01192023 NEWS AND SPORT

‘I HEARD MY SON SCREAM FOR HIS LIFE’

Defence Force Officer murdered in his car

By JADE RUSSELL jrussell@tribunemedia.net

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

IMMIGRATION Minister Keith Bell issued a stern warning yesterday to people living in the country illegally “to wind up” their affairs and leave immediately or face deportation.

Mr Bell told Parliament The Bahamas cannot accept an increasing number of migrants, as doing so would put a strain on our

resources, which in turn would reduce the quality of life for all Bahamians.

It is for this reason, he said, the country must ensure that its borders are protected.

His comments come amid public outcry over what some term to be an “immigration crisis” in the country.

On Tuesday, a group of Bahamians, led by political activist Lincoln Bain, protested outside the Office of the Prime Minister, demanding more action

HARBOUR ISLAND ‘BANANAS AS USUAL’ FOR CHRISTMAS

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A HARBOUR Island hotelier yesterday said the Christmas holidays were “bananas as usual” with December 2022’s revenues 33 percent ahead of preCOVID comparisons for that month.

Benjamin Simmons, proprietor of The Other Side and Ocean View properties on Harbour Island and Eleuthera, said the festive period was “insane” with continued strong demand enabling him to increase room rates by between 10-15 percent during the month. This more than offset a slight drop in occupancy, and he described his properties’ December performance as being “as good as or better, for sure” than immediately prior to the pandemic.

THE BAD NEWS: MARINAS BLAME VAT ON CHARTERS FOR 20% DROP

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A NASSAU marina

taxation for a near-20 percent decline in Christmas yacht traffic, and warned: “We’re not competitive with anywhere else in the Caribbean.”

Peter Maury, who manages Bay Street Marina, told Tribune Business the holiday drop-off had reinforced his belief that the Government’s decision to impose 10 percent VAT on yacht charters was “100 percent” responsible for the decline in business impacting other operators as well as his own facility.

FRONT PORCH:

operator yesterday blamed increased

THE mother of a 30-year-old Royal Bahamas Defence Force officer who was shot and killed early yesterday morning said she heard her son scream for his life.

Donna McCoy told The Tribune

that her son, Alvarez McCoy, had just arrived at their home when he was shot while in his car. According to police, the incident occurred just before 2am in the area of Armbrister Street, Fox Hill. The killing was one of three murders in less than 24 hours in New Providence.

ALVAREZ MCCOY, right, who was shot and killed yesterday and, left, a bullet hole in his car at the scene yesterday.

Photo: Austin Fernander

Minister

speaking yesterday.

Photo: Austin Fernander

‘I heard my son scream for his life’

from page one

It is reported that neighbours heard gunshots and once outside found the 30-year-old man sitting in his car, a Burgundy coloured Nissan Cube, with gunshot injuries.

McCoy was taken to the hospital where he died shortly before 4am.

His mother said she was awakened by her son screaming.

“He had just come home, and I opened the door for him to come in. But it’s a good thing he didn’t come out of the car because the person was waiting on the side of the house for him,” she said.

Ms McCoy said after she opened the door for her son, she went back to bed.

“I went back and laid down then I dozed off to sleep. And then when I

listened, I heard the gunshots afterwards. I jumped up and I heard when he screamed. I jumped up and ran outside.”

The mourning mother said the victim was her only son, noting they shared a close-knit relationship.

“We had a wonderful relationship. He was a good child because he wasn’t no trouble to nobody. He was friendly with everyone and he never gave me no trouble.”

The deceased is a father of three and was described as a wonderful parent. Ms McCoy said now her grandchildren are left without a father.

She explained her son’s death is a great shock, adding “the Lord is sustaining” her at this time to get through.

When contacted for comment, Royal Bahamas Defence Force Commodore Raymond King said Alvarez had served five years on the force, noting that he was doing exceptionally well.

Commodore King described the murder as a great tragedy. He offered his condolences to the family.

“It’s always a sad day when we lose one of our members, particularly in such a fashion. Public service military personnel, we are here to protect, defend and serve. And so, it’s a tragedy when we lose a member in such a manner.

“But I would encourage the organisation’s members to mourn with the family. Be a part of the grieving process and to help them through this most difficult time,” Commodore King said.

Meanwhile, Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander also offered his condolences to the families of the country’s recent homicides while talking to reporters.

acknowledged the murder of the former RBDF officer, adding that police are appealing to the public for information on the matter.

“Even before he was able to exit (his car), he was approached by a lone gunman who we believe may have been lurking and waiting for him and shot him several times.”

He continued: “We are appealing to members of the public who may have any information. The police officers are probing that area door-to-door to see if we are able to find any footage that can assist with the investigation.”

This incident is the latest in a spate of killings, three of which took place in less than 24 hours.

The first incident occurred at Gibbs Lane and Infant View Road on Tuesday where a father of three was shot and killed in his car on his way to work after 7am.

The second incident occurred at 9.30pm in the Red Land Acres area.

According to reports, ShotSpotter technology alerted police to gunshots being discharged in the area of Shahs Street off Sumner Street.

Police responded and found a man with multiple gunshot injuries.

According to reports, the 32-year-old victim was sitting in front of a residence when a man got out of a black Suzuki Swift and shot at him.

Officers attached to Operation Ceasefire arrested an 18-year-old Kennedy Subdivision youth as he tried to flee.

Officers also recovered the vehicle involved in this incident in a nearby bushy area. Police are searching for a second man believed to be involved.

This brings the country’s murder count to nine for the first 18 days of this year.

Commissioner Fernander

A BULLET hole in a car window at the scene of the murder.

Photo: Austin Fernander

‘Leave before we deport you’

from the government to tackle the problem.

“Madam Speaker, statistics from the Department of Immigration showed significant increases in the number of migrants intercepted in the past two years,” Mr Bell revealed.

“In 2021, 226 Cubans were intercepted and repatriated from The Bahamas. In 2022, this number jumped by almost 800 to 1,001 Cubans. Our records also revealed that they experienced the same jump in irregular migrants from Haiti in 2021 whereas 2,290 Haitians were repatriated. In 2022, we saw an increase of over 1,100 persons when 3,349 persons were repatriated.”

Mr Bell repeated that last year was a record-breaking year in terms of repatriations. He had earlier said that some 4,748 migrants were sent back to their home country in 2021.

He also revealed that the government has established a temporary holding facility in Inagua to allow for quicker repatriation exercises.

“Our goal is to ensure that irregular migrants found and intercepted in the southern Bahamas would be repatriated from

that island without having to come all the way up here to New Providence,” Minister Bell told parliamentarians.

He added that the government will remain relentless in efforts this year to crack down on shanty towns, while promising more special operations and investigations in the weeks ahead.

“Madame Speaker, over the past decades, successive governments have struggled in restricting the creation and expansion of irregular communities. This is the most serious issue and one which the public rightly demands the government to remedy,” Mr Bell said.

“The honourable minister with responsibility for works and utilities is assiduously working in his ministry’s plan to address this long-standing issue.”

“In the upcoming weeks and months, the Department of Immigration will increase the numbers of special operations occurring and the number of investigations for the following: one, to ensure that all persons living in such communities have legal status in this country.

“And two, to confirm that any permit holders living in such communities are doing so in terms of their applications.”

He warned that any permit

holder found in violating terms of their application will be sent back home, emphasising that “The Bahamas is a country governed by a rule of law.”

“The department is presently reviewing our policies to strengthen our investigation and confirmation of the living conditions of all work permit holders. All persons holding work permits in this country must comply with our laws and regulations, including all of our building codes, health and sanitation requirements.”

“When it is shown that the holder of a work permit is living in an irregular community or in other conditions which do not comply with our building or public health guidelines, such permits will be revoked and the holders deported.”

He also advised people against spreading false information, saying there is no room for xenophobia in the country.

“Madam Speaker, I believe that I speak with one voice for all in this honourable place that we remain committed to the protection of our sovereignty and immigration laws,” he said.

“This statement is important as across the world, we have seen the dangers of the rise of fringe groups and their campaigns of

misinformation, campaigns that seek to divide and not unite, to destroy and not to build.

“Madam Speaker, the dangers I speak of is not a theoretical debate but a real one - Madame Speaker, we have many legitimate

issues which we can discuss and debate. There is no need to manufacture issues.

“There is no place in this country, Madam Speaker, for xenophobia and making reports that have no reasonable basis.”

HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP CALLS FOR END TO FEARMONGERING

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

LOCAL advocacy group Human Rights Bahamas said every person within the jurisdiction of The Bahamas has a constitutional right to freedom from discrimination, harassment, and intimidation.

These comments follow a video posted to social media by political hopeful Lincoln Bain ambushing a Haitian woman at a residence on Paradise Island while alleging that she was squatting in the home.

Human Rights Bahamas said this “failing tactic” of Mr Bain is dehumanising, adding that people attempt to gain political power and attention by stoking fear and resentment into the vulnerable.

The local advocacy group argued that the immigration laws of The Bahamas are clear, as every individual is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

HRB said: “Every person in this jurisdiction has a constitutional right to freedom from discrimination, harassment, and

intimidation. Every individual is also innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

“If someone has evidence that these laws have been violated, they should contact the appropriate authorities. No one should be taking the law into their own hands, or trying to stir up public fear and anger based on unproven information.”

HRB is hopeful that society will become “mature enough” to abandon crude fearmongering.

Meanwhile, consultant and local activist Louby

Georges deemed the matter as “nothing less than xenophobia”.

He said he finds it unfortunate that the “bully tactics” and “fear mongering” filled with lies has continued.

When asked his thoughts on Mr Bain’s agenda behind irregular migrants, but Haitians in particular, Mr Georges said tactics being used by Mr Bain and his followers are “unbelievable”.

“As a Bahamian, he has a right to be concerned just as countless others (about illegal

immigration), however the tactics being used by him and his crew are unbelievable almost,” he told this newspaper yesterday.

On Tuesday, Immigration Minister Keith Bell pointed to the recent claims made by Mr Bain on social media about there being a shanty town on Paradise Island as “rubbish”.

“The individuals were born in The Bahamas and they have made an application,” he said about the people Mr Bain confronted at the Paradise Island home.

ABACO MP WARNS OF ‘BOILING POINT’ OVER SHANTY TOWNS

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

CENTRAL and South Abaco MP John Pinder said government must act now to deal with unregulated shanty towns in Abaco as the issue is about to reach a “boiling point”.

“This issue on immigration has been growing substantially for many years and there has been limited to no action on it in the past,” Mr Pinder told reporters outside the House of Assembly yesterday.

“But there is now a multiagency task force that has been put together, the Ministry of Public Works has done their quantitative studies to know how many

buildings and where they are so we could bring up a proper approach.

“The details of the matter, I won’t be able to say, but I am highly optimistic that this administration will actually do something about the ever-growing problem we have.”

Mr Pinder said the illegal developments are particularly worrying for several reasons.

“It’s concerning to me because there isn’t any sanitary infrastructure at hand and there isn’t the proper permitting and things are being done that Bahamians, and my fellow Abaconians can’t do,” he added.

“We have to abide by the law. There is a certain procedure in place that makes

a safe place for everyone to live and right now, those areas that we’re describing aren’t doing that and that’s a problem.

“I know that multiple agencies are dealing with this right now and like I said, I am highly optimistic that this Davis-Cooper administration will make

sure that we have some mediation and a good outcome for Bahamians.”

Before Hurricane Dorian decimated them in 2019, shanty towns across Abaco had more than 1,000 homes and an estimated population of 3,500, according to government reports.

However, after the storm hit the island, the government issued an immediate ban on the construction of any new buildings in the four major shanty towns on Abaco and later began demolition exercises of newly built structures there. Those exercises were stopped after Supreme Court Justice Cheryl GrantThompson ordered the government to cease and desist further interference

with those communities until the judicial review of the matter, which is still pending, was completed.

She also ordered that officials must get approval from the court before demolishing any further structures.

While it is not clear how many shanty towns are now present on the island, the numbers are said to be growing on a regular basis.

Local officials said they have already started surveying the communities to find out who’s living in the

illegal structures, among other things.

“The whole issue is about to come to a boiling point,” Mr Pinder added. “It’s either we act now or we’re gonna lose our father’s place, you know. Our ancestors settled there.

“They spent a lot of time to grow... the communities we have, and we want to make sure that they are for future generations to come. Again, I am optimistic that this Davis-Cooper administration will do what’s needed to fix this problem.”

JOHN PINDER MP

LABOUR Minister Keith Bell yesterday.

Photo: Austin Fernander

from

LINCOLN Bain leads a group of protestors outside OPM this week.

