ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – THURSDAY AUGUST 2, 2018 High of 90 Low of 78 Slight with wave heights of 2 to 4 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 ONE MAN’S TORTUOUS ROAD TO CAYMAN LOCAL | PAGE 7 CAYMAN FARMERS ANXIOUS ABOUT THE FUTURE From happy beginnings to happy ever after. BritCay provides the best employee benefits and life cover at the best possible price. BRITISH CAYMANIAN INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED BritCay House, 236 Eastern Avenue, George Town, P.O. Box 74, KY1-1102 Tel. 949-8699 www.britcay.ky A member of Colonial Group International Ltd. : insurance, health, pensions, life cgigrp British Caymanian Insurance Agencies Limited acts solely as an agent on behalf of Colonial Medical Insurance Company Limited and Colonial Pension Services Ltd. and it does not act as an insurance broker on behalf of its customers. Call 949-8699 www.britcay.ky Business Protection School report recommends higher standards MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com A report by Cayman’s Office of Educa- tion Standards says that while government elementary schools have made improve- ments in many areas in the past three years, it has not made an impact on overall stu- dent performance. The report follows a year-long series of inspections and assessments of the Cayman Islands government elementary schools. The surveys were a follow-up to school inspec- tions that were done during the 2014-2015 school year. In those inspections, the schools were largely deemed to be doing poorly. In this round, most schools were found to be performing satisfactorily, and officials found numerous improvements in teaching and leadership quality. The report also says that those factors have not translated into better scores when it comes to student testing. However, the most recent Year 6 ex- ternal exams, which were not available when the report was compiled, do show some improvement. “The data is provisional, but it’s gone up about 10 percentage points in math,” said Frank Eade, numeracy specialist for the Min- istry of Education. Mr. Eade said he had not yet seen the re- sults for the English portion of the exams. “Some of the schools are improving signifi- cantly,” he said, adding that the push now will be to see consistent improvement across all elementary schools. Even with those improvements, students are still performing below international stan- dards, said Peter Carpenter, the director of the Office of Educational Standards, who oversaw the annual report. He said schools may need to raise their expectations in order to see sig- nificant improvements in student outcomes. Full-time hunters sought for massive iguana cull Cull will target 6,000 iguanas a day JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A plea has gone out to hunters in Cayman to put themselves forward for a massive, multi- year iguana-culling program. Environment officials es- timate they will need to cull at least 1.4 million iguanas – around 6,000 for every working day – in the first year of the project. They hope the cull can start as early as September and expect it to last several years. The scale of the under- taking is unprecedented and will require at least 60 people to make killing iguanas their full- time profession. The Department of Environ- ment issued a request for in- formation Tuesday, appealing for information from existing culling businesses, as well as ca- sual hunters who took part in previous trial culls. They want to see if those people can expand their busi- nesses or set up new businesses to meet the challenge. The infor- mation will help determine the SPEAKER BUSH BACKS ‘GOVERNOR MANDERSON’ PETITION BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman Islands Speaker of the House McKeeva Bush has thrown his support behind a public petition to install longtime senior civil servant Franz Manderson as Cayman’s full-time governor. A www.change.org petition seeking sup- port for Mr. Manderson, 52, to become the British Overseas Territory’s first Caymanian governor was circulated around the islands last weekend and has collected more than 600 signatures. Speaker Bush said he believed the time is right, given the uncertainty over the appointed U.K. governor at present, for promoting Mr. Manderson, who has held the post of deputy governor in Cayman over the past six years. “I think it’s an excellent move and whoso- ever came up with the idea is certainly a good- thinking person concerned about our future,” Mr. Bush said. “I have always maintained that if a person can carry on the work that an- other person should be doing, then there is no reason not to consider him/her for the sub- stantive post.” Mr. Manderson served as acting governor after former Governor Helen Kilpatrick left the islands in early March. He has also been in the acting governor’s post since the sudden departure of Governor Anwar Choudhury on or about June 12. No word has come from the U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office as to Mr. Choud- hury’s fate. Officials have merely said the 59-year-old Bangladeshi-born British dip- lomat has been “temporarily withdrawn” PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » Officers from the Fire Service, the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service and the Department of Public Safety Communications (911) gather at the waterfront in West Bay Wednesday afternoon to take part in a mock near-shore search and rescue operation. With the help of the police helicopter and a drone, a swimmer ‘in distress’ was located off the shore, enabling the Fire Service lifeboat to pick up the ‘victim’ and bring him back to the West Bay Dock. – PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY Emergency services launch mock rescue exercise2 LOCAL&REGIONAL BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — A judge in Argentina is asking former President Cris- tina Fernandez to testify in an investigation into alleged corruption involving public works contracts. Federal Judge Claudio Bonadio also ordered the arrest Wednesday of at least 10 people, including some former officials who served in Fernandez’s 2007-2015 administra- tion. The suspects are ac- cused of receiving bribes from companies. Fernandez is currently a senator, a post that grants her immunity from prosecution. Fernandez faces several other court actions in sep- arate cases involving al- leged money laundering, possible illegal enrich- ment and fraud. In December, Bonadio asked Argentine lawmakers to remove Fernandez’s immu- nity to allow her arrest on a charge of treason for alleg- edly covering up the role of Iranians in a 1994 bomb at- tack on a Jewish center. THURSDAY AUGUST 2, 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. - THURSDAY - 640-FILM (640-3456) MISSION : IMPOSSIBLE FALLOUT (PG13) 12:30 VIP I 1:00 3D I 3:45 VIP I 4:15 7:00 VIP I 7:30 3D THE EQUALIZER 2 (R) 1:15 I 4:25 I 6:35 I 9:30 HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3 (PG) 1:35 I 6:45 INCREDIBLES 2 (PG) 4:00 I 9:10 BLINDSPOTTING (R) 7:20 I 9:40 MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN (PG13) 1:00 I 3:40 I 7:25 I 10:00 SKYSCRAPER (PG13) 1:50 3D I 4:10 I 10:10 VIP Breast-feeding group honored To mark the annual World Breast-feeding Week, Aug. 1-7, the Health Ser- vices Authority and the Public Health Department held a luncheon in honor of one of breast-feeding’s greatest local supporters, the Cayman Islands Breast- feeding Support Group. “In addition to raising awareness of the im- portance and bene- fits of breast-feeding, we wanted to recognize the individuals who collabo- rate with us to do so each year – the Cayman Islands Breast-feeding Support Group,” said HSA dietician Simone Sheehan. “Each member of this group is a volunteer who is knowledgeable in breast- feeding, and many are lac- tation consultants. This group makes itself readily available in every dis- trict to mothers who need guidance and support, whether through a breast- feeding lesson or the rental or purchase of breast- feeding equipment,” Ms. Sheehan added. To recognize the group’s efforts, the HSA and Public Health treated the vol- unteers to lunch at Ca- sanova Ristorante where they were presented with certificates of apprecia- tion for their many years of support to the practice of breast-feeding. Volunteer Abigail Parch- ment said: “When we offer support to breast-feeding families, we do so because we know how beneficial breast-feeding is, and we have a passion for growing the practice in Cayman. Knowing that our efforts are meaningful fuels that drive to continue to give where we can.” The theme of this year’s World Breast-feeding Week is “Breast-feeding: Founda- tion for Life” – a recognition of the importance of breast- feeding to a baby’s future. For more information on breast-feeding, contact Ms. Sheehan at 244-2655 or simone.sheehan@hsa.ky, or the Cayman Islands Breast-feeding Support Group at cibreast-feeding@gmail.com. Volunteers of the Cayman Islands Breast-feeding Support Group hold up their certificates of appreciation: From left, Marion Slater, Abigail Parchment, Layla Aiken, Annie Mae Roffey, Tracie Myrie and Carlene Alexander-Kay. Miss Cayman contestants to parade across