The Corporation of St. George’s has released the October edition of its monthly newsletter, highlighting community updates, heritage stories, and upcoming events across the UNESCO World Heritage town.
The issue reminds residents of the next General Meeting, scheduled for Thursday, October 23, at 6 p.m. in Town Hall. Updates on projects such as wastewater line repairs and the public art project at the Penno’s Wharf Terminal will be shared, along with new initiatives. Town Manager updates also stress the importance of hurricane readiness as the season nears its close, urging the community to help prevent power outages by reporting vegetation hazards.
The edition celebrates the accomplishments of sailor Wesley Tucker, who recently represented Bermuda at the Comet Class International Regatta in New Jersey, and spotlights cultural grants awarded to local heritage groups. A special UNESCO feature explores the layered history of Ordnance Island, while a business profile introduces High Tide Tattoo, a creative new addition to Water Street.
Looking ahead, the newsletter previews a festive holiday calendar, including Halloween on October 31, the Lighting of the Town on November 29, the Bermuda National Trust Christmas Walkabout on December 5, Santa Comes to Town on December 13, and the annual New Year’s Eve celebration on December 31.
The full October newsletter is available through the Corporation of St. George’s official channels.
The City of Hamilton is gearing up for Taste of Bermuda 2025 and is sharing important road closure information, event highlights, and new details about this year’s expanded festival.
This four-day event, taking place from October 9th to 12th, will celebrate Bermuda’s vibrant culinary scene by highlighting Bermudian eateries, showcasing the talents of local chefs, and offering immersive, multi-sensory experiences.
Road and Car Park Closure Information:
Church Street will be closed between Queen and Washington Streets (Bus Terminal) on Saturday October 11th, 2025. There will be no parking permitted in this area from 6am, single lane traffic (northern lane) will be in effect from 2:00pm; and both lanes will be closed at 5:00pm until Sunday October 12th at 6:00pm
Church Street Taxi Stand will be relocated to Wesley Street on Saturday October 11th, 2025, at 5:00pm and relocated again to Church Street (outside of Chevron House) on Sunday October 12th, 2025 from 6:00am – 8:00pm
City Hall Car Park – The Wesley Street exit of City Hall Car park will be closed from 6:00am Friday October 10th with the entire car park closed from 6:00am on Saturday October 11th to 6:00am on Monday October 13th, 2025. There will be no parking in these areas during these times.
Additional Notices:
Businesses should place their trash for collection no later than 4:00 PM on Saturday, October 11th. There will be no trash collection on Sunday, October 12th. Regular trash collection will resume on Monday, October 13th.
The Church Street Taxi Stand will be temporarily relocated to Wesley Street on both days.
Traffic notices will be provided closer to the event dates. For further details or queries about the events and participation, please contact us at events@cityhall.bm or call 292-1234 ext. 278.
Among the featured events, guests can enjoy exclusive dining experiences at top hotels through the new Tastemakers series, experience Bacardi’s high-energy Art of the Pour cocktail competition, revel in fine dining and world-class entertainment at the City Hall All-White Ball and afterparty, and wrap up the weekend at the lively Tasting Village: Festival of Flavours, complete with food, music, and family fun.
“We’re incredibly excited to introduce Tastemakers as a brand-new addition to Taste of Bermuda,” said Jessica Astwood, Director of Marketing and Communications for the City of Hamilton. “This collaboration with the Bermuda Hotel Association not only showcases the exceptional talent of our island’s chefs and hospitality partners, but also reflects Taste’s expanding footprint in Bermuda’s culinary scene. Each participating property, Azura, Cambridge Beaches, The Reefs, and Rosedon Hotel, will offer an exclusive dining experience, pairing our exquisite cuisine with an exclusive menu and service offering.
“But to truly make this entire weekend a success and continue growing Bermuda’s and the city’s culinary reputation, we need the full support of our community. This is our moment to rally behind our local talent, city businesses, celebrate our hospitality, and show the world what Bermuda can do. When we come together, we enhance not just Taste of Bermuda, but our City and entire island.”
Ticket price for Tastemakers is $195 per person (includes food & drinks) gratuities additional. For reservation Information contact the participating hotels or book via PTIX.
