ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – TUESDAY NOVEMBER 22, 2016 High of 85 Low of 77 Seas: Rough with wave heights of 5 to 7 feet. Small craft warning is in effect. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 THE HEALTH OF HEALTHCARE IN THE CAYMAN ISLANDS SPORTS | PAGE 19 DYER WINS TO HELL AND BACK 10K 182805-Ad-MakeItYours-Compass-Strip6colx1*5.indd 111/9/16 2:25 PM Pirate parade goes to the dogs There was plenty of tail-wagging, panting and barking on Saturday morning as the last day of Pirates Week kicked off with pooches on parade. Dressed as pirates, wenches and even pirate boats, dozens of dogs and their owners arrived in downtown George Town to compete for the titles of Best Costume, Best Trick, Best Personality and Best Duo. Fans may also vote for their favorite in the Pooch Parade photo competition on the Cayman Islands Pirates Week Facebook page. Money raised at the parade benefits the Cayman Islands Humane Society. GOV’T FLOATS NEW CHILD ABUSE REPORTING POLICY CHARLES DUNCAN cduncan@pinnaclemedialtd.com Government is working on a draft policy for reporting child abuse, required as part of the 2012 Children Law. Minister for Community Affairs Osbourne Bodden and his staff presented the draft to representatives from 11 sports clubs this month to get feedback and make sure they know they will have to identify child protec- tion officers in each sports club and screen staff who interact with children. The draft policy has not been released publicly, but parts of the policy were in a pre- sentation to the sports clubs. Felicia Robinson, director of the Depart- ment of Children and Family Services, said in an interview Monday that momentum was building “in understanding that caring for children is a responsibility that we all share. After the Children Law came into effect, which in part requires reporting of suspected child abuse, reported incidents of abuse jumped from 36 in 2012 to more than 125 two years later, according to the presentation by GUILTY PLEA IN SECURITY CENTRE THEFT CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Patti Jane Ebanks, a former employee of Security Centre Ltd., pleaded guilty in Grand Court on Monday to stealing $420,281.24 from the business. The theft occurred between April 1, 2010 and June 1, 2013. Ebanks, 50, first appeared in Summary Court in March 2014. At that time, she faced 39 charges involving more than $935,000. The case was transferred to Grand Court, and in August 2015 she pleaded not guilty to 24 counts. That indictment included charges of forgery, making documents without au- thority and transfer of criminal property in addition to various counts of theft. On Monday, Director of Public Prosecu- tions Cheryll Richards asked the court’s per- mission to withdraw that indictment and re- place it with a new indictment containing a single count of theft. Dry weather brings possible end to mosquito season CHARLES DUNCAN cduncan@pinnaclemedialtd.com Dry weather over the past weeks may signal the end of mosquito season for the year, and with it a lower threat of the mos- quito-borne Zika virus that has made head- lines for much of the year. The number of suspected Zika cases has dropped significantly from a high of more than 20 per week at the end of the summer to one or two cases per week now, according to Public Health Surveillance Officer Timothy McLaughlin-Munroe. Bill Petrie, director of the Mosquito Research and Control Unit, said that in re- cent years the rainy season has lasted into December. “I’ve been doing this too long to get complacent,” he said. But, he added, if the dry weather continues, that will con- tinue to help reduce the mosquito population around the islands. “It has just been a bad year mosquito- wise,” he said. “It has been one of the toughest years for many, many years.” But now, he said, “Things have certainly quieted down.” Last week the Public Health Depart- ment said Cayman had its 20th confirmed case of Zika based on blood tests done by the Caribbean Public Health Authority. Most suspected cases of Zika are not tested by a laboratory. There are two types of mosquitoes the MRCU focuses on. Swamp mosquitoes feed after dark and, as the name implies, breed in brackish swamps. Less rain means they have a much harder time breeding. How- ever, Mr. Petrie said, the higher tides with last week’s supermoon meant that the water levels in Cayman’s swamps have been higher than normal, allowing the mosquitoes there to breed more. Mr. Petrie said the swamp mosquitoes PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL TUESDAY NOVEMBER 22, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS Daily Matinees Every Day $8.00 Seniors, Mon-Fri Before 6pm Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 640-FILM (640-3456) *Additional charges will apply per 3D ticket requested. SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted to any film starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. FANTASTIC BEASTS (PG13) AND WHERE TO FIND THEM 3D 12:15 | 1:10 2D | 4:40 2D 6:30 | 8:00 2D | 9:40 ALMOST CHRISTMAS (PG13) 1:00 | 4:00 | 7:00 | 9:50 ARRIVAL (PG13) 1:20 | 4:10 | 7:10 | 9:50 DOCTOR STRANGE 3D (PG13) 1:30 | 4:30 2D | 7:15 2D | 10:05 2D TROLLS (PG) 12:30 | 3:00 2D | 5:15 | 7:30 2D | 10:00 - TUESDAY - Miss Cayman heads to Miss World contest JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com Miss Cayman Monyque Brooks departed Sunday on her way to Washington, D.C., to take part in the 66th an- nual Miss World pageant, scheduled for Dec. 20. Before arriving in the U.S. capital, Ms. Brooks will shop and receive pageantry training in Miami with Anastagia Pierre Friel, at her coaching organization. She will arrive in Washington on Thursday with Donna Bush, the Miss Cayman Committee deputy chair, for filming and rehearsals. On Dec. 14, Derri Dacres- Lee, Miss Cayman Committee chairwoman, and committee member Meloney Syms will join Ms. Brooks and attend the Miss World competition at the Gaylord National Re- sort and Convention Center. Ms. Brooks, 24, of West Bay was crowned