ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – Monday July 20, 2015 High of 90 Low of 79 Smooth with wave heights less than 2 feet. ABCDE NATIONAL WEEKLY Worst Week Planned Parenthood 3 Politics Walker doesn’t yield 4 Botany This rose is a Knock Out 16 Opinion Ex-Reddit CEO talks trolling 23 AN OPPORTUNITY GAMBLED AWAY For a county in the Deep South that reaped millions from casino business, poverty is still its spin of the wheel PAGE 12 THE WEEK OF SUNDAY, JULY 19, 2015. IN COLLABORATION WITH THE wASHIngTon poST An opportunity gambled away Editorial | pagE 4 CuC power failure: CoMMuniCations blaCkout SEVEN MILE BEACH WATERFRONT WALKERS ROAD TOWN CENTRE PLAZA webb freed on $10 million bail brent fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Former FIFA vice president Jeffrey Webb was released from custody Saturday on US$10 mil- lion bail after pleading not guilty to a 15-count U.S. federal court indictment against him al- leging that he engaged in an international rack- eteering and bribery scheme with more than a dozen other defendants. Caymanian Webb appeared in the U.S. District Court Southern District of New York for an arraign- ment proceeding. Attending the court were his wife, Kendra Gamble-Webb, and other family members. Webb’s attorney and the court agreed to a bail arrangement that would allow Webb, 50, to be released on the US$10 million bond, to be se- cured through 10 real estate properties owned by him, his wife and relatives; three cars; and watches and jewelry. The court agreed that Webb would be super- vised by FBI-approved guards and would be elec- tronically monitored at a location within 20 miles of the eastern district courthouse in Brooklyn, New York, the New York Times reported. Webb was also required to surrender his passport. His next court date was set for Aug. 17. So far, Webb is the only one of seven defen- dants arrested on May 27 in Zurich, Switzerland to have been extradited to the U.S. in connection with the case. The other six, including former Cayman Defense attorney Edward O’Callaghan and Kendra Gamble-Webb leave the courthouse following the arraignment of former FIFA official Jeffrey Webb in Federal Court in Brooklyn, New York, on racketeering and bribery charges on Saturday. - PHOTO: AP Little Cayman building named for Gladys Howard kelsey JukaM kjukam@pinnaclemedialtd.com During a ceremony on Friday afternoon, the National Trust Visitors Centre on Little Cayman was renamed after dive pio- neer and Little Cayman stalwart Gladys Howard. The Gladys B. Howard Little Cayman District National Trust Visitors Centre has been named after the woman who set up the Pirates Point Resort on the island in 1986 and who has worked with the community for decades to protect the local environment. A plaque erected at the National Trust building reads: “Convinced that Little Cayman’s unique ecosystem should be pre- served, Gladys Howard assumed a leadership role on numerous environmental and commu- nity initiatives that have con- tributed enormously to making Little Cayman the special place that it remains.” In the early 1990s, she came Ms. Howard PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » demolition of islander Complex under way The Islander Complex on Lawrence Boulevard is being torn down. The complex had been home to several businesses over the years, including World Gym, Dunkin’ Donuts, Smyles Playtime Paradise, Jillian’s Billiards Lounge and Bar, Purple Dragon and Motions Unlimited. The site, now owned by Dart, was also home at one time or another to Matrix, L.I., Rumhead’s and Bed nightclubs. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY WORk PERMiTS RiSE 9 PERcENT iN YEAR brent fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Cayman Islands now has more than 22,000 foreign workers employed on work per- mits, government contracts, special economic zone permits or awaiting the outcome of per- manent residence applications. That high a number of non-Caymanian workers has not been seen since mid-2010, when the islands were in the midst of a rapid economic decline following the world eco- nomic recession of 2008-2009. Non-Caymanian worker numbers went from around 26,500 in mid-2008 to as low as 18,500 during 2011- 2012 before stabilizing in early 2013. In the past two years, the number of non- Caymanian workers here has grown steadily, according to Immigration Department re- cords, from approximately 20,360 in July 2014, to 21,400 in January 2015 to 22,232 as of Thursday. Despite the rise in non-Caymanian labor, which makes up about 51 percent of the total local workforce, overall unemployment de- clined sharply in 2014. The Office of Economics and Statistics confirmed Thursday earlier reports that put Cayman’s unemployment rate at 4.7 percent overall and Caymanian unemployment at 7.9 percent, down from 9.4 percent the year be- fore. The economics office figures are for cal- endar year 2014. Work permits in January, the typical start of tourism high season for the Cayman Islands, were about 800 lower than the statistics released by the Immigration PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 »2 Monday July 20, 2015 • Cayman Compass REGIONAL 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. ANT MAN 3D (PG13) 1:40 I 4:30 2D I 7:20 I 10:00 2D MINIONS 3D (PG) 1:20 I 4:10 2D I 7:10 I 9:30 2D TERMINATOR GENISYS (PG13) 12:50 I 3:40 I 6:55 I 9:40 TRAINWRECK (R) 1:30 I 4:20 I 7:10 I 10:05 INSIDE OUT (PG) 1:10 I 3:40 I 7:15 I 9:50 JURASSIC WORLD (PG13) 1:00 I 3:45 I 6:30 I 9:15 *Additional charges will apply per 3D ticket requested. - MONDAY - $8.00 Tens of thousands fear deportation as US-Cuba relations thaw MIAMI (AP) – With the United States and Cuba inching closer to fully re- storing diplomatic ties, in- cluding re-opening embas- sies for the first time in 54 years, the future is murky for tens of thousands of Cuban immigrants who have been ordered by immigration au- thorities to leave the country. As many as 25,000 Cubans living in the United States have outstanding deporta- tion orders, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They include people who pose a threat to national security or have serious criminal convic- tions and are considered priorities for immigration enforcement agents. Despite being an enforce- ment priority, those immi- grants haven’t yet been sent back to Cuba because the government of President Raul Castro has not given them permission to return. It’s unclear whether the Cuban government’s position will change. Sisi, a 50-year- old grandmother who moved to Miami with her family when she was 4, is one of those waiting and wondering what the future holds. As a teenager in the 1980s, Sisi married a man involved in South Florida’s booming cocaine trade. By the middle of the decade she’d become involved in the business her- self and eventually served 2½ years in prison, cutting ties to her brief life of crime in 1989. Though she served her debt to society for the drug conviction, what she didn’t know at the time was that her criminal record would prompt immigration author- ities to issue a deportation order in 2000. “I was young, stupid. It’s hurting me,” said Sisi, who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition that she only be identified by her nickname