ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – Wednesday september 16, 2015 sports | page 22 Women fall in With men’s games Football fixtures shake-up High of 91 Low of 81 Slight with wave heights of 1 to 3 feet. editorial | page 4 ‘reflections’ on the cost of crime in cayman Pioneer developer Rex Crighton passes away alan markoff amarkoff@pinnaclemedialtd.com Rex Crighton, a pioneer land developer and realtor in the Cayman Islands, died on Monday. He was 81. After going to sea for eight years, Mr. Crighton returned to Cayman and even- tually founded the real estate company Crighton Properties Ltd., which has sold hundreds of millions of dollars worth of properties over the years. He was also one of the first Caymanian property developers. In the mid-1960s, Mr. Crighton teamed up with his childhood friend, James M. Bodden, and formed Bodden Crighton Development Ltd., which devel- oped a large subdivision of house lots known as Prospect Park. The two collaborated on other subdivisions after that, but eventually Mr. Crighton broke off and did developments on his own, including Savannah Meadows, Savannah Acres, Beach Bay Heights, Beach Bay Glades, The Cays at Rum Pointe, Lalique Pointe and Crystal Harbour. Other business interests he was involved in over the years included Crewe Road Tile & Building Material, Caribbean Furniture Co., Caribbean Motors and Sun Isle Insurance Co. He was also Cayman’s most prominent auc- tioneer for many years. Mr. Crighton was a past president of the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman Central and was a founding member of the Cayman Islands Real Estate Brokers Association. In 1995, he was awarded the CIREBA award for Outstanding and Dedicated Contributions to Real Estate Development in the Cayman Islands. He served on several government boards over the years, and he was a justice of the peace and a member of Cayman’s Special Police Constabulary. Store manager SuSpectS teenS in overnight heiSt brent fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Boys perhaps as young as 13 or 14 were likely responsible for an overnight armed rob- bery Friday at a central George Town busi- ness, the store’s manager said following a re- view of closed circuit television footage. Stanley Panton of the Reflections group said he could not specifically identify the youths who held up the business on Godfrey Nixon Way around 12:30 a.m., threatening the staff with a machete and knife and taking $250 and four packs of cigarettes. “One of them was just 4 feet and change … he’s not even tall enough to reach the ciga- rettes,” Mr. Panton said. “They were teenagers.” According to the store manager, the rob- bery suspects had a plan. Footage from out- side the store shows one of the suspects using the tip of his machete to reach the buzzer out- side the magnetically sealed front door. He uses the machete to reach around the corner so that he could not be seen by staff or on the CCTV camera monitors inside. On the third ring of the store’s buzzer, the security guard inside went to the door to see what was happening. He pushed the mag- netic seal lock that allowed the door to be opened, and Mr. Panton said one of the sus- pects jumped inside and held the machete to the guard’s throat. The other young man ran into the shop and held a knife to the cashier’s waist. No one was injured during the robbery. The suspects were described by police as being between 5 feet and 5 feet, 3 inches tall, and Mr. Panton said the store personnel had considered overpowering them during the ‘Brilliant’ civil servant, 60, found dead at home brent fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Astley McLaughlin, a re- tired Cayman Islands govern- ment worker, was found dead in his Beach Bay home over the weekend by a family member. Police said a postmortem was being conducted into death of Mr. McLaughlin, 60, who lived alone. The RCIPS said there was no reason to believe any suspi- cious circumstances led to the incident, but noted that officers would await autopsy results be- fore officially confirming that. Mr. McLaughlin’s brother, Clarence, said he became wor- ried around Thursday last week when he could not reach Astley via text message, which was unusual. After attempts to contact his brother on Friday and Saturday failed, he found Astley dead at his home Sunday. Clarence said it appeared that his brother had been critically injured in a fall from a second floor balcony of the home. Although there were no Hatch of the day A tiny baby hawksbill turtle, smaller than a human finger, emerges from its egg. It is among a record number of hatchlings to be born on Little Cayman’s beaches this year. The number of turtle nests recorded across all three islands is on the increase, though researchers say the species is still in danger from development and illegal poaching. For more on this story, see page 6. - photo: LucY coLLYer PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL Wednesday september 16, 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. THE PERFECT GUY (PG13) 1:20 | 3:45 | 7:00 | 9:35 THE TRANSPORTER (PG13) 1:00 | 4:15 | 7:30 | 10:10 NO ESCAPE (R) 1:30 | 4:30 | 7:15 | 10:00 THE VISIT (PG13) 1:10 | 3:30 | 7:10 | 9:40 MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E (PG13) 12:50 I 6:45 MISSION IMPOSSIBLE (PG13) 12:55 | 3:50 | 6:50 | 9:45 *Additional charges will apply per 3D ticket requested. - WEDNESDAY - $8.00 THIS HOUSE SITS ON 0.46 ACRES WITH 3 DETACHED 1BR UNITS FOR ADDITIONAL INCOME. 