Cayman Compass - 6 May, 2022

cayman compass Your most trusted news source Established 1965 $1 | Funding local journalism | Weekly, 6-12 May 2022 Trashmore: Eyesore to beauty spot? Page 5 Back on the road with Batabano Page 22 2 8 $ for Yumbo Ham & Cheese Whopper® Original Chicken Sandwich Big Fish Mix n’ Match © 2022 Burger King Corporation. MANHUNT Dramatic scenes in armed pursuit; one arrested, one on the run Page 3 Prison Papers: Part 2 Pages 18-21FIND US ONLINE Caymancompass.com Facebook.com/Caycompass cayman_compass@cayCompassCayman Compass PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Cayman Compass Ltd. Compass Centre, Shedden Road, George Town, Cayman Islands SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman, KY1-1108 Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@compassmedia.ky ADVERTISE WITH US: T: (345) 949-5111 E: sales@compassmedia.ky W: caymancompass.com NEWS EDITOR CAROLINE JAMES BUSINESS EDITOR MICHAEL KLEIN ISSUES EDITOR JAMES WHITTAKER LIVING EDITOR VICKI WHEATON HEAD OF SALES CHERYL BIRCHGILLIES weather Friday Forecast FORECAST Partly cloudy skies with a 40% chance of showers. SEA STATE Moderate with a wave height of 3 to 5 feet. WINDS East to northeast at 10 to 15 knots. 88°F HIGH 75°F LOW Matinees (matinee price before 6pm) • Seniors $9.00 (Mon-Fri before 6pm) Additional charges apply per 3D/VIP tickets 640-FILM (640-3456) 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. DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS (PG-13) (FRI) 4:35 VIP | 6:30 | 6:50 VIP | 9:30 | 9:30 VIP | 9:50 VIP (SAT) 12:35 | 1:00 VIP | 3:30 | 3:55 VIP | 4:35 VIP | 6:30 | 6:50 VIP | 9:30 | 9:30 VIP | 9:50 VIP (SUN) 3:30 | 3:55 VIP | 4:35 VIP | 6:30 | 6:35 VIP | 6:50 VIP | 9:30 | 9:30 VIP | 9:50 VIP | 9:50 (MON - THURS) 3:30 | 3:55 VIP | 4:35 VIP | 6:30 | 6:50 VIP | 9:30 | 9:30 VIP | 9:50 VIP FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE (PG-13) (FRI, SUN-MON & WED-THURS) 4:10 (SAT) 12:45 | 4:10 K.G.F CHAPTER 2 (HINDI) (PG) (FRI & SUN-THURS) 8:00 (SAT) 12:30 | 8:00 WHAT’S PLAYING THIS WEEK MEMORY (R) (FRI, SAT, MON & WED-THURS) 6:45 VIP | 9:45 (TUE) 9:45 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2(PG) (FRI & SUN) 3:45 VIP | 6:55 (SAT) 1:10P | 4:00 | 6:55 (MON & WED) 3:45 VIP | 4:00 | 6:55 (TUE) 3:45 VIP | 4:00 (THURS) 3:45 THE LOST CITY (PG-13) (FRI & SUN-THURS) 5:10 | 7:20 | 7:30 VIP | 10:00 | 10:10 VIP (SAT) 1:50 VIP | 7:20 | 7:30 VIP | 10:00 | 10:10 VIP KIDS CLUB HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON SATURDAY 10AM VIP AVAILABLE (PG) KIDS CLUB FINDING NEMO SATURDAY 10AM VIP AVAILABLE (PG) For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted CLASSICS FIGHT CLUB TUESDAY 7PM VIP (R) cayman compass 2 N news FRIDAY, 6 MAY 2022 Cuban boat runs out of fuel off East End Eight Cuban nationals who had opted to continue their journey by sea after 12 of their compatriots disembarked in Cayman Brac on 1 May are being held by Customs and Border Control after their boat ran out of fuel off East End. The eight arrived in East End around 6am on 3 May, and told police and CBC ofﬁ cers that they were out of fuel. They had been part of a larger group of 20 Cubans who arrived at the Brac around 10:45pm on 1 May. A dozen of those on board left the vessel, which moored off Scotts Dock overnight, and told ofﬁ cials they did not want to go on with their journey. The eight remaining on board left the Brac on the morning of 2 May. According to press releases issued by Customs and Border Control, since 14 April, 90 Cuban nationals have arrived in Cayman. This brings to 145 the number of Cubans who are currently being held on island by CBC. The upsurge in the recent arrivals has led Cayman authorities to begin formulating a mass migration contingency plan. Fatal accident trial to proceed The prosecution is moving forward with its case against Terry Hodgson who has been charged in relation to a 2020 car accident that claimed the life of Paul Andrew Wright. Hodgson’s attorney Crister Brady, on 19 April, had told the court he was in talks with the prosecution with a view of reviewing the “criminality of Mr. Hodgson” to ultimately have the charges reconsidered. During that hearing, Crown counsel Greg Walcolm conﬁ rmed that a review of the ﬁ le would be undertaken. On Friday, 29 April, during a follow-up appearance, Scott Wainwright, representing the Ofﬁ ce of the Director of Public Prosecutions, stated that the matter had been reviewed and the decision was made to proceed. Hodgson, 46, entered a not guilty plea to a charge of causing death whilst driving uninsured. A seven-day jury trial has been set to begin on 5 Sept. Police name man who died at Smith Cove Police on 4 May named the man who died at Smith Cove on 30 April as 75-year-old Eldon Leroy Nixon, from George Town. Nixon got into difﬁ culties while swimming at Smith Cove. He was brought back to shore by others at the beach, but was unresponsive. He was