because of her pending de- portation order. “It’s coming back now, a lot.” For decades deportation to Cuba has been complicated by the lack of diplomatic ties and the Cuban government’s decision not to provide travel documents for most immi- grants facing deportation. A 1984 repatriation agree- ment includes a list of 2,746 people who had come to the U.S. in 1980 as part of the Mariel boatlift who should be deported. The mass migration from Cuba to Florida started when then-President Fidel Castro announced he would allow anyone who wanted to leave the Communist island nation to do so. An estimated 125,000 Cubans made the perilous trip between April and October 1980. ICE records show that 1,999 people on that list have been sent back to Cuba, in- cluding 1,093 since 2001. ICE is responsible for finding and removing immigrants living in the country illegally and those who have been ordered to leave. More than 35,000 Cubans have outstanding deportation orders, and as of the end of March, more than 2,300 other Cubans have open cases pending in U.S. immigration courts. ICE said of those, about 25,000 are considered deportation priorities be- cause of their backgrounds, including criminal histories. Sisi’s lawyer, Grisel Ybarra, said the Cuban com- munity is on edge amid the ongoing negotiations between Washington and Havana and the uncertainty about what renewed relations will mean for immigrants. “Everybody in Miami right now is shaking like a leaf,” Ybarra said. “People are really worried. The Americans and the Cubans are not in bed together, but they already have the room. It’s happening.” Ybarra said she repre- sents several clients who could face deportation, in- cluding Elias, a 71-year-old retiree whose deportation was ordered in 1991. Like Sisi, Elias agreed to speak about his immigration case only on the condition that his full name not published. Elias said he has two drug- related convictions dating to the 1970s and 1980s. He moved to Florida in 1961, fol- lowed by other family mem- bers a decade later after his father spent about 10 years in a Cuban prison for being part of a union that opposed Communism. If he is forced to go back to Cuba, he said, he would be alone in a country he would barely recognize. “I’m going to meet a new country,” Elias said. “I’ve got nobody in Cuba. All my family is here. Anything that I love in this world is here.” Though the future of mi- gration agreements between Washington and Havana have yet to be laid out publicly, under any circumstances the tens of thousands of Cubans with outstanding deporta- tion orders aren’t likely to be quickly sent home. That’s be- cause ICE already struggles to find and deport immigrants living in the United States. During the first six months of the 2015 budget year that started in October, the agency has removed about 127,000 immigrants. If that pace holds, ICE will de- port the fewest immigrants since the middle of President George W. Bush’s second term in 2006. If the Cuban govern- ment does begin accepting more deportable migrants, they would likely just be added to the ever-growing list of people who risk being ex- pelled from the United States if ICE can find them, ac- cording the Migration Policy Center’s Marc Rosenblum. “There’s definitely going to be a randomness to it,” Rosenblum said. Attorneys Grisel Ybarra, left, and Monica Barba Neumann look over documents at their office in Miami. Ybarra and Neumann represent several clients who could face deportation. – PHOTO: AP Cuban flag to hang in State Dept. lobby as embassies reopen WASHINGTON (AP) – The Cuban flag will soon be hung in the lobby of the State Department, joining those of other nations with which the United States has diplo- matic relations, according to the department. State Department spokesman John Kirby said the flag will be hung early Monday morning before a ceremony to mark the re- opening of the Cuban em- bassy in Washington and the restoration of full diplo- matic ties. The department’s lobby features the flags of more than 150 other coun- tries placed in alphabetical order. Cuba falls between Croatia and Cyprus in that arrangement. Later Monday, Secretary of State John Kerry will meet at the department with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez, after which they will hold a joint news conference, Kirby said. Rodríguez will be in Washington for the up- grading of the Cuban Interests Section in the cap- ital city to a full-fledged em- bassy. The U.S. Interests Section in Havana will also become an embassy Monday, according to Kirby, but offi- cials say the secretary is not expected to travel to Cuba for its dedication until early August. The U.S. embassy in Cuba will put out a brief statement announcing its new status, but it will not raise an American flag nor re- place its interests section sig- nage until Kerry’s visit, the officials said. The United States severed diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1961 and no Cuban foreign minister has visited the State Department since. President Barack Obama and Cuban leader Raul Castro announced in December that they intended to nor- malize relations between their two countries, former Cold War foes. At the time it was hoped that could be accomplished by spring, but the process dragged on longer than ex- pected, with several issues requiring more time to re- solve than anticipated. A worker the removes Cuban Interests Section sign in Washington, just days prior to the building being accredited as the Cuban Embassy. Cuba’s flag is set to fly Monday outside the country’s diplomatic mission in the United States for the first time since the countries severed ties in 1961. – PHOTO: AP3 LOCAL NEWS Cayman Compass • Monday July 20, 2015 Your home. Your terms. Introducing a better way to own your home or access equity. 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BritCay House, 236 Eastern Avenue, George Town Tel. 949-8699 12 Kirkconnell Street, Stake Bay, Cayman Brac Tel. 948-1760 www.britcay.ky A member of Colonial Group International: insurance, health, pensions, life If luck isn’t on your side BritCay is. You have a 1 in 10 chance of a road vehicle accident and BritCay is the only company offering CI$10 million asset protection at no extra cost with car insurance. Seven claims have exceeded CI$1 million, one being CI$7 million. Ask BritCay for a quote. New car replacement (new cars only, 12 months max.)