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Charlie Brown 916-0910 charlie@rainbow.ky Member CIREBA CI$ 650,000 MLS 404661 Man charged for gross indecency with child Carol Winker cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Bail was withheld on Monday for a 25-year-old air-conditioner repairman charged with two counts of gross indecency involving a 5-year-old girl. The man was working in the child’s home last week when the alleged offenses occurred, the Summary Court heard. Senior Crown counsel Tanya Lobban told Magistrate Valdis Foldats that the girl was home with her mother and a nanny and had gone to her bed- room to change her clothes. The defendant was working on an A/C unit in the girl’s room. The court heard that the man asked the child if they could play a game. The game involved the touching of her private parts, Ms. Lobban said. When the nanny ap- proached the room, the man jumped up on his ladder as if he was working. The child immediately told the nanny what had happened and she in turn told the girl’s mother, who called police, the court heard. The mother’s car was blocking the man’s vehicle, so he was unable to leave. The man was arrested initially for allegedly sexu- ally assaulting a minor. Cuba’s raul Castro to address Un gathering UNITED NATIONS (AP) – Cuban President Raul Castro is ex- pected to address the an- nual United Nations gath- ering of world leaders later this month for the first time, the U.N. indicated Tuesday. This also would be Castro’s first trip to the United States as president, though it’s not clear what else he has planned. An updated U.N. list of speakers notes that the Cuban head of state will speak at the gathering on Sept. 28, the same day that President Barack Obama is set to speak. Diplomats for the two countries last week formally launched the pro- cess of normalizing the U.S.- Cuba relationship, one of the top foreign policy achieve- ments of Obama’s presidency. In April, Obama and Castro sat down together in the first formal meeting of the two country’s leaders in a half-century. Castro took over Cuba’s presidency from his brother Fidel, who stepped down in 2008 after decades in power. A spokesman for Cuba’s mission to the U.N. did not comment Tuesday on Castro’s expected visit and only re- ferred to the U.N. list of speakers. Castro first will play host as Pope Francis visits Cuba from Sept. 19-22, ahead of Francis’ own first trip to the United States. More than 160 heads of state and government are set to attend this month’s U.N. meeting, including Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani are also among the first day’s speakers. Head-on collision near airport Two cars collided around 10 p.m. Monday near the Owen Roberts International Airport. Royal Cayman Islands Police officers said a Mitsubishi SUV and a Suzuki SUV collided head-on along Crewe Road. Both drivers were taken to hospital, but their injuries were not believed to be life-threatening. – Photo: Brent fuller Cuban President Raul Castro An updated U.N. list of speakers notes that the Cuban head of state will speak at the gathering on Sept. 28, the same day that President Barack Obama is set to speak.The islands’ most-trusted news source 3 Cayman Compass • Wednesday september 16, 2015 COME ALONG • FREE ENTRY • FOLLOW BSFC MEET LEADING SCHOOLS FROM THE UK bvs-education.co.uk Organised by BRITISH SCHOOLS FAIR CAYMAN ISLANDS WESTIN GRAND CAYMAN 18-19 SEPTEMBER 2015 FRIDAY 18, 4pm-8pm SATURDAY 19, 10am-2pm ASHBOURNE • BLUNDELL’S • CAMPBELL • CHELTENHAM • HABERDASHERS’ MONMOUTH • KING EDWARD’S WITLEY • KING’S TAUNTON • LORETTO • MERCHISTON • MILLFIELD • OUNDLE • ST. EDMUND’S CANTERBURY • ST. EDWARD’S OXFORD • ST. MARY’S CALNE • SEDBERGH • WINDLESHAM • WOLDINGHAM CaymansFair_fullpage_spet15.indd 109/09/2015 18:45The 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. Limited operating hours. Magnetically sealed doors. Security officers. Guard dogs. Closed-circuit television cameras. The next time you visit a local retailer and notice any of the above security features, make sure you factor those added costs into the prices displayed throughout the store. Then think about the culprits responsible — such as the two robbers who early Friday morning, wielding a machete and a knife, threatened staff and held up the Reflections store on Godfrey Nixon Way for $250 and four packs of cigarettes. It is troubling enough to learn of this incident, which is only the latest in a series of crimes that have been committed against the Reflections group, the owners the Panton family, and their employees. In response, the Pantons are considering adding even more security measures to their business, which already has cameras, guards and sealed doors. This is a prime cause-and-effect demonstration of how crime translates to increases in the cost of doing business, and by extension increases in the cost of living to all Cayman consumers. Less quantifiable — but of greater importance — is the effect that crime has on our sense of well-being and quality of life. What is even more troubling about this particular case is that the robbers are suspected to be perhaps as young as 13 or 14 years old — mere boys, yet already “criminalized in conduct” enough to plan and execute an aggressive armed robbery against adults. Left on their current track — that is, outside the juvenile rehabilitation system — it appears these two teenagers may have consigned themselves to a future bound toward Northward Prison, or worse. While the justice system should serve primarily the interests of the general public, and the protection of the innocent, it also should provide restorative opportunities for offenders. It is vital to the workings of society to have an effective criminal justice system, particularly the trium- virate of police, public prosecutors and the courts (as well as the availability of capable defense counsel). These are roots, not branches, and if any one is not functioning properly, the entire tree withers. For example, if the police cannot apprehend suspects and compile the necessary evidence, pros- ecutors cannot move cases forward, and convictions cannot be secured in the courts. As another example, this one more specific, consider the case of Sue Nicholson, the former manager of The Pines retirement home. As we reported on the front page of Tuesday’s Compass newspaper, Mrs. Nicholson, who was accused of taking more than $300,000 from the charity and who then moved back to the U.K., will not face prosecution, despite protests from the nonprofit organization. (That means Mrs. Nicholson’s innocence, which is presumed, or guilt will never be proven in court.) The cash, including interest, was restored to the charity “without any admission of wrongdoing,” The Pines Chairman Julian Reddyhough said in December 2013. A police detective cited the repayment of the funds, and the onus of extradition, in explaining the decision not to pursue charges. In response, Mr. Reddyhough wrote, “The message that this sends is that if your financial crime is discov- ered, then if you pay back what you have stolen and leave the jurisdiction, you will