ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – TUESDAY AUGUST 29, 2017 4.70% OFFER EXTENDED!* 185315-Ad-Strip-SandCastles-30Sept.indd 17/21/17 5:00 PM Premier: ‘Ridiculous’ parts of Conservation Law will be removed JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Battle lines are being redrawn in the con- flict between development and the environ- ment as the government prepares to walk back some of the provisions of Cayman’s Na- tional Conservation Law. The landmark law was one of the first sig- nificant pieces of legislation passed by the previous Progressives-led government. But Premier Alden McLaughlin revealed last week that removing some of its more con- troversial elements would be among the first actions of his new coalition. Describing the Environmental Impact As- sessment process, particularly in relation to government road development as “ridiculous,” he said the administration was committed to reviewing the legislation. “My view is we need to swiftly make the necessary amendments to remove these sort of impediments to the proper development of these islands,” he said. His comments in a Legislative Assembly debate last week followed on from a com- mitment in his Strategic Policy Statement to amend the law. He did not say how far the amendments would go and whether the pro- cess would be altered for private sector devel- opers as well as for government. Developers have widely criticized the Na- tional Conservation Council’s ability to re- quire that developers and government min- istries conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment, at their own expense, before a project can be approved. The council claims it uses the option ju- diciously and only for large-scale projects which could seriously impact Cayman’s nat- ural habitats. In a June letter to the Compass, council president Christine Rose-Smyth said it had RESIDENCY DELAYS MAY CLEAR UP WITHIN YEAR BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com A backlog of more than 1,100 permanent residence applications – some of which have been in limbo for three or four years – could be cleared by mid-2018 if immigration offi- cials continue the pace they set in August for hearing those applications. Before this month, the Caymanian Status and Permanent Residency Board was deciding approximately five residence applications per week, holding one meeting each week. Immigration lawyers noted, at that rate, the backlog of applications from non-Cayma- nians seeking to remain here for the rest of their lives would be sorted through sometime around late 2020. However, starting in August, Immigration Department administrators and board mem- bers began considering residency applications up to four days a week, resulting in an average of 30 applications being decided each week, according to records provided by the Immi- gration Department. If that rate is maintained, it will take about 40 weeks to get through the residency applica- tions that have been delayed since government stopped hearing them sometime around Jan- uary 2015. So far this month, a combination of GOVERNMENT AIMS TO CUT PUBLIC DEBT IN HALF The Cayman Islands government plans to pay off more than half of its existing $500 million public debt within the next three years. That would reduce annual interest payments from $24 million to $11.5 million. For the full story, see page 3. Welcome back to school, Cayman! JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com Monday was the start of a new school week for thousands of students returning to government and private schools after a long summer break. As of June this year there were 2,687 students enrolled in government primary schools, including 310 reception students. There were 2,364 students enrolled in gov- ernment secondary schools. At Lighthouse School, the country’s school for special needs students, 60 are enrolled in primary and 49 in secondary. According to the Edu- cation Department, enrollment for the new school year is still in process. When schools opened on Thursday, Aug. 24, children familiarized themselves with new teachers and new classrooms. As classes got under way Monday morning at Bodden Town Primary, Prin- cipal June Elliott continues to lead the school. She challenged all students to be at a satisfactory level by the end of the year, to work hard, and to speak with teachers and get their support with anything they do not understand. Ms. Elliott also welcomes four new teachers for the new school year: Ashley Os- bourne; Keisha Morrison; Eleanor Graham; and new PE teacher Kerry-Ann Jones. She said the school will continue to focus on positive behavior and intervention pro- grams, looking at how children behave in different parts of the school. The school is also continuing the after-school program run by the YMCA. This year, 270 students attend Bodden Town Primary School. George Town Primary School school started the new school year with a new principal, Sharon Campbell-Danvers, and deputy principal, Danielle Duran. Ms. Campbell-Danvers takes over the reign from retiring principal Marie Martin. The teachers are motivated, en- ergized and ready to go,” said Ms. Campbell-Danvers. “As an institution we believe in the mantra that every child can learn, so as a team we will be working together to raise expectations, to highlight effort, and [to] work with the parents and the community PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 5 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 5 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 5 » At the start of the school year, George Town Primary School students gather in the new drama center, donated by Davenport Development, to leave handprints on the wall. Retired Principal Marie Martin, left, Cox Lumber’s Keith Shetler and teacher Mariline Parker join the group. – PHOTO: JEWEL LEVY2 LOCAL&REGIONAL TUESDAY AUGUST 29, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS I 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. - TUESDAY - THE HITMAN’S BODYGUARD (R) 1:00 VIP I 4:25 I 7:25 VIP I 10:00 ANNABELLE CREATION (R) 1:45 I 4:05 VIP I 7:20 I 10:10 VIP DARK TOWER (PG13) 4:55 I 10:15 THE NUT JOB 2 3D (PG) 12:30 I 2:50 2D I 5:10 I 7:30 2D ALL SAINTS (PG) 1:25 I 4:20 I 7:00 I 9:45 GLASS CASTLE (PG13) 12:35 I 3:40 I 7:20 I 9:50 GIRLS TRIP (R) 2:00 I 6:40 I 9:35 CORRECTION In a story that ran on August 24 entitled “Government appoints Cayman’s first ombudsman,” the date of former complaints commissioner Nicola Williams’ exit from government was incorrectly stated. Ms. Williams left government in January of 2015, not January of 2014. DOE extends iguana cull through Nov. 30 The Department of En- vironment announced Monday that this year’s green iguana cull will be extended until the end of November. Contracts to cullers were issued with a pro- visional end day of Aug. 31, but the DOE has funds available to allow current contractors to continue for an extra three months. Terms of contracts and payment rates will re- main unchanged. Culling contractors and other interested parties are asked to be aware of the following deadlines: ■■ No new contractors will be signed up after 5 p.m. on Aug. 31, 2017 ■■ The green iguana raffle will close on Aug. 31. Participants are invited to attend the closing draw ■■ No reports of culled iguanas will be ac- cepted for payment after 5 p.m. on Nov. 30. 65 pounds of ganja found, no arrests A law enforcement raid in West Bay Sunday recov- ered 65 pounds of ganja in an area off Mount Pleasant Road. The operation by the Royal Cayman Islands Po- lice Service, the Customs Department and the Immi- gration Department led to the recovery of the drugs. There were no arrests made in connection with the operation. Police identify burglar from CCTV Man entered apartment while occupant was asleep CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Police responding to a burglary report on Friday morning checked CCTV at the premises and identified Tonie Elford Bush as the intruder. Bush, 48, was arrested on Saturday and brought to court on Monday, when he pleaded guilty to the charge. Magistrate Philippa Mc- Farlane asked if he were ap- plying for bail pending sen- tence. Bush said no; the matter was adjourned until Oct. 9. The court requested a social inquiry report. Crown counsel Alliyah McCarthy said a West Bay resident woke up Friday morning and realized her cat was missing. While checking around, she noticed a bottle of wine on the patio table. She was certain she had put the bottle in her refrigerator and concluded that someone had been inside her apart- ment while she was up- stairs sleeping. She checked her security camera, saw the image of an intruder and called police. Officers viewed the CCTV and identified Bush, whom they arrested the following day. They were unable to de- termine the burglar’s point of entry immediately, but they did obtain fingerprints from the fridge. Bush admitted entering the premises as a trespasser and stealing a bottle of beer and a bottle of St. Tropez wine. The defendant, a resident of West Bay, chose to repre- sent himself and elected to be tried in Summary Court. 