ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – MONDAY OCTOBER 8, 2018 High of 87 Low of 75 Rough with wave heights of 4 to 6 feet. Small craft should exercise caution over open water EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 INSURING THE FUTURE OF OUR WATER SPORTS LOCAL | PAGE 7 BUS DRIVERS ASK PUBLIC TO STOP FOR KIDS SEVEN MILE BEACH WATERFRONT WALKERS ROAD TOWN CENTRE PLAZA RED BAY OPPOSITION, GOVERNMENT CLASH OVER PROPOSED CAYMAN NATIONAL DEAL KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com As shareholders of local bank Cayman Na- tional Corporation Ltd. mull an offer by the Republic Bank Trinidad and Tobago (Bar- bados) Ltd. to buy up to 74.99 percent of their shares, the territory’s opposition legislators are calling for the “repayment” of a $20 million “investment” government made into a former Cayman National subsidiary in 2005. Premier Alden McLaughlin and House Speaker McKeeva Bush, in turn, have accused opposition members of deliberately misrepre- senting government’s financial ties to Cayman National in an attempt to derail its sale to the Republic Bank. Cayman National has also re- sponded, clarifying that it does not have any liabilities to government related to the $20 million investment. The bank’s potential sale faces a crucial step on Tuesday, when a meeting will be held for shareholders to vote on whether to remove a restriction on anyone owning more than 10 percent of Cayman National’s shares – some- thing that needs to be removed if Republic Bank is to acquire majority ownership. The dispute between the opposition, Mr. McLaughlin, and Mr. Bush stems from a settlement the United Democratic Party-led TRIAL SET FOR SAME-SEX MARRIAGE CASE KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com The trial involving a same-sex couple con- testing Cayman’s marriage laws will take place on Feb. 5, Chief Justice Anthony Smellie ordered on Friday. The decision means the Cayman Islands will get a test case trial on the rights of same- sex couples to marry in the territory. Chantelle Day, a Caymanian lawyer, and her partner Vickie Bodden Bush have been in a relationship for six years and have an adopted child together. They are seeking a declaration that the decision of the deputy registrar to deny their application for a marriage license was unlawful and that they are entitled to be married in Cayman. In a writ, filed with the Grand Court in June against the Governor of the Cayman Islands, the Deputy Registrar of the Cayman Islands Green iguana population keeps growing JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com With Cayman on the brink of embarking on a nationwide green iguana cull, the population of the invasive species continues to creep upward. There are now between 1.1 and 1.6 million green iguanas in Grand Cayman, according to the latest population survey. Department of Environment researchers spent two weeks in the field counting iguanas at 164 different survey points for the annual population survey. Using a technique called distance sam- pling, they are able to estimate the animal density at each of the sites and extrapolate those results to get a total popula- tion estimate. Fred Burton, head of the DoE’s terrestrial resources unit, said it was an internationally recognized technique that en- abled researchers to complete an otherwise impossible task. He said this year’s population estimate was 1.3 million, but could potentially be higher, given that hatching season was not finished at the time of the survey in August. While the given figure is an estimate, he said the DoE could say with a high degree of certainty that the population was between 1.1 and 1.6 million. Breast Cancer Gala is in the pink Supporters of the Breast Cancer Foun- dation were out in force Saturday as they attended the organization’s glitzy an- nual fundraising gala at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman. Guest speaker for the night was actress Shannen Doherty, who shared her story of dealing with and surviving breast cancer. Ms. Doherty, known for her roles in such popular TV series as “Little House on the Prairie,” “Beverly Hills, 90210” and “Charmed,” found herself under a different kind of spotlight when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. Rather than shrink from it, she decided to share her sometimes painful journey with the world via social media. She now has more than one million followers on Instagram. She spoke to the Cayman Compass last week about how much comfort others have been through her struggle, and her plans for the future. At first, she admitted, it was difficult to be in the public eye while getting to grips with the news herself. “There was a lot of fear … the fear of ‘how will it impact my career?’ … but then you start embracing it, when you realize how many people you’re helping by just sharing your own experi- ence and that you’re really showing that cancer doesn’t discriminate. “Now, I feel so much closer to strangers, PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 5 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » Actress Shannen Doherty speaks about her battle with breast cancer at the annual Breast Cancer Foundation Gala at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, on Saturday night. - PHOTO: DAVID WOLFE2 LOCAL&REGIONAL MONDAY OCTOBER 8, 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. - MONDAY - 640-FILM (640-3456) VENOM (PG13) 12:20 I 4:20 VIP I 7:00 VIP I 7:15 9:00 3D I 10:00 NIGHT SCHOOL (PG13) 1:00 I 4:00 I 7:00 I 9:40 THE PREDATOR (R) 2:00 I 4:45 I 9:40 VIP I 9:50 BLOCKBUSTER RE-RELEASE: STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI (PG13) 1:00 VIP I 3:25 I 9:20 THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS (PG) 1:15 I 4:00 I 6:30 SMALLFOOT (PG) 3:00 3D I 5:20 I 7:40 BLOCKBUSTER RE-RELEASE: INCREDIBLES 2 (PG) 12:45 I 6:40 Dr. Wayne R. Porter MD F.A.A.D. Dermatologist call : 946-9020 between 9am to 5pm Dees Plaza #282 on Crewe Road, GT He will be in office from October 5th - October 13th, 2018 Cuban migrants transferred from Brac to detention center The 11 Cuban migrants who were found off the shores of Cayman Brac last week are now being held at the Immigration Deten- tion Centre, government an- nounced on Friday. The group, nine males and two females, was transferred from the Brac to Grand Cayman on Thursday, ac- cording to government. The migrants were found by Immigration and Customs officers in a broken-down vessel in Cayman Brac wa- ters on Sept. 28. Due to safety concerns, the boat and its occu- pants were towed to shore, and the group was as- sessed by local physicians, government said. However, one of the mi- grants wired his own mouth shut in what other migrants said they believed was part of a hunger strike. The Compass under- stands that the individual is at the Immigration De- tention Centre, being mon- itored separately from the other Cubans. In July, the Human Rights Commission inspected the center, finding filthy condi- tions including rotten food, dirty and stopped-up toilets, moldy or damaged showers and inadequate fire pre- vention systems. Government said on Friday that since that inspec- tion, “officials have conducted repairs and renovations as necessary to ensure the fa- cility is a safe, suitable, clean and a healthy environment for all occupants.” Man killed in fiery crash Peter Oliver Andrew Rankine, 46, of East End was killed in a single- vehicle accident on Bodden Town Road on Thursday night. The silver Mercedes- Benz Mr. Rankine was driving burst into flames after coming off the road and colliding with a tree near the intersection of Frank Sound Road. Police, fire and emer- gency personnel responded to the accident at about 8:45 p.m. and fire officers put out the fire. Mr. Rankine, who was the only person in the ve- hicle, was taken to hos- pital by ambulance, where he was pronounced dead, police said. Haiti earthquake kills 11, injures 135 PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) – Emergency teams worked to provide relief in Haiti on Sunday after a magnitude 5.9 earthquake killed 11 people and left 135 injured. The country’s civil pro- tection agency said that at least seven people died in the coastal city of Port-de- Paix and three people died in the nearby community of Gros-Morne in the province of Artibonite. It said that the injured were being treated at medical centers in the northern part of the country. Secretary of State for Communications Eddy Jackson Alexis said a prelim- inary report indicated that 11 people had died. “I feel like my life is not safe here,” said nun Maryse Alsaint, director of the San Gabriel National School in Gros-Morne, where sev- eral classrooms were se- verely damaged. She said that about 500 students would not be able to return to school on Monday. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit at 8:11 p.m. Saturday night and was centered 12 miles north- west of Port-de-Paix, which is about 136 miles from the capital of Port-au-Prince. The quake was 7.3 miles below the surface. It was felt lightly in the capital, as well as in the neighboring Dominican Re- public and in eastern Cuba, where no damage was re- ported. Rescue workers in Haiti said they were not looking for any more victims, although residents appeared to be jolted by the shake. In Gros-Morne, some people walked along the street while looking up at the cracked exterior walls of homes. Dozens of others sifted through debris before hauling away rebar to re- cycle and sell. The civil protection agency issued a statement saying that some houses were de- stroyed in Port-de-Paix, Gros- Morne, Chansolme and Turtle Island. Among the structures damaged was the Saint-Mi- chel church in Plaisance. Damage was also re- ported at the police station in Port-de-Paix, and parts of a hospital and an auditorium collapsed in Gros-Morne. Par- liamentarian Alcide Audne told The Associated Press that two of the deaths occurred in the auditorium. Haiti President Jo- venel Moise indicated in his Twitter account Sunday that civil protection brigades were working to clear debris and help victims. He also said the government had sent water and food. Police request assistance with recovered items The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service is requesting public assistance after recov- ering potentially stolen items in a boat discovered in Hon- duras late last year. The boat, which origi- nated in the Cayman Islands, contained a Myers water pump and a Makita chop saw which may have been stolen during a theft or burglary at some point before December of 2017, police said. The water pump and chop saw are now in police cus- tody, and a Honda power washer was also recovered but is not back in Cayman yet. It is expected to be re- turned in the next few weeks. Police are appealing to members of the public who have information about the items or who believe they are the rightful owners of the recovered property. In order to claim the items in question, people will need to present proof of ownership, such as photographs, receipts or serial numbers. Interested parties can contact the on-duty Inspector at George Town Police Station at 949-4222. People can view the items at the RCIPS website or on their Facebook page. The migrants were found by Immigration and Customs officers in a broken-down vessel in the Cayman Brac waters on Sept. 28. Peter Rankine MAN’S NOSE BROKEN IN GEORGE TOWN BAR FIGHT A 35-year-old man from West Bay was arrested fol- lowing an altercation at Banana’s Restaurant and Bar on Eastern Avenue early Thursday morning in which another man’s nose was broken. Police received a report of the incident shortly be- fore 4 a.m. The injured man was transported to the Cayman Islands Hospital for treatment. The other man also at- tended hospital and was arrested on suspicion of as- sault causing actual bodily harm and disorderly con- duct, police said. He was granted bail as investiga- tions continue. JURY NOTICE All Grand Court Jurors who are in the Oct. 3 to Dec. 28 session are advised that the report date of Monday, Oct. 8, has been changed. Jurors and alternates selected for the Grant/ McLaughlin/McLaughlin trial are now asked to re- port on Tuesday, Oct. 9, at 9:45 a.m. All other jurors are required to next report on Monday, Oct. 15, at 9:45 a.m. Call the Jury Information line at 244-3899 or email jury@judicial.ky.. Police are requesting assistance locating the owners of these items recovered from a Cayman boat in Honduras late last year. 345.945.7447 www.caymanhospicecare.ky3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY OCTOBER 8, 2018 SECURE YOUR PROPERTY WITH THE BEST DEALS IN SURVEILLANCE CAMERA SYSTEMS AVAILABLE ANYWHERE ON ISLAND. The Security Centre has three exceptional CCTV deals that just can’t be matched. 3 The Gold Standard: a complete digital, four camera IP system – 4 meg precision viewing at just $1799 The Security Centre guarantees that we will beat any price on a comparable system. Call the Security Centre for your demo today at 949-0004 or visit us online at security.ky 2 The Eagle Eye Special: a high-definition system perfect for the home and small businesses - $1549 All systems offer mobile device access - so you can check on your property remotely. bring an existing security camera system into high-definition – using existing cabling - at just $999 1 The Phoenix HD Upgrade: Graduation for new border patrol agents SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Customs and Immi- gration Departments became a little more robust on Friday. Fifteen new recruits grad- uated in the first joint Cus- toms Officer Basic Training class for the two depart- ments on Friday, and they will begin service in a freshly merged organization. The Customs and Immi- gration Departments will be merged to form the Customs and Border Control Agency on Jan. 1, 2019. Charles Clif- ford, Cayman’s Collector of Customs, welcomed the new agents to the service on Friday and said they will have a bright future in pro- tecting their nation’s borders. “You have joined our law enforcement family at a very, very exciting time,” said Mr. Clifford to the graduating class. “We are on the eve of Customs and Immigration de- partments merger, and this merger will facilitate a more robust, cohesive and effec- tive national border patrol strategy which will ultimately make our islands safer. I’m honored to have you as an in- tegral member of our team.” The class featured 11 Cus- toms Officers and four Immi- gration Officers. Arriaga Zuniga, Nettie Bulgin, Charles Ebanks, Jessus Ebanks, Sheryl Farley, Michelle Johnson-Ebanks, Al- exander Marzouca, Yaimara Matos Riol, Gabriel Myles, Trishana Osbourne and Lot- taya Palmer all became new Customs Officers on Friday. Landie Ebanks, Kimberlee Rivers-Taylor, Rudy Walton and Marcella Wright were the four new additions to the Immigration Officer ranks. The new officers sang “Lean on Me” as part of their graduation ceremony, and Mr. Clifford congratulated them for passing through a difficult process en route to graduation. “You must feel as proud of yourselves as we are of you,” he said. “The 15 of you are here today because you have successfully endured the rigors of 18 weeks of in- tense training in various disciplines. This is a testa- ment to your determination and devotion. You must also feel proud because after ex- tensive testing, interviewing and background checks – in- cluding Interpol checks – the 15 of you were chosen from well over 400 applicants in the Customs and Immigra- tion departments’ last re- cruitment drive.” Acting Governor Franz Manderson and Roy McTag- gart, the minister of finance and economic development, addressed the group during their graduation ceremony. Mr. Manderson lauded the group for their achievement and told them this was only the beginning of their careers in public service. “I want to welcome you to our civil service family,” said Mr. Manderson, who started his career in the civil ser- vice as an immigration of- ficer. “I need you to ask your- self a question. What’s next? I have been given this awe- some opportunity to serve my country. I have been given the training. What’s next for me? You should have a short- term goal and you should have a long-term goal.” DEH APOLOGIZES FOR DELAYED GARBAGE COLLECTION The Department of Envi- ronmental Health issued an apology Friday to residents of Grand Cayman who have experienced delays in gar- bage collection services over the past week. The DEH said the delays were a result of staff ab- senteeism, and management is working to ensure that normal collections will re- sume on Monday, Oct. 8. Uncollected areas in- clude Central George Town, Windsor Park, Banana Walk, a section of Crewe Road (from Jose’s Gas Station to the entrance of Tropical Gar- dens), Prospect Point Road, Mangrove Avenue, Mahogany Way, Patrick Island, Pros- pect Drive, the IMP office to Morningside Drive, as well as areas from the intersection of Shamrock Road and Pros- pect Point Road to East End, including homes off the East- West Arterial and Hirst Road. The DEH urges residents who experience delays in collection of their solid waste to contact the office by calling 949-6696 or emailing the DEH at dehcustomerservice@gov.ky. Customs and Immigration officers gather on the stage of the Harquail Theatre on Friday to celebrate their graduation. - PHOTO: SPENCER FORDIN CUSTOMS AND IMMIGRATION GRADUATION AWARDS Best Academic Performance: ........................Trishana Osbourne Best Academic Performance (Runner-up): ....Kimberlee Rivers-Taylor Best Academic Paper: .....................................Sheryl Farley Best Customer Service Performance: ............Rudy Walton Most Improved Trainee: ..................................Yaimara Matos Riol Best Class Captain:..........................................Charles Ebanks Best Overall Trainee: ........................................Sheryl FarleyThe islands’ most-trusted news source 4 – EDITORIAL – Opinion&Letters The Cayman Compass welcomes comments, opinions and viewpoints from readers. Letters to the editor can be emailed to editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com, submitted via www.caymancompass.com, sent by post or hand-delivered to the Compass office. PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Caymanian Compass Limited (a subsidiary of Pinnacle Media Ltd) Compass Centre Shedden Road, George Town SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman KY1-1108, Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@pinnaclemedialtd.com ADVERTISE WITH US: Telephone: (345) 949-5111 Email: sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com Website: www.caymancompass.com PUBLISHERS DAVID R. LEGGE AND VICKI L. LEGGE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DAVID R. LEGGE EXECUTIVE EDITOR PATRICK BRENDEL A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will findtheirownway” In 2006, a young Cabinet Minister by the name of Alden McLaughlin tabled in the Legislative Assembly a report titled “Safety of Small Commercial Waterborne Vessels.” The report, prepared by the Office of the Com- plaints Commissioner, noted some “exemplary operators” but concluded that in the absence of sufficient regula- tion, others fell far short of “acceptable standards” for equipment, operations and crew training, certification and knowledge. The report recommended passing a law to regulate the industry – a law which, as Department of Environ- ment’s Scott Slaybaugh told attendees last week at a water sports forum held by the Cayman Islands Tourism Association, was drafted in the same year. The law, to use the parlance of the aquatic industry, was “deep-sixed,” and a dozen years later, we now learn there is no legislation or regulation that requires water sports operators to carry liability insurance – or meet a number of (or any) other requirements that one would consider minimal (such as training and rigorous testing) to operate a business on the high seas that involves the safety of tourists and other passengers. Clinton Jackson of the Port Authority told the group he had been pushing for suitable regulations for some time. That raises the obvious question: Who is pushing back? To their credit, many responsible water sports operators at the gathering appeared both surprised and disturbed. Rod McDowall, who runs Red Sail Sports and also serves as CITA’s water sports director said this: “Someone is going to have to stand up and have the courage regarding the registration of boats, boat operating licenses and insurance. Set them in stone and say these are the minimum requirements, no ifs or buts.” Police Commissioner Derek Byrne got right to the point: “It seems to me it would be a very small piece of work to identify the current position, the desired state, identify the gap and close the gap.” Claudia Brady, who heads up compliance and enforce- ment at the Department of Commerce and Investment, asserted that her ministry seeks to lower the bar to entry for entrepreneurs and small business operators. That is a theme that we support, and have supported, for years on this editorial page. Government needs to get out of the way of “lemonade stand” businesses, not strangle them with red tape before they are able to take their first breath or barely able to take their first step. But the no-insurance exemption for water sports operators is a step far too far. It puts at risk not just the passengers aboard these vessels but the reputation of the entire water sports industry in the Cayman Islands – in other words, a huge risk. We wonder whether the cruise ship lines are even aware that many of their pas- sengers may inadvertently be exposing themselves to uninsured vendors. We confess that we are anything but experts when it comes to the intricacies of insurance. We assume, but do not know, that most of the uninsured operators are small businessmen, rather than their larger competitors. They, as a group, should do what we do when we have insur- ance decisions to make: We call Aon Insurance Managers ((345) 945-1266), headquartered in Camana Bay. Aon is one of the top firms in the world (50,000 employees in 120 countries) and provides advice on virtually every conceivable insurance issue. They (or similar service pro- viders in Cayman), will tell the water sports operators exactly what they need to do. We ourselves know, without making any telephone calls, exactly what the government must do. It must convene and put into place immediately the legislation and regulations to ensure that every single water sports operator in the Cayman Islands is adequately trained – and fully insured. Insuring the future of our water sports MONDAY OCTOBER 8, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Considering the rise and fall of nations LAS PALMAS, CANARY ISLANDS – This small group of volcanic islands off the African coast is one of the more interesting places on Earth with al- most ideal temperatures. The name comes from the Latin, meaning islands of the dogs, not the birds. The Spanish gained control of them 600 years ago, and tourists have been flocking here ever since. A notable visitor was Christo- pher Columbus, who stopped by on each of his four voyages to the “new world” to do last- minute ship repairs and stock up on provisions for the long trips ahead. One could only suspect that after weeks at sea he might have regretted leaving the Canaries. The “Age of Exploration” had begun, and the pope, to be accommodating, divided up the newly discovered lands between the Spanish and the Portuguese. The Spanish found vast amounts of gold and silver in their new posses- sions, which, during the 1500s, allowed them to buy almost anything they wanted in Eu- rope. Yet, 200 years after Co- lumbus, Britain had become far richer than Spain. What did the Spanish do wrong and the British do right? Until the last few centu- ries, most of mankind has lived at subsistence or slightly above it. During the height of the Roman Empire, perhaps a couple of million people had some surplus to spend on lux- uries or leisure time, but that all came crashing down 1,500 years ago. The capital stock – roads, irrigation and water works, ports, terraced fields, homes and other structures, did not all disappear, and are still used by modern Italians and others to this day. This capital stock and nature’s bounty enabled the Italians to live a bit better than most others up to recent times. Economists spend con- siderable time and effort in trying to understand and ex- plain why some countries do so much better than others, and why individual coun- tries rise and fall, only to rise again. Noted British eco- nomic historian Angus Mad- dison complied arguably the best estimates of economic growth and per-capita in- come by country and region before the recent era of reli- able data collection. (Some of his numbers are summarized in the accompanying table.) From 1700 to the cur- rent time, British real per- capita income has increased by roughly 3,500 percent. The other countries in the table have also had similar spurts of growth in real per capita income – some a bit more and some a bit less. The U.K. and the Netherlands are where the industrial revolution began, along with the accel- eration in economic growth. They were the first nations to embrace the modern concept of the rule of law, protection of private property, as well as the development of new types of financial institutions that allowed for the forma- tion of large pools of capital with fostered investment. Perhaps, the best contem- porary economic historian is Deirdre McCloskey, who has written extensively and pro- vocatively about economic development issues. She ar- gues that the rate of inno- vation is key, and that de- pends on the way people think about the merchant and manufacturing class. In America, and increasingly throughout the world, entre- preneurs and innovators are celebrated. They appear on magazine covers and on TV talk shows, mostly in posi- tive terms. Apple’s Steve Jobs was idolized. TV shows like “Shark Tank” are built around identifying those with the next great idea. At the same time that self- made billionaires are being praised, there is a rise, partic- ularly among young people, for more equal income dis- tribution – and many seem unable to understand the contradictions. People who are trying to do the next Sil- icon Valley super start-ups are wearing “Support Bernie Sanders” T-shirts. The world still has too many lagging nations. India, only recently, changed poli- cies enough to achieve a few years of high growth; yet, the jury is still out as to whether or not the country can keep making the changes neces- sary to give its population a middle-class income level by the next generation. China began its reforms 40 years ago with spectacular