island Beauty contestants par- ticipating in the Aug. 11 Miss Cayman pageant will hit the road on Saturday to drum up support. Starting at 8:30 a.m., the contestants will travel in a motorcade from the RBC parking lot in George Town, along North Church Street to Seven Mile Public Beach, with a stop at the Cayman Turtle Centre for a photo session. The motorcade will then return to George Town where the contestants will pose for photographs in front of the clock tower, the public library, Heroes Square and the Legis- lative Assembly building. The procession then will leave George Town by way of Shedden Road for Bodden Town with a quick stop for lunch at the Grape Tree Cafe. After lunch, the contes- tants will head to the White House restaurant in Bodden Town for photographs be- fore making their way back through South Sound, onto Goring Avenue and back to the RBC parking lot around 3 p.m. The seven women com- peting for the crown and the title at the pageant, which will be held at the Westin hotel, are: Caitlin Tyson, 24, Bodden Town; Gabrielle Watler, 27, West Bay; Josani Schneider, 24, West Bay; Keilen Jackson, 19, Bodden Town; Nateisha Foster, 26, George Town; Tiffany Conolly, 24, West Bay; and Vanessa Douglas, 20, George Town. Miss Cayman pageant contestants take part in a motorcade through George Town in 2016. This year’s motorcade takes place on Saturday. Harvest festival a time of thanksgiving and fellowship North Side Seventh-day Adventist Church recently celebrated harvest festival, an occasion for thanksgiving and community fellowship. A service at the church kicked off the day’s cele- brations, which was fol- lowed by the sale of home- grown ground provisions, a luncheon menu, and a lively yard sale of miscel- laneous clothing and other personal items. “It was truly a community effort … attracting tourist and other visitors from the local community,” as well as members from the wider church fellowship,” said Vaughan Henry, pastor of the North Side church. Sister churches were also invited to join in the day and some played a vital supporting role in this event by supplying tables and chairs and offering invalu- able manpower in the in- stallation of the tent, Pastor Henry said. He explained that the majority of the ground pro- vision was grown and do- nated by members of the North Side church, a re- source supplemented by the wider North Side commu- nity and other family mem- bers and friends. The array of food items included plan- tains, cassava, breadfruit, papayas, mangoes, guineps and much more. Pastor Henry thanked all who contributed, noting in particular the wider commu- nity’s contributions to the yard sale of clothes, shoes and toys for all ages. Proceeds from the sales will go toward North Side community outreach activ- ities, including the opera- tion of a soup kitchen for the district’s residents. The Community Services Depart- ment of the church also do- nates children’s clothing and items such as coloring books to Health City, and regularly visits sick and house-bound individuals throughout the community of North Side. Visitors purchase local foods from the luncheon menu. ARGENTINA EX-PRESIDENT FERNANDEZ ASKED TO TESTIFY Fernandez is currently a senator, a post that grants her immunity from prosecution.3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY AUGUST 2, 2018 Police emails searched over 2009 death investigation ‘ENTOURAGE’ STAR ADRIAN GRENIER TO HEADLINE GREEN CONFERENCE Former “Entourage” actor Adrian Grenier will be the keynote speaker at the Ca- ribbean Transitional Energy Conference, Sept. 13-14 at the Kimpton Seafire Resort. An actor, producer and di- rector, Mr. Grenier is also a U.N. Environmental Goodwill Ambassador and has been active in campaigning to re- duce the use of single-use plastics, particularly those that find their way into the world’s oceans. The conference will also feature talks by Seychelles Ambassador to the United Nations Ronald Jumeau and Kedrick Pickering, deputy premier and minister for Nat- ural Resources and Labour, British Virgin Islands. The conference is geared toward promoting greener living in the Cayman Islands by reducing the country’s carbon footprint. Mr. Grenier is best known for his role as Vincent Chase in the “Entourage” television series and the 2015 movie of the same name. He has also appeared in such films as “The Devil Wears Prada” and this year’s “Affairs of State.” His environmental efforts include helping to launch U.N. Environment’s Clean Seas campaign to end marine plastic pollution, supporting the U.N.’s Wild for Life cam- paign to preserve sawfish and starting his own advo- cacy group, the Lonely Whale Foundation, which promotes empathy for sea life. Tickets and information on the conference are available at www.cteccayman.com. BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Cayman Islands gov- ernment has agreed to in- spect the email accounts of two former Royal Cayman Islands Police officers in connection with an open records request seeking in- formation on a woman’s 2009 traffic death. A Freedom of Information request filed by the Cayman Compass seeks access to a police department internal review done following the in- vestigation into the February 2009 death of 33-year-old Carol Romero. The investigation into Ms. Romero’s death after an auto- pedestrian crash led to drunk driving charges against a 38-year-old suspect, but no one was convicted in con- nection with the death, the newspaper reported in May. Two former RCIPS offi- cers looked into the way the traffic death investigation was handled and presented their report to then-Chief Su- perintendent of Police John Jones. What action was taken in response to that internal report, if any, is not known. The Compass spoke with both former officers. Both ac- knowledged the existence of the internal review, but de- clined to say anything about it. Police said this month that they had questioned Mr. Jones and another former of- ficer about the internal in- vestigation, but that nei- ther former officer had kept copies of the report. Apparently unable to re- trieve copies of its own de- partmental internal review, police were granted access to Mr. Jones and former In- spector Kathy Marshall’s RCIPS email accounts, ac- cording to the police service. As of press time, the Compass has not been in- formed as to whether the in- ternal review document had been located. 2009 crash No criminal conviction was ever recorded in connec- tion with the collision that led to Ms. Romero’s death. Ms. Romero, a Filipino na- tional, died at a Honduras hospital on Feb. 20, 2009, a month after she was struck by a vehicle while crossing Crewe Road on foot. The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service filed drunk driving charges – a traffic of- fense – in connection with the auto-pedestrian crash on Feb. 19, 2009, the day be- fore Ms. Romero’s death, ac- cording to police records ob- tained under the Freedom of Information Law. The DUI charges stated to have been filed in connection with the accident at that time were not reported to the public or the media. A March 10, 2009 news report on Ms. Romero’s death in the Cayman Com- pass stated the driver in- volved in the auto-pedestrian crash “had not been charged at press time.” When the matter went to court later in the year, it was noted during proceedings that the crash victim had since passed and all that had been filed in connection with the case were DUI charges. “It is my understanding that [the DUI suspect] ap- peared before the court … for the DUI and the matter was stood down by the [former] presiding Magis- trate, Ms. Margaret Ramsey- Hale,” wrote RCIPS Chief In- spector Raymond Christian, responding to an earlier open records request on the matter filed by the Compass. DUI charges On Nov. 2, 2009, nearly nine months after Ms. Romero died, the driver charged in the DUI, identi- fied by the RCIPS as Loriann Watler, appeared before the Traffic Court and pleaded guilty to DUI, for which she was fined $300 and disqual- ified from driving for a year. Mr. Christian responded to Compass questions con- cerning why more serious charges in connection with the fatal accident were not filed at that stage. “It is my understanding that the DUI charge was proceeded with, to avoid it becoming statute barred, pending the receipt of the post-mortem report from Honduras, which, apparently, the [RCIPS] Traffic Depart- ment hadn’t received,” the chief inspector wrote. Statute-barred proceed- ings are those where the time limit to pursue such proceed- ings, set under what is usu- ally referred to as a statute of limitations, has expired. The post-mortem exam Mr. Christian referred to in his response was never received by police, it appears. Almost a year after pleading guilty to the DUI charge, police re- cords provided to the Com- pass showed Loriann Watler appeared before the Traffic Court on Oct. 4, 2010, charged with driving a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and causing death. Those charges were filed despite the fact that the examination re- quired from the Honduran doctor was not available. “The [Oct. 4, 2010] matter was adjourned sine die [without a date] because no post-mortem report from the physician who performed