2 JOURNALISTS SURVIVE ATTACK BY GUNMEN IN HONDURAS TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) – Two married journalists in Honduras survived an at- tack by gunmen who they say wanted to kill them, but po- lice on Friday called the inci- dent a robbery attempt. The couple’s car was hit by bullets late Thursday as they left the offices of the online news site El Libertador, said the son of journalist Johnny Lagos, the site’s director who survived the attack unharmed. His wife Lurbin Yadira Cer- rato suffered light injuries. The son, also named Johnny Lagos, said the wind- shield of the vehicle was shot out as the couple threw themselves out of the way of the gunfire. “The strangers did not want to rob, they tried to kill me,” the elder Lagos said. The couple had left the news site’s offices when Lagos said he got out of the car to buy something and one of three attackers intercepted him. At first he tried to simu- late a robbery, asking for his wallet and phone, he said. But then the attacker yelled to his accomplices, “It’s him, kill him,” Lagos said. “And I heard at least five shots.” About 70 journalists have been killed in Honduras in the last decade. Officers display some of the ganja found in Sunday’s raid. Man charged with warehouse burglary CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A man charged with the burglary of a George Town warehouse last week ap- peared in Summary Court on Monday, facing additional charges of handling stolen goods and damage to property. Dave Rockett Jr., 29, de- nied the burglary, defense at- torney Jonathon Hughes told Magistrate Philippa McFar- lane. He was admitting han- dling stolen goods, some of the items being sodas found in his fridge. Crown counsel Alliyah Mc- Carthy said police responded to a report of the burglary last Wednesday morning. The premises had been broken into and cases of goods stolen. Items included laundry deter- gent, sodas and ginger beer. CCTV showed a vehicle at the premises and police found the vehicle at Rock- ett’s residence. A bolt cutter was in the vehicle and it was being checked for any fo- rensic evidence. Mr. Hughes accepted that a small portion of stolen goods was found in Rockett’s vehicle, but that was not the vehicle involved in the bur- glary. Whoever had that ve- hicle had driven it to Rockett’s address, he said. An application for bail was scheduled to continue on Tuesday morning. El Salvador, Guatemala pass child marriage bans SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) – El Salvador and Gua- temala have joined a trend in clamping down on child marriage by passing legisla- tion that would outlaw mar- riage with minors. Legislation passed in both countries Thursday to ban such unions even in cases of parental consent or pregnancy. An El Salvador govern- ment survey in 2015 found that there were 22,361 mi- nors between the ages of 12 and 17 who had married or lived in a common-law rela- tionship. Six out of 10 of the minors who were in a rela- tionship with an adult lived in the country’s rural areas. Zaira Navas, director of El Salvador’s National Council on Childhood and Adoles- cence, said the previous law had allowed adults to avoid legal charges for sexual as- sault through marriage. The United Nations’ chil- dren’s advocate UNICEF and other supporters ap- plauded the change. “El Salvador’s move to ban child marriage is great news, and an important step for- ward in the effort to end child marriage in Latin America and around the world,” said Heather Barr, a senior re- searcher with Human Rights Watch. She said El Salvador was among the countries that committed under the 2016 Sustainable Develop- ment Goals to end child mar- riage by 2030. “In many countries, there is a serious gap between laws on child marriage and enforcement – so it will be important to see what steps the El Salvador government will take to make sure that the new law translates into change on the ground and better protection for girls,” Barr said in an email Friday. The legislation in Guate- mala, which will go into ef- fect in a month, eliminates a provision that allowed judges to authorize marriages be- tween adults and children 16 and older. Leonel Dubon, director of the Childhood Refuge, which cares for abused chil- dren, predicted it would help change prevalent macho attitudes. “A cultural pattern ex- ists that permits giving girls to adults,” Dubon said. “They continue seeing girls as ob- jects of pleasure and not as having rights.” The new laws are part of a regional trend in Central America. In July, Honduras’ leg- islature also unanimously passed a bill prohibiting the marriage of anyone younger than 18 even with parental consent or in pregnancy cases. Barr said Costa Rica has also reformed its laws on the issue. According to UNICEF, 11 percent of girls aged 15 to 19 in Latin America and the Ca- ribbean are currently mar- ried or in a union. “El Salvador’s move to ban child marriage is great news, and an important step forward in the effort to end child marriage in Latin America and around the world.” HEATHER BARR, senior researcher with Human Rights Watch3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY AUGUST 29, 2017 OCTOBER 7, 2017 The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman www.breastcancerfoundation.ky info@breastcancerfoundation.ky Featuring Special Guest Speakers PRINT MEDIA SPONSOR THANK YOU TO OUR PLATINUM SPONSOR Featuring Special Guest Speakers Rancic Bill & Giulianna Government plans to shed half of public debt in 3 years BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Cayman Islands gov- ernment plans to pay off more than half of its existing $500 million public debt within the next three years, according to budget docu- ments released last week. If all occurs as forecast in the administration’s Strategic Policy Statement, central gov- ernment debt balances will reduce from $503 million, as of mid-2016 to about $264 million by 2019. The amount does not include debts held by separately operating stat- utory authorities and gov- ernment-owned companies, which account for another $100 million owed. The practical effect of the debt payoff, according to fi- nancial statements reviewed by the Cayman Compass, is that the public sector will spend far less in interest each year on its existing loans. Next year, the local gov- ernment is expecting to pay nearly $24 million in interest to service its outstanding debts. However, by 2019, that interest payment is expected to drop to $11.5 million. To make the debt repay- ment by 2019, government will have to substantially re- duce its available cash bal- ances. Basically, Cayman will have about $150 million less available in 2019 than it has now. However, it is estimated there will still be more than $230 million left in cash and cash equivalent accounts by the end of December 2019, according to financial state- ments released last week. Bullet bond In order to make a mas- sive debt repayment of ap- proximately $360 million over the next three years, Fi- nance Minister Roy McTag- gart said the government will borrow money to refinance part of the amounts owed. The largest single loan is a “bullet bond” that was taken out in 2009 to help pay for certain operating costs and construction projects when Cayman was in an eco- nomic downturn. That $261 million loan is due – in its entirety – in November 2019. A portion of what is owed on the bullet loan, about $130 million, will be borrowed. The remainder of the $360 mil- lion debt payments will be funded out of government’s cash surplus. “This borrowing will be specifically for this pur- pose and no loan proceeds will be used to finance op- erating activities or capital investments,” Mr. McTag- gart told the Legislative As- sembly last week. The finance minister also noted that government would not use so-called bullet loans in the future. Those are bor- rowings that come due all at once when loan period ends. “The government has learned from its experience with the 2009 bond,” he said. Surplus Partly as a result of the aggressive loan repayments and partly due to increased spending on capital projects, the government will have less leftover cash – known as an operating surplus – at the end of the next three years, according to forecasts. Between 2013 and last year, operating surpluses, the different between what government earns and what it spends, were typi- cally more than $120 mil- lion each year. These surpluses are fore- cast to go from $69 million in 2018 to about $42 mil- lion in 2019, according to budget estimates. Police seek to bolster volunteer force ranks Police are seeking new recruits to bolster their volunteer force of spe- cial constables. Recruits have the same power as police officers and regularly assist with every- thing from traffic stops to community patrols. Chris Duggan, comman- dant of the Special Constab- ulary, said it was an im- pactful