ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – Monday July 13, 2015 High of 90 Low of 79 Slight to moderate with wave heights of 2 to 4 feet. ABCDE NATIONAL WEEKLY Worst Week Katherine Archuleta 3 Politics Christie: The human opera 4 Infrastructure It’s a bumpy road for city drivers 17 Wonkblog An average day in your life 23 DISTRAUGHT PEOPLE, DEADLY RESULTS 462 SHOT BY POLICE THIS YEAR. 124 SHOWED SIGNS OF MENTAL INSTABILITY Officers often lack training for interacting with the mentally unstable, experts say PAGE 12 THE WEEK OF SUNDAY, JULY 12, 2015. IN COLLABORATION WITH THE wASHIngTon poST Distraught people, deadly results Editorial | pagE 4 The Greece Model: May iT forever resT in peace Webb could be extradited this week BrenT fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman Islands native and former FIFA Vice President Jeffrey Webb agreed Thursday to be extradited to the United States, ac- cording to reports from a number of interna- tional news agencies. He is expected in federal court in New York within several days, according to a Bloomberg News source. Webb, 50, was one of seven current or former FIFA officials arrested on May 27 in Zurich, Switzerland, in connection with a far- reaching U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service probe. The in- vestigation alleges that top-ranking members of world football’s governing body accepted bribes in exchange for granting the commer- cial rights for certain football tournaments to selected sports marketing companies. Switzerland’s Federal Office of Justice did not identify the official involved in the extra- dition, stating Friday that he “wished not to be named at the moment.” Cayman Islands government officials con- tacted Saturday indicated that they had re- ceived no updates on Webb’s status but likely would receive information in due course. Bloomberg News was first to report Friday that a “person familiar with the matter” iden- tified the FIFA official being sent to the U.S. as Webb. The official, who initially had contested his extradition, agreed to be extradited on Thursday afternoon, Swiss authorities said. The Swiss justice office said it approved his extra- dition immediately, but that in keeping with its usual practice, it would not give details of when he would be handed over. Under Swiss law, he must be collected by a U.S. police escort and taken to the United States within 10 days. The seven men arrested in a raid on a TourisT arrivals dip slighTly BrenT fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The number of visitor arrivals in Cayman for the month of May dipped slightly com- pared to last year, but the western Caribbean tourism hub managed to maintain an overall increase in visitors so far in 2015. The islands saw about 1,800 fewer stay- over visitors this May than in May 2014, which happened to record the largest number of stay-over visitors to the Cayman Islands in that month for the past 15 years. May 2015 finished just behind it, with more than 29,000 people coming to the islands to stay overnight. Cruise tourism numbers for May declined slightly as well. About 2,300 fewer cruise pas- sengers – a 2.5 percent drop – arrived this May compared to May 2104. The relatively small decline in May visi- tors to the Cayman Islands did not make a big dent in the territory’s overall tourism perfor- mance for the year so far. From January to May this year, nearly 181,000 stay-over visitors have been recorded, compared to about 176,000 at the same time last year. Cruise passengers during the same period of 2015 topped 814,000 people, while January through May 2014 saw a total of 775,000. The air arrival figures are typically consid- ered the most critical factor in the success of the tourism industry, since stay-over visitors outspend their cruise passenger counterparts. The stay-over figures have been rising steadily since the financial crisis of 2008-2009 and hit a 15-year high in 2014. In April, however, Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell said that the numbers will start to plateau this year due to a shortage of hotel beds. Mud Run makes another splash ron shillinGford rshillingford@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Mud Run was even messier than last year, with new obstacles that were more challenging, yet the 450 entrants ab- solutely loved it. Saturday’s event was the second an- nual Mud Run, Pirates Week’s main fund- raiser, and despite the blazing morning sun in Sparky Drive, everyone enjoyed it – and there were no major injuries or accidents. Melanie McField, executive director of the Pirates Week Festival, said she was ex- tremely pleased with the 50 percent in- crease in participation and is confident that between entry fee and sponsorship, more than $10,000 will be raised toward this year’s Pirates Week. Ms. McField said that with all the mar- keting the Pirates Week organizers did and the introduction of new obstacles, as well as word of mouth among those who entered last year, the numbers swelled considerably. “Although we’re in the same vicinity, I am pleasantly surprised,” she said. “This PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » Michael Richardson and his son Joshua enjoy one of the many obstacles during Saturday’s Mud Run, which drew some 450 participants. - phoTo: TaNEos raMsay2 LOCAL&REGIONAL Monday July 13, 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. - MONDAY - $8.00 MINIONS 3D (PG) 1:20 I 4:10 2D I 7:10 I 9:30 2D TERMINATOR: GENYSIS 3D (PG13) 1:05 I 3:40 2D I 7:00 I 9:40 2D INSIDE OUT 3D (PG) 1:10 2D I 4:00 I 7:15 2D I 9:45 THE GALLOWS (R) 12:50 I 2:55 I 5:05 I 7:30 I 10:10 JURASSIC WORLD 3D (PG13) 1:00 I 3:45 2D I 6:30 I 9:15 2D MAX (PG) 12:45 I 3:20 MAGIC MIKE XXL (R) 7:20 I 10:05 www.tonymosleylifeinsurance.com Anglin appeals conviction for Bise murder CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A decision is likely on July 24 in Chad Anglin’s ap- peal of his conviction for the 2008 murder of Swiss banker Frederic Bise. The Court of Appeal heard the arguments last week. A jury found Anglin guilty in May 2014. Mr. Bise’s body was found in the trunk of his car parked outside his resi- dence on the morning of Feb. 8, 2008; he had sustained multiple injuries including a fractured skull and possible strangulation. The car had been set on fire. In opening the case to the jury, prosecutor Simon Russell Flint said the killing may have been related to a robbery, a hate crime against homosexuals or a sexual act. Anglin’s appeal was ar- gued by Jonathan Rees, who defended him at his Grand Court trial. He submitted to the higher court that the failure of police to caution Anglin before he spoke to them amounted to a signifi- cant breach of his right to silence and his right not to incriminate himself. Mr. Rees said this state- ment should not have been admitted into evidence, but Justice Alexander Henderson had permitted it. Anglin then had to deal with things he would not have said if he had been cautioned. He should have been told that he had the right to remain silent and any- thing he said could be used in evidence against him. Mr. Rees said the key point was that when Anglin chose to speak, it was not an informed choice. Mr. Rees invited the judges to conclude that they could not be sure Anglin would have given an account if he had been told that what he said might be used against him. Justice Richard Field pointed out that Anglin must have known because he had been arrested previously some 43 times. Mr. Rees indicated that argument went both ways – on the one occasion Anglin wasn’t cautioned, he may well have thought that what he was saying had some- thing less than evidential status. The judge had found that there was bad faith on the part of the police and the failure to caution was delib- erate, not accidental. Mr. Rees referred to a well-known legal argu- ment – that people often tell lies for reasons that have nothing to do with guilt; for example, they may be pro- tecting someone or they may not want to get involved or they might want to distance themselves from the event. Mr. Rees said the reason Anglin was interacting with Mr. Bise that evening was re- garding a drug deal, which of course Anglin did not want to admit. He did say this when in- terviewed again in 2013, so a jury might think that if this account is true, why didn’t he tell police in 2008? In a later interview in 2008, he had a lawyer present and he did exercise his right to silence. Mr. Rees said that when the judge summed up to the jurors, he did not direct them on the right to silence, and he should have told them they were not to infer any- thing from Anglin’s silence. In reply, Mr. Russell Flint, pointed out that as a re- sult of Anglin’s conversa- tion with police in 2008, he was free and at liberty for a further five years until the “cold case” was reinvesti- gated. Anglin had wanted to distance himself from the murder “and he did so thor- oughly and effectively so that no charges followed.” He said Justice Henderson had decided that this was not one of those cases in which it would be unfair to admit a state- ment that had been made before caution; Anglin wanted his statement taken into account. Mr. Russell Flint said the trial judge had found that the statement was voluntary, despite the breach of rules. Mr. Russell Flint also said there were no grounds for the conclusion that the conviction was in any way unsafe. Trial set in attempted murder case CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com David Andrew Bodden pleaded not guilty in Grand Court on Friday to a charge of attempting unlawfully to cause the death of Blake Christopher Barrell on June 16 in George Town. He also pleaded not guilty to a charge of wounding with intent – that he unlawfully and maliciously wounded Mr. Barrell with intent to do him grievous bodily harm. The charges arose from an incident around lunch- time on Fort Street be- tween Edward Street and Mary Street, not far from the courthouse. Defense attorney Amelia Fosuhene and Crown counsel Alexander Upton agreed on a trial date of Oct. 19. Ms. Fosuhene’s ap- plication for bail for her client was to be scheduled this week. Bodden, 38, is a resi- dent of George Town. The injured man, 31, resides in West Bay. SUV SmaSheS into pole, bUrStS into flameS A Honda SUV that veered off the road early Saturday burst into flames after colliding with a light pole. The driver, 51, was taken to hospital by motor- ists who spotted the wreck after driving past it. The driver was later discharged. Royal Cayman Islands Police officers said the ac- cident happened around 4 a.m. along the Esterley Tibbetts Highway near the entrance to the National Gallery building. No other cars were in- volved in the collision, po- lice said. Volcano in Mexico forces evacuations MEXICO CITY (AP) — Ash and cinders spewed Saturday from the Colima Volcano in western Mexico, prompting authorities to close the airport in the state cap- ital of Colima and order the evacuation of a half dozen hamlets on the flanks of the peak. At least 70 people were staying at a shelter by the late afternoon. The volcano began erupting on Thursday and has become increasingly active, leading officials to issue orders to relocate people living nearby. Civil protection officials described the volcano’s movements as “atypical,” a kind of activity not seen since it underwent a strong eruption in 1913. The Colima Volcano, which sits near the border of the western states of Colima and Jalisco, is also known as the Volcano of Fire. The officials said Saturday that residents of Yerbabuena, Colima, the first hamlet evacuated, were taken to a temporary shelter. The Jalisco state civil defense office said in its Twitter account that res- idents of five communities there would be evacuated. Earlier in the day, 19 evacuees were reported, but the number rose to 70 by the afternoon when explosions of incandes- cent material shot out as far as 5 miles. The Governor of Colima, Mario Anguiano, wrote in his Twitter account that the airport just outside the state capital was closed be- cause of falling ash. The Interior Department reported that 2 inches of ash had fallen on Yerbabuena. Authorities were standing by ready to evac- uate more people if nec- essary and were plan- ning to distribute surgical masks that people could use to cover their noses and mouths. The Colima Volcano, which sits near the border of the western states of Colima and Jalisco, is also known as the Volcano of Fire. miami company applieS to drill for oil in eVergladeS MIRAMAR, Fla. (AP) — A Miami company is bracing for a likely battle with en- vironmentalists after ap- plying to drill for oil in the Everglades. Kanter Real Estate LLC, which owns 20,000 un- developed acres of the Everglades in southwestern Broward County, filed ap- plications with the state to drill an exploratory well to assess the feasibility of ex- tracting oil. The news hasn’t set well with environmental ad- vocates, who say drilling would threaten the water supply, destroy wildlife habitat and complicate the restoration of the delicate Everglades ecosystem. “I can tell you categor- ically it’s a big concern,” said Lisa Interlandi, staff attorney for the Everglades Law Center. “Oil drilling is not historically com- patible with protecting the water supply and Everglades restoration.” Matthew Schwartz, ex- ecutive director of the South Florida Wildlands Association, said he would fight the proposal but that state regulators tend to rubber-stamp oil drilling applications. “It’s ludicrous to con- sider doing this to the Everglades and the water supply,” he said. The proponents of the plan insist it can be done while keeping the Everglades safe.3 LOCAL NEWS Cayman Compass • Monday July 13, 2015 179511_PRINT-Butterfield-4colx12Page 1 7/9/15 12:34:49 PM Primary school aide charged with indecent assault Brent Fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com A Bodden Town teenager who worked as special support aide in the Cayman Islands gov- ernment school system faces 10 charges of indecent assault re- lating to seven female victims, all of whom are minors. The alleged offenses de- scribed in the charges are con- nected with the 19-year-old man’s position at a govern- ment primary school, the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service reported Friday. The man was named in court lists made public last week and appeared in the court dock Tuesday, July 7, on an indecent assault charge. The Cayman Compass is not naming him or the school where he worked in order to prevent potential identifica- tion of the victims. The government Ministry of Education said it received the first report of “possible sexual abuse” against the pri- mary school students on Nov. 27, 2014. “In this case, we can con- firm that the special support aide resigned before being put on required leave and is there- fore no longer an employee of the Department of Education Services,” the ministry state- ment read. The ministry statement in- dicated the former aide charged in the indecent assault cases went through the typical back- ground check procedure re- quired of all employees in the public education system and had “good references and a clean police record” at the time he was hired. RCIPS spokesperson Jacqueline Carter said Friday that the school initially re- ported the case to government social services. That depart- ment then referred the matter to police. The man was arrested on June 25. He is due in court again on Aug. 6. The Ministry of Education said it is reviewing its current reporting procedures for sus- pected child abuse incidents in light of this case. “The Child Protection Reporting Procedures, which were established in 2013, out- line the