The City is also excited to announce the vendors for the Tasting Village this year:
Tasting Village Food Vendors
Big Al’s Jerk
Chef Wayne
Chickos Catering
Chopsticks
Food Hub
Island Restaurant Group
Kebobs on the Curve
Plant Based Fuel
PSSST
Sousa’s Spring Rolls
Seven Collection
The Cloud at the Waterfront
Trini Spice
Artesian Cotton Candy Stand
Beverage Vendors
Dockyard Brewing Company
Mixyz
The Tasting Room
Toast and Taste
Kids Zone Vendors
Ahmani’s Cookie Company
Ashley’s Lemonade
Bermuda Bubble Tea
Croffle Haus
Dill Pickle Farming
Fluffy Stuff Snowballs
For more information about Taste of Bermuda, please visit the City of Hamilton’s website here. Tickets can be purchased at www.ptix.bm.
The City of Hamilton extends its gratitude to city businesses for their cooperation in helping to make Taste of Bermuda a success. We invite everyone to join us in celebrating this highly anticipated annual event, which showcases Bermuda’s rich culinary heritage and creates a truly unforgettable experience.
Shortly after 7:00 a.m. today, Saturday, October 4, 2025, police were alerted to a body floating in the water off Ducking Stool Park, Pembroke.
Police officers, along with members of the Royal Bermuda Regiment Coast Guard (RBRCG), were already in the area conducting a search of the coastline following reports that a man had gone missing after entering the water shortly before 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 3.
The body was recovered and confirmed to be that of the missing male. It was subsequently transported aboard an RBRCG vessel to Albuoy’s Point, where an on-call doctor attended and certified death shortly thereafter.
An autopsy is anticipated to determine the cause of death. Police have stated that no further information will be provided at this time.
Bermuda has been shaken in recent years by rising gun violence, leaving scars not only on families directly impacted, but on the entire community. Fear, grief, and frustration have become far too common. Yet, in these difficult times, we must ask: how do we begin to heal? How do we reclaim our neighborhoods and restore the values that once kept us safe, connected, and accountable?
Shadow Minister of Education and Sport, Ben Smith recently wrote, “The whole world could use a code of conduct. But the real question isn’t what the rules are—it’s who will follow them and who will enforce them. Without sharing responsibility and accountability, even the best guidelines are just words on a page.” His words ring especially true for Bermuda.
We once had an unspoken code of conduct. It wasn’t in laws or regulations, but it lived in the way we treated one another. Neighbours looked out for children. Respect for elders wasn’t optional; it was expected. Disagreements were settled with words, not weapons. That code held our community together, guiding us through challenges while reinforcing respect, accountability, and responsibility.
Somewhere along the way, that code weakened. Individualism overshadowed community. Fear replaced trust. Silence replaced accountability. And now, violence has stolen too many lives and broken too many families.
This may be a question for another day, but how many Bermudas are there on this 21-square-mile island? For too long, we have lived in separate Bermudas divided by race, wealth, and opportunity. In one Bermuda, doors open easily, networks extend opportunity, and mistakes are forgiven. In another, opportunities are scarce, systems are unforgiving, and cycles of poverty and violence feel impossible to escape. Gun violence thrives where equity and equality are absent.
Yet, the code of conduct we desperately need doesn’t begin when someone is old enough to carry responsibility; it begins at the earliest stages of life. From learning to say “please” and “thank you,” to sharing, respecting boundaries, and listening, children absorb lessons that form the foundation of their character. A child who learns empathy early is less likely to dehumanize others later. A child taught accountability grows into an adult who respects community rules.
Bermuda is failing here. Schools often prioritize academics while neglecting character development. Sports clubs build skill and competitiveness but sometimes overlook discipline and teamwork. Even churches, once pillars of guidance, have at times lost their influence. When these institutions fail to reinforce consistent values, gaps emerge, and they are too often filled by anger, resentment, and destructive influences. Teaching a code of conduct is not about restricting children; it is about preparing them to become contributors, not destroyers, of the community.
Yes, government and police have roles, but this problem cannot be solved with policy statements or patrol cars alone. Where leadership has fallen short, communities must rise. We cannot wait for yet another committee to “study” what we already know: Bermuda is losing too many young people, and families are left to pick up the pieces.
The solution must come from a collective recommitment to a code of conduct within homes, schools, churches, and neighborhoods.
Rebuilding this code requires three things:
1. Personal Responsibility: Take ownership of how we treat others and set examples for the next generation. Parents, mentors, teachers, and leaders must consistently model discipline and respect.