results – but now it is at the point that it will need to make sub- stantial reforms in its finan- cial system and protection of private property. These re- forms, by necessity, will re- duce the power of the state. At various times in his- tory, China has been the world’s richest country; yet, it has always managed to throw its prosperity away. Will it be different this time? Chile has shown the way to break the curse of eco- nomic stagnation, or worse, in Latin America. Venezuela, by contrast, shows how quickly a rich country can be destroyed and become poor again. Will most Latin Ameri- cans make the choice to em- ulate Chile and become rich, or give into the siren call of socialism and become the new Venezuelans? Richard W. Rahn is chairman of Improbable Success Productions and on the board of the American Council for Capital Formation. © 2018, The Washington Times, LLC. Economists spend considerable time and effort in trying to understand and explain why some countries do so much better than others, and why individual countries rise and fall, only to rise again. RICHARD W. RAHN5 LOCAL NEWS Government General Registry, and the Attorney General of the Cayman Islands, lawyers for the couple argued that the Cayman Islands Constitution protects them from discrimination. According to the writ, the Constitution has supremacy over other laws, which are required to be interpreted with “such modifications, adaptations, qualifications and exceptions as may be necessary” to conform with that document. Justice Smellie gave the go-ahead in July for the case to proceed to a full judicial review hearing. In effect, the lawyers argue that the deputy regis- trar could and should have construed the Marriage Law as allowing same-sex unions and approved the cou- ple’s application. They also argue that the section of Cayman’s Marriage Law that defines marriage as between “one man and one woman” is incompatible with various rights guaranteed under the islands’ Constitu- tion and should be modified. Last month, the couple filed a separate writ with the Grand Court, using the vehicle of a constitutional challenge rather than a judi- cial review, to have that as- pect of the case considered. On Friday, the judicial re- view and the constitutional challenge writs were consoli- dated into one case. Both parties have until Oct. 26 to file a list of is- sues to be determined at the hearing. CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY OCTOBER 8, 2018 Progress made in some pension, wage cases Magistrate commends one employer for payments made CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com One employer was com- mended last week and two others were encouraged to continue progress in settling wage and pension charges against them. Lincoln Robinson, trading as H & A Maintenance and Construction, was the first to hear from Magistrate Philippa McFarlane. She had been told by attorney Richard Barton that, “Amounts being paid have met the satisfaction of the Department of Labour.” According to the charges, one employee had been owed $6,002.88 in overtime be- tween March 2014 and No- vember 2015; that amount had been paid in full, Mr. Barton reported. There were three other charges of failing to pay over- time and four charges of failure to pay public holiday remuner- ation. Those claims had totaled over $23,000, but Mr. Robinson had made considerable prog- ress in paying what was owed, so that there was a balance of around $9,000. Mr. Barton asked if the case could be adjourned for two months. The magistrate told Mr. Robinson, “I commend you for making the payments you have made thus far.” She set his next date for Dec. 5 in the hope the matter could be re- solved by then. Santos Alexis Hynds-Calix, trading as Cotton Club, en- tered guilty pleas to three sets of charges: seven counts of failure to furnish a statement of wages; five counts of failing to make a contribution to a pension plan for employees; two counts relating to failure to make pension contribu- tions for himself and his wife. The charges related to all of the calendar year 2017. Defense attorney John Furniss pointed out that Mr. Santos had pleaded guilty in August to six counts of failing to pay the national minimum wage between Au- gust and November 2017. The amounts claimed ranged be- tween $1,740 to $7,975. He indicated that precise figures were being discussed with the Department of La- bour. This matter was also set for mention again on Dec. 5. Vinroy Alston Wilson, for- merly trading as Wilson Total Plumbing, faced charges of failing without reasonable cause to contribute to a pen- sion plan for employees and failing to pay arrears within the time given by the Super- intendent of Pensions. Details alleged that, at least in two cases, pension payments had not been made between April 2006 and January 2012. Mr. Furniss told the court that approximately $15,000 had been paid; what was owed was down to $10,000. He pointed out that Mr. Wilson had suffered a stroke and his son had taken over the business. The matter was set for mention again on Oct. 18. A representative from the Department of Labour and Pensions was present in court for the cases. The decision means the Cayman Islands will get a test case trial on the rights of same-sex couples to marry in the territory. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Trial set for same-sex marriage case A representative from the Department of Labour and Pensions was present in court for the cases. POLICEMAN FIRES GUN IN ERROR A police officer acci- dentally discharged his firearm during a search last Thursday, striking a police vehicle. No member of the public was present and nobody was harmed, police said. The RCIPS has notified the Office of the Ombudsman about the incident, which po- lice are investigating. DOG INJURED IN ATTACK Police are investigating a case in which a man alleg- edly used a knife to injure a dog in West Bay. The incident hap- pened around 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 4, at a store on Birch Tree Hill Road. “It was reported that a man had entered the store, after which an argument de- veloped between him and the store’s owner. During the course of the argument, a dog belonging to the owner allegedly attacked the man, who injured the dog with a knife,” police said in a state- ment on Friday. The dog was transported to a veterinary clinic in George Town for treatment.The islands’ most-trusted news source 6 MONDAY OCTOBER 8, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS interestingly enough, who are no longer strangers as I read their stories that they share with me on my Ins- tagram. It actually helped me get through cancer, just knowing their stories,” she revealed. Ms. Doherty appeared on several daytime chat shows in the U.S. in Sep- tember where she talked about being in remission and current acting proj- ects. She plays the part of Laura Collins in the Life- time movie “No One Would Tell,” which is the first headliner role she has had since going through cancer. The film is based on a true story of the mother of an abused teenager. She admitted that she is very happy to be back acting and although it is nice to mix up the char- acters she plays through movies, TV is her first love. “TV series, all day long!” she laughed. “I am a TV se- ries girl – I love a regular job, especially at this point in my life. I love stability. “TV has got so daring and so interesting … When you have, in my opinion, one of the greatest ac- tresses of all time, Ni- cole Kidman, doing TV, you know you’re OK in TV.” Speaking from the stage of the gala on Saturday, Ms. Doherty, who is in re- mission, commended the Cayman Islands Breast Cancer Foundation and the attendees at the gala. She said the founda- tion offers support groups, financial assistance, lym- phatic massages and a host of other kinds of help for breast cancer sufferers, adding that it is currently assisting 144 people, including two men with the disease. Auction Several much sought- after items were up for grabs Saturday night to raise funds for the charity, including a remodeled Jeep Wrangler donated by Tony’s Toys and a photo- graph of a baby seal taken by award-winning photog- rapher Ellen Cuylaerts. Two trips to see Bruce Springs- teen on Broadway went for $25,000 each. Another item that proved very popular was a dinner for 10 with Cay- man’s new governor, when he or she arrives on is- land. However, one bidder had a different idea and suggested to the event’s MC and auctioneer Vicki Wheaton that he would prefer to bid for a dinner with Franz Manderson, who is currently Cayman’s acting governor. Ultimately, a total of $44,000 was raised after two bidders bid $22,000 each to share a dinner with Mr. Manderson. government reached in 2005 with then-Cayman National subsidiary Cayman General Insurance, which has since rebranded as Cayman First Insurance and no longer belongs to Cayman National. At the time, Cayman