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Volume: 119 No.49, February 2, 2022

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NEW TAXES ONLY AS ‘LAST RESORT’

ALICIA WALLACE: DON’T BE FOOLED - THIS CRISIS HASN’T GONE AWAY

- SEE PAGE EIGHT

Davis hoping improved collection systems will deliver revenue targets

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis says his government does not want to put any further tax burdens on the Bahamian people to achieve its fiscal projections.

While in Grand Bahama on Monday, Mr Davis indicated he is optimistic about his administration’s fiscal plans and said any new taxes would

be a “last resort” for his administration.

“As I would have said to agencies some time ago, my first job would be to see how we grow the economy; any new taxes are a last resort in our agenda,” he said, during a press briefing with reporters at the Office of the Prime Minister in Freeport.

“We are not seeking to put any further burden on our Bahamian people.”

SEE PAGE THREE

‘BAN ON IMPORTING PIT BULLS IS NOT ENOUGH’

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

A LOCAL dog trainer says the government must crack down on Pit Bull breeding, noting that a mere ban on the import of the dog breed is not enough.

By not enforcing breeding among other measures, Adrian Forbes, owner of Dog World K9 Services, said the government has inadvertently created a situation devoid of regulation, paving the way for dogs to be in environments where

their best interests are not at the forefront.

He said the breed is not “bad”, but they need proper stimulation and training to ensure they are not aggressive to the point of seriously injuring or killing people.

Mr Forbes, a dog behaviour modification and obedience training specialist, said the government has also not followed through on ensuring that every dog is registered and licenced, as mandated by the Animal Protection and Control Act. SEE PAGE FIVE

CONTROLLING THE MESSAGE PRESS secretary Clint Watson asking reporters to meet him in the briefing room yesterday as members of the press were denied direct access to Cabinet ministers. See the full story on PAGE THREE and Editorial on PAGE SIX.. Photo: Donavan McIntosh/Tribune Staff

GLENYS SETS SIGHTS ON RECEIVERS STEP IN TO FULL IN-CLASS LEARNING RUN GRIFFIN’S STORES

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

EDUCATION Minister Glenys Hanna Martin is hopeful the Ministry of Health and Wellness will allow students to participate

in full-time face-to-face instruction as opposed to the hybrid model currently in place.

She told the media the pandemic’s effect on education has been quite severe SEE PAGE FOUR

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

RECEIVERS have taken over the luxury goods retail group headed by the murdered Leon Griffin in a bid to resolve a $34m dispute.

Damian Gomez QC confirmed the Supreme Court had approved accountants Michael Hepburn and Richard Simms to act as joint receivers for the late Treasures Bahamas group.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

A YOUNG MUM’S SECOND CHANCE AT LIFE

By CARA HUNT

WHEN Demetria Seymour had to be airlifted to the Cleveland Clinic with heart failure, she had no idea if she would live to see her children grow up.

But thanks to a very difficult and rare surgery performed by Dr Jose Navia, the 34-yearold mother-of-three from Andros is expected to make a full recovery and have a much better quality of life.

DEMETRIA SEYMOUR Dr Navia the surgeon who performed the surgery is the Director of Heart and Vascular Center Cleveland Clinic Florida; chairman of Cardiothoracic Surgery at

the Cleveland Clinic, Florida, Weston location.

Demetria had to have a surgery to replace and repair all four heart valves. She explained she had been born with a heart murmur, but says in the past several months she began to feel very ill.

“At the age of 32 I started to get a bit weak, breathing problems a lot of chest pain… I couldn’t function at work, so I knew something was not right.”

SEE PAGE TWO

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

TECHNOLOGY: FAITH IN THE METAVERSE - SEE PAGE NINE

PAGE 2, Wednesday, February 2, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

A young mum’s second chance at life

from page one Her condition continued to deteriorate and eventually in June last year she was admitted to Doctors Hospital where she was diagnosed with heart failure.

