SECTION | PAGE ## TITLE FOR THE SPORT/ BUSINESS SKYBOX FRIDAY AUGUST 18, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Cayman mum converts creativity to business Zoe Wall is brainchild behind Wall Creations B2 Tuesday Comedy Show at the Strand New Jersey’s Frank Del Pizzo takes to the stage B5 Food & Drin k Food & Drin k Art & Culture ■ FOOD & DRINK Spicing up Camana Bay Pani Indian Kitchen brings tandoors to town. B3 Westin mixologist wins coveted title Valerie Balignasay is 2017 Cayman Islands Stoli Brand Ambassador B6 Anchor & Den creates branded brew The Marriott restaurant and lounge launches signature coffee B7 STOLI FLAVOURS2 for $ 56 Until 31 July STOLI FLAVOURS 2 for $56 Until 31 July STOLI FLAVOURS 2 for $56 Until 31 July STOLI FLAVOURS 2 for $56 Until 31 July OFFER AVAILABLE JULY AND AUGUST FLAVORS REG. $33.99 NOW $27.99 SAVE $ 6 Cayman mum creativity to s brainchild Creations CAYMAN WEEKENDER Spicing up Camana Bay EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 LIQUOR BOARD NEEDS TO COME CLEAN ON MISMATCHED MINUTES High of 90 Low of 81 Moderate with wave heights of 3 to 5 feet. ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 75 CENTS – FRIDAY AUGUST 18, 2017 SEVEN MILE BEACH WATERFRONT WALKERS ROAD TOWN CENTRE PLAZA RED BAY Gov’t to redraw national development plans 1997 document to get 2018 update BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The “willy-nilly” development of Grand Cayman properties and roads – as some law- makers described it Wednesday – may soon end as government redraws zoning plans for the first time in more than 20 years. Planning Ministry Chief Officer Alan Jones confirmed during a Legislative Assembly Public Accounts Committee hearing that $362,000 has been set aside in the 2018/19 budget for a development plan redraft, which will affect the construction of everything from residential homes, to apartments, to high-end hotels. The 1997 development plan has not been updated since its inception, even though local planning laws require government to do so every five years. The Public Accounts Committee this week reviewed why government officials had seemingly ignored a 2015 audit recommen- dation that the plan be updated, an over- sight that meant the government was left without significant input in steering major building decisions. “The failure of governments to maintain the currency of development plans may have led to the impression that this important government responsibility has been allowed to pass to the private sector,” the 2015 audit report states. “This is the most glaring example of stat- utory requirements being ignored by succes- sive governments,” Public Accounts Committee Chairman Ezzard Miller said Wednesday. “It is beyond me how this has been allowed to continue all these years without somebody … putting their foot down.” CANDIDATE: ‘DROP RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS’ FOR VOTERS, POLITICIANS Gov’t under pressure to change Elections Law BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Alric Lindsay has lived in Cayman since he was a child and was adopted by a Caymanian man. His business is here, as is his home, as is pretty much his entire life. However, Mr. Lindsay found himself facing a legal challenge to his ability to run for po- litical office earlier this year based on the fact that he had been out of the country for 797 days during the seven years before March 29, 2017 – nomination day for the general election. A Grand Court decision in mid-April found him eligible to run for office in George Town South, where he finished third out of five can- didates. About a month before the vote, he was required to hire a lawyer, go to court and prove he was eligible to stand for election. He believes it made a difference in the campaign. “Some people thought I was not Caymanian because that is the way the [election challenge] petition was originally worded, to suggest that I wasn’t Caymanian,” Mr. Lindsay said during an interview this week. “I don’t think it af- fected my ability to run the campaign, but it did affect the effectiveness of that campaign.” Mr. Lindsay’s situation highlights one of the problems raised by elections observers, as well as by the local Human Rights Commis- sion, about who can stand for office and who can vote for candidates in the Cayman Islands. In both areas, observers have noted that Caymanians are disadvantaged by vague or outdated rules that restrict their demo- cratic rights. Experts advise eclipse viewers to protect eyes It can be tempting to cast your eyes skyward to watch next week’s solar eclipse, but eye ex- perts and the folks at NASA all warn: Don’t do it. Cayman will witness a par- tial eclipse in the early afternoon of Monday, Aug. 21, when 55 per- cent of the sun will be blocked by the moon. In America, a total eclipse will be experienced across the country. Whether a total or partial eclipse, viewers of the phenom- enon face the same risk if they do not take precautions to pro- tect their eyes. Optometrist Mellisa Hudell, from Optical Outlook in Grand Cayman, explained that staring at the sun during an eclipse can cause a severe condition called solar retinopathy, which occurs when bright light from the sun floods the retina on the back of the eyeball. “The retina is home to the light-sensing cells that make vi- sion possible,” Dr. Hudell said. “When they’re over-stimulated by sunlight, they release a flood of chemicals that can damage the retina. This damage is often painless, so people don’t re- alize what they’re doing to their vision. “Solar retinopathy can be caused by staring at the sun. Few people can stand to look Celebrations mark couple’s 50th anniversary Family and friends of Pastor Torrance Bobb and his wife Elsa donned white and gathered on Seven Mile Beach to join the couple in celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. More than 80 visitors arrived from overseas to join the more than 100 on-island guests who took part in the three-day celebration last weekend. For more, see page 6. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL FRIDAY AUGUST 18, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Award-Winning Caribbean Chicken! Fresh, Healthy & Delicious! 