Man Shot By Police Officer At Nightclub in the Bahamas, Dies In Hospital
A MAN who was shot by a police officer at a Faith Avenue nightclub on Tuesday night has died in hospital.
According to police reports, the officer was at a nightclub on Faith Avenue north around 8.30pm when he received a report of an adult male at the rear of the club with a firearm.
"The officer went to the rear of the club, where he saw a man who pointed an object at him," the police report said. "The officer ordered the male to drop the object but he refused to do so. The officer, being in fear of his life, shot the suspect with his police-issued firearm. The suspect was transported to hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries," the report added.
The identity of the victim is being withheld until next of kin have been notified. The Coroner is currently investigating this matter.
CDB Approves USD2.37 Million in Grant Assistance for Haiti Catastrophe Risk Insurance
July 17, 2015, BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The Board of Directors of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) approved, today, grant assistance of USD2,377,250 to the Government of Haiti to meet the country’s insurance premium for coverage being provided by the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) for the 2015-2016 hurricane season.
Haiti is one of 16 Caribbean nations that buy policies from CCRIF, which provides rapid cash payments to help Regional Governments maintain essential services in the aftermath of a natural disaster.
“This grant assistance is just part of our ongoing commitment to support the Government of Haiti in its efforts to better mitigate and manage the impacts of natural disasters. CDB will remain a close development partner and help Haiti advance and emerge as a stronger, more resilient economy,” said Dr. Warren Smith, President of the CDB.
Haiti continues to recover from the catastrophic magnitude 7.0 earthquake in 2010, which caused more than 300,000 deaths, displaced more than three million people and made more than one million homeless. Since then, the country experienced devastating torrential rainfall, flooding and other localised disasters in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
At a July 3rd meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Caribbean agencies involved with climate change, including CCRIF, Dr. Smith affirmed that building resilience to natural hazards is central to CDB’s mandate to reduce poverty in the region. He added that adequate resourcing is urgently needed given the economic constraints faced by Caribbean countries.
“CDB has also been helping CARICOM countries to directly address the more complex socio-economic, environmental and natural resource management issues that exacerbate their climate vulnerability. Weak fiscal buffers and unsustainable levels of debt have severely restricted these countries’ ability to finance robust capital investment. Therefore, substantial climate finance is urgently required. CDB has been emphasising support for the rebuilding of infrastructure to higher standards. However, we could make a more significant contribution to the Region’s efforts in both disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, if adequately resourced,” said Dr. Smith.
CDB’s Country Strategy Paper for Haiti 2013-2016 states that support with insurance coverage is an area of intervention, which aligns with Haiti’s development objectives. Its particular benefit is that such financial support will help Haiti recover more quickly from the effects of natural disasters.
Since May 2013, CDB has provided grants for full payment of Haiti’s CCRIF premiums, given its fragility and high vulnerability to natural hazards.
Haiti was formally admitted into membership of the CDB on January 19, 2007.
Alisa Folkes Becomes first TCI Citizen to receive CHTA Scholarship
PROVIDENCIALES, Turks & Caicos Islands; Wednesday, June 17, 2015- Earlier this year Turks and Caicos students and industry professionals pursuing higher education or professional development in the tourism and hospitality field were given the opportunity to apply for scholarships through Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association Education Foundation (CHTAEF).
After receiving a strong pool of 85 plus applicants the Foundation then had the difficult task of awarding a record number of scholarships to 36 Caribbean-based students including TCI's very own Alisa Folkes who became the first ever TCI citizen to receive such a scholarship from CHTA.
The funding totaling US$141,800 and supported by CHTAEF's partners Virgin Holidays, Interval International, FirstCaribbean International Bank, Johnson and Wales University and Florida International University will provide Alisa, a full time HR Assistant at Seven Stars Resort with US$3,000 to assist with her online Tourism Management programme at Ashworth College.
On receiving confirmation from CHTA Alisa stated, "When I heard that I was the first recipient from the Turks and Caicos to receive such a sponsorship I was thrilled and overjoyed. Having worked at Seven Stars for the past two years I knew that furthering my studies in the tourism field would make me a true asset to the resort and would also make me more marketable in the industry. I am therefore thankful to CHTA for giving persons the opportunity to develop academically and am grateful to TCHTA for informing industry workers about the sponsorship."
Stacy Cox, TCHTA's Executive Director noted, "Since 1987 CHTAEF has awarded over US$2 million in scholarships and grants to applicants who demonstrate a strong commitment to the hotel and tourism industry. We are therefore elated that TCI through Alisa was able to secure one of these coveted scholarships. The response we received shows us that the future of our tourism industry is secure as persons remain eager and excited to be a part of our country's vital economic resource."
