The post St. Lucia focuses on restoring “dying” mangrove in Vieux Fort appeared first on St. Lucia News Online.

Bucket nurseries have been established using healthy mangrove seedlings from Marigot, Praslin and Savannes bay. These seedlings were later planted in the dieback area in Ma koté.

PRESS RELEASE – World Wetlands Day is celebrated annually on February 2nd. This year’s theme is “Wetlands for Disaster Risk Reduction”.

Climate change is a real threat and St. Lucia as a small island nation is very vulnerable. Building resilience and adapting so that we are better able to cope and recover from natural hazards is paramount.

Wetlands defined as lands seasonally or permanently flooded (inundated) by water are very important ecosystems. Wetlands protect against the harmful effects of climate change by lessening the impacts of extreme weather. For example, healthy wetlands absorb floods, decreasing the severity of catastrophic flooding. Coastal wetlands, like mangroves, protect communities from storms and sea-level rise.

In St. Lucia, there are two RAMSAR sites, Savannes Bay and Ma koté mangroves both found in Vieux Fort, with Makoté being the largest at approximately 40 hectares. RAMSAR is an intergovernmental treaty or convention that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. St. Lucia signed unto this convention in June of 2002.

Recently there has been dieback in the Ma koté mangrove and approximately 10 acres of mangrove have been lost. There has not been a conclusive determination as to why portions of the mangrove are dying. This has been attributed to varying factors including pollution or the increased salinity of the water and soil due to the blocking of the river’s mouth by a sand berm, which has for some time restricted the flooding of some areas of the mangrove.

In light of this, the Forestry Department in collaboration with other organizations through ECMMAN (Eastern Caribbean Marine Managed Areas Network) has embarked on a “Mangrove Restoration Drive”.

Bucket nurseries have been established using healthy mangrove seedlings from Marigot, Praslin and Savannes bay. These seedlings were later planted in the dieback area in Ma koté. Previously a pilot planting of 600 plants was done with 103 of them surviving. This 17% survivability was considered a success and so we forged ahead.

Four thousand (4000) plants to date have been planted in the Ma koté dieback area. Only time will tell how many will survive but we at the Forestry Department and our partners ECMMAN, St. Lucia National Trust, Aupicon Charcoal Producers, community members and others are all optimistic for we recognize the invaluable ecosystem services that mangroves provide for the benefit of all us.

Activities have been planned to commemorate World Wetlands Day, which include an information display at the Castries Central Library, bird watching at the Boriel Pond in Vieux Fort and clean ups at Ma koté and Savannes Bay spearheaded by the St. Lucia National Trust.

Participate, volunteer and help us build resilience against natural hazards!

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The post NWU “deeply concerned” report was not shared appeared first on St. Lucia News Online.

The National Workers Union (NWU) has written to Labour Commissioner Ray Narcisse, expressing concern that a “completed” report from an “in-depth study” on the wage levels of community health aides has not been shared with its organisation.

“It was always our opinion that Community Health Aides were being underpaid,” the NWU wrote in a letter, dated Jan. 23, 2017, to the commissioner.

The NWU said during their last negotiating session with the Government Negotiating Team (GNT) it was agreed by representatives of the GNT and the NWU, that an in-depth study would be undertaken pertaining to the wage levels of community health aides, their current job description and responsibilities on the job.

“We are deeply concerned that a report has been completed and a copy was not shared with the National Workers Union. We are requesting your intervention in this matter and we await your urgent response on this,” the union wrote.

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The post Imposter targets young women with job offers at Ladera Resort appeared first on St. Lucia News Online.

PRESS RELEASE – It has come to the attention of the management of Ladera Resort that some person or persons referring to himself/themselves as “Kevin Smith” is representing himself/themselves as an employee of Ladera Resort and is contacting young women with offers of interviews and employment at Ladera.

No one by the name of “Kevin Smith” is employed at Ladera or by Ladera in any way.

This person has contacted people using Facebook Messenger and other social media platforms. He has provided an email address (which is in no way affiliated with Ladera) for young persons to send resumes and CVs to. The email address “concierge@laderaresort.com” is NOT part of Ladera Resort, and we do not see or receive any emails from that address.

Ladera handles all matters of employment in a professional way. We do not use social media apps to discuss working at Ladera.

Any individuals who have been contacted by “Kevin Smith” in regard to Ladera Resort are urged to make a report to the police, as they are potential victims of a fraud.

Holly Scott
Chairman of the Board

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The post Record-breaking marathoners heading to Saint Lucia appeared first on St. Lucia News Online.

