ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – MONDAY JANUARY 8, 2018 High of 81 Low of 75 Slight with wave heights of 6 to 8 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 ONE WEEK LATER … DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR RESOLUTIONS ARE? LOCAL | PAGE 5 BILL HRUDEY RECEIVES MBE 6 WINGS, REG FRIES & BISCUIT6 WINGS, REG FRIES & BISCUIT6 WINGS, REG FRIES & BISCUIT 50 years ago: Abandoned cars In a classic case of “the more things change, the more they stay the same,” a story that appeared in the Feb. 15, 1968 copy of The Caymanian Weekly, a precursor to the Cayman Compass, closely echoes last week’s front-page story about cars abandoned on Cayman’s roadsides and the apparent confusion over who is responsible for removing them. The 1968 story read: “Our camera has caught an- other of the many wrecked cars littered by the road- sides of Grand Cayman. This one has been parked for months near where the gov- ernment has built cottages for expatriate officers on South Church Street. “There must be some government officers whose job it is to see that these are removed to a proper dumping ground. May we suggest that all wrecks are removed on the authority of the said officer and a bill sent to the owner of the wreck for the service so rendered.” On a side note, the Com- pass observed that all four damaged vehicles featured in Thursday’s story had been removed by Saturday. FORECLOSURE SALES BEGIN TO DECREASE A year of foreclosure sales reveals island-wide issue JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com From a $1.4 million South Sound mansion to four two-bed condos that sold for $95,000 each, real estate statistics show 73 foreclosure properties were purchased in 2017. Homes sold by banks last year spanned all areas of the Cayman Islands and all eco- nomic brackets, though the bulk of foreclosure sales involved mid-to-low cost homes in the $100,000 to $200,000 range. Amid a high level of public commentary and emotion surrounding the issue of fore- closures in the islands, the Cayman Compass analyzed statistics from all 73 foreclosure sales last year. The headline figure is down substantially compared with 116 properties sold by banks in 2015 and 112 in 2016. Most are homes, though some land lots and one commercial property are included in the 2017 data. Despite recent high-profile cases putting the political and public spotlight on the issue, new foreclosures have “slowed to a trickle,” ac- cording to realtor Kim Lund. He said many of the properties sold in 2017 had been on the market for some time and the foreclosure sales should continue to decrease in the coming years. Sales details from the Cayman Islands Real Estate Brokers Association’s multi-listing system, analyzed by the Compass, shows the issue impacting all parts of the island. George Town saw the most foreclosure sales in 2017, with 19. There were 14 in West Bay, 11 in Savannah and 10 in Prospect, seven in North Side and five in Bodden Town. Soccer star Altidore mixes with local players MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com Victor Thompson, 15, got perhaps the greatest thrill of his young soccer ca- reer on Saturday. Victor was one of about 30 elite Academy Sports Club players who got some training and technique tips from Major League Soccer star Jozy Altidore, who just last month won the MLS Cup MVP title. The training session was followed by a half-hour of scrimmaging, where Altidore manned one of the goals, shouting encour- agement and directions to the players on the field in an almost constant banter. “Take your time,” he called out as players moved the ball up the field. “Open up. Open up. Good tackle! Now we’re talking.” When the action came near him, he en- couraged the players to engage with him. “You can press me if you want,” he told one tentative youth, admonishing another, “You can’t score on me, brother.” Moments later, Victor proved him wrong. The tall, thin youth slipped a shot past the Toronto FC’s top player, into the low corner of the goal. “It felt amazing,” Victor said after the scrimmage was over. “It’s always a good feeling to score and it felt even better. It felt really good to know I could score on a PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » MLS Cup MVP Jozy Altidore addresses Academy Sports Club players during a clinic he conducted Saturday morning. Altidore was on the island to work with the players and attend a fundraising event to benefit local soccer programs and hurricane relief efforts. – PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » Cayman Compass predecessor, The Caymanian Weekly newspaper ran this photo of an abandoned car in its Feb. 15, 1968 edition.2 LOCAL&REGIONAL MONDAY JANUARY 8, 2018 • 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. - MONDAY - 640-FILM (640-3456) MOLLY’S GAME (R) 12:55 I 6:45 STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI (PG13) 12:45 VIP I 3:40 I 6:55 I 9:25 THE GREATEST SHOWMAN (PG) 4:25 I 7:15 I 9:50 FERDINAND (PG) 1:40 I 4:25 I 7:00 INSIDIOUS: THE LAST KEY (PG13) 1:35 I 3:50 I 6:50 VIP I 9:45 JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (PG13) 1:00 I 4:05 VIP I 6:45 I 9:20 VIP I 10:10 PITCH PERFECT 3 (PG13) 1:20 I 4:00 I 9:50 Professional Certificate in Human Resource Practice (CHRP) The University of Portsmouth is once again bringing this highly successful HR programme to the Cayman Islands – commencing 27 February 2018 The Professional Certificate in HR Practice will develop your HR knowledge and skills if: 1. You are working in HR or personnel administration or you want to work in HR, or 2. You are an administrator, a team leader, a supervisor or a manager looking to develop your HR management skills 3. It is also an entry route to a Master’s Degree in HRM (anticipated starting date, late 2018) 20 days of HR classes are delivered on-island in 6 daytime workshops from February 2018 to September 2018, the classes cover: • The role of HR and the business context: 4 days • Talent planning, recruitment and selection interviewing: 4 days • Managing performance, appraisal interviewing and rewarding employees: 4 days • Managing HR information and Continuous Professional Development (CPD): 4 days (2 x 2 days) • Labour law and PSML – employment relations, discipline, dismissal, discrimination and gender equality: 4 days What our students say: “Enrolling on this CHRP programme was the one of the best decisions I have made in my career and I am now in an HR Manager’s position.” “Thank you so much Miss Marjorie and Mr Stephen for investing your time and knowledge, your style of teaching makes learning unforgettable.” “This HR course has been a totally engaging experience and it has exposed me to real HR experiences – the classroom experience was phenomenal!” Develop HR skills, become CIPD qualified and boost your career - too good an opportunity to miss! Contact Miss Marjorie, University of Portsmouth, to reserve your place: marjorie.corbridge@port.ac.uk Check out the website: www.port.ac.uk/caymanchrp University Faculty with extensive international HR experience include: Marjorie Corbridge, Gary Rees and Stephen Pilbeam Stride against Cancer set for Jan. 28 KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Cayman Islands Cancer Society is gearing up for its biggest annual event, the