ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – THURSDAY JULY 20, 2017 High of 90 Low of 78 Slight to moderate with wave heights of 2 to 4 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 CAYMAN’S LATEST ROADWAY TRAGEDY SPORTS | PAGE 17 TOUR DE FRANCE ROOKIE PRIMOZ ROGLIC WINS STAGE 17 Premier Health The world is smaller when you have a bigger health plan! 24/7 worldwide assistance and your I.D. card is accepted by 1.1million US providers, including pharmacy benefits. Wherever you touch down, with Premier Health you are only a phone call away from your health plan. British Caymanian Insurance Agencies Limited acts solely as an agent on behalf of Colonial Medical Insurance Company Limited and it does not act as an insurance broker on behalf of its customers. Call 949-8699 www.britcay.ky cgigrp BRITISH CAYMANIAN INSURANCE AGENCIES LIMITED 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 Ltd. : insurance, health, pensions, life Bush arrested at Florida casino BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman Islands Speaker of the House McKeeva Bush was arrested Monday at a South Florida casino, two Florida law enforce- ment agencies confirmed Wednesday. According to publicly available records in the U.S., Mr. Bush, 62, was arrested by Semi- nole Police late Monday night. Allegations against him were stated as one count of “touch or strike/battery,” and records indicated that a cash bond of US$1,000 had been granted. The arrest on a misdemeanor offense was made public on Wednesday, according to Bro- ward County court records. The Broward County Sheriff’s Depart- ment confirmed that the arrest occurred at a casino in Coconut Creek, Florida, which is just north of Fort Lauderdale. “He was arrested at the casino,” said sher- iff’s office spokesperson Jonathan Fishman. A spokesman for the Seminole Police De- partment, Gary Bitner, released the following statement: “William McKeeva Bush was ar- rested by Seminole Police on Monday at 11:02 p.m. at the Seminole Casino Coconut Creek and charged with simple battery or misde- meanor battery. “The arrest followed an interview with and sworn statement by the female employee victim and a review of surveillance video. According to the arresting officer, the sur- veillance video showed Mr. Bush allegedly wrapped his arm around the victim’s lower back and forcefully pulled the victim towards his direction. “According to the arresting officer, the TAXI DRIVER ARRESTED IN DOCTOR’S DEATH Safety review under way at airport BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com A 69-year-old taxi van driver was arrested late Tuesday in connection with this week’s accident that killed a visiting doctor at Owen Roberts International Airport. The Bodden Town man was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. He was not charged as of press time Wednesday and has been released on police bail, the Royal Cayman Islands Police Ser- vice confirmed. The driver is not being identified by the Cayman Compass because he has not been charged. RCIPS officers said the taxi van struck Dr. Vary Jones-Leslie as she walked across Owen Roberts Drive just north of the airport ter- minal at approximately 10:45 a.m. Monday. Dr. Jones-Leslie, a visiting obstetrician-gynecolo- gist from Jamaica, had just arrived in Cayman to work a temporary assignment at the public hospital in George Town. Hospital officials said Dr. Jones-Leslie had traveled here to assist at the hospital a number of times in the past several years and was well-known to hospital staff and the Cay- manian community. “Dr. Jones-Leslie will be remembered by her colleagues at the Health Services Au- thority, patients and friends as a respected and compassionate clinician who dedicated her life to serving others and was passionate about her job beyond just providing medical care,” HSA Chief Executive Officer Lizzette Yearwood said. The 62-year-old doctor was regarded by her Jamaican colleagues as a pioneer in the Brac artist ‘Foots’ plans lawsuit over arrest KAYLA YOUNG kyoung@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman Brac-based artist Ronald “Foots” Kynes plans to file suit against the Cayman Is- lands government for his arrest Tuesday afternoon on suspicion of “obscene publications.” Mr. Kynes’s latest art installa- tion, on display on his property in Cayman Brac, has sparked de- bate among Brackers for its de- pictions of homosexuality and religious iconography. Leading up to his arrest, the artist said he was subject to repeated police visits and community harass- ment for the work, which he de- scribes as supporting gay rights and the right to choose. Mr. Kynes is on police bail until Tuesday, July 25. “I have no idea what’s coming up, but whatever questions they Northward prisoners turn their hands to leather working Prisoners at Northward work on creating a simple key ring on Thursday. Northward has instituted a leather-working program to teach volunteers skills they can use after their release. For more on this story, see page 5. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » Ron ‘Foots’ Kynes hugs one of his sculptures.2 LOCAL&REGIONAL THURSDAY JULY 20, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Daily Matinees Every Day $8.00 Seniors, Mon-Fri Before 6pm Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 *Additional charges will apply per 3D ticket requested. 640-FILM (640-3456) 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. - THURSDAY - HOUSE (R) 12:45 I 3:05 I 6:45 I 9:25 SPIDER-MAN: HOME COMING 3D (PG13) 12:55 2D I 3:25 2D VIP I 6:35 I 9:25 2D VIP BABY DRIVER (R) 3:35 I 9:25 DESPICABLE ME 3 3D (PG) 12:30 2D I 4:05 I 6:35 2D I 9:30 WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES 3D (PG13) 12:20 2D VIP I 12:20 I 3:35 2D 6:20 2D VIP I 9:00 TRANSFORMERS: LAST KNIGHT (PG13) 3:05 I 5:35 I 8:50 WONDER WOMAN (PG13) 12:30 I 6:20 ENTER TO WIN !! FREE KARATE MEMBERSHIP www.caymankarateacademy.com CLARIFICATION In a story on page 5 of the July 19 edition of the Cayman Compass titled “Drunk driver made U-turn on roundabout, court hears,” a comment by Magistrate Valdis Foldats was inaccu- rately reported and should not have appeared as a direct quote. The magistrate adapted his remarks from a No- vember 2011 article by Ca- nadian journalist Matt Gurney in the National Post. The magistrate’s full com- ment was: “People do not take drunk driving nearly seriously enough. There is a bizarre notion that so long as no one is hurt or killed by a drunk driver, that somehow it’s really not that big a deal. What nonsense. Those people who shrug and take a no-harm, no-foul approach are kidding them- selves. Society wouldn’t tol- erate someone who got drunk and fired a gun into a crowd so long as all the bullets missed. In the hands of a drunk driver, a car is every bit as dangerous as a loaded gun, and it’s time we start treating it that way.” OFFICIALS WORRY ABOUT DEBRIS IN WATER NEAR FLORIDA SINKHOLE LAND O’LAKES, Fla. (AP) - Even though a Florida sink- hole has not grown in sev- eral days, officials said that the debris-strewn site is still considered dangerous and that residents of five homes remained evacuated Tuesday due to the dangers. “The sinkhole is not growing anymore … but still dangerous conditions exist out here,” said Kevin Guthrie, Pasco County’s as- sistant administrator for public safety. “It’s basically moving like into a construc- tion and demolition site.” The sinkhole opened up Friday and grew to 225 feet wide and 50 feet deep, taking with it two homes, septic tanks and a boat. No one was injured. Guthrie said there was no toxic re- lease into the air so the main environmental con- cern is the long-term effects, if any, of debris to the water supply in the neighborhood north of Tampa. “It’s going to be my goal to have all of that stuff taken out of the hole,” Guthrie said at a news conference. “How- ever, I know there have been some other practices across the state, and across the country, when you just fill it in and go from there.” Health and environ- mental officials will be con- ducting tests to make sure water from wells is safe to drink since many resi- dents in the neighborhood get their water from wells. Local officials were recom- mending homeowners living within 500 feet of the sink- hole to drink bottled water as a precaution. American’s firearm charges sent to Grand Court No pleas entered to unlicensed guns, ammo in Cayman Brac CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Charges relating to im- portation of ammunition and possession of unli- censed firearms were sent to Grand Court on Wednesday when defendant David Dean Meadors appeared before Magistrate Grace Donalds. Meadors, an American citizen who was building a retirement home in Cayman Brac, was ordered to re- turn to the higher court on Friday, Aug. 18. Attorney Ben Tonner, who appeared with attorney Laura Larner on Meadors’s behalf, said the importation charge was a category A of- fense, which meant it could not be dealt with in the Summary Court. Since the other charges were related, they also could be committed to the Grand Court, he indicated. Meadors first appeared in court on Monday, July 10, after customs officers found 240 rounds of 9-mil- limeter ammunition when they were examining a con- tainer of goods that had been shipped to the Brac. A search of Meadors’s residence there revealed the presence of a Glock 9mm handgun, a Smith & Wesson BB gun and BBs. In her application for bail, Ms. Larner had clar- ified certain points in the Crown’s summary of the case. She explained that Meadors, 52, was hard of hearing. Therefore, when he was asked if he had any fire- arms, he said no because he thought the question was about what was in the container. Later, at the police sta- tion, Meadors was asked again and he said he had one. Ms. Larner said he did not mention the BB gun because it was not in working order. He was granted bail ini- tially with conditions that included a $100,000 charge on his Brac property and three Caymanian sureties in the sum of $23,000. He was also required to wear an electronic monitor and observe a 24-hour curfew at a hotel on Grand Cayman. This week Mr. Tonner asked that his client be al- lowed to change his ad- dress to another location on Grand Cayman and he provided the proposed ad- dress, which the magis- trate approved. He also asked that the 24-hour curfew be modified so that Meadors could come to the attorney’s office for consultations. Senior Crown counsel Candia James did not ob- ject, but suggested that the defendant be required to give advance notice to the electronic monitoring service. The magistrate made this a condition of varying the bail. Adventist services agencies fund school lunches Sixty schoolchildren in 12 public and private schools have received a total of $15,000 to cover mainly lunches and uniforms in the 2017/18 academic year. The funding was made possible through the efforts of a number of collaborating Adventist congregations’ com- munity services departments. In 2016, $8,000 was dis- tributed among 43 students. This year, the money was raised at a fish fry at the George Town Adven- tist Church on the May 16 Discovery Day holiday. The event was spearheaded by the church’s Community Ser- vices Department and in- cluded sister churches’ com- munity services leaders and volunteers. “This partnership to pro- vide funding for students with barriers to their educational progress is greatly appreci- ated,” said Lyneth Monteith, director of the Department of Education Services. “I thank the Adventist community ser- vices departments for yet an- other generous contribution.” The money was presented to school principals who will administer the funds at the rate of $250 for each se- lected child. Eighty percent of parents who are being as- sisted asked that the funds be applied to lunch for their children. Pan musicians raise money for trip to Canada JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cruise ship passengers got a taste of sweet pan music mixed in with some spicy jerk chicken as mem- bers of Pan ‘n’ Riddim staged a fundraiser on Cardinall Av- enue on Wednesday. The group was raising money for a trip to Canada to compete in the Pan Alive competition from July 27 to Aug. 10. Band founder Mi- chael Lemay led the group in a mixture of calypso and soca tunes. Tourists clapped and tapped their feet to the music before in- quiring about the meats roasting on the fire. The event also featured local food and drinks. Last year the group placed second in the contest; this year they hope to bring home the winners’ title. Vendors from Caymans’s business community joined the group in their fund- raising efforts. Carmalee Watson, who sells handmade sandals, said part of the pro- ceeds from the day would be donated to the group. Every summer, To- ronto features calypso, steel pan and elaborate mas- querade costumes during the Scotiabank Caribana Fes- tival, which reportedly at- tracts more than a million people annually. Pan ‘n’ Riddim members with posters supporting their fundraising drive. - PHOTO: JEWEL LEVY Community services leaders and volunteers pose with some of the school principals who recently received checks for disbursement on behalf of select students in the 2017/18 academic year.3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY JULY 20, 2017 WEEKLY INSTORE PRIZE DRAW SOCIAL MEDIA CONTESTS THIS WEEKS PRIZE: $50 STORE VOUCHER *Some restrictions may apply WEEKLY INSTORE PRIZE DRAW SOCIAL MEDIA CONTESTS THIS WEEKS PRIZE: $50 STORE VOUCHER *Some restrictions may apply CASH AND CARRY | INSTOCK FLOORING DAVID NATTY WEEKLY INSTORE PRIZE WINNER! Old Hyatt going down in flames JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Firefighters battled for more than an hour Tuesday evening to extinguish a blaze on the upper floor of the der- elict Hyatt hotel. Thick black smoke could be seen pouring from the roof of the building and across the skyline as commuters made their way home around 6 p.m. The source of the flames, on the upper level of the par- tially demolished building, made it particularly diffi- cult to tackle. Ultimately, fire- fighters used cranes to douse the flames from above. The hotel, once an icon of Cayman’s tourism industry, sustained significant damage after Hurricane Ivan and was never redeveloped since then. It was bought by the Dart group last year and is in the process of being demolished. The building was empty at the time of the fire and no one was hurt. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Chief Fire Officer David Hails said, “It was a difficult one to extinguish because of the location and the fact that it is a demolition site. There was a lot of rubble in that area which made if dif- ficult to use ladders and the officers had to use other equipment to get to the fire.” The access road for resi- dents in the Britannia estate was closed until 7:15 p.m. to allow emergency service vehi- cles to enter. Dart Real Estate said in a press release that a secu- rity officer assigned to the property discovered the blaze shortly after 6 p.m., notified the rest of the security team and called 911. “Dart Real Estate would like to assure the public every step is being taken for the site to remain secure while inves- tigations continue. As with all of its property, Dart Real Es- tate places the safety and se- curity of all first.” Men win prizes for being good dads Twenty-five men who were acknowledged and nominated by their family members have won prizes as part of a Father’s Day compe- tition run by the Family Re- source Centre. The grand prize winner in the “Be a Dad Daily” chal- lenge, Orvin Campbell, won a $250 Camana Bay gift voucher. Noel Jackson won a Salty’s Gift certificate, Ru- dresh Chandrashekar won a Rubis gas voucher and Paul Parker and Donnie Dixon both won Casanova res- taurant vouchers. Winners and their families received prizes at the Family Re- source Centre. “Society is often guilty of underestimating and un- dervaluing the role of good fathers,” said Charmaine Miller, the center’s pro- gram coordinator. She said the Be a Dad Daily campaign is just one way of acknowledging the powerful and enduring influ- ence fathers have on children. “Numerous studies show that those who have been cared for by fathers are usu- ally more confident and more emotionally stable as adults,” Ms. Miller said. Several entries also in- cluded pictures showing how fathers contributed to the well-being of their children. Tying in the annual con- test with last month’s Fa- ther’s Day, the center asked children across the Cayman Islands to write in and share anecdotes about how their father is there for them daily. Entries were emailed or posted onto the FRC’s Face- book page using the #bea- daddaily hashtag. Other vouchers were do- nated by Winners Circle, Auto Spa, A. L. Thompson, Automo- tive Art and ManCave. Children across the Cayman Islands were asked to write in and share anecdotes about how their father is there for them daily. Firefighters had to get creative to tackle Tuesday evening’s fire at the old Hyatt hotel site. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY From left, Family Resource Centre Executive Officer Jessica Smith, Rashmi Mahadevappa, Thanmai Rudresh, Rudresh Chandrashekar, Shashank Rudresh, Paul Parker, Sashka Parker, Noel Jackson and the center’s program coordinator Charmaine Miller pose outside the Family Life Centre.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. Dr. Vary Jones-Leslie was a pioneer in Jamaican medicine, a supportive mentor and a warm and caring practitioner who flew to Grand Cayman on Monday to lend a hand at the Cayman Islands Hospital. But shortly after her arrival the physician became a patient – the victim of a tragic accident, struck by a taxi while crossing a roadway teeming with trav- elers. The following morning, the 62-year-old Jamaican obstetrician-gynecologist passed away. In her years as a locum doctor in the Women’s Health Clinic, Dr. Jones-Leslie came to know many patients and providers. She was held in the highest regard. People who knew her describe a strong, com- passionate woman who blazed a trail as one of the first female doctors in Jamaica and one who offered guidance and support to the women who followed her into the field. They speak of Dr. Jones-Leslie’s impact on her home island and overseas; of her unshakable com- mitment to making a difference in people’s lives. We hope the doctor’s family and friends take some small comfort in these tributes. We and our country are deeply saddened and truly sorry for their loss. However heartfelt, words alone do not amount to an effective response. The death of Dr. Jones-Leslie, along with numerous other fatalities and serious injuries that might have been avoided, demand action to make Cayman’s roadways safer through better traffic enforcement, design and use. We at the Compass are quite familiar with the short- comings of Owen Roberts Drive, the scene of Monday’s deadly accident. The roadway is busy with travelers (many of whom are tired from travel, distracted or confused by new surroundings) hurrying toward their destination on foot, in cars and by taxi. Yet this par- ticular stretch of road lacks basic safety infrastructure, such as speed bumps or crossing lights for pedestrians. Speaking broadly, many of Grand Cayman’s roadways were not designed to handle the volume of traffic they now must accommodate. Narrow, two-lane thoroughfares – crammed with buses, bicycles, pedestrians (often pushing baby carriages or “borrowed” shopping carts), heavy trucks (including construction equipment) and motor vehicles of every description and state of dilapidation – provide fertile ground for accidents. We wonder how some of those vehicles even pass inspection. It is not uncommon to spot rapidly moving hunks of metal with heavily tinted windows, or without functioning brake or headlights, but sporting new inspection stickers all the same. If similar standards for inspection were adminis- tered to Cayman Airways’ 737s, there would be no limit to the outrage (or the potential carnage). Ground crew would never allow an airplane to take off if it weren’t flight-worthy. The same principles of public safety should apply to vehicles on our roads. Then there is the enforcement of traffic laws. We would not presume to tell police how to do their jobs, but we insist they – like all public servants – do their jobs. Cayman laws forbid speeding, aggressive and dan- gerous driving, cellphone use and other risky driver behavior. But if those laws aren’t being enforced, they are of little use. And finally, there are drivers. Earlier this month, local Rotary clubs, government and police launched the Share the Road campaign, aimed at communicating important safety lessons to all road users – whether they are in a vehicle, on foot or riding a bicycle. As Rotary Club of Grand Cayman President Justin Bodden told the Compass, we all have a part to play in keeping our roads safe. Nothing we do can go back to prevent the horrible accident that cut short a life, or any past accident that has resulted in death or serious injury, but we can resolve to do better moving forward. It is the only real consolation we can offer to the too many people who have lost loved ones on Grand Cayman’s roadways, and is the only way to help prevent future fatalities and other families’ grief. Cayman’s latest roadway tragedy THURSDAY JULY 20, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS When protections begin to disappear Do you mainly fear gov- ernment or feel protected by it? The American Founders wrote a Constitution and de- signed a system of govern- ment that sharply limited the powers of the state — be- cause they understood that the greatest danger to the liberty of the people was the necessary evil of government. The U.S has succeeded be- cause it was based on the rule of law, with strong pro- tections for property rights, and a judicial system based on due process. There has been a steady erosion of these basic principles and rights over the last 240 years, resulting in the undermining of economic freedom and the loss of much personal liberty. The U.S. used to be near the top in rankings of coun- tries regarding the “rule of law” and “property rights.” But now the World Jus- tice Project places the U.S. at number 18 in its Rule of Law Index. The rule of law means that all are equally subject to the law, and not to the whims of kings, dictators, and other rulers. Last week, the Prop- erty Rights Alliance released the 2017 International Prop- erty Rights Index. The U.S. is 14th out of the 127 countries that were measured. Property rights’ protections are highly correlated with economic prosperity and liberty, and levels of entrepreneurship. One of the major abuses of property rights in the U.S. has been “asset forfeiture” whereby local, state or fed- eral government officials seize property on the mere suspicion that the owner might have done something illegal — rather than on conviction. Many times, the seized property is used by and even destroyed by gov- ernment officials — where subsequently the rightful owner is found innocent of all suspicions and charges. The good news is that some states, like New Mexico and most recently Connect- icut, have abolished “asset forfeiture” before conviction. It also should be abolished at the Federal level, where it has been abused by the IRS and other officials. Real rule of law only ex- ists if the laws are few enough in number, clearly written as to be readily un- derstood by those subject to them, and equally enforced. There are now more than 5,000 federal crimes with more being added each year. How many have you violated? Probably many of them, be- cause you were unaware of their existence, and many of them would not seem like a crime to most people. There are also thousands of state and local criminal statutes that are impossible for anyone to know. It is es- timated that there are more than 10,000,000 words in the IRS code alone, plus all of the other government regulations that everyone is supposed to know and obey — an impos- sible task — which under- mines rule of law. In his column in The Wall Street Journal on July 13, Dan Henniger wrote: “No more settled part of the West’s tradition exists than due process and presumption of innocence, which are em- bedded in the Universal Dec- laration of Human Rights. Be- lieving this Western tradition impeded sexual abuse allega- tions at colleges, the Obama Education Department issued ‘guidance’ that reversed due process and legitimized the presumption of guilt.” This “guidance” has de- stroyed the lives of many young men and others who may have been fully in- nocent of unproven alle- gations but were not af- forded the basic legal right of due process. Fortunately, the new secretary of Educa- tion, Betsy DeVos, appointed a panel last week to review the “guidance” with the goal of re-establishing balance and basic legal protections for the accused. Many non-government in- stitutions, both public and private, giving into pres- sures from interest groups, have also eliminated due pro- cess provisions in the treat- ment of their own employees. It has reached the point in some organizations where an employee can