the autopsy of [Ms. Romero] was received by the Crown,” Mr. Christian wrote. According to the Cayman Islands Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Lo- riann Watler, the driver in- volved in the fatal crash, died on Feb. 9, 2012. Carol Romero, a Filipino national, died at a Honduras hospital on Feb. 20, 2009, a month after she was struck by a vehicle while crossing Crewe Road on foot. Adrian Grenier Trench work under way on some Cayman Brac roads The Water Authority – Cayman advised that the in- stallation of new 4-inch and 3-inch pipelines along three roads in Cayman Brac be- gins this week. The roadwork will affect West End Road West (west of the intersection with Com- munity Road), James Scott Road and Georgiana Drive. “These planned works are essential to upgrade the water infrastructure in the area and are expected to take approxi- mately six weeks to complete,” the Water Authority noted in a press release. Construction work will occur between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday to Saturday. Traffic signs will be posted in the vicinity and motorists are urged to drive with caution. As a precautionary safety measure, trenches will be backfilled at the end of each working day, according to the Water Authority. “Should the water supply to certain properties have to be temporarily inter- rupted, at least 24 hours’ notice will be provided to the affected customers,” the company said. George Town Police Station. – PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAYThe 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. One man’s tortuous road to Cayman status THURSDAY AUGUST 2, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Regular readers of the Compass may be aware of a story we published a few days ago chronicling the latest accomplishment of ultramarathoner Kerri Kanuga. Ms. Kanuga had just successfully completed a 135-mile run beginning in the Death Valley heat of the California desert. “I didn’t die, which is good,” reported Ms. Kanuga. We agree, and applaud Ms. Kanuga, both for her grit and her generosity. She dedicates her extraordi- nary physical feats to child cancer survivor Hannah Meeson and raises money (more than $40,000 to date) for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation with each of her runs. Congratulations and thank you, Ms. Kanuga. And yet, Ms. Kanuga has an equal in another ultramarathoner, Terrance William Delaney, who must hold the record for endurance in battling the bureaucracy and, in particular, the Cayman Immigration Board. About two weeks ago, on July 20, Mr. Delaney was informed he had finally been awarded the “right to be Caymanian” (aka Cayman status). He is, and deserves to be, our newest citizen (by grant). Mr. Delaney’s saga dates back to the mid-1990s, when he arrived here to practice his trade as a sub- stance abuse counselor. In 2005 he was granted per- manent residence – a welcome event which, unfortu- nately, came with a very high price tag. In years prior, his employer (by law) was respon- sible for paying his annual work permit fees. That responsibility shifts, however, to the individual once he becomes a permanent resident. For Mr. Delaney, the news got worse. Apparently, the Immigration Department had erred when it initially placed Mr. Delaney in the same work permit category as a chartered account, banker or, importantly, medical doctor – with attendant work permit fees of $10,000-$25,000 per year. Counselors pay $3,850. Nevertheless, according to Mr. Delaney, immigra- tion officials refused to recalculate the fees even after the error was brought to their attention. Put another way, Mr. Delaney was being forced to pay a medical doctor’s fee on a substance abuse counsel- or’s income. In 2012, Mr. Delaney applied for Caymanian status, but the board refused to consider his appli- cation, solely, it appears, because of the unresolved dispute over his permit fees. For the next five years, Mr. Delaney remained in legal limbo while his attor- neys sought to have his status application heard on its merits. In November 2017, the case came before the Immigration Appeals Tribunal, which declared in its July 20 letter to Mr. Delaney’s attorneys: “The Tribunal determined grounds of appeal have been made out as the Caymanian Status and Permanent Residency Board acted unreasonably by taking into account irrelevant matters specifically, the outstanding fees in relation to work permits and permanent residency in refusing the appellant’s application for the Right to be Caymanian.” And then the good news: “This appeal is unani- mously allowed and the Right to be Caymanian on the Grounds of Naturalisation is granted to the appellant.” And so, approximately 19 years after Mr. Delaney arrived on Cayman shores, he finally has gotten his due – full recognition and rights that Caymanian status bestows. Reacting to the good news, Mr. Delaney was reflective – certainly not bitter or resentful: “My primary desire, presently,” he said, “is that no one ever goes through a journey like this in the future.” Congratulations, Mr. Delaney. We are delighted you stayed the course. Lesser men, we fear, would not have. Why Detroit must keep making sedans The American car buying public has turned away from sedans to cross- overs, SUVs and pickups, but Detroit would be foolish to severely curtail sedan offerings as planned. In recent years, im- provements in vehicle ma- terials and engine effi- ciency boosted MPG for just about every platform, and the gas-cost penalty of driving car-based SUVs rel- ative to sedans fell. Along with greater visibility and ease for hauling kids and stuff around that gave im- petus to Detroit’s sales of larger offerings. In 2011, automakers got a break on mileage stan- dards – although MPG re- quirements are rising, the Obama administration per- mitted automakers to meet separate standards on a size of platform basis – the bigger the perimeter of the four wheels the lower the MPG target. Add the drop in oil and gas prices from $3.30 in 2008 to $2.25 in 2017 and car sales were only 37 per- cent of total auto sales in 2017, down from 47 percent in 2007. More recently, Ford CEO Jim Hackett decided Ford will phase out virtually all sedans in favor of more gas guzzling SUVs and pickups – Chrysler has already done mostly the same and GM soon to follow. Detroit has had less competition from imports and transplants on those bigger vehicles – the higher tariff on those categorized as trucks helps; hence those command higher prices and yield bigger profits. The average price of a vehicle is about $36, 000, and above $40,000 for Ford even though it sells, for now, a lineup of lower- priced sedans. With the median household income around $60,000 a year, that is simply too expensive for at least one-quarter of fam- ilies, and they will have to continue buying sedans or older used SUVs and trucks. Though facing tough times selling sedans too, foreign competitors con- tinue to invest in those less expensive vehicles, and not all of the domesti- cally branded sedans can- celed will be replaced by new sales of Detroit’s SUVs and light trucks. If Detroit stays on course, it will lose considerable market share to Japanese, Korean and German manufacturers and eventually the Chinese as folks on limited budgets seek their sedans. Lots of young people enter the market buying a sedan and if their experi- ence is favorable, they buy up to SUVs and light trucks within that brand as their incomes and families grow. Ceding the Dodge Dart, Chevy Malibu and Ford Focus market to Toyota and Honda, just about guarantees fewer cus- tomers 10 years from now for Chrysler, Ford and GM SUVs down the road. Look for the Asians to beef up SUV and crossover offerings too and to gain some market share even as they boost their sales more immediately through the sedan market. Investors are placing tougher demands these days on shale producers and although they re- sponded to OPEC and Russia cutting production, America remains a net pe- troleum importer and U.S. gasoline consumption is rising again. Add in the state entropy in Venezuela and U.S. sanctions lim- iting Iranian exports when those become fully effec- tive later this year, and gas prices could rocket to $3.50 a gallon. That is good news for the much awaited plug-in hybrid and all electric revo- lution, but even those tech- nologies are more work- able in lighter sedans than heavier SUVs and pickups. Gas, hybrid or elec- tric, sedans have lower oil price tags, and should oil prices jump, an au- tomaker without sedans could be as out of place as baseball equipment on Super Bowl Sunday. These days more mod- erate sized SUVs and cross- overs may be made on the same platforms as cars but despite what you may have read about flexible manu- facturing, rolling out new sedans would take years once those are gone from Detroit’s lineup. Shifting regulatory re- quirements and competi- tion to incorporate newer technology precludes simply taking old vehicle designs off the shelf. It could take many years to get back into the sedan market with a compet- itive product. Essentially, Jim Hackett and his colleagues at GM and Chrysler are betting the price of gasoline will permanently ease from re- cent highs of about $3 a gallon. To be less po- lite, they are gambling the stockholders’ money on the price of oil. That is an odd preoc- cupation for folks paid to make cars, not speculate. Peter Morici is an economist and business professor at the University of Maryland, and a national columnist. © The Washington Times, LLC. PETER MORICI If Detroit stays on course, it will lose considerable market share to Japanese, Korean and German manufacturers and eventually the Chinese as folks on limited budgets seek their sedans. 