Pond Island:---  Final preparations are well underway as the St. Maarten Little League Association prepares to welcome twelve countries to the island for the 2026 Latin America & Caribbean Little League Baseball Tournament, scheduled to take place from Sunday, July 12 through Saturday, July 18, 2026, at the Erwin "Baco" Richardson Little League Stadium.

The prestigious regional tournament will bring together some of the Caribbean and Latin America's most talented young baseball players as they compete for the opportunity to advance to the Little League World Series, while showcasing the spirit, sportsmanship and hospitality that Sint Maarten is known for.

Association President Michael Hyman said preparations have now entered their final phase and expressed gratitude to the  volunteers, sponsors, Government agencies and event partners who continue working tirelessly to ensure the island delivers a first-class international tournament. Thank you to all who have contributed thus far, we are still open to receiving sponsorship and volunteers should this opportunity peak your interest.

"Hosting this tournament is much bigger than baseball. It is an opportunity to showcase Sint Maarten to the entire region, to inspire our young athletes and to demonstrate what our community can accomplish when we work together. Every volunteer, sponsor and supporter has played an important role in making this event possible, and we look forward to welcoming our visiting teams and fans to our island."

Official Opening Ceremony

The Association is inviting the entire community to attend the Official Opening Ceremony on Sunday, July 12, 2026, beginning promptly at 6:00 p.m.

Prior to the ceremony, participating teams will take part in a celebratory parade beginning at the Government Administration Building, travelling past the Jocelyn Arndell Festival Village, before making their way into the Erwin "Baco" Richardson Little League Stadium.

Residents are encouraged to line the parade route, welcome the visiting delegations and proudly support Team Sint Maarten as the island officially opens one of the region's premier youth sporting events.

Parking Lot Preparation

As part of the final preparations for the tournament, the parking lot adjacent to the Erwin "Baco" Richardson Little League Stadium has officially been placed under the care of the St. Maarten Little League Association by the Ministry of VROMI for the duration of the tournament period.

The Association extends its sincere appreciation to the Ministry of VROMI for its continued support in helping prepare the venue for this major international event.

Members of the public who previously utilized the parking area were requested to remove all vehicles, buses and personal property to facilitate tournament preparations. The area is now being transformed to accommodate tournament operations, visiting delegations, spectators and logistical requirements throughout the event.

Season Passes Still Available

With excitement continuing to build, the Association has extended the deadline for supporters wishing to purchase Season Passes until Wednesday, July 8, 2026.

Season passes are available for:

• Adults: US$65 (General Admission: US$10 per day)
• Children (ages 4–15): US$30 (General Admission: US$5 per day)

The Association encourages supporters to secure their passes before the deadline to enjoy every game throughout tournament week while supporting Team Sint Maarten.

A Tournament for the Entire Community

Beyond the competition on the field, the tournament is expected to generate significant activity for the island's economy through increased visitor arrivals, hotel occupancy, restaurant patronage and local business engagement.

The St. Maarten Little League Association encourages residents to come out throughout the week, cheer on the home team and extend a warm Sint Maarten welcome to the visiting countries.

With only days remaining until first pitch, the Association is confident that the island is ready to deliver a memorable tournament that reflects the pride, unity and hospitality of the people of Sint Maarten.

For tournament schedules, ticket information and updates, members of the public are encouraged to follow the St. Maarten Little League Association on its official Facebook and Instagram platforms, @sxmlittleleague.

~Statia’s pivotal role in global history is celebrated through a unique artistic bridge and an international livestream linking Washington and The Hague.~

Statia Government proudly marked a historic milestone today, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the "First Salute" at an exclusive reception hosted by the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United States, Birgitta Tazelaar. The prestigious event, held at the Ambassador's Residence in Washington, D.C., brought together high-level dignitaries, including Statia's Acting Island Governor Sharon Hassell and Commissioner Reuben Merkman, to witness the unveiling of a powerful new mural by renowned New York artist Cynthia Marsh.