make a charge against a fellow employee or supervisor about some com- ment or action they do not like, and be protected from having their name revealed. Obviously, such practices lead to considerable abuse by disgruntled or mean-spirited workers and great unfairness to the accused. As a recent example of the dangers of ignoring due process, the retired CEO of a major organization was told that he had made an unwel- come comment to an em- ployee — after he was retired — and hence would not be allowed “unescorted” in the headquarters building where he had maintained an office. The new CEO refused to tell him what the com- ment was and who had com- plained. Some of us who know the situation expect that it was a trumped-up excuse by the insecure new CEO, in an attempt to tar- nish and banish his highly regarded and successful pre- decessor. Due process is a necessary protection against tyranny by both government officials and those in non- government organizations. The Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Amendments to the Constitution are clear and explicit in their protections of the rule of law, prop- erty rights and due process. Judges and members of leg- islative bodies who ignore these protections are de- priving citizens of their lib- erty and property and ought to be deprived of their jobs. Richard W. Rahn is chairman of Improbable Success Productions and on the board of the American Council for Capital Formation. © 2017 The Washington Times. RICHARD W. RAHN RICHARD W. RAHN 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” – EDITORIAL –5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY JULY 20, 2017 LESF GYM AND SAUNA IS FOR YOU! INFOLIFEEXT@GMAIL.COM Like, Love and Live and come and see us! Northward prisoners turn their hands to leather working SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com Iguana wallets and hand- bags may soon be coming to a store near you, handmade by prisoners in Cayman. Northward prison has enlisted the talent of a craftsman from Guyana to teach inmates the finer points of tanning and leather working in the hopes of giving them marketable skills upon their release. Colin Bollers, who oper- ates a Guyana-based busi- ness called Jochelle’s Mag- netic Craft, is spending three days this week working with a volunteer group of inmates on beginner-level leather work. Later this year, the prison hopes to build a tan- nery and to expand the class to a larger group of students. “One thing we’ve al- ways got is space here. And we always have personnel,” Cayman Islands Prisons Di- rector Neil Lavis said of the latest jobs-based initiative at Northward. “It’s giving prisoners an option, something to break the cycle. They can say, ‘You know what? I can do this and not have to turn to crime again.’ That knock-on effect makes Cayman a safer place to live, which is what we all want, really.” Mr. Lavis said the prison has an old goat pen that can be converted into a tannery, and he also said that having a learning and working rou- tine is good for the inmates. The prison director envi- sions a line of products made from local material, and iguana skins are plentiful and poten- tially available free of cost. The green iguana is an inva- sive species in Cayman, and the Department of Environment has sponsored a cull designed to keep the population of the pest in control. Northward has also exper- imented with an instructional course in construction skills, and that program will move into its second phase in Sep- tember. A group of inmates built the shell of a building on the grounds of Northward, and the next stage will involve installing electricity in it. The initial investment for the leather-working pro- gram comes from the prison’s budget, but eventually, Mr. Lavis hopes it can be mone- tized to fund other rehabilita- tion programs at Northward. “There are things out there that we need money for,” he said. “We haven’t got the money. But if we can be smart with what we do here, we might be able to generate some income and get some grants.” The idea for the leather- working program came from civilian Supriya Bodden, who lives in Cayman and runs a charitable trust called The Guyana Foundation in her homeland. Ms. Bodden said her charity aims to teach skills to citizens who can then turn their knowledge into a thriving career, and she said that if it’s been able to work in Guyana, there’s no reason why it cannot work here in Cayman. “What we noticed is when we reached out into the com- munity to people and of- fered them [skills], it turned their lives around,” she said. “They were able to use those skills that they managed to get and some of them now have their own businesses and they’re moving ahead. I’d like to see Cayman not have to go through half of what we went through in our country. I’d like to see Cayman past that stage.” Ms. Bodden is opening a store called Handmade With Love in Cayman that will sell leather goods and other handiwork, and she hopes to stock it with work from the prisoners at Northward. But most importantly, she hopes the inmates will learn a trade that can give them a whole new life. “We hope this project will take off in a big way,” she said. “We hope the tannery will be able to supply other Cayma- nians who want to buy leather to continue the craft. We hope that the persons in here can begin to produce. We’re posi- tioning ourselves in this com- pany we’ve set up in Cayman to buy back from the prisons and to make their products available through our store. I don’t see any downside.” Enter Mr. Bollers, a master craftsman who has been working with leather for four decades. The first task for the inmates was to make a simple key ring, which in- volved making a template and cutting the leather to fit it. Tanning and crafting the leather is a tutorial that will come later in the process. Mr. Bollers, the son of the former chief taxidermist for the Guyana National Museum, said that compared to cow, working with local iguana would be a much easier ma- terial. Cow is much heavier, he said, and it would take a lot more time and energy to lift it, work it and to process the skin. Iguana, by contrast, is lighter and supple and easily obtainable. Mr. Bollers has crafted goods from snakes, and he said he’s looking for- ward to working with iguana. The craftsman is also looking forward to working with in- mates because he feels that learning can profoundly change their lives. “There’s something going on out there in society that’s causing people to be here. Maybe they just don’t know what to do with themselves,” he said of his new volunteer students. “I’ve known that some of the best tailors in Guyana learned their skill in prison. I’m very thankful that I’ve been given this opportu- nity. Everybody has talent. Ev- erybody has skill. It’s just a matter of guiding them in a direction.” Volunteers for the leather-making program will get three days of instruction this week, and potentially learn a skill that can sustain them for a lifetime. – PHOTOS: TANEOS RAMSAY Colin Bollers, a craftsman from Guyana, has been instructing inmates in the prison’s new leather-working program. Leather goods such as purses, made from local material by local inmates, may soon be available. Supriya Bodden started a charitable organization called The Guyana Foundation and will be opening a store called Handmade With Love in Cayman this fall.The 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 JULY 20, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS THURSDAY, JULY 20 PUB QUIZ: 7 p.m. at Fidel Murphy’s, to benefit the Humane Society. Maximum six people per team, $10 per team member. FRIDAY, JULY 21 NEEDS ASSESSMENT UNIT: The unit will be closed for a one-day staff training session and will reopen as usual at 8:30 a.m. Monday, July 24. SATURDAY, JULY 22 DARKNESS TO LIGHT: Free training program, 9-11:30 a.m., for parents, teachers and others who work with or provide services to young people. Cost is free. Gain knowledge and skills to prevent child sexual abuse, recognize signs of abuse and learn how to react responsibly. Pre-registration is required. Contact vrm@redcross.org.ky. SUNDAY, JULY 23 GOSPEL MEETING: Starts today and continues through July 28. West Bay Church of Christ presents “Jesus Is The Answer” with guest speaker J.K. Hamilton from Mountain View Church of Christ in Dallas, Texas. Sunday, 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.; Monday to Friday at 7:30 p.m. TUESDAY, JULY 25 MOONLIGHT & MOVIES: “Mamma Mia!” (2008, PG-13) will show at Camana Bay’s Gardenia Court. Free. 7 p.m. THURSDAY, JULY 27 CHAMBER COURSE: Dealing with Difficult Customers. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Chamber of Commerce, Governors Square. $150 for Chamber members, $225 for future members. Register online at www.caymanchamber.ky. FRIDAY, JULY 28 CARIFESTA: Showcasing the talent selected to represent Cayman in Carifesta this year. Harquail Theatre. 8 p.m. tonight and tomorrow; 6 p.m. on Sunday. $25. TUESDAY, AUGUST 8 DARKNESS TO LIGHT: Free training program, 6:30-9 p.m., for parents, teachers and others who work with or provide services to young people. Cost is free. Gain knowledge and skills to prevent child sexual abuse, recognize signs of abuse and learn how to react responsibly. Pre-registration is required. Contact vrm@redcross.org.ky. CHAMBER COURSE: Immigration and Permanent Residency. 9–11 a.m. Chamber of Commerce, Governors Square. $175 for Chamber members, $225 for future members. Register online at www.caymanchamber.ky. FRIDAY, AUGUST 18 LIQUOR LICENCES: Today is the deadline to submit applications for liquor license renewals, including music and dancing licenses. Application forms can be downloaded from the Department of Commerce and Investment’s website www.dci.gov.ky. For more information, contact Shelise Jeffery on 244-2202. For Sister Islands operations, contact Lolita Bodden at 948-2400 or Dave Tatum at 244-4401. SUMMER CAMPS, VBS VBS: Boatswain Bay Presbyterian Church invites all to VBS Monday, July 31, to Friday, Aug. 4, 9 a.m. till noon. The theme is “Created by God, built for a purpose.” The Bible School is for children 4 to 12 years. SUMMER OF ART: The National Gallery offers this series every Tuesday and Thursday from 2-4 p.m. in the Susan A. Olde Art Studio until Aug. 17. Space is limited to 20 students per session on a first-come, first-served basis (no pre-registration necessary). Sessions are free and all materials are provided. Summer camps and large groups can book art sessions and tours separately. For more information, visit www.nationalgallery.org. ky or email education@ nationalgallery.org.ky. MUSIC CAMP: Cayman Music School is offering a camp for kids of all ages in ear training, instrument mastery, talent shows and more. Children will perform a musical recital at the end of each week. Ages 5 to 12. Cost is $55 per day or $250 per week. Till July 28, 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Call 938-3838 or email info@caymanmusicschool.com. LEARNING CABOOSE: Offered through Church of God Chapel, Till July 28. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For ages 5 to 13. Cost is $250. Activities include arts and crafts, glass bottom boat, fishing, sports. Call 929-9222 or 949-1794. SUMMER SCHOOL PROGRAM: Light of the World Christian Fellowship offers tutorial programs in literacy and mathematics this summer with side focus on arts and crafts, educational games and field trips. Lunch and two snacks served daily. Till July 28. 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Call 926-1541 or 947-1949. KIDS ABILITY: Preschool and Kindergarten Readiness for ages 2.5 to 4.5. 8:30-11:30 a.m. Till Aug. 11. $275 per week. Social skills camps for ages 5 to 7, 7-11. Weekly themed camps, till Aug. 11. Also baby play times. Contact info@kidsability.ky. IMMERSE: The Cayman Islands National Museum on the waterfront is holding a camp to brief children on the region’s rich maritime history. Cost is $100. Ages 12 to 14 for session running from July 24-28. ACTING CAMPS: Organized by Cayman Drama Society at Prospect Playhouse. 8 to 11 years, July 24-28. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. $300 for the week. 12-16 years, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. $325 for the week. Email training@cds.ky to book. HORSE CAMP: Coral Stone Stables, West Bay. For ages 7 to 16. Till July 28. 8 a.m. to noon. $250 per week; $50 per day. Children must be physically fit; no experience necessary. Contact Noland at 916-4799, coralstonestables@gmail.com. GENERAL INTEREST NATIONAL GALLERY: All are invited to view the new temporary exhibition Mediating Self, a display of works from the Cayman Islands National Collection that illustrates the ways in which our bodies are used to create and navigate our personal and collective identities. Open Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. HUMANE SOCIETY THRIFT SHOP: The shop has moved to Venetia Plaza, next to China Village. The thrift shop is open Tuesday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., closed on Sunday and Monday. Phone 945-5596. DVDL REPLACES TEMP PLATES: The Department of Vehicle and Drivers’ Licensing is replacing all Temporary Registration Plates. Customers who have been contacted by the department are asked to collect their new registration plates. They are reminded to bring the temporary registration plates, windshield coupon (if not expired) and log book. CONTRACTORS REGISTRATION: The deadline for residential and building contractors is June 30; trade contractors’ deadline is Aug. 31. BETHESDA COUNSELLING CENTRE: Caters to all who seek help. Open Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at 68 Mary St. Appointments available Saturdays and late evenings. Owned and operated by the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. Call 946-6575. LOST DOGS: The Department of Agriculture and veterinary students of St. Matthew’s University provide an online list of dogs housed at the Department of Agriculture Animal Rescue Shelter in Lower Valley. Anyone missing a dog can check www.smustudents.webs.com. HUMANE SOCIETY BOOK LOFT: North Sound Road. Open Monday 12:30-4 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday 5:30-7:30 p.m. Volunteers needed for front desk a few hours per week. Email humanesocietybookloft@ candw.ky or call 946-8053. Donations of books, games, CDs, stationery, DVDs, cards etc., in good condition always needed. RED CROSS THRIFT SHOP: The Thrift Shop opening hours are Tuesday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5-7 p.m. Friday hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and closed evenings. Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. SPECIAL OLYMPICS: Volunteers are needed. Tuesdays at the Truman Bodden Complex at 5:30 p.m. for track/field, football and bocce. No experience necessary. Wednesdays at Lions Pool 10:15–11 a.m. You do not have to swim, just be able to walk in water chest-deep. Thursdays at First Baptist Church for basketball, 5:30–7 p.m. Saturdays, Adult Special Olympic swim conditioning at CIS pool 9:30–10:30 a.m. Contact Penny McDowall at 516-2578 or pjmcdowall@gmail.com. OPEN STUDIO: Every Thursday 10 a.m. till noon and every Monday 1-4 p.m. at Watler House Studio on grounds of Pedro Castle. Offered by Visual Arts Society to adults/youth who want to work independently in an inspiring atmosphere. For more information, email info@visualartcayman.com. COMMUNITY CHESS: Tuesdays 5-8 p.m., West Indies Wine Company. Join the Cayman Chess Club for a complimentary chess class and open challenges weekly. Anyone can learn to play and enjoy chess, even beginners. ARTISANS MARKET: Camana Bay every Wednesday, noon till 8 p.m. Visual Arts Society artists display arts, crafts, paintings, prints, hand-crafted jewelry and ceramics for sale. For details, email info@visualartcayman.com. OPEN CANVAS: Wednesdays. Visual Arts Society supports this event at KARoo Restaurant in Camana Bay. 7-11 p.m. No fee, easels provided. For more information, send an email to info@ongart.com or jar.was@gmail.com. MUSEUM TOURS: The National Museum provides guided tours for students and school groups free of cost. Students will gain an understanding of Cayman’s geological formation, flora and fauna, seafaring and rope-making heritage, political history and more. Contact the museum to book a tour in advance at 949-8368 or email info@museum.ky. CLUBS, ORGANIZATIONS ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS: Meets daily to help with drinking problems. For more information, call 926-9044 or visit www.caymanaa.org. NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS: Is available for substance abuse help. Call the info line at 929–NANA (6262). AL-ANON GROUP MEETING: Are you troubled by someone’s drinking? Al-Anon Family Groups can help. Call 