not be prosecuted.” To that we append the following: In regard to the mounting problem of crime facing our community, it is increasingly questionable whether our “triumvirate” is up to the task at hand. ‘Reflections’ on the cost of crime in Cayman Wednesday sepTember 16, 2015 • Cayman COmpass Jeremy Corbyn’s radically anti-American agenda Washington Post Editorial Board Some in the United States see Jeremy Corbyn, the newly elected leader of Britain’s Labour Party, as an analogue of Bernie Sanders, the surging socialist in the Democratic presidential primary. Mr. Sanders himself said he was “delighted” by Mr. Corbyn’s win. Yet what the Guardian newspaper called “the most astonishing leadership victory in any major British political party in modern times” was not merely a blow against “mass income and wealth in- equality,” as Mr. Sanders de- scribed it. It also validated a radically anti-American agenda that could accentuate Britain’s drift away from the trans-Atlantic partnership. Mr. Corbyn espouses a for- eign policy whose guiding principle is to oppose the United States and Israel by all means. It has led him to label as “friends” such dispa- rate political forces as Hamas, Hezbollah and the populist government of Venezuela and to accept funding from orga- nizations designated by the U.S. government as terrorist groups. Mr. Corbyn endorsed the Iraqi insurgents who fought U.S. troops and equated the Islamic State’s overrunning of Iraqi cities with the 2004 U.S. offensive in Fallujah. He said that Washington, rather than Moscow, is to blame for the civil war in Ukraine. In an interview with Iran’s state television channel, he called the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden a “tragedy.” A member of Parliament since 1983, the 66-year-old Mr. Corbyn unabashedly es- pouses the agenda defended by the Labour Party three decades ago. He would na- tionalize railroads, utilities and all other public services, massively increase govern- ment spending, and even re- open the coal mines closed by Margaret Thatcher; global warming was not an issue in the 1980s. Like Labour’s leaders then, he favors British withdrawal from NATO and perhaps the European Union, and the unilateral scrapping of U.K. nuclear weapons. Thanks to those stands, Labour lost four consecu- tive national elections before moving back to the center under Tony Blair – whom Mr. Corbyn favors prosecuting for “war crime(s).” His sup- porters say he was propelled into power by a tide of new, younger voters fed up with traditional politics. It’s easy to exaggerate the size of that wave: Mr. Corbyn collected a quarter-million votes, or about half of 1 percent of the British electorate. Most British analysts believe he will struggle to survive as Labour’s leader until the next election, due by 2020, and that if he does Labour will lose in a landslide. British politics, however, looks less than predictable in an era where the Scottish National Party is the third largest in Parliament and the ruling Conservative Party is riven by internal disputes. Mr. Corbyn can be expected to lead a fierce resistance to David Cameron’s incipient ef- fort to step up Britain’s con- tribution to the fight against the Islamic State. He will do his best to sabotage relations with Washington. Those who favor the strategic partner- ship between Britain and the United States can only hope that Labour’s new leader is not the voice of an emerging generation but the last gasp of an old one. © 2015, The Washington Post Jeremy Corbyn waves on stage in London after he is announced as the new leader of the U.K.’s Labour Party on Sept. 12. - Photo: AP Mr. Corbyn espouses a foreign policy whose guiding principle is to oppose the United States and Israel by all means. 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”5 LOCAL NEWS Cayman Compass • Wednesday september 16, 2015 Lillian Pearson turns 102 Jewel levy jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com At 102, Lillian Pearson still has the keys to longevity: Keep a positive attitude, do not hate people and love the Lord. Happy, contented and still vigorous, she celebrated her birthday with family and friends on Sept. 11. Those who joined her in the celebration at her home in Spotts-Newlands recalled her influence on their lives. Pastor Alson Ebanks said, “It was no ordinary event they were celebrating.” He said “Sister Lillian” was men- tally alert, with no signs of degenerative diseases, able to converse, read, do her word puzzles and handle her own affairs. In addition to sharing birthday cake and other re- freshments, those gathered sang some hymns, which Ms. Pearson clearly enjoyed. “This amazing lady has lived through many global, regional and local disasters, including two World Wars [and] the three most devas- tating hurricanes to hit the Cayman Islands – the tragic hurricane of 1932, Hurricane Ivan and Hurricane Paloma. Yet the hurricane that stands out most in her memory was one that she did not person- ally experience,” said Pastor Ebanks. “Rather, it was the storm that took the life of her husband and left her a young widow with six children and one on the way on Sept. 27, 1941. That hurricane did not hit Grand Cayman, but 22 men, including her husband and several close relatives, were lost when the schooner Majestic was torn from its moorings and destroyed off the coast of Nicaragua.” At the gathering, Ms. Pearson made a point of re- minding those present that it was only through the grace and help of God that she was able to raise her family and overcome a serious illness. She also expressed gratitude to the various people (all now deceased) who helped her “put food on the table” as she attempted to raise her chil- dren in those difficult years. “Granny is still in high spirts. She looks really good for her age,” said grand- daughter Deborah Gallego. Longevity appears to run in Ms. Pearson’s family. “Aunt Julia Hydes, 106, from West Bay is her cousin,” Ms. Gallego said. When Ms. Pearson turned 100, in an interview with the Cayman Compass her ad- vice to others was: “If you want to live to be 100 … live for God, be truthful and live a good life.” The best thing about life is having good friends, she added. She said she thinks Cayman is the best place in the whole world and she would live nowhere else, adding that God