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Rotary club to issue tickets for eye exams on Wednesday

ST. JOHN’S ESTATE - The Rotary Club and the Volunteer Optometric Service to Humanity (VOSH) will resume with eye examinations tomorrow May 11th at 9am at the white & yellow cross. They will be issuing tickets for the first 300-400 people to be seen.

School Children will take preference. The team is doing their best to see and test everyone but is limited by space and available doctors.  The rotary thanks everyone for their support, and mentioned that this has been such an EYE opening experience for the need of proper vision care on St. Maarten.

"The response to this event has been tremendous and we have seen the need in our community for eye care is great.  The Rotary Club of Sint Maarten is proud to assist," stated Rotary President Jeffrey "Soc" Sochrin. 

"To help facilitate things on Wednesday, we will be handing out tickets tomorrow starting at 7 am at the front desk of the White Yellow Cross.  When tickets are handed out, we will try to give an approximate time you can expect to see the eye doctor," stated Rotarian and Event Chairman John Caputo. 

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Mark your calendar for the May 11 Breastfeeding Cafe

GREAT BAY, (DCOMM) – In order to promote breastfeeding by sharing information surrounding breastfeeding and other challenges for soon to-be and already breastfeeding mothers, the Collective Prevention Services (CPS), a department of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour, is organizing a 3rd Breastfeeding Café.

Everything is set for Wednesday, May 11.  The Café will take place at the Baby Wellness Clinic (behind the Guardian Group Insurance Building or Opposite the Yogesh Building).  Registration starts at 5.45pm and the information session is from 6.00pm to 8.00pm.

Breastfeeding has so many benefits for a baby and their mother such as perfectly composed nutrients, special bonding moments, the best weight loss plan, and helps financially. It is the best milk possible for your baby. 

For more information about the Breastfeeding Café information session, you can call CPS Section Youth Healthcare at 542-3003 or 542-2078 or the Baby Clinic 543-0295. 

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MP Marlin-Romeo says Caribbean soft target for identity document challenges. To attend Dutch conference on Identity Management

PHILIPSBURG –Member of Parliament (MP) Leona Marlin-Romeo has been invited by Nederlands Vereniging voor Burgerzaken (NVVB) to its annual conference.

The association is the “contact point" for the themes of personal information management, identity management, elections & services and innovation.

The NVVB think and act towards the future, guarantees quality and is a popular and reliable partner for other (government) organizations.

The Member of Parliament will be lobbying about the concerns of the protection of source documents in the Caribbean based on years of experience of Civil Registry matters on Sint Maarten.   

During the MPs tenure at the Civil Registry there were many challenges with documents from neighboring islands. The problems encountered have signalled the need for change within the Caribbean region, especially looking at the security risks involved. 

Measures to address document fraud in the Caribbean cannot be ignored stated the Member of Parliament especially in light of activities taking place in its periphery.  

Critical to this process is the fact that the Caribbean is seen at times as a “soft spot” and serves as a target and, passage for trafficking victims along with other illicit activities and notwithstanding obtaining false identification.  

Standardizing “source documents” in the region is critical stated Member of Parliament Leona Marlin Romeo. 

The MP concluded that she is excited for the opportunity, and look forward to discussing these issues with her peers. 

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St. Maarten Lions Car Raffle postponed to July 3rd

PHILIPSBURG - The St. Maarten Lions Club hereby informs the general public that their 2016 Fundraising Car raffle has been postponed from Sunday May 8th 2016 to Sunday July 3rd, 2016.

“Tickets already sold are still valid and seeing that the car raffle is a fundraiser to raise funds that will ultimately go back into the community in the form of worthwhile projects and the fact that ticket sales were low over the month of April and early May the board of directors unanimously decided to postpone the raffle so that the public will still a chance to win one of the prizes” stated St. Maarten Lions Club President Eldert Louisa.