928-8843 or email caymanalanon@gmail.com for meeting times. OVERCOMERS OUTREACH: A Christ-centered 12-step recovery group addresses addictions and those affected by them. Meetings at Cayman Islands Baptist Church, Pedro Castle Road, Mondays, 7 p.m. For details, contact Virginia Castillo at 946-2422, or visit www.overcomersoutreach.org. DEMENTIA/ALZHEIMER’S SUPPORT GROUP: This group meets on the last Wednesday of each month at the Catboat Club clubhouse, North Church Street. All are invited to attend. Call 924-4170 or email info@adacayman.com. For more Community Calendar events, visit www.caymancompass.com/events. Amanda Seyfried and Meryl Streep star in ‘Mamma Mia,’ showing at Gardenia Court in Camana Bay at 7 p.m. on July 25.7 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY JULY 20, 2017 Good Manufacturing Practices Preserves Preservation Jams Jellies Chutney Sauces & Pickles Food Microbiology Introduction to Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) Product Development & Display AGRO Processing *REGISTRATION ON A FIRST COME BASIS TOPICS TO BE COVERED VENUE: Clifton Hunter High School Aug. 8 - 11 9am - 4:30pm $50* Frank Sound, North Side TRAINER: Debbie Ann Kennedy Scientific Research Council ISO9000:2015 Certification For more information contact: 345-947-3090 DEADLINE: Friday 28th July 2017 W ORK SHOP From fighting fire to search and rescue False Twitter account poses as Premier A Twitter account pur- porting to represent Premier Alden McLaughlin was con- firmed as fake on Tuesday by the Office of the Premier. The false account @Ky1McLaughlin, created this month, began sending out tweets and interacting with users Tuesday morning. The account’s profile de- scribes the owner as being Alden McLaughlin, “Pre- mier of the Cayman Islands since 2013. McLaughlin serves as leader of the Peo- ple’s Progressive Movement in the Cayman Islands.” Mr. McLaughlin’s official account, @AldenMcL, has not been verified by Twitter. Accounts of public interest that have been verified by Twitter as authentic appear with a blue check mark by the username. The measure helps prevent the spread of false accounts posing as public figures. Mr. McLaughlin joined Twitter in March 2013. None of the government ministers on Twitter have had their accounts verified. Firefighters train for new marine role JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Six firefighters are under- going intensive training this week to equip themselves for a new search and rescue role on Cayman’s coastal waters. The group is being trained in handling boats and Wave- Runners, marine navigation and rehearsing search and rescue scenarios on the water. The training is part of a joint project between po- lice, customs and firefighters. Ultimately, 24 firefighters will be trained for the new part of the job. Chief Fire Officer David Hails said his men were ready and eager to take on the new responsibility. “They are excited about it. Every one of the men taking part in the training now and in the future has volunteered for the role,” he said. “This is something that was needed. With the loca- tion of the fire stations and the fact that firefighters are on duty 24/7, it makes sense to use that capability in joint marine operations.” He said trained firefighters already have some of the core skills needed for the role, but need specific training in using watercraft in rescue situations. “There are quite a few is- lands where firefighters have a marine search and rescue role,” he added. He said the latest recruit class would also receive ma- rine training. Henry Ebanks, one of the first firefighters to take the training, said the course has been tough but interesting. “I am always one to face new challenges, that is why I signed up for this course and I’m really looking forward to it,” Mr. Ebanks said. “This is all new to me. I live on an island, but this is the first time I’ve really learned to op- erate a boat. “I enjoy facing new chal- lenges. I look forward every day to learning skills to help people in need.” Mr. Hails said the training is an ongoing process and firefighters would not be put on search and rescue duty until they were ready. There will be WaveRun- ners stationed at three fire stations in George Town, Frank Sound and West Bay and a rigid hull inflatable boat at the West Bay Fire Sta- tion. The WaveRunners will be fitted with rescue boards to help carry stricken swimmers or snorkelers back to shore. The marine police have also added two new Jet Skis to their fleet. Superinten- dent Robbie Graham said the partnership with fire service and customs would add new capability to Cayman’s emer- gency services. “We all have similar skills, first aid and public safety roles and we all work to keep our community and our visitors safe. It makes sense that we work in a col- laborative way.” He said the WaveRuners, which can be operated at night, would also be useful for crime fighting operations and chasing criminals in parts of the island not easily accessible by boat, such as the mangroves. Adrian Clarke, the training administrator at the Joint Marine Unit, and Customs Officer Randolph Jackson are leading the week-long training session. Mr. Clarke said the fire- fighters would continue to receive training throughout their careers. “This is a basic course. Once you take on the role of rescuing, this training has to continue because these are perishable skills. If you don’t have ongoing training you tend to lose some of it.” The group is being trained in handling boats and WaveRunners, marine navigation and rehearsing search and rescue scenarios on the water. Police and fire officers line up at the Joint Marine Unit headquarters as firefighters take part in training exercises. - PHOTO: ALVARO SEREY The fake Twitter account, purporting to belong to Premier Alden McLaughlin.The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 THURSDAY JULY 20, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS ask me, they are going to get no comment. Let’s go to court if they want to prosecute me. Let’s go to court. I want a jury,” Mr. Kynes said. In its Tuesday statement on Mr. Kynes’s arrest, the Royal Cayman Islands Po- lice Service initially said his art was displayed on public property, but later issued a correction that the art is “on his property that is in plain view of the public.” Mr. Kynes said police ar- rived at his home after 2 p.m. Tuesday and asked him to remove a series of nude sculptures, two of which fea- ture women embracing in a sexual manner. When Mr. Kynes refused to remove the works, he was arrested. The artist said one of the sculptures in question, “LGBT,” has been on display for two months. Over the past week, however, he said police have made daily visits to his property. En route to the police sta- tion, Mr. Kynes, 63, said the stress sent him into convul- sions, resulting from a poten- tially life-threatening genetic disorder, Marfan syndrome. Due to complications from the syndrome, the artist says he only expects to live for a few more months. Mr. Kynes refused a po- lice offer to be transported by ambulance to a hospital. In- stead, he waited with officers until the convulsions sub- sided and then continued to the station where he was fin- gerprinted and questioned. RCIPS said Mr. Kynes was never placed in hand- cuffs during his arrest or while in custody. “He did complain of some medical issues while being transported, and an ambu- lance was summoned and he was evaluated by medical personnel. He declined to go to the hospital,” an RCIPS spokesperson said. Mr. Kynes, who is hard of hearing, said police would not allow him to record their interaction and did not pro- vide him with a transcript of his questioning. The artist declined an offer for a government-ap- pointed attorney and said he plans to find his own legal counsel. The Cayman Islands Penal Code prohibits the dis- tribution or public exhibition of obscene writings, draw- ings, paintings, emblems or “any other object tending to corrupt morals.” The court may order the destruction of the material, regardless of whether there has been a conviction. Violation of the code can result in a $200 fine or three- month imprisonment. The Constitution of the Cayman Islands affirms the country to be, “a God-fearing country based on traditional Christian values, tolerant of other religions and beliefs.” Section 11 on expres- sion states, “No person shall be hindered