:00:00. > :00:09.That is all from the BBC's news at six, so it is goodbye from me,
:00:10. > :01:00.Guernsey's Education Minister is describing today's States debate as
:01:01. > :01:03.the hardest moment in his political career. Robert Sillars is asking
:01:04. > :01:08.deputies to approve the closure of St Andrew's Primary and St Sampson's
:01:09. > :01:10.Infants schools. Meanwhile, outside the States building, protests
:01:11. > :01:17.against the proposals have been gaining support, as Penny Elderfield
:01:18. > :01:21.reports. It's a campaign that's spread around
:01:22. > :01:27.the Island. Blue ribbons sending out a message to keep St Andrews Primary
:01:28. > :01:33.and St Sampsons Infants open. And it's a campaign that ends here.
:01:34. > :01:38.Thousands have signed a petition. Now it's over to the States and
:01:39. > :01:43.Education is sticking to its guns. We accent totally that it is a very
:01:44. > :01:48.good single entry school but they are very difficult to manage. For
:01:49. > :01:54.consistency across the island, two and three form is better. I will
:01:55. > :01:58.train commits the deputies that what we recommend is the right way
:01:59. > :02:01.forward and democracy will determine if they believe BUT it'll be tough
:02:02. > :02:05.to convince everyone in the States closing the schools makes sense
:02:06. > :02:10.That we have got things right. It is very simple, we do not believe the
:02:11. > :02:13.arguments about educational outcomes under savings that the education
:02:14. > :02:17.Department say they will make will do not exist. We are confident we
:02:18. > :02:21.have put as many arguments as possible before the deputy and we
:02:22. > :02:24.will see how the debate goes. It's almost the end of the road for
:02:25. > :02:31.this debate. By tomorrow the fate of these two schools should be known.
:02:32. > :02:35.A care home for older people in Jersey is to close ten months
:02:36. > :02:38.earlier than planned. The Maison De Ville was due to shut in December
:02:39. > :02:41.next year because it's too expensive to run. But around half the
:02:42. > :02:45.residents have already moved out, now the rest will need to be found
:02:46. > :02:48.new homes by the end of February. Some staff have already taken
:02:49. > :02:56.redundancy and the future for others is uncertain. Pam Caulfield reports.
:02:57. > :03:01.Jersey's oldest care home is out of date. Those living and working here
:03:02. > :03:05.are running out of time. Three quarters of the building is empty
:03:06. > :03:10.and the 12 remaining residents need to be moved out by February. It is
:03:11. > :03:14.ten months earlier than originally planned. Many of the residents have
:03:15. > :03:18.found alternative accommodation sooner than expected and we have
:03:19. > :03:23.been able to look after them largely in our other residential homes. The
:03:24. > :03:32.health professionals working with us have advised that it is not in the
:03:33. > :03:36.best interest of the residents to be left in a home that is mostly empty
:03:37. > :03:38.and they want us to find alternative accommodation for the remaining
:03:39. > :03:44.residents as soon as we can. The home has been losing money to the
:03:45. > :03:48.tune of ?2 million a year. Its closure was announced in May. At
:03:49. > :03:52.that time there were 24 staff here and have taken voluntary redundancy.
:03:53. > :03:56.The rest have moved on and those remaining have less time to find
:03:57. > :04:00.work. Are their jobs out there for them in the Medicare system? That is
:04:01. > :04:04.the discussions we are having now, what alternatives there are or job
:04:05. > :04:17.shares or reductions in hours that could be accommodated. We want to
:04:18. > :04:23.maintain as many staff as we can. They are well`trained and valuable
:04:24. > :04:28.of staff. Those who need support later in life will continue to get
:04:29. > :04:33.it but from spring they will not be cared for here, ending four decades
:04:34. > :04:37.of care at this home here. More news from around the islands
:04:38. > :04:39.now: A man remains in hospital a week after being Tasered by Guernsey
:04:40. > :04:43.Police. It's only the second time the force
:04:44. > :04:46.has used the electric weapon. It follows a disturbance at a property
:04:47. > :04:49.in St Sampsons, when a 40`year`old man armed with kitchen knives and a
:04:50. > :04:53.hypodermic needle threatened officers and also to harm himself.
:04:54. > :04:55.Police say while the effects of the Taser are temporary, the man was
:04:56. > :04:58.taken to hospital because of concerns about his physical and
:04:59. > :05:01.mental well being. A criminal investigation is underway.
:05:02. > :05:04.Alcohol use is still a problem in Jersey, according to a report from
:05:05. > :05:08.the Home Affairs department on crime levels for last year. The amount of
:05:09. > :05:11.alcohol drunk in the island has decreased, but is still higher than
:05:12. > :05:14.other countries in Europe. There was an increase in the number of
:05:15. > :05:19.night`time assaults in town and over half of all cases of domestic abuse
:05:20. > :05:22.recorded in 2012 involved alcohol. However the report also showed
:05:23. > :05:25.overall recorded crime in Jersey has fallen to its lowest level since
:05:26. > :05:29.2005. The States of Guernsey are
:05:30. > :05:33.advertising for a new top civil servant. The incumbent Mike Brown is
:05:34. > :05:36.stepping down from the job after two decades as the Chief Executive. The
:05:37. > :05:39.terms and conditions offer a generous relocation package and say
:05:40. > :05:47.the successful candidate must act as a champion for Guernsey.