responsibility and ac- tions necessary by education staff within the first 24 hours of an alleged case of abuse,” the ministry statement read. “It should be noted that it is not the responsibility of the Cayman Islands government educa- tion system to investigate al- leged cases of abuse but rather our responsibility [is] to report the information and hand the case over to the Family Services Unit and the Department of Children and Family Services for them to carry out the official investigation. “In light of the recent events, this procedure is under review to ensure that it is meeting all requirements for ensuring the safety of our students and that the process meets the needs of all involved.” Reporting of disclosed or suspected abuse/neglect of chil- dren to Cayman Islands au- thorities is mandated under the local Children Law (2012 Revision). Penalties for not doing so can result in fines and imprisonment upon conviction. Grand Court trial set for pepper spray case Carol Winker cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A woman who denied a charge involving a can of pepper spray was sched- uled for trial in Grand Court next year. Josefina McLean-Shaqaqui pleaded not guilty to aiding and abetting the posses- sion of a prohibited weapon, namely a can of pepper spray, by another person on or about June 20, 2014. In Grand Court on Friday, Justice Malcolm Swift set her trial to begin on April 11, 2016. The defendant’s bail was continued until then. According to the Penal Code, prohibited weapon means “any machine gun, submachine gun, auto- matic rifle or any weapon of any description or design, adapted for the discharge of any noxious liquid or gas and includes any black- jack, bludgeon, crossbow, flick knife, gravity knife or knuckle duster.” The Penal Code also states that when an offense is com- mitted, anyone who aids or abets another person in com- mitting the offense is deemed to have taken part in commit- ting the offense. The maximum punish- ment for importing or car- rying a prohibited weapon is 10 years imprisonment and a fine of $10,000. Trial daTe seT for realTor accused of ThefT Carol Winker cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A realtor accused of stealing money from two cli- ents pleaded not guilty on Friday. His trial was set for April 25, 2016. Antonio Paolini, 74, was described by Crown counsel Toyin Salako as the owner of a real estate company when the alleged offenses occurred. They relate to accepting deposits from customers for the pur- chase of property. He is accused of stealing $51,600 from a client on or about Feb. 25, 2013. He is also accused of stealing approxi- mately $43,000 from another named client on a date un- known between August and November, 2014. A third charge is money laundering – removing crim- inal property, $1,117, from the Cayman Islands by means of a wire transfer between Sept. 10 and Oct. 7 2014. Paolini pleaded not guilty to this charge also. Defense attorney Michael Snape agreed to the trial date. Justice Malcolm Swift ex- tended the defendant’s bail until the trial date.The 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. Monday JuLy 13, 2015 • Cayman COmpass The Greece model: May it forever rest in peace Greece’s political and monetary future in Europe remains uncertain, even as the continent’s leaders rallied this weekend with the goal of starting new bailout negotiations with the embattled and indebted nation. The threat of Greece leaving the Eurozone has loomed larger and larger in recent months, with the worst fears being that a so-called “Grexit” could trigger a contagion that infects the foundations upon which the European Union has been built. Greece’s present dilemma can be summed up simply: Greece owes hundreds of billions of dollars to creditors and says it is unable, or unwilling, to pay that money back. Though Greece (with a population of 11 million) is the reigning poster child for fiscal irresponsibility on a national scale, it is far from being alone in terms of governments grappling with hangovers from decades of overspending. For example, on this side of the Atlantic, the United States territory of Puerto Rico (population 3.5 million) has run up more than $70 billion in debt and is now lobbying the U.S. Congress to pass legislation that would allow the island to declare bankruptcy – a move to which the city of Detroit famously resorted in 2013. Greece, Puerto Rico, Detroit and other political jurisdictions in similar financial straits share several common denominators. These are: The civil service grows in number until it is way out of proportion to the size of the population. The oversize civil service orga- nizes into a singularly powerful special interest group that is able to negotiate overly generous pensions, healthcare and benefits packages that are locked in for the long term. Lawmakers must then raise taxes, cut back on services and, often, borrow massive amounts of money, just to preserve the agreed-upon arrangements and appease the civil service. (Note that the pattern described above is not purely a public sector paradigm – but, with the sub- stitution of the appropriate terminology, also outlines what can happen over time to large private sector entities as well, such as American automotive com- panies, or, though we are loathe to admit it, American newspaper publishers.) Let us now retreat from the outside world, and cast an introspective eye over the Cayman Islands. How are we doing in regard to these measures? As of June 2014, Cayman’s public sector employed more than 5,800 people, about 10 percent of the islands’ population. That number has remained vir- tually unchanged since mid-2010, when government embarked on its period of “austerity” following the onset of the 2008-2009 recession. Since the 2011/12 budget year, the government personnel costs have grown from $213.3 million annually to $252.4 million. In regard to pensions, the government seems to have contained a future crisis, thanks to abandoning “defined benefit” plans in favor of “defined contribu- tion” plans for civil service workers hired after April 2000. The same cannot be said about healthcare, however, as the Cayman Islands National Insurance Company is on track to accrue some $1.2 billion in lia- bilities over 20 years. On the debt front, our country’s lawmakers and tax- payers should spend a moment on bended knee each night at bedtime, out of gratitude for the firm-handed guidance from United Kingdom authorities, who thrust the Framework for Fiscal Responsibility upon Cayman’s budget writers in 2012. Thanks to Mum, the temp- tation to indulge in “credit card-fueled” spending sprees has been removed from our local leaders, and Cayman’s budget outlook has grown healthier every year since. Beware, though, Cayman may no longer be required to gain U.K. approval for our budget, starting next year (which, we remind our readers, is the budget preceding the 2017 election). While some lawmakers have said they would like more freedom to stimulate the economy and construct capital projects – that, in our opinion, is the sort of political independence that Cayman is better off without. 