transported by ambulance to the Cayman Islands Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Temporary road layout on Linford Pierson Hwy A new temporary road layout along the Linford Pierson Highway is in effect as the National Roads Authority continues its road-widening project, which involves creating new lanes and constructing a larger roundabout. The Linford Pierson Highway widening project began on 14 March and is expected to be completed by the end of the second quarter of 2023. The NRA said in a statement, “Once complete, the project will see a widening of the road from two travel lanes to six travel lanes between Agnes Way Roundabout and the trafﬁ c signal at Bobby Thompson Way and Smith Road. “The road will feature a raised grass median, along with enhanced drainage and street lighting.” Motorists are cautioned to take extra care when passing through the construction area. Miss Ethel passes away Cayman centenarian Ethel Ebanks has passed away. Ms. Ebanks, who recently celebrated her 104th birthday, died in her sleep on 30 April. Mario Ebanks, who kept close ties with Ebanks and affectionately called her “Auntie Ethel” told the Cayman Compass her sudden passing has left a void in his heart and the community. She was believed to be the oldest person in the Cayman Islands. “She was a special and unique person, one of a kind, really. A life well lived, hardly a complaint… even at her advanced age. [She was] always very detailed-oriented, knowledgeable and full of stories and history, and a most alert and wise political advisor. My heart is broken and empty this morning, but grateful for her long life and that she endured no long-term suffering,” Ebanks said. The centenarian was born in 1918 to parents Ennia Elizabeth and Thomas Edwin Ebanks, and she resided in the same house she grew up in with her siblings on Town Hall Road up until her passing. The National Roads Authority says its Linford Pierson Highway widening project is expected to be completed by the end of the second quarter of 2023. – Photo: Alvaro Serey news in brief Ethel Ebanks at her recent birthday party. She passed away on 30 April at the age of 104.ANDREL HARRIS aharris@compassmedia.ky A white Toyota Yaris speeds away from a late afternoon police checkpoint, leaving tyre marks and exhaust fumes, as ofﬁ cers rush to their tactical SUVs… and so, the pursuit begins. Armed with high-powered assault rifles, police weave through traffic until they eventually intercept the car. Then, two men – one apparently armed with a gun – dash from the vehicle, leaving it parked with the engine still running, in the middle of a busy highway. They jump over a nearby chain-link fence, pursued by police ofﬁ cers, and disappear into a moderately busy street as commuters make their way home or to local bars and restaurants at the end of the work week. It might sound like a scene from a clichéd Hollywood movie, but for Doug Dodds* and dozens of other onlookers, this was as real as it gets. The armed pursuit came at the end of a week in which two murders were committed in Grand Cayman, already putting the island on edge. “I’ve never seen anything like this or witnessed anything like this; it looked like... a scene out of an action movie,” said Dodds, who said he was still in disbelief several days after the events of the night of Friday, 29 April. “The Firearms Response Unit, these guys are straight out of central casting... big, huge, muscular guys with the bulletproof jackets and everything. It looked like a movie was being shot, and the guys were racing out,” he said. The manhunt begins With the suspects loose and potentially armed, police called for back-up. Within minutes, the K-9 unit and additional armed ofﬁ cers were on the scene and the pursuit re-ignited. The chase led police to Lizard Run Drive, off West Bay Road, and to a set of private waterfront condos on Seven Mile Beach. There, ofﬁ cers caught sight of one of the suspects and ﬁ red a shot – no one was injured, but police cleared that stretch of the beach. “Never thought I’d see the day when I had to evacuate Seven Mile Beach due to a gunman,” wrote one resident on social media, who requested their identity not be disclosed. She continued, “[I] heard the shot [and] thought, surely it’s a ﬁ rework, not a gun, but then there were armed police everywhere asking if the guy had come through and telling us to clear the beach, which meant going very fast back to the apartment in the direction they may well have been coming.” A short time later, police arrested one man: 20-year-old Eric Brian Williams Soto. He has appeared in court, charged with possession of an unlicensed ﬁ rearm and ammunition. He made an initial Summary Court appearance on 2 May, where he was remanded into custody after an unsuccessful bail application. He is scheduled to return to court on 9 May. The search widens After failing to capture the other suspect on the beach, ofﬁ cers returned