ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – TUESDAY FEBRUARY 6, 2018 High of 85 Low of 74 Moderate with wave heights of 3 to 5 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 ANOTHER VISIT TO THE AIRPORT (AND TO OUR KEYBOARD) WORLD | PAGE 8 US TROOPS BEGIN IRAQ DRAWDOWN 187610_PRINT-Butterfield-Strip-DPage 1 1/19/18 10:43:22 AM OFFICER FEARS FOR ‘LIFE OF MY FAMILY’ BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com An intentionally set fire outside a George Town home early Sunday destroyed two vehi- cles and damaged part of a house belonging to a senior member of the Royal Cayman Is- lands Police Service. That officer, who was contacted by the Cayman Compass Monday, said they did not have any indication of why two vehicles the officer owned were set ablaze, damaging a third car and the home in the Ryan’s Retreat subdivision off Crewe Road. The senior officer is not being identified by the Compass for security reasons. “I am frightened for the life of my family,” said the officer, who said children live in the home where the cars outside were targeted. “I am scared that my kids are going to look at me and say … ‘I can’t live in my own house.’ “If anybody out there knows anything … I’m asking them to go forward and con- tact the police.” The officer said they were unable to re- port to work Monday, “I don’t have a car!” they quipped, but said they intended to return to the RCIPS as soon as possible. RCIPS officials did not report a motive for the incident, which occurred around 1 a.m. Sunday, but noted that it appeared an arsonist had struck. The officer said it appeared two vehicles were set on fire and the third one – belonging to a neighbor – was engulfed when the flames spread out of control. No one was physically hurt in the incident. In a statement released Monday afternoon, the RCIPS noted there had been no arrests in connection with the incident. “We cannot comment on the linkage of this incident to other recent crimes, but can con- firm that any and all lines of enquiry are being actively investigated,” the statement read. Farmers invite public to plant their own vegetables JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com Two farmers in West Bay are giving people a chance to flex their green thumbs and grow their own vegetables, fruit or herbs on garden beds on a farm. Andre Gooden and Jesse Basdeo run Charlito’s Greenhouse farm, where they are cultivating local, sustainable food. Mr. Gooden, 31, said, like many of his forefathers, he has farming in his blood. “Basically, I started in my backyard in Prospect. It was something I did in my spare time as a hobby but it was something I en- joyed doing and loved, so I decided I wanted to take it on full time.” Initially, he says, he was not really farming, he was just working with flowers and plants, but then he realized he wanted to focus on planting food that people could come and get from him and learn about how food is grown. And now, he wants to give people an opportunity to grow food for themselves. “Anyone wishing to learn how to farm can rent a bed for free and plant what they Charlito’s Greenhouse farm’s Andre Gooden feeds Magnus the bull his daily treat of bananas. The bull was saved from slaughter last year and now lives at the farm in West Bay. - PHOTO: JEWEL LEVY PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » Cuban migrants step up appeals, despite barriers KAYLA YOUNG kyoung@pinnaclemedialtd.com A Cuban asylum seeker detained in George Town for more than a year will take his case to the Grand Court, contesting what he believes to be a legally flawed rejection of refugee status by the Immigration Ap- peals Tribunal. The case follows a successful asylum hearing before the tribunal in January, favoring a Cuban pro-democracy activist, who now has the right to live and work in the Cayman Islands. The cases, both taken on by HSM attorney Alastair David, represent an intensification in legal appeals by Cuban migrants in the Cayman Islands, most of whom cannot af- ford to hire an attorney and attempt to de- fend their cases independently. Migrants who can afford and successfully acquire counsel are an exception to the rule, Mr. David said, describing the overall legal situation as “appalling.” Asylum applicants are granted access to government-funded legal aid once they have been rejected by the volunteer-led Im- migration Appeals Tribunal. This step can take a year or longer to reach, and by this point, Mr. David said migrants have missed their best opportunity to successfully present their cases. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » CHAMPION HOUSE PENSION CASE ADJOURNED AGAIN Champion House Limited, which has been before the court since 2008 for failure to contribute to em- ployees’ pensions, had sentencing put off Monday, for the second week in a row, until March 5. The case was ad- journed because one of the attorneys had an unexpected personal matter to deal with. For more, see page 2.2 LOCAL&REGIONAL TUESDAY FEBRUARY 6, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS • Matinees Daily (matinee price before 6pm) • Seniors $8.00, Mon-Fri Before 6pm • Additional charges apply per 3D/VIP tickets Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted to any film starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. - TUESDAY - 640-FILM (640-3456) MAZE RUNNER: THE DEATH CURE (PG13) 12:30 VIP I 1:20 I 7:00 I 10:05 12 STRONG (R) 12:30 I 3:45 I 6:55 I 9:55 THE COMMUTER (PG13) 12:50 I 3:50 I 7:15 I 9:50 THE POST (PG13) 1:00 I 4:05 I 7:05 I 9:45 DEN OF THIEVES (R) 12:45 I 3:35 VIP I 9:45 VIP JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (PG13) 4:25 I 7:10 I 9:40 CLASSICS @ THE MOVIES: WHEN HARRY MET SALLY (R) 7:00 VIP Taxi driver in court over fatal airport accident Doctor died after being struck by vehicle at airport CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Taxi van driver Roy Clivey Tamasa appeared in Traffic Court on Monday on a charge of causing the death of Dr. Vary An- etta Jones-Leslie by dan- gerous driving. An alterna- tive charge is causing death by careless driving. Mr. Tamasa, 70, is accused of dangerously driving a Toyota Hiace van on July 17, 2017, on Owen Roberts Drive in the vicinity of Owen Rob- erts International Airport, and by so doing caused the death of Dr. Jones-Leslie. The alternative charge al- leges that Mr. Tamasa drove “without due care and at- tention or without reason- able consideration for other persons,” and in so doing caused her death. Magistrate Philippa Mc- Farlane was advised that pa- pers in the case had not been served on defense attorney Richard Barton, but were being prepared. Crown counsel Stacy- Ann Kelly told the court that the matter was intended to be sent to Grand Court. The magistrate set March 19, as the next mention date. Dr. Jones-Leslie, 62, was an obstetrician-gyne- cologist who had just ar- rived on a flight from Kingston, Jamaica. 100 Women in Finance to raise funds for Special Needs Foundation The nonprofit group 100 Women in Finance, a global organization that serves more than 15,000 professionals in the financial industry, made a local splash late last month by naming the Special Needs Foundation Cayman as its 2018 Cayman beneficiary. The Special Needs Foun- dation, which was established in 2008, has made a mis- sion of supporting children with a wide range of special needs across the Cayman Is- lands. Globally, 100 Women in Finance has raised more than US$44 million for philan- thropic causes in the service of women’s health, education and mentoring, and 100 Women in Finance Cayman aligns its yearly local goals with the or- ganization’s global theme. This year, the theme is education. The foundation has es- tablished “Our House” as a way to go beyond advocacy and services by providing a physical location to consol- idate services. The Special Needs Foundation has part- nered with the Haring Center from the University of Wash- ington’s College of Education in the hope of finding addi- tional attention and support, forming a pilot program with a three-year commitment that will bring direct support to classes and preschools in both the public and private school systems. “On behalf of all the chil- dren and families of the Special Needs Foundation, I wish to express our sin- cere gratitude and excite- ment for being chosen as the 2018 Cayman Beneficiary for 100 Women in Finance,” said Susie Bodden, the ex- ecutive leader of the Special Needs Foundation. “The Spe- cial Needs Foundation, aided by this generous support, in- tends to rapidly increase our impact in Cayman during 2018, most notably with re- gard to Inclusive Education. We believe this program will make a huge difference to the lives of our children.” Leanne Golding, chair of 100 Women in Finance Cay- man’s philanthropy Com- mittee, also issued a state- ment: “100 Women in Finance is proud to support the Special Needs Foundation Cayman and, in particular, this groundbreaking program. “It is our hope that this ini- tiative will benefit the Cayman Islands community as a whole for many years to come. We look forward to many suc- cessful fundraising events and activities together in 2018.” The local chapter of 100 Women in Finance has more than 600 members, and has raised more than US$64,000 for its 2017 beneficiary, the Breast Cancer Foundation, through a succession of events. Kim Lund, director of the Breast Cancer Foun- dation, was thrilled with the contribution the foundation received from Cayman. “We were honored and thrilled