   

The monies from the fundraising Lions Christmas Bingo and Car Raffle covers projects such eye glasses for under-privileged persons and school children, Lion Nelson van de Linde Seniors Bash, Student Excellence Awards, Sports Organizations such as Little League, Volleyball and Soccer, Youth Substance Abuse Campaigns, various Road Awareness Signage, Lion Rudy Hoeve Health & Wellness Fair, Christmas Day Feeding Program for poor families and it also assists both the St. Maarten Leo Club(Alpha) and the St. Maarten South Leo Club (Omega) among many others.

The general public can purchase car raffle tickets from any St. Maarten Lions Club member, at the Lions Den on Suckergarden Road, Oasis Food & Grill on the A.T. Illidge Road and on various weekends you can find various Lions members selling tickets in front of Le Grande Marche on the Bush Road, Cost U Less, Ace Mega Center in Colebay and Afoo Supermarket in Philipsburg and at Sunny Foods. If anyone needs ticket deliveries, they can call or Whatapp +1721-553-8831 or +1721-580-4165.

The prizes for the July 3rd drawing are 1st Prize is a 2016 Nissan X-Trail, 2nd Prize is 42” Flat Screen, 3rd Prize is a Samsung S6. The drawing will take place live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 115 (TV15) on Sunday July 3rd at 6pm sharp. Members of the public are invited to tune in then for the live drawing whereby they can be a winner of one of the three fabulous prizes. For additional information about the St. Maarten Lions Club you can go to their Facebook page or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.   

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“Let there be Hair!” and a full head of art

GREAT BAY - The people at Don’t Break the Comb (DBC) have come up with what looks like the making of a new hair social event. “The upcoming program is called ‘Let There Be Hair!’” said Rochelle Ward, the DBC managing director.

DBC, the St. Martin lifestyle brand dedicated to the loving care and celebration of natural hair, caters to women who wear their hair in all the natural styles imaginable.

DBC now wants to encourage what might be for some, the unimaginable. Interested? “Pick any of these two Saturdays, May 21 and 28. Make some time for yourself: 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm, and make your own natural hair art,” said Ward, the event’s organizer.

“Participants will be able to use paint, ink, color pencils, or abstract; the choice is yours even if you have never drawn anything in your life. The idea is partly to express what you feel about your hair,” said Ward. The live art studio experience of this DBC program is presented in conjunction with the Saturday Morning Art Class, conducted by art teacher, Mr. Henry Thomas.

DBC is well-known for its really big draw, informative, positive vibes, and stylish hair affairs. But in addition to the art experience, “the upcoming program is inviting women who enjoy a small group setting, to socialize with other naturals and receive expert art instructions,” said Ward.

The artistic expressions and the hair care features of ‘Let There Be Hair!’ also allow for the participants “to do something fulfilling with one of their personal Saturday afternoons,” said Ward. The DBC managing director is also known as Faizah, is a high school teacher, blogger, and leading St. Martin poet.

“Register early at http://www.dontbreakthecomb.com/register-here.html because space is limited,” said Ward. “The $20 registration fee for the ‘Let There Be Hair!’ program includes materials, and light refreshments,” said Ward.

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Deputy Prime Minister Richard Gibson Sr. delivers Opening Address at LeaderCast

CAY HILL – On Friday May 6th, Deputy Prime Minister / Minister of Finance Richard Gibson Sr, delivered an Opening Address to the participants at the Leadercast Conference held at the Belair Community Center in Cay Hill.

The Opening Address

For the fourth consecutive year Victorious Living Foundation has hosted the simulcast on Sint Maarten for the worlds’ largest one day leadership conference, Leadercast Live.

This in itself is an indication that Sint Maarten realizes the need for an event of this nature which will help to hone the leadership skills of the participants that will eventually transform our community positively. 

The theme for this year’s Leadercast live conference, broadcast directly from Atlanta and beamed to hundreds of location worldwide is “Architects of Tomorrow”.

For us on Sint Maarten, this theme is of special relevance given the fact that we have embarked on a nation building process since we attained a new Constitutional Status on 10-10-10, a process that requires many qualified “Architects of Tomorrow”, today.