Cox added, "Education and training are essential in order to be successful in any work field and CHTAEF's scholarships present an opportunity for motivated individuals like Alisa to pursue higher education and career training regardless of financial need. We also commend our hotels who answered the call and donated room nights to CHTA for auction to support the scholarship programme. These prizes made it possible for CHTAEF to provide the scholarships and in turn made it possible to assist Alisa with her online tuition while continuing her tender with Seven Stars."
THE PDM ON THE PASSING OF SAMANTHA WILLIAMS GLINTON
The PDM yesterday added its voice to the mountain of sympathies and well wishes that continue to pour in since her passing of Samantha Williams Glinton, a senior member of Staff of the Director of Public Prosecutions Office early Sunday morning.
The death of such a brilliant, young, productive Turks and Caicos Islander is a tragic event to a fledgling country as ours. Mrs. Glinton though young had already touched many lives positively in these Islands and as such has left an indelible mark. Her professional contributions to her chosen field is above all to be celebrated having attained the level of Senior Prosecutor so early in her career.
With a vivacious personality, her passion for life and her career was unmatchable, said Hon Sharlene Cartwright Robinson in a statement to RTC News.
“Having known Samantha all of her life, I find this to be an extremely difficult experience. I have very fond memories of watching her grow up on the Island of South Caicos, interacting with her as her Sunday School teacher and as an older youth in our Church and as an older youth from the South Caicos community who pursued the same profession and then as adults. I can say as many of us have said already, that this is a major loss for us and our home Island of South Caicos which has over the years suffered some deafening blows and by extension, these Islands. Sam was an outspoken and opinionated person who let you know what she felt, whether you liked it or not. Her strong personality and confidence radiated from her. To say that she will be sadly missed is an understatement”, says Hon Robinson.
The PDM wishes to offer our sincerest sympathy to her husband, Officer Tomiko Glinton and her parents Sonia Greene Williams and Colin Williams. Our prayers remain with them and the entire family.
The Turks and Caicos Islands has indeed suffered a great loss,” the statement added.
EZRA TAYLOR CONTINUES TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF THE LEEWARD CONSTITUENCY
PDM seat caretaker Ezra Taylor, continues to serve the constituency that had given him a near victory in 2012. He has over the years continued to speak to the issues and address its needs having through his vibrant team conducted clean ups, address the issue of feral dogs that continue to plague the communities, brighten the Christmas for the children, placed trash bins in frequently used beach areas, donating and installing seating area in the increasingly popular Long Bay Beach, conducted walk-throughs and meet and greet its residents.
Over the past few weeks, he has conducted two community outreach initiatives with more in the works. Mindful of the increased number of robberies in the Leeward and Long Bay Hills areas, Mr. Taylor began a door to door campaign with a member of Community Policing. This gesture was well appreciated and residents were thrilled to see this partnership.
“I believe that all leaders and those willing to serve must be hands on in addressing the crime situation in these Islands particularly here in Provo. Leeward and Long Bay Hills have experienced an increasing number of house break-ins and robberies and the residents were happy to see the Police in such a community spirited initiative. I believe that we can make serious inroads in fighting crime if we take it from the community level and work along with the Police in initiatives such as these. I look forward to continuing this initiative and to making our people more aware of the state of our communities whilst ensuring that they engage in crime prevention activities”, says Ezra Taylor.
In an effort again to address the indiscriminate littering and general uncleanliness of the Leeward constituency, volunteers took to the streets in a clean-up led by Ezra Taylor. They were able to collect dozens of bags of trash.
“There must be a sustainable program put in place to address the general uncleanliness of these Islands. Whilst I welcome and embrace volunteerism, the Government must place greater resources in this area and enforce the Laws. This remains a health risk but for me it has also become an embarrassing issue and one of national pride or rather lack thereof. More has to be done to maintain a cleaner environment,” remarked Taylor.
Mr. Taylor is looking forward to continuing to serve the people of the Leeward and Long Bay Hills communities.
College Summer Interns Begin Work at FORTISTCI
Five college students from the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), studying abroad and locally, were recently welcomed to the FortisTCI family. Demetrio Quant, Angelique Pereira, Gabriel Saunders, Jonathan Chan Jon Chu, and Miquel Swann, were each selected to participate in this year’s FORTISTCI Student Summer Employment Programme (SSEP), which will last for an 8 week period through August.
