sports | page 17 Webster defies horrible injuries Collapsed lungs and vehicle spills overcome High of 91 Low of 81 Smooth to slight with wave heights less than 2 feet. editorial | page 4 red bay Primary’s mystery illness: the ‘unknoWns’ ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – thursday sePtember 17, 2015 Premier Health BritCay has one word to describe policy holders. People. People, not policy holders BritCay prioritises the needs of patients with efficient access to benefits. That’s why we settled 209,003 health insurance claims in 2014, 96% in 5 working days. BRITISH CAYMANIAN INSURANCE AGENCIES LTD. BritCay House, 236 Eastern Avenue, George Town, P.O. Box 74, KY1-1102 Tel. 949-8699 www.britcay.ky A member of Colonial Group International: insurance, health, pensions, life Call 949-8699 www.britcay.ky cgigrp Crown: Pines case took two years to file Prosecutors discuss no theft charge ruling brent fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com It took two years from the time a former manager of The Pines retirement home left the Cayman Islands for Crown prosecutors to receive a “full ruling file” on a police inves- tigation into her alleged theft of more than $300,000 from the charity. The delay is one of the reasons cited by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for not bringing charges against Sue Nicholson. “In general terms when considering whether to bring a criminal prosecution, the office is duty bound to examine all the circumstances,” the prosecutions office said in a statement re- leased Wednesday. “Such factors may include evidential and public interest matters, for ex- ample: Any unexplainable delays between the making of the original complaint and the provi- sion of material to support it.” The criminal investigation into the case first came to light in 2013. Toward the end of that year, The Pines Chairman Julian Reddyhough said that the charity’s board of directors had conducted its own forensic investigation and discov- ered “several hundred thousand dollars over an eight-year period” had been taken. That in- formation was passed along to the police, Mr. Reddyhough said at the time. The cash, including interest, was restored to the charity by Ms. Nicholson’s then-hus- band “without any admission of wrong-doing,” according to Mr. Reddyhough’s statement from December 2013. The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service informed The Pines board members and the charity’s current manager, Linda Mitchell, in late August that charges would not be pursued against Ms. Nicholson. Mr. Reddyhough said in a letter to police on Sept. 8 that the organization was “dismayed” by that decision. Cause of Red Bay sChool illness still unknown kelsey jukam kjukam@pinnaclemedialtd.com Two weeks after more than 100 students and teachers at Red Bay Primary School were taken ill after eating lunch, little information about the cause of the outbreak has been re- leased, and the school’s kitchen has reopened. Principal Vicki Frederick said she re- ceived a report from officials on Tuesday indicating that the cause of the out- break is still undetermined. “Nothing was found,” Ms. Frederick said of the report. wReCked CaRs often left By Roadside brent fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The remains of a two-car smash greeted late-morning commuters along Crewe Road in George Town on Tuesday. More than 12 hours before, the two vehicles had collided head-on, sending both drivers to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Police and medical crews responded, state- ments were taken and the wrecked vehicles were moved onto the grassy area opposite the Owen Roberts International Airport property. They were eventually towed later that day. Strand shopping center for sale for $15M james Whittaker jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Strand shopping center on West Bay Road, home to numerous stores, restaurants and medical and dental offices, has gone on the market for just over US$15 million. The Foster’s Food Fair supermarket and Kirk Freeport store, which are based at The Strand but are independently owned, are not part of the sale. In all, 24 units, including the Whiskey Mist bar, are being sold. Realtor Kim Lund said the new owner would inherit the rental agreements with store owners on the site. Other businesses at the Strand include Paperman’s Coffee House, The Strand Dental Clinic and the Canton Chinese Restaurant. “The rental agreements vary from be- tween three and 20 years, so it won’t im- pact the retailers at all at this point,” Mr. Lund said. He said the current owners decided to sell in order to raise money for other in- vestments. He said the shopping center pro- vided a net return of between 7 percent and 9 percent from rental incomes. There is also potential to develop further units on the site, he added. Mr. Lund said The Strand, close to The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman and Seven Mile Beach, has the best location of any shopping center on the island. “Cayman is starting an unprecedented development boom that will add massive infrastructure, not only to the Seven Mile Beach corridor, but other areas of Grand Cayman as well. The Strand Shopping Center is an investment opportunity located in the very heart of this boom,” he said in promotional literature for the sale. The shopping center, comprising 79,758 square feet of owner and tenant space on a 6-acre site, was the largest in Grand Cayman when it was completed in 1997. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » The Strand shopping center is up for sale. - Photo: taneos RaMsay2 LOCAL NEWS Thursday sepTember 17, 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. - THURSDAY - $8.00 Venezuela extends border crackdown Anti-smuggling campaign introduced in third state CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is ex- tending an anti-smug- gling crackdown to a third border state as tensions with neighboring Colombia show no sign of abating. Maduro late Tuesday night said that a state of emergency had been broadened to encompass 10 more municipalities on Venezuela*s western edge, including three in the state of Apure. He said he would reinforce the military presence in those cities but did not say whether border crossings in Apure would be closed as has oc- curred in two other states facing restrictions. Colombia’s government has protested the treatment of some 1,400 of its na- tionals deported under the crackdown. At attempt by South American neighbors to mediate a solution to the now month-old crisis has failed so far. Cadets seek recruits, elect new board The Cadet Corps is seeking new recruits. Enrollment is open through Sept. 28 for all gov- ernment schools, and the new training system starts on Oct. 6. The four-year program in- cludes various camps and ac- tivities, such as first aid, sur- vival training, scuba diving, sailing, music and navigation. The program is designed for male and female high school students between the ages of 12 and 17. According to organizers, the program teaches the value of citizen- ship, leadership, service to the community and personal responsibility, and gives members a sense of accom- plishment while instilling self-esteem, teamwork and self-discipline. More than 3,000 young people have participated in the program since it began in 2002. Youth Minister Osbourne Bodden recently met with the Cayman Islands Cadet Corps Committee and encouraged them to meet, and exceed, the high stan- dards set over the years. In a press statement re- leased this week, Mr. Bodden said, “Perhaps at no time in our history is such an or- ganization more needed, to provide our young men and women with positive guid- ance and modelling in im- portant developmental areas such as personal responsi- bility, civics, discipline and national pride. “My vision is for the Cadets to grow in size with support [from] the Ministry responsible for Education, through the schools, and for it to develop marine and aerial units, and be- come a body of disciplined youths that we can reliably use to recruit for our uni- formed services. To this end, we will be working towards them having their own com- pound and training center in 2016/17.” New board In other Cadet news, former High Court Judge Andre Mon Désir has been elected chairman of the Cadet Corps Committee, with Annita Cornish serving as deputy chairman. Other mem- bers are: Bobeth O’Garro, lieutenant colonel; Robert Sutherland, training of- ficer lieutenant commander; Teresita Ebanks, second lieu- tenant; and Joel Francis, as- sistant chief officer for youth and sports. Mr. Mon