TURKS & CAICOS SUN
Page 33
MAY 18TH - MAY 25TH, 2013
CARIBBEAN NEWS
US House Speaker John Boehner’s daughter marries Jamaican dreadlocked construction worker T
he daughter of House Speaker John Boehner has tied the knot with her Jamaican-born love in an intimate sunset ceremony set amid a lush Florida garden. Lindsay Marie Boehner, 35, married construction worker Dominic Lakhan in a flowing white strapless gown that showed off a huge tattoo etched across her arm. Her 38-year-old groom looked
ceremony took place under heavy security as wedding guests were handed blue wristbands to separate them from diners at the hotel’s restaurant. At least a dozen plainclothes cops were seen patrolling the hotel grounds. A uniformed, shotgun-toting Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputy stood by his squad car in the parking lot while Delray Beach
Last month, Dominic was spotted enjoying a McDonalds in Florida, with his dreadlocks piled high on his head underneath a knitted cap. In 2006, Lakhan was arrested in Pembroke Pines, Florida for misdemeanor possession of two grams of marijuana during a traffic stop, the National Enquirer first reported. The police report from the inci-
JOHN BOEHNER
LINDSAY MARIE BOEHNER
DOMINIC LAKHAN
smart in a grey suit with his waistlength dreadlocks on display as he waited for Boehner to walk Lindsay down the aisle at Sundy House in Delray Beach on Friday. The couple said their vows with the House Speaker looking proudly on - despite the fact Dominic had previously arrested for possessing marijuana. Dominic was arrested in 2006 and this may not have gone down well with Boehner, a Republican who is a staunch opponent to legalizing the drug. However, if there was any tension it was firmly pushed to one side as Boeher, who had donned an orange tie for the occasion, wore a grey suit to match his new son-inlaw. About 60 guests gathered at the wedding, including Lindsay’s younger sister Tricia, 32, who married James Kinney in 2011. Boehner and his wife Debbie were later seen joining their daughter for pictures at the venue which features pretty ponds. The newlyweds had registered at Macy’s for wedding gifts - but kept things low-key, with the most expensive gift being a Pistachio-coloured KitchenAid for $499.99 - and the cheapest, Kassatex Bath Towels, which were on sale for $7.99 Male guests sported Hawaiian shirts and slacks while the women were clad in sun dresses and semi-formal gowns. According to Gossip Extra, the
cops were parked on the street. The blinds at the restaurant were pulled down and diners who wanted to lift them up to watch the wedding were told they couldn’t. The wedding guests, meanwhile, took place in the tiny banquet room about 8pm. and cheered wildly when John Boehner and his wife, Debbie, and the newlyweds walked in half an hour later. Guests helped themselves to a buffet prepared by Sundy House Chef Lindsay Autry, a star of the Bravo show Top Chef‘s Season 9. However, one waitress on hand said she could not believe the wedding party had opted for a buffet, saying: ‘You’d think that they’d splurge on a five-course, sit-down meal! I thought they’d all be much richer!’ Just after 10pm, John Boehner was spotted asking the groom to allow him to dance with his daughter as a three-piece band played The Turtles‘ So Happy Together. The congressman also cut a rug with his younger daughter, Tricia. The Jamaican side of the family, it seems, including Dominic’s sister Delicia, reportedly stayed off the dance floor. David Schnittger, Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of the Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives, tweeted his best wishes to the newlyweds, writing: ‘Paparazzi rent-a-chopper over Boehner family wedding tonight. Hope you got some good pics. Congrats Lindsay and Dom.’
dent states that ‘upon making contact with the driver,’ an officer ‘observed in plain view a 16 oz. Natural Lite beer can opened in the driver door.’ The officer ‘also detected the odor of burnt cannabis emitting from the interior of the vehicle,’ the police report continues. ‘A search of the vehicle revealed two bags containing approximately TWO grams of suspected cannabis… inside the center of the ashtray.’The arresting officer reported that Lakhan admitted to possessing the marijuana and said it was for personal use. Court records show Lakhan, who is originally from Jamaica, was also arrested in 2003 for possession of an open container while driving. Lindsay Boehner lives in a four-bedroom home in Hollywood, Florida, less than an hour from Lakhan’s home in Delray Beach. Boehner has one other daughter, 32-year-old Tricia, who lives in Ohio with her husband, James Kinney. Boehner has said in the past that he is ‘unalterably opposed’ to legalizing marijuana, even for medical purposes. ‘Whether it is the American Medical Association, the American Cancer Society - all of those people, by and large don’t believe there is any medicinal value in marijuana,’ Boehner told CNN in 2009. (Reproduced from Daily Mail)
AMERICAN KILLED WHILE TRYING TO STOP A MUGGING IN THE BAHAMAS
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ASSAU, Bahamas – Kyle Bruner, a sailing enthusiast from Chicago working on a tall ship, was shot dead over the weekend in the Bahamas, according to his family and media reports. Bruner, a 34-year-old former special education teacher, was said to have been trying to help a woman being mugged by two armed men early on Sunday when he was shot in Nassau. The Nassau Tribune reported that Bruner was walking with another man and two women when they were accosted by two men dressed in dark clothing who demanded cash. One of the bandits was armed with a handgun, and Bruner was shot when he apparently tried to prevent them from stealing jewellery from one of the women, police told the Tribune. An altercation was said to have ensued, during which the American was shot in the neck. He was rushed to hospital by ambulance and later succumbed to his injuries. Assistant Commissioner of Police Anthony Ferguson told the Nassau Tribune that police have two suspects in custody in connection with Bruner’s killing and are searching for a third man. According to the Chicago Tribune, the victim’s parents learned of their son’s slaying early Sunday when they received a call from the American Embassy in Nassau. Rick and Ginny Bruner said their son, who was born in Maryland and attended high school and college in Indiana, discovered his love of tall ships several years ago in California. In recent years, he had considered Chicago home. Bruner had worked across the continent and had been living aboard the ship in Nassau while it prepared for its summer trip to its home port in Boston. He was due to leave the Bahamas next week and was planning to join another crew for the summer, a tour that would have included a stop in Chicago, according to his father. Kyle was described by his father as a smart man with varied passions. During high school, he would play the first half with the football team, change into a drum major’s uniform, conduct the marching band and be back in pads for the second half. A former artilleryman in the Indiana Army National Guard, Bruner loved helping others, his father told The Tribune. “Maybe we wish he had walked away from the mugging,” his father said.”But if he had, he wouldn’t have been the person we know.”