01042023 NEWS AND SPORT

OBITUARIES THURSDAY

HIGH 79ºF LOW 68ºF

CARS! CARS!

The Tribune

CLASSIFIEDS TRADER

Established 1903

L AT E S T

N E W S

O N

T R I B U N E 2 4 2 . C O M

Biggest And Best!

Volume: 121 No.30, January 4, 2024

THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: PRICE–$1

TWO MURDERED IN BROAD DAYLIGHT

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net CHATERE Wells was just a friend catching a ride to work when she was murdered yesterday.

Sandra Smith, the mother of Dino Smith –– the man killed with Wells on Prince Charles Drive –– told The Tribune: “She just call him to give her a lift to work, and he just leave from home, clean he tennis and he gone to give her a ride.”

SEE PAGE TWO THE SCENE on Prince Charles Drive where a man and woman were killed after being shot by multiple assailants yesterday before noon.

Photo: Dante Carrer

FNM CRITICISE GOVT OVER LACK OF PRIORITY ON FOIA ‘monitoring of FREE National Movement leader Michael Pintard criticized Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis’ response to implementing the Freedom of Information Act, noting the administration’s team is large enough to get it done.

Mr Davis told reporters on Tuesday that implementing the FOIA is not one of his top priorities, pointing to the need to address the cost of living, among other matters.

“According to the PM,”

FNM LEADER MICHAEL PINTARD Mr Pintard said in a statement yesterday, “even

though he has more than two dozen ministers and parliamentary secretaries, and even though the FOIA has its own budget allocation, a full-time FOIA commissioner, and staff already in place, the prime minister still apparently cannot figure out how to get FOIA fully implemented while also getting other things done.

“This rationale is, of course, just abject

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

SEE PAGE FOUR

SOME CRIMINALS AFTER SENTENCE A consideration’

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net SOME convicted criminals could be labelled dangerous and ordered to be electronically monitored for up to 20 years SEE PAGE FIVE

PAGE 2, Thursday, January 4, 2024

THE TRIBUNE

Two murdered in broad daylight from page one The broad daylight killing of Smith, 30, and Wells, 27, meant 10 people have been killed in the last 13 days, with someone murdered on all but three days since December 22. Smith was killed on his birthday.

Police see no connections between the killings, according to National Security Minister Wayne Munroe, and authorities have not said whether they are gang-related.

The killings at an intersection not far from the Doris Johnson Senior High School prompted a flurry of police activity and congested traffic on the typically bustling Prince Charles Drive.

Bystanders stood in shock, covering their mouths as bodies were removed from a grey Nissan Cube. Even a seven-yearold boy received minor injuries after shattered glass

THE SCENE on Prince Charles Drive where a man and woman were killed after being shot by multiple assailants yesterday before Noon.

Photo: Dante Carrer

SEE PAGE THREE

A CROWD of onlookers gather on the sidewalk near the murder scene yesterday.

MUNROE-CHARLOW AMONG BAHAMIANS RECEIVING THE King’s new Year’s Honour

THE CHAIRPERSON of the Royal British Legion-Bahamas Branch, Adina Munroe-Charlow, with the British High Commissioner to The Bahamas, Tom Hartley.

THE chairperson of the Royal British LegionBahamas Branch, Adina Munroe-Charlow, has been given an award on the King’s New Year’s Honours list. She has been awarded the MBE –– Member of the Most Excellent Order

of the British Empire –– for her services to veterans and their widows in The Bahamas.

Theophilus Andrew Cunningham and Bernard Kenneth Bonamy, Jr, received the King’s Police Medal.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, January 4, 2024, PAGE 3

Two murdered in broad daylight from page two struck him when his car was damaged.

Ms Smith believes her son was the victim of a retaliatory killing. He was on bail for attempted armed robbery and previously beat firearm possession and manslaughter charges.

He was found guilty of firearm possession last year, but the Court of Appeal overturned his conviction, finding that a magistrate erred by using his statement as evidence against him. His girlfriend, Annette Johnson, is serving a two-and-a-half-year sentence. She testified that before police took her and Smith into custody in 2022, Smith asked her to hide a gun. She used the restroom in police custody, and officers later found a .40 pistol and 13 rounds of ammunition in the toilet tank.

Smith was also a suspect in a $1.5m robbery of a bank security car last year, but was released without being charged.

He was shot shortly after leaving custody. Chief Superintendent of Police Chrislyn Skippings said he was questioned but refused to give information about who shot him.

Ms Smith claimed her son became careful of the company he kept after that incident.

“He don’t really keep friends,” she said. “He just keep his circle small and try to stay from around people, but it look like everywhere he go, people are just targeting him until the end now. They end up

To advertise in The Tribune, contact 502-2394

killing him.

“From when they put up saying about this money thing, it’s just like his life is no more because they take it now.”

She said Smith was a father of three.

She is familiar with pain: one of her sons is in jail, and another was previously murdered.

Smith was all she had.

“That’s all I had left to help me through all these situations and things I going through,” she said.

“That’s the only person who was there for me, honey, to do things for me.

Nobody else I had. I had no one to do anything for me.

“You know how much time I talk to him? I say ‘Dino, stay from around these people. Watch out for these people. I never know today was gonna be the day, on his birthday, they was gonna kill my child like a dog like that. It hurt me.”

“I’m hurting so bad.

Lord, I can tell you that.

Honey, I can’t take no more. I can tell you truth, and whoever do that to my child, I hope they catch him and bring justice for my son.”

Ms Smith said her son called her after leaving home a minute before he was killed.

She said not long after the murders, gossip about the murdered pair and an unattractive picture of Smith circulated on social media, hurting the family.

Tavallia Dean, a hairstylist and friend of Wells, said the woman was positive and unproblematic.

She said the two bonded

working in a beauty salon.

She said Ms Wells was a nail tech who wanted to elevate their business.

“Anytime we get to talk it’s always about business,” she said. “There was never any negativity or anything, just straightup business and friendship and the memories that we had before.

“Even though everybody has to die one day, I just feel someone like that shouldn’t have to die that way.”

According to CSP Skippings, the victims were travelling west in their Nissan Cube shortly before noon when a gold colored Nissan vehicle pulled alongside them.

Three men with firearms got out of their car and fired multiple gunshots at the Nissan Cube.

Three other vehicles, a white Nissan Cube, a blue Suzuki Splash, and a red Mazda Demio, were also damaged during the incident, according to CSP Skippings, who said the suspects then fled west on Prince Charles Drive.

Their car was later recovered in the Hanna Road area in southeastern New Providence.

A scared and shocked woman driving the Demio involved in the incident published a video showing the aftermath of the incident.

“Oh my God, the people look like they dead,” she cried in the one-minute clip.

The double homicide came less than 24 hours after a murder in South Beach. Four people have been killed in 2024.

THE SCENE on Prince Charles Drive where a man and woman were killed after being shot by multiple assailants yesterday before Noon.

Photo: Dante Carrer

PAGE 4, Thursday, January 4, 2024

THE TRIBUNE

FNM criticise govt over lack of priority on FOIA

FREE National Movement leader Michael Pintard criticized Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis’ response to implementing the Freedom of Information Act, noting the administration’s team is large enough to get it done.

from page one foolishness. The truth is much more sinister. This is not a matter of competing priorities. This prime minister is deliberately and cynically stalling the implementation of FOIA because he clearly has plenty to hide from the Bahamian people he is supposed to be working for. Imagine that he wants to hide things from the very people he works

for.

Mr Pintard said the FNM has been raising concerns about the consequences of inflation and recommended eliminating value-added tax on essential items and capping a gasoline tax.

“But true to form, this Davis administration has been too busy throwing parties and cocktail receptions (while doling out tens of millions of dollars in illegally procured

contracts to supporters) to notice the plight of Bahamians,” Mr Pintard claimed.

“Many now have to choose between buying groceries or paying a BPL bill that has doubled and tripled due to PLP bungling of the fuel hedge arrangements.

While other governments worldwide took action to help their people, the Davis administration was making things worse,” he claimed.

“Prime Minister Davis

only brought up the inflation crisis to find an excuse for their epic failure to honour their election pledge to fully implement the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

“The PM knows that under FOIA, we will get all the paperwork regarding the tens of millions of dollars in no-bid contracts given to political supporters that were illegally procured given the provisions of the

Public Procurement Act. “We remind the prime minister that his government announced the ten pilot agencies for FOIA back in November 2021, more than two years ago.

The FOIA officers in those agencies received training in May of 2023. The FOIA commissioner himself has said he is only waiting for the AG’s office to complete the draft regulations and for the OPM to facilitate

the electronic platform.

What is stopping the Davis administration from full implementation?”

Mr Pintard said to fulfil his election transparency and accountability promises, the prime minister could instruct now-trained FOIA officers in the pilot agencies to respond to all reasonable requests for information from the members of the formal press.

Govt issues public reminder of verification process for pensioners A PUBLIC notice has been issued reminding people of the verification process for pensioners.

The treasury department issued a statement reminding all Bahamas government pensioners, parliamentary, judicial, official, World War veterans

and widows, as well as widows and orphans and re-employed pensioners whose pension payments are paid directly into their bank accounts that the verification exercise began on January 2.

The notice added: “Pensioners are further advised to visit the Pension Section, ground floor of the Public Treasury Department Building, situated on the corner of East & North streets, Nassau, Bahamas, during the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. weekdays, bringing with them a valid form of identification such as a Passport, National Insurance card or Drivers’ licence.

“The following Life and Payment Verification certificates are available at the Treasury Departments, Nassau, Freeport and Abaco, at the Family Island Administrators Offices or via the Bahamas Government website, www.bahamas.gov.bs, for Pensioners with a disability and or residing outside of

the Commonwealth of The Bahamas: UÊ *>À > i Ì>ÀÞÊ *i sion Life & Payment Certificate - for retired Parliamentarians.

UÊ "vwV > Ê *i Ã Ê ­ Õ` cial) Life & Payment Certificate – for retired Judges.

UÊ"vwV > Ê*i Ã Ê viÊEÊ Payment Certificate – for retired Public Officers.

UÊ 7 À `Ê 7>ÀÊ £Ê 6iÌiÀans and Widows Life & Payment Certificate - for Veterans & Widows of World War 1.

UÊ > > >ÃÊ 7 ` ÜÃ½Ê EÊ Orphans’ Pension Fund Certificate – for Widows’ & Orphans’.”

All pensioners are required to verify during January and July each year.

For more information, contact the pension section on 302-0519, 302-0566, 3020521 or 302-0539.

‘Monitoring of some criminals after sentence a consideration’ THE TRIBUNE

from page one

after serving their sentence, according to National Security Minister Wayne Munroe, whose ministry is consulting stakeholders on the matter.

“If we know where you are, you may not be so free to reoffend and so that to me is a much more robust protection for the public,” he said.

Such a provision could be included in an upcoming parole bill, which he hopes will be tabled in the House of Assembly in March. He said his ministry would consult Court of Appeal judges, the Bar Council and the Bahamas Christian Council. He said his team had received no negative feedback on the proposal.

“In Canada, they have a concept that you could be deemed a dangerous criminal on conviction and that may justify you being sentenced to life in prison for serious acts of violence or serious sexual offences, and the parole board cannot release you, unless you’re deemed no

Thursday, January 4, 2024, PAGE 5

longer to be dangerous,” Mr Munroe said.

