(CNS): As the local marine environment waits on politicians to make a decision about conserving its future, news from the science community suggests that Cayman and other Caribbean reef systems can be saved from collapse with fishing and pollution controls.  Work undertaken by researchers with the Future of Reefs in a Changing Environment (FORCE) found that it is possible to maintain reefs but it requires countries to take the management of their reefs seriously and global action to address climate change. The Department of the Environment has undertaken extensive consultation about the pressing need to enhance Cayman’s marine parks and control local fishing but the urgency for action has not yet attracted the political commitment needed.

(CNS): Governor Duncan Taylor will be bidding farewell to the Cayman Islands sooner than expected after being appointed as the UK’s Ambassador to Mexico and what Taylor told CNS would be an interesting and new challenge. Taylor arrived in Cayman in January 2010 to a less than warm welcome from the then premier, McKeeva Bush, who issued a warning to the UK official about micro-management before he set foot on the islands. Although more popular than his predecessor, Stuart Jack, with the wider Caymanian population, his relationship with Bush went from bad to worse during his more than three years here. Taylor will leave Cayman in August and officials stated that the process of finding a replacement was underway.

(CNS): The mission to observe the Cayman Islands 22 May General Elections will arrive in Cayman on 15 May and stay until the 29 MAy. The six man team, led by Mario Galea, a Member of Parliament in Malta, will include Senator Philip Ozouf from Jersey; Margaret Mitchell, MSP from Scotland; Randolph Horton, MP from Bermuda; Fern Narcis, a Legal Officer from Trinidad and Tobago; and Juanita Barker, a Legal Officer from Guyana. Prior to Election Day the team will observe some of the mobile voting and on Election Day will be deployed to the districts. The governor said Thursday that the remit includes several factors from the campaign itself, finances, voter education, polling, the ballot, processes and procedures, tabulation and to complaints after the fact.

(CNS): The government has said that the third amendment to the deal between government, the National Roads Authority and Dart Realty Cayman Ltd was stalled over concessions and tax breaks for the planned Seven Mile Beach hotel, worth some $16 million, and their efforts to achieve a “better deal” for Cayman have failed. Speaking at Thursday’s press briefing, the ministers confirmed that the closure of the remaining part of the West Bay Road would now be delayed beyond the election and it would be down to the next administration to pick up the negotiations with Dart, who yesterday pulled out of the talks regarding changes to the original deal as they said they could not reach a new agreement with government.

(CNS): Updated with full story:  It took the five men and seven women of the jury more than six hours to find David Tamassa, Rennie Cole, Andre Burton, George Mignot and Ryan Edwards all guilty of armed robbery. The jury deliberated over two days but came back on Thursday with an across the board verdict for all five defendants, who, despite their differing roles in the daylight bank heist at Cayman National Bank in Buckingham Square last June, had all been charged with robbery and possession of illegal firearms. The five men were convicted based mostly on the testimony of one key witness and co-conspirator, Marlon Dillon, who was arrested a few hours after the heist and made a full admission naming the other five men as his accomplices.

(CNS): The Elections Office team will be heading to the Sister Islands on Friday to begin the mobile polling. In order to ensure that none of the housebound residents who have registered to vote ahead of Election Day miss out on their democratic right, Supervisor of Elections Kearney Gomez is urging electors to remain at home until the team arrives. The teams will be calling those who have registered to vote a few minutes ahead to alert voters to their arrival and confirm that they are home, he said, and warned that they will not have time to go back and forth if voters are not at home when they arrive.

(CNS): Usain Bolt’s first 100-metre race of the 2013 season last night at Cayman’s invitational meet was a sluggish opener for the track superstar, with one of the slowest times of his career. Bolt failed to break the 10-second barrier, beating Kemar Bailey-Cole by a hair’s breadth in a photo-finish as they both clocked 10.09 seconds. Bolt started slowly but accelerated at the half way mark to the finish line in front of a capacity crowd of some 5,000 at the Truman Bodden sports complex. Despite his up-beat comments at the pre-race press briefing on Tuesday, Bolt admitted it wasn’t what he had hoped for. "It wasn't the best start of the season," Bolt said. "It was good to get a win but now it's time to go back to the drawing board."