* US$40,000 damage to overseas rental cars at no extra charge* Fast-track repairs! Authorised Repairer programme *Policy conditions apply- ask for details CALL 949-8699 or visit www.britcay.ky cgigrp Island-wide blackout forces businesses to get creative Charles DunCan cduncan@pinnaclemedialtd.com All of Grand Cayman woke up Friday in the dark. It took 11 hours to get power back to all customers across the island. Caribbean Utilities Company spokeswoman Pat Bynoe-Clarke said the elec- tricity went out just after 4:30 a.m. Friday. She said there was an equipment failure between the power plant on North Sound Road and the South Sound substa- tion in Fairbanks. That initial failure, Ms. Bynoe-Clarke said, cut power from South Sound to the eastern districts. The trans- mission line then impacted the rest of the system and all of Grand Cayman lost power, she said. With power down most of the morning, businesses without generators had to either adapt or close up shop and wait for the lights to come back on. Grocery stores, many gas stations and the big financial cen- ters had generators to keep things moving, but many small businesses were left to sweat it out. Kitchens around central George Town propped open doors and cooks took turns going outside to cool off while they prepared for Friday’s lunch service. At one salon, Sameena’s Beauty Center, Janet Campbell-Senior pulled chairs outside and did nails on the sidewalk. “Business has to go on, current or no current,” she said. “You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do to make a living,” Ms. Campbell- Senior added. The CUC spokeswoman said power was back to al- most all customers by 3:30 p.m. Friday. Crews brought the system back online in phases to make sure the power grid re- mained stable, she said. The area between the Hyatt building and The Ritz- Carlton remained without power until almost 5 p.m. A power switch in that area had to be repaired. Many of the big finan- cial services firms were still operating as usual. Micho Schumann, who works at KPMG in Cricket Square, said companies in the area had generators to keep the daily operations going. “Business as usual I’d say for most of Elgin Avenue as far as I know,” he said. Many took to social media and other websites to com- plain about CUC’s response to the major outage. Roger Davies, commenting on the Cayman Compass website Friday, writes, “As I could not get through on either the “outage” number or their reg- ular phone number to find out what was happening, I went to the CUC headquar- ters and was advised the corporate office was also without power!” There was a second, unre- lated outage for several hours in West Bay Friday night. CUC’s Ms. Bynoe-Clarke said that outage was caused by a lightning strike. Janet Campbell-Senior of Sameena’s beauty salon in George Town continues working with customers outside the salon during the power outage. - Photo: Jewel levy CUC crews work on a line at the South Sound substation Friday morning. - Photo: Charles DunCanThe 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. 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 findtheirownway” William Pesek The international rat- ings agency Fitch was down- playing concerns on Thursday that Chinese stocks are a sys- temic risk to global markets. Many investors, however, are far less sanguine. Take hedge fund billion- aire Paul Singer, who worries Beijing’s debt-fueled stock mania could do even more damage than the U.S. sub- prime crisis. Or Bill Ackman, who runs Pershing Square Capital Management. Asked about Greece on Wednesday, he said: “China is a bigger global threat by far. The Chinese stock market is a fairly remarkable phenom- enon and I think kind of a frightening one.” Who’s right – Fitch or market players? The deciding factor could be whether de- flation rears its head in China – falling prices, and the pros- pect of a slowing national economy, would suggest the hedge funds are right. Let’s consider the data. A common takeaway from China’s better-than-expected data this week is that de- flation’s grip is easing. The claimed 7 percent GDP growth rate, rising middle- class incomes and a pickup in credit would seem to auger well for a stable price out- look in the world’s second- biggest economy. But those numbers are de- ceiving. For starters, China’s second-quarter performance was pumped up by a stock bubble that’s now losing air. Financial-sector growth com- bined with government stim- ulus (and some creative ac- counting, of course) to boost gross domestic product. Financial services alone surged 17.4 percent in the first six months of 2015, a dynamic that helped offset a weak real estate market. But, given the recent stock rout that wiped out almost US$4 trillion in market value, it should be obvious this isn’t a durable source of growth. Meanwhile, China’s housing slowdown is a major deflationary event. Real es- tate has been China’s big- gest growth engine since the 2008 global crisis. Now, it’s in negative-growth territory. And that’s having knock-on effects for local-government finances and vital sectors like manufacturing. But there’s another de- flationary force confronting President Xi Jinping: the fading of China’s credit super- cycle, in which people and businesses tried to borrow their way out of debt problems. “The world-beating growth in debt of recent years is unlikely to be repeated as worries about financial stability grow,” says Andrew Batson, China re- search director at consulting firm Gavekal Dragonomics. “This creates another barrier to China’s return to rude infla- tionary health.” Let’s say China actually did grow 7 percent between April and June. That’s still markedly slower than the 12 percent jump in corporate and household borrowing last month. All that borrowing limits the ability of compa- nies to increase employment and consumers to spend. Outstanding loans for compa- nies and households are now a record 207 percent of GDP (and growing fast), compared with 125 percent in 2008. While the government is sure to do more to stabi- lize growth, “we are far from certain that China is about to exit the deflationary dy- namic of recent years,” Batson says. While China’s consumer prices rose 1.4 per- cent in June, producer prices plunged 4.8 percent. That dynamic explains why commodity-currency nations Australia and New Zealand are under pressure to slash interest rates. Both the Aussie dollar and the kiwi tumbled to multi-year lows Thursday after fellow com- modity exporter Canada eased monetary policy. Meanwhile, waning Chinese demand has resulted in falling global prices for everything from oil to metals to milk. Those problems will be amplified if China begins exporting de- flation to the region. Japan, which still has yet to beat its own multi-decade bout with falling prices, is particularly vulnerable, as is South Korea The People’s Bank of China can always cut interest rates. (Its one-year benchmark rate is still 4.85 percent.) But amid cratering growth, rate cuts might just exacerbate the debt troubles of Asia’s only engine of economic growth. In other words, it seems safe to say the hedge fund managers have it right: If China doesn’t count as a systemic economic risk, what does? Bloomberg View columnist William Pesek is based in Tokyo and writes on economics, markets and politics throughout the Asia-Pacific region. © 2015, Bloomberg News Last Friday morning, we were all left in the dark. We’re not referring just to the island-wide power outage that impacted thousands of homes and busi- nesses (and stopped our beloved air conditioners and ceiling fans) for several hours, but to the lack of com- munication from Caribbean Utilities Company, which, as if our readers needed reminding, has a government- arranged monopoly on commercial electricity genera- tion and distribution in Grand Cayman. First, notwithstanding Friday’s power outage, CUC overall has an excellent record in terms of making electricity available to consumers. That assertion is backed up by statistics: According to CUC’s 2014 annual report, the energy provider was able to keep the power on 99.96 