“If you do not get sentenced to life, the court can sentence you to a set period of time. And if they deem you dangerous, I can order you to be supervised up to 20 years after your release and that can include supervision as far as electronic monitoring.”

Under the long-promised parole system, convicts would be released early.

“If you’re sentenced to 40 years for murder, you get four months off for every year for good behaviour, so you get 160 months off, so that’s more than 12 years,” Mr Munroe said.

“So, although you get 40 years, you end up on serving 30 something and if you get out and you commit a crime the next day, you’re never held accountable for the time you got off. Parole changes that.”

Mr Munroe said the legislation would deal with probation, suspended sentences, and conditional release for offenders, among other things.

MUNROE DISMISSES AUDIT THAT SAID RBPF WAS TOP-HEAVY

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe dismissed a manpower audit that found the RBPF is top-heavy, saying the auditors didn’t have any leadership experience in policing.

His criticism of the audit came while defending the high number of assistant commissioners in the country after recent promotional exercises brought the number to 14.

A manpower audit in 2018 found that there only needed to be six assistant commissioners.

“I wouldn’t call it a manpower audit,” Mr Munroe told The Tribune yesterday about the report. “Nobody on it had any command experience of a force. You don’t get people who are corporals and sergeants.

Right. So when I looked at it, that’s the first issue.”

He said someone with leadership experience will perform an ongoing defence force audit.

The Research and Development Section of the Ministry of National Security created the manpower audit.

Mr Munroe said the audit team should’ve been headed by a retired commissioner from another country or someone with executive leadership experience.

The minister also dismissed the report’s comparisons of The Bahamas’ police force to other countries, citing differences in landmass.

According to the Jamaican Constabulary Force’s website, Jamaica’s national police force has six

assistant commissioners.

The Metropolitan Police Service, the United Kingdom’s largest police force with more than 47,000 officers, has seven.

Mr Munroe said: “The Bahamas has twenty-plus international airports. We probably have like 30 or 35 occupied cays spread over 100,000 square miles.

In the report themselves, they point out that that’s a significant difference between us in Barbados, us in Trinidad, us in Jamaica.”

“Barbados is one landmass, Jamaica is one landmass, Trinidad and Tobago are two.”

He noted auditors also complained about the lack of ACPs who had portfolios –– an issue he said doesn’t apply to the current command team.

“All of the assistant commissioners of police have portfolios,” he said.

“So if somebody is going to complain about them, I would expect it to be insofar as you look at their portfolio and say there’s no need for us as the police commissioner to have this portfolio.”

Mr Munroe said the police service commission approved the promotions, a body made up of retired senior police.

While defending the promotions last month, Commissioner Clayton Fernander said more senior people are needed in growing Family Islands and at the head of police stations.

“What you will see now is an assistant commissioner of police is in charge of two stations, and we will have a command structure across the board,” he said.

NATIONAL SECURITY MINISTER WAYNE MUNROE

PAGE 6, Thursday, January 4, 2024

The Tribune Limited

THE TRIBUNE

PICTURE OF THE DAY

NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI “Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master”

LEON E. H. DUPUCH,

Publisher/Editor 1903-1914

SIR ETIENNE DUPUCH,

Kt., O.B.E., K.M., K.C.S.G., (Hon.) LL.D., D.Litt .

Publisher/Editor 1919-1972 Contributing Editor 1972-1991

RT HON EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON,

C.M.G., M.S., B.A., LL.B. Publisher/Editor 1972-

Published daily Monday to Friday

Shirley & Deveaux Streets, Nassau, Bahamas N3207 TELEPHONES News & General Information Advertising Manager Circulation Department Nassau fax Freeport, Grand Bahama Freeport fax

(242) 322-2350 (242) 502-2394 (242) 502-2386 (242) 328-2398 (242)-352-6608 (242) 352-9348

WEBSITE, TWITTER & FACEBOOK www.tribune242.com

@tribune242

tribune news network

Why we should consider a transitional administration for Gaza THE massacre perpetrated against Israel by Hamas on Oct. 7 opened a new chapter in the tragedy that is the IsraeliPalestinian conflict.

For more than 75 years, too many opportunities to achieve lasting peace have been squandered, whether through the intransigence of some, the extremist excesses of others, the unbalanced commitment of a third party or even global disinterest in the conflict.

More than 150 members of the United Nations General Assembly, including Canada, recently voted in favour of a resolution calling for a ceasefire. Ten members voted against the resolution, including Israel and the United States.

The US also vetoed a UN Security Council resolution for a ceasefire.

Yet US President Joe Biden recently expressed an intention to resolve the conflict: “Our goal should not be simply to stop the war for today – it should be to end the war forever.”

These developments, including an apparent determination by the US to reengage its efforts to bring about lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians as thousands die in the conflict, requires an examination of what would be the most effective course of action.

Obviously, the chances of success may seem remote. But what are the alternatives? A return to the pre-Oct. 7 status quo would mean accepting the more or less long-term repetition of a new cycle of appalling violence.

Eliminating the threat posed by Hamas cannot be achieved by Israel’s reoccupation of the Gaza Strip, and even less by the disappearance of all Palestinians from the enclave, as suggested by the most radical elements on the Israeli political scene.

The return of a moribund and ineffective Palestinian Authority in the wake of Israel Defence Forces military operations in Gaza is not credible and doomed to failure.

Arab countries in the region don’t want to assume responsibility for the security and administration of Gaza, while interference by a single major foreign power like the US would constitute a form of imperialism.

Faced with these unthinkable options, the best — or least bad — solution seems to be to consider setting up a transitional administration in Gaza with three objectives: to ensure security, to work towards reconstruction and to lay the foundations for political stability and economic development.

Such a model was successful in the pacification and reconstruction mission in East Timor in 1999 and in Kosovo the same year. The United Nations might even consider reviving its Trusteeship Council, which has been dormant since 1994.

To ensure legitimacy and a mandate, such an administration would have to rest on two pillars involving the UN Security Council: a regional agreement under Chapter 8 of the UN Charter, and the implementation of a peaceenforcement force based on Chapter 7 to restore order and ensure security on the other.

Such a multinational approach would give hope to Gazans and reassure the Israeli government that Hamas and other extremist groups cannot return.

In the long term, it could even encourage the emergence of a full and functional administration of the territory, offering the concrete prospect of a political solution to the long-standing dispute with the creation of a future Palestinian state (starting with Gaza and extending to the West Bank).

The success of such an approach, as was the case in the past in Bosnia and Kosovo (involving NATO and the European Union), depends on the creation of a peacekeeping force with a strong mandate from the UN Security Council.

This force would have to be large enough to ensure security and, if necessary, impose peace — meaning at least 50,000 well-armed, well co-ordinated UN troops, with clear rules of engagement, provided by the countries involved (excluding Russia, for obvious reasons) and placed under a single command designated by the council, as was the case during the Korean War. This last requirement is necessary to avoid any repetition of the catastrophic scenario of the failed intervention in Somalia in 1993. The creation of such a well-integrated and well-organized military structure is absolutely essential to avoid any paralysis in decision-making.

Rebuilding Gaza and offering economic prospects to its inhabitants will obviously require considerable financial resources.

The transitional administration, or even a revamped Trusteeship Council, would need to raise substantial sums of money and report regularly on how these funds are being used (as well as on developments in the security of the region).

These funds could come from the usual western powers, but also from the wealthy Gulf countries, which might be prepared to help Palestinians financially without having to become overly involved politically at the risk of damaging their improving relations with Israel.

International institutions like the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme would also need to be involved — a task made easier if it happens within a UN-led framework and mission.

By Julien Tourreille and Charles Phillipe David

Are we really the best little nation?

EDITOR, The Tribune.

OVER Christmas we heard again the saying ‘We, The Bahamas, is the best little country in the world’!

Not unpatriotic but … can’t agree as there are so many reasons why we are not.

Murder rate ... 107 and counting annually.

Health - the highest diabetes rate in the world.

Fewest births to married couples in comparison to single mothers.

Least number of licenced motor vehicles.

Unpaid tax arrears in excess of $864m.

Probably only 50 percent attend a church of their

choice on Sunday.

My initial list which certainly counters totally that The Bahamas is the best little country.

As a political slogan sounds good but … truth don’t lie!

JEROME SEARS Nassau, December 29, 2023.

A MAN cries as a body of his family member was found from a collapsed house caused by powerful earthquake in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture yesterday.

Photo: Hiro Komae/AP

Reporters ambushing the COP EDITOR, The Tribune.

THE usual rationale behind the oftentimes and apparent interrogation by reporters of the Commissioner of Police, it seemed, but why?

Season’s Greetings Bahamas! And for it is my prayer that the God of the Ages in this New Year 2024, shows Himself mighty in the lives of the Bahamian people. It is further my hope that He would perfect those things that concerns Him, hallelujah, amen.

I have been following for some time now the interaction of certain reporters and how they have apparently perceived what were their jobs and how might those duties be carried out.

This question coming out of the various sound bite portrayals of these events.

Let us delve into the nuts and bolts of matters pertaining to crime and criminality.

From what I know of the factors influencing all aspects of the administration of justice, were decided by the Framers of the Constitution of The Bahamas, were very detailed, specific and inclusive where it enunciated the procedural functions of all arms of law enforcement, which cannot be transferred or cancelled, except by referendum, etc.

Now, as the facts would have it, the Commissioner of Police has with him, multiple Gazetted Officers, whose functions were specifically enshrined.

And as the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, has all of the islands listed, settlements, and members of the Bahamian Parliament representing each, were also staffed by Police stations, and district councillors, etc. Among the Police Forces High Command, we see that the seniors were assigned roles, stations and districts for a reason. The same way you have the constituencies, etc.

Cutting to the chase, on New Providence for an example, police stations were established in all

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net four corners of the island of New Providence, and staffed accordingly … but if you were to examine the crime stats per division, you would be able to say objectively, I hope, that perhaps the level of the arrests of the problems of crime were in fact being quelled, or that officers were not working diligently enough to bring order to disorder? Concomitantly, you might conclude that, because the strength of the manpower was too few, that matters could not be addressed sufficiently?

Okay, for arguments sake, if that were your gripe, who then was responsible to increase the staff of police officers?

The last time I checked it was the Members of the Bahamian Parliament, not the Commissioner of Police.

And since crime and criminality require much more than police efforts, to solve.

There is something to be said about the political involvement, or how were they duty bound to mobilize the efforts to adjust the laws, and/or to make recommendations for there to be a referendum, if it decides that it does, but to pile up all of the questions about crime on the Commissioner of Police, is literally scapegoating our Commissioner. There is also a role that the Judicial Branch of the Government plays, justices after crossreferencing the events from their day, should be able to list matters requiring a visit by lawgivers for investigation? But ideally, or even materially, crime is caused by lack, which is why the Framers have divided the responsibilities of politicians into two categories: 1 - the protection of the state; 2 - the welfare of the people, therefore, I am left baffled how politicians were not able to get a hold on these social ills?

