High of 87 Low of 76 Moderate with wave height 3 to 5 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 A WARM CAYMAN WELCOME TO THE ROPERS WORLD| PAGE 8 MAYOR: ‘DARKEST DAY OF PITTSBURGH’S HISTORY’ ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – MONDAY OCTOBER 29, 2018 SEVEN MILE BEACH WATERFRONT WALKERS ROAD TOWN CENTRE PLAZA RED BAY LEGISLATION AIMS TO INCREASE PENALTIES FOR GAMBLING Lawmakers are set to consider major in- creases to penalties for running or partici- pating in illegal gambling in the next Legisla- tive Assembly meeting. Under the Gambling (Amendment) Bill 2018, fines for the use and ownership of premises for gambling, the publication of lottery num- bers and dealing with money resulting from gambling activities would increase from $400 to $10,000, and the maximum prison sentence would increase from one year to three years. The legislation also stipulates that fines for taking part in a public lottery, known as num- bers, or playing or being found in a gaming house would increase from $10 to $2,500 and the maximum prison term upon conviction would rise from two months to six months. Penalties for illegal gambling have not been revised since the first enactment of the Gambling Law in 1964. According to a press release from the Port- folio of Legal Affairs, Royal Cayman Islands Police Service statistics from 2015 to 2018 show a steady increase in the number of in- cidents involving people engaged in gambling. “These statistics also suggest a strong con- nection between certain crimes and gambling activities. This is evidenced by the number of GOVERNOR DESIGNATE ROPER ARRIVES MONDAY Incoming Governor Martyn Roper is sched- uled to participate in a full slate of events following his arrival in Cayman on Monday around 11:30 a.m. After he and his wife Elisabeth are wel- comed by Premier Alden McLaughlin and other government officials on the airport tarmac, they will then be escorted to Govern- ment House before returning to George Town for an official swearing-in ceremony at the Legislative Assembly at 3 p.m. Mr. Roper is expected to give his first speech as Cayman governor at the swearing- in ceremony before inspecting a second po- lice guard of honor outside the assembly building. The public are invited to attend the swearing-in ceremony. Later that day, there will be an invitation- only welcome reception from 6-8:30 p.m. at his new home, Government House on Seven Mile Beach, which will include ministers and other top government officials. Insurance company seeks ‘Cayman’s Safest Driver’ A new six-week campaign using a smartphone app aims to find “Cayman’s Safest Driver.” Insurance firm Saxon launched the campaign on Friday, Oct. 26. The company is urging drivers to download its “Safest Driver” app, which was devel- oped by Cambridge Telematics. The app scores drivers on five categories – phone distraction, speeding, cornering, accelera- tion and braking. “Every year we see an in- crease in traffic accidents around the start of the holiday season. This app is designed to reward drivers for making smart decisions on the road and spread awareness around road safety,” said Saxon’s Marketing Manager Crystal Gomez. At the end of the campaign, a winner can claim a grand prize and the title of “Cayman’s Safest Driver.” The winner will be an- nounced on Friday, Dec. 7. “The beauty of this promo- tion is that the public will in- evitably decide the overall cash grand prize. The more partici- pants that download the app, the larger the cash prize becomes,” Ms. Gomez said. “Participants will have the opportunity to win up to $10,000 in cash and prizes throughout the competition, with Saxon contributing $1 for every ‘Mr. Parker’ honored at Chamber awards dinner KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com When Keith Parker Tibbetts Jr. opened his auto-parts store on North Sound Road in the 1970s, the area was not the booming industrial park that it is today. “He had a gentleman go out and clear land where Parker’s currently exists, and when he went there after work to see how much work had been done, there was just a few feet pushed into the bushes. The gentleman said, ‘We clear land, not water,’” Commerce Minister Joey Hew said of Mr. Tibbetts’s early struggles to de- velop the area. But hard work and “a lot of elbow grease” helped turn Parker’s and Mr. Tib- betts Jr.’s other businesses into mainstays of the Cayman Islands, and for that he was given the lifetime achievement award Sat- urday night at the Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards 2018. “For a lot of the businesses, I wasn’t the first one to go into them. I just tried to run mine better, and put whatever elbow grease that I needed into it,” he said. Along with being a successful entre- preneur, he was also recognized for his role in championing the cause of the dis- abled. Mr. Tibbetts, who is restricted to a wheelchair due to complications with dia- betes, sits on the National Council for Per- sons with Disabilities, and has champi- oned causes such as pushing for areas to Commerce Minister Joey Hew, right, presents Keith Parker Tibbetts Jr., with a lifetime achievement award Saturday night. - PHOTO: KEN SILVA PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL MONDAY OCTOBER 29, 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) HALLOWEEN (2018) (R) 1:15 VIP I 4:35 I 7:00 VIP I 10:05 HUNTER KILLER (R) 1:05 I 3:55 I 7:10 I 10:00 VENOM (PG13) 1:15 I 3:50 I 6:50 I 9:30 NIGHT SCHOOL (PG13) 4:05 I 6:40 JOHNNY ENGLISH STRIKES AGAIN (PG) 12:30 I 2:50 I 5:05 I 7:20 I 9:40 A STAR IS BORN (R) 1:35 I 3:55 VIP I 7:05 I 9:35 VIP BLOCKBUSTER RE-RELEASE: AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (PG13) 12:50 I 9:15 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 29th - November 2nd, 2018 JURY NOTICE All Grand Court ju- rors who are in the Oct. 3 to Dec. 28 session are ad- vised that the report date of Monday, Oct. 29, has been changed. Jurors are now required to report for jury duty on Monday, Nov. 5 at 9:45 a.m. Call the Jury Information line at 244-3899 for the most up-to-date information or email jury@judicial.ky. MAN FOUND DEAD IN RANDYKE GARDENS HOME Body found by police A Cayman resident was found dead in his home Saturday morning around 9 a.m. According to po- lice, officers responded to a report in the Ran- dyke Gardens neighbor- hood of George Town re- garding a man possibly deceased or in need of as- sistance in his home. Officers responded to the residence, and after no response from within the residence, gained entry to the home