As college interns at FORTISTCI, they will have the opportunity to experience a professional working environment at a well-established international business. The Company anticipates that this exposure will help the students develop skill sets in their particular area of study and introduce them to the opportunities available in the energy sector.
“We are impressed with this year’s group of interns and the varying scholastic backgrounds that they have. This year’s selection process was fairly tough, and we know that as each year passes, selections will only become tougher as more students apply. We are excited to get to know the students in this year’s program, and wish them a summer filled with learning new things,” said Vice President of Human Resources, Finance & CFO Ruth Forbes.
Demetrio Quant is a 22-year-old who is currently studying Electrical Electronic and Power Engineering at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom. Demetrio is working within the Energy Production and Project Planning Division. He said, “I am currently working with the mechanics, and have been observing the maintenance of the generators on a daily basis. Upon completion of my degree, I want to join the FORTISTCI team full time and help in the development of both the Company and my Country.”
Angelique Pereira, a 19-year-old who recently completed a two-year Associates Degree in Business Accounting at the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College, is working in the Customer Service Department within the Customer & Corporate Services Division. A part of her responsibilities include responding to customer inquiries and managing customer accounts. Angelique said, “I applied to intern with FORTISTCI because I was interested and eager to develop my communication, organization, and numeracy skills. I want to obtain my Bachelors and MBA abroad, and then return to the Turks and Caicos Islands to serve as a Certified Public Accountant,” she said.
18-year-old Gabriel Saunders is studying Business at the University of Waterloo. He is currently working with the Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) Department within the Transmission and Distribution Division. “So far I have conducted research, calculated costs, participated in a business conference call, and started reconstructing a business case that will be presented to the CEO of FORTISTCI. My long term goals include getting an MBA,” said Gabriel.
Jonathan Chan Jon Chu, an 18-year-old Economics student at Saint Leo University in Florida, USA, is working with the Innovation Resource Planning (IRP) Department within the Executive Services Division of FORTIS TCI. His responsibilities include helping to build presentations, working on business continuity plans, and researching environmental measures that FORTISTCI can adopt. “My long-term goals entail returning to the Turks and Caicos Islands to help develop the Country,” Jonathan said
Meanwhile, Miquel Swann, a 27-year-old attending Newman University in Wichita Kansas, is majoring in Accounting, with a minor in Information Technology. He is currently working with the Finance Team within the Human Resources, Finance and Information Technology Division. “I believe that FORTISTCI sticks with their mission, to retain the best in the country. While here, I hope to re-affirm my love for accounting and finance. I also have a strong passion and desire to give back to the local community. Upon my return, I plan to teach at least one class per semester at the community college; helping to mold the next generation of Turks and Caicos Islanders in business, accounting, and finance,” said Miquel.
We do wish them all, the very best.
DIGICEL WELCOMES SUMMER INTERNS FROM THE TURKS AND CAICOS COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Thursday, July 16th, 2015 – Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands: With the long summer holiday ahead, tertiary and secondary students are actively searching for summer jobs. In line with this, telecommunications leader, DIGICEL, has partnered with the Turks and Caicos Community College to invite students into the organization to participate in a 6 week long internship Program.
For the past 5 years, DIGICEL has welcomed students of the Turks & Caicos Community College into the organization as part of the college’s internship program. The program provides promising students at the tertiary level with real world experience in the areas of Information Technology, Finance, Marketing, Customer Care and Distribution. Interns are given a chance to participate in carrying out administrative and clerical functions at the telecommunications company. In order to provide the students with personal and career development, each student is paired with a mentor who is a senior manager in the business. These mentors are responsible for showing their intern the ins and outs of DIGICEL as well as guiding them on a path to a successful and fulfilling internship with the company.
Intern, Amaano Kwatt, who aspires to be a Business Manager in the corporate world, described his experience in the Customer Care, Finance and Distribution departments as very beneficial. "I enjoyed my time here at DIGICEL and now have a better understanding of the telecommunications Industry. I have learnt so much from my rotation in the various departments and now understand how a business operates and how its departments functions.”
Donna Chapman, Human Resources Manager for DIGICEL stated that, “DIGICEL will continue to partner with the Turks & Caicos Community College and welcome interns into the organization. The program has been beneficial for both the company and students alike. We are happy to have the assistance of the interns and in turn provide them an opportunity to enhance their work experience and apply knowledge gain in the classroom into a real life work environment. Ms. Chapman further stated: “We also use the program as an opportunity to screen prospective employees. In fact, several past interns are currently working with us in permanent contract roles, so the program definitely opens the door to greater opportunities for them.”