Photo: Austin Fernander

Minister: Bear with us over bed shortages

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

HEALTH and Wellness

Minister Dr Michael Darville yesterday asked the public to “please bear” with his ministry as officials seek to address bed shortages at Princess Margaret Hospital and also carry out repairs at the facility.

Dr Darville spoke to reporters after Bahamas Nurses Union president Amancha Williams on Tuesday raised alarm about the lack of beds at the Accident and Emergency Department at PMH, saying the hospital was in “crisis”.

When questioned on the issue yesterday, the minister admitted limitations with bed space at PMH which he attributed to ongoing renovations at the facility.

However, he said the matter is now under control.

“Well, there’s no question there is a situation (at) Accident and Emergency that has been going on

for some time,” Dr Darville told reporters outside Parliament.

“We got all of the signs months ago that we would have challenges, particularly coming into the winter months and people influx to the Accident and Emergency.

“Yesterday, we had a backlog. The situation is presently under control. As you are aware, we are doing massive renovations at Princess Margaret Hospital, female surgical one, male medical two, the basement of the legacy unit and the list goes on and on.

“This has created some additional shortage of bed space; we ran into the contractual agreement with Doctors Hospital - that has been worked out.”

It was reported that 41 people on Tuesday were waiting to be admitted to Accident and Emergency.

Dr Darville yesterday described the backlog as “intense” and added that due to ongoing renovations, there will be times when the

admissions rate at A and E “goes up”.

“But we assure the Bahamian people that the contractual agreement that we went into for repairs is somewhere between 14 to 18 (weeks) and we ask the general population to please bear with us,” he added.

“At the end of the day, we’re going to renovate these wards, we’re going to bring more beds on stream and we’re going to improve the working conditions for the patients as well as our physicians and nurses.”

Yesterday, Dr Darville was also asked what was being done to address a similar situation at the Rand Memorial Hospital in Grand Bahama.

“Well, as we speak right now there is land preparation for the foundation for our modular units that will act as the interim to address the backlog that is presently at Accident and Emergency at the Rand Memorial Hospital,” he replied.

“Those modular units

are on the ground in Grand Bahama and once the foundation is done, they’re just basically to be connected, fully functional and that will de-bundle the situation at the Accident and Emergency at Rand Memorial Hospital.”

While declining to give a date for completion of the units’ installation, he said they should be up within the first quarter of the year.

He also gave an update on the government’s plans for a new hospital for the island, saying a site to house the facility has already been identified.

“The finalisation of the plot plan is near completion,” the minister added. “As you’re aware, we have to acquire additional land that pushed us back a few months but all of our teams,

PRINCESS MARGARET HOSPITAL

all of our steering committees, our architects are working very diligently for us to get the final approvals from the Grand Bahama Port Authority so that we can finalise the request for proposal and we could get shovel in the ground as soon as possible.”

As it relates to the new hospital planned for New Providence, Dr Darville said officials are now in the final stages of selecting a site.

This comes amid speculation that the future site of the new hospital will be in Highland Park, which is in the Killarney constituency.

Dr Darville did not name the site being eyed by the government yesterday, only saying that geotechnical studies were still being done but nearing completion.

“I don’t want to make an announcement and find out that we (have) carbonous holes underneath the ground because that’s very important for us and the topographic study, but I feel confident that the site we’re looking at now looks like it will be the potential site,” the minister continued.

“Once that’s completed and Cabinet makes the final decision, we will have to go in some meetings with communities that’s in close proximity because there’s no massive amount of land anywhere in New Providence that’s just sitting there by itself.

“It’s always close to residential communities and the communities need to know exactly what plans will be.”

MORE than 130 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean cannot access a healthy diet, according to a United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization report.

The UN report said that 22 percent of the Latin American and Caribbean population cannot afford a healthy diet, adding the

Caribbean is at 52 percent.

Findings of the report noted that it is harder to access healthy food in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The report noted that “131.3 million people in the region could not afford a healthy diet in 2020.”

It added: “This represents an increase of eight million

compared to 2019 and is due to the higher average daily cost of healthy diets in Latin America and the Caribbean compared to the rest of the world’s regions, reaching in the Caribbean a value of USD 4.23, followed by South America and Mesoamerica with USD 3.61 and USD 3.47, respectively.

“This problem is related

to different socio-economic and nutritional indicators.

The report presents a clear relationship between the inability to afford a healthy diet and such variables as a country’s income level, the incidence of poverty, and the level of inequality,” a UN press release about the document noted.

The report noted that the Ukraine war also had a great impact in the rise of food prices internationally and regionally, adding it was more challenging for people to access a healthy diet.

The statement continued: “The rise in international food prices experienced since 2020, exacerbated after the start of the conflict in Ukraine, and a regional increase in food inflation above the general level, have increased the difficulties for people to access a healthy diet.”

Obesity was also a cause of concern in the report as many people have suffered from the ailment due to the lack of having a healthy diet

or not being able to afford one.

The Bahamas was recorded as having one of the highest percentages in obesity amongst adults, which included: 23.9 percent in 2000, 26.2 percent in 2005, 28.5 percent 2010, 30.0 percent in 2013, 30.5 in 2014, 31.0 in 2015, and 31.6 in 2016.

Recommended food policies such as nutritional labelling, subsidising nutritious foods, and taxing unhealthy or non-nutritious foods that do not contribute to healthy diets can improve the affordability of healthy diets, the report said.

The UN report added the recommendations could prevent debilitating conditions and diseases related to overweight and obesity.

In terms of the cost of a healthy diet per day in The Bahamas the report said it cost $4.27 in 2017; $4.38 in 2018, $4.36 in 2019; and $4.48 in 2020.

The report noted that food insecurity for the period of 2019-2021 in The Bahamas was 3.4 percent.

The report also noted that children under five and women suffer a higher prevalence of food insecurity than men.

Meanwhile, the report showed how some nutrition-sensitive social protection programmes have worked and are essential to support the diets of the most vulnerable population in times of crisis.

“Food insecurity will continue to rise due to the food and fuel price crisis caused by the conflict in Ukraine and the aftermath of COVID-19,” said Lola Castro, World Food Programme regional director. “We must act now, but how can we do it? Supporting governments to expand social protection networks because the pandemic once again demonstrated that social protection is useful to improve the affordability of a healthy diet, preventing crises like this from hitting affected populations even more”. •

‘Enormous amounts’ of oil still at Equinor site

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

AN appeal is being made to the government to be vigilant concerning the oil spill clean-up at the Equinor South Riding Point plant in East Grand Bahama.

Joseph Darville, chairman of Save the Bays, said that there is still “enormous amounts of residual oil on the site”.

He complained that environmentalists are not being permitted to check the affected areas anymore and to advise the government about what is happening there.

“That (clean-up) seems to have gone into a very secretive and clandestine operation,” Mr Darville claimed.

“So, I am appealing to the government, the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, and representatives from Grand Bahama to have a vigilant look at that situation.”

Mr Darville stressed that the government must be vigilant to make sure the site is cleaned up before it is divested to another party.

“I hear there is one almost imminently ready to purchase it,” he said.

“While they are negotiating the sale of that property there is an enormous amount of residual oil sitting on that plant, in addition to what residual oil is in the forest.”

The environmentalist said that Equinor had reported that after examining some rocks, it was determined to be black mould.

Mr Darville admits that while it is true there is black mould in the forest, residual oil is still penetrating the enormous mounds of aggregate on the northside.

“If you insert a stick in it, the stick comes out saturated with oil,” he said.

He also noted that pigs are no longer eating the fern root nodules in the area.

“We found recently that they were leaving them on the ground, and we wondered why. When we opened it up, it is saturated with oil.”

Mr Darville stressed that the oil continues to seep into the ground and will also seep into the wetlands and the water table eventually.

“The water table is less than four feet under the ground,” he warned.

And so, what really bothers me is that I have passed it onto the highest level of government.

“There is a lot to be done with respect to that (cleanup), and I cry shame on previous and present governments if they are not going to be diligent enough to make sure that place is cleaned before it is sold to another entity.”

The Save the Bays

chairman noted that the land belongs to the Bahamian people.

“It should be kept clean and pristine because it is the Bahamian heritage.

“We are talking about the green economy and blue economy, and all the rest, and we are not looking at these situations minutely. And they are excluding environmentalists from getting permission to go on the site to actually advise the government as to what is happening.

“And so, no, that place is not yet cleaned. And no one can come and contradict environmentalists who have been watching it from day one up until now,” he stated.

He said since environmentalists are not allowed to get on the site, government officials should be permitted to visit and look at what is there.

The oil spill occurred at Equinor’s South Riding Point storage facility in Grand Bahama when Hurricane Dorian pummeled the northern Bahamas in September 2019.

The estimated volume of the oil spill is 55,000 barrels (2.3 million gallons).

After the incident, Equinor said it was committed to cleaning up the area and that it would establish a long-term monitoring plan of ground water and for the affected forest areas to be submitted to local authorities.

BAHAMIAN MADE ARCHDEACON OF TORONTO

BAHAMIAN Archdeacon Theadore Hunt has become one of four new archdeacons in the Diocese of Toronto, Anglican Church of Canada.

In his new role, Archdeacon Hunt will assist the diocese’s bishops, regional deans and parishes with the administrative functions of episcopal ministry.

Fr Hunt is the incumbent of St Stephen Downsview and is now responsible for the Central archdeaconry.

The collation service was held on Sunday yesterday at St James Cathedral. It was held in-person and live streamed on the diocese’s Youtube channel.

According to a press statement posted on the Diocese of Toronto’s website, Fr Hunt along with the other archdeacons and canon administrator will serve one day per week or 20 per cent of their time in addition to their current ministry positions.

“Their term is for four years. They will support the bishops in administrative functions to free up the bishops to provide more pastoral ministry and teaching. Much of their work will be administrative tasks, including overseeing the work of area councils, holding deanery events and coordinating the work of regional deans and clergy. There may also be opportunities for archdeacons to represent the bishops at events like celebrations of new ministry in parishes,”

Bishop Andrew Asbil announced the new archdeacons and canon administrator in a letter to the diocese in December.

“There are few things more exciting than watching a big project come to completion,” he wrote. “Last evening, at Synod Council, I was very pleased to make an announcement that concludes a piece of work that started over two and a half years ago.”

Ordained

Fr Hunt has been in Canada for 11 years. With his master’s degree in Theological studies, Fr Hunt has served his community while also representing his native country the Bahamas.

He is married to Donethia Hunt and the couple has two daughters. He has been at St Stephen Downsview for the past five and a half years. Prior to that, St. Paul’s L’Amoreau for seven years.

• Religion section on page 11 today

ELEUTHERA RESIDENTS LEFT IN DARK AFTER POWER FAILURE

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

SOUTH Eleuthera residents are frustrated with failure of the power supply that has left them without power since early Tuesday morning.

In a press statement released on Tuesday, Bahamas Power and Light advised South Eleuthera residents that the company was actively working to address the power supply failure that had affected communities between Tarpum Bay and Bannerman Town.

BPL said a team from New Providence had flown

in to work alongside BPL’s Eleuthera operation team to rectify the matter.

According to the statement, the power outage occurred shortly after noon on Tuesday, however, residents insisted that the power outages were over a period of two days.

A 50-year-old resident of Tarpum Bay said that the power outages are recurring, however, she described the most recent episode as the “longest one yet”.

The woman said that despite the power outages, the water remained on unlike previous instances.

“You know we just have to put up with it. We have

PSYCHOLOGICAL TEST FOR THEFT ACCUSED

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was ordered to get a psychological evaluation yesterday after being accused of a failed purse snatching earlier this week.

Dion Hall, 50, stood before Magistrate Kendra Kelly and prosecutor Sergeant Vernon Pyfrom on charges of attempted robbery and assault.

It is alleged that on January 16 in New Providence, Hall attacked Diane Shalev in an attempt to steal her purse.

Questions about the defendant’s mental competency arose in court and he was not required to enter a plea.

Hall is expected to

appear in court on March 10 pending a psychological evaluation from the Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre.

• In a separate case, a man was granted bail in court yesterday after being accused of attacking someone with a screwdriver.

Johnny Severe, 39, appeared before Senior Magistrate Derence A Rolle Davis on a charge of assault with a dangerous instrument.

It is alleged that around 9.30pm on January 15 in New Providence, Severe assaulted Andre Dieujuste with a screwdriver.

In court, he pleaded not guilty. He was ordered to pay $2,000 bail with one surety. Severe’s trial is set for January 31.

to deal with it,” she said.

She added: “You know we just got to have patience. I used to get upset, but we just have to have patience to deal with it until it gets better.”