inland, where they widened their search. “They were searching cars, looking in trunks one at a time, looking in the back seats, looking through some of these vehicles,” said Dodds. For the better part of that evening, Cayman Compass staff and hundreds of others witnessed West Bay Road and the Esterley Tibbetts Highway backed up with long lines of trafﬁ c, as a convoy of armed units converged on various locations. At one of the scenes, Compass staff witnessed police, with assault riﬂ es drawn, approach a vehicle in the parking lot of a hotel, and demand the driver park and exit. She was taken a few feet away and patted down as ofﬁ cers searched the trunk of her vehicle. Despite their efforts, the second suspect was not apprehended that night, and as of press time, 5 May, remained at large. Police have named him as Justin Kyle Jackson. Armed and dangerous On 22 April, police said they were seeking Jackson, who had been released from HMP Northward on the conditional release programme. However, he is alleged to have violated the terms of that release, and police issued a recall. The RCIPS, in a statement, described Jackson as armed and dangerous, and advised members of the public not to approach him, but to alert police instead. Police are reminding the public that if they are caught assisting a wanted individual, they risk being charged with aiding and abetting, which carries a ﬁ nancial penalty and/or a term of imprisonment of up to 10 years. ‘I still feel safe’ Despite the high drama, Dodds and other residents say they still feel safe. “Police are doing all they can and, quite frankly, I still feel safe,” said Dodds. “This is a small island and a wanted person can only hide for so long. So, I’m sure that police, with the assistance of the public, will soon ﬁ nd him.” “It’s scary to think that crime is physically creeping into so many parts of the community, but I do feel safe, and police seem to have the matter under control,” said another witness who lives near the beach and had been ordered indoors by police during the manhunt. *Editor’s Note: Doug Dodds, who has been quoted in this article, is an employee of Compass Media. Manhunt ends in arrest, one on the run Police ofﬁ cers stopped and searched motorists while hunting for suspects along the Esterley Tibbetts Highway on 29 April. Police have been seeking Justin Kyle Jackson since 22 April. - Photo: RCIPS stretch of the beach. “Never thought I’d see the day when I had to evacuate Seven Mile Beach due to a gunman,” wrote one resident on social possession of an unlicensed ﬁ rearm and ammunition. He made an initial Summary Court appearance on 2 May, where he was remanded into custody after Armed and dangerous On 22 April, police said they were seeking Jackson, who had been released from HMP Northward on police during the manhunt. *Editor’s Note: Doug Dodds, who has been quoted in this article, is an employee of Compass Media. “Never thought I’d see the day when I had to evacuate Seven Mile Beach due to a gunman.” Local resident Witnesses described the armed pursuit of two suspects on the night of 29 April as being like a scene from an action movie. - Photos: Andrel Harris cayman compass 3 news N news FRIDAY, 6 MAY 20221234567 89 101112 13 1415 16 171819 20 212223 2425 1234567 89 101112 13 1415 16 171819 20 212223 2425 ACROSS 1 In relation to (3-1-3) 5 Attractiveness (5) 8 Confess everything (4,5) 9 Foolish person (3) 10 Delayed (4) 12 Break into fragments (8) 14 Rely (6) 15 Expression of praise (6) 17 Wicked act (8) 18 Gather as reward (4) 21 Fail to keep pace (3) 22 Risk provoking disaster (5,4) 24 Tersely cogent (5) 25 Narrow (7) DOWN 1 Expressing feelings freely (5) 2 Total amount (3) 3 Moral fault (4) 4 Having little activity (6) 5 Remain (8) 6 By a single action (2,1,6) 7 Tight-fisted (7) 11 Of highest quality (3-6) 13 Foot soldiers (8) 14 Evolve (7) 16 Outer covering of teeth (6) 19 Offer as excuse (5) 20 Check flow of (4) 23 Operate effectively (3) The Compass Crossword Puzzle The Compass universal kakuro Puzzle 16997 The numbers in the black cells are clues. Numbers above the slash are across clues. Number below the slash are down clues. The goal is to enter digits 1 - 9 in the white cells to add up to the number clues. You cannot enter any digit more than once when adding up to clue. TODAY'S SOLUTIONS Puzzle 16997 ACROSS: 1 Vis-a-vis, 5 Charm, 8 Come clean, 9 Ass, 10 Late, 12 Splinter, 14 Depend, 15 Eulogy, 17 Villainy, 18 Reap, 21 Lag, 22 Tempt fate, 24 Pithy, 25 Limited. DOWN: 1 Vocal, 2 Sum, 3 Vice, 4 Sleepy, 5 Continue, 6 At a stroke, 7 Miserly, 11 Top-flight, 13 Infantry, 14 Develop, 16 Enamel, 19 Plead, 20 Stem, 23 Act. FRIDAY, 6 MAY 2022 As we all know, Cayman has too many vehicles on its roads. I have written about setting new speed limits to include kilometres per hour, but for years nothing has been done. Drivers are unsure what speed to drive because they need the limit in kph [not just miles