percent of the time. However, during that relatively minuscule amount of time when CUC power is not available, the economic activity of the country practically grinds to a halt, which is a far more serious consequence than the con- current spike in human perspiration. In mid-April, following a similarly widespread power outage that affected consumers from West Bay to East End, this Editorial Board wrote, “It behooves our utility company to be on its game this summer – with real-time information updates and, of course, expe- ditious technical solutions (which have always been CUC’s greatest strength.)” We won’t nitpick CUC about how long the power was out Friday, or why – from all appearances utility workers responded promptly, en masse, to fix whatever the problem was, as quickly as possible. Frankly, we’re not experts on the provision of elec- tricity. We do, though, know a little something about communications, and that was CUC’s biggest failure on Friday morning. We exempt from this criticism (and indeed, praise for her steadfast efforts) CUC spokeswoman Pat Bynoe- Clarke, who as usual was responsive, professional and courteous under pressure. She provided our reporters with the information she had, when she had it. But that’s small consolation for the thousands of people in Grand Cayman who aren’t members of the media, and don’t have access to the CUC spokes- woman’s direct email or mobile number. (Don’t worry, Ms. Bynoe-Clarke, we won’t reveal that information in this space!) What CUC needs to do is make information avail- able, especially during widespread power outages, directly to members of the public, AKA its cus- tomers, using technologies such as the Internet and telephones. People ought to be able to check CUC’s website for updates, most importantly when the power should come back on and what areas are affected, or better yet, call an easy-to-remember hotline in order to reach a living human being, if only to be able to vent frustrations and get some personally tailored reassurance. It may not help get the electricity on any faster, but it would help a lot of people feel a little better about facing a long, dark and hot wait. CUC power failure: Communications blackout Monday JuLy 20, 2015 • Cayman COmpass If China isn’t a risk to global economy, what is? A woman walks past a banner reading ‘Prosperity’ on a street in central Beijing on Wednesday. China’s economic growth in the last quarter was 7 percent, its weakest performance since the global crisis. - Photo: AP5 LOCAL NEWS Cayman Compass • Monday July 20, 2015 Cayman by the numbers Charles DunCan cduncan@pinnaclemedialtd.com The government Economics and Statistics Office recently released its 2014 Compendium of Statistics, a big book of facts about Cayman. From popu- lation and unemployment to the number of criminal cases heard for the year, the com- pendium paints a picture of an ever-larger country and an improving economy, despite some growing pains. Population The population in the Cayman Islands broke a new record in 2014, with 58,238 people on the islands. The Caymanian population also broke a new record with 33,447 people last year. The non-Caymanian pop- ulation fell short of a third record for the year. The ESO reports 24,791 expats in 2014 – the record was set in 2008 with a little more than 25,000 people. Of the total population, 51.4 percent are female and 48.6 are male. There were 710 live births in the Cayman Islands last year and 153 deaths. The total number of households dropped last year to 21,189, down from more than 24,000 in 2012. Education There are 7,806 students enrolled in primary and sec- ondary schools. Government schools ac- count for 4,739 students, and 3,067 in private schools. Government school enroll- ment has been dropping slightly each year since 2012 while private school students have been increasing. There were 387 stu- dents studying over- seas on Education Council Scholarships in 2014 – down from 427 the year before. The most popular majors for overseas scholars are in so- cial and business studies. Libraries There were 15,582 library card holders last year, more than half of whom are chil- dren and young adults. Library patrons around Cayman checked out 34,353 books in 2014, and checked in 27,034. People made more than 77,000 visits to the George Town library in 2014, West Bay’s library came in a distant second at just more than 19,000. Health The leading cause of death, accounting for 30 per- cent in 2014, is circulatory disorders, such as heart dis- ease. Cancer is the second leading cause of death for people who pass away on is- land. The Cayman Islands Hospital discharged 5,189 patients in 2014. Prescriptions were way up last year, topping 355,000, compared to 285,000 in 2013. There were 4,354 ambu- lance calls in 2014. Cops and courts There were 3,948 crimes reported in 2014. Police data shows 1,781 cases were cleared up. Summary Court heard 8,289 cases in 2014 – al- most 6,000 of those were for traffic charges. Grand Court heard 1,022 cases last year, mainly for civil and family matters. The court system, ac- cording to court administra- tors, does not have data on its conviction rate. The most common of- fenses for juveniles are traffic and alcohol and drug charges. On average, there were 172 prisoners in Northward Prison last year and an av- erage of 13 in the women’s prison at Fairbanks. There were 21 vehicle fires in 2014, or at least that’s how many were reported to the fire service, a little lower than the average over the past five years. The fire department performed eight elevator rescues. Traffic accidents dropped below 1,000 for the first time in recent memory. There were 968 accidents in 2014, four of which were fatal. Economy Visitor statistics were on the rise for 2014, with more than 1.9 million visi- tors on both cruise ships and air arrivals. That number is up more than 15 percent from 2013. Gross domestic product, a core measurement of how the economy is growing, hit its highest level since 2008, showing 2.1 percent growth last year. There were 39,582 people in the labor force last year. The 2014 unemploy- ment rate was 4.7 percent. Caymanian unemployment was 7.9 percent and non-Cay- manian was 1.5 percent. The number of com- pany registrations in the Cayman Islands hit a new record last year with about 99,500 registrations. Most of those, about 82,000, are exempt companies. Faulty alarm system in China Village fire Charles DunCan cduncan@pinnaclemedialtd.com An electrical fire Saturday morning damaged the inte- rior of China Village in Plaza Venezia. Fire investigators say the fire alarm system did not work. Fire crews arrived at the George Town restaurant at about 7:45 a.m. following a 911 report. Investigators Saturday determined that the fire started from a com- puter and spread from there without an alarm system to alert emergency crews or the property manager. The owner and employees cleaning up from the fire Saturday afternoon declined to comment as they loaded a van with items from the store. The damage centered at the main entrance where the cashier’s booth was situ- ated, and the fire spread from there, destroying the buffet area and part of the main dining room. On the far side of the room, tables sat still set for the expected