The partnership with the Turks & Caicos Community College on this Internship Program is one way of demonstrating DIGICEL’s commitment to nation building, by providing students with their first entry into the work environment and allowing them to make their contribution to society.
DIGICEL wishes all five interns who participated in the program the best of luck in their future endeavors.
More flights to Florida tourist destination from JetBlue
This year has already seen JetBlue introduce flights from Fort Lauderdale to Albany, Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit, Mexico City, Nashville, Philadelphia and Quito. These have quickly followed the launch of services to Jacksonville, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh late last year.
US carrier, JetBlue Airways, is continuing its rapid rise at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport with the introduction of two further routes during the final quarter of this year – a domestic connection to Charleston International Airport and an international link to the Turks and Caicos Islands. These will be the 7th and 8th new non-stop markets to be served by JetBlue from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International since the start of the year and 40th and 41st destinations to be served from the focus city.
The new link to Charleston continues the airline’s growth in the historic southern port city since it launched its first flights into South Carolina in February 2013 from New York. JetBlue will offer a daily flight from Fort Lauderdale from November 19, 2015 but will switch its schedule from January 6, 2016 to offer better early morning departures from and late evening returns to Charleston to better meet the needs of the local market. The route will be operated using a 100-seat Embraer E190.
"Our partnership with JetBlue continues to be mutually beneficial and exceed our expectations," said Fernando Harb, vice president tourism sales, Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau. "With the addition of direct service from Charleston, SC, we see great growth potential for meetings and conventions as well as business travel segments."
JetBlue also intends to launch the new link between Fort Lauderdale and Turks and Caicos in November 2015, again using Embraer E190 equipment. The flight remains subject to regulatory approval and the US carrier hopes to open reservations within weeks as it awaits the green light to start the international service.
"I am delighted by JetBlue's announcement of the intent to launch direct service from Fort Lauderdale to the Turks and Caicos Islands. This is a very critical and long awaited route for the Turks and Caicos Islands as the gateway to some of the main cities where our diaspora have settled," said The Honorable Dr. Rufus Ewing, Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands. "The new route also signifies the strengthening d growth of our economy and the growing demand by travelers to visit the Turks and Caicos Islands, home of Providenciales, voted as Trip-Advisor's World's Best Island," he added.
This year has already seen JetBlue introduce flights from Fort Lauderdale to Albany, Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit, Mexico City, Nashville, Philadelphia and Quito. These have quickly followed the launch of services to Jacksonville, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh late last year.
Its two new routes are into high yield markets, where South Florida is a key outbound leisure markets for travelers and average air fares are currently relatively high. There is already an established market between Florida and Charleston via the flights of American Airlines from Miami, while Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos is a notable Caribbean banking hub with traffic potential to and from South Florida for business, shopping and leisure.
Although JetBlue will be the sole carrier on these two routes, both destinations have previously been linked to Fort Lauderdale over the past ten years. Chautauqua Airlines operated a daily Embraer ERJ-135 connection for Delta Air Lines between Fort Lauderdale and Charleston up until January 2006, while ultra-low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines offered flights between Fort Lauderdale and Providenciales from February 2006 to July 2008 with a long summer flight programme.
Police release the name of 45 Year Old male found deceased – KEW TOWN
The Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police were called to a property at Kew Town address in Providenciales at approximately 3:03PM Tuesday afternoon (July 14, 2015) after reports of a sudden death.
Police and an ambulance service were all in attendance and the body of one person, a 45 year old man was found in the property. A medical doctor later pronounced the man dead.
His next of kin have been informed and the deceased man is identified as 45 year old Sidney Stuart.
A Post Mortem will be carried out to determine the cause of death.
Police arrested and charged three suspects for various offences
Officers of the Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police Force (RT&CIPF) on Wednesday 15th July arrested and charged three suspects for various offences.
1). 26 year old Tyrell Francis of Kew North Caicos was arrested and charged for Burglary in connection with a report that was made on Monday 22nd June 2015. He was later given police bail for his appearance to the North Caicos Magistrate’s Court today Thursday 16th June 2015.
2). 22 year old William Richard Penn Jr. of the Bight Providenciales was arrested and charged for Burglary and Motor Vehicle Interference. This arrest is in connection with a report made Wednesday 24th June 2015. He remains in Police Custody.
3). A 41year male of Blue Hills Providenciales was arrested on suspicion of Assault Occasioning Actual Bodily Harm. The arrest is in connection with a report made on Sunday 12th July 2015. He too remains in Police Custody.