Bermuda bishop to sit out Anglican Church summit

Bishop of the Anglican Church in Bermuda The Rt. Rev. Ewen Rattaray is not going to Britain this week to take part in a conference about the confirmation of openly gay clerics.

The emergency meeting will be held tomorrow and Thursday this week in London for leaders of the world's Anglican churches to discuss the crisis which erupted this summer. The Church became torn after the US Episcopal Church confirmed a gay man with a long time partner - the Rev. V. Gene Robinson - as Bishop of New Hampshire in August.

However, Bishop Rattaray said he would not be there as only the 38 primates had been invited to the meeting, which did not include him.

Blown fuse blacks out Hinson's Island

Power was expected to be restored late last night to Hinson's Island after a fuse blew early in the morning causing power outages on the island as well as parts of Harbour Road.

Belco spokeswoman Linda Smith said the blown fuse came from a vault that feeds the island and power was able to be restored at around 1.55 p.m. yesterday.

But 20 minutes later the crew had to take Hinson's Island off in order to reconnect supply to two other islands.

"As they were reconnecting supply to Marshall's and Watlington Island a separate fuse blew in the Belmont Pump Vault causing damage to equipment there as well as a separate circuit feeding Mizzentop and parts of Harbour Road," she said.

The crew was able to back feed the supply from Burnt House Hill and return it to Harbour Road and Tamarind Vale, she said.

As of yesterday evening, crews were working to restore power to Mizzentop and Longford Hill and were continuing through the evening to restore power to Hinson's Island, which was expected to be on around midnight. Marshall's and Watlington islands should be restored by today.

Dill inquest postponed, again

The inquest into the death of a prison inmate was postponed yesterday because Coroner William Francis was out sick.

The inquest is being held due to the death of Stephen Mansfield (Pepe) Dill who it is believed died from a severe asthma attack at the Prison Farm in December, 2001.

The inquest was first postponed in August because defence lawyer Delroy Duncan was off the Island with a family emergency. It was rescheduled for this month.

The family of Dill, who was 41 at the time of his death, claimed that prison guards at the farm neglected the man's asthmatic condition and had not called for medical help in enough time to prevent his death.

Dill was at the Prison Farm following a drug possession conviction and was due to leave the facility in two months when he died.

The matter was set to continue today.