Saturday lunch service. The smell of burning plastic was still heavy in the air around the building on North Sound Road on Saturday afternoon. The fire re-ignited once, while fire investigator James Bodden was still at the scene. Fire crews went back to the scene quickly and extin- guished the rekindled flames. The Fire Service’s Tina Choy, in a release, said inves- tigators required the prop- erty manager to put the plaza on 24-hour fire watch until the alarm system is back up and operational. Four women make history as Rotary presidents All four of the local Rotary clubs will have female pres- idents at the same time, for the first time in the history of the Cayman Islands. The new presidents are Sandy Cram, Rotary Central; Lynda Mitchell, Rotary Club of Grand Cayman; Christine Matthews, Rotary Sunrise; and Lauriese Ashman, Rotary Club of Cayman Brac. Ms. Cram, a Rotarian since 2009, replaced outgoing president Larry Tibbetts. “I am humbled that I have been given the re- sponsibility of leading a club with such a glorious past and bright future,” Ms. Cram said. “I promise to our members that I will give 110 percent to ensure that the good work continues.” Lynda Mitchell served many roles for the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman before taking over the role of president from Brian Hurley. Over the past nine years, Ms. Mitchell has served as secretary, di- rector and vice president. “I am most grateful to our members for trusting me to carry out the task as presi- dent, being mindful that the role of president is liter- ally on-the-job training,” Ms. Mitchell said. “The Rotary Club of Grand Cayman will continue to spread its ser- vices throughout our com- munity, which includes Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, while assisting other coun- tries in need.” Christine Matthews took over from past presi- dent Kim Remizowski after being a member of Rotary Sunrise for nine years. Ms. Matthews said that she was honored to be serving for the next year and that she looked forward to con- tinuing the work the club had been doing. Lauriese Ashman of the Rotary Club of Cayman Brac emphasized the im- portance of crossing bound- aries. “Together, all Rotary and Rotaract presidents in our small niche can make a big difference in the world,” she said. Also appointed in this year’s changeover ceremony are Alice Ramos, president of Rotaract Blue; Matthew Seales, president of Rotaract Club of Grand Cayman; and Marzeta Bodden, District Rotaract representative. Rotary International’s upcoming theme for 2015-16 is “Be a gift to the world.” “In order to do this, we all need to be a gift to our- selves, be a gift to our fam- ilies, be a gift to our club, and be a gift to our commu- nity,” Ms. Cram said. From left, Sandy Cram, president of Rotary Central; Christine Matthews, president of Rotary Sunrise; Matthew Seales, president of the Rotaract Club of Grand Cayman; Lauriese Ashman, president of the Rotary Club of Cayman Brac; and Lynda Mitchell, president of the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman. An electrical fire that started in a computer caused extensive damage to China Village restaurant Saturday morning.6 LOCAL NEWS Monday July 20, 2015 • Cayman Compass A look inside the Royal Navy’s Lyme Bay Jewel levy jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com The British Navy gave sev- eral Cayman residents and reporters a chance to tour the RFA Lyme Bay support ship during its five-day stopover in Cayman. Hosts Lt. Max Crosby, the Navy’s public rela- tions officer, Christopher Ovens, Navy operations of- ficer, Flight Commander Rob Kenchington and Stephen Ledsham, supply officer and the ship’s Captain Kim Watts took visitors on a tour of the ship’s operations planning room, the bridge, Annex radar room, Mexeflote landing deck, medical treat- ment room and galley. Lt. Crosby gave an update on what the ship had been up to in the Cayman Islands and the key capabilities of the ship. As the ship passed Cayman Brac on Tuesday, he said, it made condolence sig- nals for a resident who had recently passed away. While in Grand Cayman, the ship’s personnel made some of- ficial calls on government, handed over Governor Helen Kilpatrick’s new Jaguar to her, conducted exercises ashore and hosted an official ceremony to say thank you to the Cayman people. The RFA Lyme Bay is an amphibious landing sup- port ship, designed to deploy troops of Royal Marines onto beaches and coastlines. Its primary role is to deliver hu- manitarian assistance. The ship’s shallow draft allows it to come further in- shore than other ships of similar size, and once in po- sition, it can deploy a flo- tilla of small craft from the internal dock. A flight deck allows day and night heli- copter operations. The ship contains a ve- hicle deck, container deck for troops, stores, vehicles and medical equipment to sus- tain and rebuild a stricken community. “We don’t need to be near a port to get the supplies off the ship to the people in case of a disaster,” said Captain Watts, Royal Fleet Auxiliary commanding officer of RFA Lyme Bay. Captain Watts also shared information about the crew, the number of vehicles on board and the ship’s trip to Cayman, which was to exer- cise contingency plans and conduct reconnaissance by air and sea of potential landing sites and transport routes if the ship were to dispatch sup- plies and equipment in the event of a disaster. The ship is part of the Royal Navy’s Atlantic Patrol Tasking North operation, which provides year-round humanitarian aid and di- saster relief to the Caribbean, in addition to conducting counter-narcotics operations in the region. The RFA Lyme Bay left Cayman on Sunday. Its next stop is Anguilla. Christopher Ovens, navy operations officer, explains the functions on the bridge. - PHOTOS: JEWEL LEVY Flight Commander Rob Kenchington, right, stands by the ship’s Royal Navy Lynx helicopter. Graham Herbert, medical technician, in the ship’s medical treatment room. British Navy support ship the RFA Lyme Bay in George Town Harbour on Thursday. Officers wait on the ship to welcome visitors aboard. Ali Knight, second officer systems engineer, with ear defenders.The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 Cayman Compass • Monday July 20, 2015 Islands resident Costas Takkas, are still in deten- tion in Switzerland awaiting court proceedings. The U.S. investigation has so far targeted nine current or former FIFA officials and five business executives of sports marketing companies which authorities allege paid bribes to the FIFA bosses in exchange for the award of lucrative commercial con- tracts for various football tournaments, including the World Cup. Aside from Webb, only one other defendant in the criminal investigation, Traffic USA chief executive Aaron Davidson, is in federal cus- tody. Davidson has already appeared before the court and was granted bail. Court records released Friday indicated that Davidson might be in talks for a deal with U.S. prosecutors. “Since Davidson’s arrest, the parties have been actively engaged in plea negotiations,” the records stated. Davidson has also pleaded not guilty to nine counts against him in the indictment. Davidson’s case, and po- tential decision to cooperate with