Miss Cayman Islands 2016 on Jan. 30. She holds a bachelor’s degree in hospitality and tourism man- agement and works at the Department of Tourism. She is involved in the National Cultural Founda- tion’s events and is a part of the Cayman Islands Dance Company. “I am very proud of Monyque and her accomplishments as Miss Cayman. The committee and I have ensured that Monyque is prepared for the world stage. We have no doubt that she will make the Cayman Islands proud,” said Ms. Dacres-Lee. At the Miss World pag- eant, outgoing queen Mireia Lalaguna of Spain will crown her successor. This year, more than 100 countries will be vying for the title and to be the ambassador of “Beauty with a Purpose.” The contes- tants will be judged on the basis of various events, in- cluding Top Model, Talent, Multimedia, Sports, Beauty with a Purpose and Re- sort Wear, according to the Miss World Organiza- tion web page. The Miss World pageant was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. Since Mr. Morley’s death in 2000, his wife Julia has co- chaired the pageant. Vene- zuela is the most successful country at the Miss World pageant with six crowns, fol- lowed by India and the U.K. with five crowns each. At an orientation reception at the Holiday Inn on Nov. 19, six Cayman women registered as starters for the 2017-18 pageant. They are Kameal Sey- mour, Chante Smith-Johnson, Kristin Amaya, Taylor Lang- fitt, Kristina Wright and Ma- halia Seymour. Miss Cayman Monyque Brooks - PHOTO: STEPHEN CLARKE Puerto Rico governor defies new federal control board SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – Puerto Rico’s governor is al- ready challenging a federal control board created just months ago to oversee the fi- nances of the U.S. territory and help pull it out of an economic crisis. In what could be a test of the board’s powers, Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla an- nounced Monday that he will not submit an amended fiscal plan – the board’s first re- quest of the island’s governor. He said he believes that new austerity measures would only worsen the crisis and in- sisted that the board restruc- ture nearly $70 billion in public debt that he has said is unpayable. “It’s not right, and it’s not necessary,” he said of austerity measures. “That would push us into an economic death spiral. It would mark a return to policies of depression.” Board members who met in Puerto Rico for the first time last week said the 10- year plan issued last month needs to be amended in part because it is not realistic and assumes federal financial help when none is likely. They requested that Garcia submit an amended plan by Dec. 15 so they could approve a final version by Jan. 31. It was not immediately clear what happens now that the governor has rejected the board’s request. A board spokesman said he was checking on whether board members would comment on Garcia’s announcement. Garcia steps down as governor on Jan. 1, but he has promised to reject any austerity measures while still in power. “While I’m governor of Puerto Rico, I will oppose any … measures such as laying off public employees, reducing the pensions of our retirees and leaving the Uni- versity of Puerto Rico unpro- tected,” he said. The board previously re- quested that some of Puerto Rico’s most heavily indebted agencies submit their own fiscal plans, something that had never been required be- fore. Government officials said at the board’s meeting on Friday that the agen- cies, including Puerto Ri- co’s utility companies, would submit their plans. During that meeting, board member Jose Gonzalez said that Puerto Rico’s government needs to set priorities. “Not everything is an es- sential service,” he said. “It’s an incredibly delicate bal- ance between fiscal adjust- ment and economic growth … We’ll try to get the balance right.” The board had requested the opinion of U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew on the territory’s fiscal plan. He said in a letter before Fri- day’s meeting that parts of the plan lacked detail and clarity and that it was missing a required formal debt sustainability analysis. Lew also said that a cred- ible debt restructuring is needed and that the govern- ment should not rely solely on austerity measures. “As we have empha- sized from the beginning of Puerto Rico’s crisis, aus- terity alone is a self-defeating remedy,” he wrote. Puerto Rico has been in a decade-long economic slump, and Garcia’s administration has taken measures such as increasing utility rates and imposing new taxes to help generate more revenue. De- spite those measures, the is- land has already defaulted on nearly $1.4 billion worth of bond payments since Au- gust 2015, and it owes some $1.5 billion to government suppliers as it continues to delay vendor payments amid a crisis that has prompted more than 250,000 people to flee the island for the U.S. mainland in recent years. Garcia has warned that the government will run out of money by February if a debt moratorium that expires that month is not extended. The moratorium has so far shielded Puerto Rico from numerous lawsuits filed by angry creditors seeking to re- cuperate the money they in- vested in Puerto Rico bonds. BOLIVIA DECLARES WATER EMERGENCY LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) – Bolivian President Evo Morales has declared a national emer- gency over a lack of water caused by a severe and pro- longed drought. Morales said Monday that national and local gov- ernments are authorized to use state resources to at- tack the problem. Much of the high-alti- tude capital already receives water for just three hours every three days because reservoirs serving the city are nearly dry. And Morales says Bolivians “have to be prepared for the worst.” The El Nino weather phenomenon in the Pa- cific has caused or exacer- bated the drought, which has battered farms and cattle ranches. The coun- try’s weather service says no rains are expected before early December. Puerto Rico Governor Alejandro Javier Garcia Padilla BODIES OF NINE MEN