In conclusion, it is hoped

that reporters cease and desist and refrain from dealing with the Commissioner of Police as if he were being interrogated, after all, and apart from the systemic routine patrols conducted by police officers, what they haven’t found being committed in their presence, perpetrators will have to decide to commit – that way, after the committal comes the complainant, who reports the crime to the police station, as officers then will have to investigate?

But, if you were paying the right attention to what the Commissioner has been saying for months, that crime in whatever categories, was down. He also lamented on the success rate of their detection, arrests, investigation, prosecution and conviction based on appropriate lines of inquiries having yielded much, but given very few compliments, but why?

Finally, Mr Commissioner is a man for whom I have the utmost respect for his knowledge, wisdom and understanding of the investigation of crime and its criminality, and what is needed to bring it to a manageable resolve … but be assured that not everything can be treated by the police, no matter how well intentioned they may be.

Some factors require the intervention of politicians, the people in the Halls of the Bahamian Parliament.

When it is brought to their attention they must act, investigate those deficiencies to see how legislatively they might remedy the problem, etcetera.

So, reporters please stop the ambushing of the Commissioner of Police, because really, reporters were not supposed to impose an interview upon a person of this office, without giving him the benefit of preparing for it, so that you have the same standard when it enters the media, et cetera.

FRANK GILBERT Nassau, January 2, 2024.

Pipeline bridge install to cause road closures in Grand Bahama THE TRIBUNE

THE Ministry of Works and Family Island Affairs advises the public that a pipeline bridge will be installed over Grand Bahamian Way for approximately eight weeks.

Thursday, January 4, 2024, PAGE 7

The work is expected to begin today.

Grand Bahamian Way will be closed to traffic: the motoring public is further advised that a temporary road diversion will be in place from 2am

to 4am while the horizontal overhead pipeline crossing is being installed.

Grand Bahama Shipyard undertakes the project.

The Ministry of Works and Family Island Affairs

Division Road Traffic Barriers

Light Towers

Bridge Installation

IMAGES above show the technical drawing and area affected for a temporary pipeline bridge to be built over Grand Bahamian Way for about eight weeks. The road will be closed during installation.

Traffic Warning Lights

MAN REMANDED AFTER BEING CHARGED WITH FIRING AN ASSAULT RIFLE AT THREE OFFICERS

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net A MAN is behind bars after he allegedly engaged police with an assault rifle last month near Grant Street before officers shot him.

Acting Chief Magistrate Roberto Reckley charged Daran Moree, aka “Dudley Moree”, 38, with three counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Terrell Butler

represented the accused.

Moree’s alleged accomplice, Rodman Knowles, 25, was arraigned for gun and threats of death charges for this same incident last Thursday.

Police, responding to gunfire in the area of Grant Street, reportedly spotted a burgundy Nissan Cube, which attempted to escape on the night of December 23, 2023.

During this incident, Moree allegedly endangered the lives of PC Cordero McKinney, R/ASP

Wakney Moss and Able Seaman Raynaldo Pinder.

The defendant was successfully treated for his gunshot wound in hospital.

The accused was told that his matter would be moved to the Supreme Court through a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI). He will be sent to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services until the higher court grants him bail.

His VBI is slated for service on April 18.

16-YEAR-OLD GRANTED $5,000 BAIL ON CHARGE OF ROBBING A PERSON AT KNIFEPOINT LAST WEEK

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net A 16-YEAR-OLD male was granted bail yesterday after he was accused of robbing a person at knifepoint last week.

Magistrate Shaka Serville charged the teenager, whose name is being withheld because he is a minor, with robbery and assault with a deadly weapon.

The juvenile was charged in the presence of his guardians.

Wendawn Miller-Frazer represented him.

The juvenile, while armed with a knife, is accused of assaulting and robbing Shamar Mackey of his $300 gold chain and coin around 3.50pm on December 27, 2023, in New Providence.

After he pleaded not guilty to the charges, he was granted $5,000 bail with one or two sureties. Under the terms of

MAN CHARGED WITH ABUSING HIS DAUGHTER SENT FOR EVALUATION

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net A FATHER was ordered to be evaluated at Sandilands after he was accused of abusing his six-year-old daughter on New Year’s Eve. Magistrate Kara Turnquest-Deveaux charged the 26-year-old man, whose name is being withheld to protect the identity of the child, with cruelty to children.

The accused allegedly beat his young daughter until she

was injured on December 31, 2023.

Although the accused pleaded not guilty to the charge, the court elected not to enter his plea as he exhibited strange behaviour during his arraignment. The defendant was seen talking to himself, fidgeting and repeatedly taking off his shoes before the magistrate.

As a result he was ordered to be psychologically evaluated at the Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre, where he will remain until he returns to court on March 25.

TEEN FINED AND GIVEN TWO YEARS PROBATION FOR HAVING A FIREARM

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net A 17-YEAR-OLD male was fined $2,000 and placed on two years probation after admitting to a gun charge yesterday.

Magistrate Kara Turnquest-Deveaux charged the teenager, whose name is being withheld because he is a minor, with possession of an unlicenced firearm and possession of ammunition.

The defendant was arrested by police in New Providence after they found

him with a black Taurus 9mm pistol with 12 rounds of 9mm ammunition on January 1.

After pleading guilty to the charge and accepting responsibility for his actions, the magistrate ordered him to pay a $2,000 fine. He must also be placed on a two-year probation period, during which time he is to complete 250 hours of community service.

Failure to obey any of these stipulations would result in the accused facing a two-year sentence at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

this bail, he must sign in at the Wulff Road Police Station every Sunday by 6pm. He must also obey a daily residential curfew from 10pm to 7am.

The juvenile is to return to court on April 9.

and the Grand Bahama Port Authority are stakeholders in the project, as they are shared regulators of the Fishing Hole Road.

According to a release from Grand Bahama Shipyard –– police, traffic

managers, and sufficient lighting will be in place during night operations to ensure a safe work environment.

Jan De Nul Group, the contractor undertaking the work on behalf of the

Grand Bahama Shipyard, said during the installation, road barriers will be in place across Grand Bahamian Way and police will be present and traffic managers will be in place.

PAGE 8, Thursday, January 4, 2024

THE TRIBUNE

Person of the year: Kim Outten Stubbs Preserver and Chronicler of history and heritage

KIM Outten Stubbs is a master teacher, an educator by vocation. Earlier in her career she taught at CC Sweeting, RM Bailey and St Augustine’s College. Her devotion to the subjects she taught, including Bahamian history and geography, was infectious. She was a nononsense teacher, but not without fun.

After making a point in the classroom or after a student grasped a fact or insight, she would offer her signature, “right?!”

The “right” would be said in both a questioning and declaratory manner, the last letters extended for emphasis.

She developed her own form of the Socratic Method, asking certain questions and waiting for a thoughtful response. It is a method she still sometimes uses when engaging in dialogue with those who seek her assistance and advice.

Eventually, the attributes she demonstrated in the classroom were brought to the national stage. As a teacher, she was enthusiastic, disciplined, well-prepared, and detail-oriented. As a researcher, curator, archivist and administrator she exhibited the same telltale stellar qualities.

Outten Stubbs is passionate about researching, preserving and sharing the history and heritage of The Bahamas with Bahamians and others. During our 50 years of sovereignty, individuals like Dr. Gail Saunders, Outten Stubbs, and other historians and archivists have told and exhibited our stories from a Bahamian perspective.

Because of these historians and educators, we have a greater sense of our history, our identity, our possibilities and challenges. During last year’s independence celebrations there was considerably more we should have done to educate Bahamians about our

history as a nation, which is considerably longer than 50 years.

Kim Outten Stubbs is this columnist’s choice for Person of the Year because she personifies a genuine patriotism and careful scholarship demonstrated during her many decades of service. She typifies some of the best of the Bahamian spirit.

She has helped to preserve and to present Bahamian history and heritage to successive generations, as well as to a wider international and Caribbean audience.

Individuals like her have chronicled our many centuries old national journey.

During her years at the Archives, and later at the National Museum of The Bahamas, Antiquities, Monuments and Museum Corporation (AMMC), the Bahamas archipelago has been her classroom.

She eventually rose to become acting director of the latter in 2018 and was appointed director in 2019. She currently serves as technical consultant at the agency.

Her teaching tools and spaces include: museums, temporary and permanent exhibits, writings, school presentations and other platforms. She has also been exceedingly generous in helping numerous

CHRONICLER of history and heritage Kim Outten Stubbs. individuals and students with research projects.

Outten Stubbs received a Master of Arts in museum studies in 1991 from University College London, University of London. Her internships were at the Hackney Museum and the Museum of London.

One of the Hackney’s specialties is the history of immigration. The Museum of London covers “the history of the city from prehistoric to modern times, with a particular focus on social history”.

In 1980, she was awarded a Master of Arts in African and AfroAmerican Studies from the State University of New York at Albany. She was the recipient of the Award for Excellence in Scholarship in the Department of African and Afro-American Studies.

Her Bachelor of Arts in History and Black Studies

was attainted at Luther College in Iowa in 1978.

She graduated Cum Laude and was a Member of the Honorary History Society.

How did Outten Stubbs come to invest a lifetime in research and education in history, including the history of Africa and the African Diaspora, especially in the Caribbean?

Listen to the storyteller recall a part of her personal journey and our collective stories.

“I have always loved history and in particular my own family’s history and oral tradition. The elderly in my family have always gathered to talk about our heritage. My immediate ancestors come from Cat Island and Caicos Island…

“When I was a little girl about ten or so my grandfather brought me from New York to Florida on the way home to Nassau.

“We stopped in a town in Florida called Carvers

Photo: Derek Carroll Ranch just outside of Hollywood, Florida, where most of the settlers were Bahamian. We arrived at night, and he took me to the home of every relative and woke them up and introduced us.

“My uncle did the same thing for me as a young woman on a visit to Cat Island, meeting relative from one end of the island to the other. These experiences helped to shape my perception of who l am, and why I do what I do, my identity.”

“This is the reason that I study history, identity, knowing who we are, where we come from so that we can better determine where we need to go.”

Outten Stubbs is passionate about understanding and preserving history: “Preserving that history whether it be in the built environment, or as intangible culture and written records is vital to nation building.”

She has played her part in nation building at the Museum/Corporation.

As assistant archivist beginning in 1990, she conducted research on aspects of Bahamian History; prepared articles for newspaper publications; and participated in the formative organisation of the museums and historic preservation section of the Department of Archives.

She also participated in archaeological excavation throughout The Bahamas. In 1992, she co-curated and set up the first exhibition for the Pompey Museum. In 1993 she served as the Bahamian co-curator for Craft of The Bahamas at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the Mall in Washington DC. Outten Stubbs was transferred from the Department of Education to the Department of Archives, from which the National Museum of The Bahamas, Antiquities, Monuments and Museum Corporation was eventually formed. In 1994, she became assistant curator at the Museum/ Corporation.

She assisted in the drafting of the Antiquities, Monuments and Museum Act, 1998; served as the first recording secretary of the Board of the AMMC; developed training programmes for museum attendants and tour guides at the forts; assisted in the development of the Historic Preservation programme; and identified sites for the initial Historic Sites Register.

Outten Stubbs created exhibits, mounted objects, conducted research, and assisted in the establishment of National Museum satellite museums in Long Island, San Salvador and traveling exhibitions to other islands including

Grand Bahama.