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”5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY AUGUST 2, 2018 OCTOBER , The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman www.breastcancerfoundation.ky info@breastcancerfoundation.ky PRINT MEDIA SPONSOR Featuring Special Guest Speaker Shannen D hert THANK YOU TO OUR TITLE SPONSOR Judge gives reasons for anonymizing documents KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com Grand Court Justice Ian Kawaley last week released his reasons for allowing the beneficiaries of a trust in- volved in a legal matter to re- main confidential. Justice Kawaley’s decision stems from an originating summons made by a trustee, seeking directions from the Grand Court in administering a trust – trustees sometimes seek directions from a court when making decisions over complex matters in order to limit their legal liability. In this matter, the trustee also filed a motion to have the beneficiaries of the trust to be anonymous. The trustee argued that the beneficiaries should re- main anonymous to pro- tect their personal safety risks of being associated to a large fortune, and be- cause the grandchildren of the trust’s creators had all been revocably excluded as beneficiaries. “The beneficiaries did not wish these children to be- come aware of their fam- ily’s link to the substantial wealth for fear that it would adversely affect their per- sonal development,” Justice Kawaley wrote. Justice Kawaley granted the trustee’s motion to keep the beneficiaries confiden- tial, and ordered that an ano- nymized version of the orig- inating summons be filed at the court’s public reg- istry of writs. In making his decision, the justice said he weighed the principles of open justice against the rights to privacy. “The [Cayman Islands Constitution’s] public hearing requirement, it seems to me, is not a protection for indi- vidual litigants so much as a general protection for the independence and impar- tiality of court proceedings generally,” he wrote, adding, “However, there is a danger that the countervailing pro- tected rights of privacy will be diminished to an unac- ceptable degree.” In this matter, Justice Kawaley stated that he was satisfied there is no public interest in open justice that outweighs the countervailing interests of protecting the welfare of minor beneficiaries and protecting the private lives of adult beneficiaries. The justice added that a jurisdiction like Cayman, which promotes the trust business, may give more im- portance to confidentiality than other jurisdictions. “Where an offshore ju- risdiction promotes the es- tablishment of trusts as an effective mechanism for le- gitimately conserving and protecting settlors’ wealth, the host courts must, to my mind, be at least sympa- thetic to confidentiality ap- plications such as the one made in the present case,” he stated, adding, “The public interest in the Cayman Is- lands on confidentiality ap- plications may, in terms of an initial knee-jerk judicial response at least, be some- what less cynical about con- fidentiality than might be the case elsewhere.” Justice Kawaley also pro- vided principles for when confidentiality should be provided for trust proceed- ings, including that the trust should be compliant with anti-money laundering rules and other regulations, should not be subject to a law en- forcement investigation, and should not on its face be operated in an “eyebrow- raising manner.” “The needs for transpar- ency will be strongest where persons linked to the trust are subject to tax or regu- latory proceedings, or the sources and ‘concealment’ of their wealth are matters which are already the subject of media scrutiny,” he stated. “In such cases, there will be an obvious risk that the granting of a confidentiality order will have the effect of this Court providing (or ap- pearing to provide) a cloak for impropriety.” Several robberies, assaults reported in past week BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Royal Cayman Is- lands Police Service has reported another string of robberies and assaults within the past week, the latest occurring at a George Town gas station early Wednesday morning. Police said a man wearing black broke through a glass door at the Esso station on North Church Street around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday. The suspect entered the gas station holding what appeared to be a firearm and took a cash register before running away. No shots were fired and no one was hurt. Police confirmed Esso employees were inside the store when the rob- bery occurred. The incident is the third robbery or attempted robbery to happen since last Thursday. Meanwhile, police were investigating an as- sault Tuesday evening in the eastern districts where a man was reportedly stabbed by a bicycle rider. Officers said a man was standing outside a home on Sea View Road in East End when another man he knew rode up on a bicycle and stabbed him. The suspect has not been found. The stabbing victim was taken to the hospital in stable condition. Two other incidents re- ported Thursday and Sat- urday also involved as- saults and robberies or attempted robberies. The attempted robbery occurred early Saturday on Portland Road near North Sound Road when a man was jumped and struck in the head by two rob- bery suspects. The victim told police he was threat- ened with a knife, but that he managed to escape the scene before the suspects took anything. The victim was found by police knocking on the door of a nearby residence trying to get help. No arrests were immediately reported. The Saturday morning attack occurred just more than 48 hours after a rob- bery on South Church Street, George Town where a man riding a bicycle home was robbed by three suspects. Police said the robbers hid behind a construction container on South Church Street near Thompson Way and struck the victim on the back of the head, causing him to fall off his bike. One of the robbery sus- pects, threatened the man riding the bike with a knife and took a number of personal items from the victim, police said. The Grand Court addressed the reasoning for keeping beneficiaries of a trust private. The victim told police he was threatened with a knife.The islands’ most-trusted news source 6 Community CALENDAR ■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR is published TUESDAYS and THURSDAYS. It is available to charitable or nonprofit organizations. Items should be submitted at least three working days before publication. Information must include name of sender, signature and contact number. ■ Items may be faxed to 949-2662, brought to the Cayman Compass office on Shedden Rd. or emailed to cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com at least three days in advance of publication. THURSDAY AUGUST 2, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS SATURDAY, AUGUST 4 BEACH CLEANUP: 8 a.m. at Beach Bay in Savannah, organized by Plastic Free Cayman. All are invited to help. SUNDAY, AUGUST 5 JAMAICAN INDEPENDENCE: All are invited to celebrate the 56th anniversary of Jamaica’s independence with a service at St. George’s Anglican Church, 8 a.m. Courts Road, off Eastern Avenue. ADULT OPEN STUDIO: Available to those who want to work independently in an inspiring atmosphere 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Watler House Studio, Pedro St. James. Fee is $5/$15. Ceramics, $15 per person for members/$25 per person for non- members. Includes use of studio, glazes, and ceramic tools. Clay available $30 per bag/fee for kiln usage. To register, email ceramics@ visualartcayman.com or info@visualartcayman.com or call 546-9422. SATURDAY, AUGUST 11 BACK TO SCHOOL FAIR: Students from George Town South and George Town West constituencies attending government primary schools are invited to the South Sound Community Centre 4-6 p.m. Activities will include marble games, rope skipping, musical chairs and competitions. Refreshments will be provided. FRIDAY, AUGUST 17 SCHOOL HEALTH SCREENINGS: All students entering government or private schools for the first time are required to have health screenings before the new school year. Today is the last day for screenings at the John Gray High School Medical Centre. Screenings continue at the Public Health Department, Cayman Islands Hospital, Aug. 20-31. Completed forms from private physicians should be submitted to the Public Health Department, Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For screenings in Cayman Brac, call the Public Health Nurse on 948-2243. FRIDAY, AUGUST 24 LIQUOR LICENSE HOLDERS: License holders, including those with music and dancing licenses, are reminded that today is the deadline for applications. The Annual Liquor License Meeting