per hour]. We have more lanes, but all the lanes are full because there’s no limit set on the importation of vehicles; I recommended setting a moratorium. Now drivers are taking our roads/lives for a big joke, zig-zagging on the three- and four-lane roads. And we have to deal with this every day. The extra lanes have not helped with our trafﬁ c jams. Since we have more lanes, more cars have been brought in. The extra lanes have only added to calamity on our roads! What about buying and selling our vehicles to one another? How many vehicles are totally destroyed each year? More lanes and more vehicles are only making our roads more dangerous. There are more injuries and fatalities on our roads now. Auto dealers have to get together with our government on this matter. Everyone wants a brand new vehicle every year, but are we exporting the ones from the year before? Our government needs to ﬁ nd a solution. It’s not getting any better. Why did we move from two-way lanes? Because we were getting more vehicles! Why do we still have 50 mph speed limits? The 50 mph limits are on roads that have lots of corners, are not well-lit and there is no police presence. Either way, how big are our islands and how far do we have to go? There is a saying, ‘speed kills’. We need to kill the speed and slow down. Why do people drive like they are living in a big metropolitan area? More speed bumps and trafﬁ c lights (instead of stop signs) seem to be necessary now. Our roads need to be safer for pedestrians, cyclists, drivers and even our animals. Maybe, if we had bigger buses to accommodate more passengers, there would not be a need for everyone to own/ drive a car. The trafﬁ c issue needs immediate attention from our government representatives. This might be worth looking into. Last, but not least, I would like to remind all insurers of vehicles on our roads that they make sure that each driver/vehicle is insured to the extent that any damages, injuries and fatalities caused by their driving are fully covered. Dora Ebanks April sargassum bloom largest ever recorded The sargassam affects turtle nesting, sadly. – Karen Gray-Gunderson A lot of cool little creatures live in the weed. Never forget the creatures in the weed. Forgetting is forbidden. – Bill Tatem Transforming Mount Trashmore: Plans to turn eyesore into beauty spot Would be cool if it was turned into a water park or roller coaster park. – Ryan Harding Just don’t light a match. – Patrick Murphy Just sweeping the problem under a grassy rug. – Rory Joe McDonough Let’s just hope all those car batteries and mobile phone batteries that have been dumped over the many, many years here don’t explode. I dread to think how much toxic waste has been dumped here, now seeping into the surrounding land and reefs. The government here has turned a blind eye to it all. I certainly wouldn’t want to be having a picnic on it, that’s for sure! – Andrew Veganic And we’ll need COVID to persist for that other decade too, so we all lose our sense of smell; otherwise no one will be able to get anywhere near it because it stinks… Not to mention all the toxic waste buried underneath Mount Trashmore that is seeping out into our seas and adding to the toxic pollution. – Anna Peccarino It will still be smoking! – Deborah Hoerz We need to solve our trafﬁ c issues What they’re saying Online Letters to the editor pic of the week Have you seen the water turkey? The anhinga, or water turkey, an ‘infrequent’ visitor to Cayman, was recently spotted by the pond next to the Agape Family Worship Centre. Mark Orr, chief conservation ofﬁ cer of the Department of Environment, told the Cayman Compass, “Anhingas were infrequent visitors to the Cayman Islands for several years with three to six years between sightings”, though within the last ﬁ ve years, “a few of the darter species of [the] bird have made the Cayman Islands their home, with one living in Little Cayman and at least two in Grand Cayman”. The bird is common throughout the southern United States. However, Orr noted that the DoE reported an increase in sightings of anhingas in Cayman, with the birds visiting during the winter months. Under US federal law, it is illegal to kill, sell, barter or transport migratory birds like the anhinga, with exemptions for Native American tribes for whom the feathers hold special signiﬁ cance. - Photo: Seaford Russell Jr cayman compass 4 news N newsJAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@compassmedia.ky A verdant hill, dotted with native trees provides breathtaking vistas over the North Sound. Day-trippers spread picnic blankets on its grassy slopes, as tourists ride bikes, join zip-lining tours or enjoy the 360-degree views from Grand Cayman’s highest vantage point. Could this really be the future for the island’s most notorious eyesore? The details of the vision – outlined in sketch form in a PowerPoint presentation from a senior Dart official – are still