Gen- eral Insurance owed govern- ment an estimated $108 mil- lion insurance claim from damage arising from Hurri- cane Ivan. The claim was re- duced to $70 million, with Cayman General Insurance paying government $50 mil- lion in cash and giving it a 24-percent stake in the com- pany, valued at $20 million, in April 2005. However, about seven months later, Cayman General Insurance sold 51 percent of its shares for only $8 million to another insurance com- pany, the Sagicor Group. A 2007 report by the Office of the Auditor General criti- cized the government’s deal with Cayman General, finding that the United Democratic Party administration did not get good value for its money. Based on the amount Sagicor paid to acquire 51 percent of Cayman General, government’s 24-percent stake in the insurer would only be valued at about $3.8 million – not $20 million – the auditor general found. In a Friday statement, the opposition also blasted the deal, stating that it was made “under the direction” of then- Leader of Government Busi- ness McKeeva Bush and has been given implicit support by Premier McLaughlin due to his “lack of action.” “This is another short- sighted decision made by McKeeva Bush, and clearly by the lack of action, supported by the Hon. Alden Mclaughlin and his PPM-led Unity Gov- ernment,” stated Opposition Leader Ezzard Miller. “The Opposition would like to see McKeeva use the same amount of energy he is using to push for the port into getting the re- mainder of our CI$20 million investment back.” Opposition MLA Chris Saunders also called for Cayman National to make sure Caymanians recoup their investment in Cayman General – even though the in- surer is no longer a subsid- iary of the bank. “Since CNC’s board be- lieves that ‘the Partial Offer is a good opportunity for Cayman National share- holders to realise the value of their investment in Cayman National,’ that they should do the right thing and ensure that the Caymanian people also realise their invest- ment in their then subsidiary, Cayman General Insurance,” said Mr. Saunders, quoting from a recent statement made by Cayman National’s board of directors. “We want and de- mand that our investment is repaid once Cayman National Bank is swallowed up and is no longer Caymanian owned.” It’s not clear how govern- ment would recoup its invest- ment in Cayman General. In 2007, Cayman National sold the remainder of its shares to Sagicor, and in 2010 Sagicor sold all of its shares to the Bahamas First Group, which subsequently rebranded the insurer as Cayman First In- surance. Government still owns shares in Cayman First Insurance. Cayman National CEO Stuart Dack released a state- ment on Sunday, clarifying that “neither Cayman Na- tional, nor any of its share- holders have any liability to the Cayman Islands Gov- ernment in relation to CGI or any claim arising out of Hurricane Ivan.” Several hours after the op- position released its state- ment, Mr. McLaughlin re- sponded, saying that he was in the opposition when the settlement was reached in April 2005, and calling claims that he supported it a “delib- erate untruth.” (Rather than claiming that Mr. McLaughlin supported the deal when it was struck, Mr. Miller’s state- ment is accusing the pre- mier of currently supporting the settlement because of the “lack of action” by him and his current administration. How- ever, Mr. Miller did not sug- gest any specific actions the current government should take to address the issue.) The premier further ac- cused the opposition of de- liberately spreading misin- formation in an attempt to disrupt the potential trans- action between Republic Bank and Cayman National shareholders. “These disingenuous state- ments are part of a growing pattern of false accusations made by the Leader of the Op- position and his colleagues. In this instance they appear to be aimed at derailing the sale of the majority of shares in Cayman National Corpo- ration which will principally benefit Caymanians,” he said. “These deliberate attempts to continue to mislead the public on crucially important na- tional issues such as this are deeply regrettable and unbe- coming of the Leader of the Opposition and the members of the Legislative Assembly who appear to be blindly fol- lowing his lead.” The statement from the Premier’s Office added that regardless of whether the 2005 settlement with Cayman General made good business sense, it was a legally valid and binding settlement agree- ment. There is no outstanding loan and no money owed to the Cayman Islands Govern- ment by Cayman General, or its successor Cayman First In- surance or Cayman National Corporation, the Premier’s Office stated. On Saturday, Speaker Bush responded to the oppo- sition’s statement, too. Like the premier, Mr. Bush ac- cused the opposition of inten- tional obfuscation. “The release disingenu- ously attempts to correlate two completely unrelated transactions and in doing so to confuse and disrupt the potential sale of shares in Cayman National Corpora- tion Ltd. by its shareholders, 75% of whom are Caymanian, following the receipt of a Par- tial Offer from Republic Bank Trinidad and Tobago,” stated Mr. Bush. “The Leader of the Opposition in his release in- tentionally misrepresents the settlement reached as a loan by the Government to Cayman General Insurance Company and calls for the current, mostly Caymanian Share- holders of Cayman National Corporation Ltd. to repay the ‘loan’ made to its previous subsidiary prior to the pro- posed occurrence of a sale.” Mr. Bush also defended the settlement the then-govern- ment reached with Cayman General post Ivan. “The agreement reached called for a cash settlement of CI$50 million within 30 days and the transfer to the Cayman Islands Govern- ment of 24% of the shares in Cayman General,” he stated. “This high level of prompt and financially sound decision- making by the Government, together with a substantial cash injection from the parent company of Cayman General guaranteed that all those Cay- manians, residents and inves- tors insured through Cayman General would receive a set- tlement of their claims. Some of the other insurance pro- viders involved in claims in relation to Hurricane Ivan failed to settle their claims, to the detriment of many local people insured by them.” Mr. Bush closed his state- ment by thanking God that Mr. Miller was not leading the territory during the time of Hurricane Ivan. “That would have been another disaster of gigantic proportions!!!” he wrote to the Compass. The recent statements by the opposition, Premier McLaughlin, and Speaker Bush do not mark the first time government’s settlement with the former Cayman Na- tional subsidiary has been debated by politicians. In 2007, Mr. McLaughlin, who was the education minister at the time, blasted the deal as government contemplated selling its shares, which were then worth less than $3 million but were recovering some value at that time, according to Compass archives. “It was a very poor busi- ness decision. It was the pre- vious government who de- cided to compromise the claim with Cayman National Corporation.” Mr. McLaughlin said in February 2007, adding, “We think ultimately govern- ment ought to dispose of the shares. What we’re not going to do is compound one bad business decision by another. The shares, as we’ve been made to understand, are in- creasing in value. This govern- ment is not going to sell them on the basis of a fire sale.” Government also contem- plated selling its shares in 2011. At that time, then-Pre- mier Mr. Bush made similar statements to the ones he re- leased on Saturday. He de- fended the 2005 deal as a nec- essary measure to prevent the collapse of Cayman General, which he said would have had detrimental consequences. “The committee ought to understand that, had the government not assisted the company, Cayman General, at the time [2005], the disas- trous result would have been that hundreds of Caymanians would have become bankrupt, without homes and loss of in- vestments.” Mr. Bush said in 2011. “The then-government saved the day.” The opposition’s statement on Friday estimated the cur- rent value of government’s shareholdings to be at $6.3 million. The opposition also stated that government has received a little more than $1 million in dividend pay- ments to date. Mr. Saunders said at that rate, it would take nearly 100 years for govern- ment to receive enough divi- dend payments to equal its initial $20 million investment. He said the figures for this year are lower than ex- pected, suggesting a slight slowdown in the growth of the invasive population. Since 2014, the green iguana population has been approximately doubling each year, and hit the one million mark last year. “They may be ap- proaching carrying capacity in some of the more densely populated areas,” he said. While this is a good sign, he said, there was no reason for complacency. The Department of En- vironment