Dominica received its final cruise call for the 2018/2019 Season, as MV Marella Explorer of TUI Cruises made its final call at the Roseau Cruise Ship Berth, with 2084 passengers. The last call for the season was a dawned with an array of Cultural performances at the Roseau Cruise Ship Berth. This included performances from Phase Five Steel Band and the Kalinago Dancers. Throughout the 2018/2019 cruise season, Dominica received a total of 170 cruise calls carrying 252,500 passengers compared to 28 cruise calls and 18,378 passengers in the 2017/18 cruise season.

Cruise passenger arrivals fell short of the last normal cruise season (pre-Hurricane Maria) by only 4%. Cruise passengers were welcomed at the Roseau Cruise Ship Berth, Woodbridge Bay Port and the Cabrits Cruise Ship Berth. 
 
Of the 170 cruise calls, nine (9) cruise ships made their inaugural call to Dominica. Ceremonies to include plaque exchange, were held aboard the respective ships. Cruise Lines calling to Dominica for the 2018/2019 cruise season included TUI Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, P & amp; O Cruises, AIDA Cruises and Holland America Cruises, among others. Dominica’s major cruise sites were heavily visited by cruise passengers throughout the season.
 
In a survey conducted at some of the popular Eco-Sites during the cruise season, 98% of visitors felt that the sites met or exceeded their expectations. 85% rated their overall experience at the sites as Excellent and over 75% rated individual elements (safety, cleanliness of site, and tour guides/site employees as Excellent. A Net Promotor Score of over 80% for all the sites combined, indicates that visitors are extremely likely to recommend the sites to their friends and relatives.

As at January 18, 2019, the projected cruise calls for the upcoming 2019/2020 cruises season was 164 cruise calls. This translates to 286,470 cruise passengers. It is hoped that these figures will increase by the start of the 2019/2020 cruise season in October, in light of recent meetings held with the cruise lines 

Executive member of the Electoral Commission and Prominent Farmer, Hillary Shillingford, has expressed disappointment with the shocking silence of the people in the Portsmouth constituency, considering the turn of events ensuing from the dismal economic downturn after Ross University School of Medicine left Portsmouth and moved to Barbados.
 
The business enterprises and residents of the Portsmouth constituency certainly suffered major losses in business due to the closure of that major income earner, that contributed some 30% of Dominica’s GDP.
 
On Friday 3rd August 2018 Dominica’s Prime Minister told the nation that Ross University officially decided to leave Dominica. While addressing the nation on that Friday morning, he said very soon the university will announce its departure from the country.
 
That disclosure from the prime minister came on the heels of increased speculation over the previous several months as to whether Ross University school of medicine would return to Dominica, after its temporal relocation to operate in St. Kitts and the state of Tennessee in the US, following the passage of Hurricane Maria in Dominica.
 
Shillingford says enlightened Dominicans should refrain from defending the people of Portsmouth, as they are able to stand for their own rights, but they appear to be unconcerned with the new economic realities of their constituency. Portsmouth residents, meanwhile, have voiced concerns about the influx of Haitians into their community.

Executive member of the Electoral Commission and Prominent Farmer, Hillary Shillingford .

Attorney and representative of the Roseau Valley Constituency, Senator Ronald Charles, stated ‘we must get a speaker that is there for the Parliament of Dominica and not for one side of Parliament”.
 
He voiced his opinion on Q95fm Radio yesterday along with other prominent members of the UWP who stood in solidarity with Senator Isaac Baptiste.

Attorney and MP for the Roseau Valley Constituency, Ronald Charles
 
Meanwhile, Deputy Leader of the UWP, Attorney at Law and representative for the Roseau South Constituency, Joshua Francis calls on Dominicans to pray for Dominica.

Deputy Leader of the UWP and representative for the Roseau South Constituency, Joshua Francis.

Head Coordinator of the Ronald Charles Roseau Valley Rounders League, Eugenia Jolly, has expressed heartfelt thanks to all participants, partners and sponsors for the 2019 Rounders season in Dominica. She says a prize giving ceremony will be held in May 2019.
 
Jolly told Q95 news that Scottshead Matadors have emerged as the league’s champions for 2019. 1st place went to the Morne Prosper Rainbow Rentals Hard Hitters and 2nd place to Trafalgar Rainforest stars.

​Head Coordinator of the Ronald Charles Roseau Valley Rounders League, Eugenia Jolly.
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Results of the final game are as follows.
 
The Scottshead Matadors batted first scoring 205 runs for 6 in 20 overs, Top scorers were: Nisha Paul with 53 not out, Cheryl Adams scored 25, and Emelda Pacquette scored 25 runs not out.
 
The Morne Prosper Rainbow Hard Hitters replied with a total of 186 runs for 7 in their 20 overs. The top scorers for the Rainbow Hard Hitters were: Casia Wade with 61 runs, Mary Benjamin scored 32 and Eugenia Jolly scored 26. The Scottshead Matadors have emerged as the champions of the 2019 Ronald Charles Roseau Valley Rounders League.