Nationwide Stride Against Cancer, which is scheduled to take place on Jan. 28. Cancer Society Operations Manager Jennifer Weber said her organization is looking for volunteers to help at reg- istration booths at supermar- kets around the island during weekends prior to the event. The territory’s biggest walk/run event will feature the “Big Stride” that will start and finish on Seven Mile Public Beach. The 13.1-mile half-marathon will start at 6 a.m., with the quarter-mar- athon starting at 7 a.m. The “Mini Stride” will start at 7 a.m. at the North Side boat launch near Kaibo, and de- tails on the “Little Stride” on Little Cayman will be confirmed soon. The event features a walk/ run on Cayman Brac, too, but that already took place last month, Ms. Weber said. Along with the walk/runs, the Stride Against Cancer will have a corporate chal- lenge that rewards the busi- ness with the most regis- trants with free lunches from Saucha Conscious Living, she said. This year’s event will also feature a new contest: a “style it up” competition, where the person with the most cre- atively styled Stride shirt will receive a prize, said the Cancer Society manager. Along with a free T-shirt, registrants will also receive a reflective armband. Ms. Weber said the armbands were conceived as a way to make walkers and run- ners more visible to passing traffic and prevent them being struck by vehicles. The Stride Against Cancer typically draws more than 1,500 people to the four separate walk/runs. The proceeds help support the Cancer Society’s educational and financial aid initiatives. The Cancer Society needs every penny it can get, Ms. Weber said. In 2017, the organiza- tion spent a record high of more than $400,000 on finan- cial aid, supporting some 300 families affected by cancer, she said. Aid goes to things like plane tickets and hotel rooms for people who have to travel overseas for treatment. “Almost every cancer pa- tient has to go overseas, and doctors recommend treat- ments for at least four weeks at a time,” she said. “Staying in a hotel that whole time – not many people can afford that.” When Ms. Weber first started her job at the Cayman Islands Cancer Society, the or- ganization supported about 11 families. While there has been a growth in the inci- dences of cancer in the terri- tory since then, Ms. Webster said the Cancer Society has also been able to help people detect cancer at earlier stages. Along with registering at various supermarkets during weekends, people can reg- ister for the event at cayman- active.com. People who reg- ister before Jan. 13 will get the early bird rate of $25. After that, the standard rate of $30 will apply. For more information, contact the Cancer Society at 949- 7618 or info@cics.ky. Participants and organizers line up at an earlier Stride Against Cancer. The 2018 Stride will be held on Jan. 28, from Seven Mile Public Beach. Car smashes into light pole No injuries were reported in a Saturday morning crash at King’s roundabout. Police officials said the driver of this Camero lost control on the wet road and crashed into a lamp post. Police said alcohol was not a factor in the crash. - PHOTO: MARK MUCKENFUSS VEHICLE LICENSING OFFICE TO OPEN LATE ON WEDNESDAYS The Department of Vehi- cles and Drivers’ Licensing on Crewe Road office will remain open longer one day every week this month. On Wednesdays, the of- fice will open as normal at 8.30 a.m. but close later at 7 p.m. On other week days, the office will operate as usual from 8.30 a.m. to 4 p.m. VENEZUELA SHUTS DOWN 3 ISLANDS’ BORDERS CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro ordered the shutdown of all air and maritime traffic with three Caribbean islands for 72 hours. Maduro said Friday eve- ning that he was closing the nation’s maritime border with Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire. In a televised appearance, the president accused island leaders of being complicit in the illegal trafficking of goods and resources. The islands lie a short distance from Venezue- la’s coast and host oil refineries run by Venezuela’s state oil giant and U.S. subsidiary Citgo. In recent years, Venezuelans fleeing the nation’s economic collapse have tried reaching the islands by boat. Venezuelan authorities frequently con- tend the trafficking of goods out of the nation is one of the chief causes of food and med- ical shortages.The islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY JANUARY 8, 2018 GOVERNOR’S AWARD FOR DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION EXCELLENCE IN THE CAYMAN ISLANDS 2017 This commemorative publication will celebrate the design and construction achievements in the Cayman Islands showcasing the recipients of The Governor’s Award for Design and Construction Excellence. The presentation will highlight the winners of the award and focus on the architects, suppliers and construction teams involved on the most outstanding projects from 2015-2017. To advertise in this publication please contact your sales representative 949-5111 or email sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com GOVERNOR’S AWARD FOR DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION EXCELLENCE IN THE CAYMAN ISLANDS 2017 SPECIAL PUBLICATION Publication: January 25, 2018 This publication contains a 4-page gloss cover and center spread. AD SP ACE DEADLINE: W ednesda y, January 10, 2018The 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” One evening an elder Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside all people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us. One is Fear. It carries anxiety, concern, uncertainty, hesitancy, indecision and inaction. The other is Faith. It brings calm, conviction, confidence, enthusiasm, decisiveness, excite- ment and action.” The grandson thought about it for a moment and then meekly asked his grandfather: “Which wolf wins?” The old Cherokee replied, “The one you feed.” – From “The ONE Thing” by Gary Keller with Jay Papasan Our first editorial of 2018 dealt (perhaps predictably) with New Year’s resolutions. It was a positive editorial, encouraging those among us who had vowed to improve themselves in the coming months. And yet, the editorial included these sobering realities: Within one week, meaning today, Jan. 8, fully 25 percent of all resolutions already will have gone by the wayside. By the close of this calendar year, more than 90 percent of our best intentions will have been abandoned. Already many of the best-intentioned among us are reverting to past patterns of over-committing, over- extending, over-booking and generally feeling overwhelmed. We bring some good news: There is accumulating evidence that we can increase dramatically our efforts at self-improvement and the likelihood of sustainable success. We must confess that we are lifelong students of self- help literature, management consultants, efficiency experts, motivational gurus, peak performance coaches, and the entire panoply – an industry, really – of resources that purport to help us help ourselves. Indeed, our publisher even co-authored a best-selling book on the subject (“Self-Made in America” by John McCormack and David R. Legge). And yet it is rare that we encounter a message that is so insightful, so practical, and so elegantly written and easily understood that