[naviga:h2]Stampede![/naviga:h2]

HARBOUR NIGHTS DRAMA

The first Harbour Night of the year did not get off to a very good start when at least 19 people, including a young boy, were injured when two horses dragging a carriage ran amok along Front Street on April 25.

The out-of-control animals ploughed into the back of a dense crowd of unsuspecting tourists and locals watching a Gombeys' performance, trapping people beneath the wheels of the vehicle. Police, ambulances and firefighters rushed to the scene and shocked eye witnesses reported seeing victims with head wounds and others unconscious being put onto stretchers.

A Public Safety Ministry spokeswoman said 19 people were hurt but none of the injuries were life threatening. The casualties treated at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital were a mixture of visitors and locals.

MIDDLETON CASE ISSUES CONTINUE

The family of murdered Canadian teenager Rebecca Middleton failed in a legal bid to get fresh charges against the suspects in their daughter's killing on April 16. Top lawyer Cherie Booth QC, wife of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, represented them in asking Bermuda's Chief Justice to quash a prosecutor's decision not to reopen the case.

No-one has ever been convicted of murdering the 17-year-old, who was raped and stabbed to death while on vacation in Bermuda in 1996. Ms Booth attempted unsuccessfully through a Supreme Court judicial review, to persuade Chief Justice Richard Ground that the case should be re-opened and fresh charges pressed against the men originally accused of killing Rebecca.

In May, Chief Justice ruled he could not interfere with a previous ruling by Director of Public Prosecutions Vinette Graham-Allen that the case should not be re-opened.

Although James Guthrie QC, representing the Director of Public Prosecutions, acknowledged the family of the 17-year-old suffered "great injustice" through the failure of Bermuda's authorities to bring the alleged culprits to justice; he said, it would be legally wrong to re-open the case against Kirk Mundy and Justis Smith, the pair arrested for the crime in 1996.

A documentary on the botched case was broadcast to at least a million viewers across Canada in November.

MEDICAL CLINIC FIGHT

A petition was circulated and scores marched on Cabinet on April 10 to demand Government reconsider the closure of the medical clinic, formerly the indigent clinic, scheduled for the end of June.

The clinic treated up to 1,500 patients at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital who could not afford health insurance. However, Government said it was uneconomical to keep the facility open. Premier Dr. Ewart Brown said the closure would create "considerable savings" and that up to 30 doctors would be willing to treat patients at a cost of $5 each visit.

Patients would be placed on the government health insurance plan (HIP). One of those in opposition to the closure was shadow health spokeswoman Louise Jackson. Mrs. Jackson said the revamped medical clinic offered state-of-the-art care in superb surroundings similar to a number of other neighbouring units at the hospital.

"No one can say you get inferior care at the Medical Clinic," she said. In March, Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) hit back at claims its members have a conflict of interests over the controversial closure of the Medical Clinic.

Bermuda Public Services Union leader Ed Ball had alleged some health professionals on the BHB stood to gain patients in their own practices as a result of the demise of the Government-funded centre.

However, the BHB insisted it had not been involved in the decision-making process which led to the closure, meaning no conflict of interests was possible. After a two week extension, the doors were finally closed in July.

CEDARBRIDGE MOULD CRISIS LINGERS ON

The Cedarbridge Academy mould crisis from 2006 continued this year, despite repeated reassurances from Education Minister Randy Horton that the campus was safe after a million dollar clean-up effort.

As students settled into their regular school again, after a long period spent at the old Berkeley Institute campus, one teacher in February, was suing the Ministry of Education for allegedly stopping her wages. Teachers weren't giving the clean-up a gold star, and instead staged a sick-out in April.

Mr. Horton conceded teachers were still experiencing symptoms at the school. Also in April, about 150 CedarBridge pupils staged a 30 minute demonstration over their frustration over mould health concerns enveloping their school building.

In May, a report on the CedarBridge Academy mould crisis recommended the sacking of principal Kalmar Richards and others in charge. Mrs. Richards, described herself as "deeply disappointed" with the outcome of the probe into the crisis which led to the school's temporary closure last November.

She said the report, penned by overseas environment expert Kamoji Wachiira and a two-man team, was "muddled with inaccuracies and contradictions". If Mrs. Richards felt she was taking unnecessary blame, she was not alone.