2. Community Accountability: Confront harmful behavior, mentor young people, and stand against violence in all its forms. Silence is complicity.
3. Shared Enforcement: Enforcement isn’t just punishment; it is the consistent reinforcement of values across society. Politicians, clergy, business leaders, and neighbours must not just talk about solutions but live them.
Gun violence is not only a policing issue; it is a community issue, a values issue, and a responsibility issue. Leadership is being tested. Those in power cannot be content to offer words of sympathy after tragedy. They must act boldly, invest in prevention and rehabilitation, and support grassroots efforts on the ground.
The time has come to return to a collective code of conduct, where words are lived daily. If Bermudians commit to this path, we can begin to break the cycle of violence and rebuild the foundation of respect and accountability that once defined our island.
The power to change is in our hands, but only if we are willing to claim it, together.
Maurice Foley is a former OBA senator and the candidate for constituency 3, St. David’s, in the February 2025 General Election.
Police and Coast Guard launch search operation, but male remains unaccounted for
Police Officers and Coast Guard personnel
Around 4:50 p.m. on Friday, October 3, 2025, police received a report that a male had apparently fallen into the waters off the cliffs at Ducking Stool Park, Pembroke, and has not been seen since.
Police units were immediately dispatched to the scene, and the Royal Bermuda Regiment Coast Guard was contacted and responded swiftly to assist with the search efforts.
Despite an extensive search carried out by Police Officers and Coast Guard personnel, the male has not yet been located.
Authorities have not released further details at this time, and the search is ongoing.
Police are investigating a series of burglaries that occurred in Hamilton and Shelly Bay during the passage of Hurricane Imelda.
Around 3:34 p.m. on Thursday, October 2, 2025, officers responded to a reported break-in at the Gem Cellar on Reid Street. According to reports, the store was broken into sometime between 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 1, and 3:00 p.m. Thursday, October 2, while it was closed due to the hurricane. The suspect, who escaped with an unknown quantity of jewellery, was captured on CCTV and is described as approximately 5’9” in height, wearing a blue sweater, dark pants, a helmet, and gloves.
Earlier that morning, at 9:29 a.m., police also attended another burglary at Crisson’s on Queen Street. The incident is believed to have taken place between 1:55 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. on Thursday- at the height of the storm. The suspects reportedly smashed display cases, escaping with a large quantity of jewellery, watches, and cash. The total value of the stolen goods remains unknown.
A third burglary was reported at the MarketPlace supermarket in Shelly Bay. Officers were called around 8:30 a.m. Thursday, after suspects forced entry into an office and removed cash and other valuables. Two suspects, wearing black helmets, dark jackets, and gloves, were captured on the store’s CCTV.
All three cases are now under investigation by the Bermuda Police Service Criminal Investigations Unit.
Detective Inspector Tiffany Caisey is appealing for anyone with information to come forward. She can be reached at 717-2294 or via email at tcaisey@bps.bm.
Information can also be provided by calling the BPS main line at 295-0011, the non-emergency line at 211, the online reporting portal at portal.police.bm, or through the independent and confidential Crime Stoppers hotline at 800-8477.
The administration has now frozen at least $28 billion in funding for Democratic cities and states
International News via Reuters:
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration froze $2.1 billion in Chicago transit funding on Friday, starving another Democratic city of funds as the government shutdown entered its third day.
Budget director Russ Vought said the money, earmarked for elevated train lines, had been put on hold to ensure it was not “flowing via race-based contracting.”
The administration has now frozen at least $28 billion in funding for Democratic cities and states, escalating Trump’s campaign to use the extraordinary power of the U.S. government to punish political rivals.
He has also threatened to fire more federal workers, beyond the 300,000 he is forcing out this year, and a White House source speaking on condition of anonymity said dozens of agencies have submitted workforce reduction plans.
The Republican president has made Chicago, the nation’s third-largest city, a regular rhetorical punching bag and has threatened to send in National Guard troops.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a high-profile Trump critic seen as a possible 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, said the funding freeze amounted to hostage-taking.
“It’s attempting to score political points but is instead hurting our economy and the hardworking people who rely on public transit,” he said on social media.
The Illinois funding freeze follows moves on Wednesday to halt transit projects in New York, home to the top two Democrats in Congress, and green-energy projects in Democratic-leaning states like California and Colorado.