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” Pluto: the science and the romance WASHINGTON – We need a pick-me-up. Amid the van- dalizing of Palmyra, the im- minent extinction of the northern white rhino, the dis- array threatening Europe’s most ambitious attempt ever at peaceful unification – amid plague and pestilence and, by God, in the middle of Shark Week – where can humanity turn for uplift? Meet New Horizons, ar- riving at Pluto on July 14. Small and light, the fastest spacecraft ever launched, it left Earth with such velocity that it shot past our moon in nine hours. A speeding bullet the size of a Steinway, it has flown 9 1/2 years to the outer edges of the solar system. To Pluto, the now-demoted “dwarf planet” that lives be- yond the Original Eight in the far distant “third zone” of the solar system – the Kuiper Belt, an unimaginably huge ring of rocks and ice and sundry de- bris where the dwarf is king. After 3 billion miles, New Horizons will on Tuesday shoot right through Pluto’s mini-planetary system of five moons, the magnificently named Charon, Styx, Nix, Hydra and Kerberos. Why through? Because, while the other planets lie on roughly the same plane, Pluto and its moon system stick up at an angle to that plane like a giant archery target. New Horizons gets one pass, going straight by the bull’s-eye. No orbiting around, no lingering for months or even years to photograph and study. No mulligans. And no nav- igating. Can’t do that when it takes 4 1/2 hours for a message from Earth to arrive. This is a preprogrammed, single-take, nine-day deal. For what? First, for the sci- ence, the coming avalanche of new knowledge. Remember: We didn’t even know there was a Pluto until 85 years ago when astronomer Clyde Tombaugh found a strange tiny dot moving across the star field. Today, we still know prac- tically nothing. In fact, two of the five moons were not even discovered until after New Horizons was launched. And yet next week we will see an entirely new world come to life. “We’re not planning to rewrite any textbooks,” said principal investigator Alan Stern in a splendid New York Times documentary on the mission. “We’re planning to write them from scratch.” Then there’s the romance. The Pluto fly-by caps a half- century of solar system explo- ration that has yielded stag- gering new wonders. Such as Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, with its vast subter- ranean ocean under a crust of surface ice, the most inviting potential habitat for extrater- restrial life that human be- ings will ever reach. Yes, ever. Promising exo- planets – the ones circling distant stars that we deduce might offer a “Goldilocks zone” suitable for water- based life – are being dis- covered by the week. But they are unreachable. The journey to even the nearest would, at New Horizons speed, take 280,000 years. Even mere communication would be absurdly difficult. A single exchange of greet- ings – “Hi there,” followed by “Back at you, brother” – would take a generation. It’s the galactic version of the old Trappist monastery joke where every seven years one monk at one meal is allowed one remark. A young novice ar- rives and after seven years a monk stands up at dinner and says: “The soup is cold.” Seven years of silence. Then another monk stands and says: “The bread is stale.” Seven years later, the now- aging novice rises and says: “If you don’t stop this bick- ering, I’m outta here.” Which is what a conver- sation with Klingons would be like, except with longer intervals. Which is why we prefer to scour our own solar system. And for more than just the science, more than just the romance. Here we are, upright bipeds with op- posable thumbs, barely down from the trees, until yesterday unable to fly, to communicate at a distance, to reproduce a sound or motion or even an image – and even today barely able to manage the el- ementary decencies of civili- zation – taking close-up pic- tures and chemical readings of a mysterious world 9 1/2 years away. One final touch. Every ounce of superfluous weight has been stripped from New Horizons to give it more speed and pack more instru- ments. Yet there was one concession to poetry. New Horizons is carrying some of Clyde Tombaugh’s ashes. After all, he found the dot. Not only will he fly by his netherworldly discovery, notes Carter Emmart of the American Museum of Natural History, he will become the first human being to have his remains carried beyond the solar system. For the wretched race of beings we surely are, we do, on occasion, manage to soar. Charles Krauthammer’s email address is letters@charleskrauthammer.com. © 2015, Washington Post Writers Group Charles Krauthammer Science team members react Friday to the latest image of Pluto at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab. - Photo: Michael Soluri5 LOCAL NEWS Cayman Compass • Monday July 13, 2015 More than 30 burglaries reported in two-week period Brent Fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com There have been more than 30 burglaries or attempted bur- glaries reported to the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service within the past two weeks. Most significantly, there has been a noticeable in- crease in the number of day- time residential burglaries, RCIPS Superintendent Mike Cranswick said Friday. “Burglars are regularly en- tering through insecure doors and windows while people are at work,” Mr. Cranswick said. “I encourage residents to ex- amine their exterior doors and ensure that locks cannot be easily tampered with. There are a number of simple secu- rity measures and devices that can make your home more se- cure and provide you with peace of mind. These range from door wedges and window locks to contact alarms. “While it is likely impos- sible to make your prop- erty 100 percent burglar- proof, there are some basic things that property owners can do to make it difficult or deter potential burglars from gaining access their homes. Neighbors can also help each other by being vigilant and report unusual or sus- picious occurrences in their neighborhood or on their neighbor’s property.” Since June 26, 22 bur- glaries at residences and seven break-ins at businesses have been reported, along with five attempted burglaries, police said. If that rate of burglaries were to continue through the year, Cayman would have recorded 800 break-ins during 2015. Typically, there are around 600 burglary reports a year. Police have also made more burglary-related arrests so far this year – 75 – compared to 66 at this time last year. The items most often stolen are home electronics, especially laptops and iPads, though several people have re- ported that jewelry and cash are also taken. It also appears that burglars have begun using cleaning agents or bleach to remove their fingerprints, police said. Mr. Cranswick said there are certain telltale signs that burglars are prowling in your neighborhood, including: ■■ Someone going door-to-door asking unusual questions or asking about former or fictitious residents ■■ Someone knocking on doors or peeping through house or car windows ■■ Individuals wearing hoodies in the middle of the day ■■ Property being re- moved from occupied or unoccupied homes or closed businesses ■■ Vehicles parked at a lo- cation attended or unat- tended for a period of time. Public meetings set on Pension, labor changes The Cayman Islands gov- ernment will hold a series of public hearings this month and in August to allow for comments and discussion on recently released amend- ments to the pensions law and the rewritten Labour Law, now known as the Labour Relations Bill. The labor bill, for the first time, seeks to introduce a minimum wage of $6 per hour in the Cayman Islands and to raise the retire- ment age to 65, among other changes proposed to private sector employment rules. The proposed changes to the National Pensions Law account for the rise in the retirement age and seek to create an easier process by which companies can be fined for not paying into worker retirement accounts. District meetings this month will cover the Labour Relations Bill. Those meetings are set for Tuesday, July 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the John A. Cumber Primary School in West Bay; Thursday, July 16 at 8 p.m. at the North Side Civic Centre; Monday, July 20 at 7:30 p.m. at the Savannah Primary School Hall; Wednesday, July 22 at 7:30 p.m. at the Town Hall in George Town; and Thursday, July 23 at 8 p.m. at the East End Civic Centre. The meetings on the National Pensions (Amendment) Bill, 2015, are scheduled for