SINT MAARTEN/CARRIBEAN – Tropical Storm Sebastien, the 18^th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season at 11.00am on Tuesday was located over 200 miles north-east of the Leeward Islands and poses no threat to land.

According to the National Hurricane Center out of Miami, Sebastien is expected to continue out into the open Atlantic waters. Sebastien is also the ninth tropical storm of the season.

Tropical storm force winds are 45 miles per hour with higher gusts and extend 105 miles out from the center.

According to Brian McNoldy, Senior Research Associate at University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, the last time we reached the ‘S’ storm in a season was in 2012 (Sandy).

SINT MAARTEN (SIMPSON BAY LAGOON) - The National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB) has launched a tender for the salvaging, decommissioning and disposing of around 80 shipwrecks in the Simpson Bay Lagoon and Mullet Pond. In addition, the NRPB is procuring services to supervise the clean-up activities, which also includes the removal of shoreline and shallow water debris.

Cleaning up the lagoon after hurricanes Irma and Maria is one of the key activies under the Emergency Debris Management Project, which is financed by the Sint Maarten Trust Fund. During the implementation of the clean-up activities, careful consideration will be given to the environment. Measures are taken to ensure the safety for water traffic and surrounded communities.

The tenders have been prepared in close collaboration with the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI), the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT), and the Nature Foundation.

A public consultation held earlier in this year provided important input from marine industry stakeholders on risks and mitigation strategies. The received feedback was incorporated into the project’s Environmental & Social Management Plan, which has been prepared in compliance with the relevant environmental and social safeguards policies.

Bidding for the shipwreck tender will be conducted through an international competitive procurement process. A pre-bid meeting and site visit will take place on Tuesday December 3, 2019 at 9:30 a.m. Interested bidders must register via e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., by November 29, 2019.

The bidding documents for both tenders can be found on the NRPB’s website (www.nrpbsxm.org/tenders).  

SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - From November 18 – 24, 2019, more than 10 million people from more than 170 countries will be celebrating entrepreneurship, during Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW - www.genglobal.org/gew). In line with this annual global movement, this year Produce Wealth Revolution Agency (PWR Agency) will be celebrating entrepreneurship and supporting business growth with a free weeklong online course and a mixer on December 8.

During GEW 2019, the PWR Agency will facilitate free online courses on the entrepreneurial mindset called, “Ready for It”.  This course will be conducted via Facebook Live sessions on the PWR agency’s facebook page (www.facebook.com/experiencepwr). This course will help participants to overcome fear, improve profitability, and discover ways to become the leader in their field. The course will go live at noon (12:00PM AST) on Monday, November 18, Wednesday, November 20, and Friday, November 22.

The PWR Mixer will take place on December 8, 2019 at Commodore Suites from 4:30 PM – 7:00 PM with doors opening at 4:00 PM. This mixer is designed for entrepreneurs, location independent professionals and small business owners. Themed, “Ready for 2020”, this PWR Mixer will showcase the digital tools, strategies, and opportunities for rapid business growth in 2020.

Formerly known as the Power Hour, this experience has been redesigned to focus on speed networking, soft launches, and expert insights to help entrepreneurs, executives, and small business owners to quantum leap their business. Back by popular demand, these mixers are an opportunity to build strategic relationships and gain insights in an interactive and relaxed way.

For that reason, Commodore Suites is the facility partner for this PWR Mixer. Focused on providing an extraordinary experience for the modern professional while ensuring that its hospitality practices re sustainable, Commodore Suites was an obvious choice for the mixer and came on as partner to ensure its success.

At the PWR Mixer, highlights of the “DigiOutlook” report will be shared.  This report covers some of the biggest trends in the digital space that can affect local businesses and the strategies that can be used to leverage these trends to create unique opportunities for growth.

The keynote speaker for this PWR Mixer is founder and Chief Experience Officer of PWR Agency, Ife Badejo. Ife, a daughter of the soil, is an international award-winning business strategist, who was named “Woman of Global Solutions” in 2018 by I Change Nations, which is an international organization focused on civility and endorsed by the United Nations.

