BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Year 2011 had produced some high and low events in St. Kitts and Nevis. Among the highs were the Federation’s athletes, led by the indomitable Kim Collins and the ‘Relay Boys’, in their success on the international track, and also the arrival of the world’s largest cruise ship at Port Zante.
However, with the good there also came the bad when the Federation recorded its largest amount of homicides in one year and an increase in electricity outages which was a major upset for citizens.
Below is a list of 10 of the Best and Worst Happenings within St. Kitts and Nevis for 2011.
Best Happenings
1. Celvin G. Walwyn was appointed Commissioner of Police in July, which has significantly strengthened the government’s multi-pronged approach to crime fighting in the Federation.
2. In April, the town of Sandy Point reintroduced its community festival with a bang. The Black San Bang-A-Lang easily grew to be one of the best community festivals the island has ever seen.
3. National Carnival Queen made the entire Federation proud when, for the first time in local carnival history, the reigning queen had captured both the Miss Carival and Miss Jaycees title during her reign.
4. Kim Collins dominated 2011 by performing excellently at most of the track meets while competing against athletes 10 years his junior. In February he had victory at a Moscow meet and continued his success all the way to the Pan Am Games when he broke a record in the 100m Semi-Finals.
5. The ‘Relay Boys’, as they are referred to, Brijesh Lawrence, Antoine Adams, Jason Rogers and Delwayne Delaney, made their names and St. Kitts and Nevis better known when, with the help of Kim Collins, placed third in the Men’s 4X100m Relay Finals at the World Championships in South Korea. Lawrence, Adams, Rogers and Delaney went on to win silver at the Pan Am Games.
6. Kittitian-born Dennis Byron was made the new President of the Caribbean Court of Justice.
7. From a field of four competitors, the Federation had won the right to host the Commonwealth Games Federation Assembly Meeting from November 5 to 12, 2011. The other competitors were Barbados, Kenya and Northern Ireland.
8. The St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank hit a milestone this year with 40 years of service to the Federation, while the Development Bank of St. Kitts and Nevis also celebrated its 30th Anniversary.
9. It was a relief for consumers when the Prime Minister announced that on Thursday (Dec. 22) there would be a 10 percent VAT reduction on certain items and an EC$1 500 allowance on imports during December.
10. St. Kitts made great strides in the cruise industry with the inaugural visit of the world’s largest cruise ship - The Allure of the Seas.
Worst Happenings
1. Nevis Elections Aftermath - The July 11 Nevis Election was shrouded in controversy that stemmed from the alleged removal of some 200-plus names from the Voters’ List.
2. Default in Bond payment.
3. Record number of deaths - The Federation saw a record number of deaths in 2011 with a total of 34 killings compared 20 in the previous year.
4. Closure of several businesses including Clear Harbour.
5. The Federation was shocked with the murder of Jamie Williams, son of the then Police Commissioner Austin Williams.
6. St. Kitts and Nevis experienced a spate of electricity outages throughout 2011 that caused great inconveniences to households and the business community as well as cancellation of some entertainment events.
7. Outrage over Beacon Heights/CONTEC saga and fears of mismanagement of the Social Security Fund.
8. Increase in criminal activities with a spate of robberies, shooting incidents and break-ins.
9. Residents became terrified when word broke that tarantulas, which are not a species of the Federation, were discovered in the homes and even bedrooms of some locals. Another spider, which is also foreign to these parts, was also discovered in Half Way Tree.
10. Kidnapping of Larry Vaughn and his wife from their home on Oct. 28, where kidnappers released Vaughn on the Kim Collins Highway and demanded that he return with an undisclosed sum of money before his wife would be released.