Monday, Aug. 3 at 8 p.m. at the North Side Civic Centre; Thursday, Aug. 6 at 7:30 p.m. at the Savannah Primary School Hall; Monday, Aug. 10 at 8 p.m. at the East End Civic Centre; Wednesday, Aug. 12 at 7:30 p.m. at West Bay’s John A. Cumber Primary School; and Thursday, Aug. 13 at 7:30 p.m. at the Town Hall in George Town. Cayman Brac will hold same-day meetings to dis- cuss both bills on Saturday, July 18 at the Layman Scott High School Hall, starting with the Labour Relations Bill from 1 to 2:30 p.m. and the National Pensions Bill from 2:30 to 4 p.m. The public is invited to attend. Anyone who wishes to submit written comments is asked to email the Ministry of Employment at lpl@gov.ky. GT nail salon robbed Two armed suspects took cash and jewelry during a robbery at a George Town nail salon Friday night, po- lice reported. The incident occurred at the salon in the GKS Business Park on Godfrey Nixon Way. Police said both sus- pects were carrying what appeared to be firearms. No one was hurt and no shots were fired. Police described the first suspect as about 6 feet tall, slim, and dressed in all black with a shirt or covering on their head. The second sus- pect was described as about 5 feet, 6 inches tall and wearing similar clothing, police said. No arrests had been re- ported by press time Sunday.6 LOCAL&REGIONAL Monday July 13, 2015 • Cayman Compass Activists urge Cayman rights for same-sex unions BY KELSEY JUKAM kjukam@pinnaclemedialtd.com On June 28, two days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex mar- riage is a protected consti- tutional right, local LGBT activist Billie Bryan started a petition drive to change Cayman immigration law so that gay couples are granted the same rights as heterosexual couples. “Across the U.S. we’ve been celebrating the news that love wins,” the petition reads. “Unfortunately here in the Cayman Islands it’s not the case.” Couples in same-sex unions who wish to immi- grate to Cayman are not granted the same rights as heterosexual married cou- ples; spouses in heterosexual unions can be listed as a de- pendent on work permit pa- pers. For gay couples to live in Cayman, both spouses must find employment before moving to the islands. The petition, which can be found online on a digital platform called “ipetition,” had about 200 signatures as of press time Sunday. The goal is to gather 1,000 sig- natures, and Bryan plans to present the petition to the immigration department. Acting Chief Immigration Officer Bruce Smith told Cayman 27 that petitioning the Immigration Department is “unlikely to be effective,” and that the petitioners would be better off ad- dressing their letter to the Cabinet or the Ministry of Home Affairs. But Bryan says the peti- tion is not about effecting immediate change to the im- migration law. Rather, she says it’s just the first step toward creating a “ground- swell” of support for the LGBT community. Bryan is working to garner such support in other ways, as well. She has spear- headed a campaign called Colours Cayman, which in- vites public venues on the island to pledge not to dis- criminate or tolerate dis- crimination against LGBT individuals. The businesses will display a rainbow decal so that LGBT persons know these venues are safe, wel- coming spaces. The country has made some changes since 1998 (when officials turned away a 900-passenger gay cruise); in 2000, homosexual acts were decriminalized. However, many in the gay community here and abroad still regard the Cayman Islands as hos- tile to them. In 2008, Cayman made international news when Royal Cayman Islands Police officers detained a 23-year-old American tourist for publicly kissing his male partner at Royal Palms. During a lecture series at the Truman Bodden Law School in January, legal ex- perts noted that there are several laws on the books which discriminate against gay individuals in Cayman. For example, the age of con- sent for homosexual activity is 18, while the age of con- sent for heterosexual activity is 16. There is also a lack of legislation to protects homo- sexuals from discrimination. Speaking at the January lecture series, Robert Wintemute, a professor of human rights law at King’s College, London, said that such laws (and the lack of a law protecting homo- sexuals from discrimina- tion), are in violation of the European Convention on Human Rights. People in the Cayman Islands have the “Right of Individual Petition,” meaning that individuals can take cases of human rights violations to the European Court of Human Rights. Wintemute said the Cayman government is “lucky” that no one had done so yet, because the ECHR would have likely ruled against the government. There is a case pending in the ECHR that could compel the Cayman Islands to legally recognize same-sex unions, but many hope that the Cayman government will decide to recognize same- sex civil partnerships before being forced to by an outside entity like the court. Olivia Connolly, a law school student who helped organize the January lec- ture series, said it’s “great to see the petition happening now,” because she thinks it would be far better for change to come from within the Cayman government and society. She says such local- ized efforts for change would better reflect Cayman, and “Cayman wants to be por- trayed as a modern country and a nation of progressive and modern people.” Connolly signed the peti- tion and left a comment: “I implore everyone, especially fellow law students, to sign this petition. No matter what your religious beliefs, the fundamental component of the rule of law is that we are all equal before it.” Two arrested in shooting death BrEnt FULLEr bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Two men were ar- rested Friday on sus- picion of murdering a 20-year-old West Bay man in the Scranton area of central George Town on July 1. The suspects, ages 23 and 28, had not been charged as of press time Sunday. They were ar- rested at George Town Police Station around 6 p.m. Friday in connec- tion with the death of Jason Powery, who was killed by a single gunshot to the head. Mr. Powery was shot in front of a house on Martin Drive at about 11 p.m. and made his way to the Globe Bar, about a block away, according to the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service. He was still alive when offi- cers arrived at the scene but was later pronounced dead at the Cayman Islands Hospital. Police detectives said last week that they had identified 31 people on CCTV footage who may have seen something suspicious that night on Shedden Road and in the surrounding area. The footage came from both private and government security cameras. Neighbors, who de- clined to give their names, described the one- story home as a “party house” and said there had been problems with vio- lence there before. Mr. Powery’s cousin, David Ebanks, 20, and also from West Bay, was shot and killed on Jan. 23. Police made an arrest in connection with his killing on Feb. 6. Earlier this year, Mr. Ebanks’s father connected his son’s death to an on- going gang feud. Rudy Ebanks said his son had family connec- tions to the Birch Tree Hill criminal street gang, but he said he didn’t be- lieve his son was the in- tended target. Playing the Lower Keys: Concert piped underwater in Florida BIG PINE KEY, Florida (AP) — Hundreds of music-loving snorkelers and divers, joined by distance swimmer Diana Nyad, ducked be- neath the waves Saturday as a radio station broad- cast a concert underwater at the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Such songs as the theme from “The Little Mermaid,” the Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine” and Jimmy Buffett’s “Fins” entertained listeners during the four- hour music session. Some snorkelers pre- tended to jam underwater on mock guitars or play other fake instruments such as a whimsical fish