TO ENTER? Equestrian coaches train in Trinidad The Cayman Islands Equestrian Federation will host its first ever Federation Equestre International training course in Cayman next month. Between June 20th and 25th, the Federation will host a level 2 coach course for nine coaches from across the Caribbean region. Coaching tutor, Cesar Tevard, arrives from the Dominican Republic on June 20th to begin teaching the 6-day course which will train coaches on how to coach their riders to 1.3 meters in jumping and medium/ad- vanced level in dressage. Equestrian Federation members participating in the course include Mary Alberga, owner and op- erator of the Equestrian Center, Jessica McTaggart- Giuzio, Equestrian Center manager, Regina Nowak and Michelle Boucher. Three Caymanian mem- bers of the Cayman Islands Equestrian Federation recently returned from Trinidad and Tobago after participating in a four-day regional coaching course. A total of 15 coaches from Trinidad, Cayman and Jamaica came to- gether to take part in the course taught by Javier Jeri Leigh of Venezuela. Over the course of four days, participants re- viewed teaching methods for coaching riders at pre- liminary and elementary dressage levels and up to 1.15 meters in the dis- cipline of jumping. The course included class- room based theory ses- sions mixed with practical outdoor sessions coaching riders and their horses. Ms. McTaggart-Giuzio said the group – Ms. Nowak, Ms. Boucher and Tracey Surrey – partic- ipated in the coaching course to improve the level of coaching on the island. “I have done the level 1 myself and used it to raise the standard of teaching on the island for local riders,” said Ms. McTaggart-Giuzio. The Level 1 coaching course was run by the Trinidad and Tobago Equestrian Association and the global eques- trian governing body, the Federation Equestre International. Cayman Riding School client Ms. Boucher said the coaching system is a struc- tured and measurable pro- gram developed for coun- tries that are growing and developing equestrian sport. “It equips coaches with world standard tech- niques to not only develop the rider and horse’s phys- ical skills, but also their mental fitness to prog- ress them towards their goals and prepare them for international compe- tition.” She added that it was very exciting and re- warding to be a part of the Level 1 coach training program in Trinidad and to be working together with Caribbean part- ners in developing exper- tise in equestrian sport in the region. Ms. Nowak, a coach at the Equestrian Center, said the course was re- ally great, and a very in- tense, challenging four days. “The instructor was so good I could easily have done a longer course. The people were also wel- coming, warm, friendly and organized.” Cayman Riding School owner and operator Tracey Surrey took advantage of the coaching course despite already having British Horse Society AI qualifications. “I am a firm believer that coaches should never stop learning and should take every opportunity to brush up on, and refresh their coaching skills.” She said this benefits not only her riders, but it keeps things fresh and up to date for her. “Spending time and money on educating local coaches means that the skills remain here to ben- efit local riders for many years to come. We can also pass on what we have learnt to developing riders who may have an in- terest in being the coaches of the future.” Survey: Cayman Internet faSt but expenSIve CharlEs DunCan cduncan@pinnaclemedialtd.com A recent survey of Caribbean Internet providers show the Cayman Islands has some of the fastest con- nection speeds, but service is among the most expensive in the region. The survey found Cayman has the second-highest down- load speed at 300 megabits per second and the highest price for the cheapest ser- vice. ICT Pulse, which tracks information and communi- cation technology issues in the Caribbean, surveyed the main Internet service pro- viders in 19 countries in the region on price and connec- tion speed for fixed broad- band, including LIME and Logic in Cayman. The report notes that there could be significant changes coming since Cable and Wireless Communication, LIME’s parent company, re- cently bought out Columbus International and its Flow brand. The report states: “The full impact of that transac- tion on broadband Internet speed and pricing in the re- gion has not yet been fully re- alized. In the coming months, we are likely to witness some major changes in the Internet space, as [Cable and Wireless Communication] rolls out its strategy for the region.” The survey looked at the price for the lowest avail- able Internet speed and the highest. It found that Cayman had the highest of the low-speed connections at 10 Mbps – most other coun- tries offered 2 Mbps as the lowest speed. The price for the low-speed connection is highest in Cayman at US$96 a month while most other countries are in the US$20 to $40 range. Cayman has the second highest