and rewarding form of volunteering. “Policing is a very chal- lenging but fascinating en- deavour, and by volunteering as a special constable your impact and influence on the community and the lives of so many will be significant. “I look forward to wel- coming a full complement of new recruits to our next training program starting in early October.” New recruits to the Spe- cial Constabulary receive in- tense and ongoing training to enable them to carry out regular police duties. They are required to commit to a minimum of fifteen hours of work per month. Kurt Walton, deputy com- missioner of Police, said, “This is a very challenging but highly rewarding and in- teresting way to serve the community. The work that specials do strengthens public safety and security in our country. We are very grateful for the commitment and enthusiasm they bring to policing.” Special constables will have a booth at Camana Bay from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday, and will speak to anyone interested in their ex- periences and hand out ap- plication forms. Anyone interested in ap- plying to become a special constable can download the application form from the RCIPS web page at www. rcips.ky and contact the Spe- cial Constabulary directly at info@specialconstabulary.ky to get more information. The recruitment drive runs through to 5 p.m. on Sept. 15, which is the dead- line for applications. All ap- plications should be printed out, signed, and brought to the RCIPS Training and De- velopment Unit at Gover- nors Square during regular business hours. Cayman’s Government Administration Building – PHOTO: CHRIS COURTThe 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. In September, Sandy Hermiston will become the leader of the Cayman Islands Office of the Ombudsman, a new department that will consolidate the responsibilities of the complaints commissioner and the information commissioner, two important posts that have been vacant for years. We welcome her to our islands. Ms. Hermiston and her staff will oversee data pro- tection and whistleblower legislation while investi- gating and resolving complaints against government ministries, portfolios, departments and sections, statutory authorities and government companies, including police. The work will not be easy (as former Complaints Commissioner, Nicola Williams, former Information Commissioner Jennifer Dilbert and acting Informa- tion Commissioner Jan Liebaers surely can attest … not to mention current Auditor General Sue Winspear and her predecessors). Ms. Hermiston can expect to face some resistance from entrenched interests, poli- ticians, regulators and civil servants who may be per- fectly content with “business as usual.” Last week’s announcement of Ms. Hermiston’s hiring generated the predictable chatter about the selection committee’s failure to choose a Cayma- nian for the new post. But the operative question for this (indeed, for any) new hire is not, “Where is she from?” It is, “What can she do?” Ms. Hermiston’s distinguished resume – including more than 30 years of experience as a lawyer, nearly all of that in the public sector, with her most recent stint as general counsel for the ombudsman for Alberta, Canada – suggests that while she may be new to our islands, she is not new to the challenges her position inevitably entails. Ms. Hermiston’s significant experience, no doubt, was a key factor that set her apart from the other 30 candidates reviewed by the selection committee tasked with finding the right candidate for this new position. A former colleague offered her assessment of Ms. Hermiston’s work on her LinkedIn profile, writing: “Simply put, Sandy knows her stuff! Tough as nails too, when need be!” Knowledgeable and tough – those are two qualities that will serve her well in her new capacity. The Compass need not tell Ms. Hermiston that her chosen profession is one that can be difficult, and sometimes lonely. It requires opening doors (and file cabinets), asking tough questions (and follow- up questions) and shining light onto practices that perhaps flourish better in the dark. In the journalism world, a tradition among larger newspapers is to have an ombudsman who scru- tinizes, and often criticizes, the organization on readers’ behalf. When Margaret Sullivan retired from The New York Times in 2016 (her exact title was “public editor”), she said of her tenure and depar- ture: “When I got to the three-year mark, I realized there’s a reason this job has a pretty tight term limit. You need to be an outsider, you need to have an outside perspective.” (For the record, not long after New York Times executives bid farewell to Ms. Sullivan, they also terminated the title of public editor – and its function.) Our hope for Ms. Hermiston is that a brilliant execution of her job will result in the lengthening of her tenure among us – not a shortening of it as has been the experience of too many of her predeces- sors – probing commissioners, auditors general and “ombudspeople” of every stripe. As a newspaper, we welcome you to your new home – and to your new post. New Ombudsman: ‘Smart,’ ‘tough,’ and facing a challenge TUESDAY AUGUST 29, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS WASHINGTON – Sooner or later, and the later the better, the president’s wandering attention will flit, however briefly, to the subject of trade. So, let us try to think about the problem as he seems to: Wily cosmopolitans be- yond our borders are insin- uating across our borders goods that Americans, per- haps misled by British econ- omist David Ricardo, persist in purchasing. Exactly 200 years ago, Ri- cardo published “On the Prin- ciples of Political Economy and Taxation,” explaining the doctrine of comparative ad- vantage. Paul Samuelson, a leading 20th-century econ- omist, cited this doctrine when challenged to name a social-science proposition that is both true and not ob- vious. British journalist Matt Ridley calls Ricardo’s insight “a thoroughly counterintui- tive idea” that “takes Adam Smith’s division of labor one step further.” It explains why free trade benefits every country, even relatively ad- vanced England trading cloth for wine from relatively un- developed Portugal, which has a comparative advantage making that product. Seven years after Ricar- do’s book appeared, Thomas Babington Macaulay wrote, “Free trade, one of the greatest blessings which a government can confer on a people, is in almost every country unpopular.” It cer- tainly is with the Trump ad- ministration, which bristles with chest-thumping anti- cosmopolitans who are too flinty to be bamboozled by foreigners like Ricardo and others who deny that trade is a zero-sum game. Foreigners, however, have their uses. After the presi- dent trumpeted that the Dow surpassing the 22,000 mark was evidence of America’s re- surgent greatness, The Wall Street Journal rather imper- tinently noted this: Boeing, whose shares have gained 50 percent this year and which accounted for 563 of the more than 2,000 points the Dow had gained this year en route to 22,000, makes about 60 percent of its sales over- seas. Boeing has a backlog of orders for 5,705 planes, 75 percent going outside North America. For Apple, the second-biggest contributor (283 points) to this year’s Dow gain at that point, foreign sales are two-thirds of its total sales. Foreign sales are also two-thirds of the sales of McDonald’s, the third-big- gest contributor (239 points). Mark Perry of the Amer- ican Enterprise Institute says that in the last 20 years the inflation-adjusted value of U.S. manufacturing output has increased 40 percent even though – actually, partly because – U.S. factory em- ployment decreased 5.1 mil- lion jobs (29 percent). Man- ufacturing’s share of GDP is almost unchanged since 1960. “U.S. manufacturing output was near a record high last year at $1.91 tril- lion, just slightly below the 2007 level of $1.92 trillion, and will likely reach a new record high later this year.” That record will be reached with about the same level of factory workers (fewer than 12.5 million) as in the early 1940s, when the U.S. popu- lation was about 135 mil- lion. Increased productivity is the reason there can be quadrupled output from the same number of workers. Ac- cording to one study, 88 per- cent of manufacturing job losses are the result of im- proved productivity, not ra- pacious Chinese. But those Democrats who think government should fine-tune everything are nat- ural protectionists (Sen. Charles Schumer: “They’re rapacious, the Chinese”) and probably think Trump is too fainthearted because he is not protecting Americans from competition from Amer- icans. This neglect might be changing, thanks to West Vir- ginia’s Gov. Jim Justice. It was beguilingly trans- actional – no nonsense about principles – when Justice re- cently had his road-to-Da- mascus moment. Elected as a Democrat nine months ago, Justice, a billionaire from the coal industry, announced at a Donald Trump rally that he had discovered that