Désir said he considered it a great honor to serve as chairman. “As a former Cadet and senior mil- itary officer myself, I know firsthand the value of being in an organization such as this,” he said. He added that among the many benefits to young people that the Corps has to offer are a wide range of life skills, such as the ability to plan, command and orga- nize tasks; to make decisions under pressure; and to work as effective team players – as well as independently. “Wearing the uniform be- comes a tremendous honor; and the responsibility that goes along with it, a great source of humility,” he said. For more information on the Cadets program, visit www.cicadetcorps.ky. ‘Pope Plan’ transforms Havana, city known for decay HAVANA (AP) – Windows looking out on the Church of the Sacred Heart were cov- ered with tattered newspa- pers. Wheel-swallowing pot- holes pitted the streets. Paint peeled off the walls in sheets. Then the pope said he was coming to town. Crews of workmen showed up as if from no- where this summer, smoothing streets, patching walls and painting facades in pastel shades of pink, blue and green. Across Havana, hundreds more laborers planted palm trees, cleaned up trash and repaved side- walks. Gleaming cranes and front-end loaders appeared like spaceships, taking a few hours to fix problems unat- tended for years. As Pope Francis’s Saturday arrival nears, a whirlwind of renewal has hit a city known for its decay, leaving ordinary people ap- preciative of the repairs but indignant that the govern- ment unleashes the forces of renovation only when a pope is about to place Cuba in the international spotlight. “At least we’re getting some benefit from the pope’s visit, although it’s a shame that things only get fixed on spe- cial occasions,” said Carmen Silvano, a student who lives in the central Havana neigh- borhood near the church that serves as headquarters of Cuba’s Jesuits. State media have said next to nothing about the repairs and renovation, but Cubans have sardonically branded it “Plan Papa,” or “The Pope Plan.” Havana residents say similar flurries of renovation preceded Pope John Paul II’s groundbreaking 1998 visit and Benedict XVI’s trip in 2012 but things quickly fell back into disrepair. Thanks to reforms put in place by President Raul Castro, Cuban single-family homes are being redone at unprecedented rates, particu- larly in Havana, where people have greater access to foreign capital and building supplies. Meanwhile, the communist government remains respon- sible for the communal areas of apartment buildings and old mansions roughly di- vided among more than a dozen families in some cases, meaning problems as simple as a blown lightbulb can go unfixed for months or years. Dayron Rivero, a social worker and self-employed barber, said the government had promised to repair the neighborhood around the church for years but no work was ever done, supposedly because of a lack of supplies. “They announced the pope’s visit, the materials appeared and they put the pedal to the metal to finish all the repair work,” he said. His building still needs to have floors redone and windows repaired, among other projects. Youth Minister Osbourne Bodden, third from right, and Ministry Chief Officer Dorine Whittaker, front, with, from left, Cadet Corps Committee members Joel Francis, Teresita Ebanks, Bobeth O’Garro, Annita Cornish and Andre Mon Désir. Tourists riding an American classic car are driven past a billboard promoting a welcoming message for Pope Francis, in Havana, Cuba. – PHOTO: AP US TO bUild new ScHOOl fOr dePendenTS AT GUAnTAnAmO MIAMI (AP) – The chil- dren of military and ci- vilian personnel at the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will be getting a new school in another sign that the Navy will not be leaving the installation anytime soon. A Navy contract an- nouncement says the ser- vice will be seeking a con- tractor to build a new school for between $40 mil- lion and $60 million. Plans call for consolidating the two campuses of the W.T. Sampson Unit School into a single building. About 200 students from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade currently at- tend the school named for a Spanish-American War commander. The announcement pub- lished Tuesday said the contract would be awarded in January and take nearly 2 ½ years to complete. The U.S. has said it in- tends to keep the base de- spite improved relations with Cuba.3 LOCAL NEWS Cayman Compass • Thursday sepTember 17, 2015 Camana Bay 640 5343 Island Plaza 946 5222 Contractors support dock project James Whittaker jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Cayman Contractors Association has thrown its weight behind plans for new cruise piers in George Town harbor. The association released a brief statement this week saying it supports plans for a cruise berthing facility, pro- vided efforts are made to manage and mitigate environ- mental damage. The association said the port project should also be combined with upgrades to the infrastructure in George Town and development of new at- tractions. The project has di- vided the community, with rival campaign groups attempting to drum up support or op- position to the project. Last week, the National Conservation Council criticized the plan, citing concerns about economic costs and environ- mental damage. The contractors associa- tion said Wednesday that it supports the plan with several conditions, including that gov- ernment ensures infrastructure improvements are in place to cope with increased passenger loads. It added that govern- ment would also need to “de- velop and make available for visiting passengers other island attractions so as not to over- load the carrying capacity of existing attractions.” An outline business case is being finalized before Cabinet makes a decision on whether to proceed with the project. Fishermen object to marine parks plan keLseY JUkam kjukam@pinnaclemedialtd.com Department of Environment officials this week brought their proposals for an enhanced system of marine parks to West Bay, where they received a less- than-enthusiastic response from fishermen. The audience of mostly fishermen, numbering about 10, expressed some frustra- tion with the proposals on Tuesday, during the first in a series of public meetings as part of the public consulta- tion process on the proposals. “Yes, we have to protect what we have, but we also have to remember that the population still has to live,” said Capt. Eugene Ebanks, MLA from West Bay. Mr. Ebanks and others in the audience were concerned that the proposals desig- nate much of the area around Barkers as a marine reserve, where fishing will be prohib- ited. The area is good for sprat fishing, according to many of the fishermen at the meeting. “I’m very much in favor of conservation, but I certainly don’t think that you can pos- sibly penalize the guys that fish to live and live to fish in that kind of way,” Mr. Ebanks said. “Where else are they going to go and catch sprat?” Other audience members noted that the current marine parks laws are fine and are ineffective only because of a lack of enforcement. Department of Environment Director Gina Ebanks-Petrie, who explained the new proposals and the re- search and reasoning that in- formed them, said, “Marine parks have been and will continue to be our best tool to ensure that we address the threats to our marine re- sources. After three years of targeted studies we know what needs to be done and that it needs to be done soon.” Ms. Ebanks-Petrie said international research has shown that in order to suc- cessfully protect the marine environment of an area, 40 percent to 50 percent of each type of marine habitat needs to be designated as a “no- take” zone, where fishing is prohibited year-round. Currently, only 15 percent of Cayman Islands marine parks are “no-take zones.” The proposals for a new system of marine parks will increase those zones, so that about 50 percent of the habitats are “no-take,” Ms. Ebanks-Petrie said. She added that temporary closures of zones that nor- mally permit fishing should be implemented during spawning periods to “comple- ment the way reserves work.” “We have this very fragile, finite area that we’re trying to manage so that all of us have access to these resources in a sustainable way,” Ms. Ebanks-Petrie said. She added that the en- hanced system of marine parks will have both biolog- ical and economic benefits. “No-take” reserves will en- sure that there are more fish of a greater diversity and size and healthier corals, and they will act as reservoirs of fish and spill into areas which are fishing