and found a man – in his 60s – deceased. The Royal Cayman Is- lands Police Service said the matter is under in- vestigation, but that no foul play is suspected at this time. Poverty, unemployment, violence drive Guatemalan MEXICO CITY (AP) – Among the thousands of mostly Honduran migrants in the caravan walking through southern Mexico, there are also Guatemalans. Though not as big a group, they too have plenty of reasons to leave home. While Honduras and El Salvador have been riven by street gang violence, in Gua- temala poverty and a lack of jobs is the main reason people flee their nation of 17 million. Guatemala, which shares a border with Mexico, is also an inevitable transit point for migrants traveling by land from other Cen- tral American nations to- ward the United States. This time around, many Guate- malans joined the Honduran caravan, seeing strength and safety in numbers. The U.N. International Organization for Migration, whose estimates are usu- ally conservative, says about 1 million Guatemalans cur- rently live in the United States. The Guatemalan gov- ernment puts the number at 1.5 million. The remittances they send home each year have become a mainstay of the Guate- malan economy, contributing about 11 percent of the coun- try’s GDP. That is threatened by rising deportations: The U.N. agency estimates that U.S. deportations of Guatema- lans in the first six months of 2018 rose 64 percent com- pared with previous years. Here is a look at con- ditions driving Guatema- lans to leave. Poverty Guatemala is Central America’s largest economy, but one of the worst-off countries in Latin America by income equality. About 60 percent of Gua- temalans live in poverty, and that percentage is signifi- cantly higher among the in- digenous majority. Many who migrate come from in- digenous communities where Spanish is not the pri- mary language. Even for those with jobs, almost 95 percent earn sal- aries insufficient to meet a family’s basic needs. Almost half of Guate- malan children under age 5 suffer malnutrition, and 23 percent are severely malnour- ished. Only one in four at- tends middle school or be- yond; the rest drop out after primary school. Corruption Since 2007 a U.N. anti- corruption commission has been helping local prosecu- tors make headway against endemic government graft that has stymied aid and development efforts. Several top politicians and even ex-presidents have been charged, but current Pres- ident Jimmy Morales has ordered the commission to leave the country, refused to renew visas of key staffers and barred its chief from returning to the country. That has elevated polit- ical tensions and discour- aged investment. Violence Since 2015, Guate- mala has seen its homi- cide rate drop to about 27 per 100,000 inhabitants, a level only slightly higher than neighboring Mexico and much better than in its Northern Triangle neigh- bors, El Salvador and Hon- duras. But law enforce- ment efforts have been blunted by the current ad- ministration’s political appointments. MAN CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER Also charged with threats to kill, wounding Police on Friday charged a 26-year-old man, of West Bay, with attempted murder, threats to kill and wounding, in connection with a knife attack on a woman on Oct. 21. The man remained in police custody over the weekend and is sched- uled to appear in court on Monday, Oct. 29. According to an earlier police statement, police officers and emergency services were dispatched to a report of a serious assault at a residence in West Bay just before 1:45 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 21. It was reported that a woman was attacked with a knife by a man known to her. The man had left the scene before police arrived. The woman was treated for non-life-threatening in- juries at the Cayman Is- lands Hospital. New scholarship offered for NCU A new scholarship is available for Cayman stu- dents attending Northern Caribbean University. Sponsored by the Cayman Chapter of NCU Alumni Association, the four-year full scholar- ship was announced on Friday. The first scholar- ship will be awarded for students enrolling in the university in September 2019 and studying either computer studies of edu- cation. It will cover tu- ition, books and accommo- dations at the Mandeville, Jamaica university. Caymanians or locally resident Jamaicans are eli- gible to apply. In the past several years, Northern Caribbean University has developed an information technology program that it promotes as one of its strengths. This year, the university fielded the first Jamaican student-ent r epr eneu r team, Beasc Technologies, to win the International Business Model Competi- tion for tertiary institu- tions globally. Those interested in applying can call the local alumni chapter at 938-2209 or email ncu.kyalumni@ gmail.com. The application deadline is May 31, 2019. Man pleads not guilty to Humane Society burglaries SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com Former Cayman Islands Humane Society employee Ricky Johnny Alvarado, who is accused of four charges of burglary at the animal shelter’s property on North Sound Road, pleaded not guilty in Grand Court Friday. The first two offenses happened in July of this year. Mr. Alvarado is ac- cused of taking $2,100 from the Humane Society’s cash drawer on July 20. He is also accused of a sim- ilar offense four days later, on July 24, when he alleg- edly took money from a donation jar. The defendant was ar- rested in connection with those charges, and he also stands accused of a pair of offenses later in the same year. Mr. Alvarado is accused of taking $25 from the Hu- mane Society donation jar on Sept. 10, and then he al- legedly took $57 from the jar again on Sept. 18. Mr. Alvarado pleaded not guilty to each of those charges on Friday. He will next appear in court on Nov. 15. A Grand Court trial date has been set for Jan. 21 next year. Rafters maneuver their tractor inner tube and wooden plank crafts on the Suchiate River, on the border between Guatemala and Mexico, in Tecun Uman, Guatemala, on Oct. 19, 2018. - PHOTO: APThe islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY OCTOBER 29, 2018 WIN A VIP EXPERIENCE FOR 2 DEADLINE TO ENTER: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13 ENTER TO WIN caymancompass.com/contests NOVEMBER 19-21 Tournament endorsed by the NCAAThe 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” When Governor Martyn Keith Roper, OBE, arrives today with his wife Elisabeth, they will be greeted with all