Another resident of Tarpum Bay, who also requested to be anonymous, said the power outages have affected his daily routine.

He said: “I have an electric stove and I have an electric water heater. I am unable to bathe and shave like you would like to, you know.”

He urged the government to use solar energy, adding that it is frustrating that electricity matters

are not being addressed properly by successive administrations.

He criticised government for failing to focus on the important matters.

One resident wrote to BPL about the situation.

“The recent power outage in South Eleuthera is completely unacceptable,” the letter, which was also sent to the media, said.

The resident said the power went off around 3am Tuesday in South Eleuthera and came on around 11.30am only to go off again around 2.30pm and finally came back on around 9am yesterday.

“In the modern world,

power is a necessity, not a convenience,” the resident wrote. “We have been having issues for quite some time with overload conditions in South Eleuthera where load shedding has to be done. Now, on two of the coldest days in recent memory we have no power whatsoever - so we know it was not an overload issue due to air conditioning.

“It is time for BPL to be proactive in ensuring Eleuthera has reliable power and backup power for situations when the primary source is unusable. To say proactive is almost a joke in that it is really reactive due to the situations

we’ve been having here.” Additionally, scores of residents also took to social media to complain.

One Facebook user said: “This island has been neglected for far too long and from I was a child and had sense there has been power issues and load shedding. I could count on it every summer like clockwork.”

“So, BPL admits that this is all on them. Will they compensate for ruined appliances?” another user asked.

Central and South Eleuthera MP Clay Sweeting confirmed that the power was restored as of yesterday morning.

in the Diocese of the Bahamas, Fr Hunt is a member of Synod Council, a Fresh Start facilitator and a member of the Bishop’s Committee on Healing Ministries.

ARCHDEACON THEADORE HUNT

NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI

“Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master”

Publisher/Editor 1903-1914

LEON E. H. DUPUCH,

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

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

(242) 322-1986

Advertising Manager (242) 502-2394

Circulation Department (242) 502-2386 Nassau fax (242) 328-2398 Freeport, Grand Bahama (242)-352-6608 Freeport fax (242) 352-9348

When will Village Road construction be complete?

IT seems a long time ago when we were assured that the roadworks on Village Road would be completed in time for the start of the school term. Perhaps we should have asked which school term.

The September goal drifted. Then the November one. Then press secretary Clint Watson popped up to say that work would be completed by December 12. That never happened.

In fact, he was quickly contradicted by Minister of Works and Utilities Alfred Sears, who said: “The paving of the road will begin in the first week of December, near the end of the first week of December, and it will be in three phases. So, those phases of paving will take us through December, and it is expected by the end of December 2022, they will be substantially completed.”

Again, that deadline came and went – and there’s still no sign of the paving beginning.

Driving along the road yesterday, there were still sections of the road being dug up, along with new diversion barriers put up for long-suffering motorists to abide by.

Parents doing the daily drop-off at Queen’s College have long been shrugging in frustration at the bumpy journey to school and back, but their dismay is as nothing to the businesses along the road who have seen footfall drop away as people avoid Village Road “like the plague”, as one owner put it.

Mr Sears returned with another prediction that the roadworks would be delayed until the first week in January, but that’s another deadline that whooshed by.

Part of the problem was that the plans took a change after the work had begun – with a roundabout added outside Queen’s College and the Bahamas National Trust Retreat.

That roundabout is marked out, but still some way from complete.

In yesterday’s Tribune, business owners said they were still awaiting “follow through” after a meeting

with government to discuss relief and compensation.

Noelle Nicolls, vice-president of the Four Walls Squash and Social Club and a former Tribune reporter, said that businesses were encouraged, but tellingly noted that “businesses continue to look for a definitive timeline on the road completion”.

She said businesses were “encouraged by the… government’s openness to consider our proposal” – and indeed the government should show consideration for businesses who were told one thing when it came to how long they should expect to put up with roadworks, but have had to put up with another.

The squash club’s president, Michael Fields, said in a letter to government: “Between the open trenches, unpaved roads, detours, strained traffic management and dust, customers are avoiding Village Road like a plague. The original target for completion, which was September 2022, and even the revised date of November, would have allowed local businesses to benefit from the holiday bump that most rely upon.

“Each missed deadline has serious implications for businesses, and there is little belief that the latest end-of-month forecast for completion will be met given the lack of clear communication and the conditions on the ground. With no clear end in sight, our reserves are depleted, our business planning efforts have become futile, and we continue to experience tremendous losses.”

It is beyond ridiculous that businesses, residents, parents, teachers, schoolchildren and more should have to put up with constant delay after delay with no explanation from government.

What is the latest deadline? Who knows? Government officials seem to have given up trying to tell us.

As for whether there are penalty clauses on the contract for construction for missing deadlines, that is a mystery the government has never spoken to at all.

Mr Sears needs to give a clear answer – and he needs to do it now.

Independence ...from what?

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I MUST once again give a salute to the amazing Lady Pam Burnside. She states the truth that this country will never move forward until the majority of the people are elevated to receive the goodness and richness of our land. Majority is ruled, rather than given the power to rule. It is blatantly evident that the oligarchy and the rich still wield the heavy hand in this land.

There is fundamentally no change from one political party to the next. Each one fundamentally yields to the dictates of the Bay Street Boys (black and white) and the Eastern Road Knights (both black and white). Some black have been duly seduced to join the clan. They rule the masses by virtue of their economic power and no political entity has had the cohunes to draw the masses into sharing the enormous wealth of this country. At this very moment, there are billions of dollars sitting in the banks of The Bahamas, including the Central Bank and untold millions stashed away in foreign banks.

The inability of any government yet to impost income and or corporate taxes, will forever leave some forty plus percent of the population living at or below poverty level. This

dreadful inequity speaks to the realty that post Dorian and into COVID-19 more that 46 percent of the population was living at or below poverty level. That situation, combined with the enormous misappropriation of NIB funds to sustain other situations, has left that entity basically in the doldrums financially within a few years.

We speak excitingly about the millions and millions of visitors coming to our county. But how will this phenomenon benefit the poor in this country, apart from not yet a liveable wage, but minimum wage?

Come the next major storm or any other catastrophic event, what will our people fall back on? One may suggest that Bahamians like too much to look fancy or waste money on unimportant things. That may indeed be the truth, but how fancy can you be with less than $300 per week. But how about them being able to inherit some of the riches they have labored to enable the inordinate rich in the country?

I would suggest that the vestiges of enslavement are right at home in this country. We still bow to the entrapments of the former rulers. After almost fifty years of so-called independence (I personally organised thousands of students for the event of Clifford Park,

as teacher and Teachers Union VP) how far have we come? We still subject our people to the honours of another nation. We celebrate Boxing Day – an event marking the ignominy dished out to our forefathers. They could not celebrate Christmas. They were enslaved and had to serve their masters on that day. So, the left overs from the tables were BOXED and the day after Christmas they had their recompences. Wow, how bound are we to the vestiges of the slave masters. The renowned lawyers in our land! Why do they still bear the garments and titles of a foreign ruler?

Are we yet still not proud enough, enlightened sufficient to devise titles for our people. This was my thought 50 years ago watching the Union Jack come down and our glorious flag being raised with pomp and circumstance.

With Madame Pam Burnside, I pray that even before we deem to celebrate 50 years of independence, we devise a strategy to elevate our people, especially our politicians to the real level of freedom we the people deserve and for which our forefathers so diligently fought.

JOSEPH DARVILLE Human Rights Bahamas January 17, 2023

Pandemic effects on the region

EDITOR, The Tribune.

THE consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, the conflict in Ukraine, climate change, and the general economic slowdown have brought the fight against food insecurity to the forefront of global public debate. Latin America and the Caribbean is not on the sidelines of this situation.

Rising fertiliser and food prices, which are now above the levels of previous years, have inevitable effects on food security. If prices continue to increase, food production also will be affected, impacting the livelihoods of smallscale producers and family farmers.

Latin America and the Caribbean is a region of a permanent contradiction. It could produce food for more than 1.3 billion people, or twice its population, but its high levels of hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition exceed world averages. In 2021, 40.6% of the regional population experienced moderate or severe food insecurity.

We are facing not only a food insecurity crisis, but also a complex global scenario in which national structures are unable to respond effectively because they are constantly affected by external factors.

Tangible solutions and response measures must be jointly implemented and designed with greater sustainability and resilience, considering that regional integration and cooperation processes are more necessary than ever.

In this regard, working together to transform agrifood systems to make them more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable is

an opportunity to strengthen intersectoral and crosscutting strategies; while reaffirming a regional political commitment to combat hunger and poverty.

At the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), we have strengthened our technical assistance to support regional coordination processes and governments in developing tools that contribute to reducing the impact of this situation.

During the last FAO Regional Conference, held in April 2022 in Quito, the Member States of the organization defined their priorities to address the challenges facing agrifood systems and avoid the effects that could be irreversible if we do not respond immediately.

Together with the ProTempore Presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), currently held by the government of Argentina, we are working to identify alternatives to promote recovery that recognize the contributions of the agrifood sector. We have expressed our willingness to provide technical assistance to strengthen and update the Food Security, Nutrition and Hunger Eradication Plan, Plan SAN-CELAC, which governments approved in 2015.

In a challenging context, and with limited economic resources, preparing for a regional integration process on these issues requires recommendations and technical evidence for decision-making that will help

to make public and private investments more efficient and improve people’s food security and nutrition.

That is why, together with four United Nations agencies, we developed the Regional Food and Nutrition Security Outlook 2022, which includes an in-depth study on the relationships between diet quality, food security, and nutrition.

The cost of a healthy diet in our region is the highest in the world. If we do not address this as soon as possible, it will bring severe consequences for food insecurity, chronic malnutrition, overweight, and obesity. This will also impact the social and economic development of the region, limiting progress towards the fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda, and undermining the right to adequate food of millions of inhabitants in Latin America and the Caribbean.

During the last few years, which have been particularly difficult for the region, governments and other key actors have made important efforts and generated valuable experiences in the process of socio-economic recovery. FAO supports its Member Countries in developing the most appropriate mechanisms for designing and implementing policies that consider local realities, structural problems, and international conditions, while reducing the region’s exposure to food insecurity and malnutrition.

MARIO LUBETKIN Assistant

Director General and Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean UN Food and Agriculture Organization January 18, 2023

letters@tribunemedia.net

IN yesterday’s Tribune, we included a photograph from Bruce Raine showing the signposts obscuring the view at Montagu Bay. Mr Raine included another photograph - showing the kind of view we’re missing out on when we block our views of the sea, and it is only fitting to include it today.

Police chief concern over bail decisions

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

He conveyed his agitation over

Asked if it is demoralising to see repeat offenders being released, the police chief admitted: “Yes, it could be. If you look at the amount of individuals who were charged last year and the solvency rate is high, you don’t see that in the world when you talking about over 60 percent solvency rate with respect to homicide.

“Out of that 67 percent, you are looking at between 80 to 90 matters solved. If you were to do your research, you will note that the majority of those persons are on bail as we speak – that’s a problem.”

Commissioner Fernander had said at the end of December that in 2023 officials will take policing to “another level”.

He also indicated there will be a media briefing this month when he will speak directly about his policing plan.

He spoke a bit about what will be in this plan.

“Prevention is high with respect to our policing plan moving forward and we’re looking forward for a good year working with the legal department with a view of taking these individuals off the street who continue to offend and get bail,” he said.

“You have individuals who are on bail for two and three murders and something is wrong with that. We’re looking at swift justice. Swift justice to be able to move quickly before the courts.

“Individuals who are found in possession of firearms, 95 percent of the serious crimes - the weapon of choice is firearms. So we want to work hand in hand with the legal area, the justice system to make sure that it works and we will do our part as law enforcement.”

Yesterday, the police chief was also asked about cases of statutory rape.

As it relates to minors, Commissioner Fernander some of them are “falling in love” with older people.

Police recently reported that they were looking for a 19-year-old man who allegedly raped a teen girl at her home this month. Commissioner Fernander previously said the girl’s parents found out she had sex with a 19-year-old man, prompting the police investigation.

“We want the victims to work with us and we working them,” Mr Fernander said. “A lot of minors, some of them are falling in love with elderly individuals but they should know better. The individual should know better. Adults should never approach a minor and I will not support that. We will go all out to save our young females.”

The commissioner also commented on the recent case of an officer being assaulted.

It was reported earlier this month an American woman who bit a police officer, kicked the officer repeatedly in the face and broke the officer’s finger during an incident at Aura nightclub on New Year’s Day has been ordered to pay $1,500 in compensation.