by government in the enjoyment of his or her freedom of expression, which includes freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and infor- mation without interference, and freedom from interfer- ence with his or her corre- spondence or other means of communication.” Mr. Kynes contends his rights have been consistently violated over the years by hostile community members and law enforcement. His works have previously been the subject of public outrage, including a 10-foot sculp- ture called “Mephistopheles Throne” that was vandalized and destroyed in May 2015. He said another sculpture of a pyramid, intended for his underwater “Atlantis” in- stallment, was set on fire. Mr. Kynes said police never filed a report of his complaint from the incident. RCIPS was not able to lo- cate information on the com- plaint but invited Mr. Kynes to return to the Cayman Brac Police Station to search for the file. In correspondence with Mr. Kynes in October 2014, Chief Inspector Frank Owens said no police report of the Dec. 31, 2009 incident was available but that the fire department had deter- mined the cause of the fire to be “unknown.” “We are slowly losing our rights and it’s creeping in very slowly like cancer. This country is terminally ill. We are losing our rights and I will fight for mine,” Mr. Kynes said. “The harassment, it’s ter- rible. They are coming at me constantly.” He said police have ig- nored his complaints of ha- rassment, including threats on social media to de- stroy his art and to have him castrated. “My art has had paint thrown on it. It’s been de- stroyed, mashed up and set on fire,” he said. RCIPS said a previous harassment complaint by Mr. Kynes against Dalkeith Ebanks, who has objected to his art, was directed to the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions. Mr. Kynes’s arrest pro- voked concern in the is- lands’ art community about the implications for free expression. Speaking as a private cit- izen, artist Henry Muttoo said the case warrants anal- ysis of current laws on free expression. “All of these things come with a great amount of re- sponsibility, on the part of lawmakers and on the part of the artist,” he said. “If the policy is wrong or not in the best interest of serving the country or artist, then somebody has to lobby for it to be changed.” The National Gallery of the Cayman Islands board was reviewing the case and did not comment. Brac artist ‘Foots’ plans lawsuit over arrest CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 field of women’s health, en- couraging and training a number of female obstetri- cian-gynecologists in what has historically been a male- dominated field. “While the death of anyone as the result of an accident is always difficult to bear, these particular circumstances are extremely hard for everyone in the health sector,” Health Minister Dwayne Seymour said in a statement. The Ministry of Tourism, which has overall responsi- bility for the airport prop- erty on Grand Cayman, said this week that a safety re- view is now under way there in the wake of the pedes- trian’s death. “[The ministry] regards the safety of all who traverse the airport as the highest priority,” Tourism Minister and Cay- man’s Deputy Premier Moses Kirkconnell said. “While acci- dents can happen, even with all of the necessary protocols being in place, I am committed to doing everything possible to prevent a reoccurrence of this terrible tragedy happening in the future.” Mr. Kirkconnell said the ministry would speak with “relevant authorities” to iden- tify what additional measures might be taken to improve the safety of pedestrians around the airport property. Cayman Islands Airports Authority Chief Executive Al- bert Anderson declined to comment further regarding airport safety protocols. There are three cross- walks along Owen Roberts Drive which, runs in between two airport parking lots and the Andy’s Rent-A-Car prop- erty. There are no crossing lights at those intersections, and the road heading into the airport terminal does not have any speed bumps, al- though the road adjacent to the terminal does. victim alleged [Mr. Bush] grabbed her buttocks while pulling her with his right arm.” Seminole police declined to release the surveillance video of the incident to the Cayman Compass. Mr. Bush, the former premier of the Cayman Is- lands, was overwhelm- ingly re-elected in West Bay during Cayman’s gen- eral election in May. He was contacted by the Com- pass but declined to com- ment, saying only that he would be making a statement later. Mr. Bush’s Florida at- torney, Keith Seltzer, said late Wednesday that there had been no court date set in the case and, according to State of Florida criminal procedure, Mr. Bush has not been “formally charged” with any offenses. Mr. Seltzer said allega- tions against Mr. Bush “by one person” had led to the arrest. He said it was now up to a prosecutor to de- termine whether there was enough evidence to proceed with formal charges be- fore the court. “He has not appeared before the court, and he is not required to appear at this point,” Mr. Seltzer said. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Bush arrested at Florida casino CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Taxi driver arrested in doctor’s death A photo of McKeeva Bush after his Monday night arrest in Broward County, Florida. - PHOTO: BROWARD COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE The aftermath of Monday’s fatal accident at Owen Roberts International Airport. – PHOTO: BRENT FULLER Justices allow strict enforcement of Trump refugee ban WASHINGTON (AP) – The Su- preme Court is granting the Trump administration’s re- quest to more strictly en- force its ban on refugees, at least until a federal appeals court weighs in. But the justices are leaving in place a lower court order that makes it easier for travelers from six mostly Muslim countries to enter the United States. The administration had appealed last week’s ruling by U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson that required the gov- ernment to allow in refugees formally working with a reset- tlement agency in the United States. Watson also vastly ex- panded the family relations that refugees and visitors can use to get into the country. The high court on Wednesday blocked Watson’s order as it applies to refugees, but not the expanded list of relatives. The justices said the federal appeals court in San Francisco should now con- sider the appeal. It’s not clear how quickly that will happen. In the meantime, though, up to 24,000 refugees who al- ready have been assigned to a charity or religious organi- zation in the U.S. will not be able to use that connection to get into the country. The Supreme Court also denied the administration’s request to clarify its ruling last month that allowed the administration to par- tially reinstate a 90-day ban on visitors from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen and a 120-day ban on refugees from anywhere in the world. The court’s ruling ex- empted a large swath of ref- ugees and travelers with a “bona fide relationship” with a person or an entity in the U.S. The justices did not define those relationships but said they could include a close rel- ative, a job offer or admission to a college or university. Watson’s order added grandparents, grandchil- dren, brothers-in-law, sisters- in-law, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins to a list that already included a parent, spouse, fiance, son, daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law or sibling already in the U.S. The expanded list of relatives re- mains in effect. McKeeva Bush was arrested at the Seminole Coconut Creek Casino in Coconut Creek, Florida.The islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY JULY 20, 2017 US: Iran still top state terror sponsor Iran continues to be the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, the U.S. State Department said Wednesday in a new report that also noted a decline in the number of terrorist attacks globally between 2015 and 2016. When Trump goes abroad, radical change follows in his wake California blaze threatens 5,000 structures near Yosemite FRESNO, Calif. (AP) – As wild- fires rage throughout the western U.S., one California blaze in the rugged moun- tains outside of Yosemite National Park placed nearly 5,000 structures under threat Wednesday and forced