In a separate move, the Trump administration reversed its plan to cut $187 million in security funds for New York, Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul said.
NO SIGN OF SWIFT SOLUTION
In Washington, the shutdown stalemate showed no signs of ending. The U.S. Senate is due to vote on dueling Democratic and Republican plans to end the shutdown on Friday, but neither is likely to win passage. If the shutdown continues into a fourth day Saturday, it will be the fifth-longest in U.S. history.
Democrats and Republicans have spent the past several days blaming each other for their failure to keep the government funded beyond October 1, the start of the fiscal year, and they do not appear to have made any headway toward a deal that would allow the money to flow again.
The standoff in Congress has frozen about $1.7 trillion in funds for agency operations, which amounts to roughly one-quarter of annual federal spending. Much of the remainder goes to health and retirement programs and interest payments on the growing $37.5 trillion debt.
Democrats say any funding package must also expand pandemic-era healthcare subsidies due to expire at the end of December, while Republicans say that issue should be dealt with separately.
House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, said he is not troubled by Trump’s pressure campaign, which undercuts Congress’ constitutional authority over spending matters.
“President Trump is just as anxious as we are to get the government back open,” he told reporters. “Is he trying to apply pressure to make that happen? He probably is, yeah. And I applaud that.”
SERVICES INTERRUPTED
The shutdown, the 15th since 1981, has suspended scientific research, financial regulation, and a wide range of other activities. Pay has been suspended for roughly 2 million federal workers, though troops, airport security screeners, and others deemed “essential” must still report to work.
On Friday, the government did not release its monthly unemployment report, leaving Wall Street guessing about the health of the world’s largest economy.
A prolonged shutdown could disrupt air travel and food aid for millions of Americans, and also force federal courts to close. Federal workers would miss their first paycheck in mid-October if the standoff is not resolved by then.
The longest shutdown lasted 35 days in 2018-2019, during Trump’s first term in office.
The Senate has three times already rejected a Republican plan, which would fund the government through November 21, and a Democratic alternative that would also bolster the expiring health subsidies. The chamber will vote on both of those plans again on Friday.
Republicans control both chambers of Congress, but they need at least seven Democratic votes to advance spending legislation in the Senate.
A group of senators from both parties say they have been exploring a compromise. But some Democrats say they do not trust Republicans to honor any agreement that would first reopen the government and then tackle the healthcare subsidies, which were passed as part of a 2021 Democratic COVID relief package and now help 24 million Americans pay for coverage.
Reporting by Andy Sullivan, Doina Chiacu, David Shepardson, Courtney Rozen, Nandita Bose, David Morgan and Nolan McCaskill; Editing by Scott Malone, Alistair Bell and Deepa Babington
Governments in Europe are debating whether to follow the Trump administration’s efforts to roll back rules put in place after the 2008/2009 global financial crisis
International News via Reuters:
Europe should avoid the temptation of easing bank regulation and should instead tighten rules for parts of the financial sector now enjoying easier rules, some of the continent’s top central bankers said on Friday.
Governments in Europe are debating whether to follow the Trump administration’s efforts to roll back rules put in place after the 2008/2009 global financial crisis, with some arguing that the regulatory burden is actually holding back investment, spending and ultimately economic growth.
A key source of tension is that non-bank financial firms, such as investment funds, insurers or hedge funds, enjoy much easier rules since they do not take household deposits and this allows them to grab market share from traditional lenders.
LEVEL UP, DON’T EASE
“It is vital that policymakers adapt regulation and supervision to this challenging environment,” European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said in a speech in Amsterdam.
“They should do so not by lowering standards for banks, but by levelling them up for non-banks that are involved in bank-like activities, or with significant links to the banking sector,” she said. “That helps to address banks’ concerns about the uneven playing field.”
Policymakers fear that in a crisis, the central bank will be called upon to provide non-banks a liquidity lifeline given how deeply they are intertwined with regular banks.
CASE FOR SIMPLIFICATION
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey also warned about the danger of rolling back financial regulation as memories of past crises fade, and said central banks needed to keep close track of new potential threats.
“There is … a growing risk that because of this, as the pro-cyclical tide turns, we are inhibited from collecting necessary data in new areas of risk,” he said in a prepared text for the event.
