Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 19, 2021 (SKNIS): Carlene Henry-Morton, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Transport, and Ports, has congratulated the St. Kitts Department of Meteorological Services for 50 years of service to the island’s population and encouraged the staff to maintain a spirit of excellence when performing their duties.
Mrs. Henry-Morton extended the commendation on Sunday, April 18, 2021, as she worshiped with the department’s staff at the Antioch Baptist Church at Lime Kiln Commercial Development.
Her comments were made on behalf of the Minister of Ports, the Honourable Lindsay Grant, who was unable to attend the service to deliver remarks.
The Met Office, as it is commonly called, monitors and provides weather forecasts. It also handles air traffic control for the R. L. Bradshaw International Airport.
The permanent secretary said that the services provided by the Met Office are particularly important given the changing global environmental conditions.
“The need for accuracy still remains paramount and the staff at the Meteorological Services strives to deliver reliable and dependable results recognizing the implications to safety in aviation and the potential impact on lives and livelihoods from accurate weather information,” she stated.
Mrs. Henry-Morton added that the upcoming Atlantic Hurricane Season, which forecasters predict will be above normal, requires a high level of commitment from the Met Office staff.
“To this end, the staff readily accepts the challenge to provide timely updates on weather conditions so that as a nation we can make informed decisions to protect lives and livelihoods. For this, we must say a hearty thank you for their dedication and selfless service in the past and present, and which I am confident will continue well into the future,” she expressed.
The theme for this year’s celebration is “Service with Accuracy and Reliability – St. Kitts Meteorological Services at 50.”
]]>My Fellow citizens and residents, Happy Easter to you.
Easter is a very special time here in our Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis and the global Christian community, as we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The three days have quickly sped.
It is also a time when we come together, with our family and with our friends, to draw strength from the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The Easter story teaches us that no matter how bad things may seem, our faith will always lead us to a new beginning. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John help our understanding of Easter.
The message I take from the resurrection is one of renewal. A new life given to us following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
That hopeful message of life and renewal is particularly relevant today.
This past year our Federation, as many other countries, has experienced the impact of COVID-19 on lives and our livelihoods. The COVID-19 pandemic has left a scar across our economy and our society, as it did across the globe. We are grateful to God that St Kitts and Nevis has so far weathered the COVID-19 pandemic better than most countries. But we are not yet out of the woods. We still have a distance to travel on the long road to recovery and growth sustainability.
This Easter, we can start to see a new beginning driven by our successful vaccination programme. As of Wednesday afternoon, our records show that 9,241 persons were inoculated from COVID-19. Our Federation is witnessing the early signs of a post COVID-19 renewal.
We see our economy strengthening with new opportunities, such as an emerging film industry. We witness the strong confidence in my government’s leadership with a record number of business licenses approved and at least three (3) hotels and high-end residential properties set to open later this year. A luxury villa development has commenced construction and works are advanced for the ground breaking for a new modern condo hotel.
These will create more jobs and more opportunities for our young people.
We see people putting their community ahead of their own concerns.
Many people have told me they are getting vaccinated, not so much for themselves, important as this is, but for others.
People say they are getting vaccinated because they want to protect their families, they want to protect their friends and they want to protect their community. This love and caring should endure and pervade our society. Our taxi operators, and hotel employees are doing it to participate in a new health conscious stay over tourism and cruise industry. They must protect themselves and their customers.
The more people vaccinated, and the sooner you get vaccinated, the quicker we will be in that post COVID-19 new world.
Last Easter we prayed that the pandemic would not cause anyone to die.
This Easter, let us give thanks that those prayers were answered, and we can now look forward to that new beginning of what we expect to be a sustainable economic recovery.
Easter also presents us with a chance to focus on our own spiritual renewal.
We can renew our own faith, taking heart from the fact that Jesus triumphed over agony, suffering and death. He is risen. Alleluia He is alive and not dead.
We can renew our commitment to each other, to our friends, to our family and Country.
If COVID-19 has taught us anything it is the importance of those closest to us.
Let us take this time to reinvest in those relationships and strengthen them. Let us renew our commitment to our Country.
Let us keep connecting with those who are vulnerable; those who are lonely; those who need our support, just like we did during the height of the pandemic.
We have seen the power unleashed when we come together as a people. We see that more can be accomplished when we work together – one people and one world.
Let us keep and cherish that community spirit. Let us cherish the spirit of unity.
I wish you, your family, and your loved ones a joyous Easter. Cast your burdens and anxieties on our risen saviour. He can bear them.
May the love of our resurrected Saviour bless you and bless our wonderful Federation of St Kitts and Nevis. Remember that God is with us even to the end of the age. May his spirit thrive with us and provide us with a real cause for faith and hope this Easter even as we face the existential threat of COVID-19.
A Blessed Easter is wished to everyone. Go light your Paschal candle. Go light the world with goodness and love.
God Bless Us All.
]]>NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (March 29, 2021) – – Hon. Premier Mark Brantley joined members of the Guyanese community in Nevis on Sunday, March 28, 2021, to celebrate the Hindu festival Phagwah.
“Nevis is a mix of diverse cultures and ethnicities and we welcome all who have made our island their home and who are contributing meaningfully to our development. I wish everyone Happy Holi,” he said.
Mr. Brantley was joined by Hon. Troy Liburd, Junior Minister in the Premier’s Ministry at two separate Phagwah celebrations, one in Long Point and one in Cane Garden.
Both Ministers had their face and clothes painted with a myriad of colours and were dusted with talcum powder as they enjoyed the festive spirit.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, January 5th, 2020 (ZIZ News) St. Kitts and Nevis’ diplomatic ally the Republic of China Taiwan rang in the New Year with a historic twist on their annual fireworks show.
