Veteran fireman James Hassell of the Caribbean Netherlands Fire Brigade BKCN was promoted to shiftleader Tuesday during a brief ceremony in which Commander of the Saba Fire Brigade Julio Every presented him with his decree and stripes. “At BKCN we invest a great deal in the training and education of …

International Women’s Day will be observed in grand style on Saba with a church celebration and a reception today, Wednesday, March 8. On behalf of the Commissioner of Women’s Affairs, Saba’s “phenomenal” women over the age of 18 are invited to get together and celebrate their day. The festivities under …

The quality of education in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba has greatly improved in the past few years, but the progress is vulnerable and a number of permanent risk factors remain. The position of vulnerable students requires more attention. Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science Jet Bussemaker and State …

Commissioner of Health Rolando Wilson formally opened Fit Park Saba on Friday, March 3. The outdoor fitness area is free for all and can be used any time of the day. The Public Health Department initiated the park as a new way to help people become more active. “An active …

The social welfare “onderstand” in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba has been increased per March 1, 2017, and is now 40 per cent of the legal minimum wage. Also, independent research will be carried out this year to establish the cost of bare essentials on the islands. Dutch State Secretary …

The late or non arrival of voting papers of Dutch voters abroad has raised concerns. Democratic Party D66 candidate Eelco Keij is taking action and D66 Member of the Second Chamber Sjoerd Sjoerdsma is seeking clarity from the Dutch Government. The voting papers arrived timely in the Dutch Caribbean. The …

Last week, the first digital tax returns were received and processed by the Tax Department, and assessments made for taxpayers in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. This means that some taxpayers have been informed already about the amount they have to pay or that will be refunded. Some have even …

After an increase in Zika patients over the last weeks of 2016, recently there have not been any confirmed cases on Saba, the Public Health Department said. Pregnant women are, however, still strongly advised to take measures against mosquito bites as it is too soon to say that there is …

Saba’s one and only outdoor fitness park will be opening next to Queen Wilhelmina Library in The Bottom, today, Friday, from 4:30pm to 5:30pm. At Fit Park Saba residents and visitors will be able to exercise whenever they want and pick their own dates and time to get fit. Over …

The automatic payment of childcare benefit (“kinderbijslag”) for children after the first-born of parents in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba will not take place, Dutch State Secretary of Social Affairs and Labour Jetta Klijnsma decided earlier this week. Filing a separate request for each newborn will remain necessary. The State …

Candidate number 23 of the Dutch Labour Party PvdA Jeroen Recourt will go to Bonaire this Saturday to campaign for the March 15 Parliamentary elections in the Netherlands. He wants to urge the people of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba to vote. Recourt is known on the islands as the …

The Christian Democratic Party CDA wants to know whether there is an agriculture and/ or food policy for Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba to curb the high food prices and trade defi cit on the islands. CDA Members of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament Mustafa Amhaouch and Jaco …

Saba resident Els Mommers was invited to present her work at the International Quilt Festival in Mexico City. Entries should be based on the motto: “Endemic flora and fauna Mexico”. Els selected the Mexican tree frog sitting on an enlarged banana leaf as her principal motif. She worked several months on this quilt …

The Dutch Municipality Leiden and the public entities Bonaire and Saba have established a cooperation to strengthen job placement on the islands. The intention is to add St. Eustatius to the project. The islands have the ambition to take job placement to a higher level, and want to make use …

Carolien Giesen is the new “Press Judge” in St. Maarten for the Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curaçao, St. Maarten, and Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. She will assume the position from March 1. Giesen will succeed Mauritsz de Kort in the position of the Court’s spokesperson. She will …