SECTION | PAGE ## TITLE FOR THE SPORT/ BUSINESS SKYBOXCAYMAN WEEKENDER Aloe, Aloe, Aloe! LOCAL | PAGE 9 TOURISM ARRIVALS HIT RECORD HIGHS AGAIN High of 85 Low of 75 Slight with wave heights of 1 to 3 feet. ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 75 CENTS – FRIDAY JANUARY 12, 2018 6 WINGS, REG FRIES & BISCUIT6 WINGS, REG FRIES & BISCUIT6 WINGS, REG FRIES & BISCUIT FRIDAY JANUARY 12, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Swanky goes Broadway in 2018 The mas band reveals its costumes for the coming season B2 ‘Cabaret and Cocktails’ returns to the stage The popular show is back for a two-night performance at the Prospect Playhouse B5 Movies Travel Art & Cu lture ■ MUSIC Aloe, Aloe, Aloe! Grammy nominee Aloe Blacc to perform at the Kimpton Seafire + Spa this Saturday. B5 ‘The Post’ features powerhouse cast Spielberg’s latest film takes viewers inside the newsroom B4 How not to visit Machu Picchu Roving reporter Spencer Fordin learns about roughing it the hard way B6 STOLI FLAVOURS 2 for $56 Until 31 July Registered Merchant of CaymanGiftCertificates.com Fine Wine and Spirits TORTUGA 15 stores island-wide and Mary Lou’s in Cayman Brac. For more information, please call 949-7701. For the Month of January NOTTAGE HILL REGULAR $14.99. NOW ONLY $11.99. SAVE $ 3 GUILTY PLEAS IN ‘SUGAR GLIDER’ IMPORT CASE BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Both defendants accused in the illegal im- portation of an exotic possum known as a “sugar gilder” last June pleaded guilty to some of the charges against them Thursday in Summary Court. Jimel McLean, the son of East End MLA Arden McLean, pleaded guilty to one charge of im- porting a live animal without a license and an ad- ditional charge of importing a biological product without a license. Sabrina Walton, the second defendant in the case, pleaded guilty to a lone charge of importing a live animal without a license. A separate charge relating to illegal animal im- portation against both defendants was ultimately not put to them by the court, according to a mu- tual agreement between the Crown and defense attorneys, the court heard Thursday. Sentencing was delayed until Feb. 8 to give the Crown more time to make representations MURDER SUSPECT IN CAYMAN FOR 2 MONTHS BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com An American man charged in a Nov. 3 shooting in Miami that led to the deaths of a woman and her infant daughter stayed in Cayman for more than two months before he was arrested Wednesday on a provisional warrant issued from U.S. federal court. An attorney for Wayne D. Collier, 29, told the Cayman Islands Summary Court Thursday that his client intended to contest extradition to the U.S., with a preliminary court setting in the matter scheduled Feb. 1 and the extradition hearing ten- tatively set for March 20-21. Mr. Collier was arrested Wednesday afternoon in Prospect by armed Royal Cayman Islands Po- lice officers and brought before a magistrate later that day. He will remain in custody until at least the Feb. 1 hearing. “The RCIPS received a provisional arrest war- rant for Mr. Collier on Jan. 9 [Tuesday], after 4 p.m.,” a statement from the police noted. “In less than 24 hours, he was located and arrested by firearms and K-9 officers without incident. “The RCIPS does not have powers to take Celebrating Cayman’s centenarian citizens JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com They lived amid thickets of mos- quitoes, adhered to the most spartan of lifestyles, endured the deadly storm of 1932 and witnessed World Wars I and II. The Cayman Islands’ most senior of senior citizens watched as our country evolved from the days of donkey carts, sea canoes and home- made wompers to cars, cruise ships, airplanes, electricity and the internet. They have experienced the heart- aches and jubilations that attend and define a long, long life, but Cayman’s group of centenarians still have much to share with society. What follows is a collection of profiles of the oldest living people in Cayman, replete with bits of wisdom, laughter and stories of hardship, humor and humanity. There is no single identifiable factor that is common to all of Cay- man’s residents that have lived to mark their 100th birthday – there is no “secret ingredient” to achieving such a lengthy life span. However, dis- tilled to its essence, the key to making the most out of the years you have on Earth, according to Cayman’s cente- narians, is this: Work hard, praise God, help others … and don’t worry. In today’s Compass, we feature some of the islands’ residents who have lived a full century and more, including Wellesley Howell and Eliza- beth Hurlston, both 103; Stella Louise Welcome and Clara Bush, both 102; Rena Alexander, 101; and Marguerite Rankine, Ariel Christian and Hebe McKenzie, all 100. For profiles on the centenarians, see pages 10 and 11, and today’s edi- torial on page 4. Wellesley Howell, pictured here in his shoe repair shop on Shedden Road, celebrated his 103rd birthday last weekend. He is one of several of Cayman’s centenarians featured on pages 10 and 11. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » East End’s Stella Welcome celebrated her 102nd birthday in October. - PHOTO: ALVARO SEREY2 LOCAL NEWS BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman’s new prisons director hails from the Turks and Caicos Islands where he has served in the same position for the past two years. Steven Barrett, who gained more than 30 years’ experience in the Scot- tish prisons system before heading to Turks in early 2016, is due to arrive in Cayman next month. Mr. Barrett’s appoint- ment is on an interim basis and government officials said recruitment for the permanent position will begin later this year. Acting Prisons Director Daniel Greaves will con- tinue in that role until Mr. Barrett arrives. Mr. Barrett was selected with assistance from Gov- ernor Helen Kilpatrick’s office following the surprise depar- ture of former prisons di- rector Neil Lavis in December. Former Turks and Ca- icos Islands Governor Peter Beckingham noted in a press statement that Mr. Barrett has lengthy experience working with young offenders, as well as in training prisons officers. “I’m sure his former skills as a professional soccer player will also be welcomed by the growing band of enthusiastic young soccer players in Grand Turk,” then Governor Beck- ingham remarked in 2016. 