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Warm Atlantic waters ‘bullish’ for hurricane season peak Season already showing above average activity Not one, but three poten- tial storms threaten to usher in the busiest phase of the Atlantic hurricane season later this month, courtesy of warm ocean temperatures. The season – which runs from June to November – has already seen above-average activity this year. Storms with the capacity to cause the most damage are statis- tically more likely to develop from late August to early Oc- tober, originating from thun- derstorms and low pressure from the Caribbean Sea to the west coast of Africa. “The tropical Atlantic is currently the third warmest for this time of year since 1950, so that’s bullish for ac- tivity,” said Todd Crawford, chief meteorologist at The Weather Company in An- dover, Massachusetts. Warm ocean tempera- tures are the lifeblood of hur- ricanes. Meanwhile, wind shear and dry air from the Sahara, both of which can slow storm development, aren’t as pronounced at this time. Atlantic storms can wreak havoc with U.S. nat- ural gas and oil produc- tion facilities in the Gulf of Mexico, while Florida, the world’s largest orange juice producer behind Brazil, is also vulnerable. So far this year, seven storms have been named in the Atlantic, two of which have become hurricanes. Over the long-term av- erage, the second hurricane does not usually form until Aug. 28 and the seventh storm doesn’t appear until Sept. 16, according to the National Hurricane Center. Storms get names when their winds reach 39 miles per hour and reach hurricane strength at 74 mph. The late Bill Gray, who pioneered seasonal hurri- cane forecasts, would actu- ally walk through the offices of Colorado State Universi- ty’s forecasting team on Aug. 20 and ring a bell to let his colleagues know that the peak of the season had ar- rived. Storms that develop at this time of the year have historically been the big- gest – Category 3 or more on the five-step Saffir Simpson scale – and caused the most problems. “It is rare to have a major, land falling hurricane that didn’t form from a trop- ical wave that didn’t come off the coast of Africa,” said Jeff Masters, co-founder of Weather Underground in Ann Arbor, Michigan. At the beginning of Au- gust, Colorado State Univer- sity raised its seasonal fore- cast to 16 named storms from 15 a month before. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra- tion upped its outlook to a range of 14 to 19 from 11 to 17 in May. An additional 10 storms, six hurricanes and three major systems have been seen on average from now until the season’s end over the past 15 years, said Craw- ford. “Those levels look quite reasonable, if not a touch low, going forward,” he said. Masters said he is not worried about what’s in the Atlantic just now. Hurricane Gert will eventually lose its tropical power even as it makes its way toward Ireland and the U.K. early next week. The three potential storms “don’t raise alarm bells with me,” he said. The system near the Lesser Antilles has an 80 per- cent chance of becoming a storm in the next two days, the National Hurricane Center said. A U.S. Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft was scheduled to fly into the system Thursday to take a closer look. The second system has a 60 percent chance of becoming a storm in five days and the third, near Cabo Verde, has a 40 percent chance. Crawford is not so ready to dismiss them since the last one which is closest to Africa “will probably have the best environment for devel- opment and may become our first major hurricane of the year later in the month as it moves toward the U.S.” The current burst of ac- tivity is also being helped by a global pattern called the Madden-Julian Oscilla- tion, which is making con- ditions even more conducive for storms to develop, Mas- ters said. That will prob- ably fade by early September, when there could even be a bit of a lull. “As we move into Sep- tember, we expect a less fa- vorable environment for de- velopment, so that peak of the season may not be as ‘peaky’ as usual,” Crawford said. In the near term, none of these systems threaten the U.S. The same pattern that was been bringing milder weather to the eastern U.S. “effectively steers ap- proaching storms out to sea like Gert,” Crawford said. The three possible storms might cause shippers trouble as they transport oil around the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, said Phil Flynn, se- nior market analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago. While a more powerful season looms, there’s at least one bright side: None of these tropical systems will blot out the sky for next Monday’s solar eclipse, Masters said. © 2017, Bloomberg “The tropical Atlantic is currently the third warmest for this time of year since 1950, so that’s bullish for activity,” said Todd Crawford, chief meteorologist at The Weather Company in Andover, Massachusetts. Lost wedding ring recovered on Kittiwake A shipwreck, lost trea- sure and a knight in scuba gear made for a fairy tale ending to one couple’s Cayman vacation story. When Jessica Pasquarelli noticed she had lost her wedding ring after a dive on the USS Kittiwake dive site, she thought it was gone forever. But staff at Divetech came up with the idea of re- viewing GoPro video footage from the dive. The detective work paid off: She noticed the ring had been on her finger when she swam into the ship’s recompression chamber but was missing when she re-emerged. One of the company’s dive instructors made a trip out to the shipwreck the next day and recovered the ring from where it had lodged underneath the floor plates in the chamber. “I had already accepted the fact that the ring was gone,” said Ms. Pasquarelli. “It is just amazing to get it back. What are the odds?” She said instructor Mark Rowe had filmed her en- tire Kittiwake dive on GoPro and encouraged her to go through the footage to figure out when she lost the ring. “When I told him the video showed it might be in the chamber, I thought there was a one percent chance it might still be there. I re- ally didn’t expect them to go look for it. But he called the boat without hesitation and they went and found it. “Words cannot explain how much I appreciate them and how they went above and beyond for a cus- tomer’s ring that was lost in the ocean. This is proof that there [are] still good people in the world who truly care.” Ms. Pasquarelli married her partner Laura in Las Vegas in November last year and first visited the Cayman Islands for their honeymoon in