is about to em- bark on a massive nation- wide iguana cull, aiming to kill one million of the in- vasive lizards in the next year. Mr. Burton said it was unclear how the iguanas would respond to such an intense cull and warned that reproduction rates could initially increase as the population reduced. He said the cull managers would have to adapt and revise their targets based on the results over the first few months. “It is a moving target,” he said. “When you embark on something like this that nobody has ever done be- fore on this scale, you have to expect the unexpected.” He said the cull was funded for at least the first three months and the DoE and government would be monitoring the re- sults carefully. Jane Haakonsson, a re- search officer at the DoE, said the green iguana pop- ulation survey takes place during the first two weeks of August every year at the same locations. She said the research team used a mix of survey points alongside roads, off roads and in reserves. Researchers work in teams of three, with one observer recording the data and the other two mea- suring detection distances from the observation point to the iguanas. Ms. Haakonsson said the survey showed that green iguanas were more abundant in urban areas than in undisturbed forest environments. Opposition, government clash over Cayman National deal CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Leader of the Opposition Ezzard Miller Speaker of the House McKeeva Bush Breast Cancer Gala is in the pink CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Green iguana population keeps growing7 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY OCTOBER 8, 2018 Bus drivers ask public to stop for kids MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com Michael Lemay says he has had to jump into the road to keep a driver from pos- sibly hitting children getting off his school bus. Fellow driver Kaz Tatum said he once physically grabbed a teenage stu- dent and pulled him back into the bus to avoid a car speeding by. Both men said they wish Cayman’s drivers would ob- serve the vehicle laws and stop when they see a bus’s red lights flashing. Most drivers follow that rule, the drivers said, but many do not. “They don’t give no re- spect at all,” said Mr. Tatum, sitting in the break room at JerNat Transportation, which serves schools in the Bodden Town area, “even when we cross up the road to block traffic with our lights flashing. Numerous times, we have to hold back the kids because of crazy drivers.” Mr. Lemay said such situ- ations happen far too often. “Every day,” he said. Mark Ray oversees trans- portation for the Department of Education, dealing with the seven companies con- tracted to provide bus service for the government schools. He has heard the concerns of drivers during his four years with the department. Many of those concerns involve other motorists on the road. “They really need to stop and wait until students are boarded,” he said. “At the end of the day, this is our most precious resource.” The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service recently is- sued a release on bus safety, saying officers had been no- ticing violations and public complaints regarding motor- ists passing stopped buses had increased. “When a school bus makes a stop to pick up or drop off a passenger, vehicles travel- ling behind the school bus, or in oncoming traffic, must stop and allow passengers to cross,” the release said. Fines for passing a stopped school bus start at $150. Motorists passing a stopped bus on the right can be fined $1,000 and have their license suspended for a year. But bus drivers said they do not believe the laws are regularly enforced. Derren Burlington, 49, said he was in law enforce- ment for 19 years. For the past three years, he’s been driving a bus for Smith’s Transport, which serves John Gray High School and the Cayman Islands Further Edu- cation Centre. “I’ve made numerous re- ports to the police,” Mr. Bur- lington said. “Every day, I take pictures [of viola- tors] and send them to my boss. No one has come to me and said, ‘We’re going to find this person.’ I don’t hear anything.” JerNat Transporta- tion’s Mr. Lemay said he has never received a response to complaints he’s filed with the police. “The majority of the time, they say they’re busy and they don’t have anyone to assist,” Mr. Lemay said, adding that he has seen po- lice cars pass him when he’s stopped to take on or let off schoolchildren. A statement by police said, “Since the start of Sep- tember, there have been no reports made to the po- lice regarding the offence of overtaking a school bus,” al- though there have been un- official complaints made. No traffic tickets have been is- sued for such violations. The statement said it has no re- cord of complaints about po- lice vehicles violating the law. “If a member of the public witnesses this kind of driving from a police officer, espe- cially in a police vehicle, then we would like to know about it,” the statement said. Anyone observing such an in- cident, it said, should call 911 and report the vehicle’s iden- tification number. Mr. Burlington said he has not seen police or other government vehicles illegally pass his bus, but the public buses regularly violate the law requiring that they stop for a school bus. Mostly, though, it is private vehi- cles racing by. “This morning it hap- pened,” he said. “Pretty much every day, there is an instance. “Last year, I had a car drive up on the sidewalk to get around and nearly hit a girl getting off the bus,” he added. Kids sitting in the back of the bus will often shout out warnings when they see a car approaching that looks as if it is going to overtake the stopped bus. He said he tries to give drivers ample warning of an impending stop by turning on his flashing yellow lights 200 to 300 feet before a stop. At 50 feet before the stop, he turns on his red flashing lights and extends his stop sign. Fre- quently, he will pull across the opposing traffic lane to block the road entirely. “Cars are still flying by,” he said. Mr. Burlington said the solution would be a combi- nation of educating drivers about the law, combined with enforcement. But, he also finds it hard to believe that people do not realize they are supposed to stop for a bus with flashing lights. Directions to do so are printed on the rear of the bus for motorists to see. “All of the buses are prop- erly labeled and there are a lot of lights,” he said. “Ei- ther you can’t read, or you just don’t care.” Bus drivers Kaz Tatum, left, and Michael Lemay say drivers regularly break the law requiring motorists to stop when school buses are loading or unloading children. - PHOTO: MARK MUCKENFUSSThe islands’ most-trusted news source 8 MONDAY OCTOBER 8, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Scottish leader supports new Brexit referendum Scotland’s leader says her nationalist party will support a new referendum on Britain’s divorce from the European Union if Parliament gets a vote on it. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told the BBC her party’s lawmakers in London ‘would undoubtedly vote for that proposition.’ Visit your nearest branch or learn more at ky.scotiabank.com/goldmc #SayYesToMore Apply for Scotiabank Gold Mastercard® today! 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PLUS get up to 4% cash back always.PLUS get up to 4% cash back always. 2% = 1% = 4% = 4% WITH AN EXTRA CASH BACK ON ALL AMAZON PURCHASES* Visit your nearest branch or learn more at ky.scotiabank.com/goldmc #SayYesToMore Apply for Scotiabank Gold Mastercard® today! New cardholders enjoy an added 4% cash back on all Amazon purchases for the first 6 months.* Your new card also offers a bonus of up to USD$50.* PLUS get up to 4% cash back always.* Say yes to even more cash back *Conditions apply. Bonus offer ends October 31, 2018. Subject to credit approval by October 31, 2018. Offers subject to change without notice. ®Registered trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia, used under licence. ™Trademarks of The Bank of Nova Scotia, used under licence. ®MasterCard is a registered trademark of MasterCard International Incorporated. Amazon.com, Inc. reserves the right to change the Amazon. com, Inc. conditions of use at any time without notice. For Amazon’s Inc. Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy please visit: www.amazon.com. 2% = 1% = 4% = 4% WITH AN EXTRA CASH BACK ON ALL AMAZON PURCHASES* Visit your nearest branch or learn more at ky.scotiabank.com/goldmc #SayYesToMore Apply for Scotiabank Gold Mastercard® today! New cardholders enjoy an added 4% cash back on all Amazon purchases for the first 6 months.* Your new card also offers a bonus of up to USD$50.* PLUS get up to 4% cash back always.