May 27, 2026 No comments
Coalition Chooses Survival Over Accountability
SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - The final vote — six in favor and seven against the dismissal of Minister of VROMI Patrice Gumbs of the PFP party — sent a clear and troubling message to the people of St. Maarten: for this coalition of DP, URSM, and PFP, political survival appears to matter more than public suffering, Member of Parliament (MP) Omar Ottley said in a statement on Wednesday. “For nearly two years, the people of this country have voiced growing frustration over worsening conditions: overflowing sewage, uncollected garbage, permit stagnation, deteriorating infrastructure, and a general sense that basic governance has stalled. Yet despite these repeated complaints from citizens and businesses alike, the coalition demonstrated through its actions that these concerns...
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May 27, 2026 No comments
KPSM Calls on Owners to Retrieve Scooters Stored at Police Station
SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - The Police Force of Sint Maarten (KPSM) is informing the public, and in particular owners of scooters currently being stored at the rear section of the Philipsburg Police Station, that management has taken a decision to begin clearing the area in preparation for the upcoming 2026 hurricane season. A significant number of scooters have remained in police storage for an extended period of time. In addition, a number of these scooters were impounded during police controls and traffic enforcement operations conducted over the past months for various violations and circumstances requiring police intervention. KPSM also notes that it has issued several similar press releases in the past regarding the retrieval of impounded scooters, however a number of...
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May 26, 2026 No comments
Before the Intervention- Public Health & the Right Question
SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - Khalisha Halley grew up in St. Maarten with a passion for women's health. Now she's presenting research at one of the Caribbean's biggest public health stages, and she's only getting started. There is a special grace and grit that persons native to St. Maarten possess when building their future off island. Be it in academia, business, public sector or cultural. It may not be loud, but it is noticed, it is felt and undeniable. Through grueling nights of study, clinic rotations and meticulous research and problem solving that grace and grit builds. Khalisha Halley has that special grace and grit. The Florida A&M University doctoral student recently stood before an audience at the 70th Annual CARPHA Health...
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May 26, 2026 No comments
Minister Brug starts cost of living study to better understand financial struggles of the people
SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - The Ministry of VSA has started a new study together with the Dutch organization Nibud to better understand how much it really costs for families and individuals to live in Sint Maarten. The goal is to get a clearer picture of how difficult it is for many families to make ends meet and what people truly need to live and participate normally in society. The study will look at the everyday expenses people face, such as: rent and housing, electricity and water bills, food and groceries, healthcare, childcare, transportation, school expenses, insurance and other basic needs. Nibud is a Dutch organization that specializes in household finances and budgeting. They have already done similar studies in Aruba, Bonaire,...
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May 26, 2026 No comments
Minister VROMI says Original Land Issuance and Permit Decisions Predate Current Administration
SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI) Patrice Gumbs has moved to clarify his role in the Simpson Bay grape tree incident, clarifying that the foundational land and permit decisions connected to the matter were made before his tenure in office. During a recent session of Parliament, Minister Gumbs responded to claims by former Minister of VROMI and current Member of Parliament Egbert Doran, who suggested the Minister had given the land to the current owners in 2025. Minister Gumbs firmly rejected that characterization. The parcel of land on the beach where the grape tree now stands again, referenced as deed 205 of 2022, was issued in long lease for the first time by...
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