Rachael Reese, 33, of Tampa, Florida, stood before Magistrate Samuel McKinney on charges of disorderly

behaviour, resisting arrest, assault and causing harm.

Around 3.10am on January 1, WPC 4193 Johnson was dispatched to the Aura nightclub at Atlantis after receiving reports that Reese was being disorderly and had assaulted a guard. Once there, it was said the accused resisted arrest and in the process of fighting back, Reese broke WPC Johnson’s finger.

It is reported that the accused bit the police officer during their altercation and kicked the officer repeatedly in the face.

As for his thoughts on the matter, Mr Fernander clarified that the officer only had a sprained finger from the attack.

“I’m always looking out for the welfare of my officers. I will support them 150 percent but I believe the matter was wrong in the reporting. They mentioned that the officer received two broken fingers — it was not so. The officer was assaulted. Had a sprained pinky finger.

“I spoke to her myself and I’m following it up. She was disappointed to hear all the outrage in the community. Officers are being assaulted every day during the commission of their duty and arresting and they are charged individuals and they go to court.

“The female officer who was assaulted is in good shape and she is almost ready to come back to work.”

MORE THAN 100 EXTRA POLICE IN TRAINING

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

POLICE Commissioner Clayton Fernander said more than 100 new recruits will be in training for the next five months and half of those will be assigned Downtown to the cruise port in New Providence.

The police chief spoke after a tour of the port yesterday where he spoke about security for the area.

He said: “On the 28th of this month, I have a total of 120 recruits that will be in training for the next five months and half of that team will be assigned here downtown to this port.

“What you will see during their training process, (the) security ports

here, they will be visiting the training college to go over the security measures for this dock so that when they have completed their training they could fall right in place here. You will see that. We have to boost up this area, the downtown area and you will see that on a big scale.”

He was asked about his greatest concern for the area as the issue of drug peddling and harassment of tourists was brought up.

“Yes, we saw that for many years. That continues to plague us and it will be a zero tolerance with respect to that. All of that soliciting and people harassing the tourists and selling drugs it will. I want to encourage the vendors who will be in, and I just visited their space - they have to work along with

the port and the ministry to ensure a clean environment and to desist with that harassment of tourists.”

The commissioner also noted other problems in the Downtown area.

He said: “As we continue to say, and you had successive commissioners complain about the same thing. The police are doing their job. We are arresting, charging, putting before the court and in a matter of days, weeks these individuals continue to come out and offend.

“As minor as the vagrants in Downtown, Central Division continues to arrest individuals and try to get Social Services on board to get some assistance for them. They are released and they are right back in the Downtown area.”

NINE MONTHS IN JAIL OVER MARIJUANA SMUGGLING

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A JAMAICAN was sentenced to nine months in prison yesterday after admitting to smuggling marijuana into the country in cereal boxes.

Adrian Bennette, 34, of Kingston, represented by Alphonso Lewis, and Javon Rahming, 33, both stood before Magistrate Samuel McKinney.

They faced charges of importation of dangerous drugs, conspiracy to import dangerous drugs, conspiracy to possess dangerous drugs with intent to supply and possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply.

On January 16 in New Providence, it is said police stopped a vehicle occupied by both men for suspicious behaviour. Once officers opened the door, they recognised a strong aroma of marijuana and conducted a search of the vehicle. As a result, they uncovered 7.5lb of Indian hemp concealed in cereal boxes, which had an estimated street value of $15,000.

In a subsequent police interview, Bennette admitted having the drugs and

bringing them into the country from the United States.

Bennette pleaded guilty while his co-accused pleaded not guilty.

In his plea of mitigation on Bennette’s behalf, Mr Lewis stated his remorseful client had no antecedents and had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity to spare the court’s time. Mr Lewis further indicated Bennette took responsibility for his actions from the onset and assisted police with their investigation.

The attorney also said the accused had only bought groceries from a friend in the US and he was unaware that drugs were inside until they arrived.

After saying Bennette has his sick mother in his care, Mr Lewis asked that the court be lenient by only imposing a fine rather than a custodial sentence.

Magistrate McKinney sentenced Bennette to nine months in prison and further imposed a fine of $500 at risk of an additional three months in custody.

The remaining accused, Rahming, was granted $7,500 bail with one or two sureties and informed that his trial date is set for February 21.

WOMAN MUST REPAY $922 STOLEN FROM EMPLOYER

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A WOMAN was ordered to repay her former employer yesterday after admitting to stealing $922 from a gaming house in Long Island last year.

Britney Cartwright, 35, represented by attorney Ian Cargill, stood before Magistrate Shaka Serville on a charge of stealing by reason of employment.

Between September 23–24 last year, while Ms Cartwright was employed at Paradise Games in Hamilton’s, Long Island, she stole $922 from the establishment.

In court, she pleaded guilty.

Mr Cargill told the court his client has no prior

offences and in addition to being remorseful admitted to her wrongdoing from the onset. He said Cartwright was the primary caregiver to her elderly parents who both fell ill at the time, which, he said, caused financial difficulties.

The attorney asked that the court be lenient and give the accused an opportunity to repay the complainant and maintain a clean record.

Magistrate Serville placed Cartwright on a conditional discharge during which she is expected to fully reimburse her former employer. Should she fail to settle her debt, it would result in her being convicted for the offence, and facing a fine of $2,500 or three months in custody.

POLICE Commissioner Clayton Fernander said police are looking forward to a good year working with legal officials with a view of taking individuals off the street who continue to offend and get bail.

offenders continually being awarded bail.

POLICE Commisioner Clayton Fernander yesterday addressed the issue of bail. Photo: Austin Fernander

WOMEN AND THE STRUGGLE FOR POWER, EQUITY AND RESPECT

seats. The UBP got only 26,500 votes but 18 seats. The 1962 results showed how corrupt and unfair the electoral system was, and that was after Secretary of State for the Colonies Alan Lennox-Boyd had ordered the addition of four new seats for New Providence, two in the South and two in the East.

in London.

MIZPAH TERTULLIEN

THE home of Mizpah and J Egbert “Bertie” Tertullien in Blue Hill Estates brimmed with books. There were shelves of books on politics, psychology, economics, social sciences, literature – especially West Indian and African literature – and other topics. Ideas and current affairs were exuberantly and spicily debated at the Tertulliens.

The couple met in Canada after Mizpah, who was a nurse, went to the University of Toronto to study psychology and there she met Bertie, a statistician, who eventually became the Director of Statistics for The Bahamas. They were a multifaceted and intellectual couple who enjoyed liming with friends and good conversation.

Mizpah Tertullien nee Duncan (1930-2015) was a progressive, smart, vibrant, strong woman, whose mother hailed from Ragged Island. Her father was Jamaican, an elegant gentleman who was a taxi driver.

She attended Government High School in the 1940s along with Sir Lynden Pindling, Sir Orville Turnquest and others who played a pivotal role in the country’s national development. Like others of her generation, she dreamt

tremendous dreams for a sovereign Bahamas.

After she passed away in 2015, then Prime Minister Perry Christie observed that she “contributed significantly to the development of the modern Bahamas in a variety of spheres”.

Mrs Tertullien, a leading female politician of her generation, was also a psychologist; a newspaper columnist who wrote “Psychologically Speaking”, which also became a title of a book; a radio personality; attorney and author.

INTELLECT

Despite Tertullien’s intellect and accomplishments, the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) never nominated her for a winnable seat, though many less accomplished and capable men were repeatedly given nominations.

The PLP continued to run her in Shirlea, a seat the party knew she could not win. Had she been a man, it is probable that she would have been given a safe seat and served in the Cabinet.

Dame Dr Doris was given a nomination for a seat in Eleuthera, which she stood no chance of winning. In a nod to women, she initially served in the Cabinet as a minister without portfolio.

After Warren Levarity

was dismissed from the Cabinet, Dr Johnson was given his portfolio. The argument was made that because she was unelected she should not have been given the portfolio. But some believe that there was sexism at play in this argument.

Bahamian women were integral to the success of the PLP in terms of votes, grassroots organising, fundraising, branch development and other support.

Some continue to erroneously suggest that majority rule came in 1962 after women secured the right to vote and that “the majority of the voters elected the United Bahamian Party (UBP) as the government on that day”. This suggestion is a grand lie.

A pernicious slogan by the UBP in the 1962 election, geared primarily toward women, was: “Vote PLP and Starve.” Despite this, the majority of black women voted PLP.

Still, despite the votes, the organising capacity of women, and the role they played in electing the PLP as the first majority rule government in 1967, women apparently were not good enough to sit among the men in the House.

SEXIST

The sexist pattern was to nominate women as tokens for seats the party could not win. It was okay for women to campaign, to raise funds, to fry conch fritters and to do other chores, but serving in government was supposedly beyond their capacity.

sexist pattern was to nominate women as tokens for seats the party could not win. It was okay for women to campaign, to raise funds, to fry conch fritters and to do other chores, but serving in government was supposedly beyond their capacity.’

In 1962, the PLP garnered 32,261 votes but only eight

The sexism that failed to run more women for the House of Assembly and that failed to ensure women in the cabinet for decades after majority rule and independence, was in terrible evidence at the Bahamas Independence Conference

At the constitutional talks, convened 12 days before Christmas 1972, the PLP opposed full equality for Bahamian women in terms of passing on a right of automatic citizenship to children born outside The Bahamas of a non-Bahamian husband. The PLP could have taken Dame Doris to the Independence Conference. But it failed to take her or any other woman as a delegate.

This denial of full equality by the governing party was not an oversight. It was a matter of contention between the Free National Movement, which argued for full equality on the citizenship question, and the PLP, which defended its patronising, antiquated and discriminatory position as an international norm.

Had the FNM’s position prevailed, we would not still be struggling as a nation on these constitutional matters, which also discriminates against a category of men.

During a break in the formal talks, one of the most senior PLP leaders was pressed by an FNM delegate on the matter. The flippant response was that if Bahamian women got such a right, they would then want the right to use the men’s washroom.

ENTRENCHED

It is a tragic and prime example of the entrenched sexism of that era that the party which raised eternal hell in dismantling the Old Guard’s resistance to blacks attaining political power, failed to move heaven and earth to quickly get a woman elected to the House, the centrepiece of Bahamian democracy.

Except for the brief period Dame Doris served in an early cabinet of Sir Lynden Pindling, while she was a senator, not a single other woman sat in the Cabinet of The Bahamas during the PLP’s initial quarter of a century rule. Apparently, women were also not good enough to serve in Cabinet.

The failure to empower more women to serve at the highest level of government was a systematic depreciation and attack on the intellect, intelligence, creativity and imagination of women like Mizpah Tertullien, a cosmopolitan spirit, who would have been a powerful voice around the Cabinet table.

A few women did serve in the Senate during the PLP’s first 25 years in office. Still, had more women been recruited to run for winnable seats and if more had served in Cabinet during those years, we would be more advanced in terms of women in elected office.

SHATTERED

It was not until 1982, two and a half centuries after the establishment of the House of Assembly that a woman was elected to that chamber. The glass ceiling was shattered by Dame Janet Bostwick of the FNM.

With the FNM’s 1992 victory three women were appointed to Cabinet posts with portfolio assignments in health, social services,

national insurance, transport and the public service.

After a Cabinet shuffle during that term, women were appointed to portfolios dealing with education, foreign affairs and that of the attorney general.

Following the 1997 election, both the Speaker of the House, Italia Johnson, and the President of the Senate, Lynn Holowesko, were female. A midterm change of senators resulted in 50 percent of the Senate being female.

As noted last week, the House evolved over the centuries, becoming the centrepiece of Bahamian democracy representing the relative advancement and equality of various segments of society.

To advance and ensure greater equality, including on issues of gender-based violence, more progressive women need to be elected to the House. Women activists today must work to recruit and ensure that more women run for the major parties.

Political power is indispensable in all struggles for equality. In countries where larger numbers of women serve in parliaments and cabinets there is greater equality.

The FNM ended the practice whereby male public officers were routinely promoted over women and winning higher salaries because they were invariably seen as the principal breadwinner.

The FNM abolished the dower and made surviving spouses, regardless of gender, heir to the matrimonial home. It abolished primogeniture. These equality changes were made because of progressive men and women in parliament and cabinet.

Today, there is general agreement that more women should be in Parliament. Also, the major political parties need to have more ambitious recruitment and training programmes for better male and female candidates.

Many qualified women have sat in the Senate and accepted other high public offices by appointment, but were unwilling to offer as candidates for election.

A concerted programme and targets by political parties for female representation in the House is essential. Activists have a role in encouraging and supporting more qualified women running for office.

