ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – THURSDAY DECEMBER 14, 2017 High of 82 Low of 76 Slight to moderate with wave heights of 2 to 4 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 IN ‘GRADING’ SCHOOLS, BE TOUGH, BUT FAIR LOCAL | PAGE 5 MISSION HOUSE GETS SPRUCED UP Holiday office hours Merry Christmas and a happy New Year! The management and staff at BritCay extend sincere season’s best wishes to you and your family. BRITISH CAYMANIAN INSURANCE CO. LTD. BritCay House, 236 Eastern Avenue, George Town, P.O. Box 74, KY1-1102 Tel. 949-8699 A member of Colonial Group International: insurance, health, pensions, life Call 949-8699 www.britcay.ky Holiday early closing at noon, December 22nd and 29th Same-sex partnerships law introduced in Bermuda Bill replaces gay marriage JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Forging an “imperfect com- promise” that Cayman Islands legislators may eventually be compelled to follow, politicians in Bermuda have introduced leg- islation allowing gay couples to register “domestic partnerships.” The bill has attracted contro- versy in the territory and beyond because it essentially repeals same-sex marriage – a position forced on the Bermuda govern- ment by its Supreme Court fol- lowing a test case last year. Walton Brown, Bermuda’s Home Affairs Minister, said the The Domestic Partnership bill provided same-sex couples with a raft of legal rights similar to marriage – but not the title. “As it stands now, they can have the name marriage but without the benefits. But after this Bill passes, they have the benefits and just not the name marriage. The benefits are what they really want,” he said. Critics labeled the move an embarrassing step backward for Bermuda, which saw its first gay marriage last year after the Su- preme Court ruled that its con- stitutional definition of marriage as between a man and a woman was inconsistent with interna- tional human rights legislation. However, Bermuda’s position on the issue is still more liberal than in Cayman, where there are no formal legal rights for same-sex couples. In fact, campaigners in Cayman have not explicitly called for same-sex marriage to be legalized. What they do claim is that human rights legislation requires that Cayman’s legis- lators at least allow couples to register their partnerships. The Human Rights Commis- sion has recommended legal recognition of same-sex unions, though not necessarily gay HIGHWAY EXTENSION TO OPEN THURSDAY The northern half of the ongoing Esterley Tibbetts Highway extension opens Thursday. Between the Camana Bay Town Centre roundabout and the new “Ca- mana Bay South roundabout,” traffic will now proceed on the new four-lane di- vided highway. The road opening completes an- other phase of road improvements by the Cayman Islands government and Dart Real Estate. For more on this story, see page 7. MAN GIVEN COMMUNITY SERVICE FOR ASSAULT ON POLICE OFFICER SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com Seth Watler was given a 10-month sus- pended sentence and 100 hours of community service on Wednesday after pleading guilty to causing grievous bodily harm to a Cayman Is- lands police officer. Mr. Watler, 25, encountered Detective Su- perintendent Peter Lansdown after a one-car accident on Oct. 14, and he admitted punching the officer in front of several witnesses. Mr. Lansdown was knocked unconscious due to hitting the pavement following the at- tack, and he sustained several injuries in- cluding a fractured rib, bruised cheeks and a laceration to his head. The officer was hospi- talized for three days and received stitches as part of his medical treatment. Mr. Watler’s friend, Jason Wood, was charged with threatening to cause serious harm and obstructing a police officer in the lawful execution of his duties as part of the same incident. The pair were tried separately, though, as Watler’s offense necessitated a hearing in Grand Court. Mr. Watler pleaded guilty at his arraign- ment, a fact that Justice Marlene Carter cited Wednesday as part of the mitigation involved in his sentencing. Justice Carter also cited Mr. Watler’s record of no prior convictions, several character references and the defendant’s re- morse in mitigation. The crown had suggested to Justice Carter that Mr. Watler’s attack on the officer amounted to a category 2 offense, but defense attorney Jonathon Hughes submitted that it Lobster law traps restaurants Fresh local lobster a disappearing delicacy JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman restaurants have been caught off guard by a new regulation that could see fresh local lobster disappear from menus across the islands. The Department of Envi- ronment confirmed this week that the regulations had been changed in 2016 to limit res- taurants to a maximum of three lobsters per day. Any res- taurant with more than three local lobsters on the premises on any given day would be in breach of the law, regardless of when they were caught. Chefs and restaurant owners appear to be unaware of the legal change, however, and many acknowledged they may have been unwittingly breaking the new law. Nu- merous restaurant bosses said PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » Lobster tail is a signature dish in many Cayman restaurants. - PHOTO: STEPHEN CLARKE Isabelle Lamers holds two spiny lobsters caught off Grand Cayman in February. Environmental regulations passed last year may effectively take local lobster ‘off the menu’ in Cayman restaurants. - PHOTO: MATT LAMERS PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL THURSDAY DECEMBER 14, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS • Daily Matinees Every Day • $8.00 Seniors, Mon-Fri Before 6pm Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 • Additional charges will apply per 3D/VIP ticket requested SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted to any film starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. - THURSDAY - 640-FILM (640-3456) THE STAR (PG) 12:20 I 2:40 I 5:00 I 7:20 I 9:40 COCO 3D (PG) 12:55 2D I 3:40 I 6:35 2D I 9:15 WONDER (PG) 1:05 I 4:00 JUSTICE LEAGUE 3D (PG13) 12:40 2D I 3:55 2D VIP I 6:40 2D I 9:40 DARKEST HOUR (PG13) 1:00 VIP I 3:35 I 6:40 VIP I 9:40 VIP DADDY’S HOME 2 (PG13) 1:40 I 4:20 I 7:00 I 9:40 TIL DEATH US DO PART (PG13) 7:15 I 10:00 Mixed verdicts in nightclub assault/shooting trial Malik Mothen and Kashwayne Hewitt to be sentenced Thursday CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Three defendants were found not guilty of at- tempted murder Wednesday in relation to a Feb. 4 as- sault and shooting outside the Fete nightclub. Two men, however, were found guilty on an alternative charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. Tashika Mothen was found not guilty of all five charges the jury had consid- ered; Justice Roger Chapple previously indicated that he would direct a not guilty ver- dict on two others. The fourth defendant, Daniella Tibbetts, was found not guilty of possession of an unlicensed firearm together with Kashwayne Hewitt at her West Bay apartment on Feb. 10, when police found a Colt .45 in the cistern of the toilet in her bathroom. It was the only charge she faced. She had pleaded not guilty on the basis that she did not know Mr. Hewitt had hidden the gun there. The gun was the one from which two bullets had been fired outside Fete. The jury heard that one bullet was fired at Daniel Alexander Bennett, but missed him. The other bullet was fired at Carlney Campbell and hit him in the shoulder. Mr. Hewitt had pleaded guilty to possession of the gun, telling police that he took it from Malik Mothen after Mr. Mothen fired both shots. Mr. Hewitt did not give evidence, so what he said in interview could not be used against Mr. Mothen. A forensic scientist told the jury that Mr. Hewitt’s DNA was on the gun; Mr. Moth- en’s DNA was not. The four defendants faced a total of nine counts, with some charges involving only one defendant, while others were against two or three defendants. In all, the jurors were dealing with 16 possible ver- dicts. The case of each defen- dant had to be considered separately on each charge, Justice Chapple explained on Tuesday: “They do not stand or fall together.” The jury of five men and two women returned all unanimous verdicts. Count 1. Mrs. Mothen was charged with making a threat to kill the man she be- lieved had shot her in March 2015; she was accused of making the threat to Mr. Ben- nett in the vicinity of Fete Night Club on Feb. 4. Ver- dict, not guilty. Count 2. Mr. Mothen, her husband, was charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm at the same location on the same date. Verdict, not guilty. Mrs. Mothen had been charged originally also, but after submissions of “no case to answer,” Justice Chapple said he would direct the jury to return a not guilty verdict. Count 3. Mr. Mothen was charged with assault causing actual bodily harm to Mr. Campbell. The victim had said he was “gun-butted” or “pistol-whipped,” but Mr. Mothen said he struck with a knuckle duster because he was intimidated or pro- voked. Justice Chapple had instructed the jury that prov- ocation was not a defense. Verdict, guilty. Count 4. The Mothens were charged with assault causing actual bodily harm to Mr. Bennett. This referred to Mr. Bennett being struck by Mr. Mothen, apparently with the same object used to strike Mr. Campbell. The judge directed a not guilty verdict for Mrs. Mothen. The jury’s verdict for Mr. Mothen was guilty. Count 5. The Mothens were charged with at- tempting to murder Mr. Ben- nett. This offense required an intent to kill, the judge ex- plained on Tuesday. Verdict for both, not guilty. Count 6. The Mothens were accused of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm to Mr. Bennett with intent to do grievous bodily harm. This charge was an alternative to attempted murder. Verdicts for both, not guilty. Count 7. The Mothens and Mr. Hewitt were charged with attempting to murder Mr. Campbell. Verdicts, all not guilty. Count 8. The Mothens and Mr. Hewitt were charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Mr. Camp- bell. This was an alternative charge to attempted murder. Verdicts, Mrs. Mothen not guilty; Mr. Mothen and Mr. Hewitt, guilty. Count 9. Ms. Tibbetts was accused of possessing the unlicensed firearm. Ver- dict, not guilty. Justice Chapple had told the jury that the charges in- volving two or more defen- dants alleged them to have been part of a joint enter- prise. Their actions did not need to be the same. A person present at an incident, but not taking part, would be not guilty, he explained. But if a person present encouraged others, he or she would be guilty, he said. The judge had also pro- vided jurors with a “route to verdict” – questions they were to consider in se- quence for each defendant for each count. After the verdicts were delivered, lead counsel Icah Peart asked that Mrs. Mothen be discharged and allowed to leave the dock. The judge did so. Defense attorney Crister Brady asked that Ms. Tib- betts be discharged also. The judge did so, but noted that she was serving a sentence for a previous offense, so she could leave the dock but re- main in custody. Ms. Tibbetts was sen- tenced in September to 16 months imprisonment after she admitted carrying 85.4 grams of ganja in her child’s diaper with intent to supply it to a serving prisoner at Northward in August 2016. With half-credit for time on curfew and electronic mon- itor, she was to serve 13 and a half months. For Mr. Mothen and Mr. Hewitt, court was to re- sume Wednesday afternoon, when their attorneys were scheduled to speak in miti- gation. Their remand in cus- tody continued. VENEZUELANS SEEING BITCOIN BOOM AS SURVIVAL, NOT SPECULATION CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) – In the last month, John Villar has bought two plane tickets to Colombia, pur- chased his wife’s medica- tion and paid the employees of his startup business in Venezuela – all in bitcoin. As Venezuela’s national currency loses value at a catastrophic rate, thousands have begun turning to the world of cryptocurrency to salvage what little value re- mains from their increas- ingly worthless bolivars. “This is not a matter of politics,” Villar said. “This is a matter of survival.” Both poor Venezuelan retirees and wealthy busi- ness leaders are converting their bolivars into bitcoins online and then using the digital currency to pay for everything from doctor ap- pointments and honey- moons to motorcycles and artisanal beer. The transac- tions are relatively swift for anyone with a smartphone: Websites like LocalBitcoin and Colibit function as ex- changes where Venezuelans can buy and sell bitcoins using a local bank account. The shift toward cryp- tocurrencies in Venezuela is taking place as the price of bitcoin has climbed to a peak of more than $17,000 this month. The digital cur- rency debuted on a major U.S. exchange with its first futures contract Sunday. But while bitcoin is a spec- ulative venture in devel- oped nations, in Venezuela it has become a tool to keep families afloat, with some Venezuelans purchasing a small fraction of one coin to build their savings. The number of Vene- zuelans using cryptocur- rencies remains unclear, but weekly bitcoin trading volume through one pop- ular website has soared from about $225,000 ear- lier this year to nearly $2.1 million in the first week of December – this in a country where the monthly minimum wage fetches less than $2 on the black market. According to data website Coin Dance, that is far higher than the value of bitcoin transactions on the same website seen in more prosperous nations across the region, including Argen- tina, Brazil and Chile. “Venezuelans are taking refuge in digital curren- cies,” said Rafael Useche, the founder of Colibit. One of them is Jorge Ochoa, 34, who liquidated part of his bitcoin savings into dollars so that he could take his wife on a honey- moon to New York City. The flight toward cryp- tocurrencies in a nation where inflation in bolivar prices is projected to sur- pass 2,000 percent next year falls in line with what has happened in other countries stricken by war or economic collapse. Following the debt crisis in Greece, hyperinfla- tion in Zimbabwe and un- rest in Ukraine, rising num- bers of distressed citizens used bitcoin. Massive pilgrimage honors Mexico’s Virgin of Guadalupe MEXICO CITY (AP) – Hun- dreds of thousands of Roman Catholic pilgrims converged Tuesday on Mexico City’s Basilica of Guadalupe to mark the day of the Virgin of Guadalupe, Mexico’s patroness. The faithful ride bicy- cles, walk or take rickety trucks and buses every Dec. 12 to reach the image of the dark-skinned Virgin, who appeared before indigenous peasant Juan Diego in 1531. But Tuesday’s pil- grimage was overshadowed after 11 people died in a highway accident as they returned from the basilica. Authorities in the cen- tral state of Puebla said the pilgrims were killed when the truck they were riding in crashed into another truck on a highway. Thir- teen more were injured. The state’s interior de- partment said the pilgrims were headed back to their hometown of Huejotzingo, in Puebla state, on Tuesday when the accident occurred. The mainly poor and working-class pilgrims often do not get enough protection for their pro- cessions to the basilica, where the Virgin’s image is on display. Once there, they often sleep on the pavement, awaiting a turn to see the image. They begin arriving days before; Mexico City police estimated that as of Monday, over 3 million pil- grims had already come. Because the physical space cannot hold them all, many pay their respects and leave before Dec. 12. A pilgrim rests in the plaza outside the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico City, Monday. – PHOTO: APThe islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY DECEMBER 14, 2017 CAMANA BAY SOUTH ROUNDABOUT Today, the Camana Bay South Roundabout and the two northbound lanes between it and the Camana Bay Town Centre Roundabout open shifting traffic onto the new highway. The main entrance to the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands also reopens to vehicular and pedestrian traffic. TRAFFIC SHIFTS TO NEW ROADS Need a refresher on how to safely use a multi-lane roundabout? Visit caymanroads.com. ESTERLEY TIBBETTS HIGHWAY ROAD OPENING CAMANA BAY TOWN CENTRE ROUNDABOUTThe 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. 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 findtheirownway” Cayman’s schools are about to get an overdue evalu- ation. A thorough, rigorous and objective inspection is necessary to determine the current state of our schools – public and private, individually and collectively. But while a professionally conducted inspection is a necessary first step, we must keep in mind that its purpose is analytical, not remedial. What follows the inspection almost certainly will be a report replete with dozens of observations and recommendations. What happens following the report, of course, will determine the commitment this government has to addressing our education issues. We are encouraged, even optimistic, that our newly named Minister of Education, Juliana O’Connor-Con- nolly, and the newly constituted Cayman Islands Educa- tion Council, under the chairmanship of businessman Dan Scott and MLA Barbara Conolly, appreciate the impor- tance of their new roles and are planning and acting accordingly. The school inspector’s findings and insights will be important tools as they begin to formulate serious remedies for an ailing system. Peter Carpenter, director of the Office of Educa- tion Standards, who will be heading up the inspections, appears well qualified for his task. He has performed similar roles in the U.K. and Dubai and, no doubt, has encountered political pressures in the conduct of his work. We trust that he has resisted such influences and hope he would