The ceremony underscored the unshakeable, historic ties that bind Statia, the United States, and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In 1776, the guns of Fort Oranje in Statia fired the first official foreign salute to the flag of the emerging United States, forever securing the island's legacy, affectionately known as the 'Golden Rock', as the first foreign territory to acknowledge American sovereignty.

“When our ancestors answered the salute of the Andrew Doria, they did more than clear a vessel for entry; they forged a legacy of sovereignty and mutual respect that has endured for two and a half centuries,” stated Acting Island Governor Sharon Hassell. “That moment teaches us that significance is never dictated by a map; it is defined by our convictions and our willingness to engage with the world. It honours the full tapestry of our past, from the leadership of our officials to the foundational, enduring labour of the enslaved men and women who truly built our beloved island.”

The focal point of the gathering, the Statia / First Salute mural, stands as a powerful visual testament to international friendship. Commissioned by Mr Tom Morgan through the Morgan McReynolds Charitable Foundation in loving memory of his late wife, Erna Morgan McReynolds, the piece offers a profound reflection on the historic 1776 harbour scene. Following its exhibition in the United States, the mural will journey home to Statia, where it will be permanently displayed for the community, visitors, and future generations.

“Today we gather in a moment of profound historical reflection and shared pride,” said Commissioner Reuben Merkman during his remarks. “This anniversary is not only a celebration of the past; it is a reminder of the enduring ties between nations, of the power of principled action, and of the remarkable role Statia played on the global stage. This mural is more than an artistic work; it is a bridge between centuries, a visual testament to the courage of our ancestors, and a celebration of the bonds that continue to unite us.”

While the mural was being unveiled in Washington, parallel celebrations took place in the Netherlands. Guests at the Ambassador's residence watched a live broadcast of these official opening ceremonies, which featured speeches by Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten and U.S. Ambassador Joe Popolo. This cross-continental connection beautifully underscored the thriving three-way partnership between Statia, the United States, and the Netherlands.

The Statia Government extends its heartfelt gratitude to the Morgan McReynolds Charitable Foundation, the United States Government, and the Kingdom of the Netherlands for their continued partnership in keeping Statia's proud history alive.

BONAIRE:  1 July 2026, James Finies announces to the people of Bonaire that, in recognition of the abolition of slavery in 1863 in the colonized Antillean islands of the Caribbean, the Bonaire Draft Resolution, sponsored by two Caribbean CARICOM countries, was formally submitted and registered into the administrative process of the 80th United Nations General Assembly on 10th June 2026.

Since 1955, when Bonaire and the former Netherlands Antilles islands were removed by the Netherlands from the United Nations List of Non-Self-Governing Territories (NSGT), this is the most significant step taken toward a major constitutional action concerning the colonized Dutch Caribbean islands.

This Bonaire Draft Resolution urges recognition that Bonaire remains a Non-Self-Governing Territory within the meaning of the Charter of the United Nations and declares that an obligation exists under Article 73 of the Charter on the part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, as the administering Power of the Territory of Bonaire, to transmit information on Bonaire. It further requests the Special Committee on Decolonization to consider the question of Bonaire at its next session and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its eighty-first session. The draft proposal was uploaded by the United Nations General Assembly Secretariat for worldwide access, including the 193 Member States of the United Nations, through the e-Delegate system.

What does this mean for Bonaire? It means that the Netherlands will be obligated to be accountable and report to the United Nations General Assembly on the social, economic, cultural, political, and educational development of the native Bonerian people, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the treaties that the Netherlands agreed to and signed in 1945. This has happened only three times in world history: in New Caledonia in 1986, French Polynesia in 2013, and now, for the first time in this part of the world, with Bonaire in June 2026.

