News
Some TCI Residents say $1,000 won’t ease financial pressures; calls for creative, long term solutions
By Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, July 25, 2022 – Some Turks and Caicos Islanders are skeptical about the newest economic stimulus, many say they want long term fixes instead.
The $1000 stimulus, to be paid out in August, was announced by Premier Washington Misick on Thursday July 14. Dubbed the Price Inflation Stimulus, Misick said the one-time payment is geared to helping families make rent, insurance, electricity, grocery or any other payments that they needed.
Almost immediately reactions poured in, many people were delighted with the prospect of another bout of free cash, this time double the payout in comparison to the last instance.
The Price Inflation Stimulus is the fourth under the PNP Administration after the $1000 stimulus in 2021, the Grand Turk payout for Tourism sector workers in 2021 and the $500 stimulus in February 2022. But many others think a
stimulus every few months is not the way to go and they took their complaints to social media.
One resident explained that it would be a struggle to decide where the one-time payment would be used as all the bills are so high that paying multiple with only a thousand dollars would be a challenge.
Another resident complained that others were “getting land and business deals while locals get $1000 towards their bills.”
One resident called the stimulus a “sugarcoat to hide the real problem.” The person asked: “None of you could come up with a real policy that could bring relief to the masses instead of temporarily enriching a few?”
Only twelve thousand people will benefit from the stimulus and of that remarkably few spots are open for those who did not apply for, or were not approved for or are now (by age) qualified for the stimulus in February. Of the roughly 45,000 residents in the Turks and Caicos, less than 30% will benefit.
The stimulus is for Turks and Caicos and British Overseas Territories Citizens resident in country and over the age of 18 years old, only.
Residents complained of how hurt they were to consistently hear that the economy is booming while not feeling as if they were benefiting from the boom especially since the majority of them would miss the August 2022 payment.
Many of the social media posts, while seemingly grateful for the infusion, demanded long term solutions from the people in charge to remove the need for the stimulus in the first place.
#TurksandCaicos, September 24, 2023 – Head missing and body found floating in Grace Bay waters on July 13, more than two months later and finally DNA tests confirm what many in who knew the man, had already guessed; that the body was that of Ryan Ronald Musgrove, 38. 
Police on Friday informed the test confirmed the identity on Thursday.
“The body of a man found floating in the sea on July 13th, 2023, has been identified as 38-yearold Ryan Ronald Musgrove. Mr. Musgrove of Blue Hills, Providenciales, was positively identified yesterday, following the results of a Deoxyribonucleic acid (D.N.A) test. Based on police reports, officers of the Royal Turks and Caicos Island Police Force responded to calls of a body floating in the water within the Grace Bay district.
Officers from the Marine Branch and Scenes of Crime Unit arrived at the scene and retrieved the body from the water. Following the discovery an investigation was initiated to determine the circumstances and identity of the male victim.”
The horrible death of Musgrove is classified as unexplained by Police, who also say it is being considered both a criminal and non-criminal matter.
Wilkie Arthur
Freelance Court Reporter
#TurksandCaicos, September 24, 2023 – The corruption case against Senior Police Inspector ALVIRTO SMITH and two others, namely: PAUL ANGENORD and WESLEY CAMPBELL is still underway in the Providenciales Magistrate’s Court before Her Honour Mrs. Oreika Selver-Gardiner.
The men were jointly charged with conspiracy to commit corruption, aiding and abetting corruption and a number of
corruption charges dating back to an Integrity Commission investigation in 2020/2021.
The conspiracy trial that the learned Resident Magistrate has to consider and reach a decision on,(when the case arrives at it’s final date) are allegations that sometime on or around May 4, 2021, Smith and Angenord, who is a police mechanic ‘did act in a corrupt manner with one Christopher Hall in regards to a rifle firearm that Christopher Hall failed to declare.’
Wesley Campbell is also named in the alleged financial conspiracy deal or illegal agreement.
Christopher Hall, an accomplice in these proceedings went to a lawyer and then to Integrity Commission and got immunity for the firearm if he provided evidence against the others in the sordid case.
There were alleged cash and wire transfer payments to facilitate the alleged offenses.
This case has been partly-heard for months since arraignment in 2021, but there have been held, some consistent day by day proceedings over the past four weeks.
Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#UnitedKingdom, September 24, 2023 – For the first time since 2021, the Bank of England has decided to ‘hold steady’ on interest rates rather than increase them.
The decision comes following an unexpected fall in inflation in the European country. 
It means UK consumers’ interest rate remains at 5.25 percent. According to the BOE reports tabled on September 21st, only 5 of the nine members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted to keep the rate steady.
The Bank expects the inflation rate, currently at 6.7 percent, to reach the two percent target by mid-2025 and food inflation is going down.
But at the same time, the UK’s Gross Domestic Product GDP declined in July and growth is expected to stay weak, plus, unemployment is on the rise in the country.
“The Labour Force Survey unemployment rate rose to 4.3 percent in the three months to July, higher than expected in the August Report,” the bank explained.
The US also recently held steady on its interest rates after a significant period of increase.
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