Ross Smith, the man in charge of maintaining the school, complained he was being made the fall guy by the panel that probed the mould, because he was lowest on the totem pole. In July, Government was accused of stifling debate on the CedarBridge's mould crisis after failing to allow MPs to discuss a damning report in the House of Assembly.

And as the school year came to a close, it was revealed that two staff members who had been sickened by the mould had been fired for using up all their sick leave. The Bermuda Public Service Union planned to appeal the sackings.

RANDY HORTON BRIEFLY DEPOSED BY NEWCOMER

Cabinet Minister Randy Horton flew back to the island at the end of April to face controversy surrounding his branch's decision to dump him as Progressive Labour Party candidate which one party source described as a "stitch up".

It was claimed that the "unprecedented" dropping of a sitting Minister by their local branch was a power play carried out by a small group people while Mr. Horton was off the Island and unaware of the meeting. But other party insiders said Mr. Horton had taken the seat for granted and had not performed well as a minister.

Mr. Horton lost out heavily to Somerset Bridge Recreation Club (SBRC) president Marc Bean but one highly-placed PLP source said only nine or ten people had attended the meeting while the PLP membership in Southampton West was several times that.

Mr. Bean, worked as a consultant in Government, served on the Bermuda Independence Commission and was highly regarded in the party.

Despite pressure from some quarters, Mr. Bean,said he would not stand aside. However, Premier Ewart Brown said independent polling will "cancel out aberrations" wherever they might surface in the party's candidates' selection process.

In the 2007 election Mr. Horton went on to win his Southampton West seat and Mr. Bean lost his Southampton West Central seat.

April Statistics

Figures released by the Department of Child and Family Services revealed a 20 percent jump in reported cases of child abuse, and the number was expected to rise.

More than a third of families' spending in Bermuda was going on housing, nearly double that of the United States. Mainly due to rent increases, households spent more than $740 million on housing in 2005, a rise of seven percent on the previous year's figure of $694 million.

Almost three quarters of residents supported the current male-only military draft.

April 2007 Voices

In defence of Rosie O'Donnell's Norwegian Dawn cruise from New York for gay and lesbian families, Premier Dr. Ewart Brown cited Bermuda's anti-discrimination laws, saying: "If we discriminate against a cruise ship, then we would have to send a homosexual detection unit to the airport."

"The Director of Public Prosecutions accepts that the applicant and indeed Rebecca suffered great injustice, and it's a matter of very sincere regret on her part."

James Guthrie QC, addressing the court on Vinette Graham-Allen's behalf, on David Middleton's bid for the re-opening of the his daughter's murder case. Mr. Middleton was represented by former British Prmie Minister Tony Blair's wife, Cherie Booth QC.

"Anything that crops up right now, he's jumping on the press. I think that Stuart Hayward is a political poached egg, looking for a piece of toast to sit on."

– Southlands developer Craig Christensen accusing environmentalist, author and former independent MP Stuart Hayward of using the proposed south shore resort as a media platform to campaign for a seat in the House of Assembly.

"I would suggest anyone playing with the rules and the branches in the PLP is playing a very dangerous game. The grass roots galvanise support at the branch level. If it is perceived he has circumvented the constitution there will be those at grass roots level who become very angry and vocal."

– Dr. Brown on Southampton West

"Since I don't have a dad I was pretty worried about my mum. I saw all this blood streaming down her face and I thought she was bleeding from her cheeks and chin but it was her nose and lip. It was a terrible sight for me because I saw this person with all this blood on their face and it didn't look like her. I was screaming and crying at the same time."

– Sophia Shanks on discovering her mom Barbie in the aftermath of the Harbour Nights horse and carriage stampede on Front Street.

April deaths

Dr. Pauulu Kamarakafego (Roosevelt Brown), who spearheaded the drive for universal adult suffrage in Bermuda in the 1960s, died this month.

Dr. Kamarakafego was one the founders of and was the public face of the Committee for Universal Adult Suffrage, which staged a series of public meetings in the early 1960s which forced the then-government to abolish the property requirement for voting and adopt a one man one vote system.

A MP from 1969 until 1972, Dr. Kamarakafego was a long time consultant to the United Nations Development Programme on environmental issues and also advised the Bermuda Government and the Progressive Labour Party before his death.