PRESS RELEASE – Cruise marathoners are coming back to St. Lucia for the 2nd edition of Southern Caribbean Challenge.

In January 2016, a group of 36 marathon runners, including 10 World Record holders, ran the inaugural event which was organized by Ministry of Tourism with the help of a local running club.

This year once again, the group includes runners from around the world with exceptional running resumes. Founder& CEO of Z Adventures, Ziyad Rahim, confirmed that runners from 10 different countries will be part of the 7 marathons in 6 countries adventure.

The oldest competitor is 74 years old while the youngest is 9.

The Southern Caribbean Challenge will start with a marathon in Puerto Rico on 29th January. Runners will then board the cruise ship CARNIVAL FASCINATION and head to the first destination, St. Thomas. After St. Thomas, they will run the 3rd marathon on a 183m running track on the cruise ship while travelling to Barbados. The marathon entails running 233 rounds of the track; possibly the hardest of the races due to repetition and moving ship.

On Feb 1st, they will reach Barbados and take part in the Carlisle Bay Marathon. From there, they will travel north to the beautiful islands of St. Lucia, St. Kitts and finally complete the challenge in Sint Maarten. The marathon in St. Lucia is once again organized by Department of Tourism, Information and Broadcasting with support from the Department of Youth Development & Sports. The runners will arrive in Saint Lucia on Thursday February 2nd and will immediately head to ‘The Sab’ Playing field to complete a 13 lap race along the Vigie Stretch. The Race will begin at 8:30am.

Notable athletes include:

John Wallace (USA): World Record holder in marathon running. He has run a marathon in 130 countries and all 7 continents. No other runner has run more countries than him. John is also the president of Marathon Country Club. St. Lucia will be country # 131 for him.

Rich Holmes (USA): Has run 599 marathons in 94 countries and on all 7 continents. He will aim to run his 600th marathon on this trip.

Henrik Franijeur (Denmark): After being overweight for majority of his adult life, he switched to long-distance running. He has completed 313 marathons around the world. Last year ran 70 marathons.

Janos & Edit Kiss (Hungary): Husband and wife team who run marathons around the world. Janos has completed a marathon in 86 countries and all 7 continents; while his wife Edit has run a marathon in 69 countries.

Charlotte Poulsen (Denmark): She has so far completed 287 marathons (mostly in Europe)

John Ward (UK): He is a member of Royal Air Force and runs marathons to raise money for charity. He is planning to complete a 100 marathons to coincide with the 100th anniversary of Royal Air Force.

John Lum Young (Trinidad): A famous marathon globetrotter from the Caribbean. To-date, John has completed 69 marathons in 26 countries and is aiming to complete a marathon in at least 50 countries before hanging his trainers.

Ikepo Osawaye (Nigeria): 47 year old, who until 2 years ago was diagnosed as obese. She completely changed her lifestyle and took up running. Since then she has lost over 100 pounds and is now regularly taking part in long-distance events. On the Southern Caribbean Challenge, she will attempt her first official half marathon.

Mekaal Rahim & Zara Rahim (Canada): Youngest competitors at 9 and 10 years old. Mekaal completed his first half marathon at the age of 8. Both Zara and Mekaal have run over 30 long-distance events around the world. This will be their 2nd time coming for the Southern Caribbean Challenge. Last year, both ran 10K on all the islands and now they are both aiming to run a half marathon.

Lise Friis (Denmark): Completed 125 marathon in Europe and will be accompanied by her husband.

Other notable athletes who will run one of two marathons on the trip:

Dr. Klaus Westphal (Germany): He will be joining us again for the challenge. Last year, he ran St. Lucia which was his country # 109. Since then, he has now run a marathon in 128 countries.

Ziyad Rahim (Pakistan): Apart from coining the idea of cruise challenges, Ziyad holds 10 Guinness World Records in long-distance running. He has run a marathon in 40+ countries and is the only athlete in the world to have completed a half marathon, full marathon and an ultramarathon on all 7 continents. In 2015, he took 36 runners from around the world to completed 7 marathons on 7 continents in the shortest time. The challenge was completed in 10 days and in the process 15 Guinness World Records were broken. His next adventure is the Southern African Challenge, where he will take runners on a 9 day challenge to run marathons in South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia & Botswana.

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The post Caribbean tourism requires stronger partnerships – CHTA President appeared first on St. Lucia News Online.