thou- sands of nearby residents to flee their homes. The California Depart- ment of Forestry and Fire Protection says that the fire nearly doubled in size over- night and has now scorched roughly 71 square miles. More than 2,000 people in the town of Mariposa are under evacuation orders as the fire burns in steep terrain with dense vegetation. No injuries have been re- ported, but the fire has de- stroyed eight structures. The fire is also threatening power lines that provide elec- tricity to the park. The park remained open Tuesday but several roads frequented by tourists were closed. Record rain and snowfall in the mountains this winter was celebrated for bringing California’s five-year drought to its knees, but it has turned into a challenge for firefighters battling flames feeding on the dense vegeta- tion, officials said. “There’s ample fuel and steep terrain,” said California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokeswoman DeeDee Garcia. “It makes fire- fighting difficult.” The wildfire near Lake McClure, a reservoir about 50 miles east of Modesto, was 5 percent contained Tuesday evening as at least 1,400 fire- fighters battled it on the ground and from the air. It was burning near Highway 49, a historical route winding its way up California foothills of the western Sierra Nevada dotted with communities and land- marks that sprouted up during the state’s Gold Rush. Joey Street, 49, a tree trimmer who has lived in Mariposa for about 25 years, was among the people who were first evac- uated to a Red Cross make- shift shelter set up at Mar- iposa Elementary School, which was later closed. “[Firefighters] don’t have control of it now, so they’d better be safe than sorry,” Street told the Fresno Bee while waiting to be bused to an evacuation center in nearby Oakhurst. The conditions sig- nificantly worsened from Monday to Tuesday, he said. “Yesterday it didn’t look too bad, today you can’t even see Mt. Bullion right now, which tells me it’s getting closer,” Street said. “More ash falling from the sky tells me it’s getting closer.” Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday declared an emer- gency, bolstering the state’s resources to battle the fire that he said has forced thousands of residents to flee and is expected to con- tinue burning. The cause of the blaze re- mained under investigation. Smoke from the fire in Mariposa County drifted more than 150 miles away to Reno. In a remote northeastern corner of Nevada, roughly 14 homes were damaged or destroyed by a wildfire that started Monday. Offi- cials have lifted an evacua- tion advisory, allowing hun- dreds of people to return home and assess damage, au- thorities said. Wind is driving the flames through invasive cheat grass – growing twice the norm, U.S. Bureau of Land Management spokesman Greg Deimel said. “It is very thick, very dense,” he said. “You get the winds and the density of the grass, the fire just goes.” Donald Trump may be struggling to get things done at home, but in other parts of the world he’s proving a change-maker. The U.S. president has made two foreign visits of his own choosing in the first six months of his presidency, to the Middle East and Po- land. Both had rapid and major consequences, leading his hosts to believe they had American backing for high- stakes moves they had previ- ously hesitated to make. United Arab Emirates For- eign Minister Anwar Gar- gash confirmed this week that Trump’s “very, very successful” trip to the Gulf in May had helped trigger the decision by his country – together with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bah- rain – to launch a political and economic assault on Qatar. The June 5 move to cut diplomatic, trade and trans- portation ties with Qatar, closing its only land border, came little more than two weeks after Trump’s depar- ture from the region. The president backed the deci- sion in a tweet, saying the Arab leaders he’d met there had “pointed to Qatar” when he told them that funding of radical ideologies had to stop. Poland waited just a week after Trump’s July 6 visit to pass legislation giving pol- iticians more control over the judiciary, transferring to parliament the right to ap- point the body that promotes judges. The government also proposed to terminate man- dates of the current Supreme Court judges, and let the jus- tice ministry decide which ones get to stay on and which are replaced. Ruling party lawmakers said they had found an ally in the U.S. pres- ident, who depicted Poland as a model European nation. “In both cases, what we saw was an attempt to ma- nipulate Trump, to take ad- vantage of his lack of knowl- edge and foreign policy infrastructure,” said Thomas Wright, director of the center on the U.S. and Europe at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank. Global problems Trump has yet to impose his foreign-policy priori- ties on long-standing global problems, many of which also defeated his predeces- sors. North Korea’s mis- sile-testing program has, if anything, accelerated since Trump came to office. The Israel-Palestinian question looks no closer to resolution. Syria’s civil war rages into its seventh year. For many allies, the big- gest worry has been that the new administration, with “America first” as its watch- word, would destroy the lib- eral economic and security order constructed under U.S. auspices since World War II. Trump did lead his country out of the 2015 Paris Agree- ment, but no others have yet followed. Still, evidence is growing of a concrete, if unpredictable Trump effect. Some NATO na- tions are accelerating plans to meet the alliance’s defense spending target – encouraged to do so by Trump, but also looking toward a post-Amer- ican era. The new president may also have contributed to a slump in support for fellow populists in Europe, who re- ceived sharp boosts from his election last year, only to see their electoral prospects re- cede again since he took office. In Poland, officials haven’t attributed their bid to as- sert control over the judi- ciary to Trump’s visit, yet there’s little doubt they were emboldened by his support and the opinion-poll boost that it produced. Stopping in Warsaw on his way to a summit of the Group of 20 nations in Ham- burg, Trump made a foreign- policy speech arguing that Western civilization, defined by faith and culture, was in peril. He singled out Poland, the subject of an unprece- dented investigation by the European Union for allegedly abusing the rule of law, as a beacon of freedom. “He should have said, ‘We are your friend but we need you to uphold democratic in- stitutions like the free press,’” said Wright. “Instead he said, ‘I hate the press too.’” The governing party seized on Trump’s comments, even adopting one of his favorite terms. Political opponents have been spreading a false image of Poland as a totalitarian country, said Dominik Tarc- zynski, a Law and Justice legislator. “Slowly but surely we are managing to convince many countries that we’re dealing with fake news here, something President Trump spoke about during his visit.” Uncertain whether changes will work out It remains to be seen whether the initiatives that Trump catalyzed in Po- land and the Gulf work out as planned. In Poland, the judicial re- forms are proving contro- versial amid warnings they could damage the nation’s young democracy and deter foreign investors. The gov- ernment backtracked on ele- ments of its legislative pro- posals Tuesday, although the ruling party sought to rush the measures through. On Wednesday, the Euro- pean Commission said it was considering the possibility of imposing punitive sanctions. Poland has received about $285 billion of EU aid, almost two-thirds of its current an- nual gross domestic product, since joining in 2004. Lawmakers reconvened Wednesday, after a heated debate that featured scuffles and ran past midnight. Oppo- sition legislators tabled more than 1,000 amendments in an attempt to delay passage of the law, while protesters outside the parliament building chanted: “Freedom, Equality, Democracy.” © 2017, Bloomberg It remains to be seen whether the initiatives that Trump catalyzed in Poland and the Gulf work out as planned. U.S. President Donald Trump greets Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi on May 15. - PHOTO: BLOOMBERG CalFire crews battle a huge wildfire near Mariposa, California, on Tuesday. - PHOTO: APNext >