December. Joanna Miku- towicz, owner of Divetech, said she was glad they were able to help. “It was great that we had the GoPro footage to find it,” she said. “We’ve had people lose wedding rings and cameras and flashlights be- fore, but we have never been able to find them for them.” Potential tropical cyclone brews east of Caribbean region Several disturbances being monitored in Atlantic A potential tropical cy- clone east of the Lesser Antilles began to take definition and become better organized Thursday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center. A five-day forecast placed Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine on a westward trajec- tory, possibly threatening the southern Caribbean before curving northwest toward Central America. The system had an 80 percent chance of becoming a hurricane in the next 48 hours and a 90 percent chance in the next five days. The National Hurricane Center described environ- mental conditions as condu- cive to storm development and anticipated a trop- ical depression could form Thursday night. Heavy rainfall and gusty winds were expected for the Lesser Antilles and the eastern Caribbean Sea. No country specific warn- ings had been issued as of Thursday afternoon. An Air Force Reserve Hur- ricane Hunter was expected to investigate the disturbance Thursday afternoon. Another disturbance, moving westward across the Atlantic, showed a me- dium chance of forming into a cyclone over the next five days. The disturbance was halfway between Africa and the Lesser Antilles as of Thursday afternoon. The Na- tional Hurricane Center fore- cast a 50 percent change of the storm becoming a cyclone in 48 hours and a 60 percent chance in five days. The disturbance was ex- pected to follow a west- northwestern trajectory, passing north of the Leeward Islands. At this point, the storm’s upper-level winds are expected to be less conducive to tropical cyclone formation. Jessica Pasquarelli lost her wedding ring while diving at the USS Kittiwake wreck this week.The islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY AUGUST 18, 2017 CAMANA BAY WELCOMES PANI INDIAN KITCHEN Experience the flavours of India at the Town Centre’s newest restaurant. Enjoy authentic Indian food at Pani Indian Kitchen, featuring traditional flavours from various regions of India and prepared by a team of talented Indian chefs. This harbourfront restaurant’s vibrant décor and fragrant dishes transport you to a bustling and aromatic street bazaar. Located on The Crescent Open daily from 11:30 a.m. +1.345.640.0007 PaniCayman.com CAMANABAY.COMwhere life blossomsThe 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. FRIDAY AUGUST 18, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS The controversy surrounding the Liquor Licensing Board just got considerably more serious. As reported in yesterday’s newspaper, the Cayman Compass has come into possession of the original draft minutes from the board’s March quarterly session. Troublingly, the draft minutes differ in substantial and material ways from the “official” minutes, approved by the Board at its subsequent June meeting. In other words, the draft minutes appear to have been either edited or altered to “rewrite” the narrative of what actually took place at the March meeting. The changes are so extensive that we can draw no conclu- sion other than they were purposeful. Remember, minutes are taken at board meetings to record accurately, for future reference, what actually transpired. Other than minor corrections, “draft minutes” and “official minutes” should be nearly identical. To date, there is no explanation from Liquor Licensing Board Acting Chairman Woody DaCosta or any board members that addresses the discrepancies. Indeed, they have gone completely silent on the matter. They are not responding to multiple email inquiries or returning voicemail messages requesting comment. In the meantime, Deputy Governor Franz Manderson and Commerce Minister Joey Hew have called for an independent investigation into the Liquor Licensing Board’s action by the government’s internal auditors. To make this more clear, the following Board activi- ties are detailed in the “draft minutes” – but mysteri- ously omitted in the “official minutes”: • Granted the Peanuts application to sell alcohol on Sundays • Agreed that gas stations and liquor stores would have to apply for a retail license in order to sell on Sundays • Agreed that permitted hours for a retail license at all gas stations and liquor stores will be 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays • Agreed that sales should not be allowed on Christmas Days and Good Fridays • Expected an increase in the number of applications for Sunday sales of alcohol • Planned to create a policy specifically for conve- nience stores. Inexplicably, in the “official minutes” all of these matters were altered or excised entirely. In their place are statements where the board appeared to be laying a foundation to justify turning down the Peanuts application: • The Peanuts retail license had, in fact, been declined • “The Board agreed by consensus that the letter and spirit of Liquor Law is very clear insofar that Con- venience Stores, be they located in gas stations or elsewhere are not to conduct business as set forth in section 10(4) of the Liquor Law, where intoxi- cating liquor can be consumed on the premises.” • “In addition, the Board submits that the Liquor Law is unambiguous that there is no wholesale ‘Grandfa- thering’ of licenses. Thus, only one category of licence is to be held by a Licence Holder for a premises.” • “Therefore, all premises that currently feature multiple licenses will have a Grace Period from this Quarterly Licensing Session to identify a specific category of licence which they will operate under thereafter.” • “All Licence Holders must be ready with their one Category for the Annual Licensing Session to be held in September 2017. Failure to meet that criteria may result, in the lapsing of their Licenses.” Importantly, neither version of the minutes makes any reference to an “electronic meeting” in June that Mr. DaCosta claims was held and during which Peanuts’ license supposedly was denied. In fact, there is no record whatsoever (such as minutes) that the so- called “electronic meeting” ever took place. The seriousness of the situation demands the audit be conducted thoroughly and completed