do the same here. Politics and education has never been a healthy mix. Mr. Carpenter recently told the Compass he expects the inspection process to be “collaborative,” requiring self-assessments of school administrators, which will then be included in inspectors’ assessment of the school. We think this is a good, and positive, approach. Additionally, it is essential that complete transparency and the results of Mr. Carpenter’s findings be made public so Cayman’s teachers, leaders, parents and employers have an accurate picture of the state of our schools. It is no secret that too many of our youths are grad- uating from Cayman’s government schools without adequate preparation for leadership, careers or even for satisfying, well-compensated employment. The last comprehensive school inspections, conducted three years ago – far too long – revealed serious deficien- cies in two thirds of Cayman’s government schools. This round, the process will be similar to accreditation method- ologies accepted in other jurisdictions around the world. This is important because standardized and widely accepted measurements will give Cayman a truer picture of how our schools – and our students – are performing. Cayman cannot afford a repeat of the 2012 inspec- tion debacle, which revealed such embarrassing deficien- cies that the entire report was secreted away, replaced by a lukewarm version of the original in an effort to soften some of the sting. What may have been intended as a kindness did a great disservice to Cayman’s students, parents and educators. It also did damage to the process itself, calling into question the veracity of the findings that were eventually made public. We understand that no one likes to convey – or hear – bad news, but pretending it does not exist only exacer- bates the problem. What is required, and what we trust Mr. Carpenter and his colleagues will produce, is a clear-eyed, candid assess- ment of our school system as it exists today. Many students of our public schools emerge remark- ably well educated and prepared to advance to higher levels of education and personal achievement. But far too many do not. The best thing we can do for our students, and our schools, is to hold them accountable to very high stan- dards and – because we have provided them with the guidance, resources and opportunity to succeed – they will, in fact, in surprising numbers, do exactly that. In ‘grading’ schools, be tough, but fair THURSDAY DECEMBER 14, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS The end of governments’ ‘Monopoly money’ After two centuries of gov- ernment monopoly money, pri- vate monies are re-emerging and will likely come to domi- nate ultimately. Back in 1976, Nobel Laureate F.A. Hayek published his little classic, “Denationalization of Money.” In essence, Hayek argued that money is no different than other commodities, and it would be better supplied by competition among private is- suers than by a government monopoly. His book detailed the problems with govern- ment monopoly money and how most of these problems could be overcome with pri- vate competition. Even though many agreed with Hayek’s argument, it was not clear until now how the government monopoly on money would be broken. As with so many other things, technology has come to the rescue. We are now witnessing the beginnings of the develop- ment of practical, private, dig- ital cryptocurrencies, the best known being bitcoin. Bitcoin and most of the other new cur- rencies enable users to make transactions from person to person without going through a bank or other intermediary. This is accomplished through the use of a “blockchain.” Be- fore the development of the blockchain, those who had developed cryptocurrencies were not able to solve the double-spending problem to keep people from copying or counterfeiting the digital coin, and the “Byzantine general’s problem” of how to keep a ma- licious party from intercepting and changing the transac- tion before it reached its in- tended recipient. The blockchain, by using what is called a distributed ledger, solved those prob- lems. As a result, developers of cryptocurrencies now have the capability to exchange value in a frictionless way, without regard to national borders, censorship and other laws, or institutions. It re-establishes much of the fi- nancial freedom, which has been lost, to the consterna- tion of those who want more government control. What really frightens the government regulatory class is that blockchains also allow and make unstoppable the development of “smart con- tracts.” A smart contract refers to computer code that will au- tomatically execute contrac- tual duties when a trigger occurs. As an example, if col- lateral of some sort is kept in a blockchain network, and if the debtor has not paid by a certain date, the computer will automatically transfer the collateral to the creditor, which guarantees certainty of performance. The smart con- tract can remove all human discretion in the execution and enforcement of contrac- tual duties, and cannot be in- terfered with by third parties, including officers of court. Bitcoin is not money in the true sense of the word, because it is only unit of ac- count and a method of ex- change, and not a store of value. Combining claims on real assets such as gold, silver, aluminum, wood, wheat, oil and other com- modities with blockchains will create true cryptomoney. Some of these are likely to be superior in a number of ways to government monies, par- ticularly those that are af- flicted with high rates of in- flation or overregulation. Government officials who are concerned about money laundering and other illegal activities fear the new block- chain cryptocurrencies, be- cause they enable a much higher degree of anonymity than traditional account- based transactions. That, coupled with the near instan- taneous settlement of trans- actions, makes it almost im- possible to know who has sent and who has received payment. There is no obvious way for regulators to over- come these problems without destroying the open internet. At present, the burden of almost all financial regula- tion, including anti-money laundering requirements, is placed on banks and other financial institutions. They are responsible for “knowing their customer” and the par- ties to a transaction. If they are suspicious of a transac- tion, they must report it to government authorities and not execute the transaction. Banks are also required to report all cash deposits and withdrawals above $10,000. The cost, both to the financial institutions and to the gov- ernment of these tens of mil- lions of reports (almost all of which are on innocent people and transactions) and related regulations, is enormous and places a much bigger rela- tive burden on small finan- cial institutions. This has caused banks to be much more restrictive in allowing people to open bank accounts and for fees to rise to a dis- couraging level. As a result, many, particularly low-in- come people, can no longer obtain bank accounts and other bank services and are forced to go elsewhere, often to black markets. The regula- tions have also slowed down many transactions, particu- larly foreign ones. When there is a market need, entrepreneurs always step in to try to solve the problem, either through legal or illegal ways — that is what is driving much of the effort to develop the best cryptocur- rency. The energy and the in- telligence are on the side of the entrepreneurs, not on the side of the government reg- ulators. Ultimately, govern- ment central banks and finan- cial agencies are going to lose this battle. They will be forced to go back to traditional methods of law enforcement that will still enable them to catch bank robbers, kidnap- pers and terrorists — as they did before 1986 when Con- gress passed the first anti- money laundering law. The courts are increas- ingly ruling that many of the invasive financial and other regulations violate the Fourth Amendment (“against unreasonable searches”). The choice is a world with much greater financial freedom and efficiency as a result of pri- vate cryptomoney, or a poorer and more oppressive world. Richard W. Rahn is chairman of Improbable Success Productions and on the board of the American Council for Capital Formation. © 2017 The Washington Times, LLC RICHARD W. RAHN RICHARD W. RAHN When there is a market need, entrepreneurs always step in to try to solve the problem, either through legal or illegal ways – that is what is driving much of the effort to develop the best cryptocurrency. 5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY DECEMBER 14, 2017 Hurricanes impact Cost-U-Less KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Cost-U-Less fran- chise was severely impacted by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, with multiple stores in the Eastern Caribbean being destroyed or dam- aged during the September storms, according to recently released financial state- ments from its parent firm, the Canada-based North West Company. The North West Compa- ny’s third-quarter results re- leased on Wednesday state that the Cost-U-Less on St. Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands was com- pletely destroyed, and stores on St. Maarten and St. Croix, USVI, were badly damaged. The 42,535-square foot Cost-U-Less on St. Thomas will require an entire rebuild – which the company proj- ects to take about 18 months – and the store on St. Croix is operational and running on generator power, the Q3 results state. The 36,089-square foot Cost-U-Less on St. Maarten is partially open, selling only dry groceries. North West Company CEO Edward Ken- nedy said during Wednes- day’s investor conference call that he expects the store to be fully operational within about nine months. Additionally, nine Road Town Wholesale stores in the British Virgin Islands – which also fall under the North West Company um- brella – were damaged. Six of those stores are operational again, with the remaining three set to reopen within 12-18 months, according to the Q3 results. Financial impact All told, the hurricanes negatively affected Q3 sales by US$11.5 million and earn- ings before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amor- tization (EBITDA) by US$1.6 million. Overall, sales for the company – which com- prises 236 stores throughout Canada, Alaska, the South Pacific and the Caribbean – still increased by 3.3 per- cent to US$479.3 million over Q3 of 2016. EBITDA de- creased by 10.8 percent to US$45.6 million. “The impact of the store closures in international op- erations related to hurricanes in the Caribbean was offset by the settlement of a fire in- surance claim in Canadian operations,” the North West Company noted. The North West Company estimated that it will spend about US$21 million in hur- ricane-related construction costs in 2018, and another US$12 million in 2019. “Store-based capital ex- penditures can be impacted by the completion of land- lord negotiations, shipment of construction materials to remote markets, and weather- related delays and there- fore, their actual amount and timing can fluctuate,” the company added. The North West Company stated that it expects to re- cover its rebuilding costs through insurance claims. However, the company’s St. Thomas operations may suffer losses because its in- surance only covers losses from foregone profits for 12 months, Mr. Kennedy said at the conference call. Looking forward to 2018, the company said that its Cayman Cost-U-Less and other stores not impacted by the hurricanes should per- form about the same as they did this year. But for the impacted stores, “it is uncertain how long it will take for major infrastructure repairs to be completed on these is- lands and what the eco- nomic impacts will be over the medium term as the re- building efforts begin,” the company stated. “The markets will be eco- nomically challenged for 1-2 years, and probably longer,” said Mr. Kennedy. Bodden Town Mission House gets spruced up The Mission House in Bodden Town got a pre- Christmas makeover Monday by members of the Ministry of Health, Environment, Cul- ture and Housing. The team cleaned, swept, tended to the garden and carried out general mainte- nance on the historic home and cultural landmark. The day of service came as part of new quarterly initiative by the ministry in which staff will donate time to a community cause. Chief Officer Jennifer Ahearn said similar proj- ects will be carried out next year through the “morning charity” program. “We were really pleased to help out at the Mis- sion House yesterday, to physically get the house and grounds ship-shape for the festive season,” Ms. Ahearn said. The National Trust’s his- toric programs manager, Richard Mileham, rolled up his sleeves as well to assist the ministry team. “The ministry staff did a fantastic job and we really appreciate them donating their time and energy to help us maintain this important historic home,” he said. The ministry’s next com- munity project will be held in April 2018. The Water Authority recently passed an audit by the American Associ- ation for Laboratory Ac- creditation and had its ISO/IEC 17025 Accredi- tation renewed for an- other two years. The Water Authori- ty’s laboratory has main- tained its accreditation since 2002, and it will not have to undergo another external audit until No- vember of 2019. The Water Authority’s laboratory became the first Caribbean facility specializing in water and wastewater analysis to earn accreditation from the A2LA in 2002. The laboratory is re- sponsible for quality con- trol testing on the Water Authority’s potable water supplies and the treated effluent of the waste- water treatment plant. The laboratory also han- dles testing services for Government agencies, the private sector and the general public on Grand Cayman. Marcela Martinez- Ebanks, the laboratory manager, said in an of- ficial press release that the lab undergoes in- ternal audits each year and external audits every two years. “The renewal of the ac- creditation for another two years provides me with a sense of external validation for the hard work that the Lab staff put [in] every single day,” Ms. Martinez-Ebanks said in an official statement. “It indicates that the quality of our work can stand up to peer review.” The A2LA accreditation given to the laboratory was expanded in 2014 to ensure reliable testing of nutrients in wastewater samples. Since November of 2014, the laboratory’s accredita- tion includes nutrient-re- lated parameters including TON (Total Oxidized Ni- trogen), Nitrate, Nitrite, Am- monia, TN (Total Nitrogen), SRP (Soluble Reactive Phos- phorous), TP (Total Phos- phorous) and Silica. Water Authority lab passes external audit GENERAL REGISTRY ANNOUNCES HOLIDAY HOURS The General Reg- istry will be following a holiday schedule. The Grand Cayman office in the Government Admin- istration Building will close Dec. 20 at 12:30 p.m. and resume normal hours on Dec. 21. For the Christmas hol- iday, the office will close Dec. 22 at 12:30 p.m. and reopen Dec. 27 at 8:30 a.m. For New Year’s Eve, the office will close on Dec. 29 at 12:30 p.m. and reopen Jan. 2 at 8:30 a.m. CORIS/EDMS sub- scribers should expect de- lays for online responses. In the event of a birth- or death-related emergency, call 925-8673 to speak with General Registry staff. Marcia Murray with Richard Mileham, back left, and Richard Tyson, back right, work on Bodden Town’s Mission House on Monday. Nellie Pouchie, Jennifer Ahearn, Marcia Murray, Richard Tyson, Natasha Powell and Richard Mileham take a break during Mission House maintenance. The North West Company estimated that it will spend about US$21 million in hurricane-related construction costs in 2018, and another US$12 million in 2019.The islands’ most-trusted news source 6 Community CALENDAR ■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR is published TUESDAYS and THURSDAYS. It is available to charitable or nonprofit organizations. Items should be submitted at least three working days before publication. Information must include name of sender, signature and contact number. ■ Items may be faxed to 949-2662, brought to the Cayman Compass office on Shedden Rd. or emailed to cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com at least three days in advance of publication. THURSDAY DECEMBER 14, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS THURSDAY, DEC. 14 NATIONAL CHOIR AND ORCHESTRA: The Cayman National Choir and Cayman National Orchestra present their traditional Christmas carol concert 7:30 p.m. at Elmslie Memorial Church. SCUBALUMINATIONS: Santa and scuba-diving reindeer visit Rackam’s on the waterfront, George Town, 6:30 p.m. A fundraiser for One Dog at a Time. Everyone is invited and encouraged to bring items of dog food, toys and treats; have photos with Santa and his elves; enjoy live music, Christmas carols and a raffle. BRAC SCHOOLS: Cayman Brac Primary Schools present a combined Christmas musical. 