the pomp and pageantry we associate with Cayman’s “changing of the guard.” They will be welcomed by government leaders and a police guard of honor at Owen Roberts International Airport. They will pay a visit to their new home at Gov- ernment House before returning to George Town for Governor Roper’s official swearing in. If they follow precedent, they will in their early days tour the districts, greeting our people and seeing firsthand the islands that have been entrusted to Governor Roper’s leadership. In fact, we can reliably report that the new governor will be visiting the Sister Islands on Friday. We should bear in mind that protocol plays an impor- tant role in times of significant change. Familiarity, and even formality, is a comforting touchstone reminding us that while individual governors serve for but a brief time, the Office of the Governor is an enduring and stabilizing institution. The role of governor – indeed, the role of most diplo- mats on the world stage – includes many ceremonial and symbolic responsibilities. The importance of these duties should not be discounted. In fact, Cayman derives much of its identity, its “British-ness,” from the governor’s per- sonification and representation of the Mother Country. But the governor also serves an executive function, ultimately responsible for the safety and security of these islands and their people. Moreover, as governor, Mr. Roper is constitutionally charged with promoting “good gover- nance,” overseeing the civil service, as well as appointing members of the judiciary and public commissions. He also possesses a significant, if rarely exercised, authority to overrule legislation passed by our elected officials when he feels their decisions are not in the interests of the public, or the Queen. It is a powerful position, so understandably all eyes will be scanning for telling clues to Mr. Roper’s temperament, personality and propensities as he becomes familiar with the islands and his responsibilities. Our advice to him – and to the Cayman people – frankly, is to relax. The relationship between the governor and the governed will evolve at its own pace. It should not be rushed, and opinions and conclusions should not be “jumped to” precipitously or prematurely. We fully expect that the next few days for Mr. Roper and his wife will be a bit of an overwhelming blur. “Franz” and “Alden” and “Ezzard” and “McKeeva” may be house- hold names to us (their surnames might be needed for formality but certainly not for identification). But for the Ropers, these VIPs will be little more than faces in an anonymous sea. Fortunately, Governor Roper will have a good guide among his staff, in particular Matthew Forbes, who serves as the chief of staff in the Governor’s Office. Mr. Forbes and Mr. Roper are well acquainted, their career paths having intersected during previous diplomatic postings (Mr. Forbes in Shanghai, Mr. Roper in Beijing). Importantly, Mr. Forbes has been in Cayman long enough to know the “good guys” from the “bad guys,” and, overall, who’s who. Soon after a number of governors have arrived on these islands, the publisher of this newspaper has given the newcomers a fairly large pin-on button. It reads: “The Cayman Islands – they’re something that happen to you at mid-passage.” This newspaper welcomes Governor and Elisabeth Roper. Speaking for all who call Cayman home, we are delighted to have you among us. A warm Cayman welcome to the Ropers MONDAY OCTOBER 29, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS It’s premature to bash the tax cuts ANDY PUZDER President Donald Trump in recent days has stirred up debate by proposing a 10 percent middle-class tax cut. The discussion often involves an assumption that the tax reform enacted late last year was a failure, increasing the federal def- icit and having a negli- gible effect on the economy. The assumption is wildly premature, if not com- pletely wrong. Critics seized on the Treasury Department’s re- cent report that the federal deficit grew from $666 bil- lion in fiscal 2017 to $779 billion in the just-ended fiscal year. Here was proof, we were told, that the 2017 tax cuts are already re- ducing federal revenue and increasing the deficit. In fact, the tax cuts are al- ready improving economic growth, and they will re- turn greater revenue as the business investments stimulated by the cuts begin bearing fruit over the next two years. Yes, the federal def- icit increased by $113 bil- lion in fiscal 2018 (which ended Sept. 30). Revenue increased by $14 billion, a 0.4 percent rise from 2017, while federal spending increased by $127 billion, a full 3 percent increase and nine times the increase in revenue. But the numbers are misleading. Let’s put aside, for now, the possibility that this is a problem of too much spending, not too little rev- enue. Critics of the tax re- form argue that the cuts are at fault because federal revenue otherwise would have been high enough to cover the spending in- crease. For support, they point to a Congressional Budget Office forecast from June 2017 under then-ex- isting law (before the tax cuts) projecting $200 bil- lion more in tax revenue for 2018 than the government actually collected. Notably, the CBO pre- dicted “particularly strong” tax revenue growth for 2018 because it believed in- vestors were anticipating a capital-gains tax cut and planning to sell off hold- ings when it occurred. The CBO, therefore, projected a burst in capital gains tax receipts. Those who claim that the forecast relied on pre-tax cut rates ignore the CBO’s assumption that Congress would cut cap- ital gains rates. That tax cut and the accompanying burst in capital gains rev- enue never occurred. Had Congress reduced capital gains rates, revenue would have increased as the CBO projected. Yet, even assuming that tax revenue would have been higher in 2018 but for the tax cuts, it is far too early to judge them a failure. The CBO’s 2017 forecast assumed a 2 percent gross domestic product growth rate for calendar year 2018. Fol- lowing the tax cuts, GDP grew at a much-improved average rate of 3.2 percent for the first two quarters of calendar 2018 and the CBO is now projecting 3.3 per- cent GDP growth for the entire year. Increased con- sumer spending, a direct result of the tax cuts, has been the primary driver. With more people working for higher wages and taking home more of what they earn since the IRS re- duced withholding rates in February, increased con- sumer spending makes perfect sense. However, increased business investment, the