FOUND DUMPED IN MEXICO ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) – The decapitated bodies and heads of nine men have been found dumped on a roadside in the southern state of Guer- rero, prosecutors said, bringing the number of bodies found over the weekend in the state to 14. Roberto Alvarez, the state security spokesman, issued a statement Monday saying the nine bodies showed “visible signs of torture.” “This event shows that there is a strong a strong battle between rival criminal groups who use extreme vi- olence,” Alvarez said, refer- ring to two drug cartels that operate in the area. Some of the bodies had been dumped with their hands and feet bound, while others were hacked up and placed in plastic bags. They were found late Sunday near the town of Tixtla. The area has been the scene of brutal drug cartel slayings, often as part of turf battles be- tween the Ardillos and the Rojos gangs The grisly discovery came just hours after the dismembered bodies of three other men were found in five plastic bags on a roadside near the town of Telolo- apan, in another part of Guerrero state. Alvarez said the three men had been reported kidnapped on Nov. 4 from a town near Teloloapan – an area known for opium poppy production that has been the scene of drug gang conflict. Also Sunday, two other bodies were found near the Pacific coast port city of Acapulco. One be- longed to an off-duty member of the navy.The islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY NOVEMBER 22, 2016 JOIN US FOR OUR 5 DAY EVENT November 28th – December 2 • 9am – 5pm To schedule your preferred appointment please contact Muse hearing aids lead the industry in supreme sound quality and premium features. 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Freedom of expression is a bedrock of American democ- racy, but its irresponsible ex- ercise can distort and destabi- lize our politics. That reality is now at the center of attention in the social media world as Facebook and others confront questions about their role in spreading fake news and false information before and after the presidential campaign. The social media companies must not duck this issue. It goes to the heart of an open society, and also is the key to their own credibility and survival. It was not all that long ago that the Internet was a wild west, where information ran free. As Facebook, Google and Twitter grew, they celebrated this as a virtue, insisting they were technology compa- nies built on algorithms and not news media outlets. But on the road to becoming true global giants, Facebook and the others took on enormous new power to shape the informa- tion that people consume. The latest Washington Post-Schar School national poll shows that when people are asked where they got their election news, 56 percent said televi- sion, and 30 percent said the Internet. Among the sources on the Internet, 32 percent of the respondents identified social media, 29 percent said news organizations’ websites, and 15 percent said Google or other search engines. A distinction must be drawn between personal posts, which are best left largely un- fettered, and the news feed posts that can quickly go viral, accelerated by algorithms that respond to user engagement. When these posts suddenly explode and reach millions of people, social media essentially become news media. There is serious abuse when the con- tent is false, such as one post during the campaign saying the pope had endorsed Donald Trump (he did not), or a top Google search result the other day that pointed to a fake site reporting Trump had won the popular vote (he has not). Fake news is dangerous mischief and takes advantage of the fact that social media generally rely on rapid-fire algorithms and not deliberate human editing. The social media services must adjust to the reality that they now are news media outlets to some extent; that means relying more on human editors to weed out the fake news. The task is delicate and requires balanced judgment. The aim must be not to censor free ex- pression or favor certain po- litical views, but to guard against deception and fraud. In recent days Facebook and Google announced they are cutting off advertising on sites carrying content that is illegal, misleading or decep- tive; that is a good first step. Since the biggest social media outlets now span the globe, their operating stan- dards must showcase the best of democracy at work, and avoid giving tyrants any im- petus to crack down on dissent and free expression. This is a job for people, not algorithms. Social media have good reason to act here in order to protect their own future. If users conclude that the in- formation highlighted by Facebook, Google and Twitter is consistently ureliable, they will look elsewhere. But so- ciety at large also has a big stake. The Internet has become a vital forum for democratic debate; it is essential that that interchange not be warped by propaganda and lies. © 2016, The Washington Post The health of healthcare in the Cayman Islands If the Cayman Islands healthcare system were a patient, its medical case file would be a meter thick, containing a myriad of specialists’ assessments in regard to various disorders, illnesses and syndromes, payments to care providers, insurance rates, and gov- ernment-mandated health insurance payroll deduc- tions from all employers and employees. On top of all of that, more than $50 million in uncollected (uncollectible?) fees are currently owed to the Health Services Authority for hospital services rendered, many of them years ago. Last Friday’s Compass story about Cabinet’s decision not to increase minimum fees that health insurance companies pay to healthcare providers for services rendered is just the latest example of dys- function in the system. Called “standard health insurance fees,” the schedule is basically a detailed “menu” of medical procedures and their cost to health insurance com- panies — ranging from “health risk assessment test ($17.61)” to “biopsy of eyelid ($250.20)” to “cranio- plasty for