blessed her with two marriages – one to Charles Woodley McField, who died at sea, and Alcot Pearson (died of natural causes), and seven children. At an earlier time in her life, Ms. Pearson did not even think she would reach 60. She said she had plenty of prob- lems and plenty of children to raise. She grew up eating lots of mangoes, guavas and other local fruit. She said she does not like vegetables, but loves fruit and a pot of co- conut stew for dinner with fish, breadkind and cornmeal dumplings. She is an excellent baker of heavy cakes, bread and light cakes, but does not fancy them for herself. To make a living for her- self and her children after her husband died at sea, Ms. Pearson washed clothes, cleaned floors, ran errands and did other odd jobs before heading back to school and then landing a well-paying job with British Fidelity. Her parents were Dorothy Bush, born in West Bay, and Ernest Connor from Bodden Town district.Lillian Pearson celebrates her 102nd birthday. John a. Cumber school celebrates new school year Faculty and students of Sir John A. Cumber Primary School started the new school year by participating in a fellowship of praise and worship with pastors from the district. Principal Joseph Wallace reminded the assembly to be grateful for the liberties and rights they enjoy and not to take them for granted, as some people around the world are paying with their lives for political and religious freedom. Mr. Wallace also commended those who embraced their educational opportunities. The annual program was coordinated by deputy principal Lorna Lumsden and support assistant Esther Rivers. Seated, from left, are ministers Gary Haylock from the Church of God on Captain Reginald Parsons Drive, Jason Knox of the Boatswain Bay Presbyterian Church, Jeriah LeBlanc of the Church of Christ on Batabano Road and Stanwyck Myles of the Church of God Chapel, with Ms. Lumsden and students. “If you want to live to 100 … live for God, be truthful and live a good life.” LiLLian Pearson6 LOCAL NEWS Wednesday september 16, 2015 • Cayman Compass Resurgence in Little Cayman turtle nesting James Whittaker jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A record number of turtle nests have been recorded in Little Cayman this year. Researchers have counted 156 nests on the island, so far this nesting season. The figure represents a tremendous resurgence for turtle populations. In 1998, when the first comprehensive nesting beach monitoring survey was carried out, only 15 nests were found. Janice Blumenthal, re- search officer at the Department of Environment, said the numbers reflect a general trend of increasing nesting populations across all three islands. In Grand Cayman, num- bers have also increased from as low as 30 nests in the late 1990s to more than 200 in recent years. “We are seeing results from better protection of tur- tles on the nesting beach and from changes in fishery legis- lation, which prevents adult turtles from being taken,” she said. “We may also be seeing a small contribution from green turtles released from the Turtle Farm in the 1980s.” Genetic studies will ulti- mately determine the impact, if any, of turtles released from the farm, colonizing beaches. When turtles reach maturity, they return to the beach where they were born to lay their eggs. Females typically nest be- tween three and six times in a season, from May to November. The Department of Environment acknowledges that the surge in numbers in Little Cayman could be due in part to increased monitoring. Lucy Collyer, a turtle con- servation intern with the Department of Environment and a master’s degree student, has led a renewed volunteer effort to conduct comprehen- sive monitoring on the island, which has not taken place for the past few years. Numbers in Grand Cayman also look healthy for the nesting season. “So far in Grand Cayman, we have had just over 200 turtle nests – with about equal numbers of loggerhead and green turtle nests. The log- gerhead nesting numbers are among the highest we’ve seen,” said Ms. Blumenthal. In Cayman Brac, 34 nests have been recorded, a slight decrease compared to last season. Despite the general positive trend, Ms. Blumenthal said the population is still “critically small” and the threat from de- velopment, beach erosion, and poaching is a growing issue. “Unfortunately, while nesting numbers are in- creasing, turtles are also facing increasing threats,” she said. “Illegal take continues to be one of the most serious problems in protecting our nesting population and, unfor- tunately, nesting female turtles are taken every year.” 27 Cayman students win essay awards keLseY JUkam kjukam@pinnaclemedialtd.com Twenty-seven students from the Cayman Islands won awards in the Royal Commonwealth Society’s “Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition” this year. Four Cayman students re- ceived gold awards, eight won silver and 15 received bronze. The first Cayman Islands winner to receive notification of her gold award was 13-year- old Martina Watler, a student at St. Ignatius Catholic School, as she was also selected one of the top overall winners. Martina was recognized as a Junior Runner-Up. She will receive her prize at Buckingham Palace. The winners were selected from more than 13,000 entries from 49 Commonwealth coun- tries and territories. In total, 3,000 students from partici- pating countries received a gold, silver or bronze award this year. The theme of this year’s contest was “A Young Commonwealth.” Royal Commonwealth Society Honorary Represen- tative Lemuel Hurlston said that this was a very successful year for Cayman Islands stu- dents in the essay competition, with more gold and silver win- ners than ever. “It’s quite an honor for a small country like the Cayman Islands to be picking up the number of prizes that we are picking up,” Mr. Hurlston said. “It takes quite a substantial effort.” He also noted that this was the first year that a stu- dent from the Cayman Islands was recognized as one of the overall winners. Gold, silver and bronze award-winners will receive certificates from the Royal Commonwealth Society. They will also be recognized at a local awards ceremony next year. The Cayman Islands has been participating in the com- petition for more than 40 years, Mr. Hurlston said. The compe- tition