U.S. prosecutors, is sig- nificant to Webb because it is alleged that Traffic USA paid at least US$1.5 mil- lion in bribes to the Cayman Islands man through intermediaries. Federal court records al- lege that during mid-2012, Webb and a man named as “co-conspirator #4” who was employed by the Traffic Group at the time participated in discussions to negotiate the media and marketing rights for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup qualifier matches. These rights were being sought by Traffic USA, which wanted to buy the rights from the Caribbean Football Association, federal court records state. Near the end of these talks, co-conspirator #4 met with Costas Takkas, a close Webb associate. “Takkas told co-conspir- ator #4 that Webb wanted a US$3 million bribe in exchange for the [foot- ball union] contract to be awarded to Traffic USA,” court records state. It was alleged that the US$3 million bribe was split between Traffic USA and a firm identified as “Sports Marketing Company C” so that each would pay US$1.5 million to Webb. Court records allege that some of the cash paid by the Traffic USA bribe money went to build a swimming pool at Webb’s residence in Loganville, Georgia. Webb freed on $10 million bail The court agreed that Webb would be supervised by FBI-approved guards and would be electronically monitored at a location within 20 miles of the eastern district courthouse in Brooklyn, New York, the New York Times reported. In this courtroom drawing, former FIFA official Jeffrey Webb from the Cayman Islands, left, appears before United States Magistrate Judge Vera M. Scanlon for arraignment on racketeering and bribery charges on Saturday in New York. Webb pleaded not guilty and was released on $10 million bond. Webb’s attorney, Edward O’Callaghan is in the center and Assistant District Attorney Darren LaVerne is at right. - Image: elIzabeth WIllIams vIa aP CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 up with a plan to move Little Cayman’s old land- fill and, in its place, build the National Trust Building that now houses the visi- tors facility. The National Trust House on Little Cayman is also houses the island’s small library and provides other services to the community. Ms. Howard also cre- ated the popular annual Easter Auction, which raises funds to support the National Trust. The event raises approximately $50,000 each year, and is described, along with the annual Mardi Gras cele- brations that Ms. Howard also helped initiate, in the plaque as “part of the social fabric on Little Cayman.” This is not the first time Ms. Howard has been rec- ognized by the National Trust for her efforts in local conservation. In late 2013, a newly opened National Trust boardwalk on the island was dedicated to Ms. Howard for her ef- forts in protecting land in Preston Bay. This year, Ms. Howard will be one of three local honorees recognized by the International Diving Hall of Fame for her contributions to the dive industry. She has also been rec- ognized for being a pio- neer in developing sus- tainable tourism in the Cayman Islands. In 2012, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Cayman Islands Tourism Association’s Stingray Awards. In 2003, she re- ceived the Queen’s Badge of Honour, an award given to her by Prince Edward during the Cayman Island’s Quincentennial. She is described in the plaque as a “committed and energetic environmen- talist, world class chef, con- summate innkeeper, diver, good friend and a true cit- izen of the world.” Little Cayman building named for Gladys Howard Jen Boyce, left, and Gay Morse, right, celebrate the renaming of the Little Cayman National Trust Visitors Centre after Gladys Howard, center, on Friday. Department last week. Mid- July is typically the start of the seasonal decline in work permits for the tourism and hospitality industries. Grants, renewals The largest group of non- Caymanian workers to in- crease between this summer and last was in the area of work permit grants and work permit renewals. Work permit grants, the initial award of a one- or two-year working contract by a private sector company to a non-Caymanian, went from 8,103 total grantees living in the islands as of July 2014 to 8,462 this month. Work permit renewals, for non-Caymanian workers who already obtained a full-year contract and who are having that contract renewed, in- creased from 7,163 in July 2014 to 8,028 this month. The number of temporary work permits – those granted for only three or six months – did not significantly in- crease from year to year, statistics showed. PCWs Immigration figures as of Thursday indicated there were more than 500 people staying in the is- lands after having been granted “permission to continue working” or PCW status by the chief im- migration officer. Most of those individ- uals, though not all, have applied for permanent res- idence – the right to re- main in Cayman for the rest of one’s life – and are awaiting word on the fate of their application. A backlog of applications for permanent residence under the old Immigration Law has been almost en- tirely wiped out, although immigration records showed about 30 people were still in Cayman under the former “working by op- eration of law” legal status. Government contracts The immigration records also indicated a modest in- crease in government hiring of non-Caymanians for the first time in several years. The total number of non- Caymanians here on gov- ernment contracts was put at 900 as of Thursday. A year ago that number was 862 individuals. Public sector contracts for non-Caymanians remained quite low compared to 2006- 2007, which saw some 1,400 non-Caymanians employed here in government jobs. Enterprise city Work permits for indi- viduals employed within the Special Economic Zone, known as Cayman Enterprise City, have con- tinually increased since being introduced more than three years ago. Immigration records re- ported about 250 work per- mits being held locally by economic zone compa- nies, nearly a 50 percent in- crease from the same time a year ago. Work permits rise 9 percent in year CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Cayman’s Little Misses win big Caitlin Seymour is World’s Universal Ideal Miss Six little misses from Cayman partici- pated in the World Our Little Miss pageant fi- nals held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, July 3-10. They came home last week “with three World crowns and a week filled with beau- tiful memories,” reported spokesperson Racquel James-Irving. The top acco- lade in the 13-17 age group, Universal Ideal Miss, was won by Caitlyn Seymour. World Talent winner and Miss Photogenic was Kianda Parchment. World Living Doll was 18-month-old Kelese Smith. Rounding out the recognitions, Aaliyah Reid had the World’s Prettiest Smile and placed second runner-up in the talent competition with her steel pan playing. Isabella Bodden and Kezia Parchmont took part in the ages 3-6 category. The Our Little Miss competition was estab- lished in 1962 and girls from Cayman have partic- ipated in previous years. Our Little Miss participants from Cayman this year were, back row, from left, Kelese Smith held by her mother Kearney Scott, Aaliyah Reid, Kianda Parchment and Caitlyn Seymour; front row, Isabella Bodden and Kezia Parchmont. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 Monday July 20, 2015 • Cayman Compass KKK protest flag removal The Ku Klux Klan marched on the South Carolina state house Saturday to protest against the removal of the slavery-era Confederate flag, drawing jeers from counter- protesters. Blatter, Platini to meet at Sunday session of FIFA leaders ZURICH (AP) – Sepp Blatter will host Michel Platini and football’s other continental presidents later Sunday, in their first formal meeting since the FIFA president an- nounced he would leave of- fice amid a corruption crisis. The closed-door meeting at FIFA headquarters helps pre- pare for an executive com- mittee session on Monday, called at short notice to set a date for the presidential elec- tion to replace Blatter. Platini, the UEFA presi- dent and former France great, is currently favored to win a ballot that requires a four- month campaign by FIFA elec- tion rules. When the presi- dents’ group met on May 28, one day after senior FIFA of- ficials were arrested in Zurich, Platini urged his mentor turned adversary to resign. Blatter refused and was re- elected the next day for a fifth four-year term. Within days on June 2 he promised to leave office, under pressure from American and Swiss federal investigations of corruption implicating FIFA. The presidents’ group includes: Issa Hayatou of Africa, Asia’s Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, CONCACAF interim leader Alfredo Hawit, Juan Angel Napout of CONMEBOL, and Oceania’s David Chung. Hawit was appointed in May by the regional body for North and Central America and the Caribbean after FIFA vice president Jeffrey Webb was one of the seven men arrested in Zurich and among 14 indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice for an alleged bribery racketeering conspiracy. On Saturday, Webb ap- peared in a federal court in Brooklyn after being the first detainee to be extradited to the U.S. The 50-year-old banker from the Cayman Islands, who has a residence in Loganville, Georgia, pleaded not guilty to a range of charges. He posted a $10 million bond and was released. Napout of Paraguay was elected to lead the South American body in March and formally became a FIFA vice president on May 29. He re- placed Eugenio Figueredo of Uruguay who remains in de- tention in the Zurich area. Tabloid publishes images of young queen giving nazi saluTe LONDON (AP) – Buckingham Palace ex- pressed its disappointment Saturday with a tabloid newspaper for publishing images of a young Queen Elizabeth II performing a Nazi salute with her family in 1933, the year Adolf Hitler came to power. The palace took the un- usual step of commenting on the report in The Sun newspaper, which shows the queen – then about 7 years old – at the family home in Balmoral, with her uncle Edward, mother and sister. The grainy footage also shows Elizabeth’s mother making the salute as the family laughs. “It is disappointing that film, shot eight decades ago and apparently from Her Majesty’s personal family archive, has been ob- tained and exploited in this manner,” the palace said. The images, posted on the newspaper’s website under the headline “Their Royal Heilnesses,” shows the young girls prancing on the grass. A dog runs un- derfoot. The girls jump up and down. Military historian James Holland told The Sun that the royals were joking. “I don’t think there was a child in Britain in the 1930s or ‘40s who has not performed a mock Nazi sa- lute as a bit of a lark,” he was quoted as saying. The queen’s former press secretary, Dickie Arbiter, said the royals would be relaxed about the release of the film given the context in which it was shot – and given that the monarch’s parents took a fierce anti-Nazi stand during World War II. But he said they would be angry about how the newspaper obtained what is essen- tially a home movie. He noted that the true extent of Nazism’s evils be- came known only later. The Sun’s managing ed- itor, Stig Abell, said the footage was obtained le- gitimately. He told the BBC that the story was “not a criticism of the queen or the Queen Mum. Shooter’s family says he suffered from depression CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) – The family of the man who killed four Marines and a sailor in Chattanooga said in a statement that their son suffered from depression and was not the son they knew. “There are no words to describe our shock, horror, and grief,” said the state- ment, provided Saturday to the Associated Press by a lawyer representing the family of Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez. “The person who committed this horrible crime was not the son we knew and loved. For many years, our son suffered from depression. It grieves us beyond belief to know that his pain found its expression in this heinous act of violence.” “We understand there are many legitimate questions that need to be answered,” the statement said. “Having said this, now is the time to reflect on the victims and their fam- ilies, and we feel it would be inappropriate to say anything more other than that we are truly sorry for their loss.” The family added that they are cooperating with the investigation. In Chattanooga, a city that prides itself on strong ties between people of different faiths, some Muslims feared the community’s perception of them had changed after the shooting rampage Thursday. Mohsin Ali, a member of the Islamic Society of Greater Chattanooga, said he hoped the local community didn’t dissolve into turmoil the way others have in the region over the building of mosques and other matters. Peaceful co- existence has largely pre- vailed here. “We, our kids, feel 100 percent American and Chattanoogan,” said the Pakistani-born Ali, who is a child psychiatrist. “Now they are wondering if that is how people still look at them.” As FBI agents served a warrant on the Abdulazeez home Thursday, two women wearing Islamic head cover- ings were seen being led away in handcuffs. But FBI agent Jason Pack said Saturday that no arrests have been made in the case. Authorities are looking into the shooting as a terrorism investigation and whether Abdulazeez was inspired or di- rected by any terrorist orga- nization. They still don’t know what motived Abdulazeez. The president of the Islamic Society of Greater Chattanooga said Abdulazeez’s father told him he felt blind- sided and did not see any re- cent changes in his son. “He told me that he had never seen it coming, and did not see any signs from his son that he would be that way and do something like that,” Bassam Issa said. Meanwhile, governors in at least a half-dozen states or- dered Guardsmen to be armed, and Florida Gov. Rick Scott moved his state’s Guard re- cruiters from storefronts in urban areas to armories. Ali said immigrants such as himself owe a debt of grati- tude to America and the armed forces protect it, because they often know firsthand what it means to live in coun- tries without personal free- doms or the rule of law. Near the end of the service Friday night, at Ali’s urging, dozens of Muslims received a standing ovation as they stood in sup- port of their city and in alle- giance to their nation. Sepp Blatter The closed-door meeting at FIFA