that 100WF chose us as their beneficiary to sup- port in 2017,” he said. “All of the monies raised throughout 2017 have been used to fund our Wellness Program, which helps people living here in Cayman to get through their breast cancer treatments and beyond. We could not do this work without orga- nizations like 100WF and we are extremely grateful for their support.” Dr. Vary Jones-Leslie CHAMPION HOUSE PENSION CASE ADJOURNED AGAIN Sentencing put off till March 5 CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com An employer before the court since 2008 had sentencing put off on Monday, for the second week in a row. Champion House Lim- ited, trading as Cham- pion House II, had pleaded guilty to failing to con- tribute to a pensions plan for employees over a period covering 1999 to 2008. Sentencing did not take place on Monday, Jan. 29, because the court list was too long for everything to get dealt with. Defense attorney At- torney Graham Hampson and Crown counsel Greg Walcolm agreed to a postponement until Monday, Feb. 5. However, late that morning, Magistrate Adam Roberts was advised of a request for further ad- journment because one of the counsel had an unex- pected personal matter to deal with. He set sentencing for Monday, March 5. The case had been ad- journed on other occasions for various reasons, in- cluding change of attorney or dispute of the amount owed or because the court was monitoring payments the company was making. INDECENT ASSAULT OF JUVENILE REPORTED Royal Cayman Is- lands Police are investi- gating an indecent assault of a minor which was re- ported Sunday evening at Smith Barcadere. According to police, it was alleged that a man, 51, had “inappropriately touched” a juvenile while in the water. By the time police arrived, the suspect had left the area. “It was further reported to officers that the man may have inappropriately touched other juveniles at the location as well,” an RCIPS statement on the incident read. The suspect was ar- rested near the crime scene Sunday and ar- rested on suspicion of in- decent assault on a fe- male juvenile. Sentencing did not take place on Monday, Jan. 29, because the court list was too long for everything to get dealt with. Members of the Cayman branch of 100 Women in Finance pose with a check for the money they raised for the Breast Cancer Foundation, the 2017 beneficiary. Paraguayan rebels free 2 kidnapped men ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) – Paraguayan authorities say a small rebel group has released two Menno- nite men that it kidnapped four months ago. Authorities said Monday that Mexican citizen Franz Hiebert and Paraguayan Ber- nhard Blatz were released in the state of Concepcion, about 250 miles north of the Paraguayan capital. The Paraguayan Peo- ple’s Army had demanded a joint $1 million ransom for their release, but their fami- lies said they did not have the money. The rebel group asked them instead to dis- tribute food to poor rural communities in exchange for their release. Hiebert is being treated for infections and other injuries at a hospital in Asuncion. Attacks by the guer- rilla group have claimed the lives of 27 civilians, 13 police officers and 21 sol- diers since 2008. The local chapter of 100 Women in Finance raised more than US$64,000 for its 2017 beneficiary, the Breast Cancer Foundation.3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY FEBRUARY 6, 2018 Security concerns addressed at East End mental health facility TAD STONER tstoner@pinnaclemedialtd.com Doctors and community leaders are reassuring East End residents about secu- rity as Cayman’s first long- term mental health center moves toward an August groundbreaking. District figures welcomed the 15-acre facility, sug- gesting it could boost local employment during construc- tion on the planned nine cot- tages, gardens and adminis- tration buildings, which will include kitchens, a dining hall and classrooms. Scheduled to open in 2019, the residential mental health facility will ulti- mately house 54 patients and staff on a site at High Rock, near Health City. Architects have described an electronic “biometric an- alytic detection” security system, comprising office- based monitors, cameras and buried cables preventing un- authorized departures or il- legal entry by outsiders, said Dr. Marc Lockhart, chairman of the Mental Health Com- mission, longtime advocate for the mentally ill and leader of the East End project. “It’s far less intrusive, without fences, but a security system that will alert us if someone decides, let’s say, to slip away to visit a girlfriend or something.” The system will “trigger certain protocols,” he said, alerting staff, “especially if someone is doing it repeat- edly,” suggesting the detec- tion technology can identify individual patients. Dr. Lockhart points out that the network also pre- vents intruders gaining access to the facility “if someone is coming in, smug- gling drugs or trying to steal equipment or do damage.” Ministry of Health of- ficials said last week that construction would begin in August on the center, de- signed by Toronto’s Mont- gomery Sisam Architects in collaboration with Cayman’s DDL Studios and Reed Con- sulting Engineers. The Ministry of Health and the Planning Depart- ment have set tentative dates for tendering and approvals on the project, forecast to cost between $10 million and $15 million. “Design approvals throughout the project have been a collective … pro- cess whereby the Ministry of Health, along with stake- holders of [the] project, are presented with designs at every milestone,” said the ministry’s Chief Officer Jennifer Ahearn. “Design development has recently been given approval and consultants are now pro- gressing construction doc- umentation for building permit submission/approval and subsequent tender phase,” she added. The Toronto architects completed design work in early December. Ms. Ahearn said the Ministry of Health submitted a building applica- tion in late December and no- tified nearby landowners. “Presentation to [Central Planning Authority] is sched- uled for Feb. 21,” she said, pointing to the formal pro- cedure for publishing de- tailed plans and seeking public comment. Ms. Ahearn said pre-qual- ification of contractors would start in late May with tenders invited “in June/July 2018.” She underscored that dates were dates were ten- tative, “subject to relevant permits and approvals,” but hoped to see tenders closed in mid-July and con- tracts awarded “by early to mid-August 2018 – sub- ject to Central Tenders Com- mittee approval.” Construction would begin as quickly as possible, with the first patients admitted in summer 2019. East End Community De- velopment Organizer Delmira Bodden said she had few se- curity concerns about the fa- cility, but declined to com- ment further, saying only that she had not heard of any worries from local residents. East End MLA Arden McLean did not respond to repeated efforts at contact. MLA candidates in 2017’s May elections Isaac Rankine and John McLean both ex- pressed confidence that plan- ners would address any secu- rity issues, and hoped to see a boost to local employment. “I have no concerns at this time about the pro- posed long-term residential mental-health facility,” Mr. Rankine said. “In fact, it is a long-overdue facility, which will benefit everyone in the Cayman Islands, including the people of East End.” John McLean was equally sanguine: “I have no problem with the mental-health fa- cility being placed in East End as I have always advo- cated for more infrastructure in my district that will ben- efit my East End residents. “That said from the get- go, all employment that is available should be geared to include the unemployed in one way or another. From the construction stage and whilst the construction is taking place, there should be training of the unem- ployed … to ensure that they have preference over quali- fied potential future work- permit holders. “I would imagine that steps would be put in place to control patients from es- caping the facility i.e., alarms, fencing and enough security officers,” Mr. McLean told the Cayman Compass. Dr. Lockhart moved to allay any long-term con- cerns. The facility, he said, “is for patients who are not so acute,” but rather need a structured and stable envi- ronment aiding treatment and recovery. “Anyone ‘acting up,’” he said, can be removed from the facility and “placed in hospital or transferred to a better place, another facility.” Cottage 3d Massing Study An architect’s rendering of one of the cottages that will be built at the long-term mental health facility in East End. - IMAGE: MONTGOMERY SISAM ARCHITECTSThe islands’ most-trusted news source 4 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. TUESDAY FEBRUARY 6, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS In publishing, as in travel, it sometimes makes sense to book a round trip. Last weekend’s smooth arrivals process at Owen Roberts International Airport calls for a “return trip” editorial on the issue of airport delays. Nearly a week ago, the Compass called on airport officials to identify and, if possible, eliminate the cause of an unacceptable breakdown that forced passen- gers to endure sometimes hours-long waits on the tarmac before being processed through immigration and customs. Last Saturday, despite a similarly busy arrival schedule, disembarking passengers were swiftly ushered through those queues. Frankly, we applaud what airport officials did – but we’re