A woman from Guyana has been arrested by US Federal Authorities for illegally taking a boatload of undocumented foreigners from the Bahamas to Miami.
 
Marcia Sunita Pestano, 44, was granted a $250,000 bond Friday as an alternative to detention before Miami federal court. Her defence attorney, Marshall Dore Louis, declined to comment about the case. Her arraignment is set for May 7th, the Miami Herald reported.
 
Pestano was arrested earlier this week after Homeland Security investigators coordinated an undercover operation targeting the Guyanese woman, who was suspected of directing "alien-smuggling ventures from various third countries through the Bahamas to the United States," according to a criminal complaint.
 
Deploying such a sting in a human-smuggling investigation is uncommon.

Two whistleblowers at a pharmaceutical company responsible for one of the largest drug price increases in US history said the company bribed doctors and their staffs to increase sales, according to newly unsealed documents in federal court.
 
The effort, the whistleblowers said in a lawsuit against the company, was part of an intentional "multi-tiered strategy" by Questcor Pharmaceuticals, now Mallinckrodt, to boost sales of H.P. Acthar Gel, cheating the government out of millions of dollars.
 
The price of the drug, best known for treating a rare infant seizure disorder, has increased almost 97,000%, from $40 a vial in 2000 to nearly $39,000 today.

​Senior Environmental Health Officer in the Ministry of Health, Mr Sylvester St. Ville revealed information yesterday on Q95fm Radio, as regards a project to be implemented for the ministry of health.
 
He spoke of an environmental and social management framework prepared for a project to be implemented for the Ministry of Health by the Government in collaboration with the World Bank.
 
The intention of the project is to improve preparedness for health emergencies.

​St Ville is encouraging individuals to give feedback on the project.

​Senior Environmental Health Officer in the Ministry of Health, Mr Sylvester St. Ville 

Dominica is recognized among the most resilient countries supported by UNICEF in the Caribbean. This is according to Dr. Aloys Kamuragiye, UNICEF Representative for the Eastern Caribbean area.
 
Dr. Kamuragiye says, seeing the resilience of Dominicans have inspired UNICEF to give long term commitments, and must commend Dominicans for their ability to bounce back so easily.

​Dr. Kamuragiye says that UNICEF supported Dominica in five main areas and went on to elaborate on it.

​Dr Aloys Kamuragiye, UNICEF Eastern Caribbean area Representative.

​Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit told a DLP candidate launch in the village of Grand Fond on Sunday, that the Government is about to start earth moving on a new state-of-the-art cargo and cruise berthing facility.
 
He said this will cost Dominica no money in upfront costs, and also stated that 3,000 wind and solar propelled street lights will be installed across the country, with that project slated to begin in June 2019.

​Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit

​Churches, Business, Trade Unions and Civil Society Group that has been pushing for electoral reform in the Commonwealth of Dominica and represented by the Dominica Christian Council (DCC), the Dominica Association of Evangelical Churches (DAEC), the Dominica Business Forum (DBF), the Dominica Bar Association (DBA), the Dominica Public Service Union (DBSU), and the Waterfront and Allied Workers Union (WAWU), will host a panel discussion at 7:00 pm on Thursday 2nd May, 2019 at the Dominica Public Service Union Building in Roseau.
 
Members of the Electoral Reform group will lead the discussion with a presentation of the results of meetings held with the Chairman of the Electoral Commission, the Chief Elections Officer, His Excellency the President, Charles Savarin, the Attorney General, the Dominica Labour Party, the United Workers Party, the Dominica Freedom Party, the Concerned Citizens Movement, the Dominica Christian Council, the Dominica Association of Evangelical Churches & business Organizations.
 
An invitation has been extended to the Chief Elections Officer, the Chairman of the Electoral Commission, the Attorney General and Senior Counsel Anthony Astaphan to join the panel to broaden the discussion on the way forward in achieving electoral reform, prior to the next general elections that are constitutionally due on May 20, 2020. The main objective of the panel discussion is to help the general public understand the electoral process and the reform or enhancement requirements that are possible at this stage in lieu of the pending general elections.
 
The Electoral Reform Effort is considered to be a patriotic initiative undertaken by the group which is concerned about the possibility of going into another general election without the necessary reform as recommended by the OAS and Commonwealth observers of the last general election, and the possible repercussions that may ensue if the next elections are perceived to be delegitimized. “The electoral list is however widely and publicly discredited and despite being seemingly accurate and appropriate in the eyes of existing legislation, the Mission does not believe it necessarily reflects the reality or the wishes of Dominican society.”
The Electoral Reform Effort group recognizes the authority of the Electoral Commission in ensuring a free and fair electoral process and appeals to the stakeholders, political parties and the general public to assist in whatever way possible to facilitate the process. The Electoral Reform Effort Group looks forward to a successful and educational panel discussion and participation is open to all at 7:00 pm on Thursday 2nd May 2019.
 
Reference is being made to page 20 of the Report of the Commonwealth Observer Mission, Commonwealth of Dominica General Elections Dec 8, 2014.