headquarters helps prepare for an executive committee session on Monday, called at short notice to set a date for the presidential election to replace Blatter. A row of newspapers on display including a paper with a photo of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth as a child giving a Nazi salute, in a shop, in London, on Saturday. – phoTo: ap Kelly Caparell, left, and her daughter Keldon Bevel, place several American flags by a makeshift memorial at the entrance to the Naval Operational Support Center and Marine Reserve Center on Saturday. – phoTo: ap9 WORLD&REGIONAL Cayman Compass • Monday July 20, 2015 Rain calms California fire that jumped highway, burned cars LOS ANGELES (AP) – A rare summer storm helped fire- fighters advance on a wild- fire that swept across a California highway, torching vehicles and sending people running for their lives be- fore it burned property in a desert town. Light rain and moist air dampened the blaze Saturday in the moun- tainous Cajon Pass 55 miles no rtheast of Los Angeles, the main route con- necting Southern California and Las Vegas. “The weather re- ally helped,” U.S. Forest Service spokesman Travis Mason said. The fire Friday after- noon began below the ele- vated lanes of Interstate 15. Pushed by 40 mph winds, it raced up a hill and onto the traffic-clogged freeway, trapping hundreds of people amid a cauldron of smoke, flames and ash. Drivers and passengers abandoned their cars as flames hop- scotched down the freeway, destroying 20 vehicles, sev- eral of which exploded in fireballs. “You could hear the ex- plosions from people’s ve- hicle tires popping from the heat,” said Lance Andrade, a 29-year-old railroad con- ductor caught in the traffic jam just as the fire jumped the freeway. “You could hear crackling. Smoke was coming in every direction. You could feel the heat. We just waited it out and prayed to God.” As firefighters gained con- trol of the freeway, the flames spread to the rural commu- nity of Baldy Mesa, destroying three homes and 44 vehicles and forcing residents to flee. Evacuation orders were lifted Saturday afternoon. In all, the fire burned about 8.5 square miles. California is in the midst of severe drought and wild- fires are common but it’s very unusual to have vehi- cles on a highway caught in the flames. A tow truck removes the charred remains of a vehicle on Interstate 15 along the Cajon Pass on Friday near San Bernadino, California, after a fast-moving wildfire swept across the Southern California freeway, destroying numerous vehicles and sending motorists running to safety before burning at least five homes. – PHOTO: AP Firefighters battle a wildfire along the Cajon Pass, Friday, near San Bernadino, California. – PHOTO: AP Drivers and passengers abandoned their cars as flames hopscotched down the freeway, destroying 20 vehicles, several of which exploded in fireballs. Medicaid enrollment surges, stirs worry about state budgets ATLANTA (AP) – More than a dozen states that opted to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act have seen enrollments surge way be- yond projections, raising con- cerns that the added costs will strain their budgets when federal aid is scaled back starting in two years. Some lawmakers warn the price of expanding the healthcare program for poor and lower-income Americans could mean less money avail- able for other state services, including education. In Kentucky, for example, enrollments during the 2014 fiscal year were more than double the number projected, with almost 311,000 newly eligible residents signing up. That’s greater than what was initially predicted through 2021. As a result, the state re- vised its Medicaid cost esti- mate from $33 million to $74 million for the 2017 fiscal year. By 2021, those costs could climb to a projected $363 million. “That is a monstrous hole that we have got to figure out how to plug, and we don’t know how to do it,” said Kentucky state Sen. Chris McDaniel, a Republican who leads the Senate budget com- mittee and opposed expan- sion. “The two biggest things that keep me up at night are state pensions and the cost of expanded Medicaid.” For patients who have only recently gained ac- cess to healthcare, the pro- gram is about far more than dollars and cents. And sup- porters downplay the budget concerns, pointing to studies that indicate the economic benefits of expanding health- care will result in significant savings over time. Several expansion states have already revised their budget estimates due to the larger than expected en- rollments, according to an Associated Press review. McDaniel said the added Medicaid costs will reduce the pool of money that can be invested in higher ed- ucation, pension plans or other services. Supporters of the expan- sion, including Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, predict their states will save money in the long run because Medicaid will allow some state-run services to be eliminated and will stimulate the economy through new revenues and job creation. Beshear, a Democrat, released a study earlier this year touting the creation of 12,000 jobs and nearly $1.2 billion in new rev- enue to healthcare providers as a result of expansion. Thirty states and the District of Columbia have ex- panded Medicaid, or plan to do so, to include all adults with incomes at or below 138 percent of the federal pov- erty level, currently $16,243 for an individual. The federal government agreed to pay all costs for the new enrollees through 2016, but it will begin low- ering its share in 2017. States will pay 10 percent of the costs by 2020. In the expansion states, enrollment for Medicaid and a related program for children have increased an overall 28.2 percent com- pared with a three-month period before the law’s im- plementation, according to the federal government. In a recent report, economic ex- perts at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said they expect es- timated enrollment and per- person cost increases to level off and even decline over the long run. At least 14 states have seen new enrollments ex- ceed their original projec- tions, causing at least seven to increase their cost esti- mates for 2017, according to an Associated Press anal- ysis of state budget projec- tions, Medicaid enrollments and cost details in the ex- pansion states. A few states said they could not provide original projections. California has enrolled nearly 2.3 million people so far – almost three times more than the 800,257 the state had anticipated. Enrollment in neighboring Washington more than doubled. Oregon’s new enrollments have ex- ceeded estimates by 73 percent. In Michigan, estimated costs have shot up by 50 per- cent because of soaring en- rollment. Ohio’s projected costs more than doubled. Some states that expanded their Medicaid programs prior to the federal health- care law are also seeing en- rollment increases based on people signing up because of increased publicity and out- reach efforts. In states where ongoing discussions over Medicaid expansion have yet to be re- solved, opponents are quick to cite the surging enroll- ments and costs. Last month, Republicans in the Florida House repeatedly warned about the costs before soundly defeating an expan- sion bill.Next >