skull defect with reparative brain surgery ($4,948.20),” and everything in between. The list of fees was created in 2005 and has not been updated since, truly a stunning statement given the advancements in healthcare service and medical technology over the past 11 years. That decade-plus also included the evolution of the local healthcare landscape, spurred in no small part by the introduction of Health City Cayman Islands. Setting aside trends specific to the medical sector, can you imagine running a business in any industry where fees for services have been set in stone for more than a decade? Enter the Ministry of Health, which commissioned a consultants’ report on healthcare costs that was completed last year. Ultimately, the Canada-based company Morneau Shepell recommended increasing the standard insurance fees paid to healthcare pro- viders significantly — by 12.3 percent. Last Thursday, Cabinet announced that it was giving a thumbs-down to Morneau Shepell’s recommendation, effectively tossing the document in the ash-heap of his- torical consultants’ reports for government. This particular case, however, has a twist. As we wrote in Friday’s story, “The consultants asked 139 physicians and 67 health practices to voluntarily provide financial information so Morneau Shepell could study how much medical procedures cost in Cayman. Only 40 responded, according to the consultants, and fewer than 10 provided the financial information.” Cabinet concluded the consultants did not have sufficient information on which to base their recommendation and decided to make no move on fees for now, until the government gets greater cooperation from doctors. It seems easy to blame the doctors for not divulging their financial information to the consultants. After all, they would be the apparent beneficiaries of any increase in the standard health insurance fees. (The consequence to patients is not as clear because an increase in insurance company payments almost certainly would lead to an increase in health insurance premiums. This, in turn, would lead to greater payroll contributions from both employers and employees.) However, from where we sit, the low-participa- tion rate from the physicians appears to be linked to the design of the study itself, which relied on health providers to disclose — voluntarily — sensitive finan- cial information both to government and to a group of unknown overseas consultants. Providing business information, when your competitors do not, can put a company at a decided disadvantage. The government’s assurance that the information will be kept confiden- tial is less than reassuring. And so the obvious occurred: The consul- tants asked politely, and the healthcare providers declined politely. If anything, this story puts in the spotlight a pre- vailing problem in Cayman’s healthcare system – the lack of transparency in pricing. Nobody seems to know how much anything costs, not the patient who is electing to undergo the procedure, not the health insurance companies which pick up much of the tab, and certainly not the government which is supposed to be regulating the entire operation. TUESDAY NOVEMBER 22, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS Trump opens doors for China in Latin America MAC MARGOLIS Since November 8, free traders around the world have been in a lather, not least in Latin America. After all, U.S. president-elect Donald Trump had stumped to scrap regional trade deals, build a wall on the border with Mexico and deport undocumented immi- grants, up to 3 million of them right away. “Trump’s election is an unmitigated disaster for the region,” commented Jorge Cas- taneda, a former Mexican for- eign minister. But Latin America has an escape valve: China. And as pundits and economists gauge the words out of Washington, indications are that the region’s pivot toward Asia is about to become even more acute. “As the U.S. takes a step back from Latin America, China continues to bound ahead,” said Boston University professor Kevin Gal- lagher, who has tracked Chi- nese interests in the Americas. “This is an opportunity and could actually help the region’s bargaining power.” Chinese President Xi Jin- ping landed in Ecuador on Thursday to kick off a tour that will include state visits to Peru and Chile. The centerpiece of his South American swing will be his meeting in Lima with heads of state from 21 coun- tries in Asia and the Pacific region; together the so-called APEC nations account for half of global trade and a third of its population. President Barack Obama will also be there, but as a lame duck with a dead duck in tow: his late great pro- posal for a Trans-Pacific Part- nership trade pact killed off by Trump’s victory. Instead, at- tentions will turn to the Chi- nese delegation. Australia has already anticipated the trend, backing a made-in-China trade deal with 16 countries in the Asia and Pacific region, but ex- cluding the United States. China actually laid out its vision for a “cooperative part- nership” in the western hemi- sphere in a widely noted 2008 white paper on Latin America and the Caribbean. Since then, China has become the region’s second largest commercial partner, commanding 13.7 per- cent of Latin American trade last year, according to the Inter- American Development Bank. Just four countries – Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru – ac- counted for more than half of the more than US$263 billion in two-way trade by 2014. Peru and Chile have bilat- eral agreements with China, and Colombia and Uruguay are mulling similar deals. Newly seated Peruvian Presi- dent Pedro Pablo Kuczynski made China his first state visit. Now, China watchers ex- pect a second policy paper to be issued in the coming days. “And this one is supposed to be even bigger, aiming to in- corporate Latin America into China’s global strategy,” said Margaret Myers, a China ex- pert with the Inter-American Dialogue, a research group in Washington, D.C. Most of the two-way trade has been Latin American grains or metals for Chinese manufac- tures, and