zones, Ms. Ebanks-Petrie said. In addition, the pro- posals include several addi- tional “no-dive” zones, as well as other changes to marine parks rules. Under the new rules, line fishing from shore would be prohibited until a depth of 150 feet and taking fry and sprat with a cast net would be prohibited. Environment Minister Wayne Panton said the National Conservation Law is designed to make sure that proposals like this involve the public’s input and that the pro- cess is “one we must all partic- ipate in” as it “reflects our aspi- rations for the country.” “This is something that I hope going forward we will have a positive perspective on,” Mr. Panton said. “I hope that 30 years from now, we will be able to look back and say ‘Yes, that process was worthwhile and it delivered good results for the country.’” The public consultation period for the proposals ends on Dec. 4. More public meetings The public has three more opportunities to learn about the marine park proposals at district meetings: Sept. 21 at the East End Civic Centre at 8 p.m.; Sept. 23 at the Bodden Town school hall at 7 p.m.; a Sept. 24 at the North Side Civic Centre at 8 p.m. The public is invited to visit the Department of the Environment to look over the proposals and maps during the public consultation period. The National Conservation Council requires that public feedback be submitted in writing. Submissions can be sent to ConservationCouncil@gov.ky.The islands’ most-trusted news source 4 – EDITORIAL – Opinion&Letters The Cayman Compass welcomes comments, opinions and viewpoints from readers. Letters to the editor can be emailed to editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com, submitted via www.caymancompass.com, sent by post or hand-delivered to the Compass office. Thursday sepTember 17, 2015 • Cayman COmpass Red Bay Primary’s mystery illness: The ‘unknowns’ Two weeks ago, more than 100 children and staff fell ill after eating lunch at Red Bay Primary School. We still don’t know why. In fact, we may never know why. ... And it’s time for government officials to admit it outright. We are not criticizing the actions of our public officials, but questioning their silence, which is, in a word, mysterious. This is not good, from a public relations standpoint. As former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld once quipped: “There are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns — the ones we don’t know we don’t know.” It is the last of these, the “unknown unknowns,” that is most distressing. That is where we stand now in regard to the mass illness at Red Bay. Officials could, in a few statements, downgrade the situation to the less-unsettling class of “known unknowns.” If officials’ reticence to speak stems from caution about spreading fear, then they are misguided in their motive. The most reassuring course of action would be to explain plainly and exactly what they do know, what they don’t know, and, most importantly, exactly what they are doing to prevent a recurrence of the problem. Let us attempt to fill in the gaps. First, here’s what we know: • On Wednesday, Sept. 2, some 107 students and staff at Red Bay ate lunch, then reported symptoms of vomiting and abdominal pain. Twenty- three people went to the hospital, where they were treated and released the same day • No subsequent illnesses were reported at Red Bay. No other outbreaks occurred at any of the other schools that day • Mise en Place Professional Catering provides the food (which is then prepared in the school’s kitchen) to Red Bay students, among more than 2,000 students in government and private schools daily • Tests conducted on the food samples have come back “negative” — meaning it is unlikely the food was the source of the outbreak. Here’s what we don’t know: • What caused the outbreak of illness. Here’s what they’re doing about it: • The school’s kitchen facilities and equipment have been thoroughly cleaned • Following the return of the test results, the school’s kitchen reopened Tuesday. It is notoriously difficult, sometimes practically impossible, to identify the primary cause of a par- ticular outbreak of illness, especially when it may be a foodborne illness. As the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains, “Food is complicated.” While knowing the precise source of the illness at Red Bay would be nice, we don’t believe that informa- tion is necessary in order to prevent a similar incident from recurring — so long as our health officials have done their due diligence, which appears to be the case. In our professional, but non-medical, opinion, the surest cure for lingering anxieties about the safety of the Red Bay kitchen would be for a public official, such as Premier Alden McLaughlin, who is minister of health, to issue a simple declarative that the facility is safe, and then to demonstrate that the kitchen is “officially reopen” for lunch, by putting his money — or more accurately, his fork — where his mouth is. (Even better, our premier might want to host a lunch — no “food tasters” allowed — for his entire Cabinet at the school.) Bon appétit! A nation worth emulating When you think of Switzerland what comes to mind? Beautiful lakes sur- rounded by the Alps; a rich country with happy people; the home of milk chocolate, expensive watches and dis- crete bankers; a peaceful country that has not been at war in more than two cen- turies? All that is true, and even more. Switzerland is at or near the top of almost every measure of a successful country, including the just re- leased Human Freedom Index compiled by the Cato and Fraser Institutes, and others. The prosperous and peaceful country of Switzerland is, in fact, rather recent in origin. The high level of prosperity has only really existed since the end of World War II. The current constitution that created the existing federal state was adopted in 1848, revised in 1874, and modernized and cleaned up in 1999. The 1848 constitution was modeled after the U.S. Constitution, which was adopted 60 years earlier. The Swiss, much more so than the Americans, have stuck with the federal model of strong state (canton) gov- ernment with a small and rather weak central gov- ernment. In many ways, it is much truer to the type of government envisioned by Jefferson and Madison and many of the other American Founders – which is responsible for much of Switzerland’s success. I first started visiting and writing about Switzerland on a regular basis more than 30 years ago. Having been an adviser to leaders in a number of countries, I found it more productive to argue that they should follow suc- cessful role models rather than a particular economic and governance theory. Of course, the highly successful role models, like Switzerland, all have the rule of law, pro- tection of private property, and a high degree of eco- nomic freedom. A hundred-and-fifty years ago, Switzerland, despite being the first European country after England to in- dustrialize, had many poor people who were emigrating to the United States and else- where. The Swiss trace their origin as a nation back to 1291 when three cantons in central Switzerland united for common defense. During the next 500 years, other con- tiguous pieces of the old Holy Roman Empire joined in a loose confederation. In was only in 1648 with the Treaty of Westphalia that the other European nations recognized Switzerland as an indepen- dent country. Over the centuries, the Swiss engaged in many in- ternal battles, in part, be- cause they are not a homo- geneous people, having four official languages, with sev- eral additional strong re- gional dialects. A major part of the reformation was played out in Switzerland with John Calvin in Geneva and Huldrych Zwingli in Zurich. It was not just con- flicts between Catholics and Protestants, but also between different groups of Catholics and several major different stripes of Protestants. There were also armed conflicts be- tween the rural people, who tended to be more democratic than the city folks. It was not until the constitution of 1874 that the state authorities, rather than church authori- ties, issued marriage, birth and death certificates. The last foreign invasion of Switzerland was in 1798 by Napoleon, and the last civil war in Switzerland was in 1847. This civil war only re- sulted in somewhere between 85 and 130 people being killed – and from that time all other disputes have been set- tled peacefully. During World War II, Switzerland was to- tally surrounded by the Axis powers. Hitler had plans to invade, but the Swiss were heavily armed and prepared for a long guerrilla war – which caused