When we speak of an architect we usually have in mind someone who is innovative, creative and visionary; a person who can see far in the future, and galvanize all the human and other resources around him or to make that future a reality that benefits the entire community or even the world at large.

According to the website of Leadercast, this year’s conference will focus 3 aspects / things that an “Architect of Tomorrow” must explore.

These three things are:

1.       The ability to see a preferred future,

2.       operate in the presence

3.       and utilize the resources around them to architect a clear path to a new destination.

That is what visionary leadership is all about. This, according to Leadercast, is the role of all “Architects of Tomorrow”: to imagine a future that is rich and full of hope. A future where problems are solved, questions are answered and confusion gives way to clarity. Need I say more?

Sint Maarten needs leaders who will fulfill that role without fail, who will use their imagination in such a way to imagine a nation in which the full potential of all its residents would be realized and work relentlessly to achieve this. 

I am sure this Leadercast Conference will unleash that creative genius in all its participants especially from Sint Maarten and inspire and stimulate them to design a new future for the island that will catapult us in to that place of hope and prosperity we all intuitively believe is our manifest destiny. Congratulations to Victorious Living Foundation for hosting this important event and success to all participants.

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Pregnant and breastfeeding mother’s invited to May 11 Breastfeeding Cafe

GREAT BAY, (DCOMM) – The 3rd Breastfeeding Café will be held on Wednesday, May 11. 

This is being organized by Collective Prevention Services (CPS), a department of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour.

The objective is to promote breastfeeding by sharing information surrounding breastfeeding and other challenges for soon to-be and already breastfeeding mothers.

The Café will take place at the Baby Wellness Clinic (behind the Guardian Group Insurance Building or Opposite the Yogesh Building).  Registration starts at 5.45pm and the information session is from 6.00pm to 8.00pm.

The cafés are scheduled to take place three times a year to ensure that various groups of pregnant and/or breastfeeding mothers can receive the guidance or information they need at the time.

Breastfeeding has so many benefits for a baby and their mother such as perfectly composed nutrients, special bonding moments, the best weight loss plan, and helps financially.

It is the best milk possible for your baby.  Dads, don’t feel left out. You will be joyous when your partner is eating right and is receiving your support, your encouragement and the guidance with the tasks surrounding breastfeeding, CPS points out.

“Who wouldn’t want the healthiest feeding for their baby?  We know that breastfeeding can have its challenges at times, that’s why we invite you to come out and get the information from different medical professionals in a relaxed environment but also hear some experienced fathers that is currently reaping the benefits of having their toddlers breastfed. See you there,” CPS concludes.

For more information about the Breastfeeding Café information session, you can call CPS Section Youth Healthcare at 542-3003 or 542-2078 or the Baby Clinic 543-0295. 

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Carnival Foundation SCDF ‘more than happy’ with its new waste management company

POND ISLAND - The St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) on Thursday said it is “more than happy” with the work carried out by its new cleaning and garbage collection firm, “and judging from the response of the public and government, we are not alone.”

After several years of working with one particular firm, the foundation went a different route in 2016 contracted Quality Sweepers & Maintenance under the directorship of Bertaux “Mr. Rude” Fleming and staffed only by local young men. Their specific tasks were the cleaning of routes along which Carnival roads events pass, the cleaning of public places where the SCDF hosts Carnival events and the cleaning and garbage removal of Carnival Village for the entire Carnival season.

“It goes without saying that we are extremely pleased, more than happy, with the work of Bertaux and his crew,” Director of Carnival Mike Granger said. “We took a chance in giving a St. Maarten entrepreneur a chance during St. Maarten’s premier event. Bertaux understood that this was not going to be an easy task and that Carnival would be a real baptism by fire for his new company. They went out and performed exceptionally,” Granger added.

He further explained that Fleming and his crew didn’t just show up to clean and collect garbage, but studied the entire operation of the Village and road events to determine better ways to execute the tasks at hand. Fleming also educated booth holders on how to dispose of certain types of garbage by distributing information pamphlets and personally checking in with booth holders about keeping their area clean.