he is a Republican. Almost si- multaneously, he asked for a $4.5 billion subsidy for the coal industry: Taxpayers ev- erywhere should pay Eastern utilities $15 for every ton of Central or Northern Appa- lachian coal they burn. Nat- urally, Justice said this is necessary for “national secu- rity,” the hitherto neglected menace being this: Competition from more productive American mines and, even worse, from Amer- ican fracking (too much in- expensive oil and natural gas) is endangering America by threatening the “surviv- ability” of America’s Eastern coalfields, potentially put- ting America “at risk be- yond belief.” Suppose, Jus- tice says, terrorists disrupted the Eastern power grid and there were no abundant sup- plies of Eastern coal? (He did not explain how the coal would fix the grid.) So, chan- neling George Orwell, Justice says the subsidy is not a sub- sidy, it is a “homeland secu- rity incentive.” Trump surely will make a similar claim when he pro- poses to tax Americans (they will pay all tariffs) who jeop- ardize America’s security by buying American refrigera- tors made with steel imports that delight America’s circling enemies by putting domestic steel mills “at risk.” Anyone who cannot make a similar argument against imports of Greek yogurt – “food security equals national security” – is a novice protectionist. George Will’s email address is georgewill@washpost.com. © 2017, Washington Post Writers Group GEORGE F. WILL GEORGE 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” According to one study, 88 percent of manufacturing job losses are the result of improved productivity, not rapacious Chinese. Time for Trump to embrace free tradeThe islands’ most-trusted news source 5 CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY AUGUST 29, 2017 to build on the positive foun- dation that has been laid by the previous administrators,” the principal added. The school will be con- tinuing with many of the pro- grams in place, and looking at getting parents more in- volved in the lives of their children. The school intends to implement a leadership program for the students. “One of the things we are looking into is cre- ating a science department where children can develop a love for science, which may help propel many of them in that career field,” the principal said. The school is also carrying out the final touches on its drama center. “That will be a department we will be using to raise standards in the in- stitution and develop stu- dents talents and skills,” the Ms. Campbell-Danvers said. Close to 300 chil- dren attend George Town Primary School. Students at West Bay’s Sir John A. Cumber Primary School were asked to con- tinue to give their best efforts and be on their best behavior by Principal Paul Samuel. The school of over 500, the largest government pri- mary school, starts the new school year with two deputy principals, Leonora Mendoza- Hydes and Jessica Jackson. “It will be an exciting year, students and staff are enthu- siastic and we are looking forward to a good year,” said Ms. Mendoza-Hydes. North Side’s Edna Moyle Primary school welcomes newly qualified Caymanian teacher, Kelcy Huggins and some new support staff. The small school of 86 students is entering the new year with most of its pro- grams already in place, said Principal Marcia Rennie. She is looking forward to students continuing “Steps to Success,” a positive behavior system they have in place, the take-home reading program and the back to school night. “I am encouraging them to do their best they year and to be on their best be- havior,” she said. Led by Principal Allison Greaves, East End Primary School welcomes several new support staff and coun- selors for the new school term. She said they will con- tinue to focus on literacy and numeracy. The watchword that students are following this year is “perseverance.” Each month the students at the school make a new word their focus. Presently, 95 students at- tend East End Primary. Cayman Brac Creek and Spot Bay Primary School started the year with the same staff except for one ad- dition to the Response to In- tervention program, said principal Claudette Lazzari. An additional literacy pro- gram has also been added to get some students up to par. Also for the first time, the school is starting a reading recovery program and spe- cial training for staff car- rying on the program. There will also be back to school nights, beginning Tuesday for the 44 infants schooled at the Creek location and Thursdays for the 34 juniors schooled in Spot Bay. The school is continuing with many of the programs that are already in place. Prospect Primary School also had one long- time teacher retire over the summer holidays. Cerrone Glasgow had been at Pros- pect Primary since the school first opened. Principal Mat- thew Reid said he was sad to report that she was leaving. The school is also looking to fill the gap of Coach Mark O’Sullivan, who was a vol- unteer of the football club. Teacher Shawn Harris joined as a new member of staff. Ori- entation was held last week and a back to school session is planned this week, for par- ents to meet with teachers and to hear what’s on the cur- riculum for this year. Close to 350 students at- tend the Prospect primary. In Cayman, it is compul- sory for all children from the ages five to 16 to attend school or be home-schooled. All students entering govern- ment or private schools in the Cayman Islands for the first time are required to un- dergo a health screening. The Education Department man- dates that these screenings must be completed before the new school year begins, in September. Caymanian students do not pay school fees to attend government schools. Immigration Department em- ployees and board members have decided a total of 121 residency applications. Sev- enty-seven of those were ap- proved, 37 were denied, five were withdrawn and two ap- plications were not heard be- cause they were filed late. About two-thirds of the residency applica- tions heard this month have been approved. Before August, with the Caymanian Status and Per- manent Residency Board hearing all of the applica- tions at a much slower pace, fewer than 25 percent of the cases heard were approved, according to Immigration Department records. Board members granted just 19 out of 80 residency applications filed between May and July. Speeding things up The Cayman Islands gov- ernment has been under mounting legal pressure to deal with the backlog of per- manent residence applica- tions since last year, when applicants who had waited between two to four years for their cases to be heard began filing requests for ju- dicial review. At present, eight non-Cay- manians have sued the gov- ernment, seeking damages over delays in processing their requests to remain in Cayman. No hearing dates have been set for any of the cases, al- though three of the eight were awarded permanent resident status after they filed the judi- cial review actions. All eight Grand Court legal actions stated similar claims over the residency ap- plication delays that have been troubling the process since a revised Immigration Law took effect in October 2013. The court records allege the Caymanian Status and Permanent Residency Board, as well as the chief immigra- tion officer, have acted “un- lawfully” by not considering those applications in a “rea- sonable period of time.” Damages sought include interest on the amounts al- ready paid to the Immigra- tion Department for res- idence applications and ongoing permit-related fees. The judicial review applica- tions also generally seek un- specified damages for “un- wanted stress” caused by the years-long delays in pro- cessing the applications. Work permits While the government has pushed ahead with hearing the backlogged residence ap- plications, a number of em- ployment firms in the islands have noted delays in pro- cessing work permit applica- tions have grown during 2017. Some firms have noted an average processing time for work permit applications of around three months, others said permits were taking be- tween eight to ten weeks to handle. The Immigration De- partment typically strives to process permits required for non-Caymanians to work here within 14 days. So far this year, a much larger number of work permit applications are being handled by a reduced Immigration Department staff, leading to longer-than- usual delays in acquiring permission to work for non-Caymanians. According to figures given to the Cayman Compass this month, 18,847 work permit applications were submitted to the department between Jan. 1 and July 31. Those ap- plications do not only in- clude annual permit grants and renewals, but cover a wide range of temporary permits, work permit exten- sions, special economic zone permits and amendments to business staffing plans. The Immigration Depart- ment reported that roughly the same number of permit applications were processed for all of 2016. recommended only six proj- ects, out of 368 reviewed, for environmental