connection rate in the region at 300 Mbps, ac- cording to the report, for about $300 a month. The highest connection speed in the Caribbean is 320 Mbps, which is offered in Barbados for US$100 a month. The most expensive ser- vice in the region is in Belize where customers pay almost US$350 a month for 16 Mbps. “The offerings from the ISPs varied drastically in respect of transmission speeds,” the report states, citing speeds as low as 256 kilobits per second, akin to an old dial- up modem. The survey found the slowest connec- tions in the region in Aruba, Belize and Guyana.The islands’ most-trusted news source 6 Wednesday June 10, 2015 • Cayman Compass PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT OFFICE CLOSURE PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT CAYMAN FIRST INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED WILL BE CLOSED ON FRIDAY JUNE 12 2015FRIDAY, JUNE 12, 2015 We will re-open for business as follows: Countryside location (Savannah)Countryside location (Savannah) 9:00 a.m. Saturday, June 13, 2015 Main Office (Harbour Place) 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 16, 2015 WE REGRET ANY INCONVENIENCE CAUSED Signed: Management 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 16, 2015 O B S E S S E D POSTPONED TO JUNE 12, 13 & 14 Harquail Theatre Fri. June 12 @ 7:30pm • Sat. June 13 @ 10am & 7:30pm • Sun. June 14 @ 5:00pm Admission $25 adults & $15 children under 15 • For Tickets Call 926.1826 his client’s physician. The letter indicated that Anglin had been diag- nosed in 2012 with sleep apnea. The doctor said this condition could cause medical issues, in- cluding excessive drows- iness, if not addressed properly. This condition, along with another health issue, may have had some bearing on the defen- dant’s alcohol-in-blood level, the letter said. Anglin, 43, was one of four Members of the Legislative Assembly for West Bay from 2000 to 2013. He served as deputy premier and min- ister of education, finan- cial services and employ- ment 2009-2013. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Rolston Anglin disqualified from driving Mr. Tibbetts discussed how the “ring system” works to make sure fuel only goes in government vehicles, but did not say specifically that Cayman would use that type of physical security. The system can also track mileage automatically to confirm that the fuel is being used in the govern- ment vehicle, but again there’s no confirmation that the technology will be used here. Mr. McLean said govern- ment should use a system requiring odometer read- ings so the software can confirm vehicles are within acceptable limits when an employee refuels. He said tracking odometer readings would also help with over- sight on employees using government vehicles and making sure maintenance happens on schedule. A report on fuel usage covering the 2009-2010 year found that 43 percent of the fuel cards holders no longer worked for the department the card was assigned to or had no “business need for the cards.”The Internal Audit Unit cited a lack of management over the fuel cards and, the unit’s re- port states, “This risk in- creases in situations where fuel consumption is not ad- equately monitored.” Government earlier this year advertised a request for proposals for a new fuel management software system. The Department of Vehicle and Equipment Services, according to tender documents, closed bidding for the new system April 30. country’s annual budget. The motion brought by Mr. McLean alters and su- persedes a similar motion brought by the same legis- lator on Friday which was mis-phrased to suggest the opposite intent. Mr. McLean’s new motion, supported 11-0 by the legisla- tors present, with the United Democratic Party legislators McKeeva Bush and Bernie Bush abstaining, stated: “Be it therefore resolved that this honorable Finance Committee condemn the editorial of Wednesday 3 June, 2015 and the subse- quent actions of the Cayman Compass, the island’s only daily newspaper, by resolving to immediately cease all gov- ernment advertising or any other commercial activity by ministries, portfolios, depart- ments, government entities, government owned compa- nies and statutory authorities with the Cayman Compass, its parent company, if any and its affiliates.” Government currently uses the newspaper to ad- vertise jobs, tenders for gov- ernment contracts, plan- ning applications and other public notices. It also uses one of the Compass’s sister companies to print various things, including official election ballots. Some legislators ex- pressed concern about how it would look internation- ally and how it might affect jobs at the newspaper and its printing business. Independent George Town MLA Roy McTaggart said, “I know there could be conse- quences for people locally, and there could be conse- quences internationally by all that has gone on, but I firmly believe there are times in one’s life when you have to stand up and be counted.” Mr. McTaggart