we would feel remiss if we did not share it with you, our readers. We refer to “The ONE Thing” (quoted above), which became a Wall Street Journal No. 1 best-seller, won 12 book awards, was translated into 26 languages, and made 250 best-seller list appearances. It has become the classic that it deserves to be. The author, Gary Keller, knows of what he writes. He is chairman of the board and co-founder of Keller Williams Realty, Inc., which he built from a small office in Austin, Texas, into the largest real estate company in the world. Mr. Keller’s premise is simple, but counterintuitive: “When you want the absolute best chance to succeed at anything you want, your approach should always be the same. Go small. … Most people think it is just the opposite. They think big success is time consuming and complicated. As a result, their calendars and to-do lists become overloaded and overwhelming …. “Unaware that big success comes when we do a few things well, they get lost trying to do too much and in the end accomplish too little.” Mr. Keller is in large measure a contrarian – multi- tasking does not work, discipline is overrated, do not order from the menu, and always challenge bromides such as “don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” (He quotes Andrew Carnegie, who would become the second richest man in history: “It is trying to carry too many baskets that breaks most eggs in this country.”) Certainly, we cannot do this book justice in this limited space, but we can do two things: 1) We will try to make arrangements with its publisher, Bard Press, to allow us in coming weeks to serialize a few chapters in the Compass; and, 2) During a holiday trip to Florida, Mr. Legge, publisher of the Cayman Compass, was able to purchase 10 hard- cover copies of “The ONE Thing.” Those copies are now at the reception desk at the Compass Centre (on Shedden Road). They are available, without cost, to the first 10 people who walk through our door requesting a copy. Consider it a small holiday gift – not overly costly but of enormous value. One week later … Do you know where your resolutions are? MONDAY JANUARY 8, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Concerned about unhealthy behaviors I am a down-to-earth Cay- manian and I love my island to the moon and back. Over the years I’ve seen honest people come, work extremely hard and build a future for their families. I am truly happy and proud of them. On the other hand, I’ve seen others come with their dirty habits to help destroy my island. They sit all day long, sell lottery, ganja, al- cohol and play loud vulgar music, until late late hours in the mornings. They don’t re- spect God or man. Every day is the same for them. I am tired of the loud dirty music, pounding the airwaves of my community and rattling my windows. The “fish fry” label is just another way to have a late night session (party). These type of parties open up your community to all sort of ailments. Why do we have to change everything to accommodate everyone who chooses to live on our island? Can we go to other countries and dictate to them? Can we do as we feel in another man’s country? No, we can’t. So why are we allowing others to come here, dictate to us, and destroy our little heaven on Earth? Please remember this, some of these people are run- ning from conflicts, noisy cities, overcrowded countries, lack of opportunities and the whole nine yards. But, yet they come here and reinvent the same old unproductive lifestyle, which would even- tually create the same situa- tions they were running from in the first place. Should we sit back and continue to allow the un- healthy behaviors? I say no, enough is enough. I will stand up for my is- land. Will you? Leave some- thing CAYMAN KIND. Dorline Welcome Spend the people’s money wisely More and more lately, I hear the sad cry, “Let us end hunger in Cayman for good.” Well, that sounds good. That led me to investigate just how the people really live. After I checked the many areas of our island, including the Pines Retirement Home, I find that our people are in a pretty bad shape. Examples I have found have shocked me, like a Cay- manian mother of three, two girls and one boy, living in a horrible state – no food, no water, no fridge, no transpor- tation and no stove. I could not believe what I found next: A place in George Town, our capital, where a family lives in a place that is unfit for humans to live, with the septic leaking in the yard. An old man, his two daugh- ters, the daughters’ chil- dren and others living there with them. This property is as old as from the days of limestone walls. The money that the Cayman Island Government receives for the Cayman Is- lands and its people is not being spent properly. We need to take care of our people first in all ways – not spend money foolishly, like to fix coral you cannot see with a water glass. Why does our govern- ment treat our people so very badly and treat outsiders better than Caymanians, even with employment of our own places, borders and ports? If you pay more attention to the real need of our people, we would not be looked at by so many now as hungry, job- less, worthless beggars on our own country’s soil. Al- though we do not have control of the country’s money to do what is right for our people, we are all willing to help, for the members of government do not have all the answers. If they had, we would not have hungry people, joblessness, and worse for all my people. We must look at the funds that are turned over from the banks to government. We are not hearing about this money at all. These funds should be used to help our people directly, like with proper housing, assisting Caymanians with land, farms and more. Government must wise up and put our people first. Do you hear their cry for a better way of life? We have the money to do just that. North- ward Prison cannot hold all the people that will turn to crime – people who are losing their homes, people with fam- ilies to feed, people that come out of jail with nowhere to go and no job, people that come out of school without a proper education, no house, no land, no plan and no real help or direction from government, with a lot of others that are already on social services. We need to pay better at- tention to our people – not just our Caymanian people. Even people from the outside world are here with us in hard pov- erty. Employment, education, upliftment, betterment, hap- piness and respect – these are some of the things affecting the Cayman people. We must demand to live better, and that we come first always on these islands. I would like to know why so many of our Cayman children are failing in school and come out of school uneducated and unable to enlist in a tech-school overseas, with the bill being paid by government instead of paying $70,000 to house him in Northward prison. We need to support our children more and give them better chances to have a good trade and be internationally educated. Our people have worked so hard in the past to bring Cayman to where she is today. In these times of plenty, our people must live better in all ways. Emile S. Levy5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY JANUARY 8, 2018 MINISTRY OF COMMERCE, PLANNING & INFRASTRUCTURE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE, PLANNING & INFRASTRUCTURE Broadcasting Ltd. #ShareTheRoadKY BE RESPONSIBLE. SHARE THE ROAD. DUI INCIDENTS IN CAYMAN ROSE BY 12% LAST YEAR. DON’T BE ANOTHER STATISTIC. NOMINATE A DESIGNATED DRIVER, OR TAKE A TAXI IF YOU’RE ENJOYING DRINKS TONIGHT. Bill Hrudey receives MBE honor Astronomer set to unveil new telescope KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com Dr. Bill Hrudey was given the Member of the British Empire award on Thursday night at the Govern- ment House for helping promote sci- ence in the territory since he moved here in 1997. “It’s humbling, delightful and all sorts of other adjectives and ad- verbs to describe the experience,” Dr. Hrudey said to a group of friends and family after receiving the honor from Governor Helen Kilpatrick. “All I can say is, ‘Thank you.’” The other Caymanians who were recognized in the U.K.’s New Year’s Honors List – Olive Miller and Betty Baraud – will be honored later this year. Dr. Hrudey received the award last week because health complica- tions may make him unable to attend later ceremonies, he told the Compass. Dr. Hrudey, the director of the self- named Dr. William Hrudey Observa- tory at the University College of the Cayman Islands, launched the Science Fair with the Rotary Club in 2006. He also spearheaded bringing the STEM Carib Conference to the UCCI. The former surgeon and astron- omer has also developed several world-class telescopes, including one that he hopes to unveil in the near fu- ture that will be the second-largest of its kind in the world. Dr. Hrudey’s latest telescope is a dedicated solar telescope that will take high-resolution images of the sun. It’s a larger version of one that he previously developed, he said. “I wasn’t happy, I wanted more. It’s like when you have a yacht and want it to be two feet longer,” he said. All that’s left to complete the new telescope is to change some code that runs the device’s system, said Dr. Hrudey. Once that’s finished, he said he will unveil the new telescope – hopefully next month, he said. Webb FIFA sentencing set for sixth time BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman businessman Jef- frey Webb’s sentencing in the FIFA corruption scandal has been put off again by a U.S. federal court, meaning the admitted racketeer will not learn his fate until March – nearly three years after his May 2015 arrest. According to records re- leased Thursday, Webb’s Jan. 24 sentencing date was delayed “due to a change in the court’s calendar” to March 7. This is the sixth time the sentencing has been reset. Previous sentencing de- lays have been attributed to re- quests from Webb’s attorneys to push back the date. Webb, a former FIFA vice president, has pleaded guilty to seven counts in a federal court indictment alleging he and dozens of other defendants con- spired to rig sports marketing contracts for various world football events in exchange for millions of dollars in bribes. Since Webb’s November 2015 guilty plea, the U.S. Jus- tice Department’s case against the football fraudsters has pro- gressed significantly. A trial against three defendants ended last month with two sus- pects, Jose Marin and Juan Napout, being found guilty of the majority of charges filed against them. A third defen- dant, Manuel Burga, was not convicted of the lone count he faced because the federal jury could not reach a unanimous verdict. He was later acquitted of the charge after further jury deliberations. A number of other de- fendants, including former Cayman Islands resident Costas Takkas, have pleaded guilty in the FIFA case. Takkas received a 15-month sentence on one charge against him last year, with 10 months off for time al- ready served in Swiss detention awaiting extradition to the U.S. The scheme described by U.S. prosecutors alleged Webb, and others at FIFA solicited bribes from sports marketing companies in exchange for di- recting lucrative broadcasting and commercial rights deals for various football tournaments to the bribe-payers. Dozens of U.S. banks were used to make those alleged bribe payments to Webb and others, prosecutors said. FIFA’s Ethics Committee also found Webb guilty last year of violating general rules of conduct, rules of loyalty, rules for disclosure and finan- cial reporting, conflicts of in- terest and bribery and corrup- tion. He has been banned for life from “all football-related ac- tivities on a national and inter- national level.” Webb has sold his mansion in suburban Atlanta, Georgia and proceeds from the sale have been turned over to the U.S. court as part of an asset forfeiture agreement. A federal court judge told Webb during proceedings for his plea agreement that he could face deportation from the U.S. as part of his sentencing, but that would be up to Amer- ican immigration authorities. Governor Helen Kilpatrick gives Dr. Bill Hrudey his MBE medal on Thursday at Government House, as his wife Gigi looks on. – PHOTO: KEN SILVA6 LOCAL NEWS MONDAY JANUARY 8, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Cayman Airways ‘susceptible to losses’ on credit transactions BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Incomplete documenta- tion for certain customer ac- counts and a lack of demand letters sent to credit cus- tomers that did not repay Cayman Airways for services has left the national airline open for financial losses, a government report has noted. Precisely how much money might have been lost, or how many credit customer accounts with Cayman Air- ways are operating at the moment, was not known by the Internal Audit Service staff when the Cayman Com- pass questioned them about the matter late last year. Detailed questions sent to airline officials in September, October, November and De- cember were never answered. Internal Audit Service Di- rector Andy Bonner said in November that auditors who reviewed Cayman Airway’s business practices in mid- 2017 understood that the airline only extends credit arrangements to “pre-ap- proved businesses and trade entities,” including govern- ment entities. “It’s nothing available to individual private cus- tomers,” Mr. Bonner said, adding that to be considered for a credit account, an ap- plication form must be com- pleted along with business and bank references. The audit team noted a number of “deficiencies” in the way the airline handled credit accounts, including that some customer accounts did not have completed documentation the airline said it required. “There was no evidence that the credit applications were verified or that credit limits were set and ap- proved by the [redacted],” ac- cording to an internal audit passenger revenue review done in May 2017. The review also noted re- minder or payment demand letters were not prepared nor sent to delinquent customers. “As a result of the above weaknesses, CAL is suscep- tible to future losses,” the report stated. Responding to Compass questions about the audit in November, Mr. Bonner said, “In terms of actual vol- umes and specific dollar amounts, I’d refer you to Cayman Airways.” Although they did not re- spond to the Compass, air- line officials told auditors that they would agree to es- tablish an effective credit management policy, in- cluding measures to ad- dress potential losses. These changes were supposed to be done by October, but the airline did not