still somewhat perplexed about how they did it. It reminded us somewhat of a David Copperfield dis- appearing act: One weekend long lines, the next short lines. How do magicians, or airport officials, do that? Our concerns about the long lines at the airport arrivals hall fall into three categories, two of them temporal and not overly concerning: One, operational issues: The airport, because of lack of planning or simply because officials under- estimated the volume of arrivals on Jan. 27, did not adequately staff its immigration checkpoints. If so, this would be easily remediable – simply increase staff levels to handle peak loads, and this may be exactly what happened this past weekend. Problem solved. But there is a “but.” Acting Immigration Chief Officer Bruce Smith told the Compass that during the “problem weekend,” immigration had staffed 11 of its 12 booths. We’re puzzled. Two, ongoing construction issues: Let’s be fair, the arrivals hall has just opened and as Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell has pointed out, it is still very much a construction zone. The terminal won’t be completed until December and, until then, a modicum of patience is called for. We agree, but only if the ongoing con- struction will, in fact, result in the expedited processing of passengers. Three, structural issues: This category is the most problematic of all. If the arrivals hall has been designed to accommodate efficiently only relatively small numbers of arriving passengers, then a rethink (while the proverbial cement is still wet) is in order. For example, are additional “immigration booths” envisioned or, if they are not, can they be added to the design? Our greatest concern is whether our new terminal will be able to accommodate efficiently and, yes, pleasantly, the future crowds we expect to attract to our island. Remember, we are in the midst of a building boom in Grand Cayman, with huge hotel projects, such as the new Grand Hyatt, a luxury Dart resort and others, on the way. Increased airlift is essential, and that likely will mean lengthening of our runway to accommodate long-range aircraft from Europe and beyond. Consequently, our question remains: Will our reno- vated airport be able to accommodate this foreseeable increase in passenger volume? Finally, since officials declined (for cost reasons) to include covered jetways in their renovation plans, this would be a good time to address the limited number of boarding ramps (as opposed to stairways) for arriving or departing passengers at Owen Roberts. We understand there are four boarding ramps in place, all owned by Cayman Airways, which purchased them for $50,000 each. While Cayman Airways will “share” their ramps (if they are available) with other airlines, too often they are not, and passen- gers must continue to make their way up or down the shaky stairways. Fortunately, there is an easy fix: Buy a few more ramps. Above all, we encourage Minister Kirkconnell and Albert Anderson, head of the Cayman Islands Airport Authority, to be open and accessible to the media and, by proxy, the Caymanian people on airport issues as they arise. While we are not big fans of press con- ferences, one might be advisable now to address a number of the issues that are now being raised. – EDITORIAL – Another visit to the airport (and to our keyboard) PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Caymanian Compass Limited (a subsidiary of Pinnacle Media Ltd) Compass Centre Shedden Road, George Town SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman KY1-1108, Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@pinnaclemedialtd.com ADVERTISE WITH US: Telephone: (345) 949-5111 Email: sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com Website: www.caymancompass.com PUBLISHERS DAVID R. LEGGE AND VICKI L. LEGGE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DAVID R. LEGGE EXECUTIVE EDITOR PATRICK BRENDEL A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will find their own way” WASHINGTON – In 1930, John Maynard Keynes was worried, but not about the unpleasantness that had begun the previous year and would linger long enough to become known as the Great Depression. What troubled the British economist was that humanity “is solving its economic problem.” In his essay “Economic Possibilities for Our Grand- children,” Keynes, seeking to dispel pessimism, pre- dicted that “assuming no im- portant wars and no impor- tant increase in population,” the “permanent problem of the human race” – the “struggle for subsistence” – “may be solved.” This, Keynes warned, could discombobu- late the human race’s neuro- logical wiring, because man- kind has evolved through many millennia for toil and stress. Basic “habits and in- stincts” are unsuitable for a future of leisure and abun- dance. Because we have evolved as creatures designed by nature “to strive and not to enjoy.” So, work would have to be apportioned, per- haps in three-hour shifts and 15-hour workweeks, to keep people preoccupied. Then history’s worst war came, as did a huge increase in population – and an enor- mous, planetwide enrich- ment. And today people still toil and strive. In 1943, Paul Samuelson, who would be- come one of America’s leading economists and win a Nobel Prize, anticipated peace with foreboding. Good things – de- mobilization of more than 10 million from the armed ser- vices, the economy no longer busy producing instruments of destruction – would cause bad things. There would be “the greatest period of unem- ployment and industrial dis- location which any economy has ever faced.” Any economy. Ever. What actually hap- pened is remembered as the Postwar Boom. This stroll down memory lane suggests this rule: All news is economic news, be- cause everything affects the economy, or reveals atti- tudes or behaviors that soon will affect it. And all eco- nomic news is bad – espe- cially good economic news, because it gives rise to bad behavior. Consider this recent Wall Street Journal front-page headline: “Americans Save Less As Good Times Roll.” The story began: “Soaring stock prices and improving job prospects” – good news? good grief – “have set Amer- icans off on a spending splurge that is cutting into how much they sock away for retirement and rainy days.” Between 2008 and the third quarter of 2017, the net worth of U.S. households surged from $56 trillion to $97 trillion (good news? re- member, that’s an oxymoron) but “previous busts – in the mid-2000s and the late 1990s – were preceded by periods of rising asset values and es- pecially low saving.” In December, Ameri- ca’s household savings rate was the lowest (2.4 percent of disposable income) since the negative savings rate in 2005 and 2006, before the housing bubble burst. Many Americans, forgetting the most intractable fact – that nothing lasts – turned the equity in their homes into cash to fund immediate con- sumption. Today, 104 months after the recovery from the Great Recession began in June 2009 (when the sav- ings rate was 6.6 percent), 2.5 million homes are still worth less than is owed on their mortgages. As of 2013, 45 percent of working-age households had no retirement savings. So- cial Security (average annual payment, $15,500), which provides 33 percent of se- niors’ annual income, and 90 percent for the bottom third of retirees, but only about 35 percent of a typical household’s pre-retirement income, last year became America’s first trillion-dollar- a-year program. Absent re- forms, its trust fund will be exhausted by 2035 and ben- efits will have to be reduced 23 percent. A 2015 Federal Reserve study revealed that half of those surveyed said they could not gather $400 to cope with an emergency; one- third said they could not sell assets, tap retirement sav- ings or turn to family and friends to pay three months of expenses. By 2017, median household savings ($14,500) for those near retirement age had declined 32 percent in a decade, and for the first time, older Americans had more credit card debt than younger Americans. Between 2003 and 2015, the indebted- ness of those between ages 50 and 80 increased 60 per- cent. Today, those between 65 and 74 have five times more debt than that age cohort did two decades ago. Do you wonder how such behavior became to seem normal? A partial an- swer might be: Americans consider de- ferral of gratification unnat- ural, which it is. Time was, however, thrift was consid- ered a virtue. People sat at kitchen tables, calculating how to bring their outlays, for living and retiring, into align- ment with their incomes. But eventually many people de- cided: This is no fun. Instead, let’s disconnect enjoyable spending decisions from tire- some facts about resources, thereby living the way the federal government does. George Will’s email address is georgewill@washpost.com. © 2018, Washington Post Writers Group GEORGE F. WILL GEORGE All news is economic news, because everything affects the economy, or reveals attitudes or behaviors that soon will affect it. And all economic news is bad – especially good economic news, because it gives rise to bad behavior. Why good economic news is actually bad5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY FEBRUARY 6, 2018 Assessors: Progress at two schools deemed ‘satisfactory’ MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com Bodden Town and Sa- vannah primary schools have both made largely sat- isfactory progress in meeting recommendations made by school inspectors following a series of surveys during