the Germans to delay because they had more pressing battles. Women only got the right to vote in 1971, and Switzerland only joined the United Nations in 2002. Being surrounded by coun- tries that are jealous of its success (i.e., many of the cur- rent members of the European Union), without much in the way of natural resources and without access to the sea has caused the Swiss to be much more practical and se- rious when it comes to public policy. They have a national referendum system and di- rect democracy, where major issues must be agreed upon by a majority of the people and a majority of the can- tons, which is slow and cum- bersome but tends to mitigate against reckless policies that are often the product of mo- mentary passions. The U.S. presidential elec- tion process has turned into a circus that few would argue leads to the best qual- ified and most sane candi- date elected president. Few know who the Swiss presi- dent is because it is not ter- ribly important. (It is cur- rently a woman by the name of Simonetta Sommaruga.) We would have a pros- perous and safe world if all countries traded with and in- vested in each other’s econ- omies; if basic human lib- erties, property rights, free markets and sound curren- cies prevailed; if countries ceased to meddle in the in- ternal affairs of others; and if much of the population was armed for the common de- fense in order to make it too costly for others to invade. In other words if they all acted like Switzerland. It took the Swiss more than 700 years of struggle to create – not a per- fect role model – but in total the best on the planet, which others can emulate only to their benefit. Richard W. Rahn, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and chairman of the Institute for Global Economic Growth, is on the Editorial Board of Cayman Financial Review. © 2015, The Washington Times 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” RichaRd W. Rahn Being surrounded by countries that are jealous of its success [...], without much in the way of natural resources and without access to the sea has caused the Swiss to be much more practical and serious when it comes to public policy. A sunny day atop the Saentis mountain in eastern Switzerland. - Photo: AP5 LOCAL NEWS Cayman Compass • Thursday sepTember 17, 2015 OCTOBER , The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman www.breastcancerfoundation.ky info@breastcancerfoundation.ky PRINT MEDIA SPONSOR PLATINUM SPONSOR to our Thank ou Joan Lunen Featuring Celebrity Keynote Speaker and Breast Cancer Survivor Man on bail for firearm faces new charges CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A man on bail for a firearm offense was remanded in custody on Wednesday after five new sets of charges were filed against him. Mark Melado Llewellyn, 35, is scheduled to return to Summary Court on Thursday for a charge of possession of a .38 handgun without a li- cense. The gun and a quan- tity of ganja were allegedly found at a residence in North Side on June 5. Those charges have been before the court since June 30. On Aug. 27, Llewellyn’s attorney asked for more time to take in- structions. The matter was then set for Sept. 17 with the note that this was to be the final date for pleas to be entered. On Wednesday, attorney Lee Halliday-Davis did not apply for Llewellyn’s bail to be continued. Crown counsel Scott Wainwright said he would have objected to bail, since some of the new charges relate to offenses al- legedly committed while the defendant was on bail for the firearm charge. Details for a new charge of burglary are that Llewellyn entered a private office at Treasure Island Resort on May 7 as a trespasser and stole US$13,501 and CI$6,200 belonging to the resort. A new charge of attempted burglary alleges that Llewellyn attempted to enter the man- ager’s apartment at Sunset House on South Church Street on Sept. 10 intending to steal anything of value. Incidents on Sept. 14-15 led to four charges. The de- fendant is accused of threat- ening serious harm to a po- lice officer in Windsor Park. He is then alleged to have threatened another officer at the George Town Police Station and threatened to kill an auxiliary constable, also at the police station. He is also charged with common assault for spitting on the constable. A separate charge of common assault relates to an incident at the George Town courthouse on Aug. 20, when Llewellyn is accused of hit- ting an electronic monitoring officer on her shoulder. Charges of careless driving, driving without insurance, and leaving the scene of an accident relate to an incident on Aug. 31 on Mary Street in George Town. Magistrate Angelyn Hernandez set the five new files for mention again on Sept. 30. Along with the firearm charge, Llewellyn faces an- other set of charges on Sept. 17 – threatening to kill a Grand Court clerk on April 18 at the courthouse, and using abusive, threatening or in- sulting words or behavior, thereby causing the clerk or another person harassment, alarm or distress. ‘Man of the Year’ gets Bajan experience Caymanian Lloyd Barker, who was awarded the Barbados Consulate’s “Man of the Year,” returned recently from a trip to Barbados – part of the award he received. Mr. Barker was awarded the title, and the trip, during Barbados’ 48th anniversary of independence celebrations in the Cayman Islands. He was recognized for his community service, con- tribution to the arts, cul- tural activities, athletics and mentorship of other young people, and his work with disabled students. “My itinerary was jam- packed from the first day to the last,” Mr. Barker said. While in Barbados, he met Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Maxine McLean, Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite and Minister of Transport and Works Michael Lashley. “It was a terrific oppor- tunity to interact with a dif- ferent culture,” he said. “I saw that there are many simi- larities between Barbados and the Cayman Islands, but still subtle differences. So, it was refreshing to experi- ence that and to adapt to the new surroundings.” Mr. Barker was in Barbados from Aug. 16-20. He has since returned to his law studies at Carleton University in Canada. Emergency medical response training held in the Brac Royal Cayman Islands Police officers from the ser- vice’s training unit have completed an emergency medical response training course on Cayman Brac. The training, including first aid, CPR, trauma re- sponse and use of defibril- lators, was conducted for Cayman Brac customs of- ficers, two immigration of- ficers and 10 police officers between Aug. 31 and Sept. 4. It was funded by the RCIPS and by the U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office. “We have seen on more than one occasion that po- lice equipped with these skills can and have saved lives,” said RCIPS Chief Superintendent Kurt Walton. “Whether it be an accident or a crime scene, police are often the first to arrive and many times are confronted with serious injuries where time is of the essence. “We have deepened our emergency training so that they can be both skilled and confident about what they need to do and we want to share this expertise with our law enforcement partners.” The life-saving skills were put on display in late August when RCIPS Constables Zachary McLaughlin and Carlyle Nation were called to a home in North Side where a 41-year-old man was found on the bathroom floor. The man apparently had col- lapsed and was found unre- sponsive and not breathing. Officers McLaughlin and Nation began CPR on the man and continued until an ambulance arrived. The po- lice officers continued CPR while the ambulance per- sonnel administered med- ication and put the man into their vehicle. More than half an hour after the offi- cers found the man, med- ical crews reported his pulse was strong and that he had resumed breathing. Sharissa Ritch, a customs officer on Cayman Brac, ob- served that as a result of the training she is “more aware of the vast range of possible accidents that could occur at any given time.” Lloyd Barker at Harrison’s Cave in Barbados. Customs officer Sharissa Ritch demonstrates a ‘fireman’s carry’ with immigration officer Jonathan Myrie. – photo: rcipsThe islands’ most-trusted news source 6 Community Calendar ■ Community Calendar is published Tuesdays and Thursdays. It is available to charitable or nonprofit organizations. Items should be submitted at least three working days before publication. Information must include name of sender, signature and contact number. ■ Items may be faxed to 949-2662, brought to the Cayman Compass office on Shedden Rd. or emailed to cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com at least three days in advance of publication. Thursday sepTember 17, 2015 • Cayman Compass e-mail: beachcleaner@candw.ky www.beachcleanercayman.com FREE ESTIMATES 916 7090 NO JOB TOO BIG OR TOO SMALL BEACH HOMES • CONDOS • HOTELS PRIVATE AND PUBLIC BEACHES Seaweed Rocks Broken Glass Plastic Charcoal • Cigarette Butts • Cans • Bottles • Dead Fish • Animal Feces & More Since 2004 THURSDAY, SEPT. 17 CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: Be Informed series. The topic of government procurement will be covered by the strategic adviser to the deputy governor, Peter Gough, and the newly appointed director, Central Procurement Office, Craig Milley. 