then voted in favor of the motion, as did fellow independent George Town MLA Winston Connolly. The editorial in question described corruption as too commonplace in Cayman, calling it an insidious, creeping crime. Mr. McLean’s relationship with the newspaper has been strained since last year when he was the subject of news stories and editorials that re- vealed that he had used his government credit card to buy a diamond-studded la- dies watch. Mr. McLean, who defended himself at the time by producing receipts to show he had paid the money back, said his bringing the motion was not personal and denied that it was an effort to suppress freedom of the press. Legislators vote to pull Compass advertising CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 GASBOY system will be upgraded, not replaced Mr. Anglin “It is a system that is doomed for failure and it has always been doomed for failure.” Arden McLeAn CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Publisher David R. LeggePremier McLaughlin7 LOCAL NEWS Cayman Compass • Wednesday June 10, 2015 Nursing has come a long way in Cayman Bush medicine was once the source of all cures Jewel levy jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com Nurses from the past would scarcely recognize the highly-educated, professional registered nurses of today in the Cayman Islands. Paid for with what- ever families could afford, nursing was not looked on as a worthy profession in years gone by, but the image of nursing has moved from being viewed as somewhat less than honorable to a re- spected profession today. “We are into modern tech- nology,” said Nurse Josie Solomon, 83. “Back in the day, nurses mostly depended on herbs and other bush medi- cine for a cure. The Bodden Town resident became a mid-wife in her late teens and later a general nurse. She said there’s a world of dif- ference in the nursing care of patients today from when she first started in the profession. “In my day of nursing, if a bee stung you there was leaf to warm over the fire to heal it,” she said. “We did not have the equipment and the knowledge they have today. Bush medicine was either taken by mouth or used as a topical solution.” She said there were no top notch doctors at the time; the one doctor in George Town served the entire districts and nurses worked from their homes. When clinics started to spring up in each district, doc- tors would do home visits. If the patient could not go to the clinic, then the doctor would go to their house by foot. Today 250 nurses work at Health Services Authority serving the Cayman popu- lation, according to Health Services Authority Chief Nursing Officer Hazel Brown. How nursing differs today Mrs. Brown explained how nursing differs in Cayman from when she first started, starting with the fact that today there are more specialist services today. For example, she said today there are ob- stetricians, whereas midwives did all the baby deliveries in earlier years. There are also public healthcare and mental health services. Scientific knowledge is also much more extensive these days and as there are scien- tific advances, nurses must keep abreast of the advances, she said. Information is now avail- able at all times, she noted. When she came home from her studies 35 years ago, nurses were reliant on the knowledge that they gleaned in nursing school and the few texts that they had available. “Patients today are very knowledgeable,” she said. “Nurses must be very alert to the sources of informa- tion and current in the sci- ence of nursing.” She said there is an amazing array of technology being utilized in the course of work every day. There are pumps for controlling the flow of IV fluids; before, she said they counted the drops and control the flow manually. There are monitors for vital signs which were carried out manually in the past. There are monitors for most bodily functions, today. Nurses in the past measured central venous pressure with a yard stick on a drip stand; today this is done electroni- cally, she said. Simple equipment like glu- cometers, that are now readily availableto everyone, were not around in the past; nurses boiled urine and added chemi- cals to do specific tests. The documentation is elec- tronic, as is all the other med- ical documentation; patient in- formation is more readily and more quickly available making decisions much more timely. Before there was only one registered nurse on duty after hours to cover the en- tire hospital; today there are more nurses on staff and there are universal guide- lines for staffing. There are many specialties of nursing that were not avail- able then. Paediatric nurses care for children; neonatal nurses care for newborns; crit- ical care nurses care for crit- ically ill. When she started working, nurses cared for ev- eryone, she said. There are also nurses with expanded roles and responsi- bilities nowadays, like nurse anesthetists and practitioners, she said, adding that