She also participated in archaeology excavations throughout the country.

Amidst her administrative and other duties, she continued scholarly work through research, writing and editing. She has contributed to Ministry of Education publications, as well as to “Aspects of Bahamian History”, a local newspaper article series.

She helped to edit Historic Fortifications of Nassau and was a cowriter of “Straw Work: A Case Study of Continuity and Change” and “Cultural Perspectives”, both of which were Smithsonian Folklife Festival publications.

Her research topics include: the Women Suffrage Movement in The Bahamas, Lodges and Friendly Societies, Straw Craft throughout The Bahamas, Slavery in The Bahamas, Fortifications of The Bahamas, and Family Island communities.

Outten Stubbs has been fortunate to realise in both senses her public vocation and role in the country’s national development and maturation as an independent nation.

“I believe that we are all given a task, a calling, sometimes we do not have the opportunity to pursue the calling, I have been very fortunate to be able to pursue what I perceive as my calling.

“I have been blessed to receive a level of education that provided the skills and knowledge to look at how we present and study history and realise that it does not have to always be in a classroom or a book.”

There is a humility and self-effacement to Outten Stubbs, who does not like publicity: “My years of work are only the very beginning of the journey and there are many others who share the vision.

“I believe that we are making a dent in the armour, and that we should make sure that our dent is so significant that the next generation of builders will not have to come behind us and do the work again. They will be able to use our dent to step up and move forward, upward and onward in building our Bahamaland.”

Through dogged work and dedication over decades, Kim Outten Stubbs has made considerably more than a dent. She has made the proverbial indelible mark and lasting impression.

This includes her extraordinary devotion she to the realisation and the restoration of the Pompey Museum and her work toward the Museum of The Bahamas, more of which, next week.

PAGE 10, Thursday, January 4, 2024

Biden and Trump continue to surge despite various issues and criticisms WHAT a curious year this promises to be in American politics.

The loser in the last presidential election is running away from his few challengers, most of whom so fear offending his ardent supporters that they refrain from criticising him even as he faces nearly 100 criminal charges.

The incumbent president inherited an economic mess and has largely dealt with it, but inspires very little confidence from voters on his management of the economy. But the incumbent also underestimated and misjudged a real crisis at the southern American border and has done little to inspire confidence in his handling of this issue since he took office.

Curiously, the incumbent faces hardly any opposition as he glides – or stumbles – toward virtually certain renomination and likely reelection, polls notwithstanding.

Donald Trump’s command of the contemporary Republican Party is not too difficult to understand. Like successful Republicans of the past 50 years, he is careful never to overestimate the intelligence or engagement of the average American voter.

Most Americans don’t have any idea about the problems their nation faces.

They cannot point out Ukraine on a world map, and they don’t care. Such is the complacency, lassitude and ignorance of too many Americans that they are often easily led astray, and Trump is certainly the most accomplished American demagogue of this century, or perhaps of any other century.

In his continuing defiance of American convention, he resonates deeply with the alienated, discounted and discarded millions of

STATESIDE with Charlie Harper Americans who constitute his base of support. For them, Make America Great Again means re-establishment of a white, nativist hegemony that they think might benefit them.

But Trump is also, or at least has fashioned himself into, a reliable conservative.

Many of his policies and achievements while he was in office ring the chimes of American conservatives, so it is a mistake to simply brand his support among “establishment” members of the GOP as craven opportunism.

Opportunism remains undoubtedly a factor in their continuing fealty, however.

Just this week, Congressional Republican leaders signed up for another Trump run at the White House.

Unless Trump has unforgivably betrayed them or lied to them or otherwise mistreated them, Republican politicians have plenty of reasons to stand with him, or at least behind him as he surges to renomination.

Calculations for Democratic politicians and supporters are less easy to categorize. For every labour union official who celebrates Joe Biden’s continuing ardent support of organized labour in the US, there is a disaffected ideologue who bemoans his half-hearted attempts to render impermeable the US-Mexican border.

For every middle-class suburban housewife who finds gas prices lower and stabilizing when she fills the

tank of her minivan, there is another who expresses genuine concern at the visible signs of Biden’s aging.

For those in the latter category, there has been little connection established with Vice-President Kamala Harris, who would be the president’s replacement if he were incapacitated.

African-Americans and university students are two constituencies that have good reasons to be pleased with this incumbent president and to want his return to office. But despite Biden’s gifts to each group, they seem poised not to vote for Republicans but to do something they often do and that will be just as bad in November. They may decide not to vote at all.

How has Biden actually done on the economy? Inexplicably for many experts, he has led an almost totally unexpected revival. There was no recession in America in 2023. The stock market has gained over 35 percent in value since Biden took office, and an estimated 60 percent of Americans now have at least an indirect stake in the market, many via participation in large institutional pension plans.

Inflation has withered from 6.4 percent to less than half of that at 3.1 percent.

The US economy added 2.5 million jobs.

According to analyses by investment bank JP Morgan, Americans are spending at a significantly greater rate now than they did before the COVID

pandemic took hold in 2020.

Western Europeans and Japanese, by contrast, have resumed spending only at pre-COVID levels.

This is obviously terrific news for us in The Bahamas, dependent as we remain on the health and vitality of the US economy and on vigorous spending by Americans.

But all this spending occurred even as Americans were moaning to pollsters about the state of the US economy. This baffles many economists.

A widely-quoted University of Michigan economist says “every indicator of public sentiment on the US economy is incredibly positive – except for public opinion polling. So: are all the traditional economic indicators broken, or is polling what is actually broken?”

Given the dismal predictive performance of American public opinion pollsters in the past decade, one might indeed conclude that polling is indeed in need of serious reexamination and reform.

There is a contrary view.

According to its advocates, real wage gains in the recent past have been obscured by high inflation only now being reined in by federal monetary policy. For every homeowner whose home value has soared, there is the sobering reality that interest rates remain much too high for many first-time home buyers.

Biden will slog on. Trump will defy the courts. Bizarre business as usual.

THE TRIBUNE

FLORIDA FOOTBALL TEAMS KEEPING PLAYOFF HOPES ALIVE THE 18th and last weekend of the NFL’s regular season is here, starting on Saturday. There’s a very good chance that all three Florida teams will be participating in the league’s postseason tournament.

This group is of course led by the 11-5 Dolphins, whose season has been marked by huge wins (70-20 over Denver, 30-0 over the New York Jets and 45-14 over Washington) and big, dispiriting losses (20-48 in Buffalo and 19-56 in Baltimore).

Miami has also lost to playoff-bound Kansas City and Philadelphia. The Fins’ biggest win came by two points against Dallas in December.

Miami has been dogged by a reputation for inconsistency this season under 40-year-old head coach Mike McDaniel, whose two-year record with the team is 20-14, including a playoff loss last year. Against weaker defences, the Dolphins can run track meets and score prodigiously. Their win against the Cowboys is significant because that was the first time they had battled against a truly solid defence and prevailed.

They have clinched a playoff spot. But their Sunday home game against the streaking Buffalo Bills will determine their position. If they win, Miami will secure the second seed in the American Conference playoffs and would likely face either Houston or Indianapolis at home in the first playoff round next weekend. If the Bills win, the Dolphins would face a road trip to Kansas City to face the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs.

Mid-January in Kansas City facing the champs, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelsey and Taylor Swift, or in Miami against either of two teams they would be favoured to beat? That choice should provide plenty of motivation for our local heroes on Sunday evening. But the Bills did whip them by four touchdowns much earlier in the season.

Neither the Tampa Bay Buccaneers nor the

MIAMI Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) during an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday.

Photo: Vera Nieuwenhuis/AP Jacksonville Jaguars has yet clinched a playoff spot, but both are likely to gain fourth seed positions this weekend.

The Bucs only need to defeat hapless Carolina on Sunday to win their division and face the formidable but recently fading Philadelphia Eagles in the first playoff round. The Bucs have done better than expected this year behind quarterback Baker Mayfield, but will enter the playoffs with only a 9-8 record.

Jacksonville travels to Nashville to face the fading Tennessee Titans, a team powerful in recent years but not potent in 2023. In fact, the Titans are winless in their own division, which is clearly the weakest in its conference.

Tennessee is also without its starting quarterback and the Jaguars may well be bolstered by the return of Trevor Lawrence at the helm of their playoff push. Lawrence did not play this past weekend but has proven to be durable, determined and very talented so far in his career.

The overall top seeds are San Francisco in the National Conference and Baltimore in the American Conference.

There’s no guarantee that either will reach the Super Bowl, however, as upsets often occur in the NFL playoffs. That could mean good news for the Dolphins if they can get hot at this critical time of the season.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, January 4, 2024, PAGE 11

Court records related to Jeffrey Epstein are released, but they aren’t a client list NEW YORK Associated Press AMID great hype, a court began to release a new batch of previously secret court documents late Wednesday related to Jeffrey Epstein, the jet-setting financier who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial on sextrafficking charges.

Social media has been rife in recent weeks with posts speculating that the documents would include a list of rich and powerful men who were Epstein’s “clients” or “co-conspirators.”

There was no such list.

The initial collection of around 40 documents made public largely contained material that had been released previously, or exhaustively been covered in nearly two decades’ worth of newspaper stories, TV documentaries, interviews, books about the Epstein scandal.

Still, the records — which included transcripts of interviews with some of Epstein’s victims — included reminders that Epstein surrounded himself with famous and powerful figures, including a few who have also been accused of misconduct.

They included mentions of Epstein’s past friendship with Bill Clinton — who is not accused of any wrongdoing — and of Britain’s Prince Andrew, who previously settled a lawsuit accusing him of having sex with a 17-yearold girl who traveled with Epstein.

The documents being unsealed are related to a lawsuit filed in 2015 by one of Epstein’s victims, Virginia Giuffre. She is one of the dozens of women who sued Epstein saying he had abused them at his homes in Florida, New York, the U.S. Virgin Islands and New Mexico.

This particular suit was against Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021 of helping recruit Epstein’s victims and is serving a 20-year prison term.

Epstein, a millionaire known for associating with celebrities, politicians, billionaires and academic stars, killed himself in jail

in 2019 while awaiting trial on a sex trafficking charge.

Giuffre’s lawsuit against Maxwell was settled in 2017, but the court had kept some court documents blacked-out or sealed because of concerns about the privacy rights of Epstein’s victims and other people whose names had come up during the legal battle.

Only around 40 of those documents were made public Wednesday. More will be released in the coming days.

The records included the depositions of several of Epstein’s victims, many of whom have told their stories publicly previously.

Giuffre said the summer she turned 17, she was lured away from a job as a spa attendant at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club to become a “masseuse” for Epstein — a job that involved performing sexual acts.

She settled a lawsuit against Prince Andrew in 2022 in which she claimed he had sexually abused her during a trip to London. That same year, Giuffre withdrew an accusation she had made against Epstein’s former attorney, the law professor Alan Dershowitz, saying she “may have made a mistake” in identifying him as an abuser.

The records released Wednesday included many references to JeanLuc Brunel, a French modeling agent close to Epstein who was awaiting trial on charges that he raped underage girls when he killed himself in a Paris jail in 2022. Giuffre was among the women who had accused Brunel of sexual abuse.