is Sept. 13. SUMMER CAMPS TRADITIONAL CAYMAN COOKING: Wednesdays and Fridays, 2-4 p.m. until Aug. 31. Ages 7-12. $15 per class. Contact the National Trust on 749-1121. BRAC SPORTS: Football, Aug. 5–10, 8:30 a.m. to noon, Cayman Brac Sports Complex. For more information, contact harold. sanford@gov.ky. KIDSABILITY: A variety of programs for various ages, with activities from school readiness to bike riding. Contact www.kidsability.ky. GENERAL INTEREST STUFF THE BUS: School supply drive to benefit students assisted by Department of Children and Family Services, Needs Assessment Unit, Crisis Centre and Boys and Girls Homes. Supplies can be dropped off at donation boxes located at Caribbean Alliance Office at 203 Alissta Towers, Cost-U-Less or Hurley’s Media in Camana Bay or can be handed directly to event organizers and charity group representatives that will be hosting live drive events at various locations on the island on Aug. 4, 11 and 18. For more information or to organize a mini- collection, visit Facebook @StuffTheBusCayman or call Caribbean Alliance on 949-9744. PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION: For students 10 to 14. Photos need to creatively demonstrate sun safety (hats, sunglasses, sunscreen) while having fun. It could be at the beach, soccer field, in town, anywhere outside, doing anything fun. Email photo – one per person – to fununderthesun2018@ gmail.com. The best five will win prizes. Competition runs until Aug. 31. Organized by the Cayman Islands Cancer Society. NEW THRIFT SHOP: One Dog At A Time has launched its “New To You” Thrift Shop. The store is open every Saturday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. plus every Wednesday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. throughout the summer. The shop is at Unit 26 at the warehouses on Bodden Road, which run down the side of Kirk Home Store to the old screen print place. NEW LICENSE PLATES: The Department of Vehicle and Drivers’ Licensing has uploaded its list of new electronic license plates that are ready for collection. An additional 1,200 plates are now ready to be picked up from the DVDL office on Crewe Road. Vehicles owners are reminded that they must bring in the temporary/old plates, the windshield tag, as well as their logbook. The list can be viewed on the department’s website at www.dvdl.gov.ky. EARLY CHILDHOOD FEES: The Ministry of Education provides financial assistance for Caymanian children between 3 and 4 years of age before Sept. 1, 2018, to assist with fees at an early childhood center between September and June 30. Application forms can be downloaded from www.education.gov. ky or collected from the Government Administration Building, the Department of Education Services and all early childhood centers. Contact Renee Barnes at 244-5735, Turnette Stewart at 244-5724 or email ecap@gov.ky. 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. 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. FARMERS ARTISAN MARKET: Noon to 7 p.m. Wednesdays. Visual Arts Society artists sell arts, crafts, paintings, prints, hand-crafted jewelry, ceramics and more at the VAS tents by KARoo Restaurant. For more information or to inquire about table space, email info@visualartcayman.com. ART OPEN CANVAS: At KARoo Restaurant in Camana Bay, Wednesdays 7-11 p.m. Artists of all levels are welcome to come and enjoy painting and socializing with other artists. Includes use of easels, lights, space, beverage ticket. No fee. For more information, contact info@visualartcayman.com or jar.was@gmail.com. CLUBS, ORGANIZATIONS ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS: Meets daily to help with drinking problems. Call 926-9044 or visit www.caymanaa.org. NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS: Is available for substance abuse help. Call the info line at 929–NANA (6262). AL-ANON GROUP MEETING: Are you troubled by someone’s drinking? Al-Anon Family Groups can help. Call 928-8843 or email caymanalanon@gmail.com for meeting times. OVERCOMERS OUTREACH: A Christ-centered 12-step recovery group addresses addictions and those affected by them. Meetings at Cayman Islands Baptist Church, Pedro Castle Road, Tuesdays, 7:15 p.m. For details, contact Vanessa Gilman at 946-2422, or visit www.overcomersoutreach.org. DEMENTIA/ALZHEIMER’S SUPPORT GROUP: This group meets on the last Wednesday of each month at ADACI’s office, 4th floor, Cardinall Plaza, 30 Cardinall Ave., George Town. All are invited to attend. Call 924-4170 or email info@adacyman.com. GRAND CAYMAN TOASTMASTERS: Club meets each Thursday 6-7:15 p.m. on 3rd Floor, George Town Public Library. Visitors and guests welcome. The local contact is George R. Ebanks, 322-9369 or Grand Cayman Toastmasters club on Facebook. Email info@ toastmastersclub2686.org. ROTARACT BLUE OF CAYMAN: Meets Wednesdays 6 p.m., at Royal Palms Beach Club, West Bay Road. Contact rotaractblue@gmail.com or www.rotaractblue.org. LEO CLUB OF GRAND CAYMAN: Meets first and third Wednesdays of the month, 6:30 p.m. at the Lions Community Centre. For more information, contact Secretary Letisha Allen at 924-2819. THE LIONS CLUB OF GRAND CAYMAN: Meets every first and third Thursday 7:30 p.m. at the Lions Community Centre. Email lionsclubgcm@hotmail.com. THE LIONS CLUB OF TROPICAL GARDENS: Meet every first and third Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Elizabethan Square (corner unit). Members of the public are invited to attend. ROTARY CLUB OF GRAND CAYMAN SUNRISE: Service club meetings 7 a.m. every Wednesday at George Town Yacht Club, 612 North Sound Road. Visit www.rotarysunrise.ky or contact info@rotarysunrise.ky. KIWANIS CLUB OF GRAND CAYMAN: Meets first and third Wednesdays of the month, 12:30 p.m., at The Wharf Restaurant. Projects include promoting well- being of children in the community and schools. Email president@kiwanis.ky or view www.kiwanis.ky. OPTIMIST CLUB: Meets first and third Thursdays at the Hibiscus Conference Room, Cayman Islands Hospital at 6:30 p.m. Learn more at www.optimistcayman.com. PARENT AND TODDLER PLAY GROUP: For children from 2 weeks to 4 years. Meets Mondays 9:30-11:30 a.m. in the South Sound Community Centre. Children must be accompanied by parent or helper. Toys, activities, light refreshments provided. $6 per session per family. Email sspg@foxwood.ky. HEARTS THROUGH HANDS: Meets Wednesdays 9:30 a.m. to noon at The Family Life Centre, Room 10, Academy Way. Women make crafts for charity and missions. Call 946–3067 or 947–1863. THE WOMEN’S HEALTH CENTRE: Breast-feeding Clinics every Thursday 10 a.m. to noon in the Women’s Health Centre. No appointments, no fees. Phone 244–2649. CAYMAN BRIDGE CLUB: Meets Tuesdays 7 p.m. at Comfort Suites, West Bay Road; Fridays, 9 a.m. at the Rugby Club. For further information, contact Helen Haines at 947-3217 or Alex Wood at 947-3693. BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL WOMEN’S CLUB: Meets third Wednesday of every month, Governors Square Boardroom at 5:30 p.m. Visit www.facebook.com/ BPWGrandCayman. BREASTFEEDING SUPPORT GROUP: MothertoMother meetings first Tuesday of every month, 3-4 p.m. outside Women’s Health Centre at the Cayman Islands Hospital. Children welcome. Contact Women’s Health Centre at 244-2649. LIFE UNDERWRITERS ASSOCIATION: Meeting luncheons held on last Thursday of each month. For more Community Calendar events, visit www.caymancompass.com/events. Young donors help to ‘stuff the bus’ at last year’s school supplies drive. The Stuff the Bus drive kicks off at Buy Smart in Galleria Plaza on West Bay Road, from noon until 2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 4.7 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY AUGUST 2, 2018 Cayman farmers anxious about the future MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com It took a lot of years for Gary Rankin to come around to appreciating Cayman Is- lands farming. As a kid, he did not re- ally look forward to the early mornings in the fields. “We used to go out and pick callaloo and sell it to Buy-Rite before school,” said Mr. Rankin, 47. “We’d go out at 4:30 or 5 and do a quick pick.” His siblings, helped by some farm hands, would har- vest up to 150 pounds be- fore grabbing their books and heading to school. Mr. Rankin spent his adult life pursuing different work. As general manager of Para- mount Group, he’s focused on carpet, tile and other flooring and building materials. But when his father, Kent “Biggie” Rankin, died in 2016, Gary had to make a decision: keep or sell the family farm near Bodden Town. Not only did Mr. Rankin keep the farm, these days he cannot wait to walk the fields and check in on the livestock. “The hustle and bustle I’ve left in town,” he said, strolling through some of the 62 acres where drip ir- rigation lines feed potatoes, eggplant, okra and a host of other vegetables. “I would like to get better management at Paramount and do this full time.” Mr. Rankin’s attitude change toward local agri- culture is not unique. Over the past decade, those in the business say more local markets have opened to lo- cally grown produce and meat. Nevertheless, many worry that a lack of interest on the part of younger gen- erations may point to a troubling future. “In the ‘90s and