:05:48. > :05:51.Seaweed has been used for centuries by farmers in the Channel Islands as
:05:52. > :05:55.a cheap, natural fertiliser. But there's concern a new law could see
:05:56. > :05:59.them being charged for it. Licences could be introduced to regulate who
:06:00. > :06:06.can harvest this natural resource, and where from. Tim Robinson
:06:07. > :06:09.reports. This stuff has been collected by
:06:10. > :06:13.farmers and gardeners and spread on fields and flower beds in Jersey for
:06:14. > :06:16.pretty much as long as history can remember.
:06:17. > :06:19.It's vraic, and for over 100 years, its collection has been regulated by
:06:20. > :06:24.this two page law, written in French in 1894. It was drawn up to stop
:06:25. > :06:26.punch`ups on the beaches over the prized fertiliser, but the
:06:27. > :06:29.department for economic development says it's stifling new marine
:06:30. > :06:35.industries like ormer farming, because it contains rules on when
:06:36. > :06:39.seaweed can be cut. It wants to replace it with this new law, the
:06:40. > :06:42.cost of which would be recouped by charging people for licenses to do
:06:43. > :06:46.it. But that's made some worry they'll be charged to collect vraic.
:06:47. > :06:49.Nick Joualt has studied Jersey's association with the seaweed right
:06:50. > :06:53.back to the 14th century. It does seem like a sledgehammer to
:06:54. > :06:58.crack a nut, we're replacing a two page law, a simple law, with a 5
:06:59. > :07:02.page doucment which is difficult to understand. I'm just a bit concerned
:07:03. > :07:11.that people have been collecting seaweed for time immemorial, and
:07:12. > :07:15.whether this will impact on it. The department says it's new laws
:07:16. > :07:18.would only apply to the activity of cutting live seaweed, not the
:07:19. > :07:24.gathering of seaweed broken off and cast up on the beach. Collection by
:07:25. > :07:28.farmers and the general public would be able to continue as it does at
:07:29. > :07:32.present. So farmers and gardeners can relax for now, but the law would
:07:33. > :07:37.allow future ministers to apply a levy on vraic at any point.
:07:38. > :07:42.You're watching the BBC in the Channel Islands. Later in Spotlight
:07:43. > :07:46.with Rebecca and Simon: Agatha Christie's Devon home becomes the
:07:47. > :07:58.setting for one of Hercule Poirot's final cases.
:07:59. > :07:59.I went there in May and it is absolutely beautiful. Well worth the
:08:00. > :08:03.watch! Have you ever met anyone who can
:08:04. > :08:12.travel faster on water than a high speed ferry? Well, nor have I. But
:08:13. > :08:15.one man in Guernsey is aiming to do just that. Martyn Ogier is a
:08:16. > :08:20.windsurfer who's heading to Africa at the end of this week in an
:08:21. > :08:23.attempt to be the first British man to break a speed sailing record
:08:24. > :08:25.That'd mean travelling at more than 50 knots over 500 metres. Mike
:08:26. > :08:28.Wilkins reports. On the windswept shores of Namibia,
:08:29. > :08:32.a Guernseyman zooming along at speeds of more than 50 knots on a
:08:33. > :08:36.windsurf. This was Martyn Ogier last year. At 6' seven", this gliding
:08:37. > :08:45.giant is the British record holder over ten metres and is aiming to
:08:46. > :08:53.break the record over 500m. It is one heck of a buzz. I guess it is
:08:54. > :08:58.like riding a roller`coaster. A 500 metres run takes about 18 seconds
:08:59. > :09:00.and you are peaking at about 60 mph. It is a rush.
:09:01. > :09:04.Martyn's love for windsurfing was born in Guernsey and he's been on a
:09:05. > :09:08.windsurf eversince he was 11. And although the years have moved on, he
:09:09. > :09:16.told me he still feels he's got what it takes. My wife thinks I am a bit
:09:17. > :09:21.crazy and probably getting a bit too long in the tooth but I don't know.
:09:22. > :09:25.They say if you are good enough you are old enough that I like to swing
:09:26. > :09:27.it around and say if you are good enough, you are young enough.
:09:28. > :09:30.When you're travelling almost twice as fast as Condor's high speed
:09:31. > :09:34.catamarans, with just a wet suit to protect you, this is a dangerous
:09:35. > :09:37.sport to pursue. But Martyn is confident that with the right kit
:09:38. > :09:48.and conditions he could return home a record`breaker.
