Ordrick Samuel, also known as Jicky or Montgomery, operates the MRS Radio Station from his home. He broadcasts from speakers on his roof on Monday to Saturday at 6.30 am to 7.15 am and when necessary in the afternoon. He provides Barbudans with general news, village information, notices, and birthdays. Every Tuesday morning Elder Mills broadcasts religious thoughts and music. Every Friday morning Pastor Ralph Payton of the Seventh Day Adventist Church advises on marriage education. MRS Radio also features guest DJs. Jicky can be contacted on 460 0087 within Antigua and Barbuda.
We carry the latest news as it happens in Barbuda. Moreover we feature forthcoming events anywhere in the world, for example family reunions or graduations. Use the contact us form to provide information about your activity and we will include it here.
Click archive to read news from February to December 2004, from January to December 2005, and for January, February, March, and April 2006.
School uniform vouchers will be issued from Monday 3 July to Thursday 31 August 2006. Registration will be upstairs at the Barbuda Council's Day Care Centre from 10 am to 3 pm, Monday to Friday.
Please note the following -
The webmaster will be on well-earned vacation for one month, thus there will be no web site updates during that time. However, keep sending the comments, they will all be answered, but not before 18 August. Enjoy the summer.
There will be a meeting of all hunters at 5 pm at the Barbuda Council Hall.
On Sunday 9 July and for each Sunday in July and August, there will be an exciting day of volleyball competitions and other activities at Louis Beach, starting at 1 pm and costing $10 for the round trip. Contact Robbie Burton on 771 2235 or Mitch David on 723 2235 for further information.
All persons, who have unused farm land west of the Barbuda Council's agricultural station on river road and north east of the coconut plantation, are asked to see the secretary of the Agriculture Committee at the rear of the council hall as soon as possible.
A team from the Medical Benefits Scheme gave talks and screenings at the Holy Trinity School. Many Barbudans listened to advice on men's health, nutrition, and obesity in children. MBS provided screenings for breast cancer, prostate cancer, blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol. Barbudans brought along their medication and prescriptions to receive counselling on usage.
We are likely to see at least three first class hotel developments by 2008. The Sunset View Hotel (photos below) and the Dulcina Hotel will be renovated and a new resort built at Pelican Bay.
Sunset View will have 10 rooms and is on the outskirts of Codrington Village. Dulcina Hotel will have 30 to 35 units at River Beach on the south coast. Pelican Bay Resort will be developed on the windward side of Barbuda and is the largest of the developments with 60 rooms.
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Randolph Beazer, chairman of the Barbuda Council, said that the support of Barbudans for the proposed resorts had been obtained by the Council. The Crown Solicitor is expected to draft the lease agreements within the next two weeks, enabling them to be granted by the end of July 2006. Mr Beazer expects construction to begin in six months to one year, with completion by the end of 2007 or early 2008.
Randolph (T C) Beazer, chairman of the Barbuda Council, has confirmed that sand mining operations in Barbuda will continue, but under strict guidelines. The Barbuda Council passed a resolution for tests to be carried out to ascertain the availability of off-shore sand. Randolph Beazer said that the sand mining would be controlled with the input of technicians, while supplies would be available to meet the local demand.
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After Hurricane Luis in September 1995 iguanas were seen in Barbuda for the first time. Environmentalists think that the iguanas were washed up here by the winds and high seas during the Hurricane. Since 1995 the iguanas have multiplied and become a familiar sight in the woods. Last week Jerez Warner caught one that was over 6 feet long. He sold the iguana to someone who took it to Antigua, where its subsequent fate is unknown. On Thursday Jerez caught a smaller one, which he intends to sell or rear as a pet. The photos show the iguana which is being kept in a lobster pot in the yard of the Warner's house and looked after by Jerez, with the help of his brothers and sisters.
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Courtney Burton has received an award of US$10,000 from the ABI Financial Group to participate in an internship at Leigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Courtney will join 91 young leaders representing 42 countries at the university's School for Global Entrepreneurship.
The six-week internship includes business trips to companies in Pennsylvania; country presentations by each intern; field trips to Fortune 500 companies in Washington DC; a visit to the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street; and meetings with executive visitors from leading companies around the world.
Barbuda received a visit from the local organising committee of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007, which will be held in Antigua from 27 March to 8 April. The team led by CEO and Managing Director of World Cup Antigua Inc, George Goodwin Jr, met with Barbuda's parliamentary representative, Trevor Walker, members of the Barbuda Council, and members of the community.
Six matches at the quarter final stages, referred to as Super 8 matches, will be held at the new Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, located at North Sound in Antigua. The venue has a capacity of 20,000. The photograph below shows the new location, which with the other venues, can be viewed at the official ICC Cricket World Cup web site.
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The speakers emphasised the business opportunities available to Barbudans with a market of 15,000 visitors over 14 days, plus global television exposure reaching an estimated 1.5 billion viewers. Barbudans could provide accommodation, guided tours and transportation, food, and local entertainment.
Participants in the seminar enjoyed snacks prepared by Jackie Beazer Joseph and the musical entertainment provided by the choir of the Sir McChesney George Secondary School accompanied by their choir mistress, Cleopatra Isaac.