Clinton’s name came up because Guiffre was questioned by Maxwell’s lawyers about inaccuracies in newspaper stories about her time with Epstein, including a story quoting her as saying she had ridden in a helicopter with Clinton and flirted with Donald Trump. Giuffre said neither of those things actually happened.

The judge said a handful of names should remain blacked out in the documents because they would identify people who were sexually abused.

The

JEFFREY Epstein appears in court, July 30, 2008, in West Palm Beach, Fla. Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they decide to tell their stories publicly, as Giuffre has done.

Even before the documents were released, misinformation about what was in them abounded. Social media users wrongly claimed that late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s name might appear in the documents, spurred by a crack New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers made Tuesday on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show.”

Kimmel said in a response on X that he had never met Epstein and that Rodgers’ “reckless words put my family in danger”.

“Keep it up and we will debate the facts further in court,” Kimmel wrote.

The judge hasn’t set a target for when all of the documents should be made public, but more documents are expected to come in the next few days.

IRAN SAYS AT LEAST 95 DEAD IN BLASTS DUBAI, United Arab Emirates Associated Press TWO bombs exploded and killed at least 95 people at a commemoration for a prominent Iranian general slain by the US in a 2020 drone strike, Iranian officials said, as the Middle East remains on edge over Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for what appeared to be the deadliest militant attack to target Iran since its 1979 Islamic Revolution. Iran’s leaders vowed to punish those responsible for the blasts, which wounded at

least 211 people.

The explosions struck minutes apart on Wednesday, shaking the city of Kerman, about 510 miles southeast of the capital, Tehran. The second blast sprayed shrapnel into a screaming crowd fleeing the first explosion.

An earlier death toll of 103 was revised lower after officials realised that some names had been repeated on a list of victims, Iran’s health minister, Bahram Einollahi, told state TV. Many of the wounded were in critical condition, however, so the death toll could rise.

The gathering marked the fourth anniversary of

the killing of Gen Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Revolutionary Guard’s elite Quds Force, in a US drone strike in Iraq. The explosions occurred near his grave site as long lines of people gathered for the event.

Iranian state television and officials described the attacks as bombings. The attacks came a day after a deputy head of the Palestinian militant group Hamas was killed in a suspected Israeli strike in Beirut.

The first bomb Wednesday was detonated around 3pm, and the other went off some 20 minutes later, the Iranian interior minister, Ahmad Vahidi, told state television.

Photo: Uma Sanghvi/The Palm Beach Post/AP

SPORTS PAGE 12

THURSDAY, JANUARY 4, 2024

NFL, Page 14

Sporting leaders’ sneak preview for year 2024

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

A

s the sporting bodies prepare for the 2024 season, leaders of various local associations and federations expressed their views on what they anticipate to do in their respective disciplines.

A number of the organisations are either looking forward to hosting a major international event, have to attend one or just simply have to continue to build on their achievements or their lack of performance from last year.

UÊ iÀi½ÃÊ >Ê Ã i> Ê «ÀiÛ iÜÊ of what our sporting leaders are thinking about for their respective organisations: Bishop Joseph ‘Joe Mo’ Smith - Bahamas Volleyball Federation president

Although they have an ambitious season ahead of them, the BVF may not be sure who will lead them until the election of officers takes place at the end of the month. Smith disclosed that a date will be announced once the financial report is ready for the annual general meeting.

Incumbent president Bishp ‘Joe Mo’ Smith has indicated that he’s not sure if he will be seeking another four-year term as president.

Smith, however, was reelected last year to serve another four-year term as a vice president of the Bahamas Olympic Committee.

“Whoever takes over will have a vigorous year this year because we have implemented an under-15 division at the NORCECA level and they will be competing in one of the three tournaments that we have

ANYA JAMES

DRUMECO ARCHER

to go to this year. The other two are the under-17 and under-21.

“It’s all geared towards youth development and so everything has been placed on the youth this year, trying to rebuild programmes and it’s happening at a great time because we are trying to rebuild our

senior programme. So, we are going back to the starting block to start with the younger players.”

During the last three months of 2023, Smith said the federation engaged the service of Augusto Sabbatini, a FIVB instructor who was in town to work with their local

counterparts to help in their redevelopment of their junior programme with both the indoor and beach volleyball. He left in December.

“That is where the entire region is going and we have to follow suit because all of the countries in the region are doing it,” he said. “It’s been mandated by NORCECA and FIVB. We have already identified some athletes in Abaco, Bimini, Eleuthera and Grand Bahama.

“So, we just have to get to them and bring them on board which is inclusive of everybody so that we can get the best team assembled to represent the country when those three tournaments are held from May through September.”

Having served as the president since 2013 after he took over from Don

NACAC Athletics: Sands charts course

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net HAVING received the confidence of the delegates to serve for another term, Mike Sands said he’s more pleased with the progress his administration made during his first four-year term and he’s eager to proceed with his second term as president of the renamed North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletics (NACAC Athletics).

Re-elected during the under-18 and under-23 championships in Costa Rica in July, Sands said they also made the change in their name to NACAC Athletics to coincide with World Athletics and the European Athletics.

“That is the brand that we are promoting,” Sands said.

Hopefully with the name change, Sands said NACAC Athletics can

improve on the banner year that they experienced in 2023 as they move forward to accomplishing another banner year in 2024.

“We hosted the CARIFTA Games here in the Bahamas (in April) that coincided with the Bahamas’ 50th Independence anniversary celebrations,” Sands said.

“We held the under-18 and under-23 NACAC Championships in Costa Rica that had a record number of participants.

“We also had the under-13 and under-15 Championships in the Dominican Republic, which also had a record number of participants and we had the New Life Championships and we had our annual general elections.”

Sands said they made an amendment to their constitution, which was unanimously passed by the body at a special called

MIKE SANDS meeting in March and, for the first time, NACAC achieved a first with three women being added to the five members sitting on World Athletics Council.

“For the first time ever, we have advanced the election process for the CARIFTA Games whereby Grenada will host this year’s games over the Easter holiday weekend and we have decided that next year it will be held in Trinidad & Tobago in 2025

SPORTS CALENDAR

Jan. 2024

and Barbados will be the host in 2026.

“They have offered themselves and I say offered because I don’t want anybody to think that the Bahamas didn’t have a chance. At the congress, we opened the floor and Trinidad and Barbados offered to host it in 2025 and 2026.”

The Bahamas Government, according to Sands, has offered to allow NACAC to establish a permanent head office at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium.

By virtue of serving as the president, Sands was able to move the office to the stadium, but he said the plans going forward is that the office will remain here whether he’s returned as the president or not in the next elections.

To cap off the year, Sands said American sprinter Noah Lyles was selected as World Athletics’ Male Track Athlete of

the Year for 2023. “That is our year in a nutshell,” Sands said. “So we want to carry the successful year into the new year and build on that momentum and have an equally successful year.”

Already in their planning process, Sands said the council members are meeting to put together their strategic plans for the ensuing years.

“We’ve had some people who were elected by the members on their own agenda and they were elected based on what they want to see NACAC do,” Sands said. “But we are taking a different approach and what we will do, when we meet in about two weeks, is that we will bring all those ideas together and see how we can mesh them into a strategic plan so everyone can be inclusive.”

In the meantime, Sands said they have established

SEE PAGE 13

church service will be held at 9am at the St Paul’s Catholic Church, Lyford Cay. The BAAA is inviting all of its executives, coaches and athletes to come and participate in the service.

BAAA EVENTS AFTER hosting their Odd Distance Meet in December, the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations will be hosting a series of events in January to kick off the new calendar year.

Here’s a look at January’s schedule: January 5-6 - T-Bird Flyers Classic at the original Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium.

Sunday, January 7 - BAAA Church Service - venue and time yet to be released.

BAAA 20 DTSP Wolfpack at the original Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium.

SEE PAGE 15

SEE PAGE 13

FIREFIGHTERS PUT OUT LARGE FIRE AT HOME OF DOLPHINS RECEIVER HILL

By ALANIS THAMES AP Sports Writer MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill and his family are safe after fire rescue crews responded to a large fire at his South Florida home yesterday afternoon.

The house, which is located in Southwest Ranches about 30 miles northwest of Miami, was shown yesterday on local station WSVN 7 News with a large amount of black smoke coming out of the roof as firefighters doused it with water.

Hill had been at Dolphins practice as Miami prepares

SEE PAGE 15

CHRISTOPHER SAUNDERS EARNS COMMISSIONER’S BADGE FROM FIBA

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

T-BIRD FLYERS TRACK CLASSIC THE T-Bird Flyers Track Club will kick off the 2024 season for the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations with their annual Track and Field Classic this weekend at the original Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium.

The meet will begin on Friday at 6pm and wrap up on Saturday, starting at 2pm. The registration fee is $15. Persons interested in sponsoring any of the individual races are urged to contact meet director Foster Dorsett at 427-3883.

TRACK CHURCH SERVICE As they begin the 2024 season this weekend with the T-Bird Flyers Track Classic at the original Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium, the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations will follow up with their annual church service on Sunday. This year’s

Cornish, whom he worked under as his vice president, Smith said there’s some indication that there will be a three-man race between Kurtwood Greene, Kirk Farquharson and Crystal Forbes at the end of the month to replace him, if he doesn’t seek another term in office.

If he doesn’t, Smith said he will still remain on the board, but he can walk away knowing that he’s leaving the federation in a good position, having accomplished quite a lot at the international level with both the men and women winning medals and now three males are playing at the pro level.

His only regret is that volleyball hasn’t been able to make its breakthrough to compete at the Olympic

VERSATILE Christopher Saunders, a noted journalist, lecturer and politician, has moved to the head of the class as the latest Bahamian to earn his Commissioner’s badge from the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).

Saunders was one of two persons appointed by the Bahamas Basketball Federation last year. He, along with Terez Conliffe, passed the course and became official FIBA commissioners as of September 1.

While it’s the first time around for Saunders, it’s the second for Conliffe as they hold their positions around the basketball arena as observers for the next two years.

“It’s extraordinary to have two commissioners at the same time,” said Freddie Brown, a former commissioner who now serves as a technical delegate. “The number of commissioners for each country correlates with the amount of internationally certified referees that you have.

“So, if you have five referees, you will get about 50 percent in commissioners.

Normally they would give one more. Now that we have three referees, they allowed us to have two commissioners. If we have seven referees, we could end up with at least three or four commissioners.”

Brown noted that both Saunders and Conliffe also sat the FIBA statistician course and they passed, making them eligible to serve as statisticians,

having passed what he called a very “tedious” course on the first time around, joining a group of five other Bahamians who previously passed the course.

As commissioners, Conliffe and Saunders will now work directly with the secretary general for FIBA, but they will be assigned to FIBA Americas where they will be allowed to participate in any international event from youth-15 to the Olympic Games.

“They will be called upon to assist the game’s table of officials and provide any type of guidance to the referees, if they require it,” Brown stated.

“They also work behind the scenes, ensuring that at the end of the day, the game ends happily and

SEE PAGE 15

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, January 4, 2024, PAGE 13

federation where we head, Newton said they are “These tournament addi- to govern over professional SPORTING inarethemore aspirant and we still pressing forward with tions, strategically placed, golf and advise the governMIKE believe we can and we will their plans as they remain aim to enhance engagement ment of golf-related issues LEADERS be better than where we dedicated to channelling and create diverse compe- with respect to immigration SANDS once were.” our resources towards the tition opportunities across and labour, international FROM PAGE 12 Games, but he said the potential is there for either team to do so. He noted that there is a possibility that a male team could represent the Bahamas at the games in beach volleyball.