is open to all students in the Cayman Islands. Mr. Hurlston hopes that in the future more schools will en- courage their students to par- ticipate in the essay competi- tion, especially schools in the Cayman Brac. “My hope is that we con- tinue to excel and continue to produce better and better re- sults as we compete in a global field and make our country proud and make our students proud,” Mr. Hurlston said. This year’s award win- ners at the senior level include Grace Christian-Welcome and Tyrese Ebanks, who both at- tend St. Ignatius High School and who each received a gold award. Abigail Ebanks, also at- tending St. Ignatius, received a silver award. Senior bronze award win- ners are Renee Bennett, who at- tends John Gray High School; Grace Ruby, who attends Triple C; and Brandon Saunders, Emili Small, Chezarie Henry, Bianca Meghoo and Abraham Powery, who all attend St. Ignatius High School. At the junior level, Eliana Nickason from Cayman Prep, and Martina Watler received gold awards. Junior silver award winners are Kayleigh Bodden, who attends Edna Moyle Primary School, and Matthew Reddyhough, Sarah Harrison, Erika Sobers, Viktoriya Bolgova, Samruddhi Tagalpallewar and Carlton Wright Jr., all of whom attend St. Ignatius. Junior bronze winners are Charlize Milgate and Juliana Gaspar, who both attend Cayman Prep, and Shannon Wright, Gary Masterton, James Cameron, Kelsi Persad, Beth Walton and Miquela Montana, all of whom attend St. Ignatius. Air traffic trainees off to Trinidad Two air traffic control trainees from Cayman Brac left for Trinidad and Tobago last week to begin four months of intensive training, according to the Cayman Islands Airports Authority. The trainees, Eric Bodden and Carley Lazzari, who are based at the Brac’s Charles Kirkconnell International Airport, will train at the Trinidad and Tobago Civil Aviation Training Centre. The two young Caymanians will train in air traffic control with a main focus on aerodrome control, the authority said in a press release Tuesday. Once they complete their course, Mr. Bodden and Ms. Lazzari will return to Grand Cayman to undergo on-the-job-training with a qualified air traffic con- trol instructor who will as- sess them against the unit’s approved qualification training program. Albert Anderson, CEO of the Airports Authority, said the authority wanted to “develop talent and invest in our employees to ensure that staff is able to provide our passengers with world- class service in a safe and secure environment.” Volunteers recorded a record number of turtle nests on Little Cayman. – PHOTO: LUCY COLLYER Air traffic control trainees Carley Lazzari and Eric Bodden, center, with from left, Cayman Islands Airports Authority CEO Albert Anderson, Acting Air Traffic Control Manager Craig Smith, Chief Operating Officer Dale Davis and Chief Human Resources Officer Mario Ebanks, who visited the pair last week to wish them luck on their overseas training.The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 Cayman Compass • Wednesday september 16, 2015 Burn victim fighting for her life Jessie Perry has no insurance, family needs money for treatment James Whittaker jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A young woman who suf- fered devastating burns in a car accident remains in critical care in the Cayman Islands Hospital as her family desperately tries to raise enough money to fly her overseas to a specialist burn unit. Jessie Perry suffered burns over 80 percent of her body when the car she was traveling in crashed into a curb in West Bay in the early hours on Monday. Police said the vehicle’s fuel line rup- tured and the car ignited. Ms. Perry, a domestic helper, originally from Jamaica, turned 21 on Sunday. The accident shocked her family and friends in Cayman. Her aunt, Jacqueline Ebanks, who also lives in Cayman, told the Cayman Compass that her niece’s chances of survival depend on getting her to a burn unit overseas. Ms. Perry was on a tem- porary work permit and has no health insurance. Ms. Ebanks said the family doesn’t have the money to get her to Miami for treatment. Efforts to get Ms. Perry to Puerto Rico failed when hos- pital authorities in the U.S. territory realized the extent of her injuries. Now the family is reaching out to the commu- nity for assistance with the cost and logistics of getting her the treatment she needs. Ms. Ebanks said, “Right now, she is basically on a life support machine. She is not able to breathe on her own. They are just trying to keep her alive so she can get over- seas and they are doing an awesome job. “When I saw her this morning, she was better than when I saw her the night be- fore. She can pull through, but only if we get her help to go overseas.” Ms. Ebanks said the stress of finding the money for life- saving treatment is taking its toll on the family, including Ms. Perry’s mother, who has been by her daughter’s bed- side since Monday morning. Ms. Perry needs crit- ical care, specialist burn treatment and extensive plastic surgery. The family believes if they can raise some of the money, the authorities will help find a solution. She said the family has already been promised some financial sup- port in emergency loans. “We don’t have time or the strength to do any kind of fundraising. All we can do is hope.” said Ms. Ebanks. “I don’t think that people should be waiting for family members to raise money be- fore they can get help.” She said her niece had ar- rived in Cayman less than a year ago and was living in Windsor Park, George Town. Concerned friends and relatives have filled the cor- ridors of the hospital since Monday, and Ms. Ebanks said the calls have not stopped coming from Jamaica. “She is such a jovial girl, she is very popular. My Facebook page and my Whatsapp is going crazy with people asking for updates. There are so many people willing to come down to the hospital and lie with her and wait for news,” she said. Anyone who can help can call Ms. Ebanks on 322-5673.Ms. Perry Floatplane crashes in Alaska; 3 dead, others injured ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – A floatplane belonging to a fishing lodge crashed Tuesday with 10 people on board in southwest Alaska, authorities said, killing three people and injuring others. Alaska State Troopers said the three dead were from outside the