News

Member of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament André Bosman of the liberal democratic VVD party on Monday submitted a series of technical questions to the Dutch government about the decolonisation process of the Dutch Caribbean islands. The so-called “Written Statement of the Kingdom of the Netherlands” of February …

The Public Entity Saba is developing a ban on single-use plastic and Styrofoam, to be implemented in 2020, with the aim to reduce the overall amount of plastic waste and limit environmental pollution. The input of the local community will help to determine the final set-up of this ban. We would very much appreciate …

Dutch State Secretary of Social Affairs and Labour Tamara van Ark says establishing the benchmark for the so­cial minimum for Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba is a next step to make the life of people on the islands bet­ter. “The benchmark for the social minimum gives a di­rection to our …

Two men were on trial in Saba on Tuesday for possession of soft drugs. Both suspects had previ­ously been convicted for possession of drugs. Both men were convicted by the judge in the Court of First Instance. One man was sentenced to 60 days in prison, with deduction of the …

Saba Archaeological Center SABARC co-founder and Leiden University graduate Ryan Espersen, together with Leiden University profes­sors Corinne Hofman and Menno Hoogland, held a public presentation at Scout’s Place in Windward-side on Monday, discussing new findings and interpre­tations of Saba’s Amerin­dian history. The trio discussed ways of life at Plum Piece, …

The public entity Saba has received an approved auditor’s report on its 2018 annual account, the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT noted in an August 7 letter in response to the second execution report. This is the fifth consecutive year that Saba has received an approved auditor’s report on its …

Last Thursday the Rescue and Coordination Center of the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard received a notification from substation SXM that a vessel with the name ‘INTEGRITY’ had sunk between SXM and Anguilla. The vessel was light blue in color and onboard was one male who had gone missing. A Metal …

Since the BES islands were included as special municipalities in the country of the Netherlands on 10-10-10, the policy of the Netherlands excels in measuring with two measures. A poignant example of this is the hassle around a social minimum for the BES islands. The successive government teams postponed setting …

Dog owners in Saba had the opportunity on Saturday to participate in a dog training session provided by Jazmine “Jaz” Vergara. A group of Saban dog owners turned up for the meet-and-greet, and were elated with the tips to keep a happy, healthy and loyal dog. Vergara, who works as …

The Public Entity Saba on Thursday, August 1, started a pilot on information management during crises with the Ministry of Justice and Safety. Reliable and fast exchange of information with the ministries in the Netherlands is critical in cases of disaster, such as a hurricane. Saba took the initiative to …

According to the latest forecast by Statistics Netherlands (CBS), the population of the three islands of the Caribbean Netherlands is expected to grow further from 25 thousand currently to 30 thousand by 2030. The number of older inhabitants will increase in particular. The population forecast projects the most likely scenario …

A large boulder came down from Paris Hill on Sunday evening and hit a family home in The Bot­tom. No one was injured in the incident. The crashing rock caused a large hole in one of the dwelling’s outer walls and damaged part of the kitchen and a window. This …

Saba’s Carnival celebrations came to an early close on Sunday afternoon, as the Second Day Parade was cancelled due to deteriorating weather conditions. The continuous rainfall prevented revellers from taking to the street for a second day in a row. On Saturday, by contrast, they had come out in force …

Dear Editor, Back in the day i used to farm the museum grounds. No goats, no fence required. Now I sit on the porch of the Museum and imagine how wonderful the grounds could look. Shame on the goat owners who let their goats run rampant. Shame on the government …

A member of the Saba branch of the Caribbean Netherlands Fire Department BKCN died as a result of a tragic accident in Saba on Thursday. The incident occurred while fireman Reid Barnes Jr. was not on duty. Barnes reportedly had bought a piece of heavy equipment from St. Eustatius and …

Sa­ba’s Vernisha Robinson emerged victorious in the Battle of the Future International #5 Junior Calypso Competition, which took place Friday night at Mike van Putten Youth Centre/Carnival City in St. Eustatius. Contestants from Saba, Anguilla and Aruba took part in the competition in which Statia was not represented. Besides the …

Under the responsibility of the Public Entity Saba, extensive renovations have started at the Sacred Heart School (SHS). In addition, the construction of the new parking lot in the back of the schools in St. John’s has resumed. The school yard of SHS is being resurfaced. The contractor Saba Roads …

Sabans can get acquainted with biodegradable products at the Carnival Village next week, thanks to an initiative of the local government. The Public Entity Saba has purchased several cases of biodegradable cups, food containers and straws. These products will be given to the booth holders at the Carnival Village, so …

Caribbean Netherlands bans the use of single use plastic. Therefor Saba, St. Eustatius and Bonaire signed an agreement with State Secretary Stientje van Veldhoven (Infrastructure and Water Management). The intention is, with help from the central government, to quickly put an end to the use of single use plastic in …

In Q2 2019, consumer prices on Saba were on average 0.5 percent up on the previous year, versus 0.6 percent in Q1. The price development of building materials curbed consumer price inflation. In Q2, these goods were up by 3 percent year-on-year while in Q1 they were still over 6 …