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Mr. Andres and chef Thomas Ten- nant led a group of people who paid $475 for the privilege of diving to hunt the invasive lionfish and, per- haps most importantly, having the chefs prepare the catch on board. In two dives, the group culled just three lionfish. “In this last dive,” Mr. Andres said of the second excursion, “we couldn’t find any. But that’s good news. I see less lionfish than I did eight years ago.” That is how long Mr. Andres has been participating in the Cayman Cookout, now in its 10th year. “I fell in love with scuba diving here in Cayman,” Mr. Andres said. “I love hunting the lionfish.” He has also added it to the menus of some of his restaurants. At Miami’s Bazaar Mar, it is his No. 1 seller, he said. Mitch Heller, 62, of Montclair New Jersey, was one of the divers looking for and eating the fish. He said Mr. Tennant prepared several ceviche dishes, as well as a plate of seared lionfish with a lemon-vin- egar sauce. The fish was paired with Dom Perignon Champagne. This is Heller’s sixth Cayman Cookout, but the first in which he participated in the lionfish hunt. He was glad he did. “It was a unique experience,” Mr. Heller said. “Excellent.” “I don’t think there’s ever been a scuba diving party that had [food] as good as we had today,” Mr. Andres said. Mr. Andres, Mr. Tennant and a host of top chefs will again provide insight into their craft while creating some of their best dishes during the annual cookout that runs through Sunday. The high-profile event, sponsored by The Ritz-Carlton and the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, is headed by chef Eric Ripert, who founded the event a decade ago. Other chefs on this year’s schedule include Anthony Bourdain and Emeril Lagasse. Events range from US$75 tast- ings to a US$1,500 private jet get- away with Mr. Ripert and Terry Peabody, owner of New Zealand’s Craggy Range winery. The getaway features a wine-paired lunch at an undisclosed location. The weekend’s largest events are Friday night’s Barefoot BBQ (US$335) at the Royal Palms, Satur- day’s lunchtime Beach Bash at Rum Point (US$325) and the Big Tastes brunch on Sunday, which is sold out. A number of the 60 planned events are already sold out. TRUCK ROLLS OVER ON STREET MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com A rollover accident on Thomas Russell Avenue about 11:20 a.m. on Thursday blocked southbound traffic for a short time. Malick Williams said he was driving his Mitsubishi Canter open bed truck north on Thomas Russell when a car in front of him stopped sud- denly as the Shedden Road traffic light turned yellow. Mr. Williams said he slammed on his brakes to avoid hit- ting the car, skidded into the oncoming traffic lanes and rolled the truck on its side. Mr. Williams was unin- jured, but his passenger Brian McLean scraped his arm badly and received first aid at the accident site. Fire, police and ambulance services re- sponded to the accident. Two other vehicles traveling behind Mr. Williams’s truck also had a minor collision. Acting Prisons Director Daniel Greaves will continue in that role until Mr. Barrett arrives. Interim prisons director chosen Chefs Thomas Tennant, left, and Jose Andres, right, with Jason Washington of Ambassador Divers show off some of their lionfish catch following a dive as part of the Cayman Cookout. - PHOTO: MARK MUCKENFUSS Steven Barrett A Mitsubishi Canter lies on its side on Thomas Russell Avenue near the Shedden Road intersection after an 11:20 a.m. accident Thursday. Southbound lanes on the street were blocked to traffic. - PHOTO: MARK MUCKENFUSSThe islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY JANUARY 12, 2018 The islands’ most-trusted news source 4 – EDITORIAL – Opinion&Letters The Cayman Compass welcomes comments, opinions and viewpoints from readers. Letters to the editor can be emailed to editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com, submitted via www.caymancompass.com, sent by post or hand-delivered to the Compass office. 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” “Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many.” – Author unknown On the front page of today’s newspaper, we intro- duce you to a number of Cayman’s oldest, most enduring and, perhaps by definition, most interesting men and women. All are triple-digit in age and share membership in Cayman’s most exclusive club: They are our centenarians. Compass reporter Jewel Levy spent many hours with our centenarians – visiting with them at their homes, at their bedsides, at The Pines Retirement home, and, in Wellesley Howell’s case – he just turned 103 – at his place of business. In a way, we are envious of Ms. Levy for her assign- ment. Spending time with those older, and almost always wiser, among us is often enlightening and always fulfilling. A wonderful conversation starter with any elderly individual is always, “What is the most valuable lesson you have learned in life that I might benefit from?” The answers are invariably revealing, surprising and wise. As we edited today’s article, Compass Publisher David R. Legge recalled an assignment from several decades ago when he worked as a reporter and editor at Florida’s St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg had developed a well-deserved reputation as a city for seniors (some irreverently called it “God’s waiting room”), and Mr. Legge was tasked with explaining “what it was like to be a senior.” To get a better perspective, he moved into what was then known as an “old age home” for several weeks to live among sexagenarians, septuagenarians, octogenarians, nonagenarians and perhaps even a centenarian or two. The most poignant takeaway? The elderly are lonely. They long for, and live for, contact with their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and for many, great-great-grandchildren. The most anticipated event of the day was the arrival of the mailman. A letter, a card, even a short note from a loved one was a treasure to be read, reread and, certainly, to be shared with the larger group. But most often, for most seniors, mail call was a disappointment: They got nothing. (“Oh, you know how the kids are these days; they’re so busy and they’ve got their own lives to live …”) It would be