The sidelining of women in the 1970s and 1980s was a depreciation and a lack of respect for female intelligence and ability. The failure to ensure constitutional equality is a failure to enhance the autonomy and agency of women.

The failure to outlaw marital rape and to more aggressively address domestic and sexual violence is a depreciation of and attack on women’s bodies as the “property” of men.

To ensure a greater culture of gender equality and to cultivate new mindsets in men and women requires political activism and involvement, both of which Mizpah Tertullien demonstrated in her activism, writings and engagement in party politics and government.

‘The

Prime Minister’s message at Atlantic Council was consistent and clear

WE are accustomed to viewing prominent Bahamian politicians on our own television broadcasts, listening to them on the radio and reading their words in our newspapers. Consequently, it’s always intriguing to witness the appearance of a predominant Bahamian figure in an unfamiliar, foreign context. On Tuesday, such an opportunity was afforded. We could watch and listen to Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis in an appearance in an unconventional setting at the Atlantic Council, a venerable Washington think tank that was founded in 1961.

The Atlantic Council manages 16 regional centres and functional programmes related to “international security and global economic prosperity,” particularly in the Atlantic Ocean basin. One of these programmes encompasses initiatives for the Caribbean, and the PM was appearing in connection with his current six-month term as Chair of CARICOM. The Atlantic Council has consistently proclaimed its non-partisan nature, with members “from the moderate internationalist wings of both parties” in the United States. The Council is independent of the US government and NATO. It relies heavily on donations, including from foreign governments.

The PM, elegantly clad in a navy-blue suit, spoke in measured, contemplative tones. In her introduction of

the PM, the Atlantic Council moderator referred to his “expertise in corporate law”, and to the fact that Mr Davis has “appeared before the Privy Council more often than any other Bahamian lawyer”.

The PM’s message was both consistent and clear: The Bahamas faces serious crises arising from climate change, the impact of worldwide inflation, migration flows and energy insecurity. His appeal to his wider US and pan-Atlantic audience was unambiguous: The Bahamas needs financial and technical assistance to maintain and prosper.

In reporting to his interviewer on a private meeting he had held earlier in the day with US Vice-President Kamala Harris, the PM stressed The Bahamas’, and the entire Caribbean’s regional need for financial help. He noted that 57% of the English-speaking Caribbean population faced severe food security issues. Decarbonising national power grids, he reminded his audience, is an expensive process. The region needs loans and grants to continue with progress made so far.

Mr Davis lauded CARICOM-USAID long-term assistance plans. He lamented the loss of corresponding banking relationships, especially between Caribbean and US banks. He noted that several Bahamian islands have no commercial banking services available to residents.

He also issued a pointed reminder to his US audience: “It is said that nature abhors

At a time when a near-fatal incident during an NFL game threatened the image of the NFL and cast a shadow over its wildly popular playoff schedule, the dominant US sports league delivered games last weekend that captivated the country and, together with the strong, continuing return to health of Buffalo defensive back Damar Hamlin, reignited America’s passion for its talismanic, violent sport.

Games that were expected to be blowouts counterintuitively became nail-biters. The Dolphins, prohibitive underdogs visiting Buffalo’s freezer without quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, rode an astonishing wave of mistakes by the hosts to what many observers feel should have been an upset Miami victory. Bills QB Josh Allen, now without his former offensive tutor who now patrols the sidelines as the New York Giants’ head coach, relapsed, became careless with the football and almost handed the opportunistic Fins the win.

You have to give the Dolphins credit for advancing to the postseason under dweebylooking head coach and Yale graduate Mike McDaniel, who will get strong consideration as Coach of the Year and whose Miami hiring now looks much wiser than it did about a year ago.

Elsewhere, the Giants and head coach Brian Daboll upset the Vikings in the Minneapolis dome behind what might have been a coming-of-age performance by their quarterback Daniel Jones, a Duke graduate in economics.

The Giants now will move down the New

a vacuum. If the US is not close to us (in The Bahamas and the Caribbean region), that vacuum might be filled by a country the US has political issues with.” The PM did not mention China by name, but the implication was clear. He added that he was gratified that “the US appears to be in a process of re-engagement” with the Caribbean region.

Mr Davis also took a shot at John Ray, the US regulator who was appointed to oversee the bankruptcy of FTX. “He might have found that the Bahamian regulatory regime was more modern than that in the US,” the PM noted. Ray has made headlines criticising the Bahamian government’s regulation of the business activities of FTX, and the Davis government has responded vigorously to these allegations.

The PM also exhorted banks generally to focus less singularly on profitability and more on what he called “the common good.”

He joined his predecessor prime ministers in lamenting the frequent application by international financial institutions of per capita income levels to loan and grant eligibility. The Bahamas has long suffered from the application of this metric. Mr Davis expressed hope that the forthcoming inaugural USCaribbean banking forum would address at least some of these issues.

The PM’s message was clear. We can only hope that it reached and convinced decision-makers in Washington and elsewhere.

“It’s all about the economy, stupid.” This has long been a watchword in American political life. It means that whatever issues the two major political parties are emphasising, from abortion or gun rights to social justice to immigration, the real true central issue in national American elections is always how voters feel about their economic well-being.

“Are you better off than you were four years ago?” is a common refrain among pollsters and politicians trying to assess the mood of the electorate before major elections.

It was a misreading of the American public’s views on this fundamental question that led to another disappointing attempt by national polls to gauge voter preferences before the November 2022 election.

Nobel Prize winner, distinguished economics professor and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman this week offered an assessment of the real public perception of the American economy. It should be profoundly encouraging for the Biden administration.

Krugman used a device credited to eminent American macroeconomist and former chair of the president’s council of economic advisers Arthur Okun to illustrate his conclusion that the US economy is viewed by voters as stronger than previously thought, and that the signs are favourable for growth and prosperity ahead.

That’s also good news for us here in The Bahamas.

Okun’s device is called the “misery index”, determined by adding the unemployment and inflation rates at any given time.

Krugman said in his column that “I used to think this misery index was silly; there are multiple reasons why it shouldn’t make sense.

“But it has historically done a surprisingly good job of tracking consumer sentiment.”

Krugman notes that the misery index stood at 14 as recently as June 2022 – a big reason why the pundits were forecasting a “red wave” of Republican electoral triumphs in November.

“Now,” Krugman writes, the misery index has declined “to about what it was on the eve of the pandemic, when Donald Trump confidently expected a strong economy to guarantee his re-election.”

“Nor is that the only thing Democrats have going for them. The green energy subsidies in the Inflation Reduction Act are leading to investments in domestic manufacturing; it’s unclear how many jobs will be created, but the next two years will give Biden many opportunities to preside over factory openings, giving speeches about how America is, um, becoming great again.”

The Dems are certainly hoping Krugman is correct.

In other NFC games, the Dallas Cowboys benefited from a lousy performance by Tom Brady to beat the Bucs in Tampa, and San Francisco got a break in the California monsoon season to soundly defeat the Seattle Seahawks.

Speculation is now spiking about possible retirement plans for both Brady and veteran Green Bay Packers star QB Aaron Rodgers.

The Jaguars set comeback records in edging visiting San Diego, and Cincinnati needed a shocking touchdown run by a lumbering defensive lineman to beat the Ravens.

All four quarter-final games this weekend should be very entertaining.

Jersey Turnpike to face division rival Philadelphia in a fascinating game on Saturday evening that will either be a brutal war of attrition along the line of scrimmage or a wide-open shootout between inventive quarterbacks.

PRIME MINISTER MEETS WITH US VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS

IN ADDITION to his appearance at the Atlantic Council, Prime Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis met with US Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House. Photo: Eric Rose/BIS

BUFFALO Bills linebacker Matt Milano (58) hits Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson (19) after a pass on Sunday. (AP Photo/Matt Durisko)

200 jobs available as IHOP nears opening

SOME 200 local jobs will be available for Bahamians at the Department of Labour’s latest job fair this weekend in partnership with the IHOP franchise, said Labour officials yesterday.

Labour and Immigration Minister Keith Bell along with other labour officials held a press conference yesterday to announce the Labour on the Blocks 2.0 IHOP Job Fair.

The event will be held on Saturday at the department’s Rosetta Street location from 9am to 3pm.

Mr Bell said the pancake restaurant food chain is looking to fill all vacancies for the first of three locations that it plans to open in New Providence this year and others in the future.

“The first store will be located in the Mall at Marathon and will be opened to the public on or before February 28, 2023,” Mr Bell said.

“The search to fill managers and supervisor positions has already begun and training for all new hires are expected to begin on or about February 13, 2023,” he said.

“Interested job seekers

are invited to pre-register for the job fair by filling out the QR code that is available on the Department of Labour’s Facebook page or on the Plus Employment Service Unite Portal at www.jobseekersbahamas. gov.bs,” he said.

“As first and second interviews will be conducted during the job fair on Saturday, prospective job seekers are asked to come properly dressed and well groomed. Any job seekers that require

assistance in obtaining proper clothing or attire can visit any of the Department of Labour’s three New Providence locations on Rosetta Street, Robinson Road or Carmichael Road from 9am to 4pm daily,” Mr Bell said.

Burton Rogers, president of IHOP Bahamas, added that the restaurant may be seeking more employees in the next six months.

“Hiring 200 persons is not an easy task and that 200 will hopefully increase

to about 600 in the next six months. So we’re looking for between 200 to 600 employees within the next six months,” he said.

Mr Rogers also wanted to assure Bahamians that the franchise’s local restaurants will be no different from those abroad.

“Also, simply because it’s a 24-hour restaurant, in the beginning phase of this, because it’s new, there’s gonna be some tweaking with the hours, obviously late at night, because we

have to make sure we have all our ducks in a row,” he said.

“So on our first day of operation, when we’re opened, we wouldn’t exactly go immediately to 24-hours, there’s a lot of logistical reasons for that, but eventually we will be a 24-hour restaurant, as expected, and don’t fear, we’re not changing anything,” Mr Rogers said.

“So we’re going to keep it as is, we will tweak some stuff on the menu, but all that obviously would have

to be approved by the franchise,” Mr Rogers said. He added: “Our second location has been identified, but I don’t want to announce it just yet.”

Labour director Robert Farquharson said yesterday he hopes this latest fair will improve unemployment figures as the number of jobseekers on the Labour Department’s database “was approximately 65,000”.

Mr Farquharson also mentioned plans for a new Labour on the Campus Initiative planned for this year, where labour officials in partnership with other government agencies will be taking their services to high school campuses to help struggling grade 10 and 11 students develop skills for a career after graduation.

Persons attending the job fair on Saturday are asked to bring necessary documents including resumes, certificates, National Insurance (NIB) smart card and government issued identification.

Last year, the Labour on the Blocks 2.0 initiative held several job fairs in both New Providence and Grand Bahama, with job seekers in excess of 1,500 having shown up each time.

LUNAR NEW YEAR RUSH STARTS IN CHINA AFTER RULES LIFTED

BEIJING Associated Press

HAIRDRESSER Wang Lidan is making an emotional Lunar New Year journey from Beijing to her hometown in norteastern China — her first in three years after the government lifted its strict “zero-COVID” policy that kept millions of people at home and sparked protests.

The relaxation of restrictions let loose a wave of pent-up travel desire, particularly around China’s most important time for family gatherings. Referred to in China as the Spring Festival, it may be the only time of the year when urban workers return to their hometowns.

The Chinese government expects over 2.1 billion journeys to be made during a 40-day travel period around New Year’s Day, which falls on Sunday.

“The restrictions are lifted, which made me relaxed. So I think it’s time to go home,” Wang said before heading into Beijing Train Station for a trip to Heilongjiang province.

In December, China abruptly dropped neardaily coronavirus testing and QR code monitoring of residents after public frustration boiled over into protests in Shanghai and other cities. This month, it dropped most remaining restrictions, including the demand that travelers from overseas must go into lengthy and expensive quarantine.

Many local governments had also imposed their own quarantine on travelers from outside the area, and it was those that Wang said had deterred her from leaving Beijing.

“If there was an outbreak in Beijing, I would have to be quarantined in my hometown. And when

I came back to Beijing, I would be quarantined again,” she said.

“I would miss the Spring Festival and delay my return to work if I was quarantined twice. So inconvenient!”

Hu Jinyuan, from the eastern province of Shandon, had managed to return home each year despite the hassles. He says he plans to continue with regular COVID-19 testing and other safety measures as infections surged and patients flooded hospitals following the lifting of restrictions.

“I do nucleic acid tests every now and then. When I arrive in my hometown, I will surely do a test as a way of self-protection. Otherwise I won’t know if I’m infected. If I’m infected, I will just isolate myself at home,” Hu said.