* Say yes to even more cash back *Conditions apply. Bonus offer ends October 31, 2018. Subject to credit approval by October 31, 2018. Offers subject to change without notice. ®Registered trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia, used under licence. ™Trademarks of The Bank of Nova Scotia, used under licence. ®MasterCard is a registered trademark of MasterCard International Incorporated. Amazon.com, Inc. reserves the right to change the Amazon. com, Inc. conditions of use at any time without notice. For Amazon’s Inc. Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy please visit: www.amazon.com. 2% = 1% = 4% = 4% WITH AN EXTRA CASH BACK ON ALL AMAZON PURCHASES* Kavanaugh sworn in as protesters chant outside Supreme Court WASHINGTON (AP) – Brett Kavanaugh was sworn in as the 114th justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, after a wrenching debate over sexual misconduct and judicial tem- perament that shattered the Senate, captivated the nation and ushered in an acrimo- nious new level of polariza- tion – now encroaching on the court that the 53-year-old judge may well swing right- ward for decades to come. Even as Kavanaugh took his oath of office Saturday evening in a quiet private ceremony, not long after the narrowest Senate confirma- tion in nearly a century and a half, protesters chanted out- side the court building across the street from the Capitol. The climactic 50-48 roll call capped a fight that seized the national conversation after claims emerged that he had sexually assaulted women three decades ago – allegations he emphatically denied. Those accusations transformed the clash from a routine struggle over judi- cial ideology into an angry jumble of questions about victims’ rights, the presump- tion of innocence and per- sonal attacks on nominees. His confirmation provides a defining accomplishment for President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, which found a unifying force in the cause of putting a new conservative majority on the court. Before the sexual ac- cusations grabbed the Sen- ate’s and the nation’s atten- tion, Democrats had argued that Kavanaugh’s rulings and writings as an appeals court judge raised serious concerns about his views on abortion rights and a president’s right to bat away legal probes. Trump, flying to Kansas for a political rally, flashed a thumbs-up gesture when the tally was announced and praised Kavanaugh for being “able to withstand this hor- rible, horrible attack by the Democrats.” He later tele- phoned his congratulations to the new justice, then at the rally returned to his own at- tack on the Democrats as “an angry left-wing mob.” Like Trump, senators at the Capitol predicted voters would react strongly by de- feating the other party’s can- didates in next month’s con- gressional elections. “It’s turned our base on fire,” declared Senate Repub- lican leader Mitch McCon- nell of Kentucky. But Demo- cratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York forecast gains for his party instead: “Change must come from where change in America always be- gins: the ballot box.” The justices themselves made a quiet show of soli- darity. Kavanaugh was sworn in by Chief Justice John Rob- erts and the man he’s re- placing, retired Justice An- thony Kennedy, as fellow Justices Samuel Alito, Clar- ence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan looked on – two conservatives and two liberals. Still, Kagan noted the night before that Kennedy has been “a person who found the center” and “it’s not so clear we’ll have that” now. Noisy to the end, the Senate battle featured a call of the roll that was inter- rupted several times by pro- testers shouting in the spec- tators’ gallery before Capitol Police removed them. Vice President Mike Pence pre- sided, his potential tie- breaking vote unnecessary. Trump has now put his stamp on the court with his second justice in as many years. Yet Kavanaugh is joining under a cloud. Accu- sations from several women remain under scrutiny, and House Democrats have pledged further investiga- tion if they win the majority in November. Outside groups are culling an unusually long paper trail from his previous government and political work, with the National Ar- chives and Records Admin- istration expected to release a cache of millions of docu- ments later this month. Kavanaugh, a father of two, strenuously denied the allegations of Christine Blasey Ford, who says he sexually assaulted her when they were teens. An appel- late court judge on the Dis- trict of Columbia circuit for the past 12 years, he pushed for the Senate vote as hard as Republican leaders – not just to reach this capstone of his legal career, but in fighting to clear his name. After Ford’s allegations, Democrats and their allies became engaged as seldom before, though there were obvious echoes of Thomas’ combative confirmation over the sexual harassment ac- cusations of Anita Hill, who worked for him at two fed- eral agencies. Protesters began swarming Capitol Hill, creating a tense, confronta- tional atmosphere that put Capitol Police on edge. As exhausted senators prepared for Saturday’s vote, some were flanked by security guards. Hangers and worse have been deliv- ered to their offices, a Roe v. Wade reference. Some 164 people were arrested, most for demon- strating on the Capitol steps, 14 for disrupting the Senate’s roll call vote. McConnell told The Asso- ciated Press in an interview that the “mob” of opposition – confronting senators in the hallways and at their homes – united his narrowly divided GOP majority as Kavanaugh’s confirmation teetered and will give momentum to his party this fall. Beyond the sexual mis- conduct allegations, Demo- crats raised questions about Kavanaugh’s temperament and impartiality after he de- livered defiant, emotional testimony to the Senate Ju- diciary Committee where he denounced their party. Schumer said Kavanaugh’s “partisan screed” showed not only a temperament unfit- ting for the high court but a lack of objectivity that should make him ineligible to serve. At one point in the hearing, Kavanaugh blamed a Clinton- revenge conspiracy for the accusations against him. The fight ended up less about judicial views than the sexual assault accusa- tions that riveted the na- tion and are certain to con- tinue a national debate and #MeToo reckoning that is yet to be resolved. Republicans argued that a supplemental FBI investiga- tion instigated by wavering GOP senators and ordered by the White House turned up no corroborating witnesses to the claims and that Kava- naugh had sterling creden- tials for the court. Democrats dismissed the truncated re- port as insufficient. In the end, all but one Republican, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, lined up behind the judge. She said on the Senate floor late Friday that Kavanaugh is “a good man” but his “appear- ance of impropriety has be- come unavoidable.” In a twist, Murkowski voted “present” Saturday as a courtesy to Republican Kavanaugh supporter Steve Daines, who was to walk his daughter down the aisle at her wedding in Montana. That balanced out the ab- sence without affecting the outcome, and gave Kava- naugh the same two-vote margin he’d have received had both lawmakers voted. It was the closest roll call to confirm a justice since 1881, when Stanley Mat- thews was approved 24-23, according to Senate records. As the Senate tried to re- cover from its charged atmo- sphere, Murkowski’s move of- fered a moment of civility. “I do hope that it reminds us that we can take very small steps to be gracious with one another and maybe those small gracious steps can lead to more,” she said. Chief Justice John Roberts, right, administers the Constitutional Oath to Judge Brett Kavanaugh Saturday in the Justices’ Conference Room of the Supreme Court Building. – PHOTO: AP9 WORLD&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY OCTOBER 8, 2018 DEATH ANNOUNCEMENT REVEREND HARRIS C. SPENCE RETIRED RECTOR ST. GEROGE’S CHURCH -GRAND CAYMAN Died - Saturday, September 22, 2018 Leaving wife Jean, daughter Raquel, grand-daughter Richelle, son-in-law Richard, brother Lascel, sister Heather, nieces, nephews and other relatives. Service of Thanksgiving will be held on Tuesday, October 9, 2018; Holy Trinity Church, Montego Bay, Jamaica at 10:30 a.m. Interment in All Saints Church Cemetery, Chester Castle, Hanover Pompeo cites progress made with Kim Jong Un on North Korea trip US unemployment falls to 3.7 percent – lowest since 1969 WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. unemployment rate fell in September to 3.7 per- cent, the lowest since 1969, when young men were being drafted to fight in Vietnam and the American auto in- dustry and the space pro- gram were going full blast. The Labor Department re- ported Friday that the rate edged down from 3.9 per- cent the month before as em- ployers added 134,000 jobs – a figure that was probably depressed by the effects of Hurricane Florence in the South. Still, it extended an ex- traordinary 8½-year streak of monthly job growth, the