there are many other specialty profes- sions on the team taking on responsibilities that regular nurses carried out years ago – like nutritionists, respiratory therapists and biomedical en- gineers – with each filling their specialized role. Nowadays they have 24- hour emergency physician support; when Mrs. Brown first started nursing, physi- cians were on call for emer- gencies, but the nurses were alone in the hospital after clinics were done. Emergency medical ser- vices were not in place; por- ters drove the ambulance – a retrofitted VW van – and the nurses went to the scene of an accident, or alternately, the victim arrived at the hospital unannounced on the back of someone’s truck. There was no pathology staff; nurses assisted with au- topsies and prepared bodies for burial. There was no dialysis ser- vice; today they have a fully functional service. Today specific medical and surgical supplies have been developed for most conditions; in times past, nurses often had to improvise, not because they couldn’t purchase them, but because many had not yet been developed. Much of what they now have as disposables, whereas supplies in the past were mostly reusable and had to be processed manually for reuse. Welcomes Caymanian nurses Mrs. Brown said the Health Services Authority welcomes Caymanian nurses, but they are not “desperate for nurses.” “In recent years we have had a steady flow of nurses returning to work at the hospital,” she said. “At the Cayman Islands Hospital, we are challenged to keep the balance between the ex- perienced, largely expatriate workforce and the returning Caymanians who have to be supported for a few years as they acquire the skills and the confidence to practice in very complex environments with complex patient pop- ulations. Additionally, we are challenged to keep the young Caymanians engaged in a physically and emotion- ally demanding profession that operates with unsocial hours and more limited finan- cial rewards than those avail- able to other professionals in our economy.” Explaining the ongoing nursing program, Mrs. Brown said the University College of the Cayman Islands estab- lished a bachelor’s degree in nursing program. She said nursing schools globally are challenged with finding and keeping educators. “The compensation for nurse educators is much less attractive than the other arms [of nursing] so fewer persons choose to take that route, leaving schools with a great demand and a poor supply of instructors,” she said. According to Mrs. Brown, nursing is a good profes- sion which has been rated by the Gallup Poll as the most trusted profession every year since 1999 [when it was added to the list of profes- sions being rated] with the exception of 2001, when fire- fighters was No. 1. “The sense of doing worthwhile work, of having a life purpose, far outweighs the emotional and other chal- lenges that one faces each day.” she said, adding that she has no memory of ever wanting to do anything else. “I worked at the hospital in the summer while I was in high school and I knew that it was the environment that I wanted to work in.” A nurses capping at the University College Cayman Islands in 2014. – Photo Jewel levyThe islands’ most-trusted news source 8 White House bomb threat Secret Service agents interrupted a live, televised White House press briefing Tuesday to evacuate journalists after a bomb threat was called in to police. No bomb was found, the Secret Service said. Wednesday June 10, 2015 • Cayman Compass We Buy Gold!We Buy Gold! Cash For Gold Silver, Coins and Broken Jewelry Cash Paid on the Spot! Call 927-8565 Cash For Gold • Shedden Road FIFA suspect Burzaco turns himself in to Italian police MILAN (AP) – An Argentine businessman who was in- dicted by U.S. authorities in connection to the FIFA corruption case turned himself in to Italian police on Tuesday. Bolzano police offi- cial Giuseppe Tricarico told The Associated Press that Alejandro Burzaco ar- rived at the local police sta- tion Tuesday morning with an Italian lawyer and also a Spanish-speaking lawyer. Police spokesman Francesco Bianco later told the AP that Burzaco, who is accused of being involved in a $110 million bribe, was placed under house ar- rest after a hearing in the northern Italian city. The 50-year-old Burzaco, who has dual Argentine- Italian nationality, has rented a house in Bolzano. Burzaco was one of 14 people indicted by U.S. author- ities on May 27 on bribery, vote-rigging and other cor- ruption charges. Seven of the indicted men were ar- rested during dawn raids on a luxury Zurich hotel. FIFA President Sepp Blatter, who has not been officially implicated in the investigation, won re-elec- tion to a fifth, four-term on May 29. But four days later, as the scandal intensified, the 79-year-old Blatter said he would resign and start the process of looking for a successor. In a separate Swiss in- vestigation, authorities seized documents at FIFA headquarters in their probe into the bidding