BUDGET DAY THURSDAY

St. Lucians will know on Thursday how the four-month-old Government of Prime Minister Sir John Compton will deliver on its many promises when it presents the country’s first Estimate of Expenditure (Budget) since forming the Government December 11, 2006.
How high the Estimates are this year were still unknown prior to press time yesterday, however The VOICE has been reliably informed that the usual allocations to the various ministries have already been made,

Over $200,000 Pledged to NCF

When the last note was sounded at the annual National Community Foundation (NCF) telethon, there were pledges and donations totalling more than two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000). The total is set to surpass the amount raised in 2006.

Micoud clean-up

Residents of Micoud Village along with members of the Ebenezer Seventh Day Adventist Church joined with members of the Micoud local action team in a two day clean-up exercise over the weekend. The clean-up which was conducted on Saturday and Sunday, April 14th and 15th respectively targeted the Micoud vendors arcade and surrouding streets and the main drain running through the village.

“The Caribbean in Creation”

Mr. Olivier POIVRE D’ARVOR, Director of Cultures France, will be in Saint Lucia on Saturday 21st April 2007.
He will be presenting to the Ministry of Culture and to some important cultural icons of Saint Lucia, a new programme called “CARAIBES EN CREATION”.

New Plan for HIV/AIDS Communication

The National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS) is redesigning its communications strategy to guide the national response to the virus into 2009. A committee comprising representatives from public and private sector agencies met on Wednesday April 12 to begin the process. Kentry Jn. Pierre, who assumed the position of NAPS Coordinator in December ‘06 says there is a need to develop a new strategy as, “When I came in there was very little evidence of what obtained before.”

Sickout at LUCELEC

The St. Lucia Seamen, Waterfront and General Workers Union says it did not sanction yesterday’s sickout of employees of the island’s lone electricity company, St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited.
“We want the public to know that we did not sanction any industrial action taken by the staff today,” the Union’s President Alexis Alcide told The VOICE yesterday.