flute. Others wore costumes depicting mermaids and seahorses as music sounded from water- proof speakers suspended beneath boats. “To be immersed in the sea and feel the music coming from underneath instead of through head- phones – it’s very magical and distinct,” Nyad said. “You couldn’t hear it this well if you were in a concert sitting in the front row.” In September 2013, Nyad became the first person to swim from Cuba to Key West without a shark cage, singing to herself to get her- self through the more than 100-mile swim. One of the songs from Nyad’s personal soundtrack, “Me and Bobby McGee,” was played in her honor Saturday. The so-called Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival took place at Looe Key Reef, part of the continental United States’ only living coral barrier reef, about six miles south of Big Pine Key. “This is a way for people to really appreciate the coral reef while at the same time listening to an envi- ronmental message about coral protection,” explained WWUS radio station news director and festival founder Bill Becker. Staged by WWUS in partnership with a local chamber of commerce, the festival featured music spe- cially programmed for the aquatic listening experi- ence. Accompanying the tunes were coral reef con- servation messages and tips on environmentally friendly diving practices. Couples in same-sex unions who wish to immigrate to Cayman are not granted the same rights as heterosexual married couples. Police detectives said last week that they had identified 31 people on CCTV footage who may have seen something suspicious that night on Shedden Road and in the surrounding area. A woman in a mermaid costume pretends to play a starfish guitar during Saturday’s Underwater Music Festival in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. - Photo: BoB Care/Florida Keys News Bureau via aP7 Cayman Compass • Monday July 13, 2015 REGIONAL Personal Insurance *applies to new policies only. Certificate can be used with motor insurance. BRITISH CAYMANIAN INSURANCE CO. LTD. BritCay House, 236 Eastern Avenue, George Town, P.O. Box 74, Grand Cayman KY1-1102 Tel. 949-8699 12 Kirkconnell Street, Stake Bay, P.O. Box 254, Cayman Brac KY2-2101 Tel. 948-1760 www.britcay.ky A member of Colonial Group International insurance, health, pensions, life Pay less for more cover with BritCay! insurance, health, pensions, life Ask about SolusHealth individual health insurance $250* CERTIFICATE WITH BUILDINGS INSURANCE Low deductibles and extra free benefits. With BritCay, generous extra benefits with home and car insurance offer more cover for your premium. Low cost life insurance provides additional financial security too! Ask for a quote and start paying less for more cover now! SAVE $250* when you insure your home! Convenient, interest-free installment payments. Competitive motor cover with low deductibles. Affordable individual health insurance. Low cost life insurance and family protection. CALL 949-8699 or visit www.britcay.ky cgigrp Southern US getting its first large-scale wind farm soon (AP) — On a vast tract of old North Carolina farm- land, crews are getting ready to build something the South has never seen: a commer- cial-scale wind energy farm. The $600 million project by Spanish developer Iberdrola Renewables LLC will put 102 turbines on 22,000 acres near the coastal community of Elizabeth City, with plans to add about 50 more. Once up and run- ning, it could generate about 204 megawatts, or enough electricity to power about 60,000 homes. It would be the first large onshore wind farm in a re- gion with light, fluctuating winds that has long been a dead zone for wind power. After a years-long regula- tory process that once looked to have doomed the plan, Iberdrola spokesman Paul Copleman told The Associated Press that construction is to begin in about a month. Right now, there’s not a spark of electricity gen- erated from wind in nine states across the Southeast from Arkansas to Florida, according to data from the American Wind Energy Association, an industry trade group. But taller towers and bigger turbines are un- locking new potential in the South, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, and the industry is already looking to invest. And with the electricity system in the region under- going a period of change as coal plants are phased out, some experts believe the door is open for renewables like wind. Federal energy researchers have found stronger winds at higher elevations that can be tapped by new towers and bigger rotor blades. New fed- eral maps of onshore wind flows at higher elevations than were previously avail- able indicate that this new technology significantly in- creases the areas that wind can thrive, especially in the Southeast. “If you go higher, the wind is better,” said Jose Zayas, director of the Wind and Water Power Technologies Office at the Department of Energy. “The question is how you get there responsibly and economically.” The average tower height now in the U.S. is about 260 feet; the new technology al- lows turbines to mine air at 460 feet. The project in North Carolina was not viable just a decade ago, company of- ficials said. But the new, larger turbines unlocked the area’s potential. “In the past this site barely showed up on old [wind] maps. It was a little brown smudge,” said Craig Poff, one of the developers, referring to color-coded wind resource maps. “The larger- diameter rotors are really the game-changer here.” Spiraling wind farms in 36 states already generate about 5 percent of U.S. en- ergy – low compared to other countries like Denmark (28 percent), Portugal, Spain and Ireland (16 percent each). South Dakota and Iowa al- ready derive about 20 per- cent of their electric en- ergy from wind, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The Energy Department believes the U.S. can generate 20 percent of the country’s power with wind by 2030, and opening up the Southeast and other new areas is a key to achieving that goal. There are hurdles: Utilities in most Southern states have not invested heavily in re- newable energy. Also, only North Carolina has adopted a state law mandating utilities to increase their renewable energy portfolios. But other factors are al- ready forcing change in the region’s energy market. Abundant natural gas, coal being phased out and aging nuclear plants are creating a potentially robust market for wind power as utilities seek the next best invest- ment to add to their energy mixes, said Jonas Monast of Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions. “It’s conceivable that we can see a dramatic growth in wind as we’ve seen in solar because utilities are entering into a new phase,” he said. Florida, Alabama and Georgia have signed con- tracts to start importing wind power from other re- gions to help with fuel price volatility. Wind farms have been proposed in Kentucky, Virginia, Alabama and other areas, the industry group said. Still, without state re- newable energy mandates like North Carolina’s, the growth could be slow going, experts said. “Quite frankly, often this is driven by customer de- mand and I don’t really sense consumer demand in the Southeast, particularly in Alabama,” said Clark Midkiff, a mechanical engineering professor at the University of Alabama who studies energy issues in the region. Another issue facing wind farms in the Southeast is protecting the region’s birds and bats. The danger of wind tur- bines to birds like rare golden eagles and bats has plagued or derailed major projects in the West. Avian research is now factored into decisions on where to put wind farms, and can make or break a project. Because no wind farms exist anywhere in the South, little research has been done on the issue. Researchers and developers will have to catch up. “This is a community that has not experienced a lot of wind,” said