contests for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments. Burzaco was named on Interpol’s most wanted list last Wednesday, along with five other men with ties to FIFA. Burzaco and Hugo and Mariano Jinkis, also from Argentina, were named in the U.S. indictment saying they bribed soccer officials in ex- change for the media and commercial rights to interna- tional tournaments. Argentine Secretary of Security Sergio Berni said Tuesday that the where- abouts of the Jinkis’ was still unknown. Berni told Radio del Plata that authorities were trying to find them. Burzaco, who is the president of sports mar- keting company Torneos y Competencias, and the Jinkis’ merged their compa- nies to form part of Datisa, which obtained the exclu- sive worldwide rights to the 2015, 2019 and 2023 Copa America tournaments as well as the 2016 cente- nary edition of the South American championship. The indictment states that Datisa agreed to pay $110 million in bribes to Jeffrey Webb, Eugenio Figueredo, Rafael Esquivel, Jose Maria Marin, Nicolas Leoz and sev- eral other soccer officials for the rights. Leoz, a former FIFA ex- ecutive committee member who is under house ar- rest in Paraguay, was also named on the Interpol list, as was FIFA vice presi- dent Jack Warner and Jose Margulies, a Brazilian broad- cast executive. Warner was arrested in Trinidad but has been re- leased on bail. Burzaco was one of 14 people indicted by U.S. authorities on May 27 on bribery, vote- rigging and other corruption charges. Alejandro Burzaco San Francisco approves health warning on sugary drink ads SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – San Francisco supervisors voted Tuesday to approve health warnings on ads for sugary sodas and some other drinks, saying such beverages con- tribute to obesity, diabetes and other health problems. Observers believe San Francisco would be the first place in the country to re- quire such a warning on ads for soda if it receives final approval. The ordinance defines sugar-sweetened beverages as drinks with more than 25 calories from sweeteners per 12 ounces. So advertising for such sodas as Coca-Cola Zero and other no-calorie drinks would not require a warning, but ads for regular Coca-Cola would. The ordinance also re- quires warnings for other products such as sports and energy drinks, vitamin waters and iced teas that exceed the 25 calorie limit. Milk and 100 percent natural fruit and veg- etable juice drinks are exempt. A 12-oz. can of regular Coke contains 140 calories, all from sugar. The can con- tains 39 grams of added sugar, which is about 9 tea- spoons. One teaspoon of sugar has about 16 calories. The ordinance would re- quire the warnings on print advertising within city limits – billboards, walls, taxis and buses. It would not apply to ads appearing in news- papers, circulars, broadcast outlets or the Internet. Soda cans and bottles would not have to carry the warning. Supervisors quickly and unanimously approved the proposal with an 11-0 vote requiring the warning, as well as two other measures aimed at curbing sugary drink consumption. One proposal would pro- hibit soda ads on city-owned property, much like San Francisco does with tobacco and alcohol. Another would prohibit city funds from being used to buy soda. “These are not harmless products that taste good,” said Supervisor Scott Wiener, who authored the soda warning proposal. “These are products that are making people sick and we need to take action.” Liquid sugar is the new tobacco as far as some public health advocates are con- cerned. Berkeley approved a soda tax last year, the first in the country to do so, but San Francisco rejected one. Davis, a college town near Sacramento, is requiring res- taurants to serve milk and water as the default drink with children’s meals. Mayor Ed Lee hasn’t taken a position but said through a spokeswoman that he is open to educating people through warning la- bels on advertisements. Opponents have said it’s not fair to single out billboard advertising or sugary drinks. Roger Salazar, a spokesman for CalBev, the state’s beverage association, has said, “It’s unfortunate the Board of Supervisors is choosing the politically expe- dient route of scapegoating instead of finding a genuine and comprehensive solution to the complex issues of obe- sity and diabetes.” About 32 percent of chil- dren and teens in San Francisco are overweight or obese, according to a 2012 study by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy and the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. That figure is lower than Los Angeles, San Jose and Sacramento. The label for billboards and other ads would read: “WARNING: Drinking bev- erages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, dia- betes, and tooth decay. This is a message from the City and County of San Francisco.” Supporters and opponents say San Francisco may be the first place in the country to require warnings on ads for soda, which