in a matter of days, not months, and that the results be made public. Liquor Board needs to come clean on mismatched minutes A key issue in the US tax debate THIS APPEARED IN SUNDAY’S WASHINGTON POST There was more lackluster news about productivity from the U.S. Labor Department on Wednesday. Specifically, output per private-sector worker rose at an annual rate of roughly 1 percent in the second three months of the year, better than last year’s, but still well below the postwar average and too slow to support any significant im- provement in the economy’s 2 percent annual growth rate. What to do about this may be the most important eco- nomic challenge facing the United States. As Federal Re- serve Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer noted recently, living standards can double once every generation with 2 per- cent productivity growth; at 1 percent, that same improve- ment takes two generations. Expect improving pro- ductivity to be one of the key talking points when Republi- cans in the executive and leg- islative branches resume their campaign for tax reform after Congress’s August recess. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., touted corporate tax reform as a solution for slow productivity in his “Better Way” policy agenda last year. And it’s true – corporate tax reform could encourage busi- nesses to invest in produc- tivity-enhancing capital, and to enhance the efficiency of investment decisions, as- suming lower rates are ap- plied to a tax base purged of special-interest loopholes. Whether Republicans can ac- tually be trusted to deliver a fiscally responsible rewrite of business taxation, as opposed to deficit-financed tax cuts for corporations and wealthy in- dividuals, is another matter. In truth, federal taxes are only one factor affecting pro- ductivity. Many productivity- enhancing measures might require more government in- vestment, and taxpayer re- sources to pay for them: health care to keep workers functioning at their best; ed- ucation to enhance workers’ skills; basic research to spawn new technology; infrastructure to speed movement of people, goods and information. De- regulation has its place, too. But much of the needed re- form involves not health and safety rules at the national level but trimming excessive professional licensing require- ments at the local level. An un- derappreciated source of low productivity may be obsta- cles to worker mobility cre- ated by local land-use rules, which have the effect of making it harder for people to find affordable housing near their jobs. When it comes to im- proving productivity, then, the coming push for tax re- form has the potential to do some good – but also mis- chief. Even good-faith policy prescriptions suffer from the same flaw, which is that pro- ductivity remains one of the least understood and, indeed, least precisely measured con- cepts in all of economics. © 2017, The Washington Post Visitors are grateful for bystander’s aid The day of the [British Navy] Beach landing behind the Governor’s house [on July 7], my wife and I were on a snorkel dive just before the landing. We exited the water due to a bleeding hand injury my wife incurred. There was a man we un- derstand to be named Ju- nior, was wearing a Big Dad- dy’s crew shirt, who came to our rescue with his company supplied First Aid Kit. This was much appre- ciated by us and a shining example of the character of the friendly people of Grand Cayman, and why we re- turn to your island as often as possible. Junior and Big Daddy’s should be com- mended for his action and the fact that he had a First Aid Kit in the first place. If you find this worthy please print it as a thank you. Richard and Sandy Prickett Editor’s note: We were pleased to read the Prick- ettses’ letter describing the kind gesture that was extended to them while visiting Cayman. One of our editors was able to track down the identity of “Junior” – his name is Junior Russell and he works at CDG, which is affiliated with Big Dad- dy’s – to share the Prick- ettses’ words of thank you, and our own. 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” Junior RussellThe islands’ most-trusted news source 5 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY AUGUST 18, 2017 In that time, we have established a leading Cayman Islands legal practice and built a team of 35 employees. We have also been instructed on some of the most challenging and complex Cayman Islands legal transactions. Founded in 1898, Carey Olsen is one of the oldest and largest offshore law firms in the world. We connect our clients to a network of expertise covering the full spectrum of offshore law across all key financial markets. We would like to thank our team for their dedication, and our clients and referrers for their on-going support. We are delighted to announce that it has been five years since we launched our Cayman Islands office. BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS CAYMAN ISLANDS GUERNSEY JERSEY CAPE TOWN HONG KONG LONDON SINGAPORE OFFSHORE LAW SPECIALISTS careyolsen.com Celebrating five years of success OFFSHORE FIRM OF THE YEAR6 LOCAL NEWS FRIDAY AUGUST 18, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Pastor and wife celebrate 50th anniversary JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com For Pastor Torrance Bobb, it was the elegance and style of Elsa Gordon that first caught his eye at the Pente- costal Tabernacle Choir. For her part, Elsa was swept off her feet by his nice man- ners and kind ways. But it is faith, love and family that have kept them together for 50 years. The Cayman couple cele- brated their golden wedding anniversary this week by re- newing their vows in front of more than 200 friends and family from across the globe. During the three-day occa- sion last weekend, they not only celebrated 50 years of marriage, but also acknowl- edged their love for the Lord. On the first day of the celebrations, the gardens at the grounds of the Na- tional Gallery were ele- gantly decorated in sunshine colors for guests. Renewal of vows at the First Assembly of God church, followed by a reception at the Marriott Beach Resort ball- room capped the occasion. Background After they met in church, when he was a second year Bible school student, Tor- rance knew he had to wait for the right moment. He had met some obstacles on the way, but his motto was “Per- severance seldom