Zayas, of the Energy Department. “And understanding and recog- nizing we can deploy these responsibly with biological and agency [studies] of spe- cies is a priority.” Wind turbine farms, like this one near Glenrock, Wyoming, may soon be coming to the southern United States. - Photo: APThe islands’ most-trusted news source 8 Monday July 13, 2015 • Cayman Compass can’t be held anywhere else on the island. It was fun, challenging and some fine athletes entered.” Samuel Young, the tri- athlete who is a regular en- trant in runs throughout the year, won in 22 min- utes 44 seconds. Last year Young had dif- ficulty navigating the course because directions were not clearly signposted. This time, he did not encounter such problems thanks to numerous directions and volunteers to show the way. “I didn’t get lost or con- fused this time because all the obstacles were numbered and there were lots of arrows along the course,” Young said. Alta Young – no relation to Samuel – won the wom- en’s race. Team winners were 4 Old Mudders of Marco Miranda, Mike Stevens, Craig Morgan and Wayne Morgan. In the children’s categories, Christopher Jackson, Kaylie Parchment and Davonte Howell were the winners. Prizes worth over $3,000 were given out at the end. The newly introduced slide was immensely pop- ular, although it was scary for some because of its steep- ness before launching partic- ipants high into the water. “The people were fun, friendly and fearless and had a blast,” Ms. McField said, noting participants’ reactions to the slide. Another highlight for Ms. McField was the expres- sions seen when people en- tered the “body freeze,” a large vat of ice-cold water. “Hearing their remarks, I felt sorry for them, but all the same they enjoyed it.” She was glad there were no mishaps. “Safety is our priority, which is why we had the Red Cross, ambulance service, fire department and lifeguards there.” One hilarious moment was when a woman went down the slide on her front, landed on her back, and started swimming the back- stroke to get out. “The general feedback was that they said they en- joyed it, they had so much fun and they appreciated the new obstacles and the different trail,” Ms. McField said. “They were happy we mixed it up.” Mud Run makes another splash Samuel Young was the Mud Run winner. - PHOTOS: TANEOS RAMSAY The Mud Run was good, (not so) clean fun. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Airbnb’s Cuba gambit shows promise for some in small village As an infant, Carlos Jimenez survived a U.S.- backed invasion of his south Cuban village, the infamous failed coup at the Bay of Pigs in 1961. Today, Jimenez is ex- pecting another American in- vasion – of tourists – as he awaits the chance to list his home on Airbnb. “I never had the chance to visit the U.S., so I’m looking forward to them coming here,” he said by his green one-story house, lamenting that his village of Playa Giron still lacks Internet access for the reservation and payment system of the online home- sharing startup. With the announcement by the U.S. and Cuba that they will reopen embassies this month, the one-time ene- mies took a major step closer to normalized relations, and Airbnb is poised to capitalize on its early entry into the market. After starting opera- tions on the island in April, the company has sought ways of working in a country where the government regu- lates nearly every aspect of life, U.S. credit cards aren’t accepted and online pay- ments barely exist. But by planting its flag early, the San Francisco- based company says it is seeing results. Cuba is now its fastest-growing market, co-founder Brian Chesky said in May. The number of Airbnb guest homes in Cuba has more than doubled to over 2,000. One of them is Casa Colonial 1830, a high-ceil- inged hostel run by Yosvaldo Saroza, who charges $30 a night. Payment, which in most of the world comes electronically, arrives in cash through a travel agency, Vacuba, that hand delivers it until online payments can be established. “We’re received a lot of interest,” the 28-year-old Saroza said inside the home his family has owned for five generations. “The guests who arrive know exactly what they’re getting. So far it’s been a great service.” Airbnb isn’t the only U.S. Internet-based com- pany seeking inroads in Cuba. Netflix, the online video-subscription service, began offering its services in February. More established companies, including airlines from Jet Blue to American, have said they’re interested in flying to Havana once legal restrictions are lifted. They will find substantial hurdles: two currencies, sala- ries for Cuban workers paid to the government and sti- fling bureaucracy. “At the end of the day, there’s this Cuban side of the equation too,” said Francisco Cerezo, a Miami-based lawyer who co-chairs the in- ternational practice at Foley & Lardner and visited Cuba in May. Companies “have to go down there and see what’s viable, what’s allowed there and what the context is.” And not all the problems are procedural. The U.S. State Department said on June 25 that Cuba remains a place where human rights abuses are committed with impunity by officials at the behest of the government, citing arbitrary detentions and arrests. While the rest of the world has had ties with Cuba for decades, the U.S. embargo has limited the ability of Americans to vacation there. Many of those who do come are on officially sanctioned trips, licensed by the U.S. Treasury Department. About 51,000 U.S. citizens visited the island in the first five months of this year, up from 37,000 in the same pe- riod a year earlier, according to data published by the Associated Press. “For a half-century Americans have had a de- sire to be able to go to Cuba and it wasn’t real easy, and well now it is, or at least a lot easier,” Chesky of Airbnb said. Airbnb hosts operate “casas particulares” – usually family-run establishments – and earn about $200 per booking, according to Jordi Torres, the company’s general manager in Latin America. That’s a fortune in a country where the average wage is just over $20 a month. Spain’s Melia Hotels International says its book- ings in Cuba have never been higher. It currently has 27 ho- tels across the island and is building two more. “There’s very high de- mand in Havana,” said Elvira Ameijeiras, Melia’s social and communications manager in Cuba. “Normally we’d be en- tering a low season now, but this year it’s not happening. There’s been an increase from North America, but also a more general one. Cuba’s in fashion.” © 2015, Bloomberg News Carlos Jimenez and his wife are ready to list their Playa Giron guesthouse on the Airbnb website. - PHOTO: BlOOMBERg NEwS /ANdREw williS The number of Airbnb guest homes in Cuba has more than doubled to over 2,000.The islands’ most-trusted news source 9 Cayman Compass • Monday July 13, 2015 Vera Kissoon 4 Dec 1959 - 13 July 2014 4 Dec 1959 - 13 July 2014 One year has passed since that sad day, When you were called away. Your life was full of loving deeds Forever thoughtful of our special needs, Today and tomorrow, Our whole life through, We will always love and cherish you, Mom. All our love, Dannel, Ariana and Matthew 4 Dec 1959 - 13 July 2014 4 Dec 1959 - 13 July 2014 luxury hotel on May 27 in Zurich, where FIFA has its headquarters, included cur- rent and former members of FIFA’s executive committee. The United States submitted a formal request for their ex- tradition on July 1. Webb was arrested along with Uruguayan Eugenio Figueredo, Eduardo Li, Jose Maria Marin, Julio Rocha, Costas Takkas and Rafael Esquivel. Takkas, a U.K. na- tional, lived in the Cayman Islands for two decades be- tween the mid-1980s and the mid-2000s. The U.S. investigation al- leges bribery and racke- teering worth more than $150 million involving high- ranking FIFA officials over a 24-year span. The official who has