August 18, 2026
Justice Ministry faces 505 vacancies, Only 53 funded for filling in 2026 | The Peoples TribuneSXM Talks — Latest News from St. Maarten / St. Martin
Latest News
August 18, 2026
Government Rules out foreign driver’s license fee, rental car tax could be alternative | The Peoples Tribune
August 18, 2026
SINT MAARTEN / Back to school | Faxinfo
August 18, 2026
FREEGAN HQ Reopens August 20, Resumes Community Services | The Peoples TribuneGREAT BAY--FREEGAN HQ will reopen on Thursday, August 20, following a two-week break, with its food market, thrift store, meal distribution and coaching services returning for the community. The FREEGAN team said the break provided an opportunity to rest and recharge before re...
August 18, 2026
MP Roseburg urges students to stay focused, calls on parents and teachers to be present and patient | The Peoples TribuneGREAT BAY--Member of Parliament Sjamira Roseburg is encouraging students across St. Maarten to approach the new school year with focus, positive influences and clear goals, while calling on parents, teachers and the wider community to recognize the role they each play in helpi...
August 17, 2026
Prime Minister Mercelina: “Before a Child Opens a Book, We Must Open the Way” | SoualiganewsdaySINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - As students across Sint Maarten return to the classroom for the new academic year, Prime Minister Dr. Luc F.E. Mercelina is calling on the entire country to recognize that the responsibility for their success extends far beyond the school gates. “The...
August 17, 2026
Gomez, Provence expand Back-to-School shoe donations to Oranje School, Belvedere Community Center | The Peoples TribuneGREAT BAY--Longtime community contributors Cesar Gomez and Mayra Provence have expanded their back-to-school support initiative, donating more than 20 pairs of shoes to Oranje School and additional pairs to the Belvedere Community Center as they continue helping children and f...
August 17, 2026
MP Jansen-Webster briefs Minister Connor on hospital progress, possible further delays | The Peoples TribuneGREAT BAY--Chair of Parliament’s Committee of Public Health, Social Development and Labor, VSA, MP Veronica Jansen-Webster briefed Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor Claret Connor on Friday, August 14, on the Committee’s findings following its visit t...
August 17, 2026
Wendell Moore partners with CLIMB to give away local books weekly via radio | The Peoples TribuneGREAT BAY--Journalist, radio host and former educator Wendell Moore is partnering with the CLIMB Foundation to give away books by local authors every week on his radio program, “View Point with Wendell Moore,” as part of a wider effort to encourage reading and strengthen liter...
August 17, 2026
VSA Committee Tours New St. Maarten General Hospital and Briefs Minister of VSA | Government of Sint Maarten On Thursday, August 13, 2026, eight Members of Parliament serving on Parliament’s Committee of Public Health, Social Development and Labor (VSA) visited the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) for an official presentation and guided tour of the new St. Maarten Genera...
Local News
À la tête de l’association Nature is the Key, Juliette Irish œuvre chaque jour pour les habitants de Sandy Ground. Sa devise, “Dans le quartier, pour le quartier”, résume l’esprit du lieu: enfants, animateurs et fondateurs viennent tous du quartier et partagent la même volonté...
Read more : PROFILE / Juliette Irish, taking action for Sandy Ground every day | Faxinfo
August 17, 2026
4C Foundation seeks new Co-Director as organization enters new chapter | The Peoples Tribune
GREAT BAY--Foresee Foundation (4C) is inviting applications for a new Co-Director as the organization prepares for an important leadership transition and the retirement of one of its founders, Jose Verschueren-Sommers. Having grown over the years into an organization supp...
August 17, 2026
St. Maarten targets affluent travelers and higher visitor spending in tourism strategy | The Peoples Tribune
GREAT BAY--St. Maarten will place greater emphasis on attracting higher-spending and more affluent visitors rather than focusing solely on increasing arrival numbers, with the St. Maarten Tourism Bureau, STB, targeting premium travelers, families, yacht and charter clients, tr...