fails,” so he mustered up the courage to invite her to his second- year banquet, and the rest was up to God. After roughly seven months of courtship, Pastor Bobb asked Elsa to marry him, but she waited about three weeks to give him an answer. Ultimately, she told him that marrying him would mean leaving her family in Edmonton, Canada, and not returning to her birth home of Jamaica. Plus, she was hesitant to give up her maiden name, Gordon, and take the name Bobb. However, she said yes, saying that he embodied everything that she had prayed for in a husband. Throughout the marriage, Pastor Bobb has learned the truth of the old adage, “a happy wife is a happy life.” He learned to make time in dif- ferent areas, such as listening to her, taking her out and spending quality time with her, said his son Wendell. Mrs. Bobb says her hus- band is a caring, gentle man who has never once raised his voice to her, and who never lets her feel inferior. He inspires her to achieve her goals. But most of all, she says, his love for her is true. The bond in their mar- riage is their love for each other and making God the center of their marriage, praying together, forgiving each other when there are misunderstandings, having great respect for each other and not taking each other for granted. They also com- municate a lot. At the renewal, the couple was serenaded by Gillian Seecharan of the Marionettes Chorale with “The Prayer.” Mrs. Bobb surprised her hus- band by singing “Because You Come to Me, with Naught Save Love.” Two of their orig- inal bridesmaids and the person who gave away the bride also participated in the renewal ceremony. Two years ago, the Bobb children decided to plan this event for their parents, friends and family because of the unconditional love and support that they have given to them and so many others. Daughter Lorraine said, “It was an honor for us to celebrate with friends and family who mean so much to us, and whose lives they have greatly influenced.” Torrance Bobb is se- nior pastor at the First As- sembly of God church on Old Crewe Road in George Town, where he has served for 17 years. The couple have three children, Kevon, Lor- raine and Wendell, and five grandchildren. Dominoes host fined for loud music Towns and Communities Law governs noise that annoys CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com The host of an all-night dominoes game learned about the Towns and Com- munities Law when he was fined $200 this week for playing loud music. Adam Mark Anthony Ebanks pleaded “Guilty, but with circumstances” to the charge of making noise likely to cause disturbance in the neighborhood of Windsor Park in George Town on Sunday, June 12, 2016. Defense attorney Dennis Brady spoke with the defen- dant and then confirmed to the court that his explanation was not a defense. Crown counsel Greg Wal- colm said police attended Ebanks’s premises around 12:50 a.m. They saw people playing dominoes and ap- parently drinking alcohol. They advised Ebanks of the complaint about loud music and he acknowledged their warning. He then closed the door of his house and the music could no longer be heard at the pe- rimeter of the premises. At 4:12 a.m., police were called again about the noise. Officers attended the same premises shortly after 5 a.m. and heard music playing. Ebanks turned it off. Mr. Brady accepted that alcohol was involved. “I suspect it impaired the hearing of those in atten- dance, including the defen- dant,” he said. The attorney asked Mag- istrate Angelyn Hernandez to take into account the fact that Ebanks did cooperate and pleaded guilty at his first appearance in court. He pointed out that the incident had occurred over a year ago and there had been no problems since. “Even in the confines of your own home, music can offend neighbors,” Mr. Brady acknowledged. The magistrate told Ebanks, “There’s nothing wrong with having a good time, but have a good time more quietly.” She said Ebanks knew why police had attended a second time. Ap- parently, after they left the first time, “the party started to rock again,” she commented. The offense was failing to cease noise after being re- quired to desist. Mr. Walcolm read the rel- evant section of the law: “Any person who makes any noise in any town or district which is likely to cause annoyance or discomfort to any inhab- itant of that town or district, after having been required by a constable to desist from making such noise, is guilty of an offense.” The penalty is a fine of up to $500 for a first conviction; up to $1,000 for a second conviction; and up to $5,000 plus imprisonment for six months for a third or subse- quent conviction. In this case of a first of- fense, the magistrate im- posed a fine of $200. Twins Aidan and Ethan Thorne were among the anniversary party guests who visited the National Gallery. - PHOTO: JEWEL LEVY. Elsa and Torrance Bobb arrive at the beach for their 50th anniversary celebrations.7 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY AUGUST 18, 2017 Truck tips over, dumps sand BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com A heavy truck hauling a load of sand tipped over and crashed at the Hurley’s roundabout Wednesday af- ternoon, dumping most of its large load onto the side of the road and the nearby Sco- tiabank parking lot. No one was injured in the crash that happened just be- fore 5 p.m. The truck’s driver told police that the tail- gate came open as he navi- gated the roundabout in Red Bay, George Town. The vehicle tipped over, coming to rest in the west- bound lanes of the round- about during rush hour. Traffic heading into George Town was de- layed for hours as police blocked the road and super- vised the cleanup. Wednesday’s accident echoed a similar incident, in nearly the same location, in April 2012. In that crash, a large load of asphalt spilled across the bank parking lot as well. The driver of that truck hauling the aggregate was taken to hospital with non-life-threat- ening injuries. GOVERNMENT’S STRATEGIC PLANS REVEALED NEXT WEEK BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman Islands resi- dents will get their first look at the new national unity government’s long- term plans next week as the Legislative Assembly re- sumes meeting. The government plans to produce its strategic policy statement for the 2018/19 budget on Wednesday. Finance Minister Roy McTaggart will go over the general budget