 

A young member of the Colours Junkanoo Group celebrates the spirit of The Bahamas during the opening of Caribbean Travel Marketplace at Atlantis Paradise Island. From left are Karolin Troubetzkoy, President of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), and Bahamas Prime Minister Perry Christie.

PRESS RELEASE – The Caribbean region’s tourism growth potential in 2017 and beyond is enormous, but not without continued collaborative partnerships between the region’s public and private sectors.

Delivering the opening address of Caribbean Travel Marketplace at Atlantis Paradise Island in The Bahamas yesterday evening, Karolin Troubetzkoy, President of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), described 2016 as a year of mixed blessings for the industry, and asserted that the regional private sector organization was resolved to continue answering the call from Bahamas’ Prime Minister Perry Christie for greater collaboration across the region’s key partners.

“Last year, you issued a challenge to CHTA, CTO (Caribbean Tourism Organization), and groups like CARICOM (Caribbean Community) to work together to fully realize the potential which tourism holds for our economies and our people,” Troubetzkoy told Prime Minister Christie, who also addressed the gathering this year. “Prime Minister, I am pleased to tell you that CHTA and CTO have answered your call, and are advancing initiatives which we believe can help make our region and our industry realize its full tourism potential,” she added.

Reporting overall growth in visitor arrivals to the Caribbean, the St. Lucia hotelier of the storied Jade Mountain and Anse Chastanet resorts said tourism was challenged with forces that tested the region’s fortitude. “From an unusually warm winter in some originating markets, a weak Canadian currency, Brexit, travel patterns affected by the Olympic Games, U.S. elections and political uncertainty around the globe to Zika and finally to our most unwanted visitor, Hurricane Matthew,” she observed.

Reflecting on the impact of Hurricane Matthew on parts of Haiti and The Bahamas, she thanked regional hoteliers for participating in an online auction which yielded US$70,000, $25,000 of which was presented to The Bahamas and $45,000 to Haiti for restoration efforts.

2017 has been designated by the Caribbean Tourism Organization as the Year of Adventure and the Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations World Tourism Organization. “Adventure and sustainability well-define much of our appeal, and well-reflect the shifts we’ve been seeing in why people travel and what they are looking for…as the caretakers and marketers of this global treasure that we call the Caribbean, we have not only the mandate to showcase it to the world but also to ensure it is protected, enhanced and sustained,” she said.

“That’s why issues like climate change, the development of our people, and the preservation of our natural, cultural and historical resources are intertwined with our marketing and indeed our marketability,” she continued.

Marketing, she affirmed, ought to embrace new and changing technologies to reach customers in addition to the changing visitor interests and expectations.

Caribbean Travel Marketplace has attracted an estimated 1,000 registrants with a record number of new buyers joining tourism stakeholders on Paradise Island this week.

Caribbean Travel Marketplace, produced by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, is hosted by The Islands of The Bahamas / Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, the Bahamas Hotel & Tourism Association, Interval International, jetBlue Vacations, MasterCard and Sandals. Platinum Sponsors include AMResorts, Bonnier Corporation, C&W Business Solutions, Caribbean Wellness and Education,  Marketplace Excellence Corporation, OBMI, Sojern, STR, Tambourine, TravelClick and Travelzoo. Adara, Alliance Connection, ARDA-ROC , Brides, Best Western Hotels & Resorts, Condé Nast Traveler, Delta Air Lines, Figment Design, Local Measure, Northstar Meetings Group, Prevue, Questex Travel Group, Recommend, RoomKnights, Simpleview, SiteMinder, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Time Inc., TravAlliance Media, Travel Agent Academy, Travel Channel, Travel Pulse, TripAdvisor, and TripMate have joined the event as gold sponsors, while Grupo BT Brands Travel and Travel Trade Exchange have signed on as media sponsors.

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The post NWU and WASCO meet to plot way forward appeared first on St. Lucia News Online.

PRESS RELEASE – A Team from the Water & Sewerage Company Incorporated (WASCO Inc.) led by Chairman, Mr. Francis Denbow met with Shop Stewards and officials from the National Workers Union (NWU) Wednesday February 1, 2017.

The parties met to discuss progress made at negotiations and outstanding matters to be resolved.

It was agreed that all adjustments to workers salaries would be made effective from February 1, 2017. A schedule for meeting outstanding retroactive payments will be submitted shortly to the NWU. This proposal will be in-keeping with the entities cash flow position.

WASCO and the NWU also recognize the fact that overtime must be effectively managed and in all cases that component of their operations must be authorized.

A Joint Technical Committee has been established to deal with all anomalies and prepare for the new industrial agreement between WASCO and the NWU.