An entrepreneurship advocate, Ife has hosted events and ran projects that have reached more than 2000 entrepreneurs and 1000 students. These events and projects have brought entrepreneurship awareness to the community and improved business practices of hundreds of businesses. Her keynote, “Islandpreneurs & the Digital Economy”, will address how to overcome some of the major challenges in doing business online.

To help entrepreneurs move forward quickly, there will be masterclasses by local experts on December 9 at Commodore Suites from 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM. These masterclasses do a deep dive on topics such as financial planning and business strategy and help entrepreneurs walk out with customized strategies for their business.

Registration is $30 for PWR Mixer: Ready for 2020.  For those who would like to join the PWR Mixer and Masterclasses on December 9, there is a special of $50 for both. Space is limited. For more information or to register, whatsapp at +1-721-523-1842, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or connect with the team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/experiencepwr for regular updates.

SINT MAARTEN (PHILIPSBURG) - The National Institute of Arts’ program “Music Brings People Together” will be hosting a 10-day workshop for the NIA’s NATIONAL YOUTH ORCHESTRA (YO) with Conductor Juan Cristobal Palacios who arrives on the island on Sunday November 24, 2019.

Mr. Juan Cristóbal Palacios is a native of Caracas, Venezuela. He holds a BA in Music Theory and a MA in Composition both from Boston University; he also graduated from Yale University with a MA in Orchestra Conducting.

In Venezuela he founded, and was appointed as the first President and Music Director of the Fundación Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil de Chacao, which belongs to the “El Sistema” national music program. He also served as President of the Fundación Cultural Chacao, where he designed the entire cultural agenda for Chacao County. During his tenure at Chacao he produced a whole range of art manifestations from educational to recreational, from traditional art exhibits or ballet recitals, to urban street art and contemporary dance.

Palacios passion for music education and more specific, community music programs, led him to develop an innovated program for the Fundación Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil de Chacao. All students registered in the program received instruction in the three fundamentals of instrument performance: solo repertoire, chamber music, and orchestral repertoire. The program started in 1993 with five musicians and five years later grew to more than 250 students playing in five different ensembles studying the fundamentals of music theory, music history, and instrumental performance. I am proud to say that of all the students that went through the program during my years in charge, and decided to make music their life project, all became professional musicians and have been playing in professional orchestras as well as teaching music around the world.

Juan Cristóbal Palacios has been living in San Diego, California for the past decade where he became part of the Conductors’ Faculty at the San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory. He is responsible for teaching three different ensembles at the Showcase Level. He has also been involved as a Teacher Artist and Supervisor with the Opus Community Program, which is the “El Sistema” Community program developed by the San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory. This program is in charge of teaching the fundamentals of music to students that belong to the public education school system.

Palacios, as one of the thousands soldiers from the “El Sistema”, strongly believes on the power that music education has on the youth; it provides them with an important tool for the future, a tool that can help to overcome and navigate the different paths of life. The discipline acquired through music learning, can be translated to any activity or goals they would like to accomplish in life.

For his ability to impart knowledge, promotes enthusiasm, and intellectual curiosity among young people in 2000 Mr. Palacios received the “José María y Bote” Orden en su Primera Clase, the highest cultural award in Chacao County. Since 2006, he has been Principal of JCP Cultural Advisory; a group of professionals that help organizations create, improve, develop, and implement cultural programs.

“Students and teachers are looking forward to this special treat in preparation for the Holiday concerts in December. Parents will also enjoy a workshop by Mr. Palacios involving them in their child’s musical development” said Director Arlene Halley Newhouse. This program is partly funded by the Dutch Disaster Fund. Special thanks to the Belair Beach Hotel for providing a week’s lodging for Mr. Palacios. Stay tuned to the upcoming concert on December 7 which will be a festive affair in the heart of Philipsburg.