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TCI: Mario Rigby ONE DAY away from Caicos Challenge start

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#TurksandCaicos, April 29, 2021 – The Caicos Challenge is Mario Rigby’s fifth eco-exploit and it begins on Friday April 30.  The world’s only known, ‘Eco explorer’ will swim, run, hike, climb and kayak across the main islands of the Turks and Caicos in a challenge expected to take him between 5 and 6 days.

It will not be easy, especially when he crosses 40km in a kayak in the open ocean between Grand Turk and South Caicos. 

In a press conference on Monday, held at Grace Bay Club, Rigby expressed his thanks and unraveled a dynamic plan in the Caicos Challenge. 

It will not only be a brutal physical escapade captured on film by TCI’s Li Welch; it will be a promotional pitch to the adventure community of the world about the possibilities in Turks and Caicos.  It will also be a practice for a larger Caribbean-wide crossing, a fulfillment of a childhood dream for Mario Rigby and a fundraiser to support an Eco Explorer’s club bearing his name to be managed by the Turks and Caicos Reef Fund and the Edward Gartland Youth Center. 

Residents are welcomed to get involved when Mario Rigby arrives in Providenciales on May 4.  Rigby, who hails from Blue Hills and is a 2002 TCI National athletics team member will run 5k from Blue Haven to Turks Kebab, his mother’s restaurant in Grace Bay.

Organisers are asking participants to arrive at Blue Haven by 5:30 am; Covid 19 protocols will be enforced. 

Who’s on Board

The Turks and Caicos Tourist Board is proud to partner with eco-explorer and son of the soil Mario Rigby on his upcoming expedition called The Caicos Challenge.

The Caicos Challenge is a grueling expedition over 5-6 days that will cover eight of Turks & Caicos’ main islands. The entire challenge will be done solo by Mario using only human-powered propulsion which includes; swimming, biking, kayaking, running and hiking. This will be an athletic feat that has never been recorded before making Mario the first to ever do so.

As a native of the islands, Mario wants to showcase the beauty, diversity and landscape of Turks and Caicos. He will take his global audience on a journey of sustainability & social impact as he traverses the eight islands. While taking on this extraordinary challenge Mario is committed to giving back to his community and sharing the stories of the people, places and possibilities along his journey.

The Caicos Challenge was officially launched with a press conference on Monday April 26th at Grace Bay Club which was attended by dignitaries, partners and well-wishers. During the event, Director of Tourism Pamela Ewing pledged the support of the Turks & Caicos Tourist Board and expressed how the partnership will assist with promoting our sister islands as well as eco and adventure tourism in the destination.

To find out more information on The Caicos Challenge and to track Mario’s expedition through our sister islands visit http://www.mariorigby.com/caicoschallenge.html

Photo Credits: Grace Bay Club

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NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL STATEMENT REGARDING RECENT THREATS MADE AGAINST TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS AIRPORTS AND SCHOOLS

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May 6th, 2024 – As co-chairs of the National Security Council, Her Excellency the Governor and the Honourable Premier condemn strongly recent threats made against Turks and Caicos Islands airports and schools.

We have zero tolerance for these disruptions and the alarm that they cause. The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RTCIPF) continues to work closely with partner agencies and will keep the public updated as we manage the situation.

The National Security Council wishes to reassure residents, travellers and parents that the safety and security of our Islands is its highest priority.

All appropriate measures are being taken to address these threats and all required security protocols are being followed.

The Airports Authority and the Ministry of Education, with school principals are collaborating with the RTCIPF  investigations.

We encourage the public to be extra vigilant against phishing and malicious emails and report any suspicious activity to the authorities.

We appreciate the understanding of the public as we work to ensure the safety and well-being of our airports, schools and communities.

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Family of 16 yo Tourist claims negligence in jet ski death; TCI Coroner’s Court hearing evidence

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Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer 

 

#TurksandCaicos, May 2, 2024 – The family of a 16-year-old who died in Grand Turk six years ago while on a Carnival Cruise into Grand Turk is a little closer to closure as the Turks and Caicos Islands Coroner’s Court has opened his case for an inquest.