respond to Compass questions about what, if anything, had been changed. The issue of credit cus- tomers is separate to free flights provided to airline staff and board members as part of Cayman Airway’s compensation package. In 2016, Tourism Min- istry officials said an av- erage of 3,000 free tickets are taken on Cayman Airways flights by staff members, their dependents and retired staff, who also get a 25 per- cent discount on confirmed airline seats. Fare changes Internal auditors also flagged up the process Cayman Airways used to change airline fares for certain routes. “Three significant fare changes for the [redacted] routes do not have any evi- dence of … approval prior to filing with the Airline Tariff Publishing Company,” the audit noted. “The lack of evi- dence of review and approval impairs CAL’s ability to dem- onstrate that appropriate steps are being taken to en- sure proper authorization of significant fare changes.” The Airline Tariff Pub- lishing Company (ATPCO) is a privately held company that collects and distributes air- line fare-related information for use around the globe. Cayman Airways officials agreed to properly document all fare changes in the future, before sending that informa- tion to ATPCO. The Internal Audit Unit noted a number of ‘deficiencies’ in the way Cayman Airways handled credit accounts, including that some customer accounts did not have completed documentation the airline said it required. PROUD OF THEM Cadet Corps’ McGill recognized for community service Up until a few months ago, 20-year-old Jared Mc- Gill was a youth member of the Cayman Islands Cadet Corps. During the past seven years, he impressed his su- periors with his high and consistent levels of commit- ment and enthusiasm, es- pecially in the areas of ser- vice and volunteering for corps’ assignments. As a cadet, Jared not only managed to complete more than 100 hours of ser- vice annually, he put in al- most 1,000 hours of volun- tary work, taking part in clean-ups, national parades and retirement home visits. As a youth member of the corps, he distinguished himself by rising swiftly through the ranks and gaining ever-greater re- sponsibility. In those seven years, he went from a one- star cadet to platoon ser- geant, second in command only to the platoon leader. These traits extended to other aspects of Jared’s life. He became head boy at John Gray High School and was a member of its Key Club. He further distinguished himself at school by being elected to a number of po- sitions of responsibility in- cluding student representa- tive, student counselor and prefect group leader. He served as member of the Youth Parliament in 2015 and was Speaker of the House the following year. It was as Speaker that he was chosen to represent the Cayman Islands at the 9th Youth Parliament last year in Victoria, Canada. As a past member of his high school’s Save Our Youth (SOY) Club, Jared helped further the organiza- tion’s mandate. He took part in other school-based com- munity programs, including the National Drug Council Club. Jared was also a peer counselor. Despite transitioning to tertiary studies, Jared now helps train younger ca- dets. As an adult member of the corps, he is con- tinuing his passion for vol- unteering within the ranks and is currently tasked with training the Triple C School detachment. Away from cadets and student extra-curricular ac- tivities, Jared is a member of Agape Family Wor- ship Centre’s media min- istry, another non-paid po- sition of responsibility. In this church-centered com- munications hub, he assists with recording sermons and preparing the video min- istry sessions. Having made out- standing contributions to all the organizations he has joined, Jared has con- sistently proved his worth with his positive can-do attitude and his willing- ness to be a leader who serves. A busy college stu- dent, Jared continues to be a community activist while encouraging others to do the same. He graduated with an Associate of Arts in Busi- ness Administration at the University College of the Cayman Islands. He is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in busi- ness management. The Proud of Them initiative recognizes the positive achievements of young people between the ages of 10 and 25. Through a public nomination process, individuals are honored in various categories. Each person selected is featured for six months on billboards across the Cayman Islands and receives a certificate and $500. Film star Armie Hammer recalls Cayman roots Actor Armie Hammer, who grew up on Grand Cayman, spent time talking about his childhood experi- ences and his recent return to the island when he was a guest on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on Friday night. Mr. Hammer has been in such films as “The Lone Ranger,” “The Social Net- work” and the recently re- leased “Call Me by Your Name.” His family moved to Los Angeles when he was 13 and he came back to the is- land for the New Year’s Eve holiday in what he called his first real visit since leaving as a kid. He told the talkshow host that he remembered Cayman as “this little tiny quaint island” where, be- cause of hurricane danger, no buildings could be higher than three stories. “It has changed so much,” Mr. Hammer said. “The entirety of Seven Mile Beach looks like [Miami’s] South Beach. There’s, like, massive hotels. It looks to- tally different.” He also mentioned some infrastructure devel- opments, including “tun- nels that go nowhere,” that baffled him. His parents, Michael Ar- mand Hammer – son of oil tycoon Armand Hammer – and Dru Ann Mobley, founded Grace Christian Academy and Christian radio station Heaven 97.7. Mr. Hammer said he wanted to take his 3-year-old daughter by his old school but she was not interested. “She said, ‘You go. I’ll go to the beach,’” he said. He also mentioned the radio station. “I did promos when I was 8 or 9, ‘You’re listening to … ’” Hammer said. “I’m sure we had 15 listeners.” Hammer said he also re- membered growing up with only a handful of television stations available on the is- land. All that contributed to problems he had when he moved to Los Angeles. “I was socially inept,” he told Mr. Kimmel. “I didn’t know what the Lakers were. I didn’t know what Nirvana was. I had really long hair and a slight accent. It got beat out of me real quick.” Mr. Hammer is nomi- nated for a Golden Globe for best supporting actor for “Call Me by Your Name.” The awards were announced Sunday night. Jared McGill Actor Armie Hammer, left, appears on the ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ show on Friday night, Jan. 5. - PHOTO: ABC7 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY JANUARY 8, 2018 OR Grand Prize US$2,000 Second Prize US$1,000 #MyHoliday † Conditions apply. Subject to credit approval. @ Registered trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia. Apply today at your nearest branch and enjoy: Flexible terms • Affordable payments • Any purpose Go to ky.scotiabank.com/myholiday for contest details. Hurry! Contest ends January 15, 2018. Get a Scotia Plan Loan for the holidays and you could win!