easy, even tempting, to romanticize caring for the elderly or, in some cases, the infirm. But in truth, it can be very difficult because the elderly can become, as they get on in years, increasingly difficult – forgetful, intolerant, and endlessly demanding and seemingly ungrateful. Caregivers will confide that too often their best (only?) tools for coping are patience and an at-the- ready sense of humor. In many modern families, young adults depart from their hometowns in pursuit of education or employment, leaving their parents and grandparents far behind. Often, however, a son or daughter will remain in the nest and, by default, become the caregiver for an aging relative. These people are deserving of sainthood, and we suspect they all get a free pass to Heaven. Our purpose in this editorial, of course, is to recog- nize, applaud and, indeed, celebrate those with 100 or more candles on their birthday cakes. In closing, we will remind you of an apropos title of a Jimmy Buffett tune: “Life’s Short, Call Now.” An overflowing cakeful of candles to our Cayman centenarians FRIDAY JANUARY 12, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS How merit-based college admissions became so unfair WASHINGTON – During World War I, chemist James Conant was deeply involved in research on what was con- sidered the worst imaginable weapon: poison gas. During World War II, as a science adviser to President Franklin Roosevelt, Conant was so central to the development of the atomic bomb that he was at Alamogordo on July 16, 1945. His most disruptive act, however, may have come in the interim when, as Har- vard’s president, he helped put the university, and the nation, on the path toward a meritocracy by advocating adoption of the Scholastic Aptitude Test. As his granddaughter Jennet Conant explains in her new biography, “Man of the Hour: James B. Conant, Warrior Scientist,” the Har- vard at which he, from a middle-class Dorchester family, matriculated in 1910 was a place of insufferable snobbery and mediocrity, de- voted to passing on the inher- ited privileges of the families whose boys were funneled there from prestigious prep schools. To the consternation of Boston’s Brahmins, Conant became Harvard’s president in 1933 at age 40, hoping that standardized tests for ad- missions would mitigate the large degree to which enroll- ments at elite institutions re- flected the transmission of family advantages. Ninety- two years after the SAT was first offered in 1926, it seems to have only slightly modified the advantages transmitted. The Brookings Institu- tion’s Richard V. Reeves, writing in The Chronicle of Higher Education’s Review, says that colleges and univer- sities, partly because of the complexity of the admission process, are “perpetuating class divisions across gener- ations” as America develops what The Economist calls a “hereditary meritocracy.” It is, however, difficult to see how something like this can be avoided. Or why it should be. Also in the Review, Wil- fred M. McClay of the Uni- versity of Oklahoma decries higher education’s “dysfunc- tional devotion to meritoc- racy,” which he says is sub- verting the ideal that one’s life prospects should not be substantially predict- able from facts about one’s family. Meritocracy, “while highly democratic in its in- tentions, has turned out to be colossally undemocratic in its results” because of “the steep decline of oppor- tunity for those Americans who must live outside the magic circle of meritocratic validation.” Entrance into that circle often is substan- tially determined by higher education, especially at elite institutions. At two premier public universities, the Uni- versity of Michigan and the University of Virginia, the percentages of students from the bottom 60 percent of households ranked by earnings (17 and 15 percent, respectively) are comparable to the percentages at Yale and Princeton (16 and 14, respectively). In “A Theory of Justice,” the 20th century’s most in- fluential American treatise on political philosophy, John Rawls argued that “inequali- ties of birth and natural en- dowment are undeserved.” So, social benefits accruing to in- dividuals because of such en- dowments are justified only if the prospering of the fortu- nate also improves the lot of the less fortunate. And Rawls’ capacious conception of what counts as a “natural” endow- ment included advantages re- sulting from nurturing fami- lies. But as sociologist Daniel Bell warned in 1972, “There can never be a pure meritoc- racy because high-status par- ents will invariably seek to pass on their positions, either through the use of influence or simply by the cultural ad- vantages their children inevi- tably possess.” Actually, the cultural ad- vantages are so salient that the importance of crass in- fluence is diminishing. Fur- thermore, to the extent that a meritocratic society mea- sures and rewards intelli- gence, which is to some ex- tent a genetic inheritance, equal opportunity becomes difficult even to define. A meritocratic assignment of opportunity by impersonal processes and measurements might seem democratic but it can feel ruthless, and can be embittering: By using osten- sibly objective standards to give individuals momentum toward places high in soci- ety’s inevitable hierarchies, those who do not flourish are scientifically stigmatized. And as the acquisition and manipulation of informa- tion become increasingly im- portant to social flourishing, life becomes more regressive: The benefits of information accrue disproportionately to those who are already fa- vored by aptitudes, both nat- ural and acquired through family nurturing and educa- tion. Add “assortative mating” – well-educated and up- wardly mobile strivers mar- rying each other – and soci- ety’s cognitive stratification reinforces itself. Something, however, has to sort people out, and we actually want the gifted and accomplished to ascend to positions that give scope to their talents. Further- more, we do not want to dis- courage families from trying to transmit advantages to their children. The challenge is to ameliorate meritocra- cy’s severity by, among other things, nuanced admissions policies at colleges and uni- versities that seek students whose meager family advan- tages can be supplemented by the schools. George Will’s email address is georgewill@washpost.com. © 