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The post CARIBBEAN: OECS Commission releases findings of geothermal energy survey appeared first on St. Lucia News Online.

Regional energy stakeholders on site visit at Bouillante in Guadeloupe.

PRESS RELEASE — Financing and government policy have been identified as the major challenges to the development of geothermal energy in the Eastern Caribbean.

That’s one of the findings of a Survey conducted by the Energy Unit of the OECS Commission. The Survey gathered the views of 86 persons involved in geothermal energy, half of whom were based in the OECS Region.

The respondents of the survey were geothermal stakeholders working with or with an interest in geothermal energy in the OECS region. Most of the OECS respondents (82%), were employees of government or utility companies pursuing geothermal energy initiatives. With respect to Non-OECS respondents, almost 50% were private sector geothermal experts with past experience working on geothermal projects.

There was clear consensus amongst all survey participants that finance and government policy are the main challenges to geothermal energy development in the region. These were followed closely by competition from other energy sources, and technological issues.

The majority of survey participants would like to see the establishment of a regional mechanism to support geothermal development in the region. The geothermal stakeholders are convinced that such a mechanism would be beneficial to the industry, especially as it relates to policy, legislation, and regulations.

All countries of the Eastern Caribbean are almost totally dependent on imported fossil fuels, despite their significant potential for renewable energy such as solar, hydro, wind, and geothermal. In recent years geothermal energy has emerged as a priority for the OECS region. Currently, seven of the ten OECS Member States are working towards the development of their geothermal resources. The scientific evidence shows a strong potential for development as countries continue to assess and quantify their geothermal potential.

In keeping with one of the recommendations of the Survey, the OECS Commission is establishing a regional database of geothermal experts and companies. Interested persons can register here

The full Report of the Survey can be downloaded here

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The post Male in custody in connection with double homicide appeared first on St. Lucia News Online.

The couple found stabbed to death yesterday, Feb. 1, 2017.

Police are continuing their investigation into yesterday’s double homicide in La Clery.

According to sources, a male, believed to be the prime suspect in the killings, was picked up yesterday, but no charges have been filed pending further investigations, sources say.

According to local laws, the identity of a suspect is withheld until charged. The individual would be released without charge if there is lack of sufficient evidence.

And not all persons taken into custody are suspects.

The bodies of Sandrina Joseph and her boyfriend Jeffery ‘Shingay’ Arbella were discovered by her two children yesterday morning, according to reports from relatives and law enforcement officials.

The bodies were discovered in a bed with stab wounds. It is believed the couple were attacked while asleep at their Tamarind Heights, Active Hill residence.

Photos being circulated on social media, and obtained by St. Lucia News Online (SNO), show the woman’s body face down on the bed,  half covered in a sheet, while her boyfriend’s body is face down on the floor beside the bed.

It is alleged that the couple had received death threats.

Thirteen homicides have been committd in St. Lucia since the start of 2017.

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The post BREAKING NEWS: Ricky T in finals of Trinidad Chutney Soca Monarch appeared first on St. Lucia News Online.

Ricky T

PRESS RELEASE – Saint Lucia’s Ricky T is in the finals of the Trinidad Chutney Soca Monarch competition with “True Rum Drinka Remix”.

The song, with Chutney Soca Star Hunter, was released last week.

This is the first time a Saint Lucian will compete in the Chutney Soca Monarch Finals in Trinidad. Ricky T and Hunter are one of nine finalists who will face reigning Chutney King Ki Persad on Saturday February 11 at Skinner Park in San Fernando.

Chutney Soca is “a crossover style of music incorporating soca elements with Hindi-English” and other aspects of Indo-Caribbean culture. It is hugely popular in Trinidad and other Caribbean countries like Guyana.

Hunter is no stranger to collaborative work with soca artistes. In 2008 he teamed up with Bunji Garlin on the huge hit “Bring Di Rum”. The Chutney Soca Monarch is also a major competition in Trinidad Carnival, one that is completely funded by the Trinidad Government with a winning purse of TT$500,000.

Ricky T is currently in Trinidad preparing for the semi-finals of the International Soca Monarch slated for this coming Sunday February 5.

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The post FLOW-Trevor Daniel FDP Tournament a historic success! appeared first on St. Lucia News Online.

PRESS RELEASE – The Sab (Vigie) Playing Field was alive with action last Sunday (January 29) as more than 300 young footballers came together for the Flow-Trevor Daniel Football Development Programme youth tournament, one of St. Lucia’s biggest and most popular football programs for kids.