im- pact assessment. She declined to com- ment at this stage on the pre- mier’s comments. Mr. McLaughlin, in his policy speech, said, “We remain committed to protecting our environment, but we must also ensure that we get the bal- ance right between preserving our environment and the need to responsibly develop our is- lands to help provide employ- ment and opportunities for our people. We will continue to support the environment, but we cannot ignore some tension that exists between allowing necessary responsible devel- opment and protection of our environment – particularly fol- lowing the passage of the Na- tional Conservation Law.” Referring to advice that every new government road would require some form of EIA, he said this increased the cost and caused delays of nec- essary infrastructure projects. He added, “Truth be told this tension has always been there – and perhaps in the past too often development has won over protecting the environment. However, both aims are important and need to co-exist, with Cabinet re- ceiving proper advice and having the ability to mediate or decide in cases where a side must be chosen. And so, we will look again at the Na- tional Conservation Law to determine what amendments need to be made to ensure the proper balance is struck.” The comments, repeated in a later debate about two farm roads in North Side, slated for Environmental Impact As- sessments on the advice of the conservation council, were welcomed by the opposition leader, Ezzard Miller. Mr. Miller, the North Side MLA and a vocal advocate for the two roads, said he would have the full support of the op- position benches. “I thank the premier for his intervention and give him unconditional support to amend the National Con- servation Law.” News that the law could be amended was also welcomed by developers. David Moffitt, CEO of Iron- wood, a planned golf resort in the eastern districts, said any moves to expedite the road approval process would be welcomed. The developer had proposed a partnership with government to build a 10-mile extension to the East- West Arterial road to help fa- cilitate swifter access to its planned resort. The National Conserva- tion Council indicated that the road would require an Envi- ronmental Impact Assessment. Mr. Moffitt said he hoped a broader relaxation of the regu- lations on EIAs would follow. “We are encouraged as I’m sure most people are that the premier understands the need to revisit the recent conserva- tion law. The need for a con- servation law is obvious, but to go from no law to a law where nothing is allowed without the consent of one lone body, swung the pendulum from one extreme to the other … “We would encourage gov- ernment to make changes to the Conservation Law not just to accommodate government agencies interest, but to in- clude all developers. As the premier stated in his SPS ad- dress, ‘the economy is the en- gine that provides for others,’ and the current NCL stran- gles the engine.” Joe Imparato, the devel- oper of the Caribbean Club, said he believed the law needed to be amended to make it compatible with respon- sible development. “The application of envi- ronmental regulations needs to be done with a strong mea- sure of common sense and practicality and not be used as a method of carte blanche, re- stricting development,” he said. “I would recommend that cabinet roll back the regula- tions such that the Depart- ment of Environment are again an advisor to the plan- ning board and not a decision maker in the overall process.” The conservation council defended the EIA process in a recent letter to the Compass. Ms. Rose-Smyth wrote, “It should be abundantly clear that the EIA procedure is in- voked sparingly, and only when the NCC and DoE agree that there are such signifi- cant gaps, in either the tech- nical information available for the assessment of poten- tial impacts, or in the tech- nical expertise available, that additional studies and assess- ment are required. An EIA decision is therefore never taken frivolously. “It must always be remem- bered that an EIA does not make the decision on a project; it is a tool that assists decision makers in making fair, techni- cally sound, transparent and robust decisions, weighing the adverse environmental effects against other considerations such as societal benefits, em- ployment and other economic opportunities.” Welcome back to school, Cayman! CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Premier: ‘Ridiculous’ parts of Conservation Law will be removed CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Residency delays may clear up within year CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Students in George Town Primary School’s Year 3 class make their way to classroom with teacher Mariline Parker. - PHOTO: JEWEL LEVYDISTRICT DAYS 6 District Days West Bay TUESDAY AUGUST 29, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS 50 years ago: Miriam Jackson obituary In the Aug. 30, 1967 edition of the Caymanian Weekly, a precursor of the Cayman Compass, correspondent Dar- lene Owens wrote in her “This Week in West Bay” column: “We regret to report the death of Mrs. Miriam Jackson, which occurred at the George Town Hospital on Aug. 19 after being in failing health for some time. “She was born June 21, 1934. A quiet hard-working mother, before she died she left a wonderful testi- mony as a source of comfort to her bereaved family. “Left to mourn her are: her husband, Carrol, 2 daughters, and 3 sons (ages ranging from 13 to 2 yrs), her devoted, broken-hearted mother Margaret Ebanks, 1 brother Stemila, at sea, and a host of other relatives. “Funeral service was conducted at her aunt Mrs. Elbridge Ebanks’ home, by Rev. Ruth Bowman, and the mortal remains were laid to rest at the Boatswains Bay Cemetery. “The family wishes to thank all who helped in any way during the illness of their beloved one. “Mr. and Mrs. Lindy Hay- lock, who now reside in Tampa, Fla., are the happy parents of their second child and first son born on Aug. 14. “Mr. and Mrs. Tom Parsons and daughter arrived from their home in Texas, where Mr. Parsons is a Minister of the Presbyterian Church. This is his wife and daughter’s first visit, and they are very much in love with the island. “Rev. C.C. Carlman of the Caribbean World Mis- sion arrived along with his daughters Peggy and Judy on Saturday, Aug. 19. “Dr. Carlman told your re- porter of a recent preaching mission in Baltimore where he preached to the First Bap- tist Pilgrim Holiness and Church of God congregations. He said he was real thrilled to see the good number of people from the Cayman Is- lands who came out to hear him, some coming from as far away as N.Y.C. to attend the meetings.” West Bay poet Leonard Dilbert shares work ahead of Poetry Festival KAYLA YOUNG kyoung@pinnaclemedialtd.com As Cayman’s annual literary celebration, the Cayman Islands Poetry Fes- tival, approaches this No- vember, organizers hope to draw attention to the islands’ local poetry movement. The four-day event, Nov. 16-19, will feature re- nowned international poets and academics, including Zoë Skoulding (U.K.), Wayde Compton (Canada), James Browning Kepple (U.S.), Yas- hika Graham (Jamaica), Fabio Castillo (Honduras), Jose Taboada (Cuba) and Julio Caesar Sanchez (Cuba). Taking center stage, how- ever, will be Cayman’s local writers who will facilitate community readings, open mic nights, workshops, school visits and cultural tours. Promoting local writers In anticipation of the fes- tival, organizer Bridges has reached out to Caymanian poets to share and discuss their work, at the Cayman Compass studio. West Bay poet Leonard Dilbert visited the studio to reflect on Cayman’s writing scene and to share his 2003 poem, “The Disappeared,” from his collection, “Grown from this Ground.” Cayman Compass: Tell us about your work as a writer. Leonard Dilbert: I write mostly contemporary poetry, mostly what some people call free verse. It’s often topical. I say I write love poetry all the time because in one way or the other, it’s meant to come back to some sort of lesson that is good for all of us somehow. Sometimes it’s much more intimate and other times it’s much more political, very much in-your- face political sometimes. That is a challenging way to write, because to not preach but at the same time be arresting is a bit of a difficult task, but interesting. CC: What is it that draws you to poetry? LD: It’s the only true way for me. I love to take pho- tographs. I find that quite evocative, fun. I find it does a lot for my release. But it’s more of a Zen exercise in the sense that it frees my mind to do other things while I am looking through the camera. What those other things are is putting the lan- guage together in ways that I need to hear. I do not think I could paint because I don’t have that discipline. I sing in the shower but I would not grace anyone else with that. I don’t play an instrument. But I am called. I have a profound sense of being called to do this work. So I