the 2014-2015 school year. The assessment reports on the schools’ progress were re- leased on Thursday, the first of a series of follow-through evaluations of all of Cayman’s government schools, which are being made during the 2017-2018 academic year. The Bodden Town and Sa- vannah schools’ reports are based upon site visits in No- vember and December. Evalu- ators with the Office of Edu- cational Standards spent time in classrooms, observing in- struction, evaluating admin- istrative and classroom docu- ments, and gathering survey material from teachers, par- ents and students. The evalu- ators rated the schools’ prog- ress as either excellent, good, satisfactory or weak. Only Bodden Town Pri- mary had a “good” assessment on meeting one of its recom- mendations – establishing clear management roles and responsibilities – while all the other assessments, three each for the schools, were judged “satisfactory.” An ongoing problem at Bodden Town was found to be classroom disruption by special needs children. “There were a few lessons where the poor behaviour of a few students limited the pace of learning for others in the class,” the report said. Both schools were faulted for inadequate use of dig- ital resources. “There were insufficient opportunities for students to use information and commu- nication technology to sup- port their learning,” the re- port said of Bodden Town. At Savannah, “an identi- fied weakness was the infre- quent use of information and communication technology by students in their home- room classes.” Evaluators also said Sa- vannah was failing to meet the needs of all of its special needs students. “In certain Year 1 and Year 3 classes, students with ad- ditional needs were not pro- vided with sufficient support to successfully access the curriculum,” they said. Additionally, evalua- tors said the school needed to do more to pull up aca- demic performance. “Standards of achieve- ment at [Year] 6 in reading, writing and mathematics re- mained weak and signifi- cantly below expected levels,” the report says. “In 2017, only around one third of students left Savannah Primary School achieving the expected level of skills in writing. The school requires a more urgent focus and clearer strategy to im- prove the standard of writing for all students. The surveys filled out by parents, teachers and stu- dents contained many of the same questions and indicated a significant perceptual di- vide in some areas. Some an- swers seemed contradictory within the survey groups. At Bodden Town Primary, while 26 percent of parents were unhappy with their child’s performance in math, when it came to overall ed- ucation beyond math, sci- ence and English, 73 percent of parents said their child was making good progress. However, when evaluating whether the school provides a good overall education, only 48 percent agreed, with 43 percent disagreeing. When the overall education ques- tion was posed to teachers, 85 percent said they agreed it was good. None disagreed, although 15 percent said they could not answer or did not know. That split was narrower at Savannah Primary. There, 77 percent of parents agreed that the overall education provided was good, while 94 percent of teachers agreed. A large number of parents at both schools were dissat- isfied with the quality and amount of homework their students were receiving. At Bodden Town 37 percent had negative responses to the question compared with 24 percent at Savannah. Teachers at Savannah ex- pressed dissatisfaction with administration, with only one third of teachers agreeing that the school is well led, while 66 percent said it is not. At both schools, a signifi- cant number of teachers (28 percent at Savannah and 23 percent at Bodden Town) said they felt they did not have adequate resources to teach their students. Faculty at both schools also gave negative responses to the amount of parental in- volvement. At Bodden Town, 62 percent said parents were not effectively involved in the work of the school. A nearly identical number, 61 percent of teachers, said the same of Savannah. Savannah teachers (61 percent) said parent-teacher meetings were not well at- tended or helpful. Conversely, 77 percent of parents at Sa- vannah said they were. The full reports are available online at www.pocs.gov.ky. Click on the Publications link under the heading Freedom of Information. Then click on the Office of Education Standards link. 175 people turn out for SafeHaven beach cleanup MILO DACK mdack@pinnaclemedialtd.com Volunteers cleared 2,500 pounds of garbage from the beach and mangroves at Safe- Haven on Saturday morning. About 175 people, in- cluding young children, took part in the cleanup, which was organized by Plastic Free Cayman. The garbage was collected throughout the morning and separated into recycled mate- rials by a team of volunteers who sorted through the bags of litter that came in. Some of the more un- usual items that turned up in the cleanup were a vacuum cleaner, a baby chair, a vial of blood and a sign from a restaurant that closed down last year. Several local organiza- tions got involved in the cleanup, including Red Sail Sports, Maples, Caymanite Synchro, Caribbean Pro- ducer Services, Cayman Eco Divers, North Sound Golf Club and Cayman Interna- tional School. Also at the cleanup were George Town South MLA Barbara Conolly, Marc “Srizzil” Williams, and EcoChicCayman’s Laura Butz, among others. Another beach cleanup has been organized for Sunday, March 4. Follow Plastic Free Cayman’s Facebook page for updated information or check the community calendar. A little volunteer gets involved with cleaning the beach. Volunteers, carrying trash bags and litter-grabbers, comb the beach along Safehaven. - PHOTOS: MILO DACK MS Foundation to raise awareness at annual gala event MILO DACK mdack@pinnaclemedialtd.com The MS Foundation is inviting people to save the date for its upcoming second annual gala fund- raiser at Pedro St. James Castle next month. MS Foundation founder Alyssa Christian will host the “Pretty On The Outside” gala to raise money and awareness for the nervous system disorder known as multiple sclerosis. The gala will be held at 6 p.m. on Sat- urday, March 10. As with last year, the fundraiser will consist of a fashion show fundraiser and an islandwide raffle. Local musician Lonney Mc- Field will release a new song during the fashion show, specially written for people with MS. Also at the gala will be an exhibition of artists’ im- pressions and interpreta- tions of the symptoms asso- ciated with MS. Ms. Christian, in collab- oration with the U.S.-based handbag company Louise & Eleanor and menswear com- pany Barry Beaux, will re- lease a new “Hope” handbag for women and a bow tie for men at the gala event. Last year, Louise & Eleanor worked with Ms. Christian to release their first “Hope” handbag to raise MS awareness. This year’s Caribbean- style handbag will be mod- eled by Miss Cayman Anika Conolly. Tickets for the raffle went on sale Monday, Feb. 2. It’s a raffle with a difference – a “50/50” raffle in which the winner will receive 50 percent of the money raised, with the other 50 per- cent going to patient care and awareness. Tickets for the gala are on sale at Pedro St. James Castle and Books & Books in Camana Bay for $75. Raffle tickets can be bought at Le Visage in Camana Bay for $25 each, or five for $100. Alyssa Christian, center, with attendees of last year’s MS Foundation gala fundraiser holding the first ‘Hope’ handbags which were designed for the event. Ms. Christian, in collaboration with the U.S.-based handbag company Louise & Eleanor and menswear company Barry Beaux, will release a new “Hope” handbag for women and a bow tie for men at the gala event. The islands’ most-trusted news source 6 TUESDAY FEBRUARY 6, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Appeals to the Grand Court must be made on a point of law, such as an error in the Immi- gration Appeals Tribunal judg- ment, Mr. David explained. If the court finds a flaw in the process, the case is then sent back to the appeals tribunal, resulting in a possible “ping pong” effect as migrants bounce between institutions. Mean- while, asylum applicants lan- guish under lock and key in de- tention for months to years. The absence of aid on the tribunal level, he added, places an undue burden on lawyers who feel pressure to provide counsel on a pro bono basis. “For instance, I’ve gone down in the past and spoken to people for free. So I can go in and speak to them, but it doesn’t make a hill of beans of difference if I can’t then ad- vise them and put together the case,” the attorney said. For his most recent tribunal case, Mr. David estimated the documents required 25 hours of work to put together at a cost worth approximately $15,000. “It’s unrealistic to have all the lawyers giving their time for free. Going to the Immigra- tion Appeals Tribunal takes an awful lot of work,” he said. Migrant access to legal aid was one of five priority issues regarding asylum seeker case management set out by gov- ernment in August. The Immi- gration Department, the De- partment of Home Affairs, the Prison Service and the Health Services Authority were working on an interdepart- mental follow-up to these is- sues, but it was not clear if this response would be made public. The needs outlined in Au- gust included: ■■ A written policy and pro- cedure manual to be given to detainees upon arrival, explaining the processes ■■ Training for immigration staff on how to