The Flow – Trevor Daniel FDP, headed by Trevor Daniel, one of St. Lucia’s leading football coaches, provides carefully crafted and fun-filled football training to youths in the 4 – 14 age categories to help them develop their raw talents. Flow is the title sponsor of the programme, which is also sponsored by Sandals Resorts International.

For the kids, who represent St. Lucia’s next generation of football superstars, this was the perfect opportunity to showcase their skills and get some first-class training. They were assigned to four houses; Accountants, Engineers, Journalists and Pharmacists and five age divisions, Under 6, Under 8, Under 10, Under 12 and Under 15. Each child was allowed to play three matches.

The kids took full advantage of their chance to be in the spotlight as they run and dribbled away, proudly showing off their tackling and passing prowess and they netted lots of goals. Their family members came along to support them and happily cheered them on.

The parents were not left out of the action. They were given the chance to lace up their boots and take to the field for an unprecedented Mummies 9v9 match and a Daddies 9v9 match.

For the technical staff it was a day to evaluate their training methods and access the efficacy of the programme and its impact on the youngsters. They were also keen to determine which aspects of the coaching and instruction regimen need to be improved.

“Many say that we are the best at developing kids. We wanted to see if this is true,” said programme director, Trevor Daniel.

Commenting on the decision to invite the children’s parents to participate in the tournament, Daniel said, “The idea is to have the kids see their parents doing something that the kids themselves love. Most kids in our society see their parents for a few minutes on a morning before work, and a few minutes on evenings before bedtime – if at all – and they’ve never seen them play and have fun. We hope this will encourage parents and children to play and train together at home, thus providing one more opportunity for quality family time. This may not solve all our social ills but it’s a good place to start. Kids seeing their parents engaged in positive healthy life practices will increase the kids’ chances of making positive healthy life choices themselves.”

Daniel expressed his gratitude for the support from the primary sponsors, Flow and Sandals. “The largest telecoms company in St. Lucia, Flow, and Sandals Resorts International has committed their continued support to the programme, and to reciprocate, the mummies and daddies played as an ALL-Star Flow team against an ALL-Star Sandals Team. We are extremely grateful for the support from Flow and Sandals and wish to thank them for their continued faith in the programme.”

Shermalyn Sidonie-John, Flow St. Lucia’s Marketing & Communications Executive, said, “We tip our hats to Mr. Daniel and the programe’s technical team and coaches, and most of all the players who made the event such a great success. There’s an urgent need to get more youths involved in sports, many of whom are facing extremely tough challenges that make them vulnerable to negative influences such as gangs, drug abuse and crime. Flow is extremely proud to support this excellent initiative which has the capacity to transform lives and help rescue an entire generation of young people.”

The FLOW-Trevor Daniel FDP tournament heralded the start of a major campaign aimed at getting St. Lucian football to the top on the international stage.

“We are looking out for the impact in the not too distant future, thanks to our event sponsors Valley Cold Storage and The Voice Publishing. Special thanks for the continued support of our partners, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Sandals Resorts and FLOW- this is how we play!” said Daniel.

The Flow-Trevor Daniel Football Development Programme is currently open to all kids 4-14 years old, including seasoned players and first timers. The program is held annually and features a 42-week curriculum that runs from September through to July. It is an after-school program and shuttle-bus services are provided to all the participating schools. The progress and development of each of the players are documented, including via video recordings.

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The post Massy Stores teams up with Cutty Ranks Barber Shop appeared first on St. Lucia News Online.

Bannah Suffren receiving donation from Massy Stores towards Community Grooming Project.

PRESS RELEASE – For five (5) years now Cutty Ranks Barbershop has been promotion good personal hygiene and self-confidence among youth, one school at a time.

The Community Outreach and Grooming Programme is the brainchild of Barber Bannah Seffren (owner of Cutty Ranks Barber Shop) and his wife Janna, and sees the care of over two thousand students (2,000) from over thirty three (33) schools every year.

In addition to the hair grooming service, which is offered free of charge to underprivileged students; the Cutty Ranks team also invest their time in educating students on the importance of personal hygiene. They share useful information on daily grooming and in some cases treat student who suffer from common ailments of the scalp.

For four (4) years now Massy Stores has done its part to support the project through its annual donation of grooming supplies and products. At a small presentation held last week, the Cutty Ranks team received a generous quantity of barber supplies from the food retailer. The package included rubbing alcohol, toilet paper, shampoo, conditioner and deodorants, which are all essentials for the programme.