But that is something the federation will deal with after the elections are held.

Anya James Bahamas Football Association president Having been elected as the first female president of the BFA on May 16, James said she’s eager to get rolling as she continues the first of her four-year tenure in office as they have a busy year ahead of them.

James, who replaced Anton Sealey, revealed that the women’s beach soccer team, coached by Daria Adderley, will be heading off to compete in their first international tournament January 19-21 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Prior to that, the federation will be sending off two of their young referees, Evelt Julmis and Prince Albury, to a course in Trinidad & Tobago from January 11-15.

“Our focus this year is more of a developmental one,” James said. “We will be having a coach’s course because we want all coaches for all clubs and all levels to have at least a D level licence, which is the first level.”

That course will take place on January 15.

“We will then look at going into the Family Islands in March and in August we have plans for our physical education teachers. We will be working with the Ministry of Education to get soccer in the public schools’ curriculum like it is in the primary schools, so we want to get them ready.”

James noted that the federation also intends to redevelop their Center of Excellence where they will work with their elite players in a programme in an academy during the weekdays at the Roscow Davies Developmental Center.

As for the men’s international events, James said the federation will be looking at fielding a team for the World Cup Qualifier in March, but she noted that they won’t know when or where they will play until the draw is made.

“The most exciting thing is we are looking at breaking ground on our new technical centre, which will be located right at the Roscow Davies Developmental Center,” she revealed. “We have gotten the approval from FIFA to start building phase one.

“So, we will have a really busy year ahead of us.”

While all of that is taking place, the league play for men and women will begin tonight with make-up games that are carried over from when they started the season in October. The league play will run through May. The youth league will resume on Saturday morning.

“It’s challenging, but exciting at the same time,” said James, who is one of four women presidents serving in the region. “FIFA is now open to women sitting in the chair and they are encouraging more women to take on the leadership role, so I’m happy to be able to lead the way in the Bahamas.”

Drumeco Archer Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ president With their season already started with the Odd Distance Meet in December, Archer said the BAAA is looking forward to another banner year. They hope to open the new year with the T-Bird Flyers Track Classic on Friday at 6pm and Saturday at 2pm at the original Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium.

Then on Sunday at 9am, the BAAA is inviting all executives, coaches and athletes to worship at St Paul’s Catholic Church, Lyford Cay, for their blessing on the upcoming season.

“My expectations are huge,” Archer said. “Our CARIFTA team projects to be as strong or even stronger than it was in 2023.

I think that the coaches understand what the expectations are and I believe we’ve had a cultural shift

After watching the Odd Distance Meet where three athletes attained the qualifying standard for CARIFTA, which will be held in Grenada over the Easter holiday weekend, Archer said he’s excited about what is in front of them. “On the senior level, we have some rising stars. Unfortunately, they all won’t be present for the World Relays, but I‘m expecting new talent to emerge in the likes of Keyshawn Strachan, who will have his breakout elite season and Rhema Otabor is expected to be a qualifier for the Olympic Games.

“Anthaya Charlton is in the best shape of her life and we certainly can’t discount Antoine Andrews.

Both on the track and field, we will produce very good results. Devynne Charlton is right there, Shaunae Miller-Uibo has much to prove after her one-year hiatus for childbirth and then of course we expect Steven Gardiner to show up once again.”

With all this talent and more in their stable, Archer said the BAAA will be off to the track with a “mistake of the old and the new” placing on the Bahamas on the global stage, starting with the World Indoors from March 1-3 in Glasgow, the World Relays here from May 3-4 and ending with the Olympics in Paris, France July 26-August 11.

Algernon Cargill Bahamas Aquatics president Cargill is excited about 2024 for more reasons than one. “Number one, we will be hosting the 2024 CARIFTA Aquatics Championships and will be going after our 6th consecutive CARIFTA swimming title,” he said. “We have the full support of the government and are seeking corporate Bahamas’ support for the 5-time defending champions as we seek to raise $1 million to assist with the cost of hosting 25 additional countries in swimming, open water swimming, and water polo.”

Cargill revealed that for the first time in CARIFTA Aquatics history, the 18 and over category will be introduced for all events 200 metres and shorter. “This will mean an expanded CARIFTA Aquatics and an opportunity for swimmers to obtain qualifying times for Paris 2024,” he said.

While the hosting of the CARIFTA is set for March 26 to April 6 in the newly renovated Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex, Cargill revealed that four of their senior swimmers - Lamar Taylor, Marvin Johnson, Rhaniskha Gibbs and Victoria Russell - will be heading to the 2024 Doha World Championships in February.

It’s expected that at least two of these swimmers will get the opportunity to represent the Bahamas at the Olympic Games in Paris, France, in July.

“Unless our athletes obtain the A qualifying times for Paris 2024, one male and one female will be competing for universality positions. These will be decided by FINA points,” Cargill said. “As of now, Lamar Taylor and Rhanishka Gibbs are leading.

However, all athletes will have until our National Swimming Championships to qualify.”

BA will host their National Swim Championships in June and that will be the last opportunity in the Americas to qualify for Paris 2024. “We are expecting international athletes to join us at the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex,” Cargill said.

Mako Aquatics are the five-time defending national champions and their head coach Travano McPhee was named the national Coach of the Year.

Bahamas Aquatics, however, has not yet released where and when their first meet will be held this year as the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Club is currently under renovations for CARIFTA and they haven’t pinned down any of the local swim pools as yet.

Perry Newton Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association president Although there’s a court order hanging over their

development of key strategic pillars, including junior development, senior development, officiating and coaches’ education.

“Concurrently, we aim to provide increased support for the growth, overall development, and expansion of the Island Associations,” he said.

“The BLTA has outlined plans to host three certification courses this year: two Play Tennis courses and a Level 1 - coaching beginner and intermediate players course.

“The BLTA will recommend several coaches to participate in an ITF Level 2 – coaching advanced players’ certification course held abroad.”

As they move forward, Newton said the BLTA’s sporting calendar includes the fielding of four talented junior teams over two weeks, commencing from the last week in February through the first week in March 2024.

Comprising two male and two female teams, each possesses the potential to secure a top-three finish in their respective events.

He further noted that the inclusion of confirmed members from this year’s Davis Cup and Billie Jean

various stages of development and skill sets.”

Newton said the BLTA eagerly anticipates the events scheduled throughout the year and their positive social and financial impact on communities throughout the Bahamas.

“With a significant increase in the demand for tennis over the previous year, we encourage individuals to seize the opportunities provided through our Play Tennis Bahamas programme (pr@ blta.net) and other initiatives, facilitating the enrollment of adults and children in learning the sport of tennis,” he summed up.

Glen Pratt Bahamas Professional Golfers Association president While he feels that the quality of golf in the Bahamas is at “an all-time low and I don’t see anything changing anytime soon,” Pratt said the Bahamas Golf Federation, as the official governing body of amateur golf in the Bahamas, has become known as the discount store for golf.

“Bahamians and foreigners become members of the BGF for one reason and one reason only and that is

ALGERNON CARGILL

LATOYA BAIN-STURRUP

VAREL DAVIS

PERRY NEWTON

JOEL STUBBS

GLEN PRATT

King Cup has sparked tremendous excitement.

“The anticipation is that the BJKC team would secure a top-two finish in Zone 3 and subsequently be promoted and returned to Zone 2 in 2025,” he projected.

“The Davis Cup Team is also expected to perform admirably, bolstered by capable veterans and a pool of equally talented players.

This excitement will persist over the coming months as the BLTA finalises the team rosters.”

The BLTA, according to Newton, is resolutely committed to encouraging growth as evidenced by the introduction of two new adult tournaments in February and May hosted by the Gym Tennis Club.

“This adds to a growing complement of tournaments throughout the islands – Sheri Roberts Tournament, BD Classic Tournament (Abaco), Tim’s Refrigeration Tournament, Eye of the Tiger and the Harbor Island Doubles Tournament (Eleuthera) as well as the Senior National’s, Giorgio Baldacci Tournament (Nassau),” he said.

“The Under-14 National Tournament in Abaco makes a welcome return for its second year in August, alongside the revival of the IC Junior Tournament series, which targets the crucial development age group of 10s and 12s.

for BGF discount rates at the golf courses,” he said.

“Junior golf development is designed for two things and two things only and that volume and profit in order for junior golfers to play in a junior golf tournament, he or she must be a member of two organisations, the BGF membership and for profit membership that process would’ve aluminate juniors like myself, Vernon Lockhart, Greg and Phil Maycock, Wayne Bethel, Francis Adderley, Michael Rolle and many other star junior golfers.

“We all came from the inner-city and could afford to pay for one membership, back then under the leadership of Calvin Cooper, Freddie Higgs and Ken Francis, the junior programme was sponsored the BGF and the corporate community, we as juniors didn’t pay for anything, our job was to get to the golf course, practice and play as much as we can without real professional assistance.”

In the past, Pratt said there were many Bahamian golf professionals working at every golf course in the Bahamas, thanks to persons like Roy Bowe, Donald ‘Nine’ Rolle, Charlie Saunders and the late Prime Minister Sir Lynden Pindling.

He added that the Bahamas Professional Golfers Association was given the respect and the authority

golf tournaments.

He said that has all changed.

“With the development of new golf course developments, the foreign golf professionals have all the influence with what happens in professional golf in the Bahamas and the political goons are controlling the employment of foreign golf pros in the Bahamas sadly,” he stated.

Pratt said the BPGA hopes to change that narrative for the betterment of the sport in the country.

Joel Stubbs BBFF president The issue for the bodybuilding is the fact that while they have put together a vigorous schedule, they had to add a few car-wash fundraisers along with some fitness games challenge events, all in an effort to raise funds to assist with the major 2024 calendar events.

“The fitness challenge events will bring together a new audience that just loves to work out and not so interested in showcasing their talent on stage,” Stubbs revealed.

“These individuals will compete amongst each other in a series of eight to ten events, deciding a winner based on proper technique and the amount of repetition in that event.”

Stubbs, however, said that 2024 is expected to be another exciting year for the federation.

“Many new faces have emerged, expressing their participation in the upcoming championships,” he projected.

“Many popular faces have either sidelined themselves or have been promoted to the international professional league, leaving vacancy in the amateur rank.

“So, we are grateful to see these new faces filling in the vacant spots.

There are some great talents preparing for 2024 and we encourage the general public and all of our fans and supporters to come lend us their support once again as we continue to build the sport of bodybuilding.”

Varel Davis GSSSA president As they prepare to begin their GSSSA sporting calendar for 2024, Davis said they are very excited to see what this year will bring.

“We will resume our basketball season this Thursday,” she said.

“A lot of our teams are ready and eager to continue to see who will be this year’s 2024 GSSSA basketball champions.”

This year, the GSSSA will be celebrating the 30th year anniversary of their existence and they have a few exciting things planned.

“We will celebrate and honour our past members/ coaches who have retired and give greatly to this association and make it what it is today,” she disclosed.