2018, Washington Post Writers Group. GEORGE F. WILL GEORGE A meritocratic assignment of opportunity by impersonal processes and measurements might seem democratic but it can feel ruthless, and can be embittering.The islands’ most-trusted news source 5 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY JANUARY 12, 2018 6 LOCAL NEWS FRIDAY JANUARY 12, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Call 916-0676 or email: poolman676@yahoo.com NEW YEAR’S SPECIAL! Save 10% OFF Your existing contract - 1FREE Month of service when you sign up for a new contract with us (O er valid until January 31) Wong challenges officer’s truthfulness Trial adjourned until Feb. 13 CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Senior immigration of- ficer Garfield (Gary) Wong told the court on Wednesday that the police officer who gave evidence in his trial about a breathalyzer test was not the officer who ad- ministered the test to him after his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influ- ence of alcohol. Mr. Wong was giving his account of what happened after his Dodge Ram truck was in an accident with a BMW car in the early hours of Dec. 28, 2013 along Sham- rock Road in the vicinity of Hibiscus Gardens. He was subsequently charged with careless driving, leaving the scene of an accident and driving under the influence of alcohol, with a blood/alcohol reading of 0.184 percent. The legal limit in Cayman is .100 percent. When the trial began in January 2017, refer- ence was made to an acci- dent reconstructionist’s re- port that indicated Mr. Wong was not at fault because the BMW, coming from the other direction, had crossed the center line. On Wednesday, ques- tioned by defense attorney Dennis Brady and Crown counsel Scott Wainwright, Mr. Wong said he was taken to the Bodden Town Police Station after being arrested on suspicion of DUI. He was in a room with the Intoxi- lyzer machine and an officer identified himself, then set up the machine. He said he sat with the officer for more than 20 minutes, which was the required observation time before testing, and they had several conversations. He said he was shown the printout from the machine with his name on it and the officer’s name stating that he was certified in the use of the machine. He also asserted that there was no one else in the room during the test, not even the officer who had signed as being wit- ness to the test. During his trial, when he saw another officer go into the witness box, he did not know why that officer was there. When the officer iden- tified himself as the one who had conducted the Intoxi- lyzer test, Mr. Wong said, he realized this was not so be- cause he knew the tester’s face even though he did not know his name. “So you saw [the officer] give evidence here that it was he who undertook the breath test?” Mr. Brady asked. “Yes, sir,” Mr. Wong replied. “Was he telling the truth?” the attorney asked. “No, he was not, sir,” Mr. Wong replied. Mr. Wainwright pointed out that this was never put to the officer while he was giving evidence. Mr. Wong said he had recognized the testing offi- cer’s face because that man had come to the Immigra- tion Office several times to speak to someone there. After court adjourned that day, he had phoned that staff member and learned the officer’s name. Over the next few days, he said, he submitted a Freedom of Information re- quest to obtain informa- tion about three officers’ whereabouts on the night he was arrested. The re- quest was refused. Mr. Wainwright said he was not sure how the in- formation would help Mr. Wong’s case. Mr. Brady said he had re- quested CCTV footage from the Bodden Town station to determine which officers were there that night, but he had not received it. Later, Mr. Wainwright asked for more details about how the accident had oc- curred. Mr. Wong agreed he had said that his cell- phone dropped to the floor, he checked traffic both ways and then bent down to pick up the phone. He said it was correct that he did not know he had hit a vehicle and he did not see it be- cause he was looking down at the phone. “So you had taken your eye off the road?” Mr. Wain- wright asked. “Correct,” Mr. Wong replied. “Would you agree that’s careless driving?” Mr. Wainwright asked. “No,” the defendant replied. He denied feeling any im- pact, saying he only heard a thud, which he thought was the result of a pothole or a road marker. He was asked to look at photos of both vehicles. “It’s not a little fender bender, is it?” Mr. Wainwright asked. Mr. Wong agreed it was not. Told that the BMW was a write-off, Mr. Wong said he was still driving his same ve- hicle; repairs had cost him $1,500 and that included a new tire and rim. He was questioned fur- ther about his evidence that the officer who told the court about the breath test was not the officer who administered the test. Mr. Wong said he did not im- mediately alert his attorney because he was shocked and did not want to put the Crown and police on guard “so another story could be concocted.” Questioned about the ap- pearance of the officer who tested him and the officer who gave evidence of it in court, he said he could not possibly mistake one for the other. After Mr. Wong’s evidence concluded, Mr. Brady told Magistrate Grace Donalds that he would be calling two defense witnesses. One was the 911 officer who produced a report from the night of Mr. Wong’s arrest. He asked that a summons be issued for the police officer whom Mr. Wong identified as being the one who gave him the In- toxilyzer test. The magistrate’s next available date for resuming the trial when both attor- neys could be present was Tuesday, Feb. 13. Mr. Wong’s bail was extended until then. 50 YEARS AGO: BWIA staff threaten strike In the Jan. 11, 1968 edi- tion of the Caymanian Weekly, a precursor of the Cayman Compass, the fol- lowing story about a po- tential upcoming strike by airline workers appeared on the front page. “Workers employed by BWIA here will go on strike on January 18th, un- less certain demands by them are met. “Having heard it ru- moured that the staff of BWIA in Grand Cayman are intending to go on strike on Jan. 18, our re- porter checked with Mr. T.P. Adam, Station Su- perintendent, with regard to this. “Mr. Adam disclosed that certain demands from the staff had been passed to the management of the airline through him and