How did this happen? From 2003 to 2010, James Finies stood up, publicly objected, and voiced his opposition to the divisive and polarizing direction in which Bonairean and Antillean politicians were heading. From 2010 to 2016, James Finies abandoned his lifelong career as a commercial banker and became a full-time volunteer human rights defender on Bonaire and throughout the Antilles, advocating for a referendum and the right to self-determination. Following the failure to respect Bonaire's 2015 referendum, James Finies, from 2016 to 2026, embarked on an international trajectory of continuous awareness-raising and lobbying missions throughout the Caribbean, Central and Latin America, Europe, and the United Nations in Geneva and New York, advocating for the re-listing of Bonaire under the protection of the United Nations.

The advocacy group led by Mr. Finies is the only organization that has consistently worked, from 2003 to the present day in 2026, to highlight and justify the need for the international community to intervene in Bonaire and the wider Dutch Caribbean islands as part of a civil society effort.

Why Bonaire? - The people of Bonaire were left unprotected and abandoned by the CAS islands when Curaçao, Aruba, and St. Maarten, together with the Netherlands, following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles in 2010, unilaterally removed Bonaire from the protection of the Kingdom Charter. The people of Bonaire were incorporated, against their wishes and without their consent, into the Constitution of the Netherlands, subordinated and placed at the mercy of external rule from The Hague.

Unlike Curaçao, Aruba, St. Maarten, Saba, and St. Eustatius, Bonaire has since developed into a silent but major humanitarian crisis. Bonaire is in a dire situation, facing immediate demographic and cultural erasure. Native Bonerians, who comprised more than 70% of the population before 2010, according to CBS statistics, have been systematically reduced through institutionalized laws and policies to under 30% today, with predictions that within ten years, by 2035, they will account for less than 15% of the population but fortunately Bonaire possess large diaspora in the Dutch Kingdom. This places the Bonerians at risk of imminent eradication over the next decades if the world and the international community do not intervene to protect the Bonerian people. 

James Finies - Bonaire

PHILIPSBURG:--- Megaleios Communications + Consultancy has published How to Fix a Utility Company, a governance white paper examining N.V. GEBE as a live case study in utility governance, reliability, public trust, financial transparency, and institutional recovery.

When a utility company struggles, the damage is not limited to engines, invoices, or boardrooms. It reaches homes, businesses, schools, hospitals, workers, investors, and the confidence people place in public institutions.

The paper brings together reports, headlines, court cases, complaints, policy documents, and public information to provide a wider view of the crisis facing GEBE. Its purpose is not to attack anyone, but to help shift the conversation from blame to repair.

“As a researcher, I kept noticing the same patterns across government-owned companies on St. Maarten: instability, weak oversight, public frustration, and accountability gaps,” said Ralph Cantave, founder of Megaleios Communications + Consultancy. “There was a need to bring the facts together in a way that offered clarity, depth, and understanding.”

The paper argues that the cycle of instability, billing chaos, power outages, and accountability failures at GEBE is a governance problem, not only a technical one. It also makes a clear point: new engines are necessary, but they are not enough on their own.

A sustainable utility recovery also requires stable leadership, a competent and independent Supervisory Board, current audited financial statements, credible tariff information, structured complaint handling, lawful accountability, and a realistic plan for energy and water transition.

The paper provides a practical public framework for resolving the crisis. It is written for current and future leadership, the regulator, Government, Parliament, and the wider public. It also supports public discourse from an informed position and sheds light on factors and perspectives that have not always been considered.

The paper was prepared over approximately three weeks through research, review, drafting, and refinement, including reports, policy documents, articles, and publicly available information. It has also been sent to key stakeholders because the conversation must move from frustration to repair.

How to Fix a Utility Company is not an official audit report and does not provide a formal audit opinion. It is a public-interest governance paper intended to support clearer decisions, stronger accountability, and institutional recovery.

A utility turnaround is not a single procurement exercise. It is a governance reset, a financial reset, a communication reset, and a public trust reset.

The paper is now publicly available on LinkedIn via: https://tinyurl.com/fixgebe