“This wasn’t a preparation process done in a few weeks, this took months of meetings and preparation. Garbage bags were custom ordered for the bins in Carnival Village which allowed the crew to remove the bags during big nights instead of having garbage pile up in and around bins, the crew removed bones and other food items that would typically attract flies. This Carnival was the first in many years where we didn’t have a single complaint about flies. Not a single complaint. By the end of Carnival, the Village was as clean as it was at the beginning,” Granger added.

He also said this Carnival was the first that the foundation didn’t receive complaints from government officials. “In fact, top management at the Ministry of VROMI and others called to praise the work that was done by Quality Sweepers and indicated that a very positive assessment will be given about the company.

“I would like to thank the board of the SCDF and its president Mr. Mike Granger for giving Quality Sweepers the opportunity to service the cleaning needs of Carnival,” Fleming said. “Our goal was to create a hygienic environment and get rid of the flies that has been plaguing the village for years, this goals were achieved and everyone are happy both booth holders and patrons alike.

“The job was done by all local boys that handled the waste management with passion. As a young local business man I continue to create our own opportunities which creates jobs for locals and helps to boost our economy and social welfare. Quality Sweepers plan to take the Carnival waste management to another level, improving the environment for both locals and visitors alike. Mr. Granger is setting a prime example by giving young locals the opportunity with an obvious result something the country should follow suit,” Fleming added.

Concluded Granger: “The SCDF hopes that anyone, including government, that requires a positive, hard-working, local company to provide waste management, would reach out to Quality Sweepers and give them the opportunity to do for you what they did for Carnival. We congratulate Bertaux and his crew on a job well done and look forward to working with them for many years to come.”

Quality Sweepers can be contacted by emailing: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or calling 5593513.

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Main suspect in Police Officer Gamali Benjamin murder sentenced to 20-years in prison. Fourth suspect acquitted

PHILIPSBURG - The main suspect R.D. in the robbery of Oro Diamante jewellery store on August 5, 2015 was sentenced today to 20 years in jail. He was found guilty of manslaughter of police officer Gamali Benjamin and intent of manslaughter on police officer Carty.

The other main suspect J.L. was sentenced to eight years in jail for participating in an armed robbery which led to the death of Benjamin. The suspect M.H.A. was sentenced to 2,5 years in jail for being an accomplice in the armed robbery.

The suspect O.A.C. was acquitted of all charges against him. According to the Court of First Instance it wasn't legally and convincingly proven that he was an accomplice in the robbery. (Public Prosecution Service)

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Organizers Satisfied with African Flavor Concert. Regret that there was not enough palm wine to go around

GREAT BAY – Thelong-awaited African Flavor Night at the Festival Village has come and gone and organizers, the African Flavor Entertainment Foundation, have expressed satisfaction that for the first time at Carnival on St. Maarten people were able to dress in their African outfits and come out to a show that featured one of Africa’s best singing sensations, Bracket performing on the island for the first time.

         

The line-up also included Trinidad’s soca maestro, Benjai in his first stage show on St. Maarten as well as home-grown talents, Oswald and King Timo whose only performance at this year’s carnival was at the African Flavor concert.

         

“We want to thank the people of St. Maarten for their encouraging support,” said foundation president, Melissa Webster.

“We also want to thank all the artistes, including Roxy and the Nirvana dancers as well as DJs D’Arsenic of Godfather Sounds and DJ Jack, the Hot One and the sponsors. We have learnt quite a lot from this first show and promise to give St. Maarten an even more exciting and wonderful touch of African flavor should we have the opportunity to organize a show like this again,” she said.

“And oh, about the palm wine, as we announced, only the first 100 men could have gotten a taste of it. It looks like next time we will have to bring in a container-load to satisfy the thirst for this unique African drink,” Webster stated.

Revelers went straight from the African Flavor concert into J’Ouvert morning for what many consider the “largest” J’Ouvert ever on the island.

“Carnival is a time to free up and celebrate our culture. This is why we are happy that those who attended our concert were able to enjoy themselves and also jam in J’Ouvert,” Webster said.

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