he understood that if these were not met, the staff would be forced to take further action. “It appears that the staff are dissatisfied with working conditions in general, but are particu- larly concerned that their salaries are not keeping pace with the continual rise in the cost of living, especially in respect of the big jump consequent upon devaluation of the pound sterling. “A member of staff in- dicated that about two weeks before devaluation, the Station Superintendent was approached and a rise of 25 percent for all mem- bers of staff was requested due to the high cost of living. This was relayed to the headquarters in Trin- idad but, unfortunately, be- fore this had hardly had time to be considered, the pound was devalued. “The request was then made for an additional 15 percent, making a total raise of 40 percent. A reply was received, stating that the matter was being considered, but the staff feel that it is impossible for them to live on the present low salaries which are being paid. “Just recently, LACSA and CBA airlines have raised the salaries of all their staff, and employees in most of the offices and stores in town have also been compensated for the high cost of living. After some agitation, port workers and day workers employed by government were also given a substan- tial raise, so the demands of BWIA staff cannot be considered unreasonable in the circumstances.” When the officer identified himself as the one who had conducted the Intoxilyzer test, Mr. Wong said, he realized this was not so because he knew the tester’s face even though he did not know his name. Garfield Wong7 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY JANUARY 12, 2018 Architects detail mental health facility design TAD STONER tstoner@pinnaclemedialtd.com Architects for East End’s mental health facility say they are creating a “dignified” and “home-like” environment at the nine-cottage, 54-bed home, en- suring “safety and security” for both residents and the sur- rounding community. In mid-December, Toronto- based Montgomery Sisam Ar- chitects submitted plans to the Ministry of Health for the fa- cility, expected to cost between $10 million and $15 million, on 15 acres in East End, near Health City in High Rock. The mid-sized firm has de- signed dozens of similar fa- cilities. Its website lists 102 clients – including the fed- eral and most provincial gov- ernments in Canada. Projects include the 10-acre, 192-res- ident Kipling Acres long- term-care home in Etobicoke, Ontario; the 15-acre Swift Cur- rent Long-Term Care Centre in Swift Current, Saskatch- ewan; and the 55,000-square- foot, three 38-bed inpatient units at St. Joseph’s Hospital for Mental Health Services in Thunder Bay. The firm told the Cayman Compass it had designed East End’s long-term residential home after confronting com- munity fears that patients could pose a threat to local neighborhoods. “More often than not,” said Alice Liang, one of seven prin- cipals at Montgomery Sisam, “mental healthcare institu- tions focus primarily on safety and security, assuming that all mentally ill patients will act violently and aggressively.” However, she said, “ev- idence-based research has proven that a physical envi- ronment that emphasizes sur- veillance, control that creates a barrier between clinical staff and patients, triggers more ag- itated behaviors, whereas a therapeutic environment that encourages positive interac- tion between staff and patients can de-escalate aggression and promote mental well-being for staff and patients.” Ms. Liang described the specialist design as a “fine bal- ance between … a healing, therapeutic, normalizing envi- ronment for recovery and one that ensures safety, security in the most dignified and re- spectful manner.” The Ministry of Health’s brief to the architects formally named 54 patients housed in nine cottages, with six people sharing each home, “creating an ideal ‘community’ for resi- dents to gain self-confidence through connecting and social- izing with others in the cot- tage,” Ms. Liang said. Each patient has his or her own bedroom and washroom, providing “privacy that is fun- damental in instilling dignity and self-esteem.” Each cottage boasts a living room, kitchen- ette and outdoor patios. “Residents are given agency by having choices and options throughout their daily experience during their stay,” Ms. Liang said. The cottages “are orga- nized in clusters and em- bedded within the existing groves of trees on the site to create smaller neighborhoods to further enhance residents’ ability for gradual socializa- tion with larger groups, as they learn to establish broader peer support, promoting a sense of belonging within the community.” Each design element is calculated to enhance what Montgomery Sisam calls “the vision” for a “therapeutic healing community,” based on similar ideas in the U.S. “where mental health-treatment facili- ties are situated in rural/pas- toral settings to accommodate a range of therapeutic and so- cial activities for residents as they go through their personal journey back to recovery and community integration.” The Cayman home is roughly based on Gould Farm, a Massachusetts-based res- idential facility founded in 1913 on 700 acres in Mon- terey, near Boston. The farm houses 40 “guests” – as pa- tients are called – in three units with 11, 14 and 16 beds. Residents have their own room and share bathrooms and living areas. Residents are at least 18 years old and, according to Gould Farm’s website, “we help adults with depression, bipolar disorder, schizoaffec- tive disorder, schizophrenia and other challenges begin to rebuild and regain their lives.” The East End operation will use farmland previously cultivated by Northward Prison inmates. Occupational therapy programs will include gardening, animal husbandry with goats and cows, wood- working, a bakery, cheese- making and a public gift shop. The program, built around recommendations by long- time advocate for the men- tally ill and chairman of the 10-member Mental Health Commission, Dr. Marc Lock- hart, encompasses “skills learning and educational programs, encourag[ing] so- cialization though group ac- tivities such as arts and craft-making, music, light agricultural production in- cluding tending fruit or- chards,” Ms. Liang said. “In enhancement of resi- dents’ physical well-being, they can