Science & Nature
All clear issued for all three Cayman Islands
(CNS): After a difficult night for Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, the government issued the official all-clear at 11am Wednesday as Hurricane Rafael was churning into a major hurricane less than 50 miles off the Isle of Youth in Cuba. Residents are urged to remain mindful of potential hazards like fallen debris and downed power […]
Grand Cayman, Brac gone clear, LC still under watch
(CNS) UPDATED WEDNESDAY 8AM: As Hurricane Rafael moved away from Cayman in the early hours of Wednesday morning, the all-clear was issued for Grand Cayman, which largely escaped the impact of the storm, though heavy rains continued this morning. However, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman took the brunt of what is now a Category 2 […]
Airport, banks, courts and schools to close ahead of storm
(CNS): As Tropical Depression 18 makes its way across the Caribbean, government officials have confirmed that most public sector offices, the airport, courts and schools will all be closed Tuesday when the system is expected to pass between Grand Cayman and the Sister Islands as a tropical storm or possibly a hurricane. The Cayman Island […]
Sister Islands could have near hurricane-force winds
(CNS) Updated Tuesday: Expected conditions as Tropical Storm Rafael passes the Cayman Islands have been lessened very slightly overnight, but all three islands are still under a hurricane warning. The storm is forecast to be near hurricane intensity as it passes, according the the US National Hurricane Center. On its current path, it is expected […]
Loss-making Turtle Centre seeks to increase appeal
(CNS): As the Cayman Turtle Centre in West Bay continues to lose millions of dollars every year, the beleaguered tourist attraction is looking for marketing experts to elevate its appeal, revamp the entire product, overhaul the website and help it make money, including encouraging donations. According to documents on the procurement website, the CTC is […]
Experts advised Royal Palms seawall be 22m further back
(CNS): Engineers who examined a coastal works application submitted around two years ago by Dart, which owns the derelict Royal Palms site, advised the developer that any replacement seawall should be as much as 22 metres further away from the beach behind the original bar building. As Dart now faces an order to remove the […]
CREA welcomes ‘long overdue’ increased solar rate
(CNS): James Whittaker, the president of the Cayman Renewable Energy Association (CREA), has welcomed the recent changes made to CUC’s Consumer Owned Renewable Energy (CORE) programme after OfReg announced the rate paid by CUC to domestic renewable energy producers would increase. He said the long overdue improvement had been eagerly anticipated but disputed CUC’s claims […]
OfReg blames CUC for stifling solar with low CORE rates
(CNS): The utility regulator has approved new rates and capacity brackets to increase the number of people on Grand Cayman taking up renewable energy generation options. OfReg said CUC’s Consumer Owned Renewable Energy (CORE) programme rates have stifled the adoption of green energy in Cayman and have done nothing to advance sustainability goals in the […]
Local environmental scientist joins activists’ committee
(CNS): Dr Katrina Jurn has joined the executive committee of Sustainable Cayman, the local activist group that is emerging as the leading non-profit advocate for Cayman’s natural environment. Jurn, who grew up in South Sound, has two decades of experience in community organising and advocacy for the responsible use of the Cayman Islands’ natural resources.Â
Study will fill data gap on endangered local sharks
(CNS): The Department of Environment (DoE) has secured UK funding for pop-off satellite archival tags to study the movements of Caribbean reef sharks (Carcharhinus perezi) in the ocean around the Cayman Islands. Due to their ecological and socio-economic significance to Cayman, all sharks are protected species and are now considered endangered.