is linked to rotting teeth and obesity. - Photo: AP WILLSBORO, N.Y. (AP) – With police helicopters hovering overhead, hundreds of law of- ficers in body armor poured into this small town in the Adirondack foothills Tuesday in a search for two killers who used power tools to break out of a maximum-se- curity prison 30 miles away. The hunt that began over the weekend focused on Willsboro, close to Lake Champlain, after residents reported seeing a couple of men walking on a road late Monday during a driving rainstorm. Hundreds of black-clad searchers wearing bullet- proof vests and sidearms me- thodically worked their way shoulder-to-shoulder in the rain through hilly woods, fields and swamps, checking every home, garage, shed and outbuilding, then yelling, “Clear!” when there were no signs of the inmates. By early evening, it ap- peared the sweep had come up empty, and there was no confirmation from police that the escaped convicts had been there. Authorities have fielded numerous tips since the breakout from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, about 20 miles from the Canadian border, but appeared to have jumped hardest on this one. David Sweat, 34, and Richard Matt, 48, cut through a steel wall, broke through bricks and crawled through a steam pipe before emerging through a manhole outside the prison grounds. They were discovered missing early Saturday after stuffing their beds with clothes to fool guards on their rounds and leaving behind a taunting note: “Have a nice day.” Given the meticulous planning that went into the breakout itself, there was speculation that the inmates had arranged for someone to pick them up outside the prison and were long gone from the area. On Monday, authorities said the inmates could be anywhere – perhaps Canada or Mexico. Police descend on smAll town in seArch for 2 escAPed killers9 WORLD&REGIONAL LOS ANGELES (AP) – Vincent Bugliosi was an anony- mous junior member of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office when he was handed the case that, for better or worse, would define his life: the prose- cution of one of America’s most notorious mass mur- derers, Charles Manson. During a closely watched and oftentimes bizarre trial that lasted nearly a year, the cool, relentless prosecutor became nearly as famous Manson himself as he de- nounced the ersatz hippie cult leader as the “dictato- rial maharajah of a tribe of bootlicking slaves.” He called Manson’s three murderous disciples, who were on trial with him, “robots” and “zombies.” He told jurors they eagerly killed actress Sharon Tate and seven others during a bloody, two-night rampage that terrified Los Angeles in the summer of 1969. After all were convicted, Bugliosi would go on to re- count the case in “Helter Skelter,” one of the best- selling true-crime novels of all time. He would write 11 more books after that, but Bugliosi, who died Saturday at age 80, would always be best remembered as the man who put Manson and his followers away. He re- flected on the reasons for that in an interview 40 years after the slayings: “These murders were probably the most bi- zarre in the recorded an- nals of American crime,” he said. “Evil has its lure and Manson has become a met- aphor for evil.” Bugliosi was a young, ambitious deputy district attorney on Aug. 9, 1969, when the bodies of Tate, the beautiful actress and wife of director Roman Polanski, and four others were discovered butchered at a hillside estate. After stabbing most of the vic- tims repeatedly, the assail- ants had left behind bloody scrawlings on the door of Tate’s elegant home. Those victims included members of Hollywood’s glitterati: celebrity hair- dresser Jay Sebring, coffee heiress Abigail Folger, Polish film director Voityck Frykowksi and Tate, who was 8½-months pregnant. Also killed was Steven Parent, a friend of the es- tate’s caretaker. A night later, two more mutilated bodies were found across town in an- other upscale neighbor- hood. The crime scene was marked with the same bloody scrawlings of words including, “Pigs,” “Rise” and “Helter Skelter.” The victims were grocers Rosemary and Leno LaBianca, who had no connection to Tate and her glamorous friends. The trial lasted 9½ months, cost taxpayers $1 million and became an ex- ploration of the Manson cult and its followers’ drug- and sex-fueled adoration of their leader, whom some equated to Jesus Christ. Cayman Compass • Wednesday June 10, 2015 In Loving Memory of Iris Chomyn March 10, 1949-June 04, 2015 Condolences can be registered at boddenfuneralservices.com A memorial service will be announced at a later date. Corey A. Seymour June 10th 1990 - May 26th 2012 Your life was a blessing, Your memory a treasure, We thank God for blessing us with your life and rejoice in the endless joy that you brought into ours. Your zeal for life was inspiring, your unconditional love was sincere, your kind and generous heart was endless, your encouraging personality gave hope to all, Oh