“Our biggest event is our track and field championship, we hope to make this one of the biggest meets ever held.

“We also have our cheerleading competition coming up.

“We look forward to a great year of high school sports and working hand in hand with everyone to continue to make our GSSSA association great. We want the general public, parents, students and our school family to come out and support us.

“This kind of support goes a very long way, especially for our kids that are participating in the various sporting events.”

Davis thanked all those persons that supported the GSSSA over the years, especially the sponsors, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, The Principals Association and all their officials in all of their disciplines.

“Hats off to all our hard working and dedicated coaches who, day in and day out, develop and train our students-athletes,” she said.

“This year is going to be one of our best years ever.

You don’t want to miss it.

Happy New Year to all.”

Latoya Bain-Sturrup NPPPSSA president As they say goodbye to 2023, Bain-Sturrup said

FROM PAGE 12 a number of commissions, which will allow for more inclusions as the commissions will be allowed to advise the council on the way forward.

“One of our primary things is our gender leadership. We are very proud of that grouping and we want to continue to work alongside them,” he said.

“They have their training workshop coming up in a few weeks as well.

“So, we have already hit the ground running, including our coaching education where we have had several clinics for our coaches and we hope to have several camps where we train the coaches so to speak and even our gender leadership.”

As for their competition, Sands said in addition to CARIFTA being staged in Grenada, NACAC will also host the NACAC Open Championships and the New Life Invitational.

While the two events took place in Grand Bahama last year, Sands said they are still looking for a place to put them on this year.

“As in any federation, the biggest challenge is always funding,” he said.

“One of the things we are progressively pursuing is a marketing strategy.

We hope to secure the funding to do a number of things we want to do in our area, especially with the Olympic Games being held in July.

“With a number of events being closer at home, we hope it will serve the athletes well so that they don’t have to be all over the globe just before they head to Paris.

They have expressed an appetite to compete closer to home and still earn a decent payday. So, we want to provide the prize money at our meets to be able to attract our athletes to compete in our region.”

One of the highlights of meets for the year will be the return of the World Relays to the Bahamas in May. Although it will be under the jurisdiction of the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) with the supervision of World Athletics, Sands said it was agreed it will be mandatory for all countries to participate if they desire to have a relay team compete in Paris.

“What that means is that there are 16 available spots for the relays and 14 of them in each relay will qualify here in the Bahamas at the World Relays,” Sands revealed. “So, the return of the World Relays to the Bahamas will be bigger than many people anticipate.”

The sixth edition of the World Relays will run over the weekend of May 4-5 in the newly renovated Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium where the first three editions took place in 2014, 2015 and 2017.

the New Providence Public Primary Schools Sports Association welcomes 2024 as God has truly been good to them.

“We are excited to continue with our sporting calendar,” Bain said. “Our remaining sporting events for 2024, by God’s grace, will be just as exciting as last year.”

Their calendar of events includes their inaugural Cross-Country Meet on Saturday, January 20, although they are still waiting on their venue approval for Fort Charlotte, basketball in January, volleyball and golf tournament in March and their track & field championship in April.

Davis also announced that the Bahamas Football Association will award all student-athletes who obtain grade point average of 3.0 and above and the NPPPSSA will continue to partner with Blue Lagoon with their cleanup programme of the local beaches.

PAGE 14, Thursday, January 4, 2024

THE TRIBUNE

Pro Picks: Bills will beat the Dolphins to win the AFC East title

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer THE Miami Dolphins went from playing for the AFC’s No. 1 seed to playing for their division to avoid the sixth spot this week.

Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills stand in their way.

The Bills-Dolphins will face off Sunday night in the NFL’s final regular-season game in a showdown for the AFC East title.

The Dolphins (11-5) had a shot at earning a firstround bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs but were pounded

by Baltimore 56-19. If they beat Buffalo, they’ll secure the No. 2 seed.

The Bills (10-6) would get the two seed with a win.

If they lose, they’d drop to sixth, seventh or completely out of the playoffs.

Miami is 1-4 against winning teams. A dynamic offence led by Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill couldn’t get going against the Ravens. They’ll need to get back on track against Buffalo.

The Bills routed the Dolphins 48-20 in Week 4.

They’re 3-point favourites on the road, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Pro Picks leans toward the playoff-tested Bills.

BILLS, 34-27 PHILADELPHIA at NEW YORK GIANTS Line: Eagles minus 5 1/2 The free-falling Eagles (11-5) have lost four of five and now need a victory plus Dallas to get upset to win the division. The Giants (5-11) almost rallied for a win in Philly on Christmas.

BEST BET: EAGLES, 28-17 HOUSTON at INDIANAPOLIS Line: Texans minus 1 1/2 The winner clinches at least a wild-card spot and would win the AFC South if the Jaguars lose. The Colts beat the Texans 31-20 on the road in Week 3 behind Anthony Richardson and Gardner Minshew, who stepped in after the rookie starter got hurt.

UPSET SPECIAL: COLTS 24-23 PITTSBURGH at BALTIMORE Line: Steelers minus 3 1/2 The Steelers (9-7) are fighting for a playoff spot and sticking with Mason Rudolph at quarterback after two straight impressive games. The Ravens (13-3) locked up the No. 1 seed and are looking to avoid injuries.

STEELERS, 24-17 ATLANTA at NEW ORLEANS Line: Saints minus 3 The winner would clinch the NFC South if the Buccaneers lose to Carolina.

BEARS HOPE TO FINISH STRONG BY KEEPING PACKERS OUT OF PLAYOFFS

By GENE CHAMBERLAIN Associated Press

BUFFALO Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs (14) makes a catch in front of Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Essang Bassey (27) during the second half on December 23 in Inglewood, California.

(AP Photo/Ryan Sun) The Saints (8-8) kept their hopes alive with an impressive win at Tampa. The Falcons (7-9) have lost three of four.

SAINTS, 23-18 CLEVELAND at CINCINNATI Line: Bengals minus 6 The Bengals (8-8) are playing for a winning record. The Browns (11-5) already have locked up the AFC’s No. 5 seed.

BENGALS, 26-17 JACKSONVILLE at TENNESSEE Line: Jaguars minus 5 1/2 A four-game losing streak after an 8-3 start forced the Jaguars (9-7) into having to win the game to clinch their second straight AFC South. C.J. Beathard led them to a 26-0 win last week filling in for Trevor Lawrence. The Titans (5-11) are aiming to play spoiler.

JAGUARS, 23-20 TAMPA BAY at CAROLINA Line: Buccaneers minus 5 1/2 A banged-up Baker Mayfield gets his second chance to lead the Buccaneers (8-8) to the NFC South title. The lowly Panthers (2-14) were embarrassed on and off the field as owner David Tepper was fined $300,000 for throwing a drink at Jaguars fans toward the end of last week’s loss.

BUCCANEERS, 27-13 NEW YORK JETS at NEW ENGLAND Line: Patriots minus 2 1/2 The Patriots (4-12) could cost themselves draft positioning if they beat the Jets (6-10) in what could be Bill Belichick’s last game after an unprecedented run of success that included six Super Bowl titles.

PATRIOTS, 16-12

MINNESOTA at DETROIT Line: Lions minus 3 The Vikings (7-9) need a win and plenty of help to make the playoffs. The Lions (11-5) can tie the franchise record of 12 wins in a season. They’ll be the NFC’s No. 2 or 3 seed.

LIONS, 30-20 CHICAGO at GREEN BAY Line: Packers minus 3 A victory secures a playoff berth for Jordan Love and the Packers (8-8). The Bears (7-9) have won four of five and are facing an important offseason decision on Justin Fields.

PACKERS, 26-22 DALLAS at WASHINGTON Line: Cowboys minus 13 1/2 Dak Prescott and the Cowboys (11-5) need a win to clinch the NFC East title and the No. 2 seed. The

Commanders (4-12) would ruin their rival’s hopes with an upset.

COWBOYS, 30-18 SEATTLE at ARIZONA Line: Seahawks minus 2 1/2 After losing five of seven, the Seahawks (8-8) now need a win and loss by the Packers to make the playoffs. The Cardinals (4-12) ruined Philadelphia’s division hopes last week and aim to mess up Seattle’s season.

SEAHAWKS, 24-20 LOS ANGELES RAMS at SAN FRANCISCO Line: 49ers minus 3 The 49ers (12-4) have clinched the NFC’s No. 1 seed. The Rams (9-7) will be either the No. 6 or 7 seed. Staying healthy is the priority for both teams so expect to see plenty of backups.

RAMS, 24-23

DENVER at LAS VEGAS Line: Raiders minus 2 1/2 The Broncos (8-8) aim to finish with a winning record heading into a difficult offseason that starts with how to handle Russell Wilson’s situation.

Raiders interim coach Antonio Pierce gets one more chance at proving he deserves the job after going 4-4 in his first eight games.

RAIDERS, 24-16 KANSAS CITY at LOS ANGELES CHARGERS Line: Chargers minus 3 Patrick Mahomes and the many starters on the Chiefs (10-6) could rest with the AFC West title already secured.

The Chargers (5-11) are better off losing for draft positioning.

CHARGERS, 23-21

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The uncertain future Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields faces is relatively clear to him for one more week.

Fields wants to finish the season with a win, help the Bears prevent the Green Bay Packers from making the playoffs and then he can worry about whether he’ll be back with his current team next season.

“I think it’d be great,” Fields said. “We know Green Bay’s playing for a lot, what’s at stake. They’re playing for a playoff spot right now, so I just think that with all of that on the table it would be a great feeling to end the season with a win in Lambeau up there.

“We’re just going to take it day by day, worry about the rest of today and tomorrow, and of course leading up to Sunday get ready to play ball.”

Fields didn’t mind stoking the flames of the rivalry a bit more.

“It’s going to be a fun environment to walk into their home field,” Fields said. “I know their fans are going to be loud because there’s not much to do in Green Bay except watch football, but it’s going to be a great environment to us, for us to play in and hopefully have a great game and get the W on Sunday.”

The Bears have lost nine straight to Green Bay and five straight with Fields as the starting quarterback. Getting his first win over them might provide an extra reason for the Bears to decide to keep him as the starter after this season rather than use the first pick of the draft on a quarterback.

Fields isn’t talking about the draft or his future much, but noted what the hot finish would mean for the Bears. It would leave them with six wins in eight games to finish the season and could pave the way for a strong 2024 season.

The Detroit Lions did something similar last season with eight wins in 10 games. They denied the Packers a playoff berth in the regular-season finale and went on to the division title this season.

“We want to win every game, no matter if it’s against the Deerfield Park Whatever Team or the Green Bay Packers,” Fields said. “When we step on the field, we want to win the game.”

Fields has five touchdowns and three interceptions since he returned November 19 from a fourgame absence.

Rams to sit players in regular-season finale to rest for playoffs

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) — Matthew Stafford, Aaron Donald, Kyren Williams, Cooper Kupp and linebacker Ernest Jones will not play in the playoff-bound Los Angeles Rams’ regular-season finale at San Francisco.

Carson Wentz will make his first start for the Rams (9-7) on Sunday, coach Sean McVay said yesterday.

Los Angeles also will be without Williams, the NFL’s second-leading rusher; Kupp, the Super Bowl 56 MVP; Donald, the seventime All-Pro defensive lineman; and Jones, the Rams’ leading tackler.