† Tourist admits theft at beach resort Minnesota man gets fine, suspended sentence, compensation order CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Thefts in tourist areas hurt Cayman’s tourism in- dustry, Magistrate Kirsty- Ann Gunn said on Thursday, and it does not matter if the thief is a resident or a visitor. She made the comment while sentencing Mark Allan Geier, 43, who pleaded guilty to stealing a backpack at a Seven Mile Beach resort on Jan. 1, New Year’s Day. The magistrate sentenced Mr. Geier to four months’ im- prisonment, suspended for two years, a fine of US$750 and a compensation order for US$1,337.35. The magistrate said she found both the offense and the explanation for it to be puzzling and contradictory. Mr. Geier had said he had found the backpack and thought it belonged to a family member, so he carried it back to their room. The magistrate said that was an honest mis- take, but what happened af- terward was dishonest. His wife had told him that the backpack did not belong to anyone in their group and said he should take it back. Instead, he went through items in the backpack and disposed of some of them. “You crossed the line and acted dishonestly,” the mag- istrate told Mr. Geier. Crown counsel Kenneth Ferguson explained that the backpack belonged to a uni- versity student who was at the resort with relatives. The defendant and his family were also staying there as visitors from Minnesota. Some time between 7:15 p.m. and 8:15 p.m., the back- pack was stolen from a lawn chair at the restaurant of the hotel. The owner, using an app, learned that her cell- phone, which had been in the backpack, was still on the property. Hotel personnel were alerted and CCTV footage was looked at. The complainant and a relative went to Mr. Geier’s room and he asked them if the backpack was what they were looking for. By that time, the complainant’s fa- ther had called police. The complainant checked the backpack and found her iPhone and wallet, but the wallet was empty. It had contained two debit cards, two credit cards, US$60, a Cayman driving license, uni- versity identification, and a key ring with a car key and house keys. Police searched the room and found missing items in garbage bins in the kitchen and bathroom, but the debit and credit cards, money and keys were not found, Mr. Fer- guson said. Police arrested both Mr. Geier and his wife. When interviewed, Mr. Geier explained why he had picked up the backpack, but said he did not know how the items found in the trash bins got there. By Thursday afternoon, the keys and credit/debit cards had not been found, the prosecutor confirmed. He also advised that the matter did not proceed any further against the wife. When the defendant first came before the court on Thursday morning, defense attorney John Furniss ad- vised that Mr. Geier was suf- fering from the onset of Al- zheimer’s disease, but had not traveled with any med- ical records to show this history. The matter was ad- journed until 2 p.m. when all parties agreed that appro- priate documentation sent to the courthouse by Mr. Gei- er’s treatment providers had been reviewed. The magistrate asked if the defense accepted that there had been an intention to permanently deprive. Mr. Furniss said Mr. Geier accepted taking items out of the backpack, but said he had no memory of the missing items. He ac- cepted having the requi- site intention. Mr. Furniss asked the court to distinguish Mr. Geier from “someone who sets out to prey on tour- ists.” He also asked that the matter proceed to sentence, since the defendant and his family wished to leave the island on Saturday. Both counsel referred to previous cases of theft from tourist areas, in which the court had said the appro- priate starting point was 12 months’ imprisonment. The magistrate agreed, pointing out that such thefts undermine a visitor’s sense of security. People should be able to walk away from their items and expect to find them when they re- turn, she said. In Mr. Geier’s case, she said his had been an oppor- tunistic theft, since there was no evidence he was tar- geting any particular victim. She considered his medical condition and concluded she could discount the 12 months down to six months. With a one-third fur- ther discount for the guilty plea, the sentence was four months. She concluded that placing him in prison would only add a burden to the public purse. She suspended the sen- tence for two years, ad- vising that if Mr. Geier com- mitted another offense in the Cayman Islands within that time period, he would go to prison for this of- fense. She also imposed a fine of US$750. The complainant had re- quested compensation, in- cluding her father’s lost wages for the time he had spent being involved in the resolution of this matter. The magistrate ordered compen- sation totaling US$1,337.35 to cover the cost of re- placing missing items and the lost wages. Both sums were to be paid by 3 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 5. In lieu of payment, Mr. Geier would serve 60 days in custody for the fine and 90 days consecutive for the compensation. When the matter first came before the court on Thursday morning, Mr. Furniss advised that Mr. Geier was suffering from the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, but had not traveled with any medical records to show this history. Library looking for local authors MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com Local authors sometimes struggle to get recognition, but this month, the Cayman Islands Public Library Ser- vice is offering them a little publicity. The library is in the pro- cess of compiling a registry of all local published au- thors and their works and is asking for submissions. Library director Ra- mona Melody said the idea of the registry is about three years old. When the historic library reopened, she said, staff began com- piling a collection of books by local authors. “It stands to reason that we would have this reg- istry,” Ms. Melody said. “Right now, you can go to bookstores or the library and find locally authored books, but we want to have one central source.” The idea is to publish a comprehensive list and dis- tribute it to various loca- tions throughout the islands. “It is the beginning of something we want to be- come a tradition,” she said, with the list being up- dated annually or biannu- ally. “We have over 75 au- thors living here. I hope we get everybody.” A cataloging specialist is in the process of researching and compiling a list of works by authors who are no longer living. Funding for the project comes from a mix of private donations and government money, Ms. Melody said. The deadline for sub- mitting works for the reg- istry is Jan. 31. For more information, visit www.cipl.gov.ky.The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 MONDAY JANUARY 8, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Despite perceptions that foreclosed homes are sold quickly and cheaply by banks, the data suggests that many of the properties had been for sale for significant periods of time. As many as 30 proper- ties had been on the market for more than a year. One had been listed for nearly four years and the median length of time between listing and sale was 293 days. The av- erage amount of time a prop- erty valued at under $1 mil- lion is on the market before sale is one to three months, according to Mr. Lund. In the majority of cases, banks sold properties slightly lower than the original list price; $18,000 