7 p.m. Aston Rutty Centre. All are invited. VAS CHRISTMAS SOCIAL: All are invited to the annual Christmas Cocktail Party, a fundraiser for the Visual Arts Society. $35, includes drinks and canapes. At Le Vele restaurant in George Town. Prizes for best dressed. Christmas, white, silver and gold theme. Email info@visualartcayman.com. BT ROADWORK: The National Roads Authority asks motorists to take extra care and watch for the roadwork on Condor Road in Bodden Town until Friday, Dec. 15 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. The road is being reinstated after pipeline works. FRIDAY, DEC. 15 LANDFILL CLOSED: The Department of Environmental Health advises that both its Grand Cayman offices and the George Town landfill close at 11 a.m. today to facilitate a staff function. The 24 hour public drop-off site at the entrance of the GT landfill will remain open to facilitate the disposal of small amounts of waste from residential customers. It resumes regular operations tomorrow. DEH offices reopen on Monday, Dec. 18. LICENSING DEPT.: The Vehicle and Drivers’ Licensing Department will be closed at all locations to facilitate a staff function. On Friday, Dec. 22, all locations will close at 12:30 p.m. NEEDS ASSESSMENT: The Needs Assessment Unit office, 2nd Floor Aqua Mall, 55 South Church Street, George Town will close at noon. ARTISANS FAIR: The National Gallery invites everyone to shop for handmade gifts 3-9 p.m. Many of the sellers will be accepting cash only. Art activities for kids 3-6 p.m. Members’ Christmas party, 6-9 p.m. SATURDAY, DEC. 16 DEALS ON WHEELS: The Red Cross mobile thrift shop will be in East End 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., close to the Pirate’s Cove Bar. Items available include linens, household items, clothing and shoes for men, women and children, ladies’ bags and accessories. CHRISTMAS DINNER: The North Side Community hosts its annual Christmas dinner at 6 p.m. at the Craddock Ebanks Civic Center. For more details contact Alex Johnson, 916-8232. NCVO CHRISTMAS SALE: 6-10 a.m. in the NCVO parking lot. New to You Bargain Shop, 90 Anthony Drive (off Smith Road). Clothing, shoes, books, toys, baby and household supplies. MONDAY, DEC. 18 VENDORS SOUGHT: National Heroes Day organizers seek food vendors to provide Caymanian food items on Monday, Jan. 22. Today is the deadline to submit a proposal to the Protocol Office in the Government Administration Building on Elgin Avenue. Bidding instructions and menu form can be obtained from the Government Administration Building, first floor, or email nationalevents@gov.ky. Call 916-2913 for more information. THURSDAY, DEC. 21 CHRISTMAS SERVICE: St. George’s Anglican Church 64 Courts Road George Town invites all to the service Blue Christmas at 6 p.m. PUB QUIZ: At Fidel Murphy’s, 7:30 p.m. A Humane Society fundraiser. $10 per person with team maximum of six. Call 949-5189 to reserve a table or contact sarah.dyer.81@gmail.com With Ann Ghezzi quizmaster and prizes. GENERAL INTEREST GENERAL REGISTRY: General Registry’s Grand Cayman office, including its counter at the Government Administration Building, will close 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 20, for a staff function. Normal office hours resume the next day. The office and the counter will close at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 22 and reopen at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 27. The office and the counter will close at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 29 and reopen at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 2. For a birth- or death-related emergency, call 925-8673. PORT AUTHORITY: From Dec. 12 until Friday, Dec. 22, Cayman Port’s Billing Office will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with the Warehouse serving customers from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. each weekday. Night operations for the Container Yard remain as normal. The Port will maintain its regular published hours for Saturday Dec. 16, 23 and 30 from 8:30 a.m. to noon. CUSTOMS HOURS: The Customs Department is open for longer hours at its Collections Office to allow pick-up of packages before Christmas. Through Friday, Dec. 22, the Collections Office will operate 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. instead of the usual closing at 4 p.m. However, it will close at noon on Saturday, Dec. 16. The Customs Courier Office will be open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and remain closed on Saturdays. Both offices will be closed on Saturday, Dec. 23 and reopen on Wednesday, Dec. 27. BULK WASTE: Residents are asked to place their bulk waste on the kerbside during the dates specified. Collection will commence thereafter. George Town/ West Bay District, Dec. 11-18; Cayman Brac West, Dec. 18; Cayman Brac South, Dec. 20. Bulk waste must be placed on the kerbside but not obstructing roadways. Bulk items put out after scheduled dates will not be collected. USED BOOKS: The Red Cross Thrift Shop on Huldah Avenue holds a five-dollar bag book sale until Dec. 22 at noon. Customers can get all the books they can fit in a single bag for only $5. LOBSTER SEASON: The open season for lobster runs from Dec. 1 to Feb. 28. Bag limit is three per person per day or six per boat per day, whichever is less. Minimum size is a six-inch tail length. No taking lobsters from Marine Protected Areas. Only spiny lobster may be taken. No wearing gloves while snorkeling. No take of lobster (or any marine life other than lionfish) while scuba diving. CONCH AND WHELK SEASON: The open season for conch and whelk runs from Nov. 1 to April 30. The legal limit for conch is five per person per day or 10 per boat, whichever is less. The limit for whelk catches is two-and- a-half gallons in the shell, or two-and-a-half pounds of processed whelks, per person, per day. DVDL EXTRA HOURS: The Department of Vehicle and Drivers’ Licensing on Crewe Road will be open longer in December. On Wednesdays and Fridays, the office will open as usual at 8:30 a.m. but close later at 7 p.m. All other days the office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. SHAPED BY THE SEA: New exhibition at National Museum, Harbour Drive, celebrating Charles O. “Captain Chuckie” Ebanks. BUY A BAG SALE: The NCVO New to You Thrift Shop hosts a sale now through Dec. 15. Buy a bag for $5 and whatever it holds inside is yours. 90 Anthony Drive, off Smith Road, next to Miss Nadine’s Pre-School. CAYMAN CRAFT: The exhibition, “Revive!” – Celebrating contemporary and traditional craft from the Cayman Islands, is open at the National Gallery. OVERSEAS SCHOLARSHIPS: The Ministry of Education is receiving applications for overseas scholarships for the 2018/2019 academic year. The application period is open until Jan. 31. Anyone planning to apply for a government scholarship for 2018/2019 is invited to complete the Overseas Scholarship Application at www.education.gov.ky. Contact the Scholarships Secretariat for any further information at scholarships@gov.ky or 244-2482. RELIGIOUS SERVICES EL MINISTERIO HISPANO: de la Iglesia Bautista Cayman Islands te hace una cordial invitación a nuestro culto en español cada Domingo, 6:30 p.m., Pedro Castle Road, Savannah. Para transporte, llamar al teléfono no. 946-2422, email: cibaptist@candw.ky. SPANISH WORSHIP SERVICE: First Baptist Church, Crewe Road, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Third Sunday of each month. HARBOUR LUTHERAN CHURCH: Meets for Divine Worship and Fellowship at South Sound Community Centre, South Sound, Sundays at 10 a.m. www.safeharborlc.com. MUSLIM PRAYER: Islamic Society of the Cayman Islands advises 5 times salaat/prayer at the Masjid. Fajr at 6 a.m. Dhuhr at 1:15 p.m. Asr at 5:15 p.m. Maghrib at 7 minutes after sunset. Isha at 8 p.m. website isci.org.ky. CATHOLIC CHURCH: St. Ignatius, Walkers Road, Mass 6 p.m. Saturday; 8 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 6 p.m. Sundays. Christ the Redeemer, West Bay, Mass 9:45 a.m. Sunday. JOHN GRAY MEMORIAL UNITED CHURCH: Sunday worship for the family and Children’s Church, 10 a.m. BOATSWAIN BAY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: Sundays. 10 a.m. Christian Education for all ages; 11 a.m., Morning Worship with nursery for youngsters; 7 p.m. Evening Worship. Visit www.bbpca.org. SUNRISE COMMUNITY CHURCH: Harquail Theater, 10 a.m., contemporary worship. Nursery ministry, children’s church and the Explorers are for ages infant to 11. Community groups meet during the week for fellowship and growth. www.sunrise.ky. FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF GRAND CAYMAN: Crewe Road. Sundays, 10:30 a.m. Main Worship Service and 6 p.m. Prayer and Praise Service. Sunday school, 9:15 a.m. Praise Factory for children to 4 years old and Children’s Church for 5-11 meet during morning service. Wednesdays 6:15 p.m. All Age Bible Study and Children’s Choir. Fridays, 7 p.m. Youth Group. Contact 949-0692 or www.fbc.org.ky. THE POWER OF FAITH DELIVERANCE MINISTRY: 100 Greenwood Drive (Swamp) hosts Sunday school 9 a.m. Sunday worship 10:15 a.