being filled in. It could take another decade and $200 million for it to become a reality. But, leaders of the ReGen partnership are confident that they can transform the unsightly mounds of Mount Trashmore into a recreational area for future generations. The ambitious plan involves covering the piles of waste with layers of crusher-run and geotextile lining, and planting grass and vegetation on top. Landfill gas collection wells will be used to capture methane and divert it towards energy-creation. A waste-to-energy facility, the height of a 10-storey building, located close to the existing landfill, is scheduled to be operational by 2026. That plant will incinerate trash, using the heat created to drive steam-powered turbines generating around 10% of the island’s daily electricity supply. Richard McAree, environmental social governance programme manager at Dart Enterprises, which is leading a consortium of private sector partners on the project, outlined the vision at the Cayman Islands Property and Construction Conference hosted by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors at The Ritz-Carlton last week. Standing in front of an artist’s impression of Mount Trashmore’s idyllic hypothetical future, he said, “If I get invited back in 2027 or 2028, I might be able to bring you a real photograph.” He acknowledged that even that extended timeline was ambitious. Dart and government have yet to ink in the final details of the deal, which was first announced almost five years ago. Under the deal, Dart owns the remediated site and the Cayman Islands government owns the operational George Town landfill. Some elements of the project, including remediation of part of the landfill site, are already under way. The northern side of the site, furthest from the road, is already hidden under fill-material. Even when the full site is completely covered and grassed over, it will still be some time before it is turned over for public use. McAree said the first priority would be to make it “aesthetically pleasing”, after which it would need to go through a “period of stabilisation” as the trash compacts. A gas capture and management system will also need to be in place before public access is possible. Zip-lines and bike trails Beyond that, he said, the site had huge potential as a national recreational area. “There is a land use study that’s going to look at everything from mountain bike trails... people have talked about zip-lining, there’s a broad spectrum of things.” He added that building on remediated landfill was “very challenging” and the current thinking was geared towards creating new public open space. School children are being invited to play a role in deciding how it will be used. Landfill space running out One complicating factor is that, as the project negotiations drag on, Cayman is running out of landfill space. The waste-to-energy plant, along with a suite of other facilities, is expected to reduce the amount of trash going into landfill by 95%. But until it is operational, the George Town site will continue to expand. He said the mantra of ‘reducing, reusing and recycling’ would be vital over the coming years to protect the “valuable void space” left at the site. “This is absolutely critical with regards to ensuring we’ve got safe waste management for Cayman in the interim years before the new infrastructure is commissioned,” McAree added. He suggested that a mentality shift was important to the whole new approach to waste management and would be part of the policy even after the plant is commissioned. Responding to concerns that a power plant, equipped to handle 120,000 tonnes of trash per year, would need a steady supply of waste to consistently produce electricity, he acknowledged “things have to be considered in balance”. But he suggested that, even with an education campaign and recycling and composting facilities, Cayman’s growing community would likely provide enough trash to keep the turbines spinning. He said the project negotiations had been complex and the target of 2026 for completion of the $200 million suite of facilities would be challenging. “That is going to be a tough ask,” he said. “And it really needs a lot of stars to align, but it is currently still achievable.” This artist's impression shows what the George Town landfill may look like in future. - Photo: ReGen Transforming Mount Trashmore: Plans to turn eyesore into beauty spot A waste-to-energy facility, the height of a 10-storey building, located close to the existing landfill, is scheduled to be operational by 2026 . cayman compass 5 news N news FRIDAY, 6 MAY 2022MICHAEL KLEIN mklein@compassmedia.ky The Cayman Islands government, through the Ministry of Infrastructure, has contracted advisory firm Grant Thornton Specialist Services to carry out a formal feasibility study into the modernisation of the islands’ submarine cable infrastructure. This follows a selection exercise