The production at the Taipei 101 skyscraper used, for the first time, 3d effects, utilizing the four walls of the building.
According to the Taipei 101 Chairman Chang Hsueh-Shun the special effects provided onlookers with the same viewing experiences from all sides.
The annual show, which this year adopted the theme “love,” involved music, light installations, fireworks and the display of messages, he said.
A total of 16,000 fireworks were used during the five-minute display, including red and blue heart shapes as a tribute to medical personnel around the world for their efforts to combat the covid-19 pandemic, according to Chang.
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NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (December 01, 2020) — Ministers in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) extended congratulations to the eight young persons from Nevis receiving the 25 Most Remarkable Teens in St. Kitts and Nevis Awards for 2020/2021.
Hon. Mark Brantley, Premier of Nevis and Member of the Federal Parliament for Nevis #9, commended all of this year’s awardees, offering special accolades to the youths from Nevis.
“The recognition of our people is a critical part of government’s role in empowering its citizenry. The recognition of our remarkable teens is an initiative that sends the clear signal that in St. Kitts and Nevis our youths matter.
“The youths awarded this year are truly inspiring. I extend heartfelt congratulations to all 25 teens, but especially the eight phenomenal young people from my beloved Nevis,” he told the Department of Information on December 01, 2020.
Hon. Alexis Jeffers, Deputy Premier and Member of the Federal Parliament for Nevis #11, was unable to attend the ceremony also offered congratulatory words to the awardees.
“It is always heartening to see young people excelling, overcoming challenges, and doing their part to make our society better. Congratulations to all of the awardees, and special applause to our youths from Nevis,” he said.
Hon. Eric Evelyn, Minister of Youth in the NIA and Member of the Federal Parliament for Nevis #10 also applauded the honorees.
“Our young people are our future leaders and it’s important that when they shine we showcase how they are shining. Congratulations to all of the awardees, and as the Minister of Youth on Nevis, I want to especially congratulate the eight awardees on Nevis.
“This is an excellent platform where our youths can inspire other young people, so it was my privilege and pleasure to be there to present awards,” he said.
The awardees from Nevis for 2020/2021 are Terron Webb of the Charlestown Secondary School (CSS) for Music; Elyse Thomas of the Nevis International Secondary School (NISS) for Youth Activism; Nykeisha Henry of the NISS for Environmentalism; Shai-Ann Tyson of the Gingerland Secondary School (GSS) for Most Promising; Keijarie Huggins of the Nevis Sixth Form College for Spirit of Hope; Roddena Dacosta of Stoney Grove for Academics; Gregory McGrath of the NISS for Coping Positively With Challenges; and Vanessa Simon, of GSS, for Courage to Overcome were awarded by the Ministry of Youth Empowerment.
A special sitting of the National Assembly was convened for the presentation of awards or The 25 Most Remarkable Teens in St. Kitts and Nevis for 2020/2021 at the Rivers of Living Water Christian Centre at Lime Kiln, Basseterre, on November 26, 2020.
Members of the National Assembly delivered brief bios and words of commendation for the awardees and presented them with the awards.
Also in attendance were parents, guardians and other relatives of the distinguished teens.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts (Dec. 01,2020) — On Sunday, November 30, 2020, the St. Kitts National Youth Parliament Association (SKNYPA) showed appreciation to some frontline and essential workers for their continued efforts in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in St. Kitts and Nevis.
The appreciation cocktail event forms part of SKNYPA 19th Anniversary Celebrations. Being recognized at the Appreciation Cocktail Event were the St. Kitts and Nevis Defense Force, the National Emergency Management Agency, the St. Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority, the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force, the Ministry of Health, the St. Kitts Electricity Company Limited, the Water Services Department and ZIZ Broadcasting Corporation.
Ms. Patrice Harris, president of SKNYPA, in her brief remarks at the event said, “We felt it was important, particularly for 2020, and in commemoration of our 19th anniversary, to be able to express our profound gratitude to the frontline workers who would have been the heartbeat of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. We wanted to let them know that the work they would have contributed and continue to contribute is recognized and appreciated.”
The attendees were given certificates of appreciation and enjoyed an evening of leisure and entertainment.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, September 3, 2020 (ZIZ News):The Friends and Family of Mansion and Christ church group is inviting all to celebrate National Heroes Day in their community at the newly renovated beach.
The group will be hosting what is being described as a beach over event for National Heroes Day.
President of the Friends and Family of Mansion and Christ Church group, Wayne “Cutchie” Clarke defined the term beach over.
“We are going to do a Beach over. You know you have sleepover? Well we are going to do a beach over for National Heroes Day which National Heroes Day is the 16th right? So the Wednesday evening we are going to come down here and have a bonfire stuff like that and you know just stay onsite and in the morning, have breakfast, stuff like that”, he explained.
He said that the group is working extremely hard to build community spirit and reintroduce social events in the Bay area as it was in the past.
“This is nothing new to the Mansion and Christ Church community. Back in the day before all the illegal mining of ghaut sand on this site, the community used to have such stuff so we are bringing all of that back and we are bring it back to stay”, he said.
Clarke said it is the aim of the group to set a standard of togetherness that the other neighbouring communities can adopt. He also noted that the quarantine period experienced a few months due to COVID-19 regulations has helped to remind us of what we should not take for granted; which he says includes downtime time at the beach.
Since renovating the bay side, the group has already hosted a Father’s Day picnic and most recently an Emancipation weekend beach lime.
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