“On Wednesday, May 16th, 2018, at 11:30 a.m. Police and Emergency Medical Officials responded to a two-jet-ski collision that left a 16-year-old male dead, near the Cruise Terminal in Grand Turk. Two people were involved in the collision. The second male did not receive any injuries. This incident is under Police investigation.”

That was the brief police report in the aftermath of Nicholas Twyman’s death.

In the comments dozens of residents and visitors claim to have been on the scene that day, as the boy was pulled ashore, some trying to assist while others looked on, horrified.

Coroner Mickia Mills called up the case on March 21, 2024 almost six years after the incident occurred. Mills is in charge of finding out what exactly happened that day in Grand Turk and whether there was any negligence or if it was simply a terrible accident.

That verdict will be for the coroner and her potential jurors to decide. However, the family has shared their version of what happened that day.

A lawsuit filed in Florida Courts in October 2019 (Twyman v. Carnival Corp) detailed the heartbreaking hours that led up to the death of Nicholas. In it, the plaintiffs, listed as Gyjuanna TWYMAN and Michael Twyman, claim that they docked in Grand Turk and were curious about using the jet skis; both parents and the son were told by the Carnival team aboard the ship that there was not a formal shore excursion in Grand Turk involving jet skis, but that jet skis would be available for rent by the hour.

The family from Indiana claims three jet skis were rented, one for Nicholas, another for his father, Michael, and another for a different passenger, while their mother remained ashore. Wet Money Enterprise is listed as the jet ski company.

The family says they were given little instruction on using the Jet Skis, especially their son who was a new rider.  The lawsuit maintains that Michael was not given any instructions other than being told where the kill switch was and not to ride too close to the cruise ship.

Sometime during his excursion, the young man crashed into the other jet ski. The family claims that neither Carnival Cruises nor representatives from the jet ski company responded. They say it was his father who spun around on his own jet ski, dived into the water for his son, and brought him to shore.

Once there, it was the young man’s mother, a registered nurse, who started emergency medical care.

When Turks and Caicos’s EMS did arrive after 15 minutes the family claims they were unsure how to use certain medical implements and had to be directed by the distressed mother.

The court documents list the cause of death for the young man as blunt force trauma and drowning, similar to what is listed in the TCI courts.

Coroner Mills, who took up her position in 2024, will oversee the proceedings which continued on Tuesday, April 23rd.

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Will DPP Office ‘No Show, No Call’ cause criminal cases to be Dropped?

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Wilkie Arthur

Freelance Court Correspondent

 

#TurksandCaicos, May 2, 2024 – On a bright and early Monday morning (15th April, 2024) in the Supreme Court before presiding lady Justice Ms. Tanya Lobban-Jackson and before His Honor The Chief Magistrate Jolyon Hatmin in the Magistrate’s Court, both courts were once again unable to proceed on its scheduled commencement time due to non or failure of attendance by the Prosecution of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).

Given the fact that this has now happened on more than one occasion, in both the Supreme and Magistrate’s Courts, judges and the learned Chief Magistrate have reached its final straw; they have cited the ‘no shows’ as a disrespect and a disregard for prompt and proper time management to be in attendance for legal proceedings.

From this reporters’ perspective, it appears the prosecution shows up when they like, any time they please and some are guilty of not showing at all without a call or message of explanation for the absenteeism.  The repeated instances have been called, “embarrassing” for the Office of the DPP, when defense counsel and the accused are present in the courtroom but the prosecutor is a ‘no-show, no call, no text.’

On at least two or three occasions, the Supreme Court judge was forced to return to her Chambers; exiting the court with a strongly worded warning, only to return with there still being no member of the Director of Public Prosecution present in court.

There has also been a promise that even serious cases could be dismissed due to this inappropriate practice.

In the final weeks of April, the country learned of a review by a KC out of the UK, who was looking into case progression at the DPPs office.  The Office has also hired a new Director, Philip Bennetts, KC, who takes office in the beginning of June, informed a TCIG media release.

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