early 2000s, the consumer prefer- ence was very much for any- thing that was imported,” said Brian Crichlow, assis- tant director for the Depart- ment of Agriculture. “That has significantly shifted in the last 10 years.” Cayman supermarkets are purchasing more local meat and produce. There are even special sections in some stores for the local products. Island restaurants are also buying more from local growers. “That’s where the farmers are doing well, is in the res- taurants,” Mr. Crichlow said. “Chefs have a much greater appreciation for buying fresher produce.” George Smith is a cattle farmer and head of the Cayman Islands Agricultural Society. He said retailers are much more open these days to buying from local farmers. “Before, you couldn’t get the markets to take the local beef,” Mr. Smith said. “Now they can’t keep it on the shelf.” Consumers, he said, ap- preciate the fact that local beef is hormone free and not fed antibiotics – a state- ment verified by Mr. Crichlow – creating an alternative to much of the commercial beef from the United States. But despite the changes and the increase in opportu- nity, farming in Cayman is no easy business. Fertile land is not easy to come by and some is being gobbled up by development. Water is scarce and often too brackish for growing certain plants. Pests, from insects to iguanas, are a constant problem. And, some say, the weather patterns in recent years have shifted, making it harder to rely on traditional crops. Challenges for farmers Willie Ebanks, one of the older generation of farmers on Grand Cayman, is known for his more than 70 varieties of mango. He grows other crops as well on the 50-plus acres he cultivates on North Side. And he is one of two major hog farmers on the is- land. “Every time you turn around, there’s a different in- sect,” said Mr. Ebanks, adding that parrots and iguanas present a constant battle. “Everything is an extra expense.” Those expenses are hard to keep up with. “Most of the active farmers are going down the drain,” Mr. Ebanks said. “We’ve all seen our best days.” He also worries that there seems to be little interest among younger people for getting involved in agricul- ture. His own son, Jeff, 41, has worked the farm all his life and plans to continue. But he’s not sure if any of his children will. “My youngest son says he wants to farm, but he’s only 7,” Jeff Ebanks said. He said he would like to see more support from the government for farmers. Cur- rently, he said, he benefits from subsidized feed for livestock that has been at a set price since “the devil was a boy” and reduced prices for pesticides. But he believes more needs to be done, even just in moni- toring the industry. Currently, there is no ac- counting system for assessing the amount of produce grown in the Cayman Islands. “In terms of the numbers of what is being produced, they don’t have a clue,” Mr. Ebanks said, adding that his family knows down to the pound and day the number of mangoes and other crops they market. Mr. Crichlow said the government is currently considering some policies that would address better tracking of produce grown on the island. As far as live- stock, he said, good data on livestock populations is available through a twice-a- year survey by the Depart- ment of Agriculture, tracking numbers through the gov- ernment-run abattoir and health department records of private slaughtering. That data shows that, aside from poultry, numbers are down. In the last 10 years, cattle numbers have dropped 48 percent, from 2,520 in 2008 to 1,300 in 2017. The pig population declined from 932 in 2008 to a low of 649 in 2012, but has rebounded since, reaching 922 in 2017. And goats, after a surge in 2008, dropped from 2,171 to 1,360 in the last decade, a 37-percent decline. Poultry, on the other hand, has boomed in relative terms, particularly when it comes to laying hens. The number of chicks sold to farmers by the Department of Agriculture has quadrupled in the past 10 years. Field data, which has only been collected since 2012, shows the number of registered poultry farmers grew from 84 that year to 142 in 2017. Laying hens went from 5,306 to 12,514, a 136-percent jump. The Agricultural Society’s Mr. Smith says it would be helpful if farmers here ben- efited from the kind of sup- port farmers elsewhere often enjoy. “In other countries, it’s not just subsidies, there are in- centives,” Mr. Smith said. “If [farmers] have a large plot of land and they’re not farming, they don’t get a tax break.” When there are bumper crops, governments buy the surplus, he said, to keep prices stable and “so the farmer doesn’t stop farming.” Younger farmers needed Such support will not matter much, however, if the younger generation does not take an interest in keeping agriculture alive in Cayman. Paramount’s Mr. Rankin said he thinks more needs to be done to sell the idea. “The children are not being educated about the im- portance of local farming, and the benefits,” Mr. Rankin said. “The younger generation is losing focus on some of the things Cayman was built on. You have to know where you’re coming from to know where you’re going.” But, he is optimistic that the industry will survive. “It will never die out,” he said. “It won’t disappear. It’s going to get smarter. But there’s only so much you can do because of the size of the population. For the farmers that do remain, I do see growth and expansion.” Smarter farming is what Davy Ebanks has invested in. Unlike some of the multi- generational farms, he be- came a grower only recently, establishing Cayman Ver- tigro in 2012. Mr. Ebanks, 61, grows much of his pro- duce in stacked pots in a greenhouse, using a special potting medium. “You’re getting 20 plants in the same area as one plant,” he said. The green- houses are surrounded by a foot-high fence made of metal roofing material, which he says is 99-percent effective in keeping the iguanas out. “I’ve always liked growing stuff,” said Mr. Ebanks, who managed one of the island’s golf courses for 26 years. “It’s in my blood.” He markets much of his produce – bell peppers, let- tuce, herbs and more – to local restaurants and mar- kets. That market has been profitable, but he worries about larger entities poten- tially pushing him and other smaller farmers out. “There seems to be a drastic increase in commer- cial farming in Cayman in the last year,” he said. “A lot of foreign entities seem to think it’s an easy thing. I wish them luck. It’s not as easy as people make it out to be.” Still, he said, if large foreign companies begin buying up farmland for commercial production, it would radically change the face of local agriculture. “That’s the biggest fear of every farmer in Cayman,” he said. Jeff Ebanks said he wor- ries more about the weather and whether this year’s crop – mangoes had a dismal early season – will pay the bills. As tough as it sometimes is, he does not see an alternative. “I’m in so deep now, I can’t get out,” he said. He would like more people to recognize the im- portance of maintaining a healthy agriculture industry on Cayman, he said. Recog- nizing that the islands do not have the resources to be self-sustaining, it’s still im- portant, he said, to have lo- cally produced food, partic- ularly in cases when there might be an emergency or a sudden food shortage from foreign sources. He’d also like people to appreciate what he does. “It for sure is a very honest living,” he said. “You have to eat. You can go without a pair of shoes for a week. Try not eating for a week. “Without a farm, my friend,” he added, “there wouldn’t be anything else.” Goats are among the livestock Jeff Ebanks and his family raise on their farm on Grand Cayman’s North Side. - PHOTOS: MARK MUCKENFUSS Farmer Gary Rankin says the Department of Agriculture has been helpful in providing advice on how best to operate his greenhouses. Davy Ebanks uses a vertical growing system in his greenhouse operation at Cayman Vertigro.The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 THURSDAY AUGUST 2, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS optimum strategy ahead of a formal request for proposals with multiple culling firms likely to be contracted by gov- ernment to meet set monthly and annual targets in an on- going eradication effort. Gina Ebanks-Petrie, di- rector of the Department of Environment, acknowledged that the $1.1 million per year currently budgeted for tack- ling the invasive species in 2018 and 2019 was unlikely to be enough. She said those funds could be used to get the program started but the department will likely need to seek supplementary funding from the Environmental Pro- tection Fund to maintain it. Timing is critical because of the explosive population growth of the species. At the last population count, con- ducted in August 2018, re- searchers estimated the green iguana population at 1.1 million. Based on previous growth rates, they expect to find that figure has swelled to around 2 million, when they repeat the exercise this month. Unchecked, the green iguana population threatens to reach 4.6 million by 2020, something that environment officials believe would be a disaster for the ecosystem. The request for infor- mation is essentially a fact- finding mission to