state. The injured passen- gers were being flown to Anchorage hospitals fol- lowing the crash near the small community of Iliamna, 175 miles southwest of Anchorage. It’s unclear how many people were hurt. Local residents said the plane belongs to the Rainbow King Lodge. Calls to the business went unanswered. Rescue personnel ini- tially took injured passen- gers to the clinic in Iliamna. The plane crashed on takeoff at Eastwind Lake, 1 mile north of the commu- nity, according to Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer. It was a De Havilland DHC-3 Turbine Otter on floats, he said. The cause of the crash is not yet known. National Transportation Safety Board Alaska Chief Clint Johnson said the plane came to rest in some trees. Two NTSB investigators were heading to Iliamna later in the day, he said. In late June, another DHC-3 Otter crashed in a mountainous area in south- east Alaska, killing all nine people on board. The sightseeing plane crashed on a steep cliff about 25 miles from Ketchikan, killing the pilot and eight cruise ship pas- sengers. The excursion was sold through the cruise company Holland America and operated by Ketchikan- based Promech Air. The cause of the crash is not yet known. Jessie Perry suffered burns over 80 percent of her body when the car she was traveling in crashed into a curb in the early hours on Monday. The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 Wednesday september 16, 2015 • Cayman Compass 168889-Ad-QP-Rent-Show.indd 18/12/15 11:58:37 AM course of the hold-up, but he said store policy prevents staff from interfering during such an incident. However, Mr. Panton said he would not have fol- lowed those rules if he had been there. “You would have been writing a dif- ferent story today, one about a young man’s mother crying,” he said. Mr. Panton’s frustration during Monday’s interview with the Cayman Compass was palpable. He said his family’s store at Godfrey Nixon Way has been robbed five times in the past sev- eral years, and there have been burglaries or hold- ups at other Reflections stores in George Town and Savannah. There was also one incident in 2010 when shots were fired through the front door during a bur- glary attempt. At this point, Mr. Panton said, he is considering closing the Godfrey Nixon Way location earlier – it now operates as a 24-7 store – and moving the all-night operation to another busi- ness in George Town. He said the business would keep the magnetic locks op- erated around the clock, not just at night. Other security measures being considered include posting guard dogs with se- curity handlers outside the business. Mr. Panton said he would also consider having armed guards at the store, but he noted that is not per- missible under local law. Mr. Panton and his brother Prentice have also asked Police Commissioner David Baines and Premier Alden McLaughlin to host a National Security Council meeting with business owners to discuss crime pre- vention issues, perhaps to include some sort of am- nesty program for firearms. “Otherwise, I’m afraid law-abiding, hardworking citizens are going to start taking matters into their own hands,” he said. “The majority of hardworking people here in Cayman are frustrated to no end.” Store manager suspects teens in overnight heist reports of any suspicious ac- tivity in relation to the death, Astley told the Cayman Compass in July 2014 that his home had been broken into at least three times during that year. The latest incident involved Astley catching two burglars in the act of taking a 50-inch plasma television from the Beach Bay Road home. No one was ever con- victed in connection with the break-in. Clarence McLaughlin said the family had no reason at this time to believe anything untoward had happened. “He was a brilliant guy, and very generous,” he said of his brother. “I never heard him say anything bad about anyone.” Astley McLaughlin was originally from Cayman Brac, but his family – including his four brothers – moved to the U.S. early on. He at- tended high school in New York City and university in upstate New York and later in Indiana. He returned to work for the Cayman Islands gov- ernment after several years at Eastman Kodak in Rochester, New York. His name became familiar in the Cayman Islands in the late 1990s and through the early 2000s due to a court challenge he brought against the government over his December 1998 firing. Mr. McLaughlin, a chemist, was ruled to have been wrongfully fired by the Cayman Islands govern- ment in a court case that was eventually taken to the U.K. Privy Council. He had been on the public payroll since the council’s judgment, which was made effective as of the date of his official ter- mination – April 1999 – up through the last government budget year, which ended June 30, 2015. In 2007, the Legislative Assembly’s Finance Committee approved a sup- plemental appropriation for $766,345 for the settlement of a court order related to the Privy Council case. The funds represented compen- sation for what the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal found to be an unlawful dis- missal from a “senior gov- ernment position.” The case was ultimately decided fol- lowing appeals to the Privy Council in July 2007. Due to the Privy Council’s judgment, the government had to pay back salary due to Mr. McLaughlin since 1999. He had held a variety of government posts, but his job with the former Ministry of Agriculture, Environment, Communications and Works was made redundant in December 1998. The gov- ernment tried to reassign him, but there was not an- other suitable post avail- able, according to officials at the time. He was never placed in another civil service post. ‘Brilliant’ civil servant, 60, found dead at home CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 In 2008, Mr. Crighton was awarded an MBE for his contributions to charity and development in the Cayman Islands. He handed over the day-to- day operations of Crighton Properties and the develop- ment businesses to his son Dale in 1997. Mr. Crighton remained well known for the elabo- rate Christmas decorations that adorned his home and yard in Spotts. The tradition started simply in the 1970s, but expanded over the years with additional lights and about two dozen Christmas- themed scenes with animated figurines. The