try to write the best I can. CC: How long have you been writing? LD: I guess about 30 years. I started at the latter end of high school. While I was doing 11th, I found my- self starting to do things be- cause I could find not an- other way of satisfying myself that I was saying something I felt had to be said. I look back at it now and cringe at what I did, but you have to start somehow, somewhere, and hopefully you learn. I think I’ve learned some things. So I keep doing it and keep practicing. The term “practicing poet,” I think that means a lot. To practice and keep practicing. CC: What’s it like being a poet in Cayman? LD: Difficult. In some way it’s an indictment on me and everybody else who have not made more of it in the sense that the challenge in Cayman is to get up and do it. Oppor- tunities are open to do any- thing you want to do. It’s just a matter of you taking the opportunity. I think though that the arts, poetry being an ex- ample, requires something a bit more than that. Poetry requires a readership. It re- quires a listenership. You have to have some sense that what you are saying is being said to somebody who hears it and responds. You have to feed on the response. The re- sponse is difficult to find. CC: Tell us about the poem you will be sharing with us, “The Disappeared.” LD: Anybody who knows about the 70s in Chile and Argentina will have heard the term “los desaparecidos,” thousands and thousands of people who were fighting against the regimes at that point in time. In this case in Chile … [Augusto] Pinochet laid a coup against [Salvador] Allende to take back their in- terests. That flew in the face of a lot of the popular sup- port that Allende had gar- nered to be elected in the first place. The people who protested, the people who fought against it, the people who tried to organize against it disappeared. I read an account that was compelling of a former officer of Pinochet’s who felt years later, he needed to con- fess his own involvement. The description he gave formed the basis of a lot of this lan- guage, the whole business of the helicopters and the way in which people were dealt with, step by step…. The poet who has had a huge influence on me, Pablo Neruda, was Chilean and one of that group that was very much on the Allende side of the equation. That had me viscerally connected to the whole thing …. You cannot really decide what you are going to write a poem about. It calls to you and says, “listen to this.” To hear Mr. Dil- bert read “The Disap- peared,” visit our website, www.caymancompass.com. The Disappeared I. First their bellies were opened then they were dumped into the sea No, first they were pushed into the helicopter then their bel- lies were opened No, first they were drugged then the helicopter then the bellies opened No, first torture -they talked- (they always talk) -they would not talk- (it did not matter) to the helicopter and slit open so they wouldn’t float on the Pacific ocean II. But before that the burning of the Moneda with Allende inside calling Viva! Viva! When they shot him he fell face down arms spread as if he would have held the earth of Chile into his belly if he could have reached the ground. West Bay poet Leonard Dilbert shares his work at the Cayman Compass studio. “Poetry requires a readership. It requires a listenership. You have to have some sense that what you are saying is being said to somebody who hears it and responds.” LEONARD DILBERTThe islands’ most-trusted news source 7 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. CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY AUGUST 29, 2017 TUESDAY, AUG. 29 HIGH SCHOOL REUNION: The Cayman Islands High School Class of 1987 will celebrate their 30-year class reunion on Saturday, Sept. 30, 7 p.m. at the George Town Yacht Club, North Sound Road. Tickets are now on sale for $75 at Funky Tang’s or by calling Cassandra Ebanks Powery on 925-1930. Please purchase tickets by Sept. 25 so preparations can be made. PERTINACITY, PAGEANTS & POLITICS: Former Miss Cayman and attorney Theresa Lewis Pitcairn discusses “A purposeful life beyond the crown.” 6 p.m. Part of the speaker series at the National Museum on Harbour Drive. $10 general admission, $6 members, includes entry to exhibits. Wine and refreshments follow. Reserve a seat by contacting shenicemcfield@museum.ky. CHAMBER COURSE: Dealing with “Problem People.” 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Chamber of Commerce, Governors Square. $150 for members, $225 for future members. www.caymanchamber.ky. NON-PROFIT LAW: An information session on the new Non-Profit Organisations Law will be held 2-3 p.m. in Room 1038, Government Administration Building. Presented by the Ministry of Financial Services. For more information, contact wilbur.welcome@gov.ky. THURSDAY, AUG. 31 USED BOOKS: Today is the last day of the Red Cross Thrift Shop book sale. Customers can get all the books they can fit in a bag for $5. SMALL BUSINESS WORKSHOP: Negotiation Techniques. 5:30–7:30 p.m. Chamber of Commerce, Governors Square. Free. Register online at www.caymanchamber.ky. CHAMBER COURSE: Business Master class – Strata Management. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Chamber of Commerce, Governors Square. $175 for members, $225 for future members. Register online at www.caymanchamber.ky. BRAC WORKSHOP: The Family Resource Centre holds a three-day domestic violence intervention workshop at the Brac Reef hotel. The free training is Aug. 29-31, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The workshop is for front-line professionals who interact with domestic violence victims and their families. Contact FRC at 949-0006 or email frc@gov.ky. SATURDAY, SEPT. 2 WEST BAY TRUST: The annual general meeting of the West Bay District Committee of the National Trust for the Cayman Islands will be at 6:30 p.m. at the John Gray Memorial Church Hall, 24 West Church Street, West Bay. If unable to attend, complete proxy form and return by email to amcoe@candw.ky before the AGM. SUNDAY, SEPT. 3 PAWS ON WHEELS: Fundraising cycle ride, 7 a.m., starting from The Lighthouse restaurant in Breakers. Registration on the day of event, 6:15-6:45 a.m. at The Lighthouse. Adults, $25. Adults w/commemorative jersey, $50. Kids under 12, free. All participants will receive a free PAWS T-shirt (while supplies last) and a continental breakfast after the event. Choose from three routes (4, 10 or 20 miles) to suit experience level. For more information, contact PAWS at 916-3957 or 916-1731. TUESDAY, SEPT. 5 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. 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. THURSDAY, SEPT. 7 CHAMBER COURSE: Time Management & Productivity. 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Chamber of Commerce, Governors Square; $150 for members, $225 for future members; register online at www.caymanchamber.ky. CAYMAN DRAMA SOCIETY: Opening night for comedy “Sistahs.” Performances are at the Prospect Playhouse on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays to Sept. 23. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Curtain 7:30 p.m. Tickets for all performances are $25 for adults, $15 for students/ children. Book tickets at www.cds.ky. GENERAL INTEREST BE A MENTOR: Training provided. Starting at the end of September for one year, mentor a Year 11 student at John Gray High School to help him or her achieve their potential in life and in school. It just takes one hour a week, Tuesday or Thursday lunchtime meetings from noon-1 p.m. in term time at the school. Contact Laura on 328-0300 or Karen on 325-0318. SCHOLARSHIPS: The Chevening Secretariat is accepting applications for U.K. Government scholarships to study in the U.K. in 2018/2019. Applications for Chevening Scholarships are open until Nov. 7, with applications to be submitted via www.chevening.org/apply. AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM: The Savannah After School Enrichment Programme is enrolling primary-age students for their program, held at the Savannah United Church Hall, Mondays to Fridays, from 3–6 p.m. The program is particularly convenient for children who attend Savannah Primary and Bodden Town primary schools. For registration and fees, call the church office at 947-6071 or email info@savannahunited.ky. GAMEBIRD SEASON: The Department of Environment reminds hunters that the open season for blue-winged teal opens in September (three-bird bag and possession limit). For white- winged doves, the season opens in October (12 bird bag and possession limit). ANNIVERSARY DINNER: Tickets for Wesleyan Christian Academy’s 40th anniversary dinner buffet are on sale. The dinner will be at Schooner’s restaurant at the Cayman Turtle Centre on Sept. 17. Tickets are available to all past/present attendees of WCA and their families, $20 adults, $15 children. Inquiries may be made to 949-3394 or 949-1121. LAW SCHOOL PROGRAMS: Applications are being accepted for one of the new postgraduate programs offered by the Truman Bodden Law School – the master of laws in international finance, law and regulation; and the postgraduate diploma in international finance, law and regulation. Full details on the admissions procedure at www.lawschool.gov.ky. 