Cayman News Service

Cane toad (Bufo marinus) (CNS): The Cayman Islands Department of Agriculture (DoA) intercepted a live cane toad (Bufo marinus) in an incoming shipment last month, thereby averting a major biosecurity problem. Cane toads pose a significant threat because of their ability to reproduce quickly, adapt to a range of environments, and spread rapidly once established. (more…)

Timothy McLean (CNS): The police are asking the public to help them track down a George Town resident who is wanted in connection with multiple burglary investigations. Timothy McLean (26) is about 5’10”, of dark complexion and slim build, with dark hair. Anyone who sees him should not approach; instead, make note of his location and contact 911. (more…)

(CNS): Cayman’s infamous billionaire, Ken Dart, is said to have lost an eye-watering US$4.2 billion in a gamble to acquire a major interest in Flutter Entertainment, the owner of online betting site Paddy Power, according to a report in the Irish Independent this week by reporter John Mulligan. (more…)

Cayman Water Company (from the CWC website) (CNS): After almost two decades of dispute over its renewal, OfReg has issued a new 25-year utility licence to the private sector company, Cayman Water Company (CWC), which supplies water directly to customers in the Seven Mile Beach and West Bay areas. The new licence came into effect on 1 August and should reduce water bills for the customers in the…

(CNS): The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service is investigating another phishing scam involving fraudulent text messages claiming to be from the RCIPS. This time, the online criminals are trying to make people part with their cash by asking them to pay an overdue traffic fine. (more…)

(CNS): With the explosion in the use of vapes, the Cayman Islands Government has begun a consultation process on the Tobacco (Amendment) Bill to address the negative health and environmental implications of these smoking products, including issues at the dumps, where the batteries are a fire hazard. (more…)

Roadworks near Countryside Shopping Plaza (photo supplied by the NRA) (CNS): The National Roads Authority (NRA) has begun scheduled well-drilling works at the entrance of Countryside Plaza on Hirst Road, which will continue until Sunday, 23 August. Motorists are being directed to slow down, as there will be water in the road. (more…)

(CNS): The recent damning report by KPMG on the poor governance at the Health Services Authority has made dozens of recommendations to start putting things right, one of which is the introduction of another senior management job, even though the report makes it clear that the management team has been one of the fundamental problems but has never been held to account. (more…)

Anonymous writes: If we are genuinely speaking about the future and development of this country, we must also acknowledge that successive administrations over the past several decades have failed to adequately plan for the growth of the Islands and the needs of the population. (more…)

Anonymous writes: The statement sounds clever [referring to this comment], but it is based on a false comparison. You try to describe Cayman by attaching Jamaican cultural influence to a Singaporean economic model. Neither description adequately captures Cayman. Cayman’s culture is overwhelmingly North American-facing, while its economy is a small, specialised, offshore services economy that…

(CNS): Key Stage 2 assessment results presented in the newly published 2024/25 Education Data Report show that reading outcomes in the government’s primary schools have improved by 18.4% since 2022. The report shows that performance in grammar, punctuation and spelling has improved steadily, rising from 58% to 68% over the last three years. (more…)

(CNS): The Cayman Islands Government’s overall surplus at the halfway mark this year was a record-breaking $252.3 million, which is 36% ($67 million) more than originally forecast. But a significant amount of this surplus has already been spent, even though the CIG is now in its lowest revenue-collecting months. (more…)

Governor’s Beach, Grand Cayman (CNS): A tourist was bitten by some kind of predatory fish just off Governor’s Beach on Wednesday afternoon, which the Department of Environment believes was likely a barracuda or a shark feeding on smaller fish in the area. A local couple who saw it happen and went to the young woman’s aid said she collapsed as she came out of the water and had a severe bite on…

(CNS): The Cayman Islands Government has opened a public consultation process on the draft Residential and Tenancies (Amendement) Bill, 2023 to find out if the people want to see further changes before it moves forward and amends the current legislation, which was passed in 2009 and is now woefully outdated. (more…)

New route for EWA (NRA image included in the FOI response) (CNS): The government’s decision to change the route of the controversial and costly East-West Arterial Road extension will need to be reviewed separately because the Environmental Impact Assessment did not consider this route, which takes the road on a more northerly path, slicing through National Trust land and cutting deeper into the…

Public buses at George Town depot (CNS): The slow journey to the rollout of a modern national transportation system just got even slower, as the Ministry of Planning, Lands, Agriculture, Housing and Infrastructure (PLAHI) has delayed the procurement timetable to find consultants to deliver the Final Business Case and a full system design. (more…)

Artist’s rendition of the new Blue Iguana Conservation office (CNS): The National Trust for the Cayman Islands has broken ground on a new Blue Iguana Conservation (BIC) office and laboratory within the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park. The Conservation Programme has been dedicated to protecting Grand Cayman’s iconic species for the past 36 years, and the new building celebrates the inextricable…