outline and Premier Alden McLaughlin will give a broad overview of government’s legisla- tive priorities. Following the policy statement, the assembly will continue with its first meeting of the new term. The 2018/19 budget re- view is not expected to take place until October. An RCIPS officer routes traffic around the scene of Wednesday afternoon’s crash in Red Bay. – PHOTOS: BRENT FULLER FDA ISSUES RECALL FOR BRANDS MAJOR, RUGBY AND LEADER The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a precautionary, worldwide re- call of liquid products under the brand names Major, Rugby and Leader due to pos- sible bacterial contamination. Anyone who has these products is advised to stop using them immediately, even if the items were ob- tained at a hospital or phar- macy in the Cayman Islands Dr. Samuel Williams-Ro- driguez of the Health Ser- vices Authority encouraged patients with these prod- ucts to contact their physi- cian or pharmacy for more information. A full list of FDA product recalls can be viewed at https://www.fda.gov/ Safety/Recalls/ucm571001.htm. A similar crash from April 2012 sent a large load of marl into the Scotiabank parking lot.The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 FRIDAY AUGUST 18, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS First Year in Heaven Allan Shirley Ebanks Sept 1, 1941 – Aug 20, 2016 Missing You Always You never said I’m leaving you never said goodbye You were gone before we knew it and only God knows why In life I loved you dearly In death I love you still In my heart I hold a place That only you can ll It broke my heart to lose you But you didn’t go alone A part of me went with you The day God took you home. From your loving Wife, Elizabeth Ann Sept 1, 1941 – Aug 20, 2016 We Miss You So Much You were one who was so special And who was loved so much And brought so much happiness To the many hearts you touched You were always kind and caring And so understanding too, And, if help was ever needed, It so freely came from you You were a gift to all the world and brought joy to everyone And life has never been the same Ever Since you have been gone. From your loving Children: Sherry , Allan, Brent, Shannon, & Grandchildren R.I.P. In Loving Memory of My darling Daughter Mary Patricia General January 10 1958 – May 8 2015 Those we love don’t go away ,they walk beside us everyday Unseen, unheard, but always near Still loved, still missed and very dear From your loving Mother & Family In Loving Memory of Mark Phillip Bodden (a.k.a. Bouncer, Tired) October 11 1976 – August 18 2014 Those we love don’t go away They walk beside us everyday Unseen, unheard, but always near Still loved, still missed and very dear From: Mom, Grandmother, Friends & Family Condolences can be registered at: www.churchillsfuneralhome.com We have been asked to announce the passing of Ms. Angelia Margaret Bodden of Bodden Town, who passed away on Friday, August 11, 2017. A Thanksgiving Service will be held on Sunday, August 20, 2017at Savannah Seventh-day Adventist Church, 1631 Shamrock Road, at 2:00p.m. Viewing will be from 1:00-1:45p.m. Interment follows at Prospect Cemetery. Condolences can be registered at: www.churchillsfuneralhome.com We have been asked to announce the passing of Mrs. Laurel Clairene Vernia Wood nee Connolly of Bodden Town, who passed away on Sunday, August 6, 2017. A Thanksgiving Service will be held on Saturday, August 19, 2017 at 11:00a.m. at Webster Memorial United Church, Bodden Town. Viewing will be from 10:00-10:45a.m. Interment follows at Bodden Town Cemetery. Condolences can be registered at: www.churchillsfuneralhome.com We have been asked to announce the passing of Mr. James “Joey” Syms who passed away on Sunday, August 6, 2017. A Thanksgiving Service will be held on Saturday, August 26, 2017 at 10:00a.m. at Church of God Universal, Walkers Road. Viewing will be from 9:00–9:45 a.m. Interment follows at Dixie Cemetery. directly at our nearest star for very long without pain, even though it is 93 million miles away. It does happen occasionally – medical jour- nals record cases in which people high on drugs have stared at the sun for long periods of time, causing se- rious damage.” However, during a solar eclipse, the temptation to stare at the sun can prove irresistible to some. “With the sun almost cov- ered, it’s comfortable to stare, and protective reflexes like blinking and pupil contrac- tion are a lot less likely to kick in than on a normal day,” Dr. Hudell said. She cited a study con- ducted after a solar eclipse in Europe, when 45 patients with possible solar retinop- athy showed up at an eye clinic in Leicester in the U.K.. Forty were confirmed to have some sort of damage; five of those had visible changes in their retinas. Twenty of the patients reported eye pain, while another 20 reported problems with vision. Even- tually, 12 reported that their sight had returned to normal seven months later, but four could still see the damage in their visual field, such as a crescent-shaped spot. On its Eclipse 2017 web- site, NASA states: “The only safe way to look directly at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun is through spe- cial-purpose solar filters, such as ‘eclipse glasses’ or hand-held solar viewers.” The space agency ad- vises that homemade fil- ters or ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe for looking at the sun, as “they transmit thousands of times too much sunlight.” Any pair of eclipse glasses or solar viewer should comply with ISO 12312-2 interna- tional safety standards, experts advise. NASA advises the following: ■■ Always inspect your solar filter before use. If scratched or dam- aged, discard it. Read and follow any instruc- tions printed on or pack- aged with the filter ■■ Supervise children using solar filters ■■ Stand still and cover your eyes with your eclipse glasses or solar viewer before looking at the bright sun. After looking at the sun, turn away and remove your filter – do not remove it while looking at the sun ■■ Do not look at the un- eclipsed or partially eclipsed sun through an unfiltered camera, tele- scope, binoculars, or other optical device ■■ Do not look at the sun through a camera, a tele- scope, binoculars, or any other optical device while using your eclipse glasses or hand-held solar viewer – the concentrated solar rays will damage the filter and enter your eye(s), causing serious injury ■■ Seek