British finance minister Rachel Reeves has said she wants to scale back regulation, which she believes is holding back growth in the economy.
Bailey said he did not think that tougher regulation of banks in Britain after the 2008 global financial crisis was to blame for a lack of investment and weak productivity growth in the years since.
But he did make the case for simplification, like adoption of a simpler capital regime for small deposit takers, in the so-called ‘Strong and Simple’ regime.
Isabel Schnabel, an ECB board member in charge of market operations, also spoke out against easier regulation, warning that a ‘race to the bottom’ would fuel instability that could sow the seeds of a future crisis.
“Rather than softening bank regulation, we should make sure that those areas of the financial system that pose new risks to the economy and banks, such as non-banks or stablecoins, are regulated appropriately without stifling innovation,” Schnabel told the same event.
Calling stablecoins the most important digital development in recent years, Schnabel warned that they have created new interconnections between banks, crypto markets and traditional asset markets, which could create liquidity stress.
Stablecoins combine money-like demandable liabilities with reserve assets that could turn illiquid during crises, Schnabel warned.
She also noted that if depositors shift into stablecoins backed by bank deposits, stable retail deposits are replaced by more concentrated and potentially more volatile wholesale deposits, increasing the risk of sudden outflows.
Additional reporting by David Milliken and Yoruk Bahceli; Editing by Toby Chopra and Susan Fenton
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron said Europe must do more to counter illiberal, anti-immigrant parties surging in opinion polls
International News via Reuters:
The leaders of Germany and France marked the 35th anniversary of Germany’s democratic reunification on Friday by calling for more resolve to check the spreading appeal of what they called the “dark enlightenment” of authoritarianism.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron said Europe must do more to counter illiberal, anti-immigrant parties surging in opinion polls, in part by bolstering the continent’s flagging economy.
‘DARK ENLIGHTENMENT’
“New alliances of autocracies are forming against us and attacking liberal democracy as a way of life,” Merz told an audience of dignitaries from both countries in Saarbruecken on Germany’s border with France.
“In the face of the return of the dark enlightenment … there is a path to a new enlightenment,” Macron said, “a way to love culture, music, literature, conversation and debate, to believe that respect and science are stronger than hate and fury.”
Merz warned that economic troubles across the European Union were giving openings to far-right nationalist parties offering radical solutions at odds with democracy.
“Years of irregular, undirected migration to Germany have polarised our country,” Merz said, asking its citizens to recognise the value of living in a democracy under rule of law.
“Politics, the state, the government have their responsibility,” he said. “But the scale of the challenge must be understood by us all, by every citizen in our country.”
CEREMONY MARKS 1990 END OF GERMANY’S POST-WAR DIVISION
Germany’s Reunification Day on October 3 commemorates the 1990 end of the nation’s post-World War Two division into a western democracy and an eastern, Soviet-dominated Communist regime, symbolised by the Berlin Wall dividing the capital.
Merz took office in February after an election campaign marked by emotional rhetoric on migration. The far right now leads his conservatives in some polls at a time when Germany’s export-dependent, high-tech economy faces its biggest challenge in decades due to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff blitz.
Germany’s economy, Europe’s largest, has been hard hit by U.S. protectionism and a competitive onslaught from China. It has registered barely any growth since the end of the COVID pandemic, contributing to a broad mood of malaise.
Both leaders are outspoken supporters of Ukraine against Russia’s invasion and have called for more European strategic autonomy in the face of a United States they see as turning away from Europe. Both face stiff challenges from far-right parties with strong pro-Russian elements leading in many opinion polls.
Additional reporting by Andreas Rinke in Berlin and Brice Makini in Paris; writing by Thomas Escritt; editing by Tomasz Janowski and Mark Heinrich
The pill uses the same active ingredient as Novo’s popular weight-loss injections Ozempic and Wegovy, and could be available in early 2026
International News via Reuters:
Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk said it plans to make its new obesity pill available through telehealth platforms like Ro and WeightWatchers once it gets U.S. approval, Bloomberg News reported on Friday.
The pill uses the same active ingredient as Novo’s popular weight-loss injections Ozempic and Wegovy, and could be available in early 2026, the report said.
Novo did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The company is also considering a subscription model where patients commit to six or 12 months of treatment at a discounted price, the report added.
Reporting by Kamal Choudhury in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona
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