Speaking during the presentation Mr. Suffren referred to the support as timely, given the extent of the needs of the programme and the rate by which it has grown.

“We are truly appreciative to Massy Stores for it’s continuous assistance to keep this programme a success. Although the programme is growing in terms of demand, there are still those who are turned down due to a lack of resources.”

During the presentation, the Massy Stores Marketing team praised the Cutty Ranks team for initiating the outreach project.

Massy Stores is happy to support the project, which aims to build the young men and their self-esteem, one hair cut at a time.

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The post Artists invited to submit designs for Art Pole Project appeared first on St. Lucia News Online.

PRESS RELEASE – The Saint Lucia Sculpture Park Inc. (SLSP) is a non-profit foundation established to design and develop, a national open air museum utilising the entire island of St. Lucia.

The various sites of the Sculpture Park will be open year round and will act as a catalyst to heighten aesthetic and creative awareness and add dimensionally to Saint Lucia’s rich folkloric heritage.

The aim of the foundation is to redefine St. Lucia’s public spaces, enhance the island’s natural beauty, assist in creating greater environmental sensitivity, educate and inspire the youth, foster a new culturally perceptive artistic movement and strengthen the overall cultural awareness of both St. Lucians and visitors to St. Lucia. The Project was unveiled to the Royal Academy, London on 11th September, 2014.

We are embarking on our first series of installations – THE ART POLE PROJECT – and we would like to invite ALL artists – Fine Artists, Graphic Artists, Painters and all Creative Minds – to submit designs.

THE ART POLES:

• The poles will be circular in cross-section; of 18 inches in diameter and will vary in height to a maximum of 25 feet
• Selected designs will be transferred to the poles by other ‘stock’ artists
• Each Pole will carry only one design or motif and will be ‘wrapped’ about the pole
• Artists are responsible only for the designs as submitted
• All other material related to the poles: the poles themselves, paint, laminates etc. and/or their installation is the responsibility of the Project
• Each installation will be a grouping of Art Poles (from as few as 1 to any number decided by the select committee)

SUBMISSIONS:

• To be done electronically and submitted via email to artpoles@saintluciasculpturepark.org
• Submissions are FREE – at NO COST to the applicant
• Any one Artist may submit multiple designs
• All entries must be original works of art and must be the property of the submitter. The work(s) must not have been previously published and be free and clear of all encumbrances
• All designs selected for inclusion in the Project will automatically become the property of the Saint Lucia Sculpture Park.
• Design themes are purely within the artists’ discretion.
• Artists will be notified if and when their work is accepted for inclusion into the Saint Lucia Sculpture Park, Art Pole Project.
• Artists, whose works are accepted for inclusion into the Project, will have their names included on the pieces.
• Prizes will be given on merit and at the discretion of the selection committee.
• The Project is funded through private donations; local, regional and international corporations.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: 15th April 2017

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT: www.saintluciasculpturepark.org or call 1 758 450 9740.

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The post Flight to St. Lucia diverted after “aggressive” passenger threatens to open door appeared first on St. Lucia News Online.

A Virgin Atlantic flight from London Gatwick to St. Lucia on Saturday, Jan. 28 was diverted after a “disruptive” passenger shouted and spat at cabin crew, and threatened to open the plane’s door three hours into the flight, The Daily Mail has reported.

The passenger, described as black and in his 20s, was restrained with the help of other passengers.

The plane was redirected to the Portuguese island of Terceira in the Azores, where it landed at  the Lajes Airport. Passengers had to eventually disembark the plane as the flight was delayed for four hours.

Alfie Haagman, 56, who is currently on vacation in St. Lucia, told The Daily Mail about the terrifying experience.

“When it first started we weren’t sure what was going on. He was completely out of it. He was threatening the stewards and the people around him and spitting at them. They had to restrain him. A couple of passengers helped with that,” Haagman told The Mail.

In a letter given to passengers, Virgin Atlantic apologised for the disruption.

“As you know, a customer travelling with us began behaving in an aggressive and disrusptive manner. Our crew are trained to handle and diffuse such situations and made every possible effort to manage this.

“Our crew are trained to handle and diffuse such situations and made every possible effort to manage this. Safety is always our absolute priority, and as the continued behaviour of this individual posed a potential risk to himself and others, we had no choice but to divert and remove the disruptive customer.

“The airport at Lajes was the nearest safe diversion point, and we intended and made every effort to continue to St. Lucia & Tobago.”