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesday, New believers class 7:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Revival and Deliverance services, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Youth Flex at 7 p.m. Contact 322-1485 or poweroffaithgcm@yahoo.com. All are welcome. THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH OF GOD: Extends Sunday School to the community of Newlands. All are invited. Venue is International College of the Cayman Island–ICCI. Sundays, 4-6 p.m. FRANK SOUND CHURCH OF GOD: Meets on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Children church 10:30 a.m. Bible Studies Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. Youth Group, Friday at 7:30 p.m. For more Community Calendar events, visit www.caymancompass.com/events. The Cayman National Choir performs with the Cayman National Orchestra on Thursday, Dec.14.The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY DECEMBER 14, 2017 T: 949 5111 E: sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com was a category 3 offense, carrying lesser harm and culpability. Justice Carter ruled that it was a cate- gory 3 offense but said that the defendant’s behavior was “disrespectful and un- justified” prior to levying her sentence. Justice Carter found that Mr. Watler should be sen- tenced for 15 months, but he was given a 1/3 reduction due to his early plea. The justice told the defendant that his actions amounted to a “single, unguarded mo- ment,” and warned him that he could have faced a stricter sentencing under other circumstances. marriage, similar to what the Bermudian government had just introduced. This would serve to pro- tect a number of rights and obligations that married couples have, including laws regarding financial support, child maintenance payments, inheritance and immigration. Case precedent in the European Court of Human Rights, the highest court of appeal for both Bermuda and Cayman, has already established that this is re- quired of all member states and numerous legal ex- perts, including the Human Rights Commission, have indicated that Cayman is currently susceptible to a legal challenge on the issue. The legal and political landscape in Bermuda is markedly similar to that in Cayman with a reli- gious lobby campaigning strongly for the preserva- tion of traditional marriage amid legal and social pres- sure for change. Chris Famous, a back- bench MP and newspaper columnist in Bermuda, described it as a “philo- sophical civil war.” He ac- knowledged the solution had left some on both sides dissatisfied. Mr. Brown, speaking in the Bermuda Legislative Assembly, said the bill em- braced greater rights while acknowledging the political reality that same-sex mar- riage was not supported by the majority of MPs. “The status quo will not stand,” he said, according to a report in the Royal Ga- zette newspaper. “On the ground, the po- litical reality is that if we do not lead, we would have a Private Members Bill tabled to outlaw same- sex marriage. “That Bill would pass, because more than 18 MPs are opposed to same- sex marriage. If that Bill passes, same-sex couples have no rights whatso- ever. This is tough for me. But I don’t shy away from tough decisions.” The passage of the bill Friday came on a busy day for Bermuda legis- lators who also moved on another issue that has been talked about in Cayman for several years by decriminalizing small amounts of cannabis. The Misuse of Drugs (Decriminalisation of Can- nabis) Amendment Act will decriminalize possession of less than 7 grams of can- nabis in Bermuda. the restriction would make it impossible to keep local lobster on the menu. Niels Schulze-Gatter- mann, who runs the Lobster Pot restaurant on the water- front in George Town, said he was aware of restrictions for fishermen but not for restaurants. He said there had been no contact with the restaurant and he had not seen any announcement. “This is the first time I heard of it,” he said, when contacted by the Cayman Compass. “Of course, it will af- fect us. During the season, the expectation is that the Lobster Pot will have fresh local lobster. We already get complaints when we don’t have it. “If the limit is now three, then we will have to go with it, but that is not enough to serve one table.” Representatives from Tukka, The Wharf, Grand Old House, Hemingways and Luca all told the Compass they were un- aware of the regulation until this week. Most restaurateurs said they were not against the restriction if it was gen- uinely necessary to pro- tect the species, even though it would impact their business. John Bothwell, of the DoE, said the restriction was necessary because dwindling lobster popu- lations could not support a commercial fishery. He said the demand for lob- sters from restaurants was effectively leading to over- fishing, despite the daily limits for individual fish- ermen, and may also be pro- moting poaching. He said the DoE had ad- vertised the change on its social media page and in- cluded information about it in media releases before the last two lobster seasons. A review of press releases re- ceived by the Cayman Com- pass in reference to lob- ster season for the past two years did not contain any specific reference to the possession or sale of lobster by restaurants. The release prior to the 2016 season did contain a bullet point refer- ence among a list of other restrictions indicating, “In any one day, no one person may take or permit another person to take, purchase, receive, offer for sale, ex- change or donation, or pos- sess more than three lobster from Cayman waters.” Mr. Bothwell acknowl- edged that many restau- rants did seem to be genu- inely unaware of the new law and said the depart- ment would seek to inform and educate businesses that were in violation of the rules before moving to enforcement. “In our visits to restau- rants this year in response to public reports we have re- alized that this rule, though in force since last lobster season and mentioned in our announcements of this lobster season less than two weeks ago, has taken many restaurateurs by surprise.” He said an informa- tion campaign – tar- geted at restaurants – would be followed with stricter enforcement. “We are fast approaching the point where there will have been fair notice to ev- eryone and we will be able to switch the visits by our Conservation Officers from outreach to enforcement.” The law does not allow for restaurants to stock- pile lobster from one day to the next or for customers to bring their own catch to be cooked on site. It simply re- stricts the amount of local lobster on site to three. Luciano De Riso, man- ager of the Wharf and Grand Old House, said he was un- aware of the new rules. “If that is the law then we will abide by it, of course, but it is strange to bring in this law and for no one to tell us anything about it. “Tourists love it, locals love it. Lots of people go to the restaurant for fresh local seafood. Not everyone can catch the lobster themselves, so I do not expect to be able to serve local lobster at all as it will make for more upset customers than happy ones.” He questioned how the law would be enforced, given that many restaurants stock and sell imported lobster. Despite those concerns, Mr. De Riso said he sup- ported the change if it was necessary for the survival of the species in Cayman. “I think it’s great that they are taking this initia- tive to preserve the lobster population, I wish there was a better one, but I hope that they will be able to en- force it properly so that maybe in a couple of years we will be able to get it back as we used to.” Roman Kleinrath, chef at Luca and Hemingways, said he was also unaware of the limitation. He said he sup- ported the restriction and had backed off from serving local lobster anyway be- cause of declining numbers and “sky high” prices. “We saw the num- bers and size were getting smaller every year. We do support Cayman Sea Sense and I think its a good thing.” Ron Hargrave, who runs Tukka restaurant in East End, said the establishment would typically have 10 or 12 fresh lobster on hand on any given day. He said he would likely have to re- move it from the menu in response to the new law, which he was informed of this week. “Sadly, it makes abso- lutely no sense to have them as a menu option for visi- tors and locals to enjoy any more,” he said. Same-sex partnerships law introduced in Bermuda Man sentenced in assault on police officer CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Lobster law traps restaurants CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Roundabout and highway roads to open Thursday The National Roads Authority will officially open the Camana Bay South Roundabout and the northbound lanes of the new Esterley Tibbetts Highway on Thursday. The road opening signi- fies the completion of an- other phase of road im- provements included in the NRA agreement between the Cayman Islands govern- ment and Dart Real Estate. All traffic bound for West Bay will shift ahead of the Camana Bay South roundabout, moving around it and onto the new northbound lands to the three-lane Camana Bay Town Centre roundabout. Drivers traveling to George Town will use both southbound lanes between the Camana Bay South and Camana Bay Town Centre roundabouts. Motorists will merge after exiting the Camana Bay South round- about to allow traffic trav- elling in both directions to share the road to the But- terfield roundabout. The main entrance to the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands will also reopen tomorrow. The re- modeled entryway now includes sidewalks that pass through the Gallery’s front garden. The law does not allow for restaurants to stockpile lobster from one day to the next or for customers to bring their own catch to be cooked on site. It simply restricts the amount of local lobster on site to three. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 THURSDAY DECEMBER 14, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Turkey, China, Egypt worst jailers of journalists The Committee to Protect Journalists says the international community has failed to pressure the world’s ‘worst’ jailers of journalists to improve press freedom conditions. CPJ lists Egypt is in third place on the list of world’s top jailers of journalists, after Turkey and China. Democrat Jones wins stunning red-state Alabama Senate upset MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – In a stunning victory aided by scandal, Democrat Doug Jones won Alabama’s spe- cial Senate election, beating back history, an embattled Republican opponent and President Donald Trump, who urgently endorsed GOP rebel Roy Moore despite a litany of sexual miscon- duct allegations. It was the first Democratic Senate victory in a quarter- century in Alabama, one of the reddest of red states, and proved anew that party loy- alty is anything but certain in the age of Trump. Tues- day’s Republican loss was a major political embarrass- ment for the president and a fresh wound for the nation’s already divided GOP. “We have shown not just around the state of Ala- bama, but we have shown the country the way – that we can be unified,” Jones de- clared as supporters in a Bir- mingham ballroom cheered, danced and cried tears of joy. Still in shock, the Democrat struggled for words: “I think that I have been waiting all my life, and now I just don’t know what the hell to say.” Moore, meanwhile, re- fused to concede and raised the possibility of a recount during a brief appearance at a somber campaign party in Montgomery. “It’s not over,” Moore said. He added, “We know that God is still in control.” From the White House, Trump tweeted his congrat- ulations to Jones “on a hard- fought victory” – but added pointedly that “the Republi- cans will have another shot at this seat in a very short period of time. It never ends!” Jones takes over the seat previously held by At- torney General Jeff Ses- sions. The term expires in January of 2021. On Wednesday, Trump reminded his Twitter fol- lowers that he had origi- nally supported Sen. Luther Strange, Moore’s GOP pri- mary opponent. “The reason I originally endorsed Luther Strange (and his numbers went up mightily), is that I said Roy Moore will not be able to win the General Election,” Trump tweeted. “I was right! Roy worked hard but the deck was stacked against him!” The victory by Jones, a former U.S. attorney best known for prosecuting two Ku Klux Klansmen respon- sible for Birmingham’s infa- mous 1963 church bombing, narrows the GOP advantage in the U.S. Senate to 51-49. That imperils already-uncer- tain Republican tax, budget and health proposals and in- jects tremendous energy into the Democratic Party’s early push to reclaim House and Senate majorities in 2018. Still, many Washington Republicans viewed the de- feat of Moore as perhaps the best outcome for the party nationally despite the short- term sting. The fiery Chris- tian conservative’s positions have alienated women, racial minorities, gays and Muslims – in addition to the multiple allegations that he was guilty of sexual misconduct with teens, one only 14, when he was in his 30s. “Short-term pain, long- term gain,” former Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman, a Repub- lican, tweeted. “Roy Moore and Steve Bannon losing to- night is big win for the GOP …. Moore would have buried GOP in 2018.” A number of Republicans declined to support Moore, including Alabama’s long- serving Sen. Richard Shelby. But Trump lent his name and the national GOP’s re- sources to Moore’s campaign in recent days. Had Moore won, the GOP would have been saddled with a colleague accused of sordid conduct as Repub- licans nationwide struggle with Trump’s historically low popularity. Senate leaders had promised that Moore would have faced an imme- diate ethics investigation. Republicans on Capitol Hill are trying to wrap up their work by Dec. 22, but lawmakers are still strug- gling to devise a compro- mise tax bill. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has indicated the new Alabama senator would be sworn in the first week in Jan- uary, when Congress returns from its break. The Republican loss also gives Democrats a clearer path to a Senate majority in 2018 – albeit a narrow one – in an election cycle where Democrats are far more optimistic about seizing control of the House of Representatives. Ultimately, Tuesday’s con- test came down to which side better motivated its sup- porters to vote. Alabama Sec- retary of State John Mer- rill said turnout likely would not exceed 25 percent of reg- istered voters. Jones successfully fought to cobble together an unlikely coalition of African-Ameri- cans, liberal whites and mod- erate Republicans. He had his strongest sup- port across Alabama’s “black belt,” named for the color of its soil, and in the larger urban areas, including Mont- gomery, Birmingham, Mo- bile, Tuscaloosa and Hunts- ville. Turnout in those areas, which features a large Af- rican-American population, also ran higher than in some of the more heavily Repub- lican parts of the state. At his election night head- quarters, stunned supporters erupted in celebration as news of his victory was an- nounced. Many danced to the song “Happy.” Some cried. “I honestly did not know that this was even an op- tion. I didn’t think that we could elect a Democrat,” said 26-year-old campaign volun- teer Jess Eddington, her eyes red from tears of joy. “I am so proud we did.” Moore, who largely avoided public events in the final weeks of the race and spent far less money on ad- vertising than his opponent, bet big – and lost – on the state’s traditional Republican leanings and the strength of his passionate evangelical Christian supporters. He sidestepped questions about sexual misconduct as he arrived at his polling place on horseback ear- lier in the day. Alabama state law calls for a recount if the margin of victory is less than one-half of one percentage point. With all precincts reporting, Jones led by 1.5 points – three times that margin. If the secretary of state determines there were more write-in votes than the dif- ference between Jones and Moore, the state’s counties would be required to tally those votes. It’s not clear how that would help Moore, who ended the night trailing Jones by more than 20,000 votes. Crews gain on huge California fire but wind threat remains LOS ANGELES (AP) – After an- nouncing increased contain- ment on one of the biggest wildfires in California his- tory, officials warned that communities remain at risk and the threat could increase as unpredictable winds whip up again. Red Flag warnings for fire danger due to Santa Ana winds and a critical lack of moisture were extended, with a possible increase in gusts into the end of the week. Evacuations continued Wednesday for the seaside enclaves of Montecito, Sum- merland and Carpinteria and the inland agricultural town of Fillmore. Officials announced Tuesday night that crews had carved containment lines around one-quarter of the blaze straddling Santa Bar- bara and Ventura counties. The so-called Thomas fire has burned over 900 struc- tures, at least 700 of them homes, since it broke out Dec. 4. It stretches across nearly 370 square miles (958 sq. kilometers) of Southern California, making it the fifth largest in state history. Elsewhere, fire officials an- nounced that a cooking fire at a homeless encampment sparked a blaze last week that destroyed six homes in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles. Arson investigators de- termined that the so- called Skirball fire near the world-famous Getty mu- seum was started by an il- legal fire at a camp near a freeway underpass, city fire Capt. Erik Scott said. The camp was empty when firefighters found it, but people apparently had been sleeping and cooking there for at least several days, he said. Back at the largest of the wildfires, firefighters pro- tected foothill homes while the flames churned mostly into unoccupied forest land, Santa Barbara County Fire Department spokesman Mike Eliason said. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Eric Burdon and his wife, Marianna, of Ojai were among the people who fled the smoke Tuesday. Burdon, a member of the 1960s British Invasion band The Animals, said “a week like this gives you the perspective that life is what truly mat- ters,” he wrote. Fire burns canyons and ridges of Santa Barbara County as the fight to contain the fifth-largest wildfire in California history continues in Montecito, California, Tuesday. – PHOTO: AP Democrat Doug Jones speaks Tuesday in Birmingham, Alabama, after winning Alabama’s special Senate election in a stunning upset, aided by scandal. – PHOTO: AP9 WORLD&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY DECEMBER 14, 2017 The family of Frances A. Black regrets to announce her death on Saturday, 9 December , 2017. A funeral service will take place 10:30 a.m. on Friday, December 15, 2017 at the Elmslie Memorial United Church. Interment will follow in West Bay Cemetery . Condolences can be registered at boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page. New American Embassy in London has public benches, no perimeter fence LONDON (AP) – The most surprising aspect of the pricey new U.S. Embassy in London is what is not there: a perimeter fence. There is no imposing se- curity barrier to protect the highly visible embassy in a city that has this year been targeted repeatedly by extremists. Instead there are some public gardens with benches on the edge of the property, then a pond to keep unau- thorized people from ap- proaching the new building south of the River Thames. Officials are quick to empha- size the pond does not en- circle the entire building and is not a moat. U.S. Ambassador Robert “Woody” Johnson said Wednesday the $1 billion (1.34 billion-pound) building that opens to the public on Jan. 16 is designed to be both welcoming and secure. He said he hopes Pres- ident Donald Trump will come to London for its of- ficial dedication, which may come weeks or longer after the embassy’s first day of business. “We are looking forward to welcoming the president when he comes over here,” Johnson told reporters given an advance look at the new facility in the Nine Elms neighborhood. “I think he will be very impressed with this building and the people who occupy it.” He said the president’s schedule is difficult and it is not clear when he will make his first visit to Britain as president. Trump has ac- cepted an invitation for a state visit to be hosted by Queen Elizabeth II, but no date has been set. British lawmakers and others have protested hosting Trump for a number of reasons. The ambassador touted the new embassy as a tech- nological marvel built for the 21st century – but his re- marks were at times drowned out by feedback from a faulty microphone. The new building, which replaces the former U.S. Em- bassy on Grosvenor Square in the heart of London, is playing a central role in the rejuvenation of the Nine Elms neighborhood, which has seen a spurt in housing and office development. The impressive building, with its distinctive cube shape, is the single most ex- pensive embassy building ever built by the United States, Ambassador William Moser said, even though the U.S. diplomatic compounds in Kabul, Afghanistan and Baghdad, Iraq did cost more. Moser, who supervises overseas building construc- tion for the State Depart- ment, said the money for the site and its development was generated by selling other U.S. government proper- ties in Britain. U.S. Ambassador Robert “Woody” Johnson said Wednesday the $1 billion building that opens to the public on Jan. 16 is designed to be both welcoming and secure. An exterior view of the new United States embassy building near the River Thames in London, Wednesday. – PHOTO: AP FBI agent removed from Russia probe called Trump an ‘idiot’ WASHINGTON (AP) – Two FBI officials who would later be assigned to the special counsel’s investigation into Donald Trump’s presidential campaign described him with insults like “idiot” and “loath- some human” in a series of text messages last year, ac- cording to copies of the mes- sages released Tuesday. One of the officials said in an election night text that the prospect of a Trump victory was “terrifying.” Peter Strzok, a veteran FBI counterintelligence agent, was removed over the summer from special counsel Robert Mueller’s team fol- lowing the discovery of text messages exchanged with Lisa Page, an FBI lawyer who was also detailed this year to the group of agents and prosecutors investigating po- tential coordination between Russia and Trump’s Repub- lican campaign. Hundreds of the mes- sages, which surfaced in a Justice Department inspector general investigation of the FBI’s inquiry into Democrat Hillary Clinton’s use of a pri- vate email server, were being provided to congressional committees, which had re- quested copies, and were re- viewed by The Associated Press on Tuesday night. The existence of the text messages, disclosed in news reports earlier this month, provided a line of attack for Trump, who used the revela- tion to disparage FBI lead- ership as politically tainted. Republicans have also seized on the exchange of texts be- tween two officials who worked for Mueller to sug- gest that the team is biased against Trump and its con- clusions cannot be trusted. The issue is likely to be a focus of a congressional hearing Wednesday involving Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who ap- pointed Mueller as special counsel in May and oversees his team’s work. A spokesman for Mueller has said Strzok was removed from the Mueller team as soon as the allegations were brought to the office’s atten- tion, and that Page had al- ready concluded her de- tail by that time anyway and returned to the FBI. Strzok has been reassigned within the FBI. Working telephone num- bers for Strzok and Page could not immediately be found. Strzok had been deeply in- volved in the Clinton inquiry and was in the room when she was interviewed by the FBI. He later helped investi- gate whether the Trump cam- paign worked with Russia to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. The texts seen by the AP began in the summer of 2015, soon after the FBI launched its email server in- vestigation, and continued over the next year and a half as the presidential race was in full swing and as Trump and Clinton were looking to defeat their primary chal- lengers and head toward the general election. The messages – 375 were released Tuesday evening – cover a broad range of polit- ical topics and include an ex- change of news articles about the race, often alongside their own commentaries. There are some derogatory comments about Democratic officials, including presiden- tial candidate Bernie Sanders and former Attorney General Eric Holder, but some of the harshest comments are re- served for Trump. In a March 4, 2016, back- and-forth provided to Con- gress, Page refers to Trump as a “loathsome human” and Strzok responds, “Yet he may win.” After Strzok asks whether she thinks Trump would be a worse presi- dent than fellow Repub- lican Ted Cruz, Page says, “Yes, I think so.” The two then use words like “idiot” and “awful” to char- acterize Trump, with Strzok saying, “America will get what the voting public deserves.” In another exchange, on Oct. 18, 2016, Strzok writes to Page and says: “I am riled up. Trump is an (expletive) idiot, is unable to provide a coherent answer. I CAN’T PULL AWAY. WHAT THE (ex- pletive) HAPPENED TO OUR COUNTRY??!?!” Weeks later, on election day, as it seemed to become clearer that Trump could de- feat Clinton, he says, “OMG THIS IS (expletive) TER- RIFYING: A victory by Mr. Trump remains possible …” Page replies, “Yeah, that’s not good.” In August 2016, Strzok re- sponded to a New York Times story that carried the head- line of “Donald Trump is Making America Meaner” by saying, “I am worried about what Trump is encouraging in our behavior.” But he also adds, “I’m wor- ried about what happens if HRC is elected,” using the ini- tials for Hillary Clinton. STUDIES: WARMING MADE HARVEY DELUGE 3 TIMES MORE LIKELY NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Global warming’s finger- prints were all over the record rainfall from Hur- ricane Harvey this year, confirming what scientists suspected, according to new research. While scientists say man-made climate change did not trigger Harvey, new studies calculate that a warmer, wetter world made it at least three times more likely that the stalled storm over Houston would flood the fourth most populous U.S. city. Re- searchers also said global warming often goosed as- pects of two other destruc- tive hurricanes this year, Irma and Maria. Findings were discussed Wednesday at the American Geophysical Union meeting in New Orleans. The Harvey studies used a combination of estab- lished and new techniques. An international team used computer simulations and decades of past observa- tions to estimate the odds for the record rainfall that came with Harvey over a period of three days in August with and without global warming. By com- paring those two, they con- cluded global warming tripled the likelihood for the deluge, which reached more than 50 inches in one location. Based on Hous- ton’s weather history, re- searchers said a storm like Harvey would occur about once every 9,000 years. “Did climate change make this event more likely than in the past? Yes,” said Karin van der Wiel of the Royal Netherlands Meteo- rological Institute. Peter Strzok, a veteran FBI counterintelligence agent, was removed over the summer from special counsel Robert Mueller’s team following the discovery of text messages.Next >