while that arrange- ment has reaped plenty of ex- port revenues, it has generated few jobs for Latin America. That may be changing. China has in- vested or committed US$125 billion in South America alone in the last decade – the lion’s share (US$110 billion) since 2010. Although most of that money has been earmarked for energy and metals, “the Chi- nese have pledged to work to diversify their investments and build industrial parks in Latin America,” said Gallagher. Plenty of obstacles still divide east and west. Chi- nese companies can be in- timidated by the regulatory thicket in Latin markets, even as their hosts are wary of the heavy footprint and trade barriers that come with Chi- nese developers. “It’s up to Latin America to make sure that the new partnership works to their advantage, as well,” said Myers. Encourag- ingly, Chinese seem to have learned some lessons from Africa, where they were often seen as environmental pred- ators and most of the plum engineering jobs went to Chinese ringers. For now, the view from the Americas is one of cau- tious optimism. “With Europe closing up and the U.S. a ques- tion mark, China has played its hand well,” former Brazilian ambassador to China, Luiz Au- gusto de Castro Neves, told me. “Now they’re the ones who are global players while the other guys look like protectionists and aggressors.” Margolis writes about Latin America for Bloomberg View. He was a reporter for Newsweek and is the author of ‘The Last New World: The Conquest of the Amazon Frontier.’ © 2016, The Washington Post 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 EXECUTIVE EDITOR PATRICK BRENDEL A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will find their own way” SOCIAL MEDIA SITES CANNOT ALLOW FAKE NEWS TO TAKE OVERThe islands’ most-trusted news source 5 CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY NOVEMBER 22, 2016 Continue a family tradition in The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman style. Allow our chefs to create your Thanksgiving holiday dinner complete with trimmings for you to enjoy in the comfort of your private residence with friends and family. 20% gratuity will be added. $295 CI. (serves up to 6 guests generously) Local delivery is limited to the Seven Mile Beach vicinity. Please place order by Wednesday, November 23, 2016. $40 CI delivery charge will be added to your bill. THANKSGIVING TURKEY TO GO* November 24, 2016DISTRICT DAYS 6 District Days George Town TUESDAY NOVEMBER 22, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS 50 YEARS AGO: Sailors head to Curacao; Powells welcome second daughter In the Nov. 23, 1966 edition of the Cayma- nian Weekly, a precursor of the Cayman Compass, West Bay correspondent Leila Yates wrote: “Messrs. Tracey Bodden, Lawrence Bush, Orville Powery, Ellard Ebanks and Cedric Bodden left on the 17th for Curacao via Ja- maica, to join a ship for Na- tional Bulk Carriers. “Mr. and Mrs. Woolsey Ebanks returned from Ja- maica on the 17th, where they obtained their visas for legal admission in the U.S. “Messrs. Delno and Orrin Ebanks left on the 20th for New York to join S.S. Ore Venus. “Here on 10 days vaca- tion is Miss Dorothy Ann, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kearney Henning, who lives in Tampa. Dorothy Ann last visited here 7 years ago, and is happy to visit with her relatives. She is a student nurse in Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. “Mrs. Lewin Parsons Jr. arrived from Jamaica on the 17th. She received her visa for admission in the U.S. “On the 18th a daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Powell weighing 7 pounds. A sister for Celeta. “Mrs. Curry Ebanks re- turned from Jamaica on the 20th having received medical attention for an in- jury to her foot sustained in an accident some time ago, and reports being much improved. “Mr. Wordsworth Powery and family left on the 20th for Tampa, where they will reside, having obtained their legal visas. “On the 20th Mrs. Arthur Deschenes (Peggy) returned to her home in New York to be reunited with her hus- band after a very enjoyable three months’ visit with her children, mother and other relatives. “After living in the U.S. for 20 years Mr. Leland Ebanks decided to return to Cayman. He arrived on the 19th to finish his house which was started some time ago. “Mr. Rudolph Garvin arrived on the 20th from Tampa.” Students learn about war, health at special presentations Youngsters at Sir John A. Cumber Primary School re- cently had the chance to meet two veterans at a special as- sembly held in recognition of Remembrance Day and Veterans’ Day. At the event held on Tuesday, Nov. 8, coordinated by Graham Walker, students heard from Captain Dale Banks, a retired member of the United States Air Force (USAF) and the current Pres- ident of the Cayman Islands Veterans Association, a press release states. He was assisted by fellow veteran Loxley Banks, also a retiree from the United States Air Force, who served as the head of Radio Cayman for many years. During their presentation the veterans shared their ex- periences of serving in the United States Air Force and the war in Vietnam. They also spoke about the impact of the war on the Cayman Is- lands and the other countries involved and on the extent of the fatalities. The presenters also in- formed the students about the poppy drive and who benefits from the proceeds. According to the release, the students were very receptive to the two veterans and took advantage of the chance to ask questions. Students at the school also got to learn about diabetes and eating right at another special assembly presented in association with the Lions Club of Tropical Gardens’ Di- abetes Awareness week. Ac- cording to a press release, Damieon White, a pharma- cist with West Bay Pharmacy and a diabetes educator, gave an enlightening presentation to the school body on diabetes and the importance of proper nutrition to either prevent or control the disease. After the presentation, to bring the lesson home Lions Club of Tropical Gar- dens