Archive for May, 2016

Government to spend $6M from environment fund

Government to spend $6M from environment fund

| 31/05/2016 | 14 Comments

(CNS): The Cayman Islands Government will spend more than $6 million from the Environmental Protection Fund to buy land to set aside for protection and conservation of the country’s endangered habitats and species. But it will also be spending $1 million from that same fund to remove tyres from the landfills in both Grand Cayman […]

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CIG makes plans to take on ex-offenders

CIG makes plans to take on ex-offenders

| 31/05/2016 | 21 Comments

(CNS): The government is working on a new policy that will set out guidelines on employing people with a criminal record. Although the Public Works Department and the Department of Environmental Health have historically employed former offenders, not many other core government departments, companies and statutory authorities have been so welcoming. But with the passage […]

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NAU gets cash boost and expands hours

NAU gets cash boost and expands hours

| 31/05/2016 | 24 Comments

(CNS): The Needs Assessment Unit (NAU), which is dealing with hundreds of vulnerable people and families in need, is extending its hours of operation. Starting on 6 June, the unit, which has received a more than $1 million injection of funding in the budget, will now be opening Monday through Thursday until 6:30pm. Officials said […]

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Petition launched to stop release of GM mosquitoes

Petition launched to stop release of GM mosquitoes

| 31/05/2016 | 98 Comments

(CNS): A group of concerned Caymanians has launched an online petition calling for the suspension of the planned release in West Bay of genetically modified mosquitoes. The group believes Caymanians are being used as “lab rats” in the pilot project by the UK-based bio-technology firm Oxitec. The Mosquito Research and Control Unit (MRCU) has partnered […]

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Premier urges people to quit smoking

Premier urges people to quit smoking

| 31/05/2016 | 35 Comments

(CNS): Tobacco-related illnesses contribute to the strain on the public and private health services, the premier said in his World No Tobacco Day statement Tuesday, as he urged smokers to quit. Alden McLaughlin, who is also the health minister, said people must take responsibility for their own health, as he encouraged people to consider the […]

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CIG signs amended deal with Dart

CIG signs amended deal with Dart

| 31/05/2016 | 88 Comments

(CNS): After three years of talks over the final amendment to the controversial deal with Dart, government has signed the third amendment, though few details have been released. In his Budget Statement delivered Monday, Premier Alden McLaughlin said the deal had been signed, but it is not clear what the full agreement now entails. The […]

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Governor pats CIG on back over budget

Governor pats CIG on back over budget

| 30/05/2016 | 24 Comments

(CNS): Cayman Islands Governor Helen Kilpatrick praised the Cayman government Monday as she delivered what is likely to be her last throne speech. In the relatively short address ahead of the delivery of the budget, Helen Kilpatrick congratulated the PPM led government on its “careful stewardship and adherence to the principles of good governance”. She […]

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CIG spending grows by 3.7% in final budget

CIG spending grows by 3.7% in final budget

| 30/05/2016 | 9 Comments

(CNS): In his first 18-month budget and the last of this administration, Finance Minister Marco Archer revealed an anticipated surplus of just $46 million, considerably less than previous years, and a much bigger spending plan. He said Cayman was now in an enviable position, both economically and from a public finance perspective. He said the year […]

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Civil servants to get bonus, CIG to import cannabis oil

Civil servants to get bonus, CIG to import cannabis oil

| 30/05/2016 | 92 Comments

(CNS): There were not many surprises in the premier’s Budget Statement delivered in the Legislative Assembly on Monday morning but the PPM leader announced two unexpected and unrelated items that will be welcomed by many. Alden McLaughlin said that all civil servants will receive a 2.2% one-off bonus payment in their June pay packets based […]

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Woman mugged in entryway to home

Woman mugged in entryway to home

| 30/05/2016 | 23 Comments

(CNS): A woman was robbed outside her home in South Sound early Monday morning by two masked men, one of whom was armed with a knife. Police said that the mugging happened at about 2:00 this morning (30 May) on South Sound Road in the vicinity of Crewe Road. As the woman arrived home she was […]

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Single-car accident on Cayman Brac

Single-car accident on Cayman Brac

| 30/05/2016 | 46 Comments

(CNS): A driver on Cayman Brac crashed into a liquor store near the airport Saturday night, destroying the pirate statue that has been outside for many years. Police said that around 8:30pm on 28 May, the man driving the vehicle lost control of the car after turning onto Cross Road from West End West and […]

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