was the me- dian difference, representing an 11 percent discount in most cases. There were some signif- icant outliers, however. A five-bed family home in Pat- rick’s Island, originally listed for $768,000, eventually sold for $480,000. Four condos in Scholars Retreat, West Bay, listed between $139,000 and $200,000, sold for $95,000. Mr. Lund said, in some cases, the price reduced steadily after time on the market. In other cases, he said, the original price was simply unrealistic. The issue, perhaps unsur- prisingly, has most greatly impacted lower and middle income homes. The majority of the sales, 26, were in the $100,000 to $200,000 bracket. There were 15 in the $200,000 to $300,000 bracket, and only one above $500,000. “It is mostly impacting properties at the middle and lower end,” says Mr. Lund. “There is no question that it does affect all sectors but usually those that can afford property at the higher end have the money or other re- sources they can draw on to avoid foreclosure.” He said banks were typi- cally very cautious to ensure they got fair market value for properties, with the statis- tics suggesting that they are often prepared to wait for a decent offer, sometimes for several years. No one from the Cayman Islands Bankers Association responded to requests for comment for this article. Justice Richard Wil- liams, delivering his judg- ment in a foreclosure case last week, outlined the re- sponsibilities of banks in such cases. He said banks could and should work with home- owners where possible but warned they had a legal right to repossess the prop- erty if repayments were consistently not met. When it comes to selling the home, he said, banks are required to sell in “good faith” and act as a “reason- able man” would in respect of his own property. He was speaking as he delivered his judgment in the case of Gregory Watt. A court heard last week that although Mr. Watt had invested $66,000 into the Savannah property, he had been behind on his mort- gage repayments for more than four years and had failed to honor numerous arrangements agreed with the bank to catch up. He was ordered to hand over the keys to his Savannah home by Friday last week. Mr. Watt’s case, held in public at his request, pro- vided a rare glimpse of how banks deal with foreclosure issues. Such proceedings are typically held in private and no data are publicly avail- able on the level of default in most foreclosure cases. Foreclosure sales begin to decrease CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1FORECLOSURE SALES (ALL PROPERTIES) 2017 ............................... 73 2016 ............................. 112 2015 ............................. 116 2014 .............................. 72 2013 .............................. 55 FORECLOSURES PER DISTRICT (2017) George Town ................... 19 West Bay ....................... 14 Savannah ........................ 11 Prospect ......................... 10 North Side ........................ 7 Bodden Town ................... 5 Lower Valley .................... 3 East End .......................... 2 Cayman Brac .................... 1 Patrick’s Island ................. 1 professional player.” The young athlete, who said he one day hopes to be a professional player himself, expected the experi- ence of scoring the goal, along with getting to work under Altidore’s guidance, to stick with him. “It’s going to push me even more,” he said. “I know I can make it like him because he was once in my shoes.” Altidore, who is of Haitian de- scent and has stayed close to his Ca- ribbean roots, was in Cayman for a weekend of appearances, including a Saturday evening gala fundraiser. A joint effort by the 7 Mile Society and the Jozy Altidore Foundation, the funds raised will go to support the Academy soccer programs and to relief efforts on islands hit by last year’s hurricanes. This was Altidore’s first visit to the Cayman Islands. He said a friend suggested the trip and tying in some work for his foundation and hurricane relief. “Anybody affected by the hurri- cane deserves our help,” he said. It was also an enjoyable time for him. “It’s not often I get to come and train with the kids,” he said. “It was a lot of fun.” He said he tried to impress upon them the idea that the training drills they do are the same ones he and his teammates do. The only difference is the level of commitment, he said. “It’s just to give them a little bit of insight,” he said, and showing them, “the kind of intensity you [need to] bring to a training session.” Academy coach Bruce Sigsworth said meeting such a top-level player makes things more tangible. “The boys watch MLS, they’ve seen Jozy win the MLS Cup,” he said. “It’s also good to see that the same things he does, they do here. He just does it at a higher level. We need to get to a higher level and go for it.” Player Micah O’Garro, 15, said he learned several good tips from Alti- dore. More importantly, he said, he learned that he’s not a god. “It’s the first American profes- sional player I’ve met,” he said. “You think of them as superheroes, but when you meet them they’re human, just like us.” O’Garro’s teammate, Victor, said the team benefited from Alti- dore’s direction. “Not many professional players come to Cayman,” Victor said. “We don’t get that level of training. He showed us different ways to con- trol the ball and always con- trol it forward.” And, of course, he got to score a memorable goal. “I’m not a goalie,” Altidore pointed out, “but he should feel good about that.” Soccer star Altidore mixes with local players CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Toronto FC soccer star Jozy Altidore demonstrates passing techniques during a Saturday morning clinic with Academy Sports Club players. Soccer star Jozy Altidore, wearing a black shirt, runs with Academy Sports Club players as they warm up before a clinic. Altidore was in Cayman to work with the young players and raise funds for both their program and hurricane relief. - PHOTOS: TANEOS RAMSAY WINDS WILL DROP BUT MORE RAIN FORECAST MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialt.com Strong winds whipped ocean waves to heights of 9 to 12 feet on Sunday, cre- ating dangerous conditions for small watercraft, the Cayman Islands National Weather Service reported. Periodic rain fell throughout Sunday as winds gusted above 25 knots. National Weather Ser- vice Meteorologist Allan Ebanks said the windy con- ditions were expected to ease going into Monday as a surface trough over Jamaica moves toward the Cayman Islands. Wave heights are predicted to drop to 6 to 8 feet on Monday. However, an upper level trough will bring more rain, Mr. Ebanks said. “We’re going back to normal in terms of winds, but we’re going to remain cloudy and have possible thunderstorms [Monday] af- ternoon,” he said. The rainy conditions will persist through Tuesday into Wednesday morning be- fore things begin to clear out, he said. Temperatures on Monday are expected to drop to a low of 75 degrees. High seas were visible in West Bay, above, and other parts of Grand Cayman Sunday, when waves reached heights of up to 12 feet, according to the National Weather Service. - PHOTO: MICHAEL KLEINThe islands’ most-trusted news source 9 First shuttle commander John Young has died NASA says legendary Apollo