August 17, 2026
Justice Minister rejects MP Lewis call for independent review of Police Chief Carl John Acting SG role | The Peoples TribuneGREAT BAY--The Minister of Justice has rejected a call from the Nation Opportunity Wealth, NOW, faction for an independent review of Chief of Police Carl John’s temporary designation as Acting Secretary-General of the Ministry of Justice, stating that assigning the acting duti...
August 17, 2026
Govt favors targeted consumer protection over broad price controls as cost of living remains high | The Peoples TribuneGREAT BAY--Government says it does not believe broad price controls are the best long-term answer to St. Maarten’s high cost of living, but intends to strengthen consumer protection, modernize the Maximum Price System, closely monitor essential goods and shipping costs, and ac...
August 17, 2026
Cannabis symposium highlights need for careful, evidence-based regulation | The Daily HeraldSpeaker, Dr. Joseph Rosado at the St. Maarten Symposium on Cannabis Regulation, Public Health & Policy held at the University of St. Martin. PHILIPSBURG--The need for a carefully structured, evidence-based approach to cannabis regulation was a central message during a cann...
August 17, 2026
KPSM urges caution as new school year begins | The Daily HeraldSt. Maarten Police Force KPSM would like the community to remain cautious as the new school year begins. PHILIPSBURG--St. Maarten Police Force KPSM is reminding the community to prioritise safety as the 2026-2027 school year begins on Monday, August 17. With schools reopening,...
August 17, 2026
Hospital signs pension accord with Vidanova | The Daily HeraldSMMC and Vidanova representatives signing the agreement. CAY HILL--St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) has signed an agreement with Vidanova Pension Fund to manage the pension plan of its staff, marking a new step in the Fund’s activities on St. Maarten. The agreement brings SMM...
August 17, 2026
USM Welcomes Students as Fall 2026 Semester Begins | SoualiganewsdaySINT MAARTEN (POND ISLAND) - The University of St. Martin (USM) welcomed its newest students to campus on Friday, August 14, during the Fall 2026 New Student Orientation, marking the beginning of a new academic journey for students entering the University. The orientation gave...
Headlines
August 17, 2026
Justice Minister outlines eight priority changes to modernize traffic laws | The Peoples TribuneGREAT BAY--The Minister of Justice Nathalie Tackling has identified eight priority areas for a major modernization of St. Maarten’s Road Traffic Ordinance, including tougher rules on mobile phone use while driving, speed cameras, stronger DUI laws, vehicle impoundment for reck...
Read more : Justice Minister outlines eight priority changes to modernize traffic laws | The Peoples Tribune
August 13, 2026
GEBE supports families back-to-school shopping vouchers | Soualiganewsday
SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - NV GEBE is helping families prepare for the new school year with a Back-to-School Shopping Voucher initiative, offering customers an opportunity to receive an XCG 100 shopping voucher to assist with the cost of school supplies and other essentials. T...
August 12, 2026
Draft 2026 budget show more than Xcg. 3.3 million combined for travel for Government and Parliament in 2026 | The Peoples Tribune
GREAT BAY--Government and Parliament have budgeted a combined 3,305,069 for travel in 2026, with the seven government ministries accounting for 1,873,709 and Parliament, together with its Secretariat or Griffie, accounting for another 1,431,360, according to figures contained...
August 11, 2026
MLK students can wear new or existing uniform next school yr. | The Daily HeraldThe new MLK uniform for girls. DUTCH QUARTER--Students at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Primary School will have a brand new uniform option when the 2026-2027 school year begins on August 17, with the upcoming school year designated as a transition period allowing students to wea...
August 11, 2026
Detention Sector Reform Program Advances Rehabilitation Efforts Through Structured Sports and Fitness Initiative | SoualiganewsdaySINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - As part of the ongoing Detention Sector Reform Program (DSRP), the Ministry of Justice, in collaboration with its implementing partner, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), last month piloted a structured sports and physical fitness...
August 11, 2026
St. Maarten parents, students urged to be vigilant as fake housing scams on TikTok surge in Netherlands | The Peoples TribuneAMSTERDAM--St. Maarten parents and students seeking accommodation in the Netherlands should exercise increased caution when responding to housing advertisements online, particularly on social media, following a sharp rise in reports of fraudulent student housing advertisements...