other side of the tax bene- fits coin, has yet to show a significant impact on GDP because realizing the ben- efits takes longer. For ex- ample, in the business sector where I was a chief executive for more than 16 years, if restaurant owners decide to open new lo- cations based on the in- creased profits they expect to receive from tax cuts, they would first have to find the right real estate. The owners would then need to negotiate a lease or a purchase, obtain the re- quired zoning approvals and permits, hire contrac- tors, build the restaurants and staff them. That can take up to two years – more in states such as California where zoning and permit- ting requirements are ex- tensive and onerous. No matter the sector, there are lead times be- fore employers and workers can reap the rewards of a new investment. Those re- wards from the tax cuts enacted late last year are now on the way; it is un- reasonable to assume that the economy would realize them within the first nine months following the tax cuts passage. Gains in jobs, wages and take-home pay are already showing the benefits of tax cuts, and consumers are, in turn, driving economic growth. But the best is yet to come. As the additional benefits of business invest- ment are realized, those gains will only increase, as will the tax revenue those investments produce. None- theless, despite revenue increases that will flow from the tax cuts in the future, the federal deficit will begin to decrease only when Congress gets serious about reducing spending. Andy Puzder is the former chief executive of CKE Restaurants and author of ‘The Capitalist Comeback.’ © 2018, Washington Post Writers Group. No matter the sector, there are lead times before employers and workers can reap the rewards of a new investment. Those rewards from the tax cuts enacted late last year are now on the way...5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY OCTOBER 29, 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: Golf cart donated to hospital Electric vehicle will transport patients with mobility issues British Caymanian Insur- ance Company Limited has donated a 2019 six-seater Cushman electric golf cart to the Cayman Islands Hospital to assist patients with mo- bility challenges. The new cart, valued at just under US$14,000, will be used to transport pa- tients from the adjacent parking lot to the main en- trance of the hospital and other areas on the hos- pital’s campus. During the hand-over of the vehicle on Friday, Health Services Authority Chief Ex- ecutive Officer Lizzette Year- wood thanked BritCay. She said the use of the cart will significantly im- prove the experience of pa- tients and visitors, particu- larly older people who make their way from the adja- cent Seventh-day Adventist Church parking area. “With the golf cart patient transport service, entering our doors just got a bit easier for these individuals,” Ms. Yearwood said. The golf cart can comfort- ably accommodate six pas- sengers. It has the capability of holding a wheelchair and has side rails for safety and support for getting inside for those with more extreme mobility challenges. The vehicle is also equipped with side enclo- sures to resist rain, non-skid slip resistant surfaces and durable tires. “We heard of the need, saw where we could assist and were happy to do so,” said BritCay Health Manager Lamar Haynes. “I hope the addition of this cart to the hospital’s equipment will provide a de- gree of comfort and conve- nience for those patients who experience mobility chal- lenges,” Mr. Haynes added. Ms. Yearwood acknowl- edged the donation was timely, with October being Older Persons Month. “In addition to the golf cart for transportation needs, we also have dedicated parking spots at the hospital and lines within its clinics and pharmacy for older per- sons,” she said. HSA staff welcome BritCay’s donation of a 2019 six-seater Cushman electric golf cart. Next court appearance scheduled for Nov. 30 SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com Taxi driver Roy Clivey Tamasa, charged in the death of pedestrian Dr. Vary Anetta Jones-Leslie outside Owen Roberts International Airport in July last year, appeared in Grand Court on Friday. Mr. Tamasa, 70, of Bodden Town, has been charged with causing death by careless/ dangerous driving. He is next scheduled to appear before the court on Friday, Nov. 30. Mr. Tamasa’s attorney, Richard Barton, said Friday that the defense has sub- mitted expert testimony to the Crown counsel re- garding the speed of the ve- hicle, a Toyota Hiace, and the exact point of contact with the pedestrian. The Crown will have seven days to complete its review and plans to serve a report back to the defense attorney by Nov. 7. Both sides will be back in court on Nov. 30, at which point the defendant may be asked to enter a plea. Dr. Jones-Leslie, 62, was a visiting obstetrician-gyne- cologist from Jamaica who had just arrived in Cayman to work on temporary assign- ment at the Cayman Islands Hospital in George Town. She died on July 18, 2017, after being struck by the vehicle as she crossed Owen Roberts Drive the pre- vious morning. TAXI DRIVER IN COURT ON DEATH BY CARELESS DRIVING CHARGE The golf cart will be used to transport patients from the adjacent Seventh-day Adventist Church parking area to the hospital main entrance and around hospital’s campus. Dr. Vary Anetta Jones-LeslieThe islands’ most-trusted news source 6 MONDAY OCTOBER 29, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS have handicapped parking spots and access ramps. Minister Hew said that the honoree represents the fact that “there are still in- deed ironmen in our midst.” A variety of other awards were bestowed on some of Cayman’s most prominent businesses. Marriott Resort received the Chamber’s top award, Business of the Year; the cybersecurity firm eShore Ltd. won Small Business of the Year; Island Natu- rals owner Lindsay Allen won Entrepreneur of the Year; Vagabond Media Group won a prize for the Marketing Campaign of the Year; and Yello Media Group was given the Com- munity Impact Award. Two businesses, Dart Enterprises Ltd. and Health City Cayman Islands, were co-winners of the Commit- ment to Education award. Chamber President Paul Byles explained that the organization wanted to give philanthropic-themed awards to shine much- needed light on the good work Cayman businesses do in the community. “What has occurred over the many years is that there’s an idea that us in this room trying to pursue profits and do very well may not be the best