Wang Jingli said he decided to work through the holidays since his company would triple his overtime pay. With the COVID-19 restrictions canceled, his children and wife will visit him in Beijing from their hometown in Henan province.

“With the reopening, everyone is very happy about the Spring Festival because we can reunite with our families. But because of my work, I would spend my Spring Festival here in Beijing.”

While Lunar New Year has also become a popular time to travel overseas, airlines are still only gradually restarting international flights and government departments are just beginning to issue or renew travel documents.

Many countries have imposed testing requirements on travelers from China that the Foreign Ministry has protested, and worries remain about the spread of the virus in China since containment measures were lifted.

LABOUR Minister Keith Bell and Director of Labour Robert Farquharson with franchisees of the new IHOP chain set to open in the capital at the announcement of job opportunities at the Department of Labour’s next job fair.

Photo: Austin Fernander

Aliv comes on board as CARIFTA sponsor

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

With a cheque of $289,000, Aliv came on board as the official broadcast sponsor of the 50th Golden Jubilee CARIFTA Games, all set for the Easter holiday weekend at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.

The cheque presentation to the Local Organising Committee by Nikolette Elden, head of marketing & brand for Aliv, as well as Delmaro Duncombe, director of B2B sales, Cable Group of Companies, was made yesterday on the Legends Walk outside the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.

Duncombe said in conjunction with the 50th Independence celebrations of the nation, the Cable Group of Companies comprising of Aliv, Aliv Fiber, REV, Cable Bahamas Business Solutions and Our TV, they look forward to televising the games on Our TV nation-wise and distribute the same throughout the Caribbean and the Americas.

“We want to provide our young athletes with a global stage to display their talent because we believe in their potential,” Duncombe said.

“World champions like our very own director of speed and connections Shaunae Miller-Uibo and also our very own sporting legends like Steven Gardiner, Anthonique Strachan, the Golen Girls and the Golden Knights, all got their start at this very track.”

Duncombe said the games will give the next generation of athletes the opportunity to start their journey to becoming superstars and they encourage Bahamians near and far to come to the stadium and to watch on all of their social

media platforms their performances during their games.

Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg, who was on hand, commended Aliv on behalf of the Prime Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis and the Government of the Bahamas, for joining forces in providing a high level of communication of the games from the Bahamas to the rest of the world.

“Aliv has been a dynamic force in providing excellent communication services within our community,” he said.

“Like the CARIFTA Games, they have been a force for networking and developing relationships throughout our islands.

“Now they will provide the opportunity for the entire region to come together for the upcoming CARIFTA Games. I am proud today to join hands

with Aliv, who has seen fit to making the upcoming games the most memorable one to date, but also in supporting the development of our youth in our region.”

Lynden Maycock, the chief executive officer of the LOC, said there was a bidding process and as presented by two major communication companies in the Bahamas and Cable Bahamas, Aliv would have won that bid.

“ZNS will still be a part of these CARIFTA Games. They will be given a direct line feed in terms of being able to broadcast the games free of charge. So, they would be able to do whatever they want to do with that clean feed, and I encourage ZNS to go out and make the millions of dollars that can do.”

Maycock said it’s all about competition and while ZNS may be the national broadcast of the

country, they won’t autonomically be chosen.

“We want the best for this country and with a brand like the CARIFTA Games, which is the greatest youth event in terms of athletics in the world, we align ourselves with greatest. Not to say that ZNS is not great, they are great, but Aliv would have won on that day.”

With the issues that they experienced and were able to rectify during the Boxing Day Junkanoo Parade, Duncombe said they are well on their way to making sure that all of the glitches are worked out for CARIFTA.

“We don’t anticipate any challenges with anyone wanting to visually take part in these 50th CARIFTA Games in terms of broadcasting,” Duncombe said.

Maycock said he’s pleased with the preview

of the talent search that Aliv has engaged in, and he anticipates that they will produce a top-tier production for the games, including persons from all over the region, but more importantly from the Bahamas.

Drumeco Archer, president of the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations, also welcomed the partnership of Aliv and indicated that it demonstrates the power of television on sports and in particular, the CARIFTA Games.

“The responsibility and the task that have assumed in delivering what we call the greatest event in our junior programme in the world is a mammoth one,” Archer said.

“Because Aliv and the Cable Group of Companies have been around for

IC BAHAMAS: USA BLUEBIRD, BARBADOS IN THE WIN COLUMN

THE International Tennis Club’s 2023 IC Doubles Championships continued yesterday at the Nassau Lawn Tennis Club with the United States Bluebirds and Barbados winning the two matches played.

In the opening match, the USA Bluebirds knocked off the International team 3-2, while Barbados pulled off a 3-2 victory over the Bahamas in the league match.

• Here’s a look at the results of the head-to-head matches played:

USA Bluebirds 3, International team 2: Men’s 105+ doubles - John Chatlak/Shirish Despande (USA) def. Cory Francis/Mickey Williams (INT) 6-0, 6-2.

Women’s 105+ doublesDale Kozicz/Kathy Mueller (INT) def. Kay Beverley/ Shana Magruder (USA) 6-2,, 6-2.

Men’s 125+ doublesBob Beverley/Steve Moehn (USA) def. Gerry Kanuka/ Kit Spencer (INT) 7-5, 6-4.

Mixed 105+ doublesGerry Kanuka/Dale Kozicz (INT) def. Ward Snyder/ Kay Beverley USA) 6-1, 6-0.

Mixed 120+ doubles - Steve Moehn/Shana Magruder (USA) def. Cory Francis/Kathy Mueller (INT) 6-0, 6-3.

Barbados def. Bahamas 3-2

Men’s 105+ doublesRoger Edghill/James Tasker (BAR) def. Ivan Hooper/ Neil Mactaggart (BAH) 6-3, 6-4.

Women’s 105+ doubles - Sue Kimball/Tara Mactaggart (BAH) def. Marie Gentile/Marie-Jeanne Symmonds (BAR) 6-4, 6-2. Men’s 125+ doublesRaymond Forde/Peter Symmonds (BAR) def. John Antonas/Alejandro Mesples (BAH) 6-4, 5-7, 10-4.

Mixed 105+ doubles - Roger Edghill/Tracy Johnson (BAR) def. Neil/Tara Mactaggart (BAH) 6-3, 7-5. Mixed 120+ doublesAlejandro Mesples/Sue Kimball (BAH) def. Raymond Forde/Marie-Jeanne Symmonds (BAR) 6-4, 7-5.

Today’s schedule 9am - USA Robins vs Barbados 1pm - USA Bluebirds vs Bahamas

Man United halted by Palace ahead of Arsenal showdown

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Rafael Nadal bowed his head during changeovers and rested his elbows on his knees, the very picture of resignation.

What already was a poor start to 2023, following a year marred by all manner of health issues, reached a low point at the Australian Open yesterday.

The defending champion and No. 1 seed at Melbourne Park, Nadal injured his left hip and lost to Mackenzie McDonald 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 in the second round, abruptly ending his bid for a record-extending 23rd Grand Slam trophy.

“It’s a tough moment. It’s a tough day,” said Nadal, a 36-year-old Spaniard. “I can’t say that I am not destroyed mentally at this moment, because I would be lying.”

He pulled up awkwardly at the end of a point late in the second set against the 65th-ranked McDonald.

Nadal was visited by a trainer on the sideline, then

left the court for a medical timeout. Up in the stands, his wife wiped away tears.

Nadal returned to play, but was clearly compromised and not his usual indefatigable self, saying afterward that he could not hit his backhand properly and could not run much, either.

But Nadal added that, as the reigning champion of the tournament, he did not want to leave the court via a mid-match retirement.

He said the hip had been bothering him for a couple of days, but it was never as bad as it became on Wednesday.

Nadal was not sure exactly what the nature of the injury was, saying that he will have medical tests to determine if it has to do with a muscle, joint or cartilage.

“‘It’s never over until it’s over’ type thing. He didn’t even want to roll over and quit. He kept fighting until basically the end, even though he maybe didn’t have all his game,” said McDonald, a 27-yearold who won NCAA

championships in singles and doubles for UCLA in 2016. “I was in the locker room,” McDonald said about the aftermath of the match, “and I was like, ‘Hey, that’s actually really big for me, because I haven’t beaten someone of that calibre.’”

This is Nadal’s earliest exit at any Grand Slam tournament since bowing out in the first round in Melbourne in 2016 against No. 45 Fernando Verdasco. That also made Verdasco the lowest-ranked player to

defeat Nadal in Australia — until, of course, McDonald yesterday. McDonald has never been past the fourth round at a major tournament. In his lone previous matchup against Nadal, at the 2020 French Open, McDonald won a total of just four games in a lopsided loss. “He kicked my butt,” McDonald recalled Wednesday.

This result overshadowed everything else going on in

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United’s title momentum was dramatically halted yesterday ahead of its visit to Premier League leader Arsenal at the weekend.

Leading Crystal Palace 1-0 after 90 minutes at Selhurst Park, United looked set to rack up a 10th straight win in all competitions and move up to second in the table, just six points off the top.

Michael Olise, however, completely changed the mood of the night by scoring a free kick in the first minute of stoppage time to earn Palace a 1-1 draw.

“We were 1-0 up. In the second half we had a lot of space to kill them and go for the second. I never saw we really went for the second goal,” United manager Erik ten Hag said. “It’s difficult to

say (why). I have to criticise my team. Go for the second.”

Ten Hag’s frustration was evident after a result that changes the narrative going into the game against Arsenal.

Now, instead of being able to cut the Londoners’ lead to three points, defeat would leave United 11 points adrift having played a game more.

Ten Hag has so far talked down United’s unlikely title challenge, but the improvement in his team has been evident on the back of nine straight wins before Palace, including a 2-1 victory against secondplace Manchester City last weekend.

United remains the only team to have beaten Arsenal in the league this season and a repeat performance at the Emirates Stadium would have been

RAFAEL Nadal reacts during his second round loss to Mackenzie McDonald of the US yesterday.

(AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

PICTURED, from left to right, are LOC chairman Lynden Maycock, CARIFTA chairman Harrison Thompson, Director of Sports Kelsie Johnson-Sills, Director of B2B Sales, Cable Group of Companies Delmaro Duncombe, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg, Nikolette Elden, head of marketing and brand for Aliv, BAAA president Drumeco Archer and Dame of CARIFTA, Pauline Davis-Thompson.

No Brady or Rodgers, no problem for NFL in divisional round

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer

FOR the first time in 13 years, neither Tom Brady nor Aaron Rodgers reached the divisional round of the playoffs.

No problem. The NFL still has plenty of exciting football this weekend featuring Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Dak Prescott and many other stars.

The action kicks off Saturday with the Jacksonville Jaguars visiting the Kansas City Chiefs. Jaguars coach Doug Pederson faces his mentor, Chiefs coach Andy Reid. Pederson played for Reid and coached under him in Philadelphia and Kansas City. He also beat him to a Lombardi Trophy.

The No. 1 seed Chiefs (14-3) are coming off a bye and aiming for their fifth straight trip to the AFC championship game.

The Jaguars (10-8) weren’t supposed to be here. They won five straight games to capture the AFC South and then had to rally from a 27-0 deficit against the Los Angeles Chargers in a wild-card game. Trevor Lawrence followed up four interceptions in the first half with four touchdown passes to lead Jacksonville to a 31-30 comeback win.

“Whether it’s our money or house money, we’re here,” Pederson said. “It’s a credit to those players in the locker room and the coaching staff for believing in each other and working hard. What we’ve done down the stretch regardless of mishaps, we’re here. I try to block out the best I can with the team, you just block out the noise, you block out the negativity, you block out whether it’s lack of respect or whatever. We have a young quarterback, whatever it might be. We’re one of four in the AFC left and that says a lot. That says a lot about these guys, and we’re excited for the opportunity.”

The Jaguars are the biggest underdog on the schedule this weekend. The Chiefs are favoured by 8 1/2 points, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

BEST BET: CHIEFS 31-20

New York Giants (plus 7 1/2) at Philadelphia

The No. 1 seed Eagles are looking for a three-game sweep over the Giants, who knocked off 13-win Minnesota on the road last week.

With Jalen Hurts healthy, the Eagles routed the Giants 48-22 on the road in Week 14. Hurts, back after missing two games with a shoulder injury, and the Eagles struggled in a 22-16 win over the Giants in the regular-season finale. New York (10-7-1) rested many of its starters in that game and stayed close.

Daniel Jones played one of the best games of his career in the 31-24 win over the Vikings. He’ll face a ferocious pass rush on

Saturday night. The Eagles (14-3) led the NFL with 70 sacks and had four players with at least 10.

