No movement on Opposition Senators

Opposition Leader Grant Gibbons is still mulling his choices for the Senate, but he said an announcement will be made "soon".

"It is a very important body and it's useful to have a good mix of people who can properly represent the interest of the party and also put forward the best interests of the people," he said. "I, frankly, am looking for people that will serve all the people of Bermuda."

Premier Alex Scott last week completed the PLP's Senate team by appointing four new senators - Raymond Tannock, Walter Roban, Larry Mussenden and Reginald Burrows - to join Government Senate Leader and Legislative Affairs Minister Michael Scott.

Erect bridge at Causeway: Poll

Eighty-three percent of more than 3,600 respondents to an online poll believe that the Causeway should be replaced with a new bridge.

The poll, on www.theroyalgazette.com, was put on the website in the wake of Hurricane Fabian. Four people lost their lives on the Causeway on the day of the hurricane while the Causeway also sustained serious damage which will take weeks to repair.

Of the 3,667 people who responded to the question "Do you think Government should replace the Causeway with a new bridge?", 83 percent said yes, 15.1 percent said no and 1.9 percent said they had no opinion. The Royal Gazette's new poll is: "Was the BIU right to take industrial action last week?"

'Household' asbestos collection next week

A special asbestos garbage collection will take place next week.

Government's Department of Communication and Information announced yesterday that there was "an abundance of asbestos roofing debris created as a result of Hurricane Fabian".

As a result, there will be a special collection of the potentially hazardous material on Monday and Tuesday. The collections will be done by appointment only - 297-7946 - and are restricted to asbestos generated from households. Members of the public requesting collection are asked to handle the asbestos as follows:

If possible, hire an asbestos abatement contractor to prepare the debris for collection in accordance with Government policy guidelines. A list of current contractors can be obtained from the Health Department on 236- 0224.

If you need to handle the asbestos yourself, please use caution and be sure to wear gloves and a dust mask when wrapping the asbestos. Dampen broken asbestos with water to minimise airborne fibres.

Place the asbestos in a cardboard box. Then double wrap in six millilitre polyethylene and tape securely so that the plastic cannot unravel. Do not overload the box. One person should be able to easily lift each box.

Pieces which are too large to box should be dampened with water and double wrapped in polyethylene, folded over at both ends, and then taped to prevent any airborne particles escaping.

After wrapping the asbestos, any contaminated clothing should be discarded by placing in two plastic bags and putting them along with the asbestos in a dedicated area to be collected.

After September 30, anyone requiring asbestos collection will be responsible for private delivery to the Government Quarry in Bailey's Bay.

Government have also advised that commercial loads, contract work and large amounts should be handled by abatement contractors and that its policies and charges regarding such amounts remain in effect.

Thief caught after neighbour notes description

A thief who stole a generator was caught after a homeowner canvassed his neighbourhood and got a good description of the culprit.

The victim's red and black Coleman 5000 generator had been chained and padlocked alongside his damaged boat that was on the rocks at Ferry Reach in St. George's.

The theft occurred between Friday and 1 p.m. on Sunday. When the victim realised the $850 generator was missing he talked to neighbours who gave a description of the vehicle and a man who was acting suspiciously in the same area.

The man also went to the St. George's Police station to report the stolen generator. The suspect was later seen and arrested and the generator was returned to the owner.

Fire Service busy over weekend

A gas generator sparked a fire that damaged $1,500 damage last weekend.

On Sunday night a gas generator operating inside a shed spread a fire at a building on Curving Avenue, the Bermuda Fire Service reported. The hot exhaust ignited some combustibles and started the fire. Two vehicles with seven firefighters attended the blaze that was under control within ten minutes.

And the BFS reported a fire in the kitchen at the Spot Restaurant on Saturday afternoon. The fire started in the deep fat fryer and manager Prakash Ramnani said the grease build up on the fryer caused the fire. "Everything is fine - we just have to keep the grease from building up."

...While police handle a variety of cases

Police yesterday reported a busy weekend of breaking and entering, disturbances and vehicle collisions.

Police said there were ten reports of breaking and entering along with ten collisions resulting in injury and 23 with damage only. There were ten reports of disturbances and one incident of prowling.