engage in recre- ational sports, leisurely walks and strolls, all in the tran- quility of the existing natural surroundings.” The center of treatment and daily activities is the main building, which she de- scribed as “the public face of the facility that is inviting and welcoming for residents, fam- ilies and visitors,” allowing gatherings in the dining hall alongside group-activity and classrooms. “The more public spaces, such as the lobby, education/ classrooms [will] provide op- portunities to welcome and engage visitors from [the] community at large, in par- ticipation [at] conferences and other events to further break down any stigma and barrier between the public and those with mental health issues. “This new facility is def- initely not a hospital,” she said, “and it is not an institu- tion. It is to be more residen- tial and ‘home-like,’ a place to heal and recover in a normal- ized and familiar setting.” Security – preventing both unauthorized depar- tures and entries – is pro- vided by “biometric analytic detection,” which the Min- istry of Health declined to describe, but appears to em- ploy such digital systems as closed circuit television, “pan- tilt-zoom” cameras, audio tracking, video content anal- ysis and scalability. “Security and safety will rely on advanced technology that is unobtrusive and ef- fective,” Ms. Liang said. “Re- quired measures for mon- itoring and safety alerts will be provided invis- ibly to avoid any intrusive and disrespectful interven- tions. One such example is the elimination of a contin- uous high-perimeter fence with new technology of bio- metric analytic detection buried underground. “Similarly, the security of- fice for the entire facility is discretely located … providing a strategic vantage point to monitor all movement and ac- tivities. One wing of the main building also acts as a desig- nated hurricane shelter,” she said, “where all construction technology and building sys- tems meet … shelter guide- lines to ensure residents and staff safety and well-being in case of hurricanes.” The Ministry of Health will fund and operate the fa- cility, projected to cost $1 mil- lion per year. Ministry officials expect construction to begin this summer, and the first in- take of residents in mid-2019.8 LOCAL NEWS FRIDAY JANUARY 12, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Memorial Service at 10:00 a.m. 20th January 2018 at The Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses 12 Keturah Street, George Town Brewery and marine institute team up for coral conservation Jobs bank opened for hurricane-stricken tourism workers KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association has cre- ated a “jobs bank” to assist industry workers from hur- ricane-impacted areas to find jobs around the region. The jobs bank is essentially an online job advisement page on the association’s website. Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association members can post job ads, and priority will be given to applicants in the tourism industry from the ju- risdictions that were impacted by hurricanes last September, according to association spokesperson Greta Andzenge. “We are confident that those employers, who con- tract with an impacted em- ployee for the season or while their home hotel is under re- furbishment, will realize tre- mendous value in their ex- pertise while helping to mitigate the hardship em- ployees are experiencing,” Ca- ribbean Hotel and Tourism Association CEO Frank Co- mito said of the initiative. The jobs bank has already assisted “a number” of people from hurricane-impacted areas in the region find new jobs in the U.S. or elsewhere in the Caribbean. As of Thursday, there were 21 advertisements posted on the jobs bank: 13 at the Sea Islands Resort in Georgia, two from a restaurant in Bar- bados, one at a hotel in St. Maarten, three from a resort in St. Kitts, one at a resort on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and one at a hotel in Philadelphia. Mr. Comito said he hopes that the jobs bank will be- come more than just a plat- form to help hurricane-im- pacted workers. “While the jobs bank has been created to serve an im- mediate and urgent need, our intention is for it to become the permanent go-to resource for career opportunities at every level in Caribbean hos- pitality – from line cook to general manager,” he said. Meanwhile, some of the region’s most prominent hotels and resorts remain closed in the wake of Hurri- canes Irma and Maria, which devastated multiple islands in the Eastern Caribbean last September. The largest hotel in the British Virgin Islands, Rose- wood Little Dix Bay Resort, states on its website that it expects to reopen late this year. Little Dix Bay employs more than 300 people. Similarly, most of the largest hotels on St. Barts are scheduled to open this spring or summer, according to Travel Weekly. On Anguilla, the Four Sea- sons Resort is scheduled to open on March 23, the Cui- sinArt Golf Resort & Spa will reopen this summer, and the Belmond Cap Juluca is sched- uled to reopen in November, Travel Weekly reported this week. There is no opening date for many other hotels there. Likewise, there are no re- opening dates for many ho- tels on Puerto Rico. Ac- cording to statistics from the Caribbean Tourist Organiza- tion, airlift there declined by 33 percent in December com- pared to the previous year, which amounts to more than 162,000 lost airline seats. However, Mr. Comito noted that most of the Ca- ribbean was not impacted by natural disasters last year, and that the region is “ex- periencing a strong tourism season and outlook.” The Central Caribbean Marine Institute has part- nered with the Cayman Is- lands Brewery to promote a “Zero Impact” on local coral reefs initiative. For every case of Cayman Islands Brewery bottles re- turned to the brewery in Jan- uary, the brewery will donate $2 to CCMI to support coral reef conservation. James Mansfield, com- mercial manager of the Cayman Islands Brewery, said the brewery is eager to work with CCMI in the “In- ternational Year of the Reef.” “We are seeing lowered rates of bottle returns now that recycling bins have popped up around the is- land,” said Mr. Mansfield in a press release. “Customers think the bot- tles are coming back to us, when in fact they are not. They end up in the landfill or crushed. We