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. 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. 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. 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. ARTISAN MARKET: Every Wednesday, noon – 8 p.m. at Camana Bay. Visual Arts Society artists display arts, crafts, paintings, prints, hand-crafted jewelry and ceramics for sale with 3 tents on display by KARoo Restaurant/Bar. info@visualartcayman.com. OPEN CANVAS: Every Wednesday Visual Arts Society supports this event at KARoo Restaurant located in Camana Bay. 7-11 p.m. No fee. Easels provided for artist of all levels to come out and enjoy painting and socializing with other artists. info@visualartcayman.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. TOASTMASTERS CLUB: Cayman has three chapters of Toastmasters International, geared toward development of public speaking and leadership skills. Grand Cayman club meets at George Town Public Library, 3rd floor, 6-7:15 p.m. every Thursday. Eloquent Speaker club meets 2nd and 4th Tuesday 6:30–7:45 p.m. at Savannah United Church Hall. Eminent Orators club meets 2nd and 4th Monday 6–7:30 p.m. at Cayman Academy Canteen. Contact George R. Ebanks at 916-0687/322-9369 or georger.ebanks@gmail.com. ROTARACT BLUE OF CAYMAN: Meets Wednesdays 6 p.m., at Royal Palms Beach Club, West Bay Road. Contact rotaractblue@gmail.com or www.rotaractblue.org. LEO CLUB OF GRAND CAYMAN: Meets first and third Wednesdays of the month, 6:30 p.m. at the Lions Community Centre. For more information, contact Secretary Letisha Allen at 924-2819. THE LIONS CLUB OF GRAND CAYMAN: Meets every first and third Thursday 7:30 p.m. at the Lions Community Centre. For more information, email LionsClubGCM@hotmail.com. For more Community Calendar events, visit www.caymancompass.com/events. The Department of Environment reminds hunters that the open season for blue-winged teal begins in September (three-bird bag and possession limit).The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 TUESDAY AUGUST 29, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS All ProMar 400 EG-SHEL fi nish interior paint On sale now through August 31st See in store for additional discounts See in store for additional discounts See in store for additional discounts 27 Godfrey Nixon Way (345) 945-5665 www.koolkoteings.com Available at 25% OFF On sale now through for additional discounts (345) 945-5665 US police to get military gear President Donald Trump will revive a program that provides local police departments with surplus military equipment such as high-caliber weapons and grenade launchers, despite past concerns that armored vehicles and other gear were inflaming confrontations with protesters. Water released from Houston reservoirs to protect downtown HOUSTON (AP) – Officials re- leased more water Monday from Houston-area reservoirs overwhelmed by Harvey in a move aimed at protecting the city’s downtown from devas- tating floods, but the release risked flooding thousands more homes, and the nation’s fourth-largest city expected to get still more rain. Meanwhile, water res- cues continued, with author- ities plucking 2,000 people from flooding in the city. At least 185 critical rescue re- quests were pending on Monday morning. The goal is to rescue those people by the end of the day, Police Chief Art Acevedo said. With rain falling un- abated, Acevedo said there was nowhere left for the water to drain. “I’m not sure where the water is going because it’s just so much that we can’t really absorb more in the ground at this point,” he told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” Harvey, which made land- fall Friday as a Category 4 hurricane and then lin- gered just off the coast as a drenching tropical storm, sent devastating floods pouring into Houston on Sunday. The rising water forced a mass evacuation of parts of the city and over- whelmed rescuers who could not keep up with constant calls for help. As many as 50 counties are affected by the flooding, Federal Emergency Manage- ment Agency Director Brock Long said Monday. The rain and floods have been blamed for at least two deaths. Emergency vehicles made up most of the traffic Monday in downtown Houston. The normally bustling business district was virtually de- serted. Many traffic signals did not work and most busi- nesses were closed. Residents living near the Addicks and Barker reser- voirs – which were created to prevent flooding in down- town Houston – were warned Sunday that a controlled re- lease would cause additional street flooding that could spill into homes. The rising water and continuing rain put pressure on the dams, which could fail if the pres- sure is not relieved. Harris and Fort Bend county officials advised res- idents to pack their cars Sunday night and leave in the morning. The Red Cross quickly set up Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center and other venues as shel- ters. The convention center was also used as a shelter for Katrina refugees in 2005. By Monday morning, it had already reached half its capacity. The Army Corps of En- gineers started the reser- voir releases before 2 a.m. Monday – ahead of schedule – because water levels were increasing at a rate of more than 6 inches per hour, Corps spokesman Jay Townsend said. Officials in suburban Fort Bend County issued manda- tory evacuation orders late Sunday along the Brazos River levee districts as the river rose to major flood stage. The National Weather Service predicted that the water could rise to 59 feet, 3 feet above 2016 records and what County Judge Robert Herbert called an “800-year flood level.” That much water would top the levees and car- ries a threat of levee failure, Herbert said. On Sunday, incessant rain covered much of Houston in turbid, gray-green water and turned streets into rivers navigable only by boat. In a rescue effort that recalled the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, helicopters landed near flooded freeways, air- boats buzzed across sub- merged neighborhoods and high-water vehicles plowed through water-logged in- tersections. Some people managed with kayaks or canoes or swam. The aftermath of the storm will require FEMA’s involvement for years, officials said. Evacuees wade down a flooded section of Interstate 610 as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise on Sunday in Houston. - PHOTO: AP Gasoline prices surge as Harvey shutters Texas coast refineries Gasoline surged to the highest in two years and oil declined as flooding from Tropical Storm Harvey inun- dated refining centers along the Texas coast, shutting more than 10 percent of U.S. fuel-making capacity. Motor fuel prices rose as much as 6.8 percent, while New York oil futures slipped 0.9 percent. Harvey, the strongest storm to hit the U.S. since 2004, made landfall as a hurricane Friday, flooding cities and shutting plants able to process some 2.26 million barrels of oil a day. Pipelines were closed, po- tentially stranding crude in West Texas and interrupting gasoline supply. “Crude oil has taken it quite badly because of all of the refining capacity that has been shut in,” Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank A/S, said by phone from Copen- hagen. “That’s only some- what offset by the slowdown in production.” While gasoline spiked on the storm, demand for the motor fuel is set to decline over the next several weeks as the U.S. summer driving season wanes and refin- eries begin seasonal mainte- nance, Hansen said. Oil has traded this month in the tightest range since February as investors weigh rising global supply against output cuts by members of the Organization of Petro- leum Exporting Countries and its allies. As Harvey led to widespread flooding, Royal Dutch Shell Plc shut its Deer Park plant, while Magellan Midstream Part- ners LP suspended its in- bound and outbound refined products and crude pipeline transportation services in the Houston area. An estimated 300,000 to 500,000 barrels a day of Eagle Ford oil output has been shut, according to the Texas Rail- road Commission. About 22 percent, or 378,600 barrels a day of Gulf of Mexico oil pro- duction is offline, according to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. Magellan also said the Long- horn and BridgeTex crude pipelines are shut. © 2017, Bloomberg9 WORLD&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY AUGUST 29, 2017 ACLU sues Trump over transgender military ban (AP) – The American Civil Liberties Union sued Pres- ident Donald Trump on Monday seeking to pre- vent implementation of his ban on transgender indi- viduals serving in the mili- tary, saying the order violates their rights to equal protec- tion and due process. The federal lawsuit was filed in Baltimore by the ACLU