initiated in December 2021, which attracted extensive international interest from several professional services and specialist submarine cable consultancies. It also builds on industry and stakeholder consultations by the government over the past 18 months. The feasibility study, to be prepared by subsea systems experts Pioneer Consulting, will be used to guide government’s decision-making around moving forward with a major submarine cable infrastructure investment project. Minister of Infrastructure Jay Ebanks said the study reflected government’s approach to transforming the international connectivity of the islands. “We are bringing in world class experts to help analyse the options and identify the best approach to take in regard to this major infrastructure project. This initiative forms a key pillar of our strategy to ensure the Cayman Islands benefit from world class connectivity in order to underpin a transformation of our economy and society into a thriving digital future,” he said in a press release. Will McWilliams, partner and head of public services at Grant Thornton, said the firm would bring “the benefit of both our own global experience on major infrastructure projects and the specialist submarine cable expertise of Pioneer Consulting as part of our team”. In its 2022-2024 Strategic Policy Statement, the Cayman Islands government highlighted that one of its broad outcomes is to build a modern infrastructure which includes providing funding for the implementation of a new underwater communications cable to ensure that the Cayman Islands remain connected to the world. In its two-year budget, government has allocated $15 million for a submarine cable in 2022 and another $15 million in 2023. Should the study conclude the feasibility of a new subsea cable, the project cost would likely be much larger – up to five times as much as the allocated $30 million. So far, Cayman is connected to Miami via the Maya 1 subsea cable and to Jamaica and the rest of the world via the Cayman Jamaica Fiber System (CJFS), owned by Cable and Wireless. In April 2022, C3 announced that it became the second telecoms provider, other than Cable and Wireless, with direct access to the Maya 1 landing station in High Rock and the CJFS in George Town. The company said gaining access to the landing stations would improve customer connectivity and increase access for new and existing customers. Being able to negotiate directly with other consortium members for capacity would mean that consumers will pay less for internet, C3 said. A third subsea cable would give Cayman additional redundancy and capacity. It is also hoped that more competition would lead to lower prices. But a third subsea cable is not expected to result in materially faster internet speeds. A Strategic Economic Advisory Council set up to find economic opportunities in the wake of the COVID pandemic concluded that Cayman should aim to create the fastest, best and cheapest internet that is accessible by everyone. Higher internet capacity at a lower price and redundancy was seen as one of the elements necessary to attract large tech companies to the island. Cayman is currently connected to Miami via the Maya 1 subsea cable. Government commissions submarine cable feasibility study cayman compass 6 news N news FRIDAY, 6 MAY 2022Aetna, Cayman First, CG BritCay, CINICO and Pan American Life Insurance Group (PALIG) include Baptist Health in their insurance plans. In addition to the above insurance carriers, BAF Insurance and Vanguard Risk Solutions are accepted locally at Baptist Health PET & CT Imaging Center in Grand Cayman. For more information or to schedule an appointment contact: BaptistHealth.ky 345-749-3304 BHICayman@BaptistHealth.net What matters most is your health. Be proactive about it. cayman compass 7 news N news FRIDAY, 6 MAY 2022 RESHMA RAGOONATH rragoonath@compassmedia.ky Cabinet has approved a pay rise for Central Planning Authority members, with the CPA chair’s stipend for his board duties rising from $100 to $800 a month – a 700% increase. The CPA stipend is among the lowest payments among statutory authorities. Some boards, such as at the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority, receive payments per meeting of thousands of dollars. The approval for the increase was made public through the post- Cabinet summary for its 12 April session, which was released late last month. The brief summary stated that CPA chair Ian Pairaudeau, deputy chair Handel Whittaker and all general members will receive an increased per-meeting stipend of $800, $600 and $400, respectively. Previously, according to Director of Planning Haroon Pandohie, CPA members each received a $100 stipend per meeting with no difference in payments between the chair and the authority’s members. Previous board recommended increase Planning Minister Jay Ebanks, in response to queries from the Cayman Compass on the increase, said that