handle asylum seekers and refugees ■■ More detailed on-site reporting ■■ Legal aid for those who go to court, and ■■ Translators who can travel off site with detainees. Immigration staff partici- pated in a two-week asylum training in April last year, or- ganized by the Governor’s Of- fice and facilitated by a spe- cialist from U.K. Visas and Immigration. Legal aid confusion Legal resources provided to migrants at the appeals tri- bunal level are currently lim- ited to a list of phone numbers and the goodwill of volunteers who visit the center. Detained migrants are provided a phone number to access free legal advice through the Legal Be- frienders program, according to a statement released Sat- urday night by the Gover- nor’s Office and the Immigra- tion Department. Mr. David had not heard of the program. McGrath Tonner attorney Laura Larner said she had not used the program be- fore but had previously di- rected migrants to this option. “We can confirm that all of the migrants have access to free legal advice through the Legal Befrienders programme and that the telephone num- bers for this service [are] dis- played on the [Immigration De- tention Centre] notice board. A number of migrants have al- ready made use of this service … all detainees have access to the telephone,” the government statement read. “Migrants who are granted leave for a judicial review are also eligible to apply to the courts for Legal Aid. We can also confirm that the IDC staff includes Spanish speakers,” the statement continued. Several migrants without legal aid have attempted handwritten appeals on their own, resulting in confusion over the status of individual cases and whether appeals were filed at all. At least three men who incorrectly believed their cases were ap- pealed to the Grand Court ex- pected to be expatriated on Friday, Feb. 9. The situation has resulted in small acts of protest in the center, including a more than week-long hunger strike by Yoel, a migrant featured in the Cayman Compass in August who was mostly blinded in one eye while working on a gov- ernment grounds crew. After learning of his pending expa- triation, a visibly distraught Yoel posted himself on the de- tention center’s patio with a sheet reading, “Allowing injus- tice means opening the way for all those who follow.” He pleaded that if returned to Cuba, he would be jailed for refusing government-man- dated work, as his faith as a Jehovah’s Witness dictates. Yoel, who has not been represented by a lawyer, sub- mitted his own handwritten appeal to government in July 2016, following an Immigra- tion Department letter dated June 29, 2016, that denied his asylum claim. The letter said Yoel could not prove a well-founded fear of perse- cution and therefore did not meet the criteria for refugee status under the 1951 Ref- ugee Convention. “I am appealing to the Jus- tice Tribunal. I ask them to please closely reconsider my case given that if I am returned to Cuba, my life will turn into hell due to the Cuban author- ities. I fear even more for my children who are young, 2 and 3 years old. They live alone with my mother, since unfortu- nately, their mother is mentally ill,” Yoel stated in his hand- written appeal. While his appeal was ap- parently not accepted, Yoel continues to be detained, now seven months beyond his appeals deadline. Govern- ment declined to comment on his extended detention, now nearing two years. As of Saturday, the Gover- nor’s Office reported 21 Cuban asylum cases were pending in the Cayman Islands. Three of these individuals were sent back to Cuba Monday, leaving 16 detained in George Town’s co-ed facility, and another two being housed outside the detention center in private accommodation. The Governor’s Office said it is currently reviewing the process of any forced removals or formal deportations. “Both the RCIPS and the Po- lice Welfare Committee have offered assistance in the wake of this disturbing incident. “Support to officers can take different forms de- pending on the kind of assis- tance needed, e.g., financial, counselling, etc. Appropriate security measures are being implemented for the of- ficer, though we cannot detail what those are. “This is a disturbing inci- dent for the officer and for the RCIPS; it will be fully investi- gated to determine what oc- curred here and bring those re- sponsible to justice. Such acts against an officer, or anyone else, cannot be tolerated.” The RCIPS is appealing to anyone who witnessed this incident or have any informa- tion about it to contact George Town Police Station at 949- 4222 or the police’s confiden- tial tip line at 949-7777. Attacks on police There has been a concern noted regarding the increased level of violence against police officers within the past two years in the Cayman Islands. In late 2016, into early 2017, several attacks by mem- bers of the public against RCIPS officers occurred. There were three incidents reported in January 2017 where police officers were attacked or suffered injury while making arrests. Those assaults followed a December 2016 scuffle involving the head of the RCIPS traffic unit at a roadblock that broke two of the inspector’s teeth. Police Commissioner Derek Byrne has said the RCIPS command “will not abide” these incidents. “I’m seeing a lot of aggres- sion, a lot of abuse [toward those officers],” Mr. Byrne said last year. “I read of machetes being produced towards of- ficers, struggles taking place. These [officers] are the front- line defense coming to assist members of our community. We must challenge that fun- damental relationship.” To that end, the RCIPS has revitalized its commu- nity policing efforts, putting Inspector Courtney Myles in charge of the unit and pledging some 30 police offi- cers toward the unit. want. We encourage people to be a part of what we are doing,” he said. Setting up the farm After leaving school and working in a number of dif- ferent careers, Mr. Gooden left his last job, in engineering, to take up farming full time. That is where classmate and partner Mr. Basdeo came in. He got his parents’ permission to farm family land in West Bay and the two started Charlito’s Greenhouse over a year ago. “Jesse shares the same pas- sion as me about farming and sustainable lifestyle … en- gineering was something I didn’t plan to do, but I grew in the job and loved what I did, but I always felt like a piece of me was not complete and I went searching for that,” Mr. Gooden said. He said Charlito’s produces food without pesticides or syn- thetic fertilizers. Since the start of the latest school semester, Mr. Gooden has also been sharing his passion for farming and sus- tainable living with children at Hope Academy. “By farming full time, I am able to provide produce for the public and visit the schools and teach younger children how to garden,” Mr. Gooden said. “Children should learn, we need them to learn for free – especially how to grow their own food or just how to live more sustainably.” On the farm, in the 80-de- gree humid heat, plants flourish under Mr. Gooden’s hand. Dirt splatters cover his white T-shirt and his hands lack gardening gloves, as he deftly presses new seedlings into potting soil in his green- house. Just outside, a partiality constructed plant trellis awaits his attention. The vegetables and herbs he has just replanted are ones that are commonly seen in Cay- man’s cuisine, including Scotch bonnet peppers, tomatoes, ci- lantro, basil, thyme and sage, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, kale, peppers, pumpkin, water- melon, bananas and plantain. He also has a variety of fruit trees on the farm, including star apples, ackee, sweet sop, sour soup, custard apples and guinep, although these have not, as yet, produced any fruit. His seeds come from the De- partment of Agriculture, from overseas or from harvesting his own. Fifty percent of crops this year, he said, came from seeds he planted last year. Charlito’s is located on Henning Lane, just past the four-way stop in West Bay. The farm is situated on two-and-a- half acres of land, with another quarter acre for a farmhouse. “The terrain at the farm is very rocky, which is not ideal for farming, but we have man- aged to work on a partic- ular area by digging out the rocks and putting in soil and ground beds,” Mr. Gooden said. Where that is not possible, or a little too costly, they have built raised beds and filled them with soil. “It’s not ideal to dig out the ground everywhere we want to plant, so we decided to use the raised beds and treat the soil that way. It’s actually a little bit easier to maintain using raised beds,” he said. Saving Magnus the bull Mr. Gooden’s workday be- gins at 6 a.m. His first chores of the day are taking care of “Magnus” the bull, watering the plants and addressing any weed issues, and the rest of the day is spent working on garden projects for the schools or trying his hand at something new. Magnus is a Black Angus bull who was saved from slaughter by animal lover Ju- liette Heath last year. “This was a cow Juliette rescued awhile back and she started a Facebook page to get support from him to get him a pen. He was at a pre- vious location before we got him about two weeks ago,” Mr. Gooden said. “Basically, what we want to do is give him a little bit more space than what he had and actually give him a better en- vironment in terms of having people come to the farm and give him that attention. That’s what Juliette intended for him, just to be a happy bull. He is not up for slaughter, she