annual display took a crew of eight to 10 people six to eight weeks to put up, with an annual cost, including electricity, of tens of thousands of dollars. Until suffering from ill health in recent years, Mr. Crighton would greet guests walking through his yard to see the decorations and give candies to the children – and even to adults. Mr. Crighton is sur- vived by his wife Cecile, son Dale and daughters Thora and Tammy. Pioneer developer Rex Crighton passes away CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Amid Trump bombast, quiet Ben Carson rises in GOP field LOS ANGELES (AP) – Amid all the bombast in the Republican race for pres- ident, Ben Carson comes across more like a whisper. He is, in some ways, the anti-Trump – a gentle can- didate who lets his record as a renowned brain sur- geon speak for itself. The bragging about his resume and place in the polls, on the rare occasions it comes, is delivered with none of the superlatives that Donald Trump can’t seem to go without. Yet the 63-year-old Republican, the only African-American seeking the White House in 2016 – has tapped into the same wave of anti-establishment outrage fueling the billion- aire realty TV star’s rise. “The likelihood of someone like me getting through this process and making it to president is virtually impossible,” Carson told The Associated Press in a recent interview. “I just have to be myself. And if being myself reso- nates with the American people, then they will choose me. “And if it doesn’t,” he said, “they will choose somebody else.” Like Trump, Carson was dismissed early as a gaffe- prone novice lacking a na- tional profile and any sig- nificant political network. But he appears to be con- necting with Republican voters at a rate that even his closest aides didn’t predict. Heading into Wednesday night’s second debate of the GOP contest, Carson finds himself alongside Trump atop the field. A New York Times/CBS News poll released Tuesday shows Carson favored by 23 percent of likely Republican primary voters compared to Trump’s 27 percent. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, meanwhile, have plummeted to 6 percent and 2 percent, respectively. It should be noted the poll found that 63 percent said they could change their minds before the pri- maries begin with the Iowa caucuses in February. Yet it was just one of several in recent days that feature the political rookies Trump and Carson leading a field of veterans of elected office, offering the clearest example yet that Republican voters have deep frustrations with the political establishment. It shows in Carson’s fun- draising, too. His campaign says it has raised $5 million so far this month, adding to the $9 million it pulled in during July and August – a strong performance at what is typically one of the hardest times for candi- dates to raise money. Mr. CrightonThe islands’ most-trusted news source 9 Cayman Compass • Wednesday september 16, 2015 Malaysia to begin cloud-seeding Heavy haze forced Malaysian authorities to shut schools Tuesday in three states and two key cities as aircraft prepared to begin cloud- seeding operations to induce rain to help clear the air. It is our anniversary today, but you're not with me, because you passed away. It would have been 44 years. Now all I have is precious memories, a broken heart and eyes full of tears. It's been 1 month, 19 days since we've been apart. But darling you will forever be in my heart, Because I will always love you. When we asunder part it brings us so much pain. But darling we shall forever be joined in heart and one day meet again. From your broken hearted Husband, Glenn. I love you Gone Too Soon To Mrs. Juanita Whittaker Hungary declares emergency, seals border, detains migrants ROSZKE, Hungary (AP) – Declaring a state of emer- gency, Hungary sealed off its southern border with Serbia on Tuesday and detained those trying to enter illegally, aiming to shut down the flow of migrants pouring in. Chaos ensued at the border, as hun- dreds of migrants piled up in a no man’s land, and Serbian officials reacted with outrage. Stuck for an unknown amount of time on a strip of road between the two coun- tries’ checkpoints, those fleeing violence in their homelands pitched tents and settled in. But frustrations were on the rise. As a police helicopter hov- ered above, migrants chanted “Open the border!” and shouted insults at Hungarian riot police. Some refused food and water in protest. With a razor-wire fence completed along the Serbian border, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Hungary now also plans to extend the fence for “a reasonable dis- tance” along its border with Romania. Both Serbian and Romanian governments de- cried Hungary’s moves. “Raising a fence between two EU member states who are strategic partners is not a fair gesture from a po- litical point of view, ac- cording to the European spirit,” Romania’s Foreign Ministry said. Serbia’s foreign min- ister declared it was “un- acceptable” that migrants were being sent back from Hungary while more and more were arriving from Macedonia and Greece. “[Serbia] wants to be part of the solution, not collateral damage. There will have to be talks in the coming days with Brussels and other countries,” Ivica Dacic said in Prague. The turmoil at the Hungarian-Serbian border came a day after the 28-na- tion bloc failed to come up with a united immi- gration policy at a conten- tious meeting in Brussels. The ministers did agree to share responsibility for 40,000 people seeking refuge in overwhelmed Italy and Greece and spoke hopefully of reaching an eventual deal – next month or by the end of the year – on which EU nations would take 120,000 more refugees, including some from Hungary. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Austria called Tuesday for a special European Union summit next week to discuss the continent’s immigration crisis. Hungary, however, was not pinning its hopes on any ac- tion soon from Brussels or its neighbors. Tuesday’s state of emergency in two southern re- gions gave authorities greater powers to deal with the crisis, allowing them to shut down roads and speed up asylum court cases. In the last few months, Hungary has become a major bottleneck and entry point into the European Union for migrants, many of them war refugees from Syria and else- where in the Middle East. Prime Minister Viktor Orban, however, has insisted that most arriving are economic migrants seeking a better life, not war refugees entitled to protection – a view sharply at odds with other EU nations, including Germany. The new laws that took ef- fect at midnight in Hungary now make it a crime to cross or damage a 13-foot razor-wire fence the government has built along the southern border with Serbia and also includes longer prison terms for con- victed human traffickers. “Due to the situation caused by mass migration, the Hungarian government de- clares a state of crisis,” gov- ernment spokesman Zoltan Kovacs told reporters in the southern city of Szeged. “We are very clear on this: Illegal border crossing is a crime.” Technically, parliament must still approve the deploy- ment of the military, expected next week, but Associated Press reporters at the border have seen heavily armed mil- itary personnel with vehicles and dogs for days. Gyorgy Bakondi, homeland security adviser to Orban, said authorities caught 155 people trying to cross into the country illegally. They got across by damaging the fence, are now in police custody and are being charged with com- mitting offenses under the new laws. Authorities are quickly repairing the fence. Hungarian officials also closed several of the seven border crossings with Serbia on Tuesday morning after de- ploying a train car covered with razor wire to close one of them. Two crossings were still open for regular traffic. Chaos enveloped the main border crossing near Roszke, Hungary, as the Hungarians opened a tiny office in a metal container to process people and crowds pressed to squeeze inside. About 20 man- aged to get in, but thousands remained outside. Another group of migrants blocked the main highway connecting Serbia and Hungary, saying they were re- fusing food and water until they are allowed to cross into Hungary. “No food, no water until open border,” read one sign in English held up by a migrant. Elsewhere along the mi- gration route from the Middle East into Europe, asylum- seekers were considering what path to take into Europe with Hungary’s border closed and Germany, Austria, Slovakia and the Netherlands reintroducing border controls in recent days to manage the largest refugee crisis Europe has seen since World War II. Those who managed to make it into Hungary on Monday were grateful to be boarding buses for Austria. Zakariah Sharfo, a me- chanic from the Syrian city of Aleppo, said he could not un- derstand the new hard-line Hungarian laws. “Those who leave their country are fleeing because of the pressures of war,” he said. “To escape death for a better life and to escape the pressures in our country. No one would leave their country without a good reason.” Migrants had rushed to beat the Hungarian deadline. A record 9,380 migrants en- tered Hungary on Monday, beating the previous record of 5,809 set just a day earlier. Some 200,000 migrants have entered Hungary so far in 2015, nearly all by walking across the southern border with Serbia. In other news about Europe’s immigration crisis: ■■ Turkish media reported that 22 people, including four children, drowned after a 66-foot wooden boat sank off Turkey’s coast. The private Dogan news agency said 211 people were rescued from Tuesday’s sinking between Datca in Turkey and the Greek island of Kos. ■■ Austria, which bor- ders Hungary, warned Tuesday it might soon be short of emergency shelters. “Austria’s emer- gency accommodation is full to the last place at the moment,” Chancellor Werner Faymann said after meeting German Chancellor Merkel in Berlin. Chaos ensued at the border, as hundreds of migrants piled up in a no man’s land, and Serbian officials reacted with outrage. A migrant is arrested by Hungarian police officers and soldiers after he tried to cross the border line between Serbia and Hungary in Roszke, southern Hungary on Tuesday. – Photo: AP Hungarian police force journalist to delete footage ROSZKE, Hungary (AP) – The Associated Press is protesting the brief detention of one of its journalists by Hungarian police as he covered migrants crossing the border, saying he was forced to delete footage that included images of a po- lice dog knocking down a ref- ugee. Hungary disputed the account Tuesday. The incident took place Saturday evening as the cam- eraman, Luca Muzi, was filming migrants who had crossed from Serbia through fields near the Hungarian town of Roszke. Police moved in to stop the people, and one policeman let a muzzled police dog attack a Syrian man, knocking him to the ground as the Syrian cried out, “Please, please, I’m a ref- ugee!” Muzi said. A policewoman noticed Muzi filming the scene and stopped him. He identified himself as an AP journalist and tried to leave, but was not allowed to. The police of- ficers also prevented Muzi from calling his editors or two other AP journalists trav- eling with him, Muzi said. The officers took Muzi to a dark area outside a mi- grant registration center and demanded to see Muzi’s footage, then told him to de- lete it, he said. The footage contained two days of work in Serbia and Hungary. Muzi said he was compelled to de- lete the tape while feeling menaced by muzzled police dogs nearby. In its protest letter to Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs on Tuesday, the AP called the of- ficers’ behavior “unacceptable” and said journalists “should be able to cover news events without … risking physical abuse, and without fear that the government will destroy legally obtained footage.” Kovacs, citing police re- ports on the incident, dis- puted the AP’s account. He said the officers asked Muzi to show him whether there were any images of them on his camera – which he in- sisted they are allowed to do – and found that there were not, so they made no request to delete any footage. Kovacs also said the dogs were kept on their leashes throughout the incident. “The dogs may bark – that is what they are trained for, to be a deterrent and a bit frightening – that is why there is a dog. But … it is cer- tain that the dogs did not at- tack,” he said in a phone in- terview from the border area. Muzi said that only after deleting the footage were his identification papers returned and he was allowed to go.Next >