want to drive our current 40 percent return rate up to 60 percent and higher with this initiative, moving toward the idea that our bottles have zero impact on coral reefs and [the] envi- ronment in general.” Cayman Islands Brewery, which produces Caybrew and White Tip beers, has tradi- tionally offered customers a $2 incentive to return the company’s bottles to the brewery, but adding the do- nation to CCMI is an effort to support conservation of the local environment. Bottles returned to the brewery undergo washing and sanitizing and are then refilled for later use. The process re- duces the amount of glass bot- tles imported by the company, which means that it reduces waste going to the landfill and reduces carbon emissions as- sociated with shipping. Carrie Manfrino, CCMI’s director, president and di- rector of research and con- servation, issued an official statement about the agency’s partnership with the Cayman Islands Brewery. “It is no secret that the Cayman Islands Brewery cares about the environment; they have generously donated funds from the direct sales of their White Tip Lager to shark research and conserva- tion efforts. CCMI is pleased that they are extending their conservation efforts to in- clude coral reef conservation in this very special Interna- tional Year of the Reef,” said Ms. Manfrino. “Community partners, like CIB, are essential to sci- ence-based efforts aimed at finding new, innovative solu- tions to declining coral reefs. Reducing waste by recycling bottles has an enormous pos- itive impact on our environ- ment. We want everyone in the Cayman Islands to get on board with our [International Year of the Reef] campaign to recycle and have zero impact on our reefs.” Brewery customers who are interested in participating can simply drop off cases of their empty and rinsed-out bottles to the brewery on Shamrock Road during reg- ular business hours. At the end of January, CCMI will receive a matching donation from the brewery, which has also pledged to donate $2 for every case re- turned to the marine institute in April, June and November. Customers may also choose to donate their $2 return incentive directly to CCMI. All donations will sup- port the Zero Impact initia- tive at the Little Cayman Re- search Station. “While the jobs bank has been created to serve an immediate and urgent need, our intention is for it to become the permanent go-to resource for career opportunities at every level in Caribbean hospitality.” FRANK COMITO, CEO, Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association Bottles returned to Cayman Islands Brewery are cleaned and repurposed for another batch of beer.The islands’ most-trusted news source 9 people into custody for a crime in another jurisdic- tion before the receipt of such a warrant.” What happened between the Nov. 3, 2017 shooting in northwest Miami and the suspect’s arrest Wednesday on Grand Cayman is partly detailed in U.S. court records. According to an affi- davit filed in the U.S. Dis- trict Court for the Southern District of Miami, Mr. Col- lier fled the U.S. on Cayman Airways flight KX103 from Miami on Nov. 3, the day he is alleged to have shot Heidy Bowen, who was eight months pregnant. Ms. Bowen was shot three times in the torso, police said. “[Mr.] Collier was booked on a return flight scheduled for Nov. 10, 2017, however, he failed to show up for the return flight,” the U.S. court records state. The shooting did not turn into a murder case until Nov. 15, when Ms. Bowen’s baby girl died at Jackson Memo- rial Hospital. Immediately following the Nov. 3 shooting, doctors had performed an emergency C-section on Ms. Bowen, attempting to save both the mother and the infant, according to Detective Lee Cowart of Miami-Dade Police. The baby died 12 days later on Nov. 15. “An autopsy revealed the cause of death was hypoxic/ ischemic encephalopathy, which was due to maternal gunshot wounds,” the U.S. court records state. The next day, Nov. 16, an arrest warrant for Mr. Collier was issued by a Florida state court in connection with the infant’s death. However, on Nov. 20, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency re- ported that Collier had al- ready left the country via the Cayman Airways flight some 17 days earlier. On Nov. 22, Florida au- thorities requested federal courts issue an unlawful flight to avoid prosecution warrant against Mr. Collier, leading to his eventual ar- rest in Cayman. Whatever communica- tion occurred between U.S., British and Caymanian au- thorities regarding the matter between Nov. 22 and the new year is not known. On Jan. 4, 2018, the U.S. federal courts publicly re- leased their arrest warrant for Mr. Collier. On Jan. 3, Ms. Bowen died due to medical complications from the shooting, leading to another murder charge against Mr. Collier. Mr. Collier’s attorney, John Furniss, did not state on what grounds his client would be contesting extradi- tion from Cayman, where he is a visitor. Mr. Furniss said he had not received an op- portunity to discuss mat- ters with Mr. Collier, and did not know if he would be making a bail application on his behalf during the Feb. 1 court date. Summary Court Magis- trate Angelyn Hernandez or- dered that Mr. Collier be held in custody in the meantime. CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY JANUARY 12, 2018 Condolences can be registered at: www.churchillsfuneralhome.com We have been asked to announce the passing of Ms. Calvert Glenein Ebanks of Northside, affectionately known as “Aunt Ben” who passed away peacefully on Tuesday, December 26, 2017. A Thanksgiving Service will be held on Saturday, January 13, 2018 at 2:00p.m. at the William Pouchie Memorial United Church, 815 Northside Road. Viewing will be from 1:00-1:45p.m. Interment follows at Old Man Bay Cemetery. Condolences can be registered at: www.churchillsfuneralhome.com We have been asked to announce the passing of Ms. Clancy Everose Godoy nee Ebanks of West Bay, who passed away on Friday December 29, 2017. A Graveside Service will be held on Saturday January 13, 2018 at 10:30a.m. at the Boatswain Bay Cemetery, Off King Rd., West Bay. Condolences can be registered at: www.churchillsfuneralhome.com We have been asked to announce the passing of Kiara Alexis Phillips of Prospect, George Town, who passed away on Sunday, January 7, 2018. A Thanksgiving Service will be