just wants to keep him happy while he is alive.” Mr. Gooden added that having the bull was a ben- efit to the farm. Growing pains Ironically, the most diffi- cult plants to grow, Mr. Gooden said, have become his favorites. “Broccoli and cabbage, the hardier vegetables seem to be the hardest to grow. It keeps me in the garden and I see things going on with the plants I never saw before,” he said. Mr. Gooden said he hopes the farm will become a community project in the coming years. “Worldwide, when they are talking about Cayman and looking for something to do, we want this to be one of the attractions … a living farm [people] can visit, animals to pet and fruits and vegetables to taste, and a place to farm,” Mr. Gooden said. “My use for money right now is just to take the farm to where it needs to go finan- cially. Apart from that I need the basics, so I construct [and sell] greenhouses … that’s ba- sically where I get the money from … the education is free,” he said. To find out more about Charlito’s Greenhouse, call 322-2328. Cuban migrants step up appeals, despite barriers CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Officer fears for ‘life of my family’ Farmers invite public to plant their own vegetables CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Andre Gooden shows off healthy bunches of plantains. – PHOTO: JEWEL LEVYThe islands’ most-trusted news source 7 Community CALENDAR ■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR is published TUESDAYS and THURSDAYS. It is available to charitable or nonprofit organizations. Items should be submitted at least three working days before publication. Information must include name of sender, signature and contact number. ■ Items may be faxed to 949-2662, brought to the Cayman Compass office on Shedden Rd. or emailed to cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com at least three days in advance of publication. CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY FEBRUARY 6, 2018 Please be advised that Cayman Compass will not be published on Wednesday, February 14th, 2018 For more information call 949-5111 or email sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com EDITION DEADLINE Wednesday, February 14th No Publication Thursday, February 15th Friday, February 9th Friday, February 16th Monday, February 12th TUESDAY, FEB. 6 EAST END ROADWORK: National Roads Authority advises that road upgrade works are being carried out along Seaview Road in East End, from near the west end of Lovers Wall to near the Blow Holes. NRA crews and Island Paving crews will work from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For further information contact the NRA at 623-7780. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 7 ART AND MUSIC: National Gallery and Cayman Arts Festival host the evening at the gallery. Doors open 5 p.m. Music by Christopher Gould, Geraldine McGreevy and The Singrays. Poetry readings, exhibits open. Bring your own picnic and blankets. Refreshments will be served. SMALL BUSINESSES: Small businesses are encouraged to sign up by today for the Student Consulting Program, a partnership between the Ministry of Commerce, UCCI and Cayman National Bank. Small business owners are matched with a team of students, enrolled in UCCI’s upper-level entrepreneurship and small business management course, to help solve a business challenge. Interested small businesses are asked to email thais.ducent@gov.ky. BABY SHOW: At the 51st Agricultural Show, Feb. 14. Feb. 7 is the last date to register. For boys and girls age 0-48 months. Contact Eziethamae Bodden at 929-9932. MONDAY, FEB. 12 CROSS COUNTRY RACE: Cayman Academy hosts a cross-country race from 7 a.m. to approximately 8 a.m. Students will travel from the school, off Walkers Road, onto Memorial Avenue and then turn left onto South Church Street. They will turn left at the junction of South Church Street and Denham Thompson Way, continue back onto Walkers Road and then to the Truman Bodden Sports Complex. Motorists are advised to exercise caution in these areas. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 14 ASH WEDNESDAY: Mass and Distribution of Ashes at St. Ignatius Catholic Church, Walkers Road, 8 a.m., Noon and 6 p.m. Christ the Redeemer, West Bay, 10 a.m. Stella Maris, Cayman Brac, Communion Service and Ashes, 11 a.m. THURSDAY, FEB. 15 QUIZ NIGHT: 7 p.m. at Fidel’s. $10 per person, maximum six persons per team. Benefits Humane Society. To reserve a table contact sarah.dyer.81@gmail.com or 949-5189. FRIDAY, FEB. 16 FISH FRY: Friday evenings in Lent at St. Ignatius School Canteen. Serving from 5-8 p.m. Dine in or carry out. Menu includes fried or baked cod or snapper with all the trimmings. SATURDAY, FEB. 17 COCO FEST: Noon till 4 p.m. at Pedro Castle. All things coconut including traditional Caymanian dishes, desserts and candy made with the nut, its milk or oil; crafts made from the tree, shell and husk; games; coconut- based health and beauty products. Local music. Admission $5 for adults, free for kids under 12. For every $5 entry, the NCVO receives $1 for the Nadine Andreas Foster Home. FREE HEALTH CHECK: The Lions Club of Tropical Gardens presents free health checks with Dr. Mani for vision screening; Dr. Taylor of CTMH Doctors Hospital for general health talks; HbA1c check for known diabetics, provided by the Diabetes Association. Nutritional talk, blood pressure and weight checks will also be offered. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. George’s Anglican Church Hall, upstairs. FRIDAY, FEB. 23 VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Cayman HospiceCare’s annual two-day Flag Day event. Volunteers are needed for shifts today and tomorrow, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Contact fundraising@ caymanhospicecare. ky for information about volunteering or call 945-7447. SATURDAY, FEB. 24 BRAC SPRING FLING: The Brac District of the National Trust’s annual fundraiser Spring Fling is 6 to 10 p.m., Brac Trust House, White Bay Road. Good food, good music, and a live auction. Tickets are $20 each, Split the Pot tickets are $5 or 3 for $10. Everyone welcome. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 28 SCHOLARSHIPS: The Ministry of Education has extended the deadline for Overseas Scholarship applications to Feb. 28. The extension is offered in order to ensure that every interested student has the opportunity to apply for funding. To obtain the link for online applications, visit www.education.gov.ky. For more information, call 244-2482 or email scholarships@gov.ky. GENERAL INTEREST FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE: Persons receiving permanent financial assistance benefit must be re-assessed if they have not been assessed since July 1, 2015. Get a form from the Needs Assessment Unit via email nauinfo@gov.ky, on the www.nau.gov.ky website or from the district Community Development Officer. The completed form/ supporting documentation must be returned to the NAU by Friday, March 30. An appointment will be scheduled as necessary. Failure to comply will result in payments being placed on hold. For further information, contact the NAU immediately on 946-0024 or 948-8748. SOLAR IMAGING: An exhibition of digital solar imaging in Cayman by Dr. Bill Hrudey. National Gallery, Esterley Tibbetts Highway. SKATE PARK FUNDRAISER: Hope Academy and Black Pearl Skate Park are raising funds for a new school playground, scholarship fund and other school improvements. First Friday of each month. $15 for park entrance, a helmet and choice of skateboard or scooter. $7 for those with own equipment. LOBSTER SEASON: The open season for lobster runs until Feb. 28. Bag limit is three per person per day or six per boat per day, whichever is less. Minimum size is a 6-inch tail length. No taking lobsters from Marine Protected Areas. Only spiny lobster may be taken. No wearing gloves while snorkeling. No taking of lobster (or any marine life other than lionfish) while scuba diving. CONCH AND WHELK SEASON: The open season for conch and whelk runs until April 30. The legal limit for conch is five per person per day or 10 per boat, whichever is less. The limit for whelk catches is two-and-a-half gallons in the shell, or two-and-a-half pounds of processed whelks, per person, per day. BETHESDA COUNSELLING CENTRE: Caters to all who seek help. Open Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at 68 Mary St. Appointments available Saturdays and late evenings. Owned and operated by the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. Call 946-6575. HUMANE SOCIETY BOOK LOFT: North Sound Road. Open Monday 12:30-4 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday 5:30-7:30 p.m. Volunteers needed for front desk a few hours per week. Email humanesocietybookloft@ candw.ky or call 946-8053. Donations of books, games, CDs, stationery, DVDs, cards etc., in good condition always needed. RED CROSS THRIFT SHOP: The Thrift Shop opening hours are Tuesday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5-7 p.m. Friday hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and closed evenings. Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. COMMUNITY CHESS: Tuesdays 5-8 p.m., West Indies Wine Company. Join the Cayman Chess Club for a complimentary chess class and open challenges weekly. Anyone can learn to play and enjoy chess, even beginners. OPEN CANVAS: Every Wednesday. Visual Arts Society supports this event at KARoo Restaurant located in Camana Bay. 7-11 p.m. No fee. Easels provided for artist of all levels to come out and enjoy painting and socializing with other artists. Email info@visualartcayman.com or jar.was@gmail.com. MUSEUM TOURS: The National Museum provides guided tours for students and school groups free of cost. Students will gain an understanding of Cayman’s geological formation, flora and fauna, seafaring and rope-making heritage, political history and more. Contact the museum to book a tour in advance at 949-8368 or email info@museum.ky. For more Community Calendar events, visit www.caymancompass.com/events. The Humane Society Book Loft is looking for volunteers.The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 TUESDAY FEBRUARY 6, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS France warns travelers of snow, floods France’s national weather agency Meteo France said Monday about half the country is on alert for dangerous levels of snow and ice. Meteo France is also maintaining its orange alert — the second-highest warning level — for floods along the Seine River basin. US starts Iraq drawdown after declaration of victory over ISIS AL-ASAD AIRBASE, Iraq (AP) – Amer- ican troops have started to draw down from Iraq following Bagh- dad’s declaration of victory over the Islamic State group last year, ac- cording to Western contractors at a U.S.-led coalition base in Iraq. In Baghdad, an Iraqi government spokesman on Monday confirmed to The Associated Press that the draw- down has begun, though he stressed it was still in its early stages and does not mark the beginning of a complete pullout of U.S. forces. Dozens of American soldiers have been transported from Iraq to Afghanistan on daily flights over the past week, along with weapons and equipment, the contractors said. An AP reporter at the Al-Asad base in western Iraq saw troop movements reflecting the contrac- tors’ account. The contractors spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations and declined to re- veal the exact size of the drawdown. “Continued coalition presence in Iraq will be conditions-based, pro- portional to the need and in coor- dination with the government of Iraq,” coalition spokesman Army Col. Ryan Dillon told the AP when asked for comment. Government spokesman Saad al-Hadithi said “the battle against Daesh has ended, and so the level of the American presence will be reduced.” Daesh is the Arabic lan- guage acronym for ISIS. Al-Hadithi spoke just hours after AP reported the American drawdown – the first since the war against ISIS was launched over three years ago. One senior Iraqi official close to Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said 60 percent of all American troops currently in country will be withdrawn, according to the initial agreement reached with the United States. The plan would leave a force of about 4,000 U.S. troops to con- tinue training the Iraqi military. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not au- thorized to talk to the media. A Pentagon report released in November said there were 8,892 U.S. troops in Iraq as of late September. The U.S. first launched airstrikes against the Islamic State group in Iraq in August 2014. At the time the military intervention was described as “limited,” but as Iraq’s military struggled to roll back the extrem- ists, the U.S.-led coalition’s footprint in the country steadily grew. “We’ve had a recent change of mission and soon we’ll be sup- porting a different theater of oper- ations in the coming month,” U.S. Army 1st Lt. William John Raymond told the AP at Al-Asad. He spoke as he and a handful of soldiers from his unit conducted equipment inventory checks re- quired before leaving Iraq. Ray- mond declined to specify where his unit was being redeployed, in line with regulations as the information has not yet been made public. The drawdown of U.S. forces comes just three months ahead of national elections in Iraq, where the indefinite presence of Amer- ican troops continues to be a divisive issue. Al-Abadi, who is looking to re- main in office for another term, has long struggled to balance the often competing interests of Iraq’s two key allies: Iran and the United States. While the U.S. has closely backed key Iraqi military victories over ISIS such as the retaking of the city of Mosul, Iraq’s Shiite-led paramili- tary forces with close ties to Iran have called for the withdrawal of U.S. forces. The prime minister has previously stated that Iraq’s mili- tary will need American training for years to come. The Iraq drawdown also follows the release of the Pentagon’s Na- tional Defense Strategy that cited China’s rapidly expanding mili- tary and an increasingly aggressive Russia as the U.S. military’s top na- tional security priorities. “Great power competition, not terrorism, is now the primary focus of U.S. national security,” De- fense Secretary Jim Mattis said last month in remarks outlining the strategy. Iraq declared victory over ISIS in December after more than three years of grueling combat against the extremists in a war Iraqi forces fought with close U.S. support. In 2014, at the height of the Sunni mili- tant group’s power, ISIS controlled nearly a third of Iraqi territory. While ISIS’ self-styled caliphate stretching across Iraq and Syria has crumbled and the militants no longer hold a contiguous stretch of territory, in Iraq, the group continues to pose a security risk, according to Iraqi and American officials. ISIS maintains a “cellular struc- ture” of fighters who carry out attacks in Iraq aimed at disrupting local se- curity, U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. James Glynn told reporters during a Pentagon briefing last month. Glynn pledged continued sup- port for Iraq’s security forces, but acknowledged U.S.-led coalition “ca- pabilities” in Iraq would likely shift now that conventional combat op- erations against the group have largely ceased. There were some 170,000 Amer- ican troops in Iraq in 2007 at the height of the surge of U.S. forces to combat sectarian violence un- leashed by the U.S.-led invasion of the country to oust dictator Saddam Hussein. U.S. troop numbers eventu- ally wound down to 40,000 before the complete withdrawal in 2011. South Africa’s ANC party mulls Jacob Zuma’s fate JOHANNESBURG (AP) – South Afri- ca’s ruling party on Monday faced one of its biggest challenges since the end of white minority rule in 1994, struggling to resolve a lead- ership crisis amid increasing calls for scandal-tainted President Jacob Zuma to resign. Top leaders of the ruling African National Congress met Zuma at his Pretoria residence late Sunday for a discussion that one delegate had said would focus on the “best inter- ests” of the party and the country. However, there was no announce- ment Monday about the results of the meeting, days ahead of a state of the nation address that Zuma is scheduled to deliver in parliament. South Africa’s political opposi- tion has said Zuma is a discred- ited figure who should not deliver the speech on Thursday, and that the occasion should be postponed until the ANC party sorts out its in- ternal conflict. Many ruling party members want Deputy President Cyril Ra- maphosa, who replaced Zuma as party president in December and has talked tough on corruption, to become state president as well so that the party can recover lost pop- ularity ahead of 2019 elections. Critics of Zuma and supporters of the president scuffled outside party headquarters in Johannes- burg on Monday. The ANC, which was the main anti-apartheid movement for de- cades, has led South Africa since the end of white minority rule and drew moral standing from its association with Nelson Mandela, the country’s first black president. However, cor- ruption scandals and mismanage- ment have sapped some support in recent years. The two dozen members of the ruling party’s national working committee were scheduled to meet Monday afternoon to discuss Zuma’s fate, South African media reported. Zuma still commands a loyalist faction, including in his home prov- ince of KwaZulu-Natal, and two of the six ANC leaders who met him on Sunday have publicly backed him. However, many former supporters have abandoned him and commen- tators believe enough ruling party members might join the opposition to oust him in a parliamentary motion of no confidence scheduled on Feb. 22. Ruling party leaders are uncom- fortable with the idea of backing an opposition-sponsored vote against Zuma in parliament, fueling spec- ulation that the ANC will make an internal decision to remove him in the same way that President Thabo Mbeki was ousted in 2008 with less than a year left in his second term. Critics questioned the legality of Mbeki’s removal; the South Af- rican constitution only says par- liament can remove the president through impeachment or a motion of no confidence. Zuma has been embroiled in scandals, including multi-million- dollar upgrades to his private home with state money and his associa- tion with the Guptas, a business family accused of looting state en- terprises and influencing Cab- inet ministers for their own ben- efit. Zuma and the Guptas deny any wrongdoing, though the president paid back some money for the home upgrades after the Constitutional Court ruled against him. U.S. soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division fire artillery in support of Iraqi forces fighting Islamic State militants from their base east of Mosul in April 2017. - PHOTO: AP Members of the African National Congress demonstrate Monday outside the party’s