astronaut and first shuttle commander John Young has died. Young was a NASA trailblazer whose six journeys into space included a walk on the moon and commanding the first space shuttle flight. CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY JANUARY 8, 2018 The family of Roy Randall Lewis announces his death on Wednesday, 3 January, 2018. A Funeral Mass will be held at 4:00 p.m. Friday 12 January 2018 at St. Ignatius Catholic Church, viewing will be from 3:00 p.m. Prior to the service. A wake will be held from 6:00-7:00 p.m. Thursday, 11 January 2018 at Bodden Funeral Service, 117 Walkers Rd. 100 million people affected by East Coast’s deep freeze NEW YORK (AP) – About 100 million people faced a new challenge after the whop- ping East Coast snowstorm: a gusty deep freeze, topped Saturday by a wind chill close to minus 100 on New Hampshire’s Mount Wash- ington that vied for world’s coldest place. Jaw-clenching tempera- tures to start the weekend throughout the Northeast hit Burlington, Vermont, at minus 1 and a wind chill of minus 30. Both Philadelphia and New York were shivering at 8 degrees. And in Hartford, Con- necticut, a brutal cold of 10 degrees yielded a wind chill of minus 20. On Saturday, winds of more than 90 mph swirled Mount Washington, the Northeast’s highest peak, at a temperature of minus 37 degrees and a wind chill of minus 93. It tied for second place with Armstrong, On- tario, as the coldest spot in the world. Boston, at a relatively balmy 11 degrees, was wran- gling with a different kind of challenge: a shortage of plumbers as the weather wreaked havoc on pipes that froze and cracked, Democratic Mayor Marty Walsh reported. A 3-foot tidal surge brought on by the nor’easter along the Massachusetts coast was the highest re- corded in nearly a century. Residents of Boston and its suburbs were cleaning up Saturday after the tide that came in Thursday, flooding streets and forcing some res- idents to be evacuate as the water started to freeze. In New Jersey, many people stayed home instead of dealing with single-digit temperatures. Others were cleaning up from the storm that dropped more than a foot of snow in some spots earlier in the week. “My car felt like an icebox this morning, even though I had the heat on full blast,” Julie Williams said as she sipped coffee inside a Jackson Township conve- nience store. She was headed to work at a local super- market, and was expecting it to be packed. “People think it’s nuts be- fore a storm happens, with everyone getting milk, bread, etc.,” she said, adding with a laugh, “but it’s even worse in the days afterward, be- cause they do the same thing but they’re a little crazy from cabin fever.” The operators of New York’s John F. Kennedy In- ternational Airport were struggling to recover from Thursday’s storm. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the airport, said it was working with airlines and the Federal Aviation Administra- tion to limit flights into Ken- nedy on Saturday “until there are adequate gates avail- able to handle the backlog of flights due to recovery of flight schedules in the wake of Thursday’s storm.” In Rhode Island, hospi- tals were treating dozens of storm-related injuries as the region grits through a deep freeze that followed a pow- erful blizzard. In Providence and New- port, at least 40 people were treated for various weather- related conditions, from heart attacks, snowblower or shoveling injuries, frostbite and more, according to The Providence Journal. The storm dropped more than 14 inches of snow on Providence. Monday is expected to be the first day above freezing since last month. In New York City, temperatures should reach 40 degrees next week. Even more southern lo- cations did not escape the cold; the mercury dipped into the single digits in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., during the weekend, about 20 de- grees below normal for this time of year. The high winds and frigid temperatures prompted sev- eral ski resorts to close some of their lifts. Bolton Valley in Vermont said there was a gen- eral “lack of demand and en- thusiasm from skiers and riders.” With a temperature of minus 14 at the summit and minus 11 at the base, the re- sort cancelled evening skiing due to a frostbite warning. In Vermont’s capital city of Montpelier, with the tempera- ture at minus 5 Saturday, busi- ness was slow at La Brioche Bakery but soups were a big seller, said bakery clerk Car- oline Cunningham. “Nobody wants to be outside,” she said. The key strategy for most East Coast residents was to wear layered clothing. Brooklyn resident Zelani Miah, who was walking home from running errands Sat- urday morning, said he wore lots of them. “Right now, the only thing I put on was just some gloves, a couple sweaters of course, like five or six of them, and two pants basically and boots,” Miah said. “Keep warm, make sure you wear hats.” Temperature begins inching up after deep freeze, storm NEW YORK (AP) – The bitter cold that followed a massive East Coast snowstorm should begin to lessen as tempera- tures inch up and climb past freezing next week, weather forecasters said. Patrick Burke, a me- teorologist with the Na- tional Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland, said temperatures Sunday morning could hit record lows from South Carolina to Maine. But he said the wind will not be as punishing as it was on Friday and Saturday. “With the wind dying down it will probably feel significantly better although many of these areas will still be below freezing,” Burke said. Sunday afternoon’s high temperatures should range from the low- to mid-20s in areas from Philadelphia to Boston. They are expected to reach the 30s and 40s on Monday and Tuesday. Many Northeast residents endured jaw-clenching tem- peratures and brutal wind chills on Saturday as cleanup continued from the storm that dropped as much as 18 inches of snow in some places on Thursday. As aviation crews at South Carolina’s busiest airport, Charleston International Air- port, struggled to clear run- ways of snow and ice so they could be reopened, in New England water main breaks, frozen hydrants and burst pipes created new problems for officials. Hartford, Con- necticut, registered 10 degrees with a wind chill of minus 20 while Burlington, Vermont, was minus 1 degree and had a wind chill of minus 30. The temperature regis- tered minus 37 Saturday at the Mount Washington Ob- servatory in New Hampshire, one of the coldest places on the planet. The wind chill was minus 93. It tied for second place with Armstrong, On- tario, as the coldest spot in the world. Meteorologist Mike Carmon said people at the ob- servatory were “layering up as a much as we can.” Many Northeast residents endured jaw-clenching temperatures and brutal wind chills on Saturday as cleanup continued from the storm that dropped as much as 18 inches of snow in some places. Jesse Sherwood, of Jersey City, New Jersey, jogs at Liberty State Park, Saturday. The northern New Jersey region continued to experience severe cold weather following a snowstorm that ripped through the state’s shore. - PHOTO: AP Runners sprint down Forest Park Avenue in Watervliet, Michigan, Saturday, during the start of the 5th Annual FROSTY 5K Run/Walk. - PHOTO: DON CAMPBELL/THE HERALD-PALLADIUM VIA APNext >