3–5 p.m. at Governors Square. Free admission. Register online at www.caymanchamber.ky. PUB QUIZ: Humane Society pub quiz at Fidel Murphy’s, 7 p.m. $10 per person, maximum of six people per team. All proceeds toward transferring dogs to new homes in U.S. Call 949-5189 to reserve a table or contact sarah.dyer.81@gmail.com. CANCER SOCIETY: Continuing Medical Education for all allied medical professionals. Marriott Beach Resort 5–9 p.m. Three credit hours will be awarded. Contact victoria@cics.ky. FRIDAY, SEPT. 18 MENTORING PROGRAM: Volunteer adult mentors are sought for the John Gray High School “Aim Higher” initiative for Year 11 students who have agreed that they want to participate in the program at the school to help them realize their potential. Stage 1 training is this evening, 5:50-8:30 p.m. Stage 2 training is Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Contact Laura Hatfield on 328-0300. SATURDAY, SEPT. 19 GARAGE SALE: Lions Pool Parking Lot, 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Breakfast for sale and many treasures. Help support the Stingray Swim Club while getting some great buys. DEALS ON WHEELS: The Red Cross Mobile Thrift Shop will be in West Bay, at The Lord’s Church compound, junction of the West Bay Town Hall, 6-10 a.m. Items available include clothing and shoes for children and adults, household items, linens, ladies’ accessories and more. CONQUERING CANCER HEALTH FAIR: Marriott Beach Resort, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free admission. Doctors and medical experts will be on hand to discuss cancer prevention. Free health screenings. Participants are encouraged to fast for 10 hours before screenings. Organized by the Cayman Islands Cancer Society. SUNDAY, SEPT. 20 AWAKENING: Dennis Wilson Ministries. First Assembly of God, 195 Old Crewe Road. Today 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Mon.-Wed., 7:30 p.m. MONDAY, SEPT. 21 MARINE PARKS: Public consultation meeting on the proposed Enhanced Marine Parks System takes place in East End at the Civic Centre, 8 p.m. For more information, visit www.doe.ky/marine/ marine-parks-review. To submit an opinion, email conservationcouncil@gov.ky. General queries can be directed to doe@gov.ky. CHAMBER COURSE: Confidence Building workshop. 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Governors Square for our workshop on Confidence Building. Presenter is Catherine Tyson. Register online at www.caymanchamber.ky. Chamber members, $150. Future members, $225. TUESDAY, SEPT. 22 PAINTING, DRAWING CLASSES: At Watler House Studio on the grounds of Pedro Castle every Tuesday, Sept. 22 to Nov. 24. Location painting and drawing, 9–11 a.m.; life drawing, 7-9 p.m. This is an opportunity for artists of all levels to have instruction and guidance from a qualified art instructor. $25 per session/$35 non-members, or 10 sessions $200 or $280 non-members. Contact visualartcayman@yahoo. com or 546-9422. WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 23 CONSERVATION COUNCIL: The National Conservation Council holds a general meeting 2-5 p.m. in the ground floor meeting room (1038) of the Government Administration Building. This meeting is open to observers from the public. The agenda is available on the Department of Environment’s website, www.doe.ky. MARINE PARKS: Public consultation meeting on the proposed Enhanced Marine Parks System takes place at Bodden Town Primary School Hall, 7 p.m. For more information, visit www.doe.ky/marine/ marine-parks-review. To submit an opinion, email conservationcouncil@gov.ky. General queries can be directed to doe@gov.ky. PRAYER & PRAYZ: A Prayer and Worship Conference with guests including Minister Jermaine D. Gordon, evangelist Kimola Brown- Lowe and Pastor Cassius Feare; tonight through Sept. 25, 7 p.m. This will end with a worship feast on Sept. 27 at 6:30 p.m. Light of the World Christian Fellowship. 65 Smith Road. THURSDAY, SEPT. 24 AWAKENING: Dennis Wilson Ministries. West Bay Assembly of God, 100 Finch Drive, off Stadium Road, WB. Tonight and tomorrow, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, 27th, at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. MARINE PARKS: Public consultation meeting on the proposed Enhanced Marine Parks System takes place in North Side at the Civic Centre, 8 p.m. For more information, visit www.doe.ky/marine/ marine-parks-review. To submit an opinion, email conservationcouncil@gov.ky. General queries can be directed to doe@gov.ky. BRAC COURT: Summary Court held in the Aston Rutty Civic Centre, from 10 a.m. today and tomorrow. NATIONAL TRUST AGM: The Annual General Meeting of the members of the National Trust for the Cayman Islands, 6 p.m. upstairs at the George Town Yacht Club, the Barcadere Marina at 606 North Sound Road. FRIDAY, SEPT. 25 WALK FOR THE CURE: The walk is on Sunday, Oct. 4, but registration closes today. To register contact Shadden McLaughlin, walk manager, at 815- 2405/2407 or shadden. mclaughlin@cibcfcib.com The walk is from Seven Mile Public Beach, 7 a.m. Runners welcome. Fee is $10 for ages 12 and up; $5 for ages 3-11; under age 3, free. Refreshments and prizes post walk. Adult T-shirts free, or personalized for $25 pledge. Proceeds benefit the Cayman Islands Cancer Society. SATURDAY, SEPT. 26 WRITE IT NOW: Writers symposium presented by Avodah Productions, 10 a.m. Admission is free, but registration is required. Presenters are Michel Powery, Catherine Tyson, Jermaine Gordon and Karen Chin. kyliteraryaward@candw.ky. SUNDAY, SEPT. 27 5K WALK/RUN: Starts 6 a.m. from Seven Mile Beach Public Beach. The Hope Foundation organizes this event to raise funds for and awareness about its halfway house for recovering addicts. To register, call Brent Hydes at 928-9099 or Christopher Burke at 326-6783. Entry is free; trophies for top finishers in different categories. Raffle tickets available for $25. MONDAY, SEPT. 28 CHAMBER COURSE: Workshop on Creating a Service Mentality Internally & Externally. Presented by Catherine Tyson. 9 a.m.– 4:30 p.m. at Governors Square. Register online at www.caymanchamber.ky. Chamber members, $150. Future members, $225. WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 30 CHAMBER COURSE: Workshop on the Exceptional Presenter. 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at Governor’s Square. Presented by Julie McLaughlin, deputy chairman, Cayman Islands Association of Mediators and Arbitrators. Register online at www. caymanchamber.ky. Chamber members, $150. Future Members, $225. LABOUR AND PENSIONS BILLS: Today is the final date to comment on the Labour Relations Bill and the National Pensions (Amendment) Bill. They can both be accessed at www.education.gov.ky/ labourpensions. Feedback can be provided by emailing lpl@gov.ky. GENERAL INTEREST DRAMA SOCIETY: Cayman Drama Society presents the musical “Rent.” Show runs Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 3, 7:30 p.m. Due to adult content, strictly PG 13 with parental supervision. Tickets are $30 for adults, $20 for students. CAYMAN NATIONAL CHOIR: The choir is looking for new members. All are welcome to come and sing with the country’s national choir. No audition required. Every Monday from 7:30-9 p.m. at Cayman Prep and Primary School Hall on Smith Road. For more information, contact 923-6915 or info@ caymanchoir.com. READING TREE: The book swap is open from Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. until the end of September in Cassia Court at Camana Bay. Everyone is invited to come by, take their pick and replace it with one of their books. With a back-to- school theme, books include children’s storybooks, fiction, and motivational and career-focused books for older students. NCVO SCHOOL YEAR: Miss Nadine’s Preschool and Jack and Jill Nursery are open for the new school year. Both facilities are under the auspices of the National Council of Voluntary Organizations. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Contact Heather Lopez, director, at 945-1078 or ncvopreschool@ncvo.org. ky. Cost includes breakfast, lunch and one snack daily. REEF RESTORATION: Certified divers are invited to work on the Cayman Magic Reef restoration in George Town. A schedule of work dates and times is posted on Facebook under Cayman Magic Reef Recovery. Dates, times and places are listed under Events, for volunteers to check and sign up. NCVO VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Volunteers are needed for various activities within the National Council of Voluntary Organizations Children Services programs. Contact Alta Solomon at 949-2124 or ncvocoordinator@ncvo.org.ky. BETHESDA COUNSELLING CENTRE: Caters to all who seek help. Open Monday to Friday 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. at 68 Mary St. Appointments available Saturdays and late evenings. Center is owned and operated by the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. Call 946-6575. For more Community Calendar events, visit www.compasscayman. com/caycompass/portal/ community-calendar.7 LOCAL NEWS Cayman Compass • Thursday sepTember 17, 2015 SMMEDLRG $ . $ . $ . CLASSIC FROSTY™ Chocolate or Vanilla PULLED PORK CHEESE FRIES COMBO $ SANDWICH $ COMBO $ SANDWICH $ $ PULLED PORK SANDWICH PULLED PORK CHEESEBURGER © 2014 Oldemark LLCWN58920V 0914 Interior MB 4 Sandwiches contain EGG, MILK, WHEAT. Sides contain MILK. 9.99 7.75 8.99 6.65 2.75 DRIVE THRU OPEN LATE FRIDAYS AND SATURDAYS UNTIL 1AM AT SEVEN MILE BEACH Now serving you from 2 locations: Savannah and Seven Mile Beach KELSEY JUKAM kjukam@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman Islands residents are invited to join a “flash mob” – a choreographed dance performed in public – and peace-building sessions in every district, all hosted by the Family Resource Centre in observance of the International Day of Peace on Sept. 21. The day was established by the United Nations in 1981 to foster a global truce within and between nations, through education, and by strength- ening ideals of non-conflict among people of all ages. The public is invited to take part in the flash mob at noon in front of the Royal Watler Terminal on Fort Street. Participants will dance to “Heroes” by Alesso, which was chosen because it “en- courages people to live ex- traordinary lives and find power within themselves,” the Family Resource Centre said in a press release. Those interested in partici- pating can learn the dance by watching a YouTube tutorial (search on the website for “one day one dance Cayman 2015”) or live at Centre Pointe, Alissta Towers at 5 p.m. Sunday. The public is also invited to attend peace-building ses- sions on Monday evening. Family Resource Centre team members and teens who are members of the ReTHINK TEEN Leadership program will lead the workshops. “It’s an opportunity for the community to come to- gether and brainstorm what it’s going to take to have a peaceful community,” said Erin Hislop, Family Resource Centre executive officer. She added that “peace starts within” and “we can make little changes and little efforts amongst ourselves on a daily basis.” “We’re really just trying to get people to be aware of empathy, what it means and what having it means in our daily interactions with people,” Ms. Hislop said. “Empathy helps us make de- cisions with the thoughts of other people in mind.” The workshops will be at Sir John A. Cumber Primary School, the Family Resource Centre and Savannah Primary School from 6-8 p.m., at Bodden Town Primary School starting at 7 p.m., and at East End Primary School starting at 6:30 p.m. Refreshments will be provided. Peace Day T-shirts will be on sale for $10. For more information on Peace Day or to take part in the events, contact the Family Resource Centre at 949-0006 or frc@gov.ky. A flash mob at Camana Bay marked last year’s International Day of Peace. British Schools Fair this week Opportunity for parents to talk to school representatives Seventeen schools will be featured at a British Schools Fair at the Westin resort on Friday and Saturday. Representatives from the U.K. schools will be on hand to meet families from 4-8 p.m. Friday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Niall Browne of BvS Education, which is orga- nizing the fair, said in a press release, “When the U.K. schools came to Cayman last year it was clear that a British education – both school and university – is an increasingly popular option for Cayman families, partic- ularly in more uncertain eco- nomic times, when a British education has actually be- come a much more afford- able option. “British independent schools are renowned as being among the finest in the world – for their ex- cellent academic qualifi- cations and their sporting and extra-curricular suc- cess. They offer a truly well- rounded education.” Richard Foster of Windlesham House School in West Sussex, who will be attending the event, said he was enthusiastic about vis- iting the Cayman Islands: “We already have a number of Cayman fami- lies at the school and we thought that it was time that we helped them to spread the message that British independent schools offer a perfect solution for parents who would like their children to experi- ence the huge possibilities that come with a boarding school education. Cayman pupils embrace the breadth of opportunity available to them but are still in an en- vironment which is very much a ‘home from home.’” Another representa- tive of the British schools, Caitriona Redding, director of international admissions at Northamptonshire’s Oundle School, said the visit to Cayman would pro- vide “a superb opportunity for us to meet students and their families face-to-face – and also for them to see the things we might be able to offer them.” Schools from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be demonstrating what they have to offer Cayman stu- dents. According to the or- ganizers, between them, the schools cater to ages 2-18, all abilities and talents, and offer single-sex and full coeducation. “So whether it’s a tra- ditional boarding school, A-Levels, IB, excellent University preparation, ad- ditional support, rugby, cricket or netball you’re seeking for your child, you are likely to meet one or many schools which will be right for him/her at the British Schools Fair,” orga- nizers said in their release. Entry on both days is free. To pre-register or to learn more, visit www.bvs-education.co.uk. Wesleyan ChurCh holds first ordination One day before his 57th birthday, Rev. Michael Leroy Doughlin on Sunday became the first person to be ordained at the Wesleyan Holiness Church in Cayman. Rev. Joel Cumberbatch, general superintendent of the Wesleyan Holiness Church in the Caribbean, in his sermon told Rev. Douglin that ordination is a solemn charge and that a minister is “a mes- senger, watchman and steward of the Lord,” and, as such, should be an ex- ample of morality. Rev. Doughlin spent his formative years as an ac- tive member of the White Park Wesleyan Holiness Church in Barbados. He served for 20 years as an elementary school teacher, and was trained at Erdiston Teachers’ Training College. In 2005, he earned a bachelor’s degree in bib- lical counseling from Boyce College, a school of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He has been serving as pastor of George Town Wesleyan Holiness Church since 2013. Rev. Doughlin and his wife Denise have one daughter, Danielle, and two sons, Michael and Miguel. Rev. Joel Cumberbatch ordains Rev. Doughlin in George Town’s Wesleyan Holiness Church. Peace Day ‘flash mob’ planned for CaymanThe islands’ most-trusted news source 8 Thursday sepTember 17, 2015 • Cayman Compass CALLING ALL GIRLS AND BOYS!! 2015 FALL SEASON FREE FOR ALL REGISTER TODAY Fall Season Runs September 21st Thru November 14th, 2015 (All children including new registrants) Little League’s youth program involves almost 400 boys and girls starting at age 5 thru age 17. Children must be age 5 as at April 30th 2015 or turning 5 by April 30th 2016. Cayman’s Little League has long sought to focus on teamwork, discipline, sportsmanship and fair play. Please complete registration forms and return to the Field of Dreams or by email to info@littleleague.ky or register online at www.thecilla.com as soon as possible. Fall Season is an opportunity to get new kids into the program and to help teach them the basics of the game of baseball and softball prior to our regular season which will begin again in January 2016 and to also give the current players more time to continue to play ball! **Please note that uniforms are