Tight end Tyler Higbee (dislocated shoulder) and swing tackle Joe Noteboom (plantar fascia) also will sit out Week 18 due to injury.

The Rams have clinched

their fifth playoff spot in McVay’s seven seasons, and earning a slightly higher seed clearly means little to the coach with most of the NFC playoff picture still in flux behind the top-seeded 49ers. Even beyond his resting stars, McVay made it clear he wants his key players to do as little as possible in a game with minimal meaning. “There’s not a perfect solution, especially when you’re talking about 53 guys (on the roster), 48 (who must be) active (on game day). We do have a couple of injuries,” McVay said. “This was just what we felt like was the best thing, but I do think it offers an opportunity for Carson to go play, and we’re excited to see him do his thing.”

The 49ers are sitting quarterback Brock Purdy and running back Christian McCaffrey. Sam Darnold will start in Purdy’s place.

RAMS quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) calls out to his teammates in the first half against the New York Giants on Sunday.

(AP Photo/Adam Hunger) Los Angeles will finish excellent teams regardless,” sixth in the NFC if it beats McVay said. the 49ers or if Green Bay “We felt like this loses to Chicago on Sunday. approach was the best one If the 49ers and Packers for our team. You want to both win, Los Angeles will see guys go compete and do be the seventh seed. well, but that was what we The Rams could play felt like.”

Detroit, Dallas or PhiladelMcVay stressed that he phia in the opening round. paid attention to contract “When you look at the incentives for any restprojections, I think they’re ing players to make sure

he didn’t prevent anybody from earning a bonus. And rookie receiver Puka Nacua will suit up for the Rams in Santa Clara, McVay said.

Nacua is four receptions and 29 yards away from setting the NFL rookie-season records in both categories.

“I think you’d like to see him get an opportunity for him to do something special, and then be smart with him,” McVay said.

Wentz signed with the Rams on November 8, shortly after backup Brett Rypien struggled through a loss to Green Bay. Wentz, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 draft and the longtime Philadelphia quarterback, had been out of the NFL since playing for Washington last year.

He has taken only three snaps so far for the Rams, but has nearly two months of practice time in McVay’s offence. “It’s been fun being

here,” said Wentz, who will make his 93rd NFL start.

“Obviously it’s a different role for me, and it’s been new in that regard, but it’s been a lot of fun working with Matthew and seeing how he goes about his business.

It’s a very young coaching staff, and that’s been really fun to be a part of. It’s a very different scheme than what I’m used to, so for me it’s just been all about learning and accumulating knowledge within the system. I’ve enjoyed it.”

Undrafted rookie Dresser Winn will be Wentz’s backup after getting re-signed to the practice squad Tuesday.

The decision puts an early end to an impressive regular season for Stafford, a 15-year veteran who has rebounded from serious injuries that sidelined him for half of 2022.

THE TRIBUNE

SPORTS NOTES

FROM PAGE 12 January 27-28 - Redline Athletics’ 4th annual Sonja Knowles Track Classic at the original Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium.

BASKETBALL GSSSA ACTION THE Government Secondary Schools Sports Association’s 203/24 basketball season will continue this week with the following games on tap: Thursday at CI Gibson Gymnasium, starting at 4pm - LW Young vs CH Reeves (junior girls and boys).

Thursday, January 4, 2024, PAGE 15 Thursday at DW Davis Gymnasium, starting at 4pm - CC Sweeting vs RM Bailey (senior boys).

Friday at CI Gibson Gymnasium, starting at 4pm - AF Adderlery vs TA Thompson (junior girls and boys).

Friday at DW Davis Gymnasium, starting at 4pm - Anatol Rodgers High vs CR Walker (senior girls and boys).

MACEDONIA BAPTIST CHURCH FAMILY FUN WALK THE Men’s Department of Macedonia Baptist Church is scheduled to hold a Family Fun Walk Race to kick off the new year and the beginning of its Men’s Anniversary at 6am on

Saturday, January 6. The event will honour the late Minister Charles Albury, who passed away this year.

It starts at the church on Bernard Road, Fox Hill, and heads west on Bernard Road to the Village Road round-a-bout and returns on Bernard Road to the church.

Awards will be presented to the first three finishers in each category for men and women. Registration fee is $20 per person. Interested persons are urged to contact Brent Stubbs at 426-7265 or stubbobs@gmail.com for further information.

BASKETBALL BSAA SEASON RESUMES AFTER taking a break for the Christmas holiday,

CHRISTOPHER SAUNDERS EARNS COMMISSIONER’S BADGE FROM FIBA FROM PAGE 12 everybody is satisfied.”

As commissioner, Conliffe and Saunders would normally sit in the centre of the scorer’s table and provide the assistance to the timer and shot clock operator and the communication of the book and enforcing the technical aspect of the game.

While this is his first rodeo as a commissioner, Saunders said he got involved in refereeing in 1995 under the invitation of Reggie Forbes. He admitted that since he couldn’t “play the game at all,” he was delighted to have been afforded the opportunity to serve as an official.

“Being able to participate in the game that I love, being a referee allowed me to do that,” said Saunders, a former swimmer during his high school days at St Augustine’s College. “I enjoyed what I was doing.”

Although he never achieved his FIBA referee certification, Saunders said because he worked in so many other areas of the sport, when the opportunity presented itself for him to apply for his commissioner’s badge, he decided to go all out for it.

“In my capacity as a journalist, I was able to cover my country’s participation in a number of international events, but I’ve never been able to do it as a referee,” he said.

“So I know I can’t play basketball, but I was happy that I could give back to my country serving as a commissioner.

“The whole process for getting the FIBA Commissioner’s badge was tedious.

We went through a very vigorous process assisting the referees, the scorers at the table, the medical personnel, the media persons, the persons cleaning the floor and even the set up of the gymnasium for the games.”

TYREEK HILL

FROM PAGE 12 for its regular-season finale against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night, but he left after being told about the fire.

Hill’s agent Drew Rosenhaus told reporters that some family members were home at the time of the fire.

“He and his family are safe,” Rosenhaus said. “No one was injured No. 1, no pets, so for that, we’re very grateful. We’re very grateful to the firefighters that put the fire out. Thankfully, the fire was contained to a limited area in the home.

Obviously, there’ll be some smoke and water damage.

It’s very difficult for anybody obviously to have your home catch on fire, but Tyreek was handling it, he and his family, with as much poise as you could hope.”

Rosenhaus said Hill will not comment at this time, that the cause remains under investigation and that it was largely contained to one room.

Footage showed Hill arriving at his home just before 3pm EST with his left foot in a walking boot.

He could be seen embracing his wife, Keeta Vaccaro, whom he married last month. He was also roaming around outside near

SAUNDERS Compared to officiating as a referee, Saunders said it’s a totally different role the commissioners play because they are no longer acting as a referee, but they have to wear a cap that encompasses the whole makeup of the game management.

“I’m just waiting on the opportunity to get my first nomination to represent the country as a commissioner at an international event,” Saunders said. “The licence just kicked in on September 1, but there are a lot of things happening in 2024, so I’m hoping that I will get an invite to go somewhere soon.”

In the meantime, Saunders has been able to assist with a lot of training for the local referees.

He continues to officiate games with his counterpart as a referee and he also sits at the table helping out as a statistician.

“As a commissioner, you will be called upon to help out with media relations and at bigger events, you have to know how that process works in terms of the setup of the mix zone where the athletes are interviewed by the members of the media,” he said.

“So, I think my background, not only in logistics, but also in media allows me to take a step above what it is needed to get the job done. So, when I get the opportunity to showcase my skills, I will be better

the home, sometimes with his hand on his chest and on his face, speaking to authorities.

Hill paid $6.9 million in May 2022 for the sevenbedroom, eight-bathroom property.

Firefighters appeared to be working on the highest parts of the structure. Many of the bedrooms, a home theatre and a den were among the rooms upstairs, according to the property listing. The house also featured a putting green, an NBA-sized basketball court, a heated salt-water filtration pool and a spa built for 10 people. Also on the property: two guest houses, along with lemon, mango and banana trees.

Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said his thoughts are with Hill and his family. Tagovailoa was told about the fire after Wednesday’s practice.

“I think that would be difficult for, not just my teammates, but for anyone in general to be going through what Tyreek is going through right now,” Tagovailoa said. “I think the main thing is his family is safe. His loved ones are good. He’s good as well. I know it’s a little cliché to say, but those things like that, part of the house, some of those things can be replaceable. I’m just glad that a lot of his family members are safe.”

equipped because of the skill level that I bring to the table.”

As one of two Bahamians to serve as commissioners, Saunders said he’s thrilled.

He said he remembers taking his test the same time that Wells sat her referee’s course and after they passed, they both contacted each other to congratulate one another.

“It’s an immense sense of pride for me to be able to accomplish that,” Saunders said. “I wanted to represent my country after I watched persons like Freddie Brown, Norman Humes and Randy Cunningham serve in that capacity in the past.

“I stand on the shoulders of some great people and I hope I can go one step further than Mr Brown, who continues to serve as a technical delegate.

“It’s a far way to go, but to know that I am a part of a great lineage of commissioners in the country puts me on a good stead and it gives me a great sense of national pride.”

Shortly after joining about a year ago, president Darrel Ranger said he’s seen a vast improvement in Saunders’ ability to get the job done and to work harmoniously in assisting the other referees.

“He’s a student of the game. He knows the rules inside and out,” Ranger said. “He’s one of those persons who could quote and tell you the article and where to find it in the rule book and he applies it when he’s on the court as a referee. So, he deserves it.”

Ranger said there are very few referees who can leave the floor and sit on the table to officiate as a statistician. He said the Bahamas could use some more individuals like Saunders in the sport, but it’s good to have him at the head of the class.

the Bahamas Scholastic Athletic Association will resume its basketball regular season today at the Hope Center basketball courts with the following games on tap, starting at 4pm: Today PB – Genesis Academy vs Hillcrest Academy. PB – Kingsway Academy vs Queen’s College. JG – St. John’s College vs Akhepran International Academy. JB – Jordan Prince William vs ISBET. JB – Achiever’s Christian Academy vs Greenville Preparatory Academy. SB – Greenville Preparatory

Academy vs Mt. Carmel Preparatory Academy. AD – C. I. Gibson vs Teleos Christian School Friday PB – Temple Christian School vs Genesis Academy. PB – Jordan Prince William A vs Freedom Baptist Academy. JG – C. W. Saunders vs Akhepran Int. Academy. JB – Achiever’s Christian Academy vs Greenville Preparatory Academy. INT – Teleos Christian School vs ISBET. SB – Genesis Academy vs Akhepran International Academy. AD – St. John’s College vs Mt. Carmel Preparatory Academy

Monday MD – Temple Christian School vs C.W. Sawyer Primary School. PB – Freedom Baptist Academy vs Jordan Prince William B. PB – Hillcrest Academy vs Queen’s College.

JB – ISBET vs Freedom Baptist Academy.

JB – Achiever’s Christian Academy vs Akhepran International Academ.

SB – Boost Academy vs Mt. Carmel Preparatory Academy. SB – Greenville Preparatory Academy vs Genesis Academy. AD – Teleos Christian School vs Akhepran International Academy