establish what capacity exists locally to address the problem and what price point will be suf- ficient to entice hunters to scale up and become full- time cullers. “There is a substantial op- portunity here for some of the existing companies that cull for the private sector to ramp up their capacity,” Ms. Ebanks-Petrie said. If sufficient cullers cannot be found in the Cayman Is- lands or businesses cannot increase their staffing levels to the required amount, she acknowledged that the de- partment may have to look overseas for a solution. She said developing an iguana-culling depart- ment – similar to the Mos- quito Research and Control Unit – would be an abso- lute last resort. “Our approach is to use private sector capacity,” she said. “We already know there are people out there culling iguanas. We want them to take this on for us. We don’t want to have to create a new unit unless it becomes obvious there is no other way to do it.” Over the last two years, the department has piloted various methods of culling iguanas. The most suc- cessful involved deploying 29 hunters in a seven-day blitz in 2016 that yielded more than 14,000 iguanas. That project involved a mix of pri- vate culling firms and ca- sual hunters who were paid a $5-a-head bounty. Tim Austin, deputy di- rector of the Department of Environment, said the problem was now so large it would require at least that kind of intense ef- fort year round just to keep up with the rate of popu- lation growth. He said he hoped those in- volved in the previous trials would be willing to seize the opportunity to scale up. He acknowledged that they may need to import labor to put enough cullers in the field to deal with the job. Ultimately, the Department of Environ- ment hopes to leave the details of how the firms are organized and how the iguanas are culled to the businesses themselves. As it stands, the culled iguanas would have to be dis- posed of at the landfill site. To respond to the request for information, visit cayman. bonfirehub.com. from the job pending the outcome of an unspecified investigation. Opposition reaction Not all Cayman Islands lawmakers have taken such a rosy view of the pro- posal contained in the Change.org petition. “I most certainly do not want in any respect to convey the impression that Mr. Manderson is not a ca- pable and competent leader,” Deputy Opposition Leader Alva Suckoo said Wednesday. “However, this move would compel Mr. Manderson, or any other Caymanian chosen for the role, to abandon his loyalty to this country and instead assume a role that would require him to put the interests of the United Kingdom ahead of the Cayman Islands.” Moreover, Mr. Suckoo said the petition seems to make the supposition that Mr. Choudhury will be perma- nently removed from Cayman, and seems to support a move toward Caymanian indepen- dence from the U.K. “I suggest that those who are pushing this petition, in- cluding the Hon. Speaker who has been actively solic- iting support for the petition, let the country know exactly what the motive is behind this petition,” Mr. Suckoo said. “I am very concerned that those who should know better are promoting this im- possible idea as a plausible solution for replacing … Gov- ernor Choudhury.” Mr. Bush fired back, stating petition opponents would “find a reason” not to support it “unless it’s them or their crony” selected to be governor. Constitution Cayman’s constitution al- lows the U.K.-appointed gov- ernor to quash legislation passed by the Cayman Is- lands Legislative Assembly if it is found contrary to the in- terests of Her Majesty’s gov- ernment. Any appointment to the governor’s post would be made by Her Majesty, the Queen of England acting upon recommendation of the U.K. Foreign and Common- wealth Office. Although the petition has generated significant discus- sion on social media sites, there is no indication from Mr. Manderson that such an appointment would be ac- cepted even if it were offered. He has not commented on Cayman Compass questions regarding the matter. In practice, there could be several problems with ap- pointing a Caymanian gov- ernor, not the least of which that other U.K. territories might then demand that their own residents be ap- pointed to their respective governor posts. Also, the Cayman Is- lands elected government is seeking to obtain a number of changes to the 2009 Consti- tution Order, largely aiming to lessen the U.K.’s ability to legislate for its overseas ter- ritory. Those changes also in- clude proposals to reduce the powers held by the U.K.-ap- pointed governor. Schools were rated on their progress in meeting recommendations from the 2014-2015 inspections. Two schools, Red Bay and West End primary schools, were found to have made good progress in the past three years. George Town and Sir John A. Cumber primary schools were assessed as making weak progress. All other schools were said to have made satisfac- tory progress. Half of the teaching that assessors observed was rated as satisfactory. They found 15 percent of in- struction was weak, while 35 percent was good or ex- cellent. Leadership was im- proved at most schools, with significant restruc- turing of the hierarchy to include mentors and co- ordinators for each sub- ject area. Additional re- sources were also devoted to teacher training. The re- port also noted that there are adequate resources in terms of staff and classroom tools. “We have to be more de- manding of what we ex- pect of our students,” Mr. Carpenter said. Assessment tests are given throughout a child’s school career, with a run- ning range of levels that go from 1 to 7. Year 6 instruc- tion is targeted for students to achieve a minimum Level 4C score. The standard in the United Kingdom, was changed in 2013, to a higher mark of 4A. “We have to make sure the standards we expect are aligned to what is the expected level around the world,” Mr. Carpenter said. Teaching, he said, should be the foremost consideration. “The key driver is the quality of teaching,” he said, adding that while it needs to be good, “It’s still broadly satisfactory.” A major hole in the cur- riculum is incorporating computer work into stu- dents’ lives, the report says. “There were too few op- portunities for students to use [information and com- munications technology] across the curriculum,” the report says. “Students do not use ICT frequently enough to research or sup- port their independent learning tasks. There is limited evidence of a com- puting curriculum in place to match international best practice.” Mr. Carpenter said while his team observed students in computer labs, “that wouldn’t be trans- lated to the home room. I saw laptops in place. They were available, just not used. Ordinarily, you’d be seeing students using that.” The Ministry of Educa- tion revamped the curric- ulum in English and math- ematics in recent years and has plans to revise the cur- riculum for science and social studies this year. The report, however, rec- ommends against a piece- meal approach. “The curriculum requires a holistic review,” Mr. Car- penter said. “You’ve got to revise the whole thing. I’ve shared this with the department and they’ve been responsive.” He believes the cur- riculum needs to set higher standards. “What the ministry is doing well,” he said, “is de- veloping remedial programs for students who are strug- gling.” The same emphasis needs to be given to ad- vanced students. “There aren’t enough dif- ferentiated tasks to help the students who could be achieving at these higher levels,” he said, referring back to the Year 6 exams. “We have not got as many Level 5s.” The full report is available online at: www.esau.gov.ky/portal/pls/ portal/docs/1/12682483.PDF. Full-time hunters sought for massive iguana cull CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 School report recommends higher standards CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Speaker Bush backs ‘Governor Manderson’ petition Acting Governor Franz MandersonSpeaker of the House McKeeva Bush Japan vows to rescue journalist held in Syria TOKYO (AP) – Japan’s gov- ernment said Wednesday it’s doing its utmost for the rescue of a Japanese jour- nalist believed to be held in Syria after a video of a man appearing to be him was posted on the internet. Freelance journalist Jumpei Yasuda was last heard from in Syria in June 2015. Chief Cabinet Spokesman Yoshihide Suga told a regular news conference that he be- lieved the man in the video was Yasuda. Suga refused to give further details about the rescue efforts. “The biggest responsi- bility for the government is to protect the safety of Jap- anese nationals,” he said. “We are pursuing our ut- most effort (for his rescue) through various informa- tion networks.” The man in the video re- leased Tuesday said he was in harsh environment and needed an immediate rescue. The bearded man spoke in Japanese but said he’s a Ko- rean named “Umaru.” He cited the date as July 25, 2018, in the 20-second footage appar- ently filmed outdoors. Several videos showing a man believed to be Yasuda have been also released in the past year. Yasuda started reporting on the Middle East in early 2000s. He was taken hostage in Iraq in 2004 with three other Japanese, but was freed after