lon- gest on record. That run has added nearly 20 million people to the na- tion’s payrolls since the Great Recession, which cost nearly 9 million their jobs. The ultra-low jobless rate – the best in nearly 49 years – reflects a healthy economy driven by strong consumer and business spending. In fact, hiring is so strong that employers are having trouble filling openings and some are being forced to offer higher pay. Despite the similar un- employment rates, today’s economy is vastly different from that of 1969. Back then, one-third of Americans worked in manufacturing; now it is barely 9 percent. Strong economic growth back then was propelled by huge government spending on the Vietnam War and newly cre- ated Great Society social programs. And women were much less likely to work. In reporting September’s employment figures, the gov- ernment revised sharply up- ward its estimate of hiring for July and August. So far this year, monthly job growth has averaged 208,000, com- pared with 182,000 last year. “The acceleration in job gains this year is extraor- dinary in an environment where firms are having great difficulty finding qualified candidates,” said Stephen Stanley, chief economist at Amherst Pierpont Securities. Most analysts blamed the slower pace of hiring last month on Florence, which struck North and South Car- olina and closed thousands of businesses. The category that includes restaurants, hotels and ca- sinos lost jobs for the first time since September 2017, when Hurricane Harvey hit the Houston area, and re- tailers last month shed 20,000 jobs. Many of those jobs are likely to bounce back in the coming months. Pay gains remain modest but are showing signs of ac- celerating. Average hourly pay in September rose 2.8 percent from a year earlier. With unemployment so low, companies are facing in- tense pressure to raise pay to land workers. Amazon this week raised its minimum wage to $15 an hour. Paul Millman, chief exec- utive of Chroma Technology, has struggled to find enough machine operators and engi- neers for his 135-person com- pany, based in Bellows Falls, Vermont. It makes filters for handheld medical equipment, food safety test systems, and virtual reality headsets. The company is doubling the size of one of its plants and increasingly automating its assembly process because it is so hard-pressed to find employees. It has also started calling back people who pre- viously applied for jobs but were not hired. That has re- sulted in two new hires. Financial markets were down sharply in afternoon trading, with the Dow Jones average falling 202 points in afternoon trading. Investors have grown concerned about higher interest rates and the effect they might have on the economy and the stock market. Friday’s jobs report will probably keep the Fed- eral Reserve on track to raise short-term interest rates, economists said, with another increase ex- pected in December. The economy does show some weak spots. Sales of existing homes have fallen over the past year, held back in part by higher mort- gage rates. Auto sales have also slumped. Manufacturers, which are more dependent on for- eign markets than other in- dustries, added 18,000 jobs last month, a sign that Pres- ident Donald Trump’s trade fight with China and other countries is having little ef- fect on hiring. Still, should the tar- iffs remain fully in effect a year from now, roughly 300,000 jobs could be lost by then, according to Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics. SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made unspecified progress Sunday toward an agreement for the North to give up its nuclear weapons. But there was no imme- diate indication whether Pompeo had managed to ar- range a much-anticipated second summit between Kim and President Donald Trump. Arriving in Seoul after several hours in Pyongyang on his fourth visit to North Korea, Pompeo tweeted that he had a “good trip” and that he and Kim “continue to make progress on agreements made at Singapore summit.” Trump and Kim held a his- toric summit there in June that resulted in a vague agreement for the North to denuclearize. The top U.S. diplomat of- fered no details, and upon landing in South Korea, he briefed White House na- tional security adviser John Bolton and Trump chief of staff John Kelly on his trip, officials said. Pompeo, on the third stop of a four-leg Asian tour that began in Japan and was to end in China on Monday, then met South Korea’s pres- ident, Moon Jae-in. Moon, who has met twice with Kim, asked Pompeo to make public as much information as he could about the trip. “I dearly hope that your latest visit, as well as the upcoming U.S.-North Korea summit, which I hope will be happening soon, will make an irreversible, decisive prog- ress in terms of the denucle- arization as well as the peace process,” Moon said. “Since we have the media present here, I would like to ask you to disclose anything that you can open to the public here.” Pompeo declined that opportunity. “I will certainly tell you in private about our conver- sation, but we had a good, productive conversation,” Pompeo said. “As President Trump said, there are many steps along the way and we took one of them today. It was another step forward. So this is, I think, a good out- come for all of us.” Moon’s office said in a statement later that Pompeo told Moon that the North Korean leader had agreed a second summit with Trump “should be held as soon as possible,” and that talks on the timing and location would continue. In Pyongyang, Pompeo and Kim met for about 3 ½ hours, first in a business ses- sion and then in a 90-minute luncheon that the North Ko- rean leader hosted at a state guesthouse, according to the pool report from the lone U.S. journalist allowed to accom- pany Pompeo on his Asia trip. “It’s a very nice day that promises a good future for both countries,” Kim told Pompeo through an inter- preter as they sat down for the meal. “Yeah, so we had a great, great visit this morning,” Pompeo replied. “Thank you for hosting, President Trump sends his regards. And we had a very successful morning so thank you and I am looking forward to our time here at lunch as well.” On the North Korean side, Kim was joined at the lunch by his sister, Kim Yo Jong, and his former intelligence chief Kim Yong Chol, who has been Pompeo’s chief interlocutor. Aside from Pompeo, the U.S. side included Stephen Biegun, the new U.S. special envoy for North Korea, and Andrew Kim, who heads a Korea working group at the CIA that Pompeo set up while he was running the agency. Pompeo and Kim had ex- changed pleasantries and ap- peared chummy while they walked into the banquet room. “It’s good to see you again,” Pompeo said as they shook hands. Pompeo placed his hand on Kim’s shoulder and they both smiled. “So is everything OK?” Kim asked Pompeo. “Everything is great,” Pompeo replied. “Everything is great. I am very much looking forward to our time together too.” Other members of the two delegations ate their five- course meal, which included delicacies such as foie gras, conch soup, steak, grilled pine mushrooms and choco- late cake, sweet red wine and soju, in a separate room. Pompeo had planned to meet with Kim on Sunday’s trip, but North Korean offi- cials said Kim’s participa- tion in the luncheon had not been expected. Pompeo had not met with Kim on his last visit and Trump had abruptly canceled Pompeo’s plans to travel to North Korea last month, citing a lack of prog- ress in the negotiations Pompeo earlier held talks in Tokyo with Japan’s prime minister, and pledged that the Trump administra- tion would coordinate and unify its strategy for denu- clearization with its allies. Japan has been wary of the initiative, but South Korea has embraced it. Pompeo has repeatedly refused to discuss details of negotiations, including a U.S. position on North Ko- rea’s demand for a declared end to the Korean War and a proposal from Seoul for such a declaration to be ac- companied by a shutdown of the North’s main known nu- clear facility. The U.S. and Japan have pushed for the North to com- pile and turn over a detailed list of its nuclear sites to be dismantled as a next step in the process. The North has rejected that. The North has accused Washington of making “uni- lateral and gangster-like” de- mands on denuclearization and has insisted that sanc- tions should be lifted be- fore any progress in nuclear talks. U.S. officials have thus far said the penalties will remain in place until the North’s denuclearization is fully verified. That run has added nearly 20 million people to the nation’s payrolls since the Great Recession, which cost nearly 9 million their jobs. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, right, is greeted by U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris upon his arrival Sunday at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, in South Korea. – PHOTO: APNext >