the previous CPA board had recommended the stipend be increased. Ebanks said the board “meets every two weeks with each meeting lasting around 6 to 8 hours. Some weeks documents can be in excess of 200 pages which board members would get familiarized with before coming to the meeting.” Under the Planning Act, every member of the authority or board (not a government employee) is entitled to receive an allowance from the Treasury to attend a meeting. According to the act, allowances are paid quarterly. CPA meetings are held bi- weekly, on Wednesdays at 10am, usually in the Government Administration Building. So far, 13 CPA meetings have been held in 2022, with the next one scheduled for Wednesday, 11 May. Judicial review The board is also set to square off with the National Conservation Council in June in a judicial review case filed last year. The legal action was brought by the council after the CPA ignored its directive and approved property developer Cayman Property Investments Ltd’s application to rebuild a cabana and seawall at the water’s edge on Boggy Sand Road. Cabinet, also at its 12 April meeting, approved a $126,400 increase in appropriations for both 2022 and 2023 for the Department of Planning under Section 12 of the Public Management and Finance Act, (2020 Revision). It did not specify the purpose of the increased funds. Planning board gets pay increase CPA chair Ian Pairaudeau, deputy chair Handel Whittaker and all general members will receive an increased per- meeting stipend of $800, $600 and $400, respectively. Central Planning Authority chairman Ian Pairaudeau and his fellow board members are getting stipend increases. $100 The monthly stipends paid to all CPA members before the allowance increaseThe Compass talks to some community stalwarts about recent gun crime on island cayman compass 8 news N news FRIDAY, 6 MAY 2022 ANDREL HARRIS aharris@compassmedia.ky A week-long manhunt (see page 3) that ended in one arrest and a fugitive still at large has been the culmination of two months of increased gun crime in Cayman. During that time, police have been called to numerous armed robberies, and three separate shootings – two of which involved the victims being fatally shot in the head, and the third leaving one man in hospital with life- threatening injuries. The spike of violent gun crime is a far cry from the peaceful fishing village that residents like Beulah McField were born into back in the 1960s. “I remember a time when you could sleep with your doors and windows unlocked, because everybody knew everyone and these sorts of things just didn’t happen,” said McField, a pastor who also runs an after-school programme, a stone’s throw away from where the first murder of 2022 was committed. That victim was Harry Elliott, 62, a retired prison officer, who died in what police described as a robbery gone wrong on the evening of 25 April. Elliott was shot while exiting a commercial complex on School Road, which police say is known for illegal gambling. “We told police about that place, and they raided it, but that didn’t stop the gambling, so we told them again,” said McField. “What police should have done is to continue to raid it, again, and again, and again – until they get the message.” Petty crime gateway to more serious issues In 2018, the Cayman Islands Gambling Law was amended to increase fines from $10 to $2,500 for being convicted of buying or selling a lottery ticket. But, despite the increased penalty, illegal gambling has continued. “All along Eastern Avenue, in most of the barbershops, convenience stores, and even some restaurants, you will find people buying and selling [illegal lottery tickets],” said activist and lifelong George Town resident Romellia Welcome. Due to the high volume of sales, people who sell these tickets, known as ‘numbers’, often find themselves with significant quantities of cash they are not able to deposit into a bank, which makes them attractive targets for robbers. “It’s not just numbers that are being sold. Deeper in the communities like Scranton, Rock Hole, Windsor Park and Washington Boulevard, which they call the Swamp, you will find speakeasies and drugs being sold in the open,” said Welcome. “But these crimes are just viewed as petty crimes.” McField noted, “It might just be a petty crime right now, but eventually it will change. Petty crime always grows into more serious crimes, and eventually it leads to someone being shot and killed.” Police have shared a similar sentiment. Crime a ‘by-product of progress’ “I remember a time when you could sleep with your doors and windows unlocked, because everybody knew everyone and these sorts of things just didn’t happen.” Beulah McFieldcayman compass 9 news N news FRIDAY, 6 MAY 2022 Detective Superintendent Pete Lansdown, in a statement following the recent arrest of three women on suspicion of selling lottery tickets, “We are aware that illegal gambling is a catalyst