representatives in at- tendance, Melrose Gooding and Chad Powery, were on hand to award students with prizes for correctly answering quiz questions. Lion Melrose Gooding presents Nyomi Myles with a prize. Damieon White speaks to the students about diabetes. Veterans Dale Banks and Loxley Banks at Sir John A. Cumber Primary School.DISTRICT DAYS 7 District Days West Bay CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY NOVEMBER 22, 2016 Past comes to life at West Bay Heritage Day JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com West Bay residents show- cased their district with ac- tivities and artifacts at last week’s Heritage Day event at the West Bay Heritage Park. On display at the event, held on Thursday, Nov. 17, were thatch crafts, a cat- boat, an old-time outside kitchen and a variety of well- kept memorabilia. Visitors included Minister Tara Rivers and other gov- ernment officials. During the afternoon, students from St. Ignatius, East End and John A. Cumber Primary Schools, excited about the Pirates Week field day activity, heard all about catboats from Cap- tain Kem Jackson. When the St. Ignatius students visited the old-time outside kitchen caboose with teacher Anna Keating, they had the chance to learn how produce such as cas- sava, plantain, sweet potato and pumpkins, combined with fish in coconut milk were staple dishes that Cay- manians relied on for sus- tenance in Cayman’s early days. The students also had many questions for the teacher and stall vendors about thatch baskets, rope twisting, turtle netting and old-time cooking as they skipped from stall to stall. Youngsters enjoyed peeking inside Mr. BB’s tiny shop, where grocery items lined the shelves packaged and displayed as was done in years gone by. Also pro- viding a lesson in culture were several senior citizens, including Marlene Anglin, Francine Rivers and Rose May Ebanks, who took visi- tors back in time with old folk stories and demonstra- tions of the way they did things in the olden days. The food stalls offered up dishes of home cooked food such as turtle and conch stew and fry barracuda, as well as an impressive variety of heavy cakes. Along with the sale of arts and crafts, the event featured a raffle, a petting zoo, in- formation booths, baby and talent shows, competitions, music and lots more, and the festivities continued well into the night with music and fireworks. St. Ignatius students enjoyed playing on a traditional catboat. - PHOTOS: JEWEL LEVY Youngsters have fun peeking inside Mr. BB’s shop. - PHOTO: ZETA BODDEN West Bay Heritage Committee Chair Eziethamae Bodden with Francine Rivers, Marlene Anglin and Perry Byrd.Billy Banker with a traditional thatch rope. Deal Ebanks was on hand to demonstrate old-time gigs. Logan Collin and Kyan Okoli had fun spinning the wheel to win a treat from the National Gallery’s Jessica Ebanks.8 LOCAL NEWS TUESDAY NOVEMBER 22, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS "Meet the Artists" from 5 - 7:30pm Refreshments, Holiday Decorations & Gifts Galore! Tel: 949 9133 • www.pureart.ky THE ORIGINAL Please Join Us Wednesday, 23rd November STORE WIDE SAVINGS FROM 9AM 10% OFF ALL DAY 30 YEARS Celebrating Turtle revival continues Record numbers in Grand Cayman JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com The revival of nesting sea turtles in Grand Cayman continued in 2016, despite a reported increase in poaching incidents. Across all three is- lands, volunteers counted a total of 430 nests: 305 in Grand Cayman, 89 in Little Cayman and 36 in Cayman Brac. The figures represent a record total for Grand Cayman, though not for the islands as a whole. The statistics continue a general upward trend, with numbers rebounding from just 30 nests on Grand Cayman in 1999, when mon- itoring first began. Janice Blumenthal, a re- search officer at the De- partment of Environment, said increased protection of nesting beaches by con- servation officers and vol- unteers, as well as a ban on turtle fishing since 2008 has aided the revival. She added that re- searchers were also begin- ning to see green turtles, released from the Cayman Turtle Farm in the 1980s, returning to lay their nests, bolstering numbers further. Despite the positive trend, she cautioned that each turtle lays multiple nests in a season, meaning that the actual number of nesting turtles is still quite small. She said they and their hatchlings still face significant threats. “The turtles now nesting on our beaches were born 20 to 30 years ago and did not face the same threats. Due to artificial lighting on our beaches, it is uncer- tain how many of the baby turtles born each year can survive and continue to re- plenish our populations.” She added that the nesting turtles also face increased threat from poaching, with several inci- dents recorded this year. On Little Cayman, Southern Cross Club Gen- eral Manager Jennifer Mills, a turtle-watch volunteer for 14 years, says community awareness has increased the number of volunteers. “Twenty volunteers helped with the turtle watch on Little Cayman this season, more than ever before. It is a privilege to be involved and witness the project grow and de- velop,” she said. Ms. Blumenthal added, “We would not be able to operate our nesting beach monitoring program without our volunteers. Across the three islands, we have more than 100 vol- unteers. We would like to say thank you to all of our volunteers who helped us check these beaches four days per week for nearly six months. With their help, this year we walked over 1,400 miles.” The statistics for the 2016 season could change slightly before the end of the year. Driver hospitalized after car strikes light pole A man was receiving medical treatment Monday after he was injured in a single-car collision Friday night. The car he was driving struck a CUC light pole on Shamrock Road near Soto Lane just before 10 p.m., po- lice reported. The driver of the white Kia pickup truck hit the pole while traveling eastbound. He was trapped inside the vehicle and was freed by police, fire, EMS and CUC