held on Sunday, January 14, 2018 at 2:00p.m. at George Town Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Smith Road. Viewing will be from 1:00-1:45p.m. Interment follows at Prospect Cemetery. Please wear white, pink or other pastel colours. No black or dark colours please. Condolences can be registered at: www.churchillsfuneralhome.com We have been asked to announce the passing of Mr. Delano Roosevelt Bodden of Cayman Brac, who passed away on Sunday December 31, 2017. A Thanksgiving Service will be held on Sunday, January 21, 2018 at 3:00p.m. at George Town Church of Christ, 43 Anthony Drive, off Smith Road. Viewing will be from 2:00-2:45p.m. Interment follows at Boatswain Bay Cemetery. We have been asked to announce the passing of Ms. Ethleen Bush of West Bay, who passed away on Tuesday, January 9, 2018. Details of a Thanksgiving Service will be announced at a later date We have been asked to announce the passing of Ms. Ethleen Bush of West Bay, who passed away on Tuesday, January 9, 2018. Details of a Thanksgiving Service will be announced at a later date Condolences can be registered at: www.churchillsfuneralhome.com We have been asked to announce the passing of Ms. Myrtle Lovita Garvin of West Bay. Details of a Thanksgiving Service will be announced at a later date. Condolences can be registered at: www.churchillsfuneralhome.com The family of the Late Maizie Calmareta Thompson regrets to announce her passing on Wednesday, December 27th, 2017. Condolences can be registered at www.boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page A funeral service will be held 2:30 p.m. Saturday, 13 January, 2018 at Savannah United Church. Viewing will be from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Friday, 12 January, 2018 at Bodden Funeral Service , 117 Walkers Rd. Interment will follow in New Bodden Town Cemetery. Murder suspect in Cayman for 2 months Guilty pleas in ‘sugar glider’ import case as to punishment for the two defendants. “The penalty is going to be the important thing here,” Magistrate Angelyn Her- nandez said, adding that she would like to be guided by submissions from the Crown in the matter. Defense attorneys Richard Barton, acting for Mr. McLean, and Nick Dixey, for Ms. Walton, said the max- imum punishment on the charges were fines of up to $500 and an imprisonment term of six months. Mr. Dixey said his client was anxious to see the matter completed. “It has also taken a while to get the matter to this stage,” Magistrate Hernandez said. The importation charges relate to importing an animal on June 7, 2017 without a valid import permit as required by the Animals Law. The charge of importing a biological product without a valid permit against Mr. McLean relates to 25 doses of a ca- nine distemper vaccine. The charges arose after an incident aboard a Cayman-bound jet, when the sugar glider reportedly got loose in the airplane cabin. A sugar glider is a small marsupial, in the same family as the kangaroo and the koala, with web-like membranes that stretch back from its paws, allowing it to glide, but not fly, through the air. The six-inch marsupial is endemic to Australia and the southwest Pacific. It is some- times owned as a pet. Wayne Collier CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Tourism arrivals hit record highs again JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A record number of tour- ists arrived in the Cayman Islands in 2017, with just over 2.1 million people ar- riving on these shores by air and sea. Air arrivals hit record levels for the fourth year in succession, with 418,403 visitors touching down at the Owen Roberts Interna- tional Airport. That repre- sents an 8.5 percent increase on last year and 54 percent growth since 2009. Stay-over visitation has been growing steadily for the last eight years and offi- cials predict the number of tourists will continue to in- crease in 2018. Cruise arrivals were also up last year, with 1.73 mil- lion passengers arriving at the port, a marginal 1 percent gain on last year. The cruise total is not in itself a record, but the com- bined total is the highest ever recorded. The figures, particularly in the cruise market, were skewed slightly by an in- flux of cruise ships diverting from islands in the eastern Caribbean impacted by Hurricane Irma. Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell said he expected growth to continue in the stay-over market, but stag- nate in the cruise arena until a cruise berthing facility is completed. “We expect cruise to be flat and stay-over visitation to be up by around 5 percent in 2018,” he added. He said consistent year-on-year increases in Cayman were trickling down throughout the economy. Based on the Depart- ment of Tourism’s analysis, stay-over tourists collectively spent some $485 million in island hotels, restaurants, at- tractions and businesses in the last year – a $55 million increase on 2016. “The important part for the private sector and for en- trepreneurial Caymanians is that this kind of growth translates into more business and more opportunity,” Mr. Kirkconnell said. The U.S. and Canada were responsible for the greatest increases in arrivals in 2017, with growth rates of 13 and 6 percent, respectively. Rosa Harris, director of the Department of Tourism, said emerging markets, in- cluding Latin America, had also played a part in the success story. Arrivals from South America increased by 9 percent and from Central America by 6 percent. She also credited the De- partment of Tourism’s “fear- less innovation” in destina- tion marketing, citing the Cayman Vows magazine targeting wedding tourism among its successful ini- tiatives. Ms. Harris said Cayman Airways, which cel- ebrates its 50th anniversary this year, had also played a major role in opening up new markets and bringing new visitors to the Cayman Islands, sometimes blazing a trail that other airlines had followed. She said the airlift into the Cayman Islands was in- creasing year on year, cre- ating new opportunities for travelers from different parts of the U.S., and further afield, to visit. “Aviation is the cat- alyst to driving visita- tion,” she added. “The important part for the private sector and for entrepreneurial Caymanians is that this kind of growth translates into more business and more opportunity.” MOSES KIRKCONNELL, tourism ministerNext >