only issued for Regular Seasons and NOT for Fall Ball. Contact - Managing Director LaToya McField E: info@littleleague.ky or Ph: 916-5643 for more info. Help in the form of Coaches and Umpires is always appreciated. President is John Cridland, Vice President is Jon DaCosta and Baseball Commissioner is Rob Harris.Commissioner is Rob Harris.Commissioner is Rob Harris.Commissioner is Rob Harris. Ph: 916-5643, 945-3553 Fax: 945-3552 or email us at info@littleleague.ky A similar scene greeted motorists along the Esterley Tibbetts Highway near Batabano Road on Aug. 14. In that case, a vehicle had driven into a pole in what po- lice reported as a suspected DUI crash. The vehicle was left there until Aug. 18. The reason these vehi- cles are staying on their re- spective accident scenes is because the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service is not responsible for towing them. “We do not have the budget to tow these vehicles,” RCIPS spokeswoman Jacqueline Carpenter said. “It is the re- sponsibility of the owner to have the vehicle removed.” In the case of what the po- lice consider to be a “major” accident, with fatal injuries, a large number of vehicles involved, etc., the police will tow the cars to an impound lot where they are kept as evidence. In those instances, police have the legal right to close the road and investigate the crash “in situ” for as long as is required. However, if the crash is not considered a major inci- dent, even if there is serious damage to the vehicle or ve- hicles involved and the cars are not drivable, the general policy is to move the cars out of the public right of way, clean up debris left from the crash, and leave them. “We’re not a towing ser- vice; it’s just not within our budget,” Ms. Carpenter said. If the car is left at the crash scene, it will eventually be towed by the Department of Environmental Health at the owner’s expense. While the number of fatal car accidents has sharply in- creased so far in 2015, the total number of wrecks on Cayman Islands roads has gone down.According to po- lice records, overall traffic ac- cidents declined by 15 per- cent in the first half of 2015. Wrecked cars often left by roadside “The message this sends is that if your financial crime is discovered, then if you pay back what you have stolen and leave the jurisdiction, you will not be prosecuted,” Mr. Reddyhough’s letter to police said. Ms. Nicholson’s departure from the Cayman Islands was also noted by prosecutors as being “generally” part of the decision-making process. The Crown said “the whereabouts of the accused and the poten- tial cost at public expense of any extradition proceedings” must also be weighed. Other factors related to the decision to charge an in- dividual include: discrepan- cies in the evidence and suf- ficiency of evidence provided, the “conduct of the com- plainant” both prior to and after any criminal allegations are made, the potential out- come of any criminal pros- ecution and whether such a prosecution would be consid- ered “proportionate.” These facts were dis- cussed only in general terms and not applied to the spe- cific matter involving Ms. Nicholson, prosecutors noted. The Crown also clari- fied that the ruling made re- lated to the Nicholson/Pines investigation only applied to the evidence available at the time. “Should any of the circum- stances giving rise to a deci- sion not to prosecute change, then the decision may be revisited,” the Director of Public Prosecutions’ statement read. The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service de- clined to respond to the Crown’s statement. Officials at the The Pines were con- tacted about the statement, but did not respond by press time Wednesday. Bush alleges ‘favoritism’ Cayman Islands Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush, who was acquitted following a criminal trial last year on charges he corruptly used a govern- ment credit card to get cash to gamble at Florida and Bahamas casinos, said Wednesday that he was out- raged by the outcome of The Pines investigation. “I used my credit card, which everyone was allowed to do – and did,” Mr. Bush said. “I paid mine back, even left checks so that when the card bill came in government would not be out of pocket. “This woman [is accused of stealing] $300,000 and the investigation, if there was one, takes over two years … and they decide not to pros- ecute? Is this the colonial fa- voritism that has been going on in this country?” Compass journalist Alan Markoff contributed to this report. Mark Ray, head of business services in the Department of Education, said the report is being re- viewed internally and a state- ment on the findings will be released soon. Ms. Frederick said the kitchen at Mary Miller Hall, where the students eat lunch, reopened Tuesday. It had been closed since Sept. 2, the day of the outbreak. The caterer of the school lunches, Mise en Place, also resumed its lunch operations at Mary Miller Hall on Tuesday. Those who became ill expe- rienced vomiting and nausea, leading to some speculation about food poisoning. But sam- ples of the food served at lunch that day came back negative for anything that would cause illness, and tests on the food handlers came back negative for the kind of bacteria that causes infection, according to Mise en Place Managing Director Sean Collins. “Obviously we want [the investigation] to be as fair as possible,” Mr. Collins told the Cayman Compass Tuesday. “But rather than put the focus on the canteen, there should have been more emphasis on questioning the children who took ill and looking at whatever possibilities there might have been beyond the food at lunchtime.” In a press statement re- leased on Sept. 8, Mr. Collins said he had been in- formed by the Department of Environmental Health that day that the tests on food samples had come back negative, and that Mise en Place could re- sume operations. A statement from the Department of Public Health released on Sept. 9 reported that the department was “con- fident that the kitchen facili- ties are adequately sanitized” following measures including “a comprehensive testing of food samples.” “All conclusive findings will be made known to the public,” Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr. Samuel Williams said in the statement. Euphema Cole, who works for Mise en Place at Mary Miller Hall, has a daughter who attends Red Bay Primary. She said she and her daughter both ate the lunch served the day of the outbreak. Ms. Cole did not become ill, but her daughter did. “I just feel it is not the food because Lighthouse [school] gets the food and George Town [Primary School] gets the food and no child was sick there,” Ms. Cole said. “I ate the food and I wasn’t sick. Other workers ate the food and weren’t sick.” She said officials from the Department of Education spoke to parents at a PTA meeting at the school on Tuesday night, informing them that the test results on samples taken from the can- teen had come back negative and an investigation into the cause would continue. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Late-morning commuters along Crewe Road were greeted Tuesday by the remains of a serious two-car crash from the night before. - Photo: Brent Fuller Cause of Red Bay School illness still unknown Crown: Pines case took two years to file Ms. Nicholson CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The criminal investigation into the case first came to light in 2013. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 [School principal Vicki] Frederick said the kitchen at Mary Miller Hall, where the students eat lunch, reopened Tuesday. “We’re no t a towing service; it’s just not within our budget.” Jacqueline carpenter, RCIPS spokeswomanThe islands’ most-trusted news source 9 Cayman Compass • Thursday sepTember 17, 2015 Palestinian hunger striker detained Israeli authorities detained a Palestinian man on Wednesday, just hours after he was discharged from an Israeli hospital following a two-month hunger strike to protest his earlier detention without charges. Condolences can be registered boddenfuneralservices.com We regret to announce the passing of Beverley Henning Who departed this life on Monday 7th September 2015. A funeral service will be held at Elmslie Memorial Church, George Town Saturday 19th September 2015 at 3:00 pm. Viewing of the body will be held from 5:30-7:00 pm Friday 18th September 2015 at Bodden Funeral Home, Walkers Road. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Beverley may be sent to The Pines (NCVO Retirement Home) Box 66, 60 Pines Drive, George Town. Hungarian police repel migrants at Serbian border HORGOS, Serbia (AP) – Hungarian police used tear gas and water cannons on hundreds of migrants who broke through a razor wire fence on the border with Serbia on Wednesday, while migrants prevented from moving through Hungary in- creasingly began taking a longer route into Western Europe through Croatia. Frustrated migrants blocked on the Serbian side of the border threw plastic water bottles and rocks at helmeted riot police and chanted demands that the border be re-opened. Police responded with tear gas and water cannons. “We fled wars and vio- lence and did not expect such brutality and inhumane treatment in Europe,” said Amir Hassan, an Iraqi who was soaking wet from the water cannon and trying to wash tear gas from his eyes. “Shame on you, Hungarians,” he shouted pointing in the direction of the shielded Hungarian policemen who were firing volleys of tear gas canisters directly into the crowd. The clashes took place at a small border crossing in the Serbian village Horgos, a short distance from the main border crossing into Hungary. Serbian authori- ties sent ambulances to the site but it wasn’t immedi- ately clear how many people were injured. Before the tensions es- calated, some women had pushed to the front of the crowd and held small ba- bies and children above their heads as they faced police in an obvious appeal for mercy, but no one made it through. In the past few months, Hungary has become a main entry point into the European Union for mi- grants, many of them war refugees from Syria and Iraq, with more than 200,000 en- tering the country so far this year. Almost all entered from the southern border with Serbia and passed through Hungary quickly on their way to Germany or other wealthy Western European nations. Hungarian authorities also said Wednesday that they have arrested a total of 519 migrants who tried to cross the border since tough new laws went into effect on Tuesday that make it a crime to cross from Serbia any- where other than at legal checkpoints. Authorities launched 46 criminal prose- cutions and found two Iraqi men guilty, the first convic- tions based on the new laws. Two men were expelled from Hungary, with one banned from re-entering the country for one year, the other banned for two years. Televised images from a courthouse in Szeged ear- lier showed four Iraqi men who were charged with their hands tied in front of them and their shoelaces removed ahead of trial. Syrian President Bashar Assad on Wednesday blamed Europe for the crisis, saying it’s a direct result of the West’s support for extrem- ists in Syria over the past four years. Hungary’s foreign min- ister denied that closed bor- ders and tough new laws signal callousness toward refugees, repeating the gov- ernment’s claim that most of those entering Hungary are actually economic migrants. “Based on our history, we are always in solidarity with the refugees,” Peter Szijjarto told The Associated Press in an interview. “What we’re saying is that we cannot ac- cept economic migrants be- cause we cannot bear the burden of that.” Most of the migrants who had hoped to cross into Hungary were still trapped along the border in Horgos, however. Many were con- fused about whether to keep waiting or to try to enter the EU through Croatia, a longer and less direct path into Western Europe. Melita Sunjic, a spokes- woman for the UN refugee agency, said that early in the day the migrants were re- fusing to leave the border but changed their minds because of news and rumors going around that Croatia’s borders were open. Most hope to reach Germany, where Chancellor Angela Merkel’s govern- ment has said it expects some 800,000 refugees to arrive this year alone. The vice chancellor has said the number could even reach 1 million. “I don’t know what to do – stay here or try some other way to cross the border,” said Ahmed Sami from Aleppo, Syria. “We walked and trav- eled for hundreds, thou- sands of kilometers only to be stopped meters from the European Union. My wife and children cannot stand on their feet any more. This is tragic.” At least two buses with about 100 people were seen leaving for the Croatian border from Kanjiza, a Serbian town on the border with Hungary. About 300 crossed into Tovarnik, Croatia, after they were bused to the Serbian border town of Sid on an all- night ride from Macedonia. Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic criticized Hungary’s decision to seal its border with Serbia for mi- grants and said Croatia will not do the same. “We are ready to accept these people, regardless of their religion and the color of their skin, and direct them to the destinations where they wish to go, Germany and Scandinavia,” Milanovic told lawmakers in Parliament. “Barbed wire in Europe in the 21st century is not an answer, it’s a threat,” Milanovic said. Migrants have avoided Croatia in the past be- cause they must still go into Hungary or Slovenia before reaching Austria or Germany. Refugees’ path to Europe marked by new threat: land mines WASHINGTON – It’s another hideous irony of the moment. Thousands of Syrian refugees fleeing their disintegrating country may now face the deadly consequences of an- other nation’s implosion. Since Hungary completed its vast, militarized razor- wire fence along its border with Serbia, refugees and mi- grants seeking sanctuary in the European Union are having to contemplate alter- native routes. Their despera- tion has already led hundreds to trek through cornfields to- ward the Serbian-Croatian border. But on the other side, they won’t just find the chance for easier passage toward Western Europe – they also risk walking through areas lit- tered with active land mines. The Balkan Wars of the 1990s, sparked by the unrav- eling of Yugoslavia, left behind tens of thousands of these de- vices, particularly in Bosnia and Croatia. In the latter country, there are reportedly more than 50,000 land mines in the ground, according to the Croatian Mine Center. As a re- sult, 198 people have died and more than 300 have been in- jured in Croatia since 1996. “The current status of mine suspected areas in the Republic of Croatia amounts to 195,2905 square miles,” re- ports the organization, as cited by ABC News. This is spread across 10 counties, where “77 towns and municipalities [are] contaminated with mines and unexploded ordnance.” Aid groups and local mi- grant advocacy organiza- tions are urging those con- templating this new route to stick to highways and avoid deserted fields, though that’s easier said than done, given the risks that many making the trek have already taken. “We have already crossed so many countries, and our journey was so dangerous. We don’t mind crossing some more,” a teenage Afghan migrant marooned at the Hungarian border told the Daily Telegraph. “We can’t wait here for a long time. We have no information about the Croatian border – but if it is open we will go.” Those who do make it into Croatia will either seek to move through Slovenia to Austria or enter Hungary – whose border with Croatia doesn’t have the same dra- conian controls as the one with Serbia – and continue through the central European corridor toward Germany. Hungary has enacted emer- gency measures along its southern border with Serbia and started prosecuting mi- grants who manage to slip through the boundary fence. The Croatian government has said it will help pro- cess refugees and migrants and guide them to places of safe transit, in a direct jab at its neighbor. “Barbed wire in Europe in the 21st century is not an answer, it’s a threat,” said Croatia’s prime minister, Zoran Milanovic. The specter of land mines also looms over another land crossing into Europe: the Turkish-Greek border may see an influx of refu- gees and migrants fearful of the perils of traveling across the Aegean Sea, especially as winter approaches. In 2011, Greece reported that it had cleared a vast tract of land in its Western Macedonia and Epirus re- gions of “explosive rem- nants of war,” or ERW, but a high-ranking military of- ficial admitted to a leading land mine monitoring group that it “was impossible to determine the extent of the ERW problem in other parts of Greece as there could always be some re- sidual contamination.” The horrors of the Balkan conflicts led to an interna- tional ban on land mines, which took effect in 1998. The United States, Russia and China are among a minority of United Nations member states that are not signato- ries of the treaty. © 2015, The Washington Post Hungarian police spray water on migrants at a border crossing into Hungary, near Horgos, Serbia. - Photo: APNext >