“They told me my heart was failing and I was not getting any better. Dr Sands (Duane) told me he didn’t want to risk operating in Nassau and so he was referring me to the Cleveland Clinic.

“I was conscious and I can remember when they came in and disconnected

all the tubes from Doctors to go,” she said.

She knew her condition was life threatening.

“I had already given up hope. I felt as if that was it.

That’s just how I was feeling. Not able to do anything for myself, for my kids, not able to work… the pain… and the frustration…”

When she arrived at the Cleveland Clinic her condition was “very difficult”.

Dr Navia explained she was experiencing acute heart failure and sceptic shock.

He said they immediately stablished her and prepared for surgery the next day.

THE SURGERY on Demetria Seymour, above, being led by Dr Jose Navia, pictured right.

Demetria had an aggressive form of infection which had damaged all four valves of her heart.

“It is the first time, I have seen a patient with four valves infected, usually it’s two to three, so it was a very difficult surgery,” Dr Navia said.

He and his team had several issues they had to address, they had to ensure of the infected tissue was removed, they had to repair the valves which could be fixed and then they had to replace the valves which could not.

To do this, they used “He would come in and homografts (heart valves see me every day and say from a human donor.)

After the valves were ‘Hi, you are the star of the addressed, he was then able ICU’. If I did not come to Cleveland Clinic, I would to reconstruct the heart.

“They (her family) not be alive today. “ Dr Navia is delighted the understood that the only way to save her was to go surgery was a success.

“We were able to take the through the surgery. This technology was a difficult repair complicated ‘I had already given and this very surgery.” up hope. I felt as if destroyed Dr Navia that was it. That’s heart in the said that he right way.” was positive just how I was He says going into feeling. Not able Demetria the surgery. to do anything for can expect a “We have a really good myself, for my kids, full recovery, although she team, a state- not able to work… will have to of-the-art continue to ICU and OR, the pain… and do followI was very the frustration.’ ups such as confident.”

All Demetria remembers annual echo cardiograms is being rushed into surgery and cardio physiology and a and then waking up several full course of antibiotics.

Dr Navia said it is hard days later.

“My experience with Dr to tell exactly where the Navia was excellent,” she infection may have come from. said.

But he noted this type of heart infection can have these severe impacts in people such as Demetria who have a pre-existing heart condition, people who have had heart issues in the past or even those with infections were left untreated. A good relationship with your doctor is vital so that issues can be addressed immediately, he added.

Demetria is just excited at her second chance in life.

“So, now I am looking forward to having a new life experience, things I wanted to do but was not able to do - a lot of stuff with my kids and even in school, I was not able to take parts in sports, but now I have a brand new heart so I am ready to go out there and experience life and feel what it feels like to have a new heart a new mindset.”

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, February 2, 2022, PAGE 3

Press denied access to Cabinet ministers

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

MEMBERS of the press were denied direct access to Cabinet ministers yesterday after law enforcement officers erected cones outside the Office of The Prime Minister, limiting media entry into the area.

When The Tribune arrived at OPM before yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, this newspaper met orange cones erected outside the building’s entrance which were guarded by Royal Bahamas Defence Force officers.

A RBDF officer later informed reporters they would be unable to enter the premises beyond the cones. This resulted in reporters waiting near the OPM’s parking lot in hopes of securing an interview.

Tourism, Investments and Aviation Minister Chester Cooper was the only minister who walked over to reporters and agreed to be interviewed yesterday.

In the past, media would usually wait directly outside buildings where ministers were expected to meet to get interviews without facing such restrictions.

However, after briefly meeting with the press yesterday, press secretary Clint Watson explained the measures were not unusual and only a part of the RBDF’s security protocols.

He also told reporters the media would be allowed entry into the building going forward, but would have to request interviews in advance so they can be assisted.

“The responsibility of ensuring the security of the many people who work in this building lies with the Royal Bahamas Defence Force. Some members of the media showed up today at the building in the hopes of interviewing