:09:49. > :09:53.We thought that was Mike at the end, we have not seen him since! C what
:09:54. > :09:57.the weather has in store. Good evening. Nothing is settling
:09:58. > :10:01.down at the moment across the Channel Islands. We will see more
:10:02. > :10:05.wet weather overnight and including the weekend, the breeze will be a
:10:06. > :10:09.feature of the weather again but not as strong as we saw on Sunday and
:10:10. > :10:19.Monday. For most people we have a lot of cloud which will produce a
:10:20. > :10:23.lot of rain. It will mostly clear but it will stay cloudy. The cloud
:10:24. > :10:26.across Earth at the moment is the one producing outbreaks of rain
:10:27. > :10:31.later this evening. It will be a fairly weak affair. Do not `` do not
:10:32. > :10:34.expect too much in the way of rainfall. Freshening southerly
:10:35. > :10:40.breeze will become strong to near gale force `` gale force for a time.
:10:41. > :10:48.We still have the weather front close by. More low pressure comes in
:10:49. > :10:53.on Friday and it could be windy and wet. This rain band is overnight
:10:54. > :10:59.tonight. The main feature is rain but there will be a lot of cloud and
:11:00. > :11:04.it will be mild and windy. Tomorrow the rain is slow to clear in the
:11:05. > :11:07.morning. Some filaments of raid across last until the end of the
:11:08. > :11:13.morning. It will eventually clear and cheer up in the afternoon. Do
:11:14. > :11:19.not expect too much brightness. The cloud will be stubborn and 15
:11:20. > :11:35.degrees is the top temperature. This is the forecast for coastal waters.
:11:36. > :11:39.The serving is mostly choppy. Our main surfing Beatties `` beaches
:11:40. > :11:46.will be up to three feet and rather choppy. The average wins will be
:11:47. > :11:54.around 20 or 25 mph but we could have dusts of 40 or 50.
:11:55. > :11:58.Finally, love could soon be in the air at Durrell as a new male Andean
:11:59. > :12:02.bear has arrived at the wildlife park. Quechua comes to Jersey from a
:12:03. > :12:11.zoo in the Netherlands. He'll join Bahia the female bear, who arrived a
:12:12. > :12:14.few months ago. It's hoped the pair will breed within the next few
:12:15. > :12:18.years. You can see those pictures on our
:12:19. > :12:20.Facebook page. That is it for now. I will have the headlines at 8pm. See
:12:21. > :22:58.you later. We have got some typical autumnal
:22:59. > :23:03.weather. A reasonable start to the day tomorrow, but clouding up with
:23:04. > :23:08.plenty of showers to end the day. This weather is giving us rain at
:23:09. > :23:13.the moment, and drifting eastwards overnight. You can see great big
:23:14. > :23:20.lumps of cloud heading our way from the Atlantic. Any diners will be
:23:21. > :23:24.short lived. `` any dryness will be short lived. This area of low
:23:25. > :23:30.pressure is moving in quite fast, bringing quite wet weather, heavy
:23:31. > :23:37.rain, as we head into Friday. The afternoon looks particularly wet. As
:23:38. > :23:40.we move into the weekend, it becomes windy again. That line of cloud
:23:41. > :23:44.which is coming through this evening is moving steadily. Whilst we see
:23:45. > :23:49.some rain now, it will Peter out towards the early hours of the
:23:50. > :23:55.morning. We have enough clear skies to allow early mist and fog to ``
:23:56. > :24:02.fog patches to form. A truly start to the day therefore. For most of it
:24:03. > :24:06.will be dry and the mist will shift, but it will gradually cried over ``
:24:07. > :24:12.cloud over and by the afternoon there will be rained pretty much
:24:13. > :24:18.everywhere. Light to start with, the breeze increasing as the afternoon
:24:19. > :24:24.goes on, coming quite strong by the evening. Quite well and tomorrow
:24:25. > :24:28.though, despite all that cloud. For the Isles of Scilly, briefly bright
:24:29. > :24:31.in the morning but the cloud will roll in along with the rain.
:24:32. > :24:44.Becoming quite wet through the afternoon. High water times.
:24:45. > :24:47.It will be quite messy for our servers, particularly in the
:24:48. > :25:10.afternoon. The waves though. The visibility will fall to moderate
:25:11. > :25:14.in the showers. I thought I would take you into the weekend, because
:25:15. > :25:18.we are watching and other area of low pressure. It is quite a deep low
:25:19. > :25:24.which will mean the weekend is windy on both days, but we are a bit
:25:25. > :25:27.concerned about the strength of the wind, particularly overnight on
:25:28. > :25:33.Saturday. It could be quite lively with gusts of 60 or 70 mph. Gales
:25:34. > :25:40.again possible through this weekend. Plenty of rain on there has
:25:41. > :25:45.well. Write a wet forecast. The rain on Friday could be quite intense so
:25:46. > :25:50.we do have a warning about that from the Met office. As we move into the
:25:51. > :25:54.weekend, plenty of showers around and slightly colder air heading our
:25:55. > :25:59.way. Through Saturday and Sunday and certainly do the early part of next
:26:00. > :26:02.week, watch the winds go from West to north`westerly with a drop in
:26:03. > :26:11.temperatures. Make most of any or dry weather. Have a good evening.
:26:12. > :26:15.That is it from us this evening. There will be hourly updates on your
:26:16. > :26:17.BBC local radio station but from all of us here, have a good night.
:26:18. > :26:19.Goodbye.