Antigua and Barbuda begins its membership of the Caribbean Single Market and the Caribbean Court of Justice.
Kazim Thomas, a 2005 graduate of the Holy Trinity School, was declared one of 13 CXC honours students for the academic year 2005. Kazim gained 10 CXC passes at General and Technical Levels with 6 passes at grade one (distinction), 3 at grade two, and one at grade three. Additionally, he received the CXC Certificate in Business Studies.
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Kazim was singled out as one of the most outstanding students in the 2005 CXC examinations at the 21st Cable and Wireless National CXC Awards and Presentation Ceremony. The gala event, held in conjunction with the Ministry of Education, was hosted at the Grand Royal Antiguan Beach Resort. Each honours students received a certificate of appreciation, a pen with USB capability, and a cheque. In September 2005, Kazim joined the A Levels Department of State College in Antigua.
A sitting of the Magistrate's Court will held on Monday 12, Tuesday 13, Wednesday 14, and Thursday 15 June. The proceedings start at 9 am daily in the Council Hall.
We have just been informed by Keith Martin of a new web site www.sportantigua.com, which is dedicated to covering every sport played in Antigua and Barbuda. Keith is particularly keen for someone in Barbuda to establish a relationship with the site to provide him with sports news from Barbuda. The site has extensive coverage of all sports, including those popular in Barbuda - cricket, fishing, horse racing, football, and basketball, and already carries articles and interviews with Peter Cuffy and Maverick Weatherhead in the athletics section. Keith Martin may be contacted by email at mail@sportantigua.com.
This year's Caribana will be held over the Whit weekend at the beginning of June. We give the schedule for the shows and other activities below.
| Day | Event | Place | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 May | Pre-show Party Monarch | Caribana City | 8 pm |
| 2 June | Caribbean Unity Concert | Caribana City | 8 pm |
| 3 June | Beach Bash | Martello Tower | 10 am |
| 3 June | Carnival Queen | Caribana City | 8 pm |
| 4 June | Calypso Monarch | Caribana City | 8.30 pm |
| 5 June | Jouvert | Starts from Caribana City | 5 am |
Barbudans are busy checking roofs and shutters and cutting overhanging branches as this year's hurricane season begins.
Once a storm is named it is classified as a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds from 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph). A hurricane has maximum sustained winds exceeding 64 knots (74 mph). The names for 2006 are
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The hurricane season ends on 30 November 2006.
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By a majority vote, the Barbuda Council has set a deadline of May 31 for sand mining operations to cease at Palmetto Point. Environmentalists, including John Mussington, have long been pointing out the damage caused to the environment by 23 years of sand mining in the area. The decision has ramifications for Antigua and Barbuda's construction industry, which will have to import sand at a higher cost, and for the economy of Barbuda itself, where over EC$5 million annually is reported to be earned from the mining of sand. On Tuesday 23 May 2006 the members of the Barbuda Council attended a meeting with Central Government, when financial assistance was promised for the island.
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These photos were taken in October 2005 by marine biologist, John Mussington. The photo top left shows the digging below the water table, which has exposed the fresh water in the water table itself to contamination by sand and salt water, animals, vehicles, and activities such as farming. This was the view from the top of one of the last remaining ridges pictured in the photo top right. This ridge was removed recently. The lower photo shows the road leading from the mining area. The dunes in the background have been taken allowing one to see over to the ocean. For further information John Mussington may be contacted by email.
The Department of Immigration has introduced new security checks for people travelling between Antigua and Barbuda. Nationals of Antigua and Barbuda will have to present photo identification, for example a driver's licence, naturalization card, passport, voter's ID, or any official photo ID. Non-nationals must present a valid passport, as no other document will be accepted, to an immigration officer before departure. These measures will improve security in Antigua and Barbuda by preventing people travelling on someone else's ticket and ensuring that all travellers check in personally.
Jackie Beazer held a grand opening of her new restaurant, Wa O'moni, which was attended by many friends and relatives. Father Williams and Pastor Thomas blessed the restaurant before everyone enjoyed dishes from the Barbudan and international menu. Connie and Cynthia Desouza served the guests, while Austin Desouza was behind the bar. Wa O'moni is the Arawak name for Barbuda.
Peter Cuffy, Fabian Jones, Clifton François, Connie Desouza, and Clara Samuel are attending the Arena Caribbean Conference, which is being held in Antigua for the first time. ACE (Athletes, Cities, Events) Arena is a world-wide network of Christian sports people established in 1988. Many prominent athletes are members of this international organisation, including Jonathan Edwards, the world, Olympic, and Commonwealth gold medallist in the triple jump.
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The Class of 2006 spent their last day at the Sir McChesney George Secondary School before going on study leave for the CXC exams. The students conducted the morning assembly and were later given a party by the teachers and ancillary staff. The principal and teachers offered advice and good luck to the students, who were presented with autograph books and a special cake by their form teachers, Flo David and Lesley Watkins.
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The CXC exams began on Tuesday 9 May with electronic document preparation and management (EDPM), followed by visual arts and agricultural science later the same week. The photos above show drawings by Relton Lynch and Lorenzo Taylor.