how we miss your jovial laughter. We were blessed to have been loved by such a beautiful person. You will forever be Mommy's burst of sunshine. Grief never ends, but it has seasons, Grief is not a sign of weakness, nor a lack of faith, it is the price of love... Corey, you are loved beyond words and missed beyond measure. Our tears are how much our heart hurts when our lips cannot describe how much we miss you. Your Loving Family, Court upholds key parts of Texas’s strict anti-abortion law AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – A federal appeals court upheld key parts of Texas’s strict anti- abortion law on Tuesday, a decision that could leave as few as seven abor- tion clinics in the nation’s second largest state. The decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholds requirements that abortion clinics meet hos- pital-level operating stan- dards, which owners of small clinics say demand millions of dollars in up- grades they can’t afford and will leave many women hundreds of miles away from an abortion provider. But the court said abortion clinics failed to prove that the restrictions would un- duly burden a “large frac- tion” of women. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and other conser- vatives say the standards protect women’s health, but abortion-rights sup- ports say the law is a thinly veiled attempt to block ac- cess to abortions in Texas, and they promised to ap- peal to the U.S. Supreme Court, which temporarily sidelined the law last year. “Not since before Roe v. Wade has a law or court decision had the potential to devastate access to re- productive health care on such a sweeping scale,” said Nancy Northrop, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights. Texas will be able to start enforcing the restric- tions in about three weeks unless the Supreme Court steps in and temporarily halts the decision, said Stephanie Toti, an attorney for the center. Only seven abortion facilities in Texas, including four operated by Planned Parenthood, meet the more robust requirements. The ruling, made by a three-judge panel, is the 5th Circuit’s latest decision in Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and other conservatives say the standards protect women’s health, but abortion-rights supports say the law is a thinly veiled attempt to block access to abortions in Texas. Vincent Bugliosi, prosecutor in Manson trial, dies at 80 Mr. Bugliosi a lawsuit challenging some of the toughest abortion re- strictions in the country. The New Orleans-based court – considered one of the most conservative in the nation – allowed Texas to enforce the restrictions when abortion providers first sued in 2013, but the U.S. Supreme Court put the law on hold last year and ordered the 5th Circuit to reconsider. Texas currently has about 17 abortion providers, down from 40 clinics in 2012. That sharp decline began after the 5th Circuit upheld another part of the 2013 law that required doc- tors to have admitting priv- ileges at nearby hospitals. Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a strong supporter of the law, praised the court’s latest ruling. “Abortion practitioners should have no right to op- erate their businesses from sub-standard facilities and with doctors who lack ad- mitting privileges at a hos- pital,” Paxton said. Under the new restric- tions, the only remaining abortion facilities in Texas would be in major cities. One exception would be in McAllen, near the Texas- Mexico border, which the 5th Circuit exempted from some restrictions – but Toti said even those exemptions are so limited that it may not be practical to keep that McAllen clinic open. But for women in El Paso, the closest abortion provider in Texas would re- quire a 1,200-mile round trip to San Antonio, or they would have to cross the border into New Mexico. The appeals court found that option suitable, noting that a clinic was just across the border in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. The court also said abortion clinics failed to show that most women would be unconstitutionally burdened by the law. “Although the nearest abortion facility in Texas is 550 miles away from El Paso, there is evidence that women in El Paso can travel the short distance to Santa Teresa to obtain an abor- tion and, indeed, the evi- dence is that many did just that,” the court wrote in a 56-page opinion. Attorneys for the state dismissed opponents’ argu- ments about women being burdened by fewer abortion facilities, saying that nearly 9 in 10 women in Texas would still live within 150 miles of a provider. A new slate of conser- vative leaders in Texas has vowed to continue sti- fling abortion-rights ef- forts. George P. Bush, the son of expected 2016 pres- idential hopeful Jeb Bush and nephew of former President George W. Bush, made an anti-abortion rally at the Capitol his first public event since being sworn in as land commis- sioner, along with Abbott’s wife, Cecilia.Next >