April 2007 Timeline

April 2: Premier Dr. Ewart Brown announced that one of the most luxurious hotel brands in the world was coming to Bermuda in a multimillion dollar project at the derelict Club Med resort.

Dr. Brown said the five-star luxury hotel operator Bazarian International had won the contract to carry out the scheme at the St. George's site. Five-star hotel operator St. Regis was understood to be the group poised to run the re-development.

April 3: Despite having spent part of the year in the Old Berkeley Institute building due to mould contamination at the school, CedarBridge Academy triumphed in the 2007 Schools Quiz with 230 points.

April 5: A news report out of Ireland claimed that many Bermuda international companies were considering plans to relocate the bulk of their businesses, leaving just satellite offices on the Island, because of concerns over work-permit time limits and the possibility that the Island may go independent.

An article put out by insurance industry consultants Advisen in April sourced from Irish business magazine group Moranna Ltd., said the six-year time limits, which became effective this week, could lead to a "corporate exodus from Bermuda" and that the Island's loss could be Dublin's gain.

April 7: Tony-nominated Brenda Braxton, who was starring on Broadway in "Chicago", was selected to direct and choreograph the Bermuda Gilbert & Sullivan Society production of "Dreamgirls". Ms Braxton was in the original Broadway cast of "Dreamgirls" and has directed a later production.

Jonny Roberts and wife Fiona Rodriguez Roberts opened a new European brasserie style restaurant on Front Street. Bolero Brasserie opened quietly on April 9, replacing Tuscany Restaurant on Bermuda House Lane.

April 14: Hundreds of Government workers including bus drivers, postal workers, park employees and others downed their tools to attend a four-hour union meeting on April 13.

The meeting was called after the Ministry of Works and Engineering allegedly walked out of negotiations with the Bermuda Industrial Union (BIU) over staffing issues for the new recycling plant.

After the initial meeting more than 400 workers marched through the streets of Hamilton and stopped outside the Department of Works & Engineering. They hoped to speak to the Minister, Dennis Lister, but he was not available.

Instead Permanent Secretary for Works and Engineering Dr. Derrick Binns came out and listened to the union's grievances. Soon afterwards the workers marched back to the union's headquarters for another meeting before returning to work in the afternoon.

April 16: A UBP education spokesman Neville Darrell stood down from the Shadow Cabinet but denied rumours his actions were based on dissatisfaction with the new leadership. Mr. Darrell, who planned to retire at the coming election, said he had been wanting to step down from the front bench since the previous summer to allow someone else to get experience in the role.

April 18: In April Premier Dr. Ewart Brown took on a plain-clothed police officer to guard him when he was out in public due to recent security scares. Dr. Brown agreed to the offer from the Police after news that a man who accosted him while allegedly in possession of a blade had a past conviction for causing bodily harm.

A reward up to $50,000 was posted to catch Jason Lightbourne's murderer. The 18-year-old was shot and killed in July 2006 while behind the wheel of a car on Ord Road in Paget. In the months since the crime Police have been vexed by uncooperative witnesses who have remained silent even though investigators suspect they know who pulled the trigger.

A local filmmaker a few weeks into a three-year documentary project about whales, was already making discoveries about the secret life of these mammals. Andrew Stevenson recently discovered that humpback whales were actually feeding in Bermuda waters, during their spring journey north from the Caribbean. Previously, it was thought that Bermuda waters were devoid of the krill that whales feed on.

April 19: Supplies of fresh foods were severely hit after vessels bringing produce to Bermuda suffered a series of break-downs and bad weather. Supermarkets on April 19 reported the worst delays in receiving fresh food for years, with some completely without chicken and desperately low on eggs, fruit and vegetables all week. The delivery from Bermuda Container Lines (BCL) was three days late on the Island with similar delays anticipated for the next week.

Dr. James King formally retired as director of the Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son Ltd after a ten-year stint as chairman.

April 20: Somersfield Academy was pioneering a scheme to cut traffic from the West End to Hamilton by having its own government-provided bus.

April 26: Government Chief Whip Ottiwell Simmons announced he would stand down from Parliament at the next general election. Mr. Simmons served Pembroke East for more than 30 years.