thing in the world,” he said. “The fact that you do all these other things gets missed a bit, and I think it’s important to remind the community of that.” In addition to the busi- ness awards, Wil Pineau was also recognized for a career milestone he will reach in several weeks, when he will hit his 25th anniversary mark of being the Chamber of Commerce’s CEO. participant download.” The “Safest Driver” app, which can be downloaded in the App and Google Play Stores, runs off the vibra- tions in the driver’s car and scores each trip or journey throughout the day. After a journey, participants are scored and provided with feedback on unsafe driving behavior so that improve- ments can be made for the next trip. Participants also receive achievement badges as re- wards for reaching safe driving goals. Drivers who have the app can form closed groups to compete against friends and family, or local busi- nesses can get involved and start their own safest driver promotion among their staff. The app features a leaderboard which can display the safest overall driver, the least distracted driver and who is leading within that group. Nick Brierly, Saxon’s chief financial officer, said employees at the company had recognized a growing problem and “saw the need for a solution.” “This promotion is just the first of many initiatives Saxon plans on rolling out to promote safe driving. We also host a Driver’s Education program in the local schools to promote safe driving habits from an early age. The Cayman’s Safest Driver app will allow us to combine innovation, community values, safety and prevention all in one and we hope that everyone gets involved to keep the roads safer this holiday season,” said Saxon CEO Brian Williams. Participants do not need to be Saxon customers to take part. Asked if insurance pre- miums of drivers whose less- than-stellar driving skills are recorded by the app would be affect, Ms. Gomez said, “Absolutely not,” adding that Saxon only sees the final score of participants and not any individual category. “That’s for the participants’ eyes only,” she said. The app information “will not impact insur- ance premiums or will not be shared with the RCIPS,” she added. For more information on the Cayman’s Safest Driver promotion and to download the app, visit www.drivesafe.ky. reported robberies, including firearm-related robberies, assaults and other violent crimes that have been proven to be gambling related,” the release stated. The bill suggests tougher penalties to offenses in- volving ownership or control or properties in which illegal gambling is conducted as op- posed to possession of tickets related to gambling. That dis- parity is meant to deter own- ership, establishment or oc- cupation of properties which would be used to facilitate the participation in illegal gambling of any kind. Other penalties A number of other penal- ties would also be increased under the proposed amend- ments. For example, penal- ties for being found gam- bling or betting in licensed premises increase from a $10 fine to $2,500, and the term of imprisonment in- creases from two months to six months. The fine for using a place for gambling without per- mission increases from $10 to $5,000 and prison term increases from two months to one year. Penalties for refusing to demolish a place erected or constructed for gambling in- clude an increased fine – from $10 to $5,000, and the prison term increases from two months to one year. The proposed legislation also pro- vides for the increase of the fine from $2 to $100 for each day there is non-compliance with the legislation. The fine for failure by a person to prove that he or she was not in possession of a lottery ticket increases from $20 to $2,500 and the prison term increases from three months to six months. Penalties for keeping a common gaming house in- crease from a $100 fine to a $20,000 fine and a term of imprisonment increases from six months to three years. Those found guilty of con- ducting or taking part in a lottery will face an increased fine of $20,000 compared to the current $100 fine, and the term of imprisonment increases from two months to three years. Another amendment to the legislation includes an increase in penalties for any gambling activity involving selling tickets, assembling for lottery results or paying for lottery tickets, from a fine of $40 to $5,000, and a term of imprisonment to increase from two months to one year. ‘Mr. Parker’ honored at Chamber awards dinner Insurance company seeks ‘Cayman’s Safest Driver’ Legislation aims to increase penalties for gambling CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Saxon will announce ‘Cayman’s Safest Driver’ on Dec. 7. Penalties for illegal gambling have not been revised since the first enactment of the Gambling Law in 1964. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) – Mark McQueen’s sand-colored combat boots have walked the ground during many di- sasters – Afghanistan. Iraq. Florida’s Panama City. The two-star general had no sooner retired from the Army and started his job as city manager for this Gulf Coast community when it was slammed by a category 4 hurricane. Hurricane Mi- chael became the most dev- astating hurricane to hit Florida in decades. Almost all of Panama City’s water, sewer, electric and cell ser- vices were wiped out. Despite McQueen having no municipal experience and having been on the job only two weeks, city leaders say he’s exactly the man they need for the long recovery ahead. “I believe the Lord sent him,” said Panama City Com- missioner Billy Rader. “God knew this was going to happen before we did.” The 58-year-old was a rare choice when commissioners picked him out of a candi- date pool of 80 people. When McQueen accepted the job six months ago, he asked the commission for a grace pe- riod to wrap up his military service and end his a civilian job as a church’s business administrator. There was an- other pressing matter, too. “There was a gentleman who needed a kidney,” he says casually. In the last four months, McQueen has retired from the military, started a new job, helped coordinate one of the largest hurricane responses since Katrina, and in August he donated his left kidney to a man at his church. McQueen came to Panama City in 1988 for a job at a local community col- lege. He met his wife there, and they raised their two children there. Over the years, he rose in the ranks of the military, from officer to Special Oper- ations Command, to his final assignment as commanding general of the 108th Training Command headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. There, he commanded some 7,000 soldiers. One of their tasks was to repair Bagh- dad’s infrastructure. On Sept. 24, he marked his first day on the job. Ap- proximately two weeks later, Hurricane Michael hit. As the storm bore down on Flori- da’s Panhandle, he ordered an evacuation for parts of the city and unrolled his Army bed mat and camouflage blanket in the corner of the police chief’s office. As the eyewall of the monster storm passed over the city, the police station’s roof threatened to lift. Water trickled into the building. When the storm passed, he surveyed the damage in this city of 40,000 people. Ninety percent of all the power poles were down. One of the two wastewater treat- ment plants was inoperable. Cellphones were not working. The city’s lush tree canopy was in splinters, covering roads and homes. “This is Baghdad with trees,” he said. “One hun- dred percent collapse of infrastructure.” Now, more than two weeks since the storm, he’s still sleeping in the chief’s of- fice, but took a day to fly to Washington, D.C. His retirement ceremony from the military was Friday. It was his first day off since before the storm. How a 2-star Army general took charge of a broken city In this Oct. 24, 2018 photo, Panama City manager Mark McQueen stands near an area destroyed by Hurricane Michael in Panama City, Florida. - PHOTO: AP7 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY OCTOBER 29, 2018 Fire Service says residents were safe from quarry fire A quarry fire in Bodden Town that smoldered for sev- eral weeks was never a risk to residents in the surrounding areas, according to the Cayman Islands Fire Service. The Fire Service stated that when the fire was first reported on Sept. 25, offi- cers found no sign of smoke during extensive checks of the nearest residential area. Local residents had raised con- cerns about the smoke and fumes emanating from the smoldering site. The Fire Service explained that it did not try to extin- guish the fire because there was significant risk to both officers and plant operators, due to the substantial size of the smoldering piles, as well as their contents, which in- cluded aerosol containers. In addition, the vast amounts of water necessary to extinguish the fire would have resulted in contaminated water entering nearby ponds. “For all these reasons, the Fire Service opted to manage the incident by focusing on monitoring the site of the fire, working with site owner to en- sure that the fire could be ex- tinguished once it was safer to do so, and that it met fire safety standards thereafter, as well as making regular visits to the Lake Destiny neigh- bourhood to assess the im- pact of any smoke,” the Fire Service stated. The fire was extinguished on Oct. 18, according to the Department of Environmental Health. The Fire Service also stated that there was never any black smoke observed from the fire, which would have implied the presence of a carbon-based fuel source, such as tires or gasoline. The Fire Service added that while the fire was burning, un- known individuals continued to use the site as an illegal dumping ground. “In addition to breaching the law, this practice con- stitutes a hazard for nearby communities but also for fire- fighters,” the Fire Service stated. “We urge all persons to follow established procedures for the disposal of waste.” Cayman Fire Chief David Hails and Fire Officer Roy Charlton tour the burning vegetation in Bodden Town in September. – PHOTO: JEWEL LEVY Bill calls for change to road naming process A new bill proposed for de- bate before the Legislative As- sembly seeks to amend the way in which government names and numbers roads. The bill would make the minister responsible for lands, which is currently Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, respon- sible for naming roads. The legislation would also give the Cabinet leeway to make regulations, and it would allow the director of the Lands and Survey Department to ap- prove numbers for buildings. Street addressing in Cayman was formally intro- duced by The Roads (Naming & Numbering) Law 1997, and the Cayman Islands Street Addressing Committee was formed to take on the task. The committee is comprised of members from the Lands & Survey Department, the Na- tional Roads Authority, the Planning Department, the Postal Service, Fire Police, Am- bulance and 911 Emergency Communications. Addresses in the Cayman Islands are based on a stan- dardized system that calls for intervals of 21.12 feet be- tween available numbers. Odd numbers go on the left hand side, and even numbers on the right. That formula allows for 500 addresses along each cor- responding mile of road. MAN PLEADS NOT GUILTY IN WEST BAY ROBBERY Allan Lester Rodney McK- enzie appeared in Grand Court on Friday when he pleaded not guilty to a rob- bery charge stemming from an incident that occurred in West Bay in May. Mr. McKenzie was ac- cused of allegedly using force to take earrings and bracelets from a man. Mr. McKenzie and his co- defendant Eddington Pad- dington Miguel Bush will stand trial on March 11, and the trial is expected to last three days. The case will be back in Grand Court for a mention date on Nov. 15.The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 MONDAY OCTOBER 29, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Tropical Storm Oscar strengthens Oscar continues to swirl over the Atlantic Ocean, but it does not pose any threat to land. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Sunday morning that Oscar had top sustained winds of 70 mph and was 815 miles east-southeast of Bermuda. We need to raise $600,000 for our building which is in dire need of renovation. A building that is more than a shelter. Please donate today so we can continue to provide critical services to Cayman. We simply can’t do it without you. www.redcross.org.ky Thank you Greenlight Re for becoming a Resilience Partner and contributing $50,000 to our building renovation fund. HELP US REACH OUR GOAL for our building Please donate today so we can continue to provide critical services to Cayman. $300K_ $450K_ $600K_ $150K_ $0K_ Mayor: ‘Darkest day of Pittsburgh’s history’ PITTSBURGH (AP) – The sus- pect in the mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue ex- pressed hatred of Jews during the rampage and told offi- cers afterward that Jews were committing genocide and he wanted them all to die, ac- cording to charging docu- ments made public Sunday. Robert Gregory Bowers killed eight men and