expert advice from an astronomer before using a solar filter with a camera, a telescope, bin- oculars, or any other op- tical device. Solar filters must be attached to the front of any telescope, binoculars or camera lens ■■ Members of the public are invited to attend a partial solar eclipse viewing at the University College of the Cayman Islands on Monday, when the eclipse will be visible from between 12:38 p.m. and 3:26 p.m. Mr. Lindsay has a simple solution: “I would remove all residency re- quirements. Once you’re a citizen, I would remove them. We can’t restrict our own citizens in terms of them having the opportu- nity to gain international … experience. “We used to think of Cayman as an isolated place in the Caribbean, but that’s not the case now. Remember, the population is comprised of many different nationali- ties and backgrounds. Some of those people will eventu- ally get the right to vote. You have to be able to relate to them as a candidate.” A group of Common- wealth elections observers who visited Cayman in May opined that the “reasonable- ness of the current provi- sions” regarding who can vote should be looked at in any upcoming review of the Cayman Islands Constitu- tion Order, 2009. Govern- ment leaders have not said whether any such review would be forthcoming. “Regardless of the dura- tion of residency, or the at- tainment of the status of permanent resident, all per- sons except those holding Caymanian status are ineli- gible to vote,” the Common- wealth report stated. “This has led to the fact that out of an estimated population of at least 60,000 people, only around 34,000 hold Cay- manian status with around 24,000 of them eligible to reg- ister to vote.” Even if a person is Cay- manian, eligibility to vote can be elusive in the Cayman Is- lands, the Commonwealth report noted. Qualification for voter registration now requires a person to reside in the is- lands for at least two of the four years before the last reg- istration date for the gen- eral election. “This period appears to be overly restrictive and may operate to exclude otherwise eligible Caymanians from ex- ercising their right to vote,” the report states. For candidates born out- side the islands, the resi- dency requirement is even stricter. It requires them to be present for all but 400 days out of seven years be- fore nomination day for the upcoming general election. The Commonwealth ob- server team noted that the Cayman Islands Grand Court has now adjudicated some of these provisions in re- cent cases, providing some interpretation. “The judgments are com- plex, with the result that it is difficult to predict with certainty how the eligibility status of any aspiring can- didate will be evaluated,” the observers’ final report states. Human rights concerns The Cayman Islands Human Rights Commission reviewed the voting rights issue after it received a com- plaint from a voter in Sep- tember 2016. The complaint was filed after the voter went to court on Sept. 12 to chal- lenge a decision by the Elec- tions Office that prevented the voter from participating in the May 2013 general elec- tion. The decision also pre- cluded the person from voting in the 2017 general election based on their resi- dency outside the islands for more than two of the past four years before the last voter registration date. Rights commission members said they re- quested advice on the issue after consulting with the Cayman Islands Constitu- tional Commission. Government documents, including emails obtained by the Cayman Compass, state the voter’s claims during the Sept. 12 court hearing were that the voter was reg- istered as an elector in the mid-1980s. The voter then spent a number of years living outside the Cayman Islands but was allowed to vote via postal ballot in the May 2005 and May 2009 gen- eral elections. The voter argued that the date they registered to vote was a “single date” and al- leged their removal from the register of electors in July 2012 was therefore wrong in law. In a Sept. 19 email to the voter involved in the registra- tion challenge, Supervisor of Elections Wesley Howell con- tended that the person’s un- derstanding of how voter reg- istration works in Cayman was not correct: “The legal provisions for removing persons not living in the Cayman Islands for the spec- ified number of years from the register of electors goes back many years.” “The registration date is not a single point in time and, for [the voter], it is not back in 1986, as the regis- tration date happens four times a year as per the Elec- tions Law,” Mr. Howell wrote on Sept. 19. “[The voter’s] re- moval from the register in 2012, at the July 1, 2012 reg- istration date was, in fact, correct and was in keeping with the Elections Law and the Cayman Islands Con- stitution [Order (2009)], as the date of registration for which [the voter] failed to maintain … eligibility is July 1, 2012.” The voter alleged the Elections Office acted out- side the Cayman Islands Constitution Order (2009) and that officials were being “over-reaching and exces- sively punitive” in using resi- dency to remove an already registered elector. Experts advise eclipse viewers to protect eyes Candidate: ‘Drop residency requirements’ for voters, politicians CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1The islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY AUGUST 18, 2017 The Family Of The Late Condolences can be registered at boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page. Edna Llorens regret to announce her passing on Monday, 14 August 2017. Mrs. Llorens will be repatriated to Puerto Rico. The Family Of The Late Condolences can be registered at boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page. Dorothy Rose Scott regret to announce her passing on Wednesday, 5 July 2017. A Memorial Service will be held 3:00 PM Saturday, August 19, 2017 at Agape Family Worship Centre. In lieu of flowers please make donation to the Cayman Islands Cancer Society. The Family Of The Late Condolences can be registered at boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page. Kayrine Elenetia Paniagua regret to announce her passing on Monday, 7 August 2017. A funeral service will be held 3:00 PM Saturday 19 August 2017 at Wesleyan Holiness Church. Interment will follow in West Bay Cemetery. The Family Of The Late Condolences can be registered at boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page. Venetia