workers who attended the scene, the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service said in a press release. There were no passengers. The driver was taken to the Cayman Islands Hos- pital with serious but non-life-threatening inju- ries. He was transferred to Health City Cayman Islands for treatment. Anyone with information about the accident is asked to call the Traffic Management Unit at 649-6254. Anonymous tips can be made on the tip line at 949-7777 or by calling Crime Stoppers at 800-8477. Volunteer Jen Mills assists with the excavation of a turtle nest in Little Cayman.Nesting turtle populations have been steadily rebounding since 1999. Across all three islands, volunteers counted a total of 430 nests: 305 in Grand Cayman, 89 in Little Cayman and 36 in Cayman Brac.The islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY NOVEMBER 22, 2016 do not spread viruses but can be a serious nuisance for anyone living along canals and other areas near mangrove swamp. The Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are respon- sible for spreading vi- ruses such as Zika, dengue and chikungunya. Aedes aegypti breed in standing fresh water, such as rain-filled flower pots, clogged gutters and discarded tires. Aedes ae- gypti tend to feed during the day, mostly in the late afternoon. “Aedes aegypti are purely dependent on rain- water, or people using their garden hoses,” Mr. Petrie said. “The incidence of Zika seems to be slowing down in the region,” he said, but more cases could be possible. He warned that with holiday travel coming up, Cayman could see more imported cases. “Lots of people are going to Florida, which has many more cases than we do,” he said. In a recent email to public health staff, Dr. Samuel Williams-Rodri- guez noted the recent decision by the World Health Organization to end the global health emergency it had issued for Zika. Dr. Williams-Ro- driguez wrote, “The num- bers of suspected cases continue to decline, and we have not diagnosed any case of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), micro- cephaly or other neurolog- ical disorder associated with Zika virus infection in the Cayman Islands.” The MRCU’s releases of genetically modified mosquitoes continue, even though the dry season has likely reduced the number of Aedes aegypti breeding in West Bay. In a recent interview with Oxitec’s Renaud La- croix, he said the re- leases of genetically mod- ified male Aedes aegypti will continue in hopes of killing off as much of the population in the sample area in West Bay before the rainy season brings the virus-carrying mos- quitoes back next year. Mr. Lacroix said the releases in West Bay are being compared to a neighboring area, al- lowing Oxitec to measure the success of the trial. Wind and choppy seas change plans for tourism operators CHARLES DUNCAN cduncan@pinnaclemedialtd.com Rough seas and 15 to 20 knot winds will likely con- tinue in Cayman through the rest of the week, according to the National Weather Service, forcing tourism operators to adapt their plans as the high season gets under way. Water-sports operators said Monday that most trips to the North Sound have been canceled as the north- east winds make for choppy waves and strong currents at the reef and at Stingray City. Dive operators say they are sticking to the south and west of Grand Cayman where the currents and visi- bility are less affected by the northeast winds. “On the west side, it’s a bit bumpy, but we are still diving,” said Sergio Coni, op- erations manager with Don Foster’s. He said the company canceled tours to the North Sound, but were still diving and teaching this week. Captain Marvin’s, which relies on popular Stingray City sandbar tours for much of its daily business, has not been able to get boats into the North Sound for several days. Melinda Ebanks, with Captain Marvin’s, said one boat went out Sunday and a couple of more went out Monday. She said the high winds and choppy waters were still a factor Monday, but the tide level has dropped, making it easier to get boats to the sandbar. “Other days we’ve had no choice but to say no,” Ms. Ebanks said. She said the tours in this windy weather are not making other stops for snor- keling, but instead are going to Starfish Point. “The weather’s doing us bad,” she said. “It’s rough, but there’s nothing we can do about it.” Steve Broadbelt, with Ocean Frontiers, said his boats were going out Monday but were sticking to the south side, by the Blow Holes and Half Moon Bay. He said they had about 15 to 20 sites open Monday, but an- other 30, especially around the east and Northeast Point, were too rough. Off West Bay, Divetech’s Steve Ilsley said shore diving is closed off Lighthouse Point. But, he said, “apart from that we can always find somewhere to dive.” He said they were run- ning boat trips off Seven Mile Beach, away from the wind and waves on the north. Post-season tropical depression A tropical depression off the east coast of Nicaragua combined with a cold front over the Gulf of Mexico to generate the dry, windy con- ditions in the Cayman Is- lands, according to Gilbert Miller with Cayman’s Na- tional Weather Service. He said the storm is about 550 miles southeast of Grand Cayman and is not expected to threaten the Cayman Islands. “Most of our models show this going west over Nica- ragua, but it’s kind of up in the air at the moment,” he said. The cool air and high winds “will be with us for at least the next four days,” Mr. Miller said. The National Hurricane Center in Miami forecasts the system will move to the west, crossing over Central America by the end of the weekend. The U.S. forecasters say the depression could de- velop into a tropical storm and possibly a Category 1 hurricane by Thursday be- fore it makes landfall in Ni- caragua or Costa Rica. the department. The data covers physical, sexual and emotional abuse, incest and defilement. Cases of reported ne- glect increased from 11 in 2012 to 60 in 2014. Ms. Rob- inson said the spike coin- cided with the passage of the Children Law