of Maryland on behalf of six transgender individuals cur- rently serving in the Army, Navy, Air Force, National Guard and Naval Reserve. “President Trump’s ac- tions immediately caused the individual plaintiffs and other transgender service members to fear for their ca- reers, the well-being of their family members and depen- dents, their healthcare and, in some cases, their safety,” the lawsuit states. Trump directed the Pen- tagon on Friday to imple- ment a ban on transgender individuals from enlisting in or continuing to serve in the military, which he first an- nounced in a tweet. The ban, which would take effect next year, also or- ders a halt to the use of De- fense Department resources to fund sex-reassignment surgeries for military per- sonnel, except if needed to protect the health of an in- dividual who already has begun a course of sex-reas- signment treatment. “Our military must be fo- cused on decisive and over- whelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tre- mendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail,” Trump tweeted. The plaintiffs, who claim they face immediate and ir- reparable harm, are asking the court to declare the ban unconstitutional and invalid. White House officials said Monday that they do not com- ment on pending litigation. Similar litigation was filed in federal court in Se- attle on Monday, on behalf of a 12-year Army veteran and two young transgender men who hope to enlist, by the Human Rights Campaign and the Gender Justice League. And last Wednesday, before Trump formally issued his directive, GLBTQ Legal Advo- cates and Defenders (GLAD) and the National Center for Lesbian Rights sued in Wash- ington, D.C., on behalf of five transgender service members with nearly 60 years of com- bined military service. Jennifer Levi, director of GLAD’s Transgender Rights Project, said Monday that the filing of multiple law- suits is a good thing, because Trump’s policy is a “slap in the face to service members who have devoted their lives to protecting the country.” The ACLU complaint calls the new policy a betrayal to existing service mem- bers who came out publicly to military personnel fol- lowing a directive issued last year by President Barack Obama’s defense secretary, Ashton Carter. That “open service” directive stated that no otherwise qualified ser- vice member could be dis- charged or denied re-enlist- ment solely because of his or her gender identity. The ACLU claims the ad- ministration has provided no evidence to justify the re- versal in policy, which has been criticized by some Re- publican lawmakers, in- cluding Rep. Scott Taylor of Virginia, a former Navy SEAL; and Sen. John McCain of Arizona, a former Vietnam prisoner of war. “News reports indicate that the Secretary of Defense and other military officials were surprised by President Trump’ announcement, and that his actual motivations were purely political, re- flecting a desire to accommo- date legislators and advisers who bear animus and moral disapproval toward men and women who are transgender, with a goal of gaining votes for a spending bill that in- cluded money to build a border wall with Mexico,” the lawsuit claims. The lawsuit, which says an estimated 8,800 or more transgender people currently serve in the military, asserts that Trump’s concerns about military preparedness, unit cohesion and medical costs are baseless. According to a Rand Corp. study issued last year, there would be “minimal” impacts on readi- ness, with only 10 to 130 ac- tive-duty members having reduced deployability be- cause of gender transition-re- lated treatments. The lawsuit also notes that 18 other countries, in- cluding 11 NATO members, allow transgender people to serve openly in the armed forces, and that the Rand study found no significant effect on their operational effectiveness. WASHINGTON (AP) – After months of delays, President Donald Trump is expected to decide soon on the fate of young immigrants who were brought into the country il- legally as children as he faces a looming court dead- line and is digging in on ap- peals to his base. Advocates on both sides of the issue are bracing for the possibility that Trump will halt the issuance of new work permits under the Deferred Action for Child- hood Arrivals, or DACA, pro- gram, a move that would effectively phase out a pro- gram that gave hundreds of thousands of young people a reprieve from deportation and the ability to work le- gally in the U.S. The Trump administra- tion faces a Sept. 5 deadline from a group of Republican state lawmakers hoping to force the president’s hand. The White House, however, insisted Sunday that it had no announcement on an issue the president has openly wrestled with for months. The deliberations come as Trump has been under fire for his response to a white supremacists’ pro- test in Charlottesville, Vir- ginia. Trump further fanned the flames of racial tension Friday when he pardoned Joe Arpaio, the former sheriff of Arizona’s Maricopa County, who had been found guilty of defying a judge’s order to stop racially profiling La- tinos. The decision drew fury from Democrats and opposi- tion from some Republicans, but was hailed by Trump’s most fervent base. Trump has wavered back and forth on his plans for DACA, which he slammed during his campaign as “il- legal amnesty.” Since taking office, however, Trump has softened his stance on the issue, at one point telling The Associated Press that the af- fected young immigrants could “rest easy.” His administration, Trump said back in April, was “not after the dreamers, we are after the criminals.” All the while, the Department of Homeland Security has con- tinued to grant two-year, re- newable DACA work permits, to the dismay of immigra- tion hard-liners. But now, Trump is under pressure to make a final call: His administration is facing a Sept. 5 deadline set by a group of Republican state lawmakers, led by Texas At- torney General Ken Paxton. The group, which success- fully halted an Obama-era program that would have protected certain parents living in the country illegally, threatened to take on DACA if the administration does not rescind the order and stop issuing work permits by their deadline. “It’s forced him,” said Roy Beck, the executive director of NumbersUSA, which advo- cates for lower immigration. “Inertia’s great until some- thing gets in your way and you have to either rev up the engines to go through the barrier or just stop.” Continuing to process work permits is one thing; defending a program Trump called illegal in court is an- other. And many, including Trump’s chief of staff John Kelly, the former head of DHS, believe that DACA is on dubious legal footing and would not stand up in court. The president has several options. He could order DHS to halt the issuance of new DACA work permits immedi- ately – or at a future date – and perhaps call on Congress to come up with a legisla- tive fix, as, Kelly has in the past. There have been con- versations among lawmakers about ways to grandfather current DACA recipients, and such a measure could become part of the horse-trading over the budget and raising the debt ceiling when Congress returns from August recess. The administration could also continue issuing DACA work permits, triggering the Republican court challenge, and then choose not to de- fend the measure in court. Mark Krikorian, the exec- utive director of the anti-im- migration group Center for Immigration Studies, which also advocates a reduction in immigration, said that he is in favor of allowing the affected immigrants to stay, but believes the adminis- tration should use their im- periled status as a bar- gaining tool to push other priorities, like new limits on legal immigration. “My fear is, and always has been, is that they’re going to give away DACA for peanuts,” he said, pointing to a deal that would only secure funding for Trump’s promised southern border wall in exchange for some sort of legal status for those covered by DACA. “That’s the only bar- gaining chip they really have with the Democrats,” he said. Meanwhile, those who are impacted by the program have been preparing for the worst, said Sergio Garcia, an immigration attorney in Cali- fornia who has handled thou- sands of DACA applications There’s “a lot of anxiety. A lot of people nervous, trying to figure out what’s next and what’s going to happen to them,” he said, pointing to Trump’s Arpaio decision as a troubling sign. “Every time we think there’s a line this president won’t cross, he’s crossing it,” Garcia said. In this July 26, 2017 file photo, people with the Human Rights Campaign hold up ‘equality flags’ during an event on Capitol Hill in Washington, in support of transgender members of the military. – PHOTO: AP A woman holds up a sign in support of the program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, during an immigration reform rally at the White House in Washington. – PHOTO: AP Trump expected to decide soon on fate of young immigrantsNext >