agreed to be extradited is ac- cused of accepting bribes to- taling millions of dollars in connection with the sale of marketing rights to various sports marketing firms and keeping the money for him- self, the Swiss justice of- fice said. Those rights were related to the broadcast of World Cup qualifiers, re- gional tournaments and con- tinental championships in North and South America. Cayman probe takes back seat Both the U.S. and the Cayman Islands said they would seek the extradition of Webb to face charges in their respective jurisdic- tions related to separate criminal investigations. However, local govern- ment officials confirmed Saturday that no extradition requests had been made to Switzerland on behalf of the Cayman Islands. Webb is facing a 15-count federal indictment in the U.S., which carries a prison sentence of 20-plus years upon conviction. In Cayman, Webb has been charged with four counts on three separate charges related to what pros- ecutors allege was the cor- rupt awarding of two public hospital contracts. The United States filed its extradition request prior to criminal charges being laid against Webb in the Cayman Islands. Webb, who is from Cayman, is married to an American citizen and owns several properties in the U.S. state of Georgia. If the six other FIFA officials being held in Switzerland in connec- tion with the U.S. criminal probe decide to fight extra- dition, the process could take months or even a year or more before they are sent back to face charges. Warner in court Extradition proceedings for another indicted FIFA de- fendant, Trinidadian politi- cian Jack Warner, seem likely to take quite a while longer. Warner, a former FIFA vice president, won more time fol- lowing an appearance in court in his home country Thursday. The court date was adjourned until July 27, with Warner’s attorneys stating the U.S. has yet to send a formal extradi- tion request to Trinidad. Warner has said he will fight extradition and has pre- dicted a lengthy legal battle to extradite him to the U.S. He is accused of taking pay- ments totaling $10 million sent by a high-ranking FIFA official to give South Africa the right to host the 2010 World Cup. Warner left FIFA in 2011 after being implicated in an earlier bribery scandal. He has denied wrongdoing. “We have reached the saturation point and are experiencing the first signs of limitations in capacity,” he told industry leaders at the Cayman Islands Tourism Association’s an- nual general meeting in April. He said last year’s “double-digit” increase in tourism numbers would not be repeated in 2015, predicting a rise of around 5 percent in arrivals for the year. The numbers for April represent a half a percent increase over the same month last year. Cayman has at least six major hotel projects in var- ious stages of development or redevelopment. None will come on line to assist during 2015, but one hotel – the Dart-owned Kimpton on Seven Mile Beach – is in advanced stages of con- struction. Construction on a second Dart-owned hotel farther south on Seven Mile Beach is expected to start in 2018. Meanwhile, a US$70 million renovation of the former Treasure Island Resort property is ex- pected to begin in early 2016, and construction of a hotel at the Cayman Islands Health City project is to begin this year. The government is also in the planning stages with a contractor on the Old Hyatt hotel site and in discussions for a new hotel property in Beach Bay, Bodden Town. Webb could be extradited this week CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Webb, 50, was one of seven current or former FIFA officials arrested on May 27 in Zurich, Switzerland, in connection with a far-reaching U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service probe. Jeffrey Webb CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Tourist arrivals dip slightly Jewish group honors Christian Poles who rescued Jews in WWII WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Jewish officials honored nearly 50 elderly Christian Poles who saved Jews during World War II, praising them as heroes during an event in Warsaw on Sunday or- ganized as an expression of gratitude. The oldest rescuer was 100 and others were in their 80s and 90s, some in wheelchairs or on crutches. They gathered for a luncheon at a luxury hotel in the city center where Poland’s chief rabbi, an Israeli diplomat and a representa- tive of the U.S.-based Jewish Foundation for the Righteous paid tribute to them. “You represent the very best in Polish society. You are heroes,” Stanlee Stahl, the foundation’s execu- tive vice president, said as she stood before them. “It is so important to acknowl- edge the courage and her- oism of the righteous, for each of you saved the honor of humanity.” Poland was the only country under Nazi occupa- tion where non-Jews caught helping Jews and their entire families were punished with death. Once home to Europe’s largest Jewish population, about 3.3 million before the war, Poland also has the largest number of non-Jews recognized as “Righteous Among the Nations” by Israel’s Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem. “You will always be re- membered in our prayers for you made it possible for generations to be born and to live,” Stahl said, her voice cracking. They are often referred to as “Righteous Gentiles,” and are people who lived for decades after the war with little recognition in Polish society, though in re- cent years the state has done more to acknowledge them. Poland’s chief rabbi, Michael Schudrich, who knows many of the rescuers, describes them as modest people who don’t consider their actions heroic, and who continued to lead admi- rable lives of goodness after the war too. “A universal theme is that ‘we did nothing spe- cial. We were just normal,’” Schudrich said. “It’s a re- ally important lesson for ev- eryone that helping another human being is normal.” Among those gathered was Janusz Durko, a retired historian who turned 100 in February and who recently finished reading the ancient Greek historian Herodotus for pleasure. During the war he and his wife hid 20 Jews who fled the Warsaw ghetto. He said it was simply the “obvious” thing to do and that he never considered himself courageous. “You had to help a person whose life was at risk,” he said. Another res- cuer being honored was Maria Lopuszanska, 86, who fought back tears as she remembered the Jewish woman that she and her family rescued. For decades after the war, the two women were close like sisters, living around the corner from each other. As she was leaving the lun- cheon hall, she approached the rabbi to bid him fare- well, fighting back tears as she told him her “sister” died last year of leukemia. Protesters rALLY to free doLPhins ANTIBES, France (AP) — Several hundred people pro- tested Sunday at a popular marine animal park on the French Riviera, urging it to free the dolphins kept in its pools. The Marineland park management said the dol- phins are a crucial edu- cational tool, and that re- leasing them into the wild could risk their lives be- cause most were born in cap- tivity and are accustomed to human companionship. The animal rights activ- ists waved picket signs in English and French at the entrance to the parking lot of the Marineland park in Antibes, trying to persuade visitors to sign petitions or go home. Visitors at the park, pop- ular with tourists from around Europe throughout the summer season, can swim with dolphins and see pen- guins, polar bears and the en- dangered Steller sea lion. Among the protesters was Richard O’Barry, a ma- rine activist who trained dolphins for the 1960s TV series “Flipper.” Rescuers Wladyslaw Misiuna, 90 years old, left, and Janusz Durko, 100 years old, attend an event in Warsaw on Sunday for nearly 50 elderly Christian Poles who saved Jews during World War II. - Photo: APNext >