three women inside the Tree of Life Synagogue on Sat- urday during worship ser- vices before a tactical po- lice team tracked him down and shot him, police said in an affidavit, which contained some unreported details on the shooting and the po- lice response. Officials released the names of all 11 victims during a news conference Sunday, all of them middle- aged or elderly. The victims included a pair of brothers and a husband and wife. The oldest was 97. Mayor Bill Peduto called it the “darkest day of Pitts- burgh’s history.” Calls began coming in to 911 from the synagogue just before 10 a.m. Saturday, re- porting “they were being at- tacked,” court documents said. Bowers, 46, shot one of the first two officers to respond in the hand, and the other was wounded by “shrapnel and broken glass.” A tactical team found Bowers on the third floor, where he shot two offi- cers multiple times, the af- fidavit said. One officer was described as critically wounded; the document did not describe the other offi- cer’s condition. Two other people in the synagogue, a man and a woman, were wounded by Bowers and were in stable condition, the document said. Bowers, who was armed with an AR-15 rifle and three handguns and used all four weapons in the attack, told an officer while he was being treated for his injuries “that he wanted all Jews to die and also that they (Jews) were committing genocide to his people,” the affidavit said. Bowers was charged late Saturday with 11 state counts of criminal homicide, six counts of aggravated as- sault and 13 counts of ethnic intimidation in what the leader of the Anti-Defamation League called the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history. Bowers was also charged Saturday in a 29-count fed- eral criminal complaint that included charges of ob- structing the free exercise of religious beliefs – a fed- eral hate crime – and using a firearm to commit murder. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Ses- sions said the charges “could lead to the death penalty.” It was not clear whether Bowers had an attorney to speak on his behalf. The victims included Melvin Wax, who was al- ways one of the first to arrive at synagogue and among the last to leave. “He and I used to, at the end of services, try to tell a joke or two to each other,” said Myron Snider, a fellow member of New Light Con- gregation, which rented space in the basement of Tree of Life. “Most of the time they were clean jokes. Most of the time. I won’t say all the time. But most of the time.” Snider said “Mel,” a re- tired accountant in his late 80s, was unfailingly generous and a “sweet, sweet guy.” The nation’s latest mass shooting drew condemnation and expressions of sympathy from politicians and religious leaders of all stripes. With the midterm election just over a week away, it also re- ignited a long-standing and bitter debate over guns. Trump on Saturday said the outcome might have been different if the synagogue “had some kind of protec- tion” from an armed guard, while Pennsylvania’s Demo- cratic Gov. Tom Wolf, up for re-election, noted that once again “dangerous weapons are putting our citizens in harm’s way.” Calling the shooting an “evil anti-Semitic attack,” Trump ordered flags at fed- eral buildings throughout the U.S. to be flown at half- staff in respect for the vic- tims. He said he planned to travel to Pittsburgh, but of- fered no details. The victims included a pair of brothers and a husband and wife. The oldest was 97. Rachel Kranson, left, holds her daughter, Sasha Kranson, 12, during a vigil after a shooter fatally shot multiple people at Tree of Life Congregation synagogue on Saturday. - PHOTO: STEPHANIE STRASBURG/POST-GAZETTE VIA AP9 WORLD&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY OCTOBER 29, 2018 Tell me it’s okay to just want to cry, Tell me it’s okay to never say goodbye. Tell me it’s okay to be afraid to be strong, Tell me it’s okay and that you’re coming along. Tell me it’s okay and that you’re staying by me, Tell me it’s okay and that this life is meant to be. Tell me it’s okay to feel how I’m feeling, Tell me it’s okay - the way that I am dealing. Tell me it’s okay – that there is a reason for it all, Tell me it’s okay, even if I fall. Tell me it’s okay to lose control today, Tell me it’s okay, just tell me it’s okay. No one knows my silent heartaches, Or my grief that’s borne in silence. My heart still aches from losing you. I will always love you Mom, Your daughter, Michele. In Loving Memory of my Beloved Mother Wosila Rochester 10 May 1945 – 29 October 2012 6 Years At Rest Tell me it’s okay to just want to cry,Tell me it’s okay to just want to cry,Tell me it’s okay to just want to cry,Tell me it’s okay to just want to cry, Bomb suspect: Ex-stripper with cash problems, Trump WASHINGTON (AP) – Caesar Sayoc is an amateur body builder and former stripper, a loner with a long arrest re- cord who showed little in- terest in politics until Donald Trump came along. On Friday, he was iden- tified by authorities as the Florida man who put pipe bombs in small manila enve- lopes, affixed six stamps and sent them to some of Trump’s most prominent critics. His arrest capped a week in which the bombs aimed at some of America’s biggest names – Obama, Clinton, De Niro – dominated the news and invited speculation about who might be responsible for them. The answer, authorities said, was Sayoc, a 56-year-old man from Aventura, Florida, who was devoted to Trump, had a history of financial problems and an extensive arrest record, including a stint on probation for making a bomb threat. His attorney in that 2002 case, Ronald Lowy, described Sayoc as “a confused man who had trouble controlling his emotions.” A cousin of Sayoc, Lenny Altieri, used stronger terms. “I know the guy is a lu- natic,” Altieri told The As- sociated Press. “He has been a loner.” Altieri confirmed that Sayoc had been a stripper. On an online resume, Sayoc described himself as a booker and promoter for burlesque shows. Stacy Saccal, the general manager of the Ultra Gen- tlemen’s Club in West Palm Beach, said Sayoc had worked there for about two months, first as a floor bouncer and for the past month as a disc jockey – most recently on Thursday night, hours before his arrest Friday morning. “I didn’t know this guy was mad crazy like this,” she said Friday. “Never once did he speak politics. This is a bar. We don’t talk politics or reli- gion in a bar, you know?” Florida voter records show Sayoc first registered in March 2016 as a Republican and cast a ballot in