CLICK HERE TO READ FULL STORY FROM THE DAILY MAIL

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The post INTERNATIONAL: Family finds rattlesnake in toilet, then 23 more underneath their house appeared first on St. Lucia News Online.

Nathan Hawkins, owner of Big Country Snake Removal, shares photos of his unusual catch at a family’s house in Abilene, Texas. BIG COUNTRY SNAKE REMOVAL

CBS NEWS – For the past 20 years, Nathan Hawkins has been working with snakes in the small Texas town of Buffalo Gap.

So when Hawkins, the owner of Big Country Snake Removal, received a frantic call from a family in Abilene, Texas, about a rattlesnake peaking its head out of a toilet — he thought it was “very unusual,” but not something he couldn’t handle.

“They’re actually very, very amazing creatures that are really misunderstand,” Hawkins told CBS News. “There are irrational fears around them.”

But to young Isac Mcfadden, who simply got up to use the bathroom Tuesday morning, the snake was an unwelcome surprise.

The little boy’s mom told her son to grab a shovel, and when he returned with the tool, she killed it.

Hawkins was surprised to find a dead snake upon his arrival, but he removed it from the toilet bowl and asked the family if he could do a quick house inspection to give them peace of mind.

“It’s kind of intuition,” Hawkins said. “If you do this long enough, you kind of understand snakes and what they do during certain times of the year.”

The first place Hawkins looked: an old storm cellar. Sure enough, he found 13 snakes huddled in the corner.

“With rattlesnakes, western diamondbacks in particular, they’re real communal animals during cooler months,” Hawkins explained. “They tend to live together in dens.”

But Hawkins’ search didn’t stop there. He then got down on his hands and knees and crawled around underneath the house. When he spotted a corner with old sheet metal, he predicted he would find another den.

With a flashlight in one hand and a snake tong in the other, he caught another 10 rattlesnakes — 5 babies — in that location, adding up to 24 snakes in total.

To outsiders, that number may sound high. But to Hawkins, it’s just another day’s work.

Over the course of a year, since Hawkins opened his snake removal business, he has caught several hundred snakes.

He fields about 50 to 75 calls a day. Some people call to ask questions, others request help with a snake on their property. Either way, Hawkins encourages residents who encounter a snake to “leave it alone” and phone an expert.

“I would say 90 percent of snake bites occur when someone’s trying to harm the snake,” Hawkins said.

Hawkins is proud that his business does not kill any of the creatures they catch. Instead, he relocates the snakes or donates them to local colleges to study.

“I get to keep snakes alive that would typically end up with a gunshot wound,” Hawkins said.

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The post UPDATED: Fatal accident victim identified appeared first on St. Lucia News Online.

DEAD: Mandella Henry

One man is dead following a collision between a motorcycle and a blue Daihatsu Terios on Micoud Street, Castries just after midnight, has succumbed to his injuries, officials said.

The motorcycle, with  two persons on board, was travelling on Chisel Street when it ran into the front passenger door of the Terios, that was travelling on Micoud Street, around 12:25 a.m., officials said.

The two persons on the motorcyle were “seriously injured” and were transported to Victoria Hospital by ambulance but one Mandella Henry of Ciceron, Castries died while receiving treatment, officials said.

One helmet was reportedly recovered from the scene of the accident.

The driver of the Terios was not injured.

This is the second fatal traffic accident for 2017.

The first road fatalilty occurred on Monday, Jan. 30, after 7 p.m., when Zane Philip, 22, of L’Anse Road, Castries was hit by a truck on the Sans Souci Bridge, John Compton Highway in Castries.

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The post UPDATED: St. Lucia records 14 homicides within 34 days appeared first on St. Lucia News Online.

Charles Augustin, St. Lucia’s 1th homicide victim

The body of a middle-aged man was reportedly discovered at a residence in Pavee, Castries in the wee hours of this morning.

Relatives and neighbours have alleged that Charles Augustin, 51, was stabbed to death by one of his sons who was arrested by police shortly after the killing.

The authorities received the report around 3 a.m.

Relatives told St. Lucia News Online that the son is of unsound mind.

This is the 14th homicide for 2017.

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The post Vital Voices Global Mentoring Walk 2017 appeared first on St. Lucia News Online.

PRESS RELEASE – Women Empowering Women: 130 Mentoring Walks to take place in commemoration of International Women’s Day in 62 countries worldwide.

On Saturday March 11th, 2017, Saint Lucian Women leaders will join thousands of women around the world who will be celebrating International Women’s Day with Vital Voices Global Leadership Network (GLN) through their signature event – Global Mentoring Walk.