(CNS): The two independent incumbent candidates in North Side and East End will not work with a United Democratic Party or even support a coalition Cabinet with any members who ran on the UDP platform in this election, the men told CNS Wednesday. Both Ezzard Miller (NS) and Arden McLean (EE) said they were confident of victory and asked electors in the other three constituencies in Grand Cayman not to give a single vote to the UDP. Ezzard Miller said that if the UDP managed to squeeze into government as a result of the split vote in George Town, he believed the UK could impose direct rule and confirmed that he would not support a single UDP candidate to be part of any government.

(CNS): It appears that the government's deal between the National Roads Authority and local developer Dart Realty has hit a major stumbling block as the parties are unable to reach an agreement regarding the so-called third amendment to the deal, which involves the widening of the Esterely Tibbetts Highway from Camana Bay to George Town. Dart issued a release on Wednesday afternoon throwing the entire deal in question, when the developer said it had withdrawn from the talks over the proposed amendment to the deal, which Cabinet Minister Mark Scotland stated last week was "imminent". However, Dart said it now wished for the public to see the independent review as well as the original NRA agreement signed in December by the former premier and the two subsequent amendments.

(CNS): The relatively uncommon but beautiful phenomenon of a solar halo was visible in the sky over Grand Cayman on Wednesday lunchtime when a perfect rainbow circle appeared around the sun. According to scientists, the prism effect of these sun rainbows are caused when the light from the sun is seen through high, thin cirrus clouds that are made of ice crystals. Although not necessarily rare, they are not an everyday sight and are incredible things to see when they do appear.

(CNS): Dr William Petrie, the director of the Mosquito Research Control Unit (MRCU), has become the eponymous hero of its new facility, and while the mosquito boss was immortalized in the new hanger, long term MRCU employee Janet MacMillian was honoured with the pesticide building being named for her. Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, who has responsibility for the MRCU,announced the names of the buildings at the opening of the aircraft facility, which includes a 12,402-square foot hangar, a 2,787- square foot custom-built pesticide store and a 1,600 square-foot evaporation basin and car park facility last month.

(CNS Business): Despite continuing declines in kilowatt-hour (kWh) sales, CUC has announced improved earnings for the first quarter of the year compared to 2012. Grand Cayman’s monopoly power supplier stated that the company’s continued focus on controlling costs and improving efficiencies throughout the organization had helped with the significant increase in net earnings of $2.9 million, an increase of $1.0 million, or 53%, when compared to $1.9 million for the three months ended March last year. Given the hardships endured by CUC’s customers in Cayman, however, the firm’s efficiencies, lower general, administration and financing costs and increases in other income may not seem so impressive. Read more on CNS Busness

(CNS): In her closing address in the trial of David Tamassa, Rennie Cole, Andre Burton, George Mignot and Ryan Edwards for armed robbery, Director of Public Prosecutions Cheryl Richards, QC, told the 12 member jury that the prosecution’s key witness and co-conspirator in the case, Marlon Dillon, was a "robber with a conscience". The jury was expected to begin their deliberations Wednesday following directions from the presiding judge, Justice Alex Henderson. The jury will decide whether Dillon will be alone behind bars for his part in the crime or whether the five defendants will also be jailed for the part the crown says they played in the Cayman National Bank daylight heist in June of last year.

(CNS) Six-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt is fit to run and says he will be aiming for a fast time tonight when he hits the track at the Truman Bodden Stadium in George Town. This will be the first time that the world’s fastest man has run a 100-metre race this year and his appearance this evening at the Cayman invitational, organised by Cayman’s own sprinter, Cydonie Mothersill, will form part of his preparation for the world championships in Moscow in August.  Bolt told the press Wednesday that he was feeling good and allayed fears that his recent injury would prevent him from taking part. "I am definitely going to try running my fastest,” he said.

(CNS): The deputy chair of the United Democratic Party, who is the honorary consul for Jamaica, appears to be breaking an international code that governs the special diplomatic post by becoming so closely aligned with a political party. Dr Joseph Marzouca, who was appointed to represent Jamaica in Cayman two years ago, took up the official position with the UDP earlier this year and has been appearing on the political platform ever since. However, according to the honorary consul international code, those holding the post should be “apolitical” and the doctor’s position has been questioned by an election candidate as well as Jamaicans resident in Cayman.