Local News

(CNS): Police are hunting for witnesses and a male cyclist is said to be in stable condition after being hit by a van on the West Bay Road on Boxing Day afternoon. At around 2:58 pm on Wednesday 26 December, police said a GMC Savanah vehicle and a cyclist were involved in a collision in the vicinity of the St Matthews College dormitory on the West Bay Road. Emergency Services attended the scene and the cyclist was transported to the George Town Hospital. The cyclist who sustained injuries in the crash remains hospitalized. Anyone who witnessed the accident should call the George Town Police Station at 949 4222.

CNS): Despite efforts to improve the levels of safety on Cayman’s roads and to clamp down on traffic infringements, the police dealt with a further 20 road smashes in the week leading up to Christmas and in the middle of the RCIPS campaign "Stay Alive". Police said that during the third week 17 people were ticketed for speeding, nine for cell phone use and four for not wearing seatbelts. An additional 44 offences were also ticketed. Since the campaign started on 30 November, 24 drivers have been arrested for DUI and 230 tickets have been dished out for various traffic offences with a further 75 tickets for speeding.

(CNS): Following the decision by the governor to revoke the appointment of McKeeva Bush as premier and allow Juliana O’Connor-Connolly and her four colleagues to form a new government to take the Cayman Island through to the General Elections next year, the calendar for the national poll remains on track. With an early election now unlikely, there are only two weeks left for those who qualify to register in time for the critical elections in May. Urging all eligible people to make every effort to grasp the remaining opportunity to become a voter, the office said time is running out. People with Caymanian Status who have not been naturalized can still register to vote as naturalization is no longer a prerequisite to qualify.

(CNS): Samuel Rose has been appointed as the government’s new cabinet secretary and chief officer of the Cabinet Office to replace Orrett Connor, who retires in February next year. Rose was appointed following an open recruitment process in which twenty-six people applied for the position. Five were shortlisted and assessed before the four best candidates were chosen for interview. Governor Duncan Taylor said the role of cabinet secretary was established under the constitution and is critical to ensure policy coordination across the whole of government. 

(CNS): Two people have been taken to hospital following a major road crash in the Red Bay area Wednesday, police said. At around About 1:35pm today, 19 December, a white Honda Integra collided with Toyota Landcruiser as it tried to turn left from Selkirk Drive into Red Bay Road. The Landcruiser flipped following the collision before coming back to land on its wheels again and both cars sustained major damage. The man who was driving the Honda lost consciousness and is currently being treated at the Cayman Islands Hospital. The woman who was driving the Landcruiser is also being treated in hospital for injuries, which are not thought to be life-threatening.

(CNS): A police spokesperson has confirmed that an Isuzu garbage truck reversed over a car in an early morning crash. The truck was picking up garbage in Crewe Road, George Town, near to  near to Desmond Drive at about 6:20am on Wednesday when it reversed and collided with a westbound Suzuki Vitara. Fortunately no one was injured in the smash. Meanwhile, police said that the RCIPS has not received a report regarding a concrete truck which reportedly fell into a building pit at a construction site in South sound Tuesday. Other sources tell CNS that attempts to remove the truck have so far proved unsuccessful.

(CNS): Residents across Bodden Town and Prospect were without power for more than an hour this morning as Grand Cayman’s power provider dealt with a faulty line. Power was out from 9:04 am until 10:19 am when CUC Engineers were able to switch the supply back on. Officials from the company said that the power outage was the result of a fault in the transmission line. The line was inspected and it was determined that it could be reenergized safely and that power could be restored to the Prospect and Bodden Town Substations. CUC said that it sincerely apologizes for the inconvenience this outage may have caused.
 