Jackson regret to announce her passing on Thursday, 3 August 2017. A funeral service will be held 2:00 PM Sunday, 20 August 2017 at George Town Seventh Day Adventist Church. Viewing will be from 1:00 PM prior to the service. Interment will follow in Prospect Cemetery. The Family Of The Late Condolences can be registered at boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page. Dalton Smith regret to announce his passing on Tuesday, 8 August 2017. Mr. Smith will be repatriated to Jamaica. The Family Of The Late Condolences can be registered at boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page. Ruth Eldemire regret to announce her passing on Monday, 14 August 2017. Funeral services will be held privately. A funeral service will be held 2:00 PM Saturday, 19 August 2017 at Creek Baptist Church, Cayman Brac. Interment will follow in Creek Cemetery. The Family Of The Late Condolences can be registered at boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page. Diana L. Henderson regret to announce her passing on Sunday, 13 August 2017. Funeral services will be held privately. In Lieu of flowers please make donations to Cayman HospiceCare. Mr. Jones replied that his ministry has done “every- thing we can” to ensure the plan gets updated next year. Mr. Miller said the gov- ernment had been developing local roads, for example, in a “willy nilly” fashion since the 1988-1992 master ground transportation plan was completed. Once those roads were in place to facilitate var- ious projects, the develop- ment plan was amended “piecemeal” for specific de- velopers or landowners for various purposes. “I’d guess it’s been done hundreds of times,” Mr. Miller said. The lack of an overall plan also created a percep- tion in the public that big business with ready cash can “get its plans through” the Central Planning Au- thority, while smaller resi- dential or business plans faced bureaucratic red tape, accounts committee member Chris Saunders said. “Then you have people say ‘I just won’t bother’ [with getting planning ap- proval],” Mr. Saunders said. “That creates a culture that you don’t want.” Planning Board members Bodden Town West MLA Mr. Saunders said he noted another recommendation from the auditor’s 2015 re- port was also ignored – that planning board mem- bers should be rotated and changed after a certain pe- riod of service. “We’ve had too many people with too many con- flicts sitting on that board and nothing has been done about it,” he said. “That is one of the things that has been costing this country.” Immediately after the re- lease of the 2015 audit, the members of the planning board were reappointed, with all current members continuing to serve. Mr. Jones said he had in- structed ministry staff to prepare for the upcoming development plan review, assuming that funding for it would be approved in the upcoming budget. He said at the moment, the plan applies only to Grand Cayman. There have never been sepa- rate development guide- lines for Cayman Brac or Little Cayman, which operate under a body called the Development Control Board. Mr. Miller asked why that should be. “We’re not talking about two dif- ferent countries here, you know,” he said. Planning meetings open to the public BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com For the first time in their history, the two Cayman Islands boards that con- trol development and plan- ning decisions are allowing the general public to attend their meetings. The decision was made public during a Wednesday meeting of the Legisla- tive Assembly’s Public Ac- counts Committee. Planning Department Director Haroon Pan- dohie told committee mem- bers that the Central Plan- ning Authority has agreed to hold its meetings open to the public. Mr. Pan- dohie said the authority has placed a notice on its web- site indicating the change. The notice, contained in the planning authority rules indicates: “Central Planning Authority and De- velopment Control Board meetings are open to the public and media. … Per- sons from the public and media may listen to and observe the meeting pro- ceedings, but they may not speak or submit any documentation.” Audio and video re- cordings at the meet- ings are prohibited, the notice states. Auditors had sharply criticized the planning board in the 2015 for holding closed meetings. Public Accounts Com- mittee Chairman Ezzard Miller said the sudden change to open meetings was news to him: “Last year, there was an at- tempt to throw me out [of a meeting].” Mr. Pandohie said the change was made ear- lier this year. The board members, Mr. Pandohie said, were keen to make the public aware of the difference between who can attend the meet- ings and who can speak at those meetings. Anyone can attend a planning board meeting, he said, but only registered objec- tors can address the board on a project and those ob- jectors have to be residents within a certain vicinity of the development. Auditors said improve- ments to the out-of-date de- velopment plan along with the decision to hold open meetings would greatly improve transparency in building decisions. Since the advent of the Cayman Islands Freedom of Information Law in 2009, applications to the Central Planning Authority and its equivalent body for Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, the Development Control Board, have been posted on a gov- ernment website. The de- cisions on those applica- tions regarding land use are generally public infor- mation as well. However, the rationale the board uses for those rulings is often not dis- closed, auditors found. “We found several cases where departments with technical expertise … asked for amendments to applica- tions or made objections, but these reservations did not form part of [the board’s] decision,” the audit report states. “Often, the decision would state only that the authority or board had ‘considered’ informa- tion from other agencies.” “Persons from the public and media may listen to and observe the meeting proceedings, but they may not speak or submit any documentation.” CENTRAL PLANNING AUTHORITY MEETING RULES Government to redraw national development plans “This is the most glaring example of statutory requirements being ignored by successive governments.” EZZARD MILLER, chairman, Public Accounts Committee CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Ezzard Miller, PAC chairmanNext >