Islamic clerics negotiated his release. His most recent trip to Syria was in 2015 to report on his journalist friend Kenji Goto, who was taken hos- tage and killed by the Is- lamic State group. Contact was lost with Ya- suda after a message to an- other Japanese freelancer on June 23, 2015. In his last tweet two days earlier, Ya- suda said his reporting was often obstructed and that he would stop tweeting his whereabouts and activities. In practice, there could be several problems with appointing a Caymanian governor.The islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY AUGUST 2, 2018 Myanmar floods: 12 dead, 132k forced from homes A report says flooding in Myanmar has killed 12 people and forced more than 132,000 others to take shelter at nearly 300 temporary camps. The highest death toll was in Bago region, north of Yangon, where four people died and more than 94,000 others took refuge in 186 camps. Presumed American remains from Korean War head home All survive crash of Mexican jetliner, some walk from wreck DURANGO, Mexico (AP) – Pas- sengers and officials say a strong burst of wind hit an Aeromexico jetliner on takeoff, moments before it crashed, leaving those aboard with mere minutes to evac- uate the burning plane. The plane tried to take off from Durango city in a severe storm Tuesday, but smacked down on its belly in a nearby field. With the engines torn off, it began to burn. “It was really, really ugly,” said Lorenzo Nunez, a pas- senger from Chicago who fled the plane with his two sons and wife. “It burned in a question of seconds,” he told reporters, snapping his fin- gers for emphasis. Survivors said the Em- braer 190 plane burst into flames right after it hit the ground. “We felt the flames coming quickly … there was a lot of smoke,” Jaquelin Flores told the newspaper El Sol. Romulo Campuzano, head of a political party in Du- rango state who was on the plane, told Foro TV that both wings were on fire as he bolted from the aircraft. Durango state Gov. Jose Aispuro said a gust of wind hit flight AM2431, which was heading to Mexico City just as it was lifting off the tarmac, forcing the pilot to abort takeoff. Passengers said they heard a loud noise as the plane’s left wing banged to the ground, and both engines tore loose. The plane stayed upright, though, and the es- cape slides activated. All 99 passengers and four crewmembers made it off the plane, but the pilot was severely injured. About 49 people were hospitalized with inju- ries. Some people had burns on a quarter of their bodies, said Durango state Health Ministry spokesman Fernando Ros. Aispuro said all were ex- pected to live. An Illinois priest was on the plane. The Roman Cath- olic Archdiocese of Chicago said the Rev. Esequiel San- chez suffered some injuries, but was alert and resting. Aispuro said it was too soon to speculate on the cause of the crash. Mechan- ical failure and human error could be factors, but cer- tainly the weather was not favorable. Strong wind and heavy rain with marble- sized hail lashed Durango city, even damaging hangars at the airport. “The most important thing in the seriousness that is an accident of this nature is that there were no deaths – that’s what is most encour- aging for us,” Aispuro said at a news conference. After the accident, sev- eral passengers walked away from the plane before first responders arrived. Some sought medical help, while others rushed home to loved ones. Officials spent much of the afternoon tracking down survivors to ensure that ev- eryone was accounted for. Aeromexico Chief Execu- tive Officer Andres Conesa described the day as “very difficult” and credited the timely reaction of crew and passengers for the lack of fatalities. Conesa said the passen- gers included 88 adults, nine children and two babies and the crew consisted of two flight attendants and two pi- lots. He said the jetliner had been sent for maintenance in February and the crew was well-rested, having started their work day in Durango. PYEONGTAEK, South Korea (AP) – Decades after the end of the Korean War in 1953, the remains of dozens of pre- sumed U.S. war dead were on their way Wednesday to Hawaii for analysis and identification. The U.S. mili- tary believes the bones are those of U.S. servicemen and potentially servicemen from other United Nations member countries who fought alongside the U.S. on behalf of South Korea during the war. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and the commander of U.S. forces in Asia, Adm. Phil Davidson, were expected to speak at a ceremony marking the arrival of the remains on U.S. soil and the beginning of a long process to iden- tify the bones. North Korea handed over the remains last week. A U.S. military plane made a rare trip into North Korea to re- trieve the 55 cases. About 7,700 U.S. soldiers are listed as missing from the 1950-53 Korean War and about 5,300 of the re- mains are believed to still be in North Korea. Hanwell Kaakima- ka’s uncle, John Kaaki- maka, is among those who never came home. “We’ve been watching the news, and we’ve been hopeful that my uncle is among the remains,” he said. It could bring his family some clo- sure, he said. His uncle, who was from Honolulu, was a corporal in the 31st Infantry Regiment of the Army’s 7th Infantry Divi- sion. He went missing on or about Dec. 2, 1950. The Kaakimaka family provided DNA samples to the U.S. military’s Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency over a decade ago, hoping officials would be able to make a match. The agency identifies re- mains of servicemen killed in past conflicts. It typically uses bones, teeth and DNA to identify remains along with any items that may have been found with remains like uni- forms, dog tags and wed- ding rings. But North Korea only provided one dog tag with the 55 boxes it handed over last week. Before the remains were put on military planes bound for Hawaii, hundreds of U.S. and South Korean troops gathered at a hanger at the Osan base in South Korean for the repatriation cere- mony, which included a silent tribute, a rifle salute and the playing of the U.S. and South Korean national anthems and dirges in front of the U.N. flag-covered metal cases con- taining the remains. The remains were then moved in gray vans to an air- field where U.S. and South Korean soldiers loaded them one by one into two transport planes. Four U.S. fighter jets flew low in a tribute. U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said last week that the return of the 55 boxes was a positive step but not a guarantee that the bones are American. A U.S. defense official said Tuesday that it probably will take months if not years to fully determine individual identities from the remains. The official, who discussed previously undisclosed as- pects of the remains issue on condition of anonymity, also said North Korea provided a single military dog tag along with the remains. The official did not know details about the single dog tag, including the name on it or whether it was even that of an American military member. The repatriation is a break- through in a long-stalled U.S. effort to obtain war remains from North Korea. About 7,700 U.S. soldiers are listed as missing from the 1950-53 Korean War, and 5,300 of the remains are believed to still be in North Korea. The bones’ return was part of an agreement reached during a June summit be- tween U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump thanked Kim for the return. During the summit, Kim also agreed to “work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula” in re- turn for Trump’s promise of security guarantees. Trump later suspended annual mil- itary drills with South Korea which North Korea had long called an invasion rehearsal. But Trump now faces criticism at home and else- where that North Korea has not taken any serious steps toward disarmament and may be trying to buy time to weaken international sanc- tions against it. North Korea halted nu- clear and missile tests, shut down its nuclear testing site and began dismantling facili- ties at its rocket launch site. But many experts say those are neither irrevocable nor serious steps that could show the country is sincere about denuclearization. North Korea may want to use the remains’ return to keep diplomacy with the United States alive and win a reciprocal U.S. concession. Experts say the North likely wants a declaration of the end of the Korean War as part of U.S. security assurances. An armistice that ended the Korean War has yet to be replaced with a peace treaty, leaving the peninsula in a technical state of war. North Korea has steadfastly ar- gued its nuclear weapons are meant to neutralize alleged U.S. plans to attack it. In this photo released by the Red Cross Durango communications office, Red Cross workers and rescue workers carry an injured person on a stretcher as airline workers, left, walk away from the site where an Aeromexico airliner crashed in a field near the airport in Durango, Mexico, Tuesday. - PHOTO: AP U.N. honor guards carry a coffin containing the remains of a U.S. soldier who was killed in the Korean War during a ceremony at Osan Air Base on Aug. 1, in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. - PHOTO: APNext >