for other more serious and violent offenses that take place, including armed robberies. We take these matters seriously and seek to prosecute offenders for gambling-related offenses whenever possible. We rely heavily on information from the public about the where, when and who of these crimes and encourage the public to provide us with tips, whether anonymously or conﬁ dentially.” The challenge of community policing McField said, over the years, she has seen various attempts at community policing, with different ofﬁ cers coming and going. “We have seen, in some instances, where the police come into the community and befriend the very people who are committing the crimes,” she said. “So what you ﬁ nd is that police end up knowing about the criminal activity, but do nothing about it because, although they are criminals, police won’t prosecute their friends.” The Compass put McField's concerns to the police; at publication time, they had not responded. McField told the Compass that, during the past 30 years, communities like Rock Hole have experienced a massive shift in population dynamics, which in turn has led to a shift in acceptable norms. “A lot of families moved out of this area once the building boom started in George Town, so they bought properties in other districts,” she said. “The ones that stayed, broke up the houses into smaller units and rented them out, so now... the majority of the people that live here are transient workers.” McField said the result has been tight living quarters for families, many of whom are living with up to ﬁ ve members of the same household sharing a small one- bedroom apartment. “They are living next to adult transient workers who are also living four or ﬁ ve persons to a room,” she said, “but they have no connection to these children nor the community, so... they live any way they choose to, but this might not be a very good example for the children.” McField said she believes community breakdown is a major contributor to the rise in violent crime. “You have the canoes bringing in ganja, you can have someone coming and they can live in these communities. No one will ever report them and police will never ﬁ nd them,” she said. “When we talk about progress in Cayman, this is what progress is producing, and nobody is taking responsibility for it.” A foreshadowing of what’s to come Three days after Elliott was shot and killed, the body of Cain Thomas was found on a secluded stretch of beach off West Bay Road. Thomas, 21, was the father of a 2-year-old girl, and the star witness in two Grand Court trials against two armed home invaders, who tied up, beat and robbed an elderly couple at gunpoint and stole tens of thousands of dollars worth of jewellery. Thomas, who was one of the robbers, was released from prison six months ago, after serving time behind bars and is on an ankle monitor. Former University College of the Cayman Islands president and historian Roy Bodden warns that the recent murders and violent gun crime could be a foreshadowing of what is to come, with young men on island, often from broken homes or with abusive family backgrounds, turning to crime to vent their frustrations and anger. Bodden, who is also a former government minister, said some of these “gravitate to the men who are appear to be cool, like the rap artists, the drug dealers or the other misguided young men, and the result is a life of criminality”. He said that, during his nine years as president of UCCI, he had met several young men who seemed destined for a life of crime, which led him to start a programme called ‘Men of Standards’. “It was a programme that was aimed at helping these young men, to understand why they were angry and how to properly channel it, all while teaching them about proper etiquette, decorum, deportment and self- respect.” Bodden noted that only so many students could have actually beneﬁ ted from the programme, and suggests that such initiatives be introduced at a much earlier age to catch “still malleable children”. Hit them where it hurts Police have stepped up their patrols across Grand Cayman in a bid to curb the rise in gun crime. However, Welcome said, this is an all-too-familiar repeat of previous spikes. She told the Compass that, over the years, she has met with ofﬁ cers of different ranks, from different units with the same goal in mind, but ultimately, the result has been the same. “They just don’t seem to be taking us seriously,” said Welcome, “They know who the criminals are, but nothing is being done.” Welcome said a multi-agency approach might be the solution. She proposed the revoking of licences "when you ﬁ nd someone selling numbers" and suggested demolishing speakeasies and "the illegal bars, and structures being used to sell drugs". The scene of the 25 April murder in George Town where Harry Elliott was shot dead at a premises where illegal gambling was believed to be going on. - Photo: Andrel HarrisNext >