that man- dated reporting of suspected physical or sexual abuse of children. But, she said, the numbers of reported inci- dents are likely much lower than the actual number of child abuse incidents. “This is why education is so important,” Ms. Robinson said. In the presentation to the sports clubs, she stated, “An opportunity for abuse and reporting abuse pres- ents wherever adults super- vise children.” A ministry press release states that the consultation process, according to assis- tant chief officer for the min- istry Joel Francis, “would allow for questions and clari- fication, before a final version of the policy was put to Cab- inet for ratification.” The statement notes, “Once the policy is finalised, the clubs are to be given three months to implement its provisions.” The presentation lays out the steps sports clubs and other organizations will have to take under the new policy proposal. Each club will have to appoint a child protection reporting officer and train officials on how to identify and report sus- pected abuse. Under the Children Law, staff are al- ready legally required to re- port suspected abuse. The law ensures pro- tection of the identity of anyone who reports sus- pected child abuse. The policy also requires “oversight through criminal background checks, screen- ings and application of due diligence in hiring practices and recruitment of volun- teers and coaches,” according to the presentation. In Ms. Robinson’s notes in the PowerPoint presentation, she explains, “The issue is difficult because many child abusers have no record be- cause an incident was never reported, charges never filed, and there may be other sit- uations where there have been plea bargains or the party has been convicted on a lesser charge.” The clerk read the new charge aloud and Ebanks replied, “Guilty.” Ms. Richards then ad- vised that formal ver- dicts of “Not guilty” could be entered on the orig- inal indictment, on the basis that the Crown was not pursuing it. She also explained that in calculating the specific sum stolen, the Crown went back through the hundreds of check requi- sitions that were part of the case and gave Ebanks the benefit of the doubt in cases where that was possible; where requisi- tions were absent so that the Crown could not say what the sum was for, the benefit of the doubt was also given. Ms. Richards noted that defense attorney Lau- rence Aiolfi had presented a schedule of Ebanks’s le- gitimate income. Mr. Aiolfi asked that the court order a social inquiry report and a psychiatric report before sentencing. He said his client had been struggling with alcoholism for a number of years. Dame Linda Dobbs, acting judge of the Grand Court, said both reports were appropriate, but she wondered how long it would take to get them. Told approximately 10 weeks because of the holidays, the judge indi- cated she would not be here. She suggested that the matter go before a resident judge – Justice Charles Quin, rather than an acting judge. Ms. Richards did not give any background about the offense. Later she ex- plained that the summary of facts is presented to the judge who passes sentence. Justice Dobbs continued the defendant’s bail on the same conditions that were already in effect – sur- render of passport and no travel outside of the ju- risdiction without the court’s permission. At a pre-trial confer- ence, the judge had indi- cated that significant credit would be available for a guilty plea. Mr. Aiolfi asked about full credit, which typically means a one-third reduction in sentence. The judge replied that significant meant nothing less than 25 percent, and it might be that full credit could be given. Sentencing was set for Feb. 2, 2017. Guilty plea in Security Centre theft CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Dry weather brings possible end to mosquito season CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Gov’t floats new child abuse reporting policy CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Governor approves disabilities bill CLAIRE SHEFCHIK cshefchik@pinnaclemedialtd.com Governor Helen Kilpat- rick has approved a bill pro- tecting the rights of disabled residents and visitors in the Cayman Islands. The Disabilities Bill, also known as the Solomon Web- ster Bill after a 24-year-old former Special Olympics athlete from West Bay who was murdered in 2014, was unanimously passed by the legislature last month. The legislation will create a voluntary register of in- dividuals with disabilities and a National Council for Persons with Disabil- ities, which will act as a watchdog and advocate for the disabled. According to the Office of the Premier, the bill is part of an effort to implement proposals in the Cayman Islands Disabilities Policy 2014-2033, which aims to safeguard the legal rights of the disabled. Under the new law, people with mental or physical dis- abilities will have full ac- cess to any public or govern- mental proceeding or facility. However, it does not require private businesses to provide similar accommodations. In an August press re- lease, Premier Alden McLaughlin said, “My ad- ministration is committed to fostering a culture of respect for human rights, including strengthening legislative protections for persons with disabilities.” The bill makes dis- crimination against dis- abled people illegal and will protect the “progres- sive realization of their eco- nomic, social and cultural rights,” according to the pre- mier’s office. The new 10-member com- mission will create and im- plement the policy to bring the new bill into force. Solomon Webster, de- scribed in a statement by the director of the Special Olympics committee as a “star athlete,” won a gold medal for the Cayman Is- lands in bocce in 2010. He was also an avid basket- ball and football player who competed in Ireland, Jamaica, the Bahamas and Puerto Rico. The bill’s memorandum describes Mr. Webster as “a young man with a disability who creatively and tena- ciously worked to achieve and develop his best ability despite his challenges.”Next >