(CNS): With the preliminary rounds, including swimwear and the national costume shows, already recorded, Cayman’s Lindsay Japal is now gearing up for the big night on Wednesday in Las Vegas for the Miss Universe contest. On-line voting is still open ahead of the televised event and fans can vote for Miss Cayman Islands on the website. The 61st Miss Universe pageant will be broadcast live on NBC from the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino when Miss Leila Lopes from Angola will crown the new winner from over 88 contestants from around the world. CNS has contacted the tourism ministry to find out if an official delegation is going to support Miss Cayman Islands but there has been no response.

(CNS): Updated Monday -- Despite extensive searches over the last few days the police said there is still no sign of the 31-year-old Guyanese national who was visiting Cayman and was last seen Tuesday. An RCIPS spokesperson said that officers searching for Hemerson Gonzalez are appealing for the public’s help as he has now been missing for six days. As the days pass police said they are becoming increasingly concerned about his health as he had been suffering from severe vomiting before he went missing. There have been no confirmed sightings of Gonzalez since Tuesday afternoon and he has not been in contact with friends or sought medical attention.

(CNS): The education department has confirmed that no student will be excluded from taking examinations because of their inability to pay in advance. All internal examinations and tests in our government schools are free to all students. Caymanian students pay no school fees and non-Caymanian students are assessed at what the ministry said was low fees, as provided in law, based on the stage of education. It also noted that at present no students are required to pay book fees but may be asked to contribute to practical fees for certain subjects such as Technology, Home Economics and similar courses.

(CNS): A woman was recovering in hospital Saturday after a road smash this morning near Lantern Point Condos on Shamrock Road, George Town. Police said that at around 7:15am officers attended the single vehicle crash in which a female driver heading west towards George Town had lost control of her car as she reached the roundabout. The vehicle flipped on the side and an ambulance transported the woman, who was the only person in the vehicle at the time, to the Cayman Islands Hospital. Her injuries are not life threatening and an investigation into the cause of the accident is on-going, police said.

(CNS): The chief of staff from the premier’s office, Leonard Dilbert, has called on the people not to judge his boss as he said that McKeeva Bush had not been charged of any offence. In an unusual move for a civil servant, Mr Dilbert released a statement in his official capacity on Tuesday evening pointing out that "being suspected of having done something is far from it having been proven,” and lamenting his belief that being accused of wrongdoing tainted a person's reputation in Cayman, even if they are cleared. “It is also important to remind the people of the Cayman Islands not to rush to judgment,” he stated.

(CNS): Despite mounting concerns about the impact the premier's arrest may have on the Cayman Islands financial services sector, the body representing the industry said very little Tuesday. Richard Coles, the chair of Cayman Finance, said it was concerned at hearing of the arrest of McKeeva Bush and, as a jurisdiction that upholds good governance and transparency, the organisation fully expected that due process would be followed. ''As the investigation is ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further,'' Coles said, as Cayman waited to hear whether Bush would be charged or released by the police Tuesday after spending the day being questioned by officers from the Financial Crimes Unit.

(CNS): The Cayman Islands governor, Duncan Taylor, has said that he is committed to ensuring the normal function of government, regardless of the arrest of the premier this morning. Taylor said the whole of the the Cayman Islands Government would ensure its effective functioning and the continued efficient delivery of services to the public. The governor further stated that he had confidence in the police commissioner to carry out a robust and fair enquiry. The statement was released in the wake of the arrest of McKeeva Bush Tuesday in connection with the misuse of a government credit card and the importation of dynamite.

CNS): The Cayman National Cultural Foundation (CNCF) will be opening the restored and renovated house of one of Cayman’s most famous local artists this weekend. The 'Mind's Eye’ project, which has resulted in the preservation of the home of Miss Lassie, Cayman’s world renowned visionary artist, will officially open on 15th December. This site is where Gladwyn K "Lassie" Bush lived her entire life and extensive work has been undertaken to restore and preserve both the buildings and her paintings, many of which are on the property itself.  The unique markings on the walls add to the cultural significance of the home and earned it a place on the World Monuments Fund (WMF) Watch List.