Since the NFL-AFL merger, teams that swept an opponent in the regular season are 15-10 against them in the third meeting in the playoffs, 14-6 when that game is at home.

“They know us well, and we know them well,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “You know the personnel really well. You know the schemes really well. So, there are advantages and disadvantages to both ends of that.”

EAGLES, 27-21 Cincinnati (plus 5) at Buffalo

The Bengals and Bills meet in a rematch of the Monday night game that was suspended when Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and needed to be resuscitated on the field. The game was later cancelled despite major playoff ramifications. The Bengals (13-4) led that one 7-3 at the time of Hamlin’s collapse, and a victory would’ve meant they’d be

hosting the Bills (14-3) on Sunday.

Both teams struggled in the wild-card round. The Bills blew a 17-0 lead against Miami and rallied for a 34-31 win. The Bengals were on the verge of going down by a score against the Ravens when Tyler Huntley fumbled at the 1 and Sam Hubbard returned it 98 yards for the decisive touchdown in a 24-17 win.

Cincinnati’s revamped offensive line has been retooled because of injuries over the past month. Left tackle Jonah Williams injured his left knee against Baltimore, so the Bengals might be without three-fifths of their starting offensive line.

Josh Allen had three turnovers in Buffalo’s win against the Dolphins. Joe Burrow couldn’t get Cincinnati’s offence going in the second half against the Ravens. The Bengals finished with three straight punts and only one first down on a roughingthe-punter penalty. The Bengals have won nine in a

a major statement of intent. It still could be, but the draw with Palace will feel like a missed opportunity after Bruno Fernandes had opened the scoring in the 43rd.

United moved up from fourth to third in the league — level on points with Manchester City.

While Ten Hag and his United players were left frustrated, Leeds can look forward to an FA Cup fourth round match with Boreham Wood or Accrington Stanley after a 5-2 rout of Cardiff in their third round replay.

CASEMIRO BLOW

As if a trip to high-flying Arsenal on Sunday isn’t daunting enough, United will be without one of its most influential players.

Casemiro picked up a fifth yellow card of the season against Palace, meaning the midfielder will be suspended for Sunday’s game. “He’s a really

important player for us and a reason we’re in this position. But last time we beat Arsenal without Casemiro. We need to do it again,” said Ten Hag.

Casemiro has been one of United’s best players this season, losing just two of the 18 games he’s started since joining from Real Madrid in the summer.

LEEDS RELIEF

Leeds put its league struggles behind it with a morale-boosting win in the FA Cup.

The 5-2 victory against second-tier Cardiff ended a seven-game winless streak in all competitions.

It took a 90th-minute goal from Sonny Perkins to salvage a 2-2 draw in the original game but the replay was a much more one-sided affair.

Leeds led 3-0 after 36 minutes with two goals from Wilfried Gnonto and another from Rodrigo.

Gnonto gave Leeds a flying start with a stunning volley inside the opening minute and fired home his second after Rodrigo had struck his

11th goal of the season. Patrick Bamford struck twice in the second half, while Callum Robinson pulled two back for Cardiff.

Premier League survival remains Leeds’ priority as it sits just two points clear of the relegation zone.

“I felt very strongly before the game that we were ready for a strong performance. I told the team that. This was obviously an important moment for us, but it’s just another moment in the development we’re trying to create,” Leeds manager Jesse Marsch said.

“An important moment to gather momentum, but hard to say validation because we still have so much to do.”

row while the Bills have an eight-game winning streak. One streak will end Sunday.

UPSET SPECIAL: BENGALS, 30-29 Dallas (plus 3) at San Francisco Brock Purdy and the 49ers (14-4) have won 11 straight games. Dak Prescott was outstanding in leading the Cowboys to a 31-14 victory over Tampa Bay.

Purdy, the rookie thirdstring quarterback, faces his toughest test when he faces Micah Parsons and a relentless defence.

The Cowboys (13-5) dominated Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. But the 49ers have far more options on offence, including

Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle.

Dallas is at a disadvantage after playing on the road Monday night.

Meanwhile, the 49ers played last Saturday, so they have two extra days of rest.

49ERS, 24-20

2022 RECORD

Last Week: Straight up: 4-2. Against spread: 2-4.

Season: Straight up: 175-101. Against spread: 138-133-5.

Best Bet: Straight up: 11-8. Against spread: 9-10.

Upset Special: Straight up: 6-11. Against spread: 8-8-1.

KANG, KORDA LOOKING FOR GOOD HEALTH AS LPGA KICKS OFF SEASON

By JEFF BABINEAU Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A year ago, it took mental toughness for Danielle Kang to get across the finish line to win the LPGA’s seasonopening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.

The conditions were unseasonably cold and breezy, and Kang was ready for everything that came her way. Mental toughness would come in handy later in her season, too, as Kang dealt with a spine on her tumour that kept her out of golf for three months.

Likewise, Nelly Korda experienced a 2022 season that at times featured golf in her life and at times did not. Korda, who started last year at No. 1 in the women’s world ranking, had surgery to alleviate a blood clot in a subclavian vein that formed in her left arm.

Coming off a monster 2021 season — four victories, her first major, the No. 1 ranking and an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo — the 24-yearold American spent four months on the sideline early in 2022.

She returned in June, struggling to find a rhythm before winning the Pelican Women’s Championship in November an hour up the road from her home in Bradenton.

Kang and Korda are looking for fresh beginnings and good health as the 2023 season starts anew at Lake Nona on a well-manicured golf course in a rare format.

The 29 LPGA players in the field, all tournament winners from the past two seasons, will play for a purse of $1.5 million in this no-cut 72-hole event.

The pros are joined by 56 celebrities and athletes from other sports who compete for their own purse of $500,000.

That leads to a firstround grouping today featuring LPGA player Marina Alex, former NFL receiver Victor Cruz and Larry the Cable Guy.

JACKSONVILLE Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) leaps for a two-point conversion against the Los Angeles Chargers during the second half of an NFL wild-card football game on Saturday, January 14, 2023, in Jacksonville, Florida. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Gibson Jr prepares for England

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

BY virtue of making the cut for the 2023 Latin American Amateur Championships in Puerto Rico, Richard Gibson Jr has secured a berth in the British Amateur Championship.

The championships, now in its 128th edition, will take place from June 19-24 at the Hillside Golf Club in Hillside, Southport, England and it’s a trip that Gibson Jr hopes to again make his presence felt.

“I wasn’t even expecting to make the cut, due to the lack of practice lately with Daylight Savings Time gone. I wasn’t practicing as usual,” Gibson Jr said. “So, I feel good about it.

“I think it’s just God showing me what I asked him for. I asked him to show me a sign of whether or not I should still be playing golf and chase my dreams of being a pro player.”

In preparation for the trip to England, Gibson Jr said there are a lot of things

that he needs to work on between now and June.

“My long iron game isn’t that great. I think it’s about 50-50 percent there,” he pointed out.

“So, I definitely need to work on my long irons.

“I also need to work on my driver. The reason why I played so well last week was because that was the first event that I played, and my driver stayed and played the entire event. That was the result of me finishing three-under-par last week.”

Coming off his best performance outside of the Bahamas in Puerto Rico where he finished tied for 19th place with three others for a 3-under-par 285, Gibson Jr said he’s convinced that it will boost his confidence moving forward.

“I feel pretty good. I couldn’t do any of this without God’s help,” he quipped.

“The big man was looking out for me after I was just sitting there and asking him if this makes sense chasing this dream of trying to get on the tour.

“He definitely answered my prayers last week so I’m definitely going to chase after it.”

To crack the tour, Gibson Jr said it would take a lot more work than he’s doing while working at the Royal Blue Golf Club at Baha Mar.

“You have to be consistently shooting under par and I’m not talking about one or two, but like five and six under-pars almost every round you play,’ Gibson Jr said.

“Golf is a game where you won’t always shoot low, but you have to make sure it’s definitely around one or two under-par every time you play if you want to

have a chance to succeed,” he added.

From the British Amateur Championships, Gibson Jr could get a chance to play in the Master’s and the US Open, or at least make the final of the qualifying rounds to get into those two prestigious tournaments.

Gibson Jr is currently ranked at 2,177, having made the drop in the standings from 3,227.

Also, among the Bahamians ranked behind Gibson are Heathcliffe Kane and Bahamas Golf Federation’s president Lyford Miller.

“Before the year is out, I’m hoping to get into the top one thousand in the

rankings,” Gibson Jr said. “I only passed Heathcliffe by about 20 spots. So, it’s good to see the Bahamas is making its mark on the international amateur golf circuit.”

As a result of his journey, Gibson Jr thanked God, his parents, especially his father, Richard Sr, who encouraged him to play golf, along with his mother, Priscilla. He said his girlfriend, Makeva Johnson, is also there pushing him, along with the golfing community and Baha Mar. With their support, Gibson Jr said he definitely has all the ingredients to go to the next level in the sport.

Murray, Young lead Hawks past Doncic, Mavericks, 130-122

DALLAS (AP) — Dejounte Murray scored 30 points, Trae Young had 18 points and 12 assists in another matchup with Luka Doncic and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Dallas Mavericks 130-122 last night.

John Collins added 19 points as the Hawks won a season-best fourth consecutive game to get over .500 (23-22) for the first time since December 27.

Doncic scored 30 points but fell to 4-3 in head-tohead meetings with Young since they were traded for each other as top-five picks on draft night in 2018. Doncic went third overall and Young fifth.

Murray and Collins combined to go 7 of 11 from 3-point range as the Hawks shot 57 percent from deep and 50 percent overall on a hot-shooting night for both teams. Dallas was 52 percent overall.

Christian Wood had 22 points and nine rebounds for the Mavericks.

WIZARDS 116, KNICKS 105

NEW YORK (AP) — Kyle Kuzma scored 27 points, Bradley Beal had 18 in his return from a five-game absence and Washington never trailed against New York.

CARIFTA

FROM PAGE 12

so many years, we’ve grown up with this company, we’ve seen them deliver junkanoo, we’ve seen them deliver the world and national news and we will see them deliver the CARIFTA Games, which will not only be historic for the Bahamas, but for the region.”

Archer, however, said while they commend Aliv for their sponsorship of the CARIFTA Games, the BAAA doesn’t have any relationship with Aliv and so it would behove both entities to join forces.

“The CARIFTA Games is really an impetus of what this relationship can look like,” he said. “But I think this is an opportunity for Cable Bahamas and its group of companies to become a perennial partner of the federation and to follow all of the ambitions of the organisation as we travel the world in every level of competition from age group to the elite level of competition.

“I think it’s an opportunity for Cable Bahamas

Kuzma also had 13 rebounds and seven assists. Beal shot 7 for 11 after being sidelined by a strained left hamstring. The Wizards went 1-4 without him.

Kristaps Porzingis had 22 points, 11 rebounds and five assists for Washington against his former team.

Jalen Brunson scored 32 points for New York.

GRIZZLIES 115, CAVALIERS 114

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)

— Desmond Bane scored 25 points, Ja Morant had 24 and Memphis won its 11th straight game to match the franchise record, beating Cleveland.

Steven Adams tipped in the winner with 16 seconds left. Adams was in position to tip in a miss by Morant, and Dillon Brooks preserved the victory by blocking Garland’s 3-point try at the buzzer.

Darius Garland led Cleveland with 24 points, Caris LeVert had 23, and Evan Mobley added 18 points and 15 rebounds.

Cleveland played without scoring leader Donovan Mitchell because of a strained left groin.

HORNETS 122, ROCKETS 117

HOUSTON (AP) — Terry Rozier scored 26

to be front row and centre as the Bahamas carries it flag and makes the country proud. So, I think it’s something that would benefit the country and it would be the first of its kind outside of ZNS for a private entity giving coverage to Team Bahamas in a very different unique way.”

Preparation for the stadium/Athletes Village CARIFTA chairman Harrison Thompson said they are very confident that the Thomas A Robinson Track and Field and National Stadiums will be ready for the hosting of the games.

“The Government of the Bahamas has already awarded the contract for the renovations of the stadium and work should start by next week, God’s willing,” said Thompson, a former permanent secretary in the Ministry of Sports.

“So, we’re very confident that the stadium will be ready, and it will be first class and the world will be happy to see when they get here.”

Maycock said the athletes and officials will be

points and Charlotte held off reeling Houston to snap a five-game skid Wednesday night after LaMelo Ball injured his left ankle again.

The Hornets, who have the worst record in the Eastern Conference, got their first win since Jan. 6 over the hapless Rockets. Houston, which has the NBA’s worst record and hasn’t won since Dec. 26, has lost a season-high 12 straight.