Carmen Simmons and Lysanne Charles presented copies of their books to the Queen Wilhelmina Library last Friday, July 12. Simmons celebrated the second edition of her book “The Life of Carmen Simmons, Memoires of a Small Island Girl,” while Charles presented her new book “Her(e): A Collection of Queer Caribbean …

The “Keep Saba Clean” campaign was a success. Some 200 volunteers came out during the four-week period to participate in the island-wide clean-up. In total, over 400 bags of smaller debris were collected and multiple truck-loads of large debris such as galvanize, wood, wire, cable, tires, discarded car parts, steel …

Science asks the opinion of Caribbean residents and institutions The Dutch Research Council (NWO) invites residents and organisations from the Caribbean islands of the Kingdom to submit their questions to science. NWO will use this information to draw up an agenda pinpointing the most important scientific and societal knowledge questions …

Authorities on Saba have asked people on the island to refrain from parking their vehicle on the road in such a way that they obstruct passing emergency response vehicles. If necessary, fines will be issued. Saba roads are very narrow in some areas. Cars parked along the already narrow roads …

Albert Gieling, the new interim General Commander of the Caribbean Netherlands Fire Department, is on Saba for a few days. Besides meeting with local authorities, he will also be introduced to the Saba Fire Department. On Tuesday, July 16, Gieling, accompanied by local Fire Chief Julio Every, met with Island …

Stientje van Veldhoven, State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management (I&W), paid a working visit to the waste management location on Saba on July 15th, 2019. This location was seriously damaged as a result of Hurricane Irma and was repaired with a financial contribution from the Ministry of I&W is. …

The naval ship Zr.Ms. Groningen, functioning as the West Indian Guard ship of the Royal Netherlands Navy, intercepted a number of go fasts in the past week. The interceptions were executed during a Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard patrol. After detecting the fast-moving vessels, the naval ship proceeded to intercept. A …

State Secretary of Infrastructure and Water Management Stientje van Veldhoven during her visit to Saba on Monday, July 15, was informed about the Fort Bay Harbor project and the waste processing facilities. She also visited the Saba Conservation Foundation (SCF). Following the signing of the declaration of intention with the …

The Public Entity Saba, represented by Island Governor Jonathan Johnson, and State Secretary of Infrastructure and Water Management Stientje van Veldhoven on behalf of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management signed a declaration of intent on Monday, July 15 to phase out single-use plastics on Saba, starting next year. …

Active efforts have been made with the “E no ta stòp di mes” project and the awareness campaign for all chain partners involved from the care sector, judicial authorities and the public entities Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius to address domestic violence and child abuse more strongly. Since the start of …

Hiram Beakes was born as the second son of the Councillor of the Island and had lived nothing but a privileged and protected youth. Naturally, he was eager to venture out into the world. By the grace of his father, he mustered onto a crew of a trade ship, “the …

An international expedition for shark research to the Saba Bank in the Dutch Caribbean is taking place under the leadership of the Dutch Elasmobranch Society (NEV), the Saba Conservation Foundation (SCF) and the Nature Foundation Sint Maarten (NFSM) from July 15 to 25. Scientific projects will be carried out during …

State Secretary of Infrastructure and Water Management Stientje van Veldhoven arrived on Saba on Sunday afternoon July 14. Island Governor Jonathan Johnson and Island Secretary Tim Muller welcomed the State Secretary and her delegation at the Juancho Yrausquin Airport. Outside the airport building, Van Veldhoven received an explanation of the …

The Council of State has finalized its vision on shaping the current administrative relationship between the Caribbean and European Netherlands and the coordinating role of the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. Almost 10 months ago, State Secretary for Kingdom Relations Raymond Knops submitted a so-called request for information …

The Public Entity Saba has purchased a large hydraulic boat trailer in order to facilitate the lifting of vessels out of the water and their transport at Fort Bay harbor. The trailer was bought for several reasons. Firstly, because all local boats fit on this trailer, it will save the …

The recently published “Public Health on Saba 2019-2022, A look at Sabans’ current health and our vision to promote health further” was presented to the public during a townhall meeting at the Sunny Valley Youth Center in The Bottom on Wednesday evening, July 10. Head of the Public Health Department …

A group of the Lipscomb University Child Focus summer camp visited the Public Entity Saba on Wednesday, July 10. Acting Island Governor Shamara “Amelia” Nicholson and Island Secretary Tim Muller received the students and camp leaders. The 11 students of grade 5 and 6 of the Sacred Heart School, ages …

Zakiya Imani Lake of the Saba Comprehensive School (SCS) and Kaziah Lavia and Trevon Johnson of the Sacred Heart School (SHS) are the winners of the logo and name contest for the new water bottling plant. Saba Splash will be the name that the plant and its products will carry. …

State Secretary Van Veldhoven (Infrastructure and  Water Management), will pay a working visit to Saba, St. Eustatius and Bonaire from July 14th  to July 18th. The focus during  this visit is mainly on the efforts in the field of the environment to keep the islands clean and livable. The journey …

Commissioner of Culture Rolando Wilson on Monday, July 8 received the official program of 2019 Saba Summer Festival. President of the Carnival Committee Cristal Hassell presented the poster detailing the schedule to the Commissioner. Wilson said he was very content that Saba would once again be celebrating its annual summer …