that No- vember’s presidential election. He has been an active Trump supporter, tweeting and posting Facebook videos that appear to show him at the president’s rallies. Sayoc’s social media ac- counts are peppered with memes supporting Trump, and denigrating Democrats. Sayoc lived in a white 2002 Dodge Ram van, which was plastered with stickers sup- porting Trump and criticizing media outlets that included CNN, which was also targeted by mail bombs. The van was often parked outside an LA Fit- ness in Aventura, backed up in a parking space under the trees for shade. Patrons say they frequently saw him in the locker room. Other times, the van was seen parked at the beach in nearby Hollywood before dawn, with Sayoc stripping down to skin-tight shorts for an outdoor shower. In 2015, he reported to po- lice that his van was broken into outside of a gym in Oak- land Park, Florida. He claimed that more than $40,000 worth of items were stolen, including $7,150 worth of Donald Trump-brand suits. But often, Sayoc was on the other side of legal complaints. In the 2002 bomb threat case, he had lashed out at a Florida utility representative because his electricity ser- vice was about to be cut off. The arrest report said Sayoc threatened in a phone call to blow up the utility’s offices and said “It would be worse than Sept. 11.” Sayoc was also convicted in 2014 for grand theft and in 2013 for battery. In 2004, he faced several felony charges for unlawful possession of a synthetic anabolic steroid often used to help build mus- cles. He also had several ar- rests going back to the 1990s for theft, obtaining fraudu- lent refunds and tampering with evidence. Lowy said he recalled that Sayoc also had a run-in with authorities where he was charged with possessing a fake driver’s license after al- tering his birthdate to make him appear younger. A United States Postal inspector stands behind yellow police tape outside the Colonial Station post office where a suspicious package addressed to U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, a California Democrat, was found Friday. - PHOTO: AP GEORGE SOROS, THE FAR RIGHT’S BOOGEYMAN, IS AGAIN A TARGET NEW YORK (AP) – When pipe bombs turned up in the mail of Hillary Clinton and other prominent Demo- crats this week, the first re- cipient – billionaire investor and liberal philanthropist George Soros – quickly fell out of the headlines. But there’s no chance his many critics and ene- mies have forgotten him. White nationalists and others on the polit- ical fringes have long cast Soros as the supposed leader of a globalist Jewish plot to undermine white Christian civilization. Now, President Donald Trump, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and other po- litical leaders have brought the vilification of Soros into the mainstream. This year, Soros has been accused by critics including Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, of pur- portedly funding a car- avan of Central Amer- ican migrants marching toward the U.S. Others have charged him with hijacking a campaign by Florida high school stu- dents demanding gun con- trol. Trump tweeted re- cently that women who confronted Republican senators about Brett Ka- vanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court were actually professional pro- testers, paid by Soros. For many on the far right, Soros is “like the Jew behind the curtain, from their perspective, not just in the U.S., but all over the world. He’s the number one enemy of folks on the rad- ical right,” said Heidi Bei- rich, director of the In- telligence Project at the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks U.S. hate groups. “The demon- ization of sorts has been going for a while, but it has really hit sort of a fever pitch in the last three to four years.” On Friday, investigators arrested a south Florida man, charging him with carrying out the mail bomb scare, in which no one was hurt. The suspect, Caesar Sayoc, 56, maintained so- cial media accounts pro- moting conspiracy theo- ries about Soros. The fact that Soros was a target seemed less a sur- prise than a logical pro- gression, Beirich said. In an analysis of mil- lions of anti-Semitic Twitter posts over the year that ended in January, the Anti- Defamation League found that Soros was among the most frequent targets. Trump has tapped into those sentiments, and sev- eral Republican politicians have followed his lead. “For those who con- trol the levers of power in Washington and for the global special interests, they partner with these people that don’t have your good in mind,” Trump said in the final ad of his 2016 campaign, featuring video of Soros and others. Wait times for US citizenship applications stretch to 2 years LOS ANGELES (AP) – More than 700,000 immigrants are waiting on applications to become U.S. citizens, a pro- cess that once typically took about six months but has stretched to more than two years in some places under the administration of Presi- dent Donald Trump. The long wait times have prompted some immigrant ad- vocates to ask whether the de- lays are aimed at keeping anti- Trump voters from casting ballots in elections. “People are motivated to participate, and they’re being frustrated from being able to participate in the elections they’re excited about,” said Manuel Pastor, director of the University of Southern Califor- nia’s Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration. The number of immigrants aspiring to become U.S. cit- izens surged during 2016, jumping 27 percent from a year earlier as Trump made cracking down on immigration a central theme of his presi- dential campaign. At first, the federal government kept up with the applications, but then the wait grew. Backlogs are nothing new in the U.S. immigration system. It often takes years to receive asylum or to be deported. But naturalization – the final step to become an American citizen, obtain a U.S. passport and re- ceive voting rights – had not been subject to such delays in recent years. Now the average wait time for officials to decide on applications is more than 10 months. It takes up to 22 months in Atlanta and as long as 26 months in parts of Texas, according to official estimates. Trump tweeted on Thursday that Central Amer- ican migrants headed north in a U.S.-bound caravan should return home and can apply for American citizenship if they wish. “Go back to your Country and if you want, apply for citi- zenship like millions of others are doing!” he posted as thou- sands continued their trek through Mexico.Next >