Jalen Green tied a career high with 41 points to lead the Rockets.

housed at the Breezes hotel and venues like the Marriott Courtyard, Baha Mar resorts and Comfort Suites.

“Many of our major properties will be used for the CARIFTA Games,” Maycock said. “Many persons will be coming in from far and near and they will be housed in great accommodations here.”

CARIFTA financial goals

Maycock revealed that while they projected a budget of $3 million in sponsorship, they are half way there with $1.5 million in sponsorship so far.

“There are persons in corporate Bahamas who are calling just about every day and so we expect to meet our goal in respect to the $3 million that we targeted in sponsorship for the operations of these games,” he said.

“The $3 million will be achieved through sponsorship as well as ticket sales, merchandising and so we look forward to those funds being accumulated in our $3 million target.”

Progress of the games With a little over 40 days in terms of the LOC

HEAT 124, PELICANS 98 NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Bam Adebayo scored 26 points and Miami led comfortably from the first quarter on against New Orleans.

Jimmy Butler added 18 points and Gabe Vincent hit four 3-pointers as part of a 16-point night for the Heat. They never trailed and led for all but the first two minutes en route to their fourth victory in five games.

CJ McCollum scored 21 points for Pelicans.

in their readiness, even though there are more than 70 days away from the start of the games, Maycock said everything is looking great.

“Our team is charged, we are energised, we’re working every day, talking about seven days a week, so we expect for these games to be the greatest youth games, the greatest games for the 50th anniversary. Aligning ourselves with companies like Aliv and companies like Oak Tree Medical, we expect to be great.”

And according to Archer, the Bahamas has shown that they have the ability to host international events, case in point, the World Relays, having beaten out Switzerland as the host for the return here in 2024.

“There’s trust and confidence in the delivery of our events. We’ve shown masterfully, how well we can deliver events at this level,” Archer said.

“So, I think when you consider the high level of delivery of events that we’ve had over the more recent years, within the past decade, I think we rival among some of the

They’ve lost seven of 10 while playing much of that stretch without star power forward Zion Williamson.

THUNDER 126, PACERS 106

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai GilgeousAlexander and Isaiah Joe each scored 23 points and Oklahoma rolled past Indiana for its fourth straight victory.

Joe, a reserve, tied a career high with seven made 3-pointers in just 22 minutes. Lu Dort had 22 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for the Thunder.

best in the world and in the region, more particularly.

“So, I am very pleased where we are. The operations team is doing a ‘yeoman’ job, and I think we will have a world-class, first-class event that will be perhaps the best CARIFTA gathering.”

BAAA ready

As it pertains to Team Bahamas, Archer assured the public that the Bahamas will produce the best team assembled in many years.

“Already, we have seen significant progress within our athletic core,” he pointed out. “This weekend was a debut of what could be expected and under frigid temperatures, our athletes performed at a very high level.

“I was very pleased with some of the performances and already we had some outstanding qualifiers.

In the women’s 400m, Javonya Walcourt would have run 54.24 seconds indoor. I think that bodes well for what we can expect on the track. So, we are excited about what we will bring to Nassau April 8-10.”

BASKETBALL RESULTS

BASKETBALL results for Tuesday, January 17games were played at The Hope Center located on University Commons - are as follows:

Primary Boys Jordan Prince William 13 def Kingsway Academy 3 Andrew Adderley of Prince William had eight (8) points in the win.

Blake Marshall of Kingsway had three (3) points in the loss.

Junior Boys Genesis Academy 41 def Akhepran International Academy 16 Markus Rolle of Genesis had twelve (12) points, three (3) steals, one (1) rebound and one (1) assist in the win.

Khamani Wilson of Akhepran had eight (8) points in the loss.

Freedom Baptist Academy A 35 def Greenville Preparatory Academy 5 Joevardo Wright of Freedom had nineteen (19) points and three (3) rebounds in the win.

Jhmar Gibson and Scachri Thurston of Greenville had two (2) points each in the loss.

Senior Boys Akhepran international Academy 41 def Mt. Carmel Preparatory Academy 34

Baron Coleby and Jameko Cooper of Akhepran had eleven (11) points each in the win.

Dorien LaRoda of Mt. Carmel had fourteen (14) points in the loss.

SPORTS NOTES

BASKETBALL HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL RANKINGS

OSSIE ‘the Sports Insider’ Simmons is back with his usual rankings for the senior boys’ high school basketball competition.

The rankings, according to Simmons, is a collaboration between himself and Mark Hanna as they try to set the stage for the completion of the return of high school basketball this year.

• Here’s a look at the top 9 rankings:

Sunland Lutheran Baptist (Grand Bahama).

CI Gibson (New Providence).

Tabernacle Baptist (Grand Bahama). Anatol Rodgers (New Providence).

Jordan Prince Williams (New Providence). Charles W. Saunders (New Providence). CR Walker (New Providence).

St George’s (Grand Bahama).

Doris Johnson (New Providence).

BASKETBALL GBABA ACTION

THE Grand Bahama Amateur Basketball Association will resume its regular season action with the following games on tap:

Tonight 7:15pm - Gym Rats vs EMR Legends

8:15pm - The Fugees vs Showtime.

Tuesday, January 24

7:15pm - The Fugees vs House of Hoops

8:15pm - EMR Legends vs Showtime Thursday, January 26

7:15pm - Showtime vs House of Hoops

8:15pm - Gym Rats vs The Fugees Saturday, January 28

7:15pm - EMR Legends vs The Fugees

8:15 pm House of Hoops vs Gym Rats

Tuesday, January 3

7:15pm - House of Hoops vs EMR Legends 8:15pm - Showtime vs Gym Rats

RICHARD Gibson Jr in action in this file photo.

ATLANTA Hawks guard Trae Young (11) takes a pass during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas yesterday. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

RED-LINE ATHLETICS TRACK CLUB ALL SET FOR TEXAS TECH UNDER ARMOUR HIGH SCHOOL INVITATIONAL

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

A TOTAL of 22 athletes, comprising 11 boys and 11 girls, make up a contingent of coaches and parents from the Red-Line Athletics Track Club, who are off this weekend to compete in the Texas Tech Under Armour High School Invitational.

Melbourne, of course, on a day that persistent rain pushed back the start of play on all but the three courts with retractable roofs until after 5pm local time.

That meant some players — most notably, No. 1 Iga Swiatek, No. 3 Jessica Pegula and No. 6 Maria Sakkari — won matches that put them in the third round before more than a dozen others even had contested a single point in the first round.

At night, 2022 French Open runner-up Coco Gauff got past 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu 6-3, 7-6 (4) in a second-round meeting between two of the sports young stars.

“I know a lot of people were looking forward to that matchup,” said Gauff, an 18-year-old American. “I’m glad we got the prime spot. I hope we delivered.”

Seeded men who won included No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas, No. 6 Felix AugerAliassime, No. 7 Daniil Medvedev — the runnerup to Nadal last year and to Novak Djokovic in 2021 — No. 15 Jannik Sinner and No. 16 Frances Tiafoe.

“I told him, ‘You’re going to be in a position to win today. You can win today,” Tiafoe said about fellow American McDonald. “Sort of seeing how he feels, I’m

Last year, the club participated in the Texas A&M Invitational, but he said they are looking forward to getting some keen competition for their athletes as they compete against their peers in the high school invitational.

“We want to expose our athletes to a high calibre of competition and so we are taking our athletes from grades nine to 12 to

happy for Mackie. ‘GOAT wins’ don’t come easy. Something to tell his grandkids one day, and you have to be happy for that guy.”

Nadal is currently ranked No. 2 but was the top seed at Melbourne Park because No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz is sitting out the Australian Open with a bad leg.

Nadal’s body has betrayed him quite a bit recently.

He needed pain-killing injections for his left foot on the way to winning the French Open last June, pulled out of Wimbledon last July before the semifinals because of a torn abdominal muscle and also dealt with a problem with rib cartilage in 2022.

Nadal’s exit drains the tournament of yet more star power. In addition to his absence and Alcaraz’s, 2022 Wimbledon runnerup Nick Kyrgios pulled out because his left knee needs arthroscopic surgery, fourtime Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka is off the tour while she is pregnant, two-time major champ Simona Halep is serving a provisional doping ban and Venus Williams is hurt.

That is all on top of this: The 2023 edition of the Australian Open is the first Grand Slam tournament since Serena Williams and Roger Federer announced their retirements.

Nadal arrived in Melbourne with an 0-2 record this season, making him 1-6 dating to September,

compete in the meet,” said Moss on their way to Texas.

“It’s a two-day on Friday and Saturday and we have entered our athletes in events from the 100 to the 800 metres.

“We also hope to compete in one or two of the relay events,” he added.

“On the girls’ side, we expect some good performances from Bayli Major, Darvinique Dean,

when he lost to Tiafoe in the fourth round of the US Open.

Even during a first-round victory Monday, a foursetter against a cramping Jack Draper, Nadal never quite seemed to be at his chase-every-ball, put-everyhigh-spin-shot-on-target best. He looked, somehow, his age. The same was the case from the outset against McDonald.

The very first game served as something of a harbinger: McDonald broke for a 1-0 lead thanks a trio of unforced errors by Nadal — two off his feared lefty forehand side.

Out of sorts, Nadal got into a back-and-forth with chair umpire Marijana Veljovic during breaks in action about whether she was starting the between-points serve clock too quickly for his liking.

Soon, McDonald was up a set. Then he went up a break right away in the second.

After one point in that set, Nadal showed real signs of trouble. He squatted behind the baseline and placed his racket down on the court.

Then he went over and leaned on a sign, prompting Veljovic to ask whether Nadal was OK.

Nadal watched a couple of serves off McDonald’s racket fly past him, then was checked on by the trainer. While the match would proceed, it essentially was over right then and there.

Kenneth Moss, Madison Moss and Nya Wright,” Moss said.

“On the boys’ side, we expect athletes like Clinton Laguerre, Tumani Skinner, Johnathan Fowler, Morgan Moss and Ezthia Maycock in the girls’ 800m.”

The trip comes just before the Red-Line Athletics hosts their third annual Sonja Knowles Track and Field Classic on January 28-29.

It is designed to allow the athletes to see exactly where they are against some top-notch competition that they would not ordinarily face here in New Providence.

“We’ve been going to Texas to compete since the club got started and so we are just continuing that tradition,” Moss said.

“We expect that our athletes will perform very well at this meet.”

RED-Line Athletics athletes and coaching staff get ready to head off to Texas to compete this weekend.

IC Bahamas: Americans making impact

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas has always been a special place for American tennis player turned instructor and administrator Robert Castorri.

Back here for his second appearance in the Bahamas International Tennis Club’s 2023 Doubles Team Championships, Castorri recalled how he first came here in 1979 for the Melbourne Open on Paradise Island before he played in the Nassau Open at the Ambassador Hotel.

“I remember how I went on to win the doubles with a young man, who became number two in the world, Craig Witters,” said Castorri of his memorable trip here.

“I’ve come back since then for some business and I stayed at the Ocean Club, but I came here in 2015 for my first Bahamas IC and now I’m here again. We won the first time I came and hopefully we can do it again this time.”

Castorri is playing on the USA Robins team that blanked the Bahamas 5-0 in Tuesday’s opening match at the Nassau Lawn Tennis Club.

He teamed up with Robb Bunnen to win their men’s 125+ doubles 6-3, 6-0 over John Antonas and Alejandro Mesples of the Bahamas.

He also paired with Mariana Hollman for a 6-3, 6-4 win over Neil Mactaggart and Kelly Kerr. “I didn’t enjoy Saturday’s weather.

That was strange,” said Castorri of the cold front that passed through the Bahamas over the weekend. “But I’m feeling better than I ought to.

“I haven’t been playing that much because I do more administrative management of clubs, so I haven’t been playing as much as I did when I was teaching and playing at the same time.”

Castorri, who resides in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, said he also remembers how after his first visit here, he met a German player who introduced him to the German Tennis League.

Four years later, he played Germany’s Boris Becker, who at the time was number one in the world. He won the match in two sets and then Becker went on to become the Wimbledon champion and eventually the No.1 player in the world.

“I only played sparingly on the tour,” said Castorri, whose highest ranking was 420 in the world. “When I played and beat Boris, I was teaching.

“So, I went back to teaching in the United States after the victory.”

So, after the trip here this week, Castorri said he will continue to add to the memories he’s experienced in the Bahamas, considering that his team is looking poised to win another title.

“I just want to thank the host, Kit Spencer, and the Bahamas IC, this tennis club and all the wonderful people of the Bahamas,” he said. “Tell them thanks.”

ROBERT CASTORRI