headquarters in downtown Johannesburg, calling for President Jacob Zuma to step down. - PHOTO: AP9 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY FEBRUARY 6, 2018 Artisans Calling all Local Only persons with a valid trade & business licence will be considered. Deadline: 9 February 2018 collateral@caymanislands.ky The Cayman Islands Department of Tourism is looking for local artisans with products available for potential use in our marketing collateral supplies. If you have locally produced artwork or products that you feel are representative of the Cayman Islands, please contact: Tel: 9490623 or e-mail www.caymanislands.ky Tackling New Orleans’ crumbling infrastructure NEW ORLEANS (AP) – When a heavy rain hits New Or- leans, residents move their cars to higher ground for fear of fast-rising street flooding. Knee-deep potholes can eat a car’s fender. When pres- sure drops in the city’s aging water delivery system, res- taurants and cafes have to boil water to feed customers. Battered by nature and neglect, New Orleans is one of the best examples of what President Donald Trump calls the country’s “crum- bling infrastructure.” But when looking at the billion- dollar needs of this 300-year- old city, two things become apparent: The rebuilding task is immense and it’s not clear the president’s new plan will help. The city needs about $11.6 billion to bring key parts of its infrastructure into “this century,” said city official Katie Dignan. That means re- pairing the roads, the infra- structure under them – sewer, water and drainage – as well as other parts of the drainage system that empties the city of water when it rains. Dignan said the city has about $2 billion avail- able, some from FEMA to mitigate Hurricane Katrina damage and some from other sources. Now, the city faces choices on how to come up with the remainder. Mayor Mitch Landrieu, who calls the aging sewer, water and drainage system a “prime ex- ample” of needed infrastruc- ture work, has doubts about Trump’s proposal. Trump called on Congress to produce a bill that gen- erates “at least $1.5 trillion” for infrastructure invest- ment. But he hasn’t detailed how much money the federal government would actually supply and has suggested that much of the money would come from state and local governments or private sector investments. “What the president is re- ally proposing is not HIS in- frastructure plan but basi- cally saying to the states and the cities: ‘Build it on your own and find another way to pay for it through raising taxes or cutting services,’” Landrieu, a Democrat and the current president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, said Thursday. Finding more money is a challenge in a financially strapped Louisiana – and in a city that was facing a major budget deficit when Landrieu took office eight years ago. Landrieu said public-pri- vate partnerships can work on some types of projects where there’s money to pay back the partner, but poorer cities – often those with the biggest infrastructure prob- lems – are going to have a harder time. Forcing cities like New Orleans to pay for the infrastructure means taking money away from other local priorities, such as housing homeless vet- erans, he said. The precariousness of the city’s infrastructure was on full display last August when a massive downpour overwhelmed the pumping system and inundated many neighborhoods. The Broad Theater was still recovering from a pre- vious rainstorm when the August storm hit. Movie- goers evacuated waist-high waters by boat. Manager Michael Domangue lost his car to the flood. The theater closed for seven days and had to refund tickets. “I still feel when we rain, people get worried about coming here,” Domangue said. And this damage all hap- pened within sight of a pumping station that is part of the drainage system. Of the $11.6 billion, an estimated $2 billion is needed for long- term repairs and upgrades to the city’s pumping system, Dignan said, although she cautioned that figure could change. The other $9.6 bil- lion would go toward fixing the roads and the infra- structure under them. That includes a drinking water system plagued by wasteful leaks and occasional power failures and pressure drops that can let contaminants in – requiring residents to boil water. Renee Blanchard owns the Church Alley Coffee Bar. She bought a $3,500 reverse os- mosis water filtration system so that she can still make lattes and cappuccinos when the water pressure drops. Blanchard is frustrated that a small business in a big city has to deal with such expen- sive problems. “That’s ridiculous,” she said. “I’m so small. I work most of the hours. I started off with a tiny bit of savings.” All cities have potholes but the New Orleans streets are in another category. Lo- cals put traffic cones or tires into especially deep potholes to warn other drivers. “If it rains the day be- fore and it’s filled with water, you don’t know the pothole’s there. You could tear up your car, your front end,” Kenny Buras said of his street. Downing Street says UK will not be in customs union with EU Tensions on the rise in May’s government LONDON (AP) – Prime Min- ister Theresa May’s of- fice underscored Monday that Britain will not remain in a customs union with the European Union after the U.K. breaks with the 28-nation bloc. After a weekend of con- flicting statements from gov- ernment officials, a source in May’s office, speaking only on customary condition of ano- nymity, told British media that it is not their policy to be in a customs union. The comment comes as Britain seeks to clarify its position ahead of a new round of talks between Britain and the EU. May’s party has been split between those who want a complete break from the EU and those who want to keep Britain’s economy closely aligned with the bloc and its market of 500 million people. EU negotiator Michel Bar- nier is due to meet British Brexit Secretary David Davis in London on Monday ahead of a new round of talks this week. With only months before Britain is to leave in March 2019, tensions in May’s gov- ernment have been esca- lating as the leadership tries to determine its negoti- ating position. May has been under pressure to take sides in the Conservative Party’s civil war over how close the new relationship with the EU should be. Business leaders have been pleading with May to have close alignment with the EU. Lawmaker Anna Soubry urged May to pay attention, taking to Twitter to urge her to reject the so- called “Hard Brexit” vision es- poused by the European Re- search Group lawmakers, led by Jacob-Rees Mogg, a prom- inent Brexiteer. “It’s deeply unattractive that the only reason they want to leave #Custom- sUnion is to chase unicorn trade deals,” she tweeted. Cape Town pushes possible tap closure on ‘Day Zero’ to May CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) – Cape Town has pushed back “Day Zero” – the date when it might have to turn off most taps because of a long drought – by nearly a month to May 11. Cape Town authori- ties said Monday that the reprieve is due to an an- ticipated decline in ag- ricultural use of water because many farms in Western Cape province, which includes the city, have used up water sup- plies allocated to them. Officials had previously projected “Day Zero” to fall on April 16. Municipal officials, however, say city resi- dents must stick to regu- lations requiring them to use fewer than 13.2 gal- lons per person daily to avoid the tap closure. They say seasonal rainfall ex- pected to start around May is likely to be low. From Cape Town’s el- egant suburbs to its gritty townships, people are working to reduce their water consumption. People restrict how often and how long they shower, wash clothes and flush toi- lets in order to conserve water. Police are guarding some natural springs to avoid any scuffles over ac- cess to the increasingly precious liquid. Cape Town, a top inter- national tourist destina- tion, has both high-income oceanside neighborhoods and sprawling informal settlements. Some say poorer residents are un- fairly blamed as concerns rise over wasting water. About a quarter of Cape Town’s population lives in the informal settlements, where they get water from communal taps instead of individual spigots at home. The 1 million people in Cape Town’s poor town- ships make up 25 per- cent of the city’s 4 mil- lion people yet only use 4.5 percent of the water, say water experts. The use of city drinking water to wash vehicles, hose down paved areas, fill up private swimming pools and water gar- dens is illegal. Residents using too much water will be fined. Some 70 percent of water used in Cape Town is consumed in homes, au- thorities say. Experts have said causes of the city’s water shortages include climate change and huge population growth. The city’s reservoirs have been dried by three straight years of drought. In the seaside town of Scarborough, resident Kelson da Cruz demon- strated the new normal of water rationing, pointing out the bucket beside his shower. Everyone is working to change their habits in order to save water, said da Cruz: “You can’t just take for granted something so precious.” From Cape Town’s elegant suburbs to its gritty townships, people are working to reduce their water consumption. British Prime Minister Theresa May Dwayne Boudreaux, Jr., owner of the Circle Food Store, dumps out dirty water that was vacuumed up from the store, in the aftermath of flooding this past weekend, in New Orleans. – PHOTO: APNext >