International Women’s Day is a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political contributions of women around the world. International Women’s Day serves as a call to action to close the gap between progress and potential, in order to accelerate gender parity globally.

For nearly ten years, these walks have connected established women leaders (mentors) and a rising generation of aspiring leaders (mentees) to foster women’s leadership through mentoring.

This year there are 130 walks planned in 62 countries. Celestial Self Development Centre will once again be local flag bearers for this global event, this being our third time hosting in Saint Lucia.

The walk is designed to bring together established women leaders and emerging women leaders to provide mentorship, guidance and support that will empower emerging women leaders to succeed.

We invite interested women to COME PAY IT FORWARD!

This is a non-profit and sponsored event. Sponsors for Saint Lucia – Vital Voices Global Mentoring Walk 2017 are 1st National Bank, St. Lucia Electricity Services (LUCELEC), Elks City of Castries Co-operative Credit Union, Financial Investment & Consultancy Services Ltd. (FICS) and Massy Stores Supermarket.

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The post Island Routes to expand services DMC services to St. Lucia appeared first on St. Lucia News Online.

PRESS RELEASE – Island Routes Caribbean Adventures is proud to announce that it is extending its esteemed services as a Destination Management Company.

The expansion will see Island Routes increase its ground handling services throughout the Caribbean including St. Lucia, Antigua, Barbados and Grenada.

After successfully providing full Destination Management services for industry leaders including Air Canada Vacations, BookIt.com, Hyatt Ziva and Hyatt Zilara, and Sandals Resorts International, Island Routes will be extending its services to other resorts throughout the wider-Caribbean market.  The company will now offer its full portfolio of general and airport transportation services, in-destination customer service, transfers and tour sales throughout the region, an exciting prospect for Tour operators that operate in multiple destinations in the Caribbean.  After years of working with its Tour operator partners, Island Routes’ highly trained team and first-class technology exceed expectations, ensuring the team consistently delivers the highest levels of service from the moment guests arrive to the time they leave the island.

“We’ve been operating our DMC services in the region for some time under a limited capacity, which has given us the opportunity to fine-tune what we do; now we are the best at it.  We’re out here doing things differently; from our technology, to our staff, to the quality of our cars and the variety of tours we offer.  From start to finish Island Routes offers a higher quality, more efficient, more complete service than anyone else in the industry,” commented Adam Stewart, Chief Executive Officer, Island Routes.

With its outstanding safety record and long-standing partnerships, Island Routes is driving forward with this endeavor and looks forward to supporting Tour Operators throughout the Caribbean.

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The post UPDATE: Double homicide at La Clery appeared first on St. Lucia News Online.

PRESS RELEASE – Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths of two individuals at Active Hill, La Clery.

Officers attached to the Criminal Investigations Department received a report reference to a double homicide at La Clery, about 7:15 a.m. on Wednesday, February 1, 2017.

Two individuals, namely twenty six (26) year old Jeffery Cashim Abella, and twenty nine (29) year old Sandrina Joseph, were found at her residence with multiple apparent injuries about their bodies.

Both individuals were pronounced dead on the scene by a medical practitioner. A post mortem is scheduled for Thursday, February 2, 2017.

There is one individual in custody assisting with investigations. Investigations are continuing into this matter.

These are the twelfth and thirteenth homicides for the year 2017.

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The post BLOODY RELATIONSHIP: Man who allegedly killed his father had stabbed him before appeared first on St. Lucia News Online.

Charles Augustin (inset) died after being stabbed allegedly by one of his sons.

Police have arrested the suspect in this morning’s homicide in Pavee, Castries.

Charles Augustin, 51, was reportedly stabbed to death by one of his sons.

In an interview with St. Lucia News Online (SNO), another son, Christopher Smith, alleged that his father was stabbed in the chest by the suspect nearly two years ago.

Recounting this morning’s fatal attack, Smith said he heard loud voices at the bottom of the house around 3 a.m., and decided to check.

He then found his father laying on the ground, bleeding from a gaping wound to the chest.

Smith said he shouted his father’s name and checked his pulse but got no signs of life. As such, he called on neighbours for help. The authorities were then contacted.

Smith recalled that yesterday his father and brother had a heated argument in which he had to intervene to prevent the situation from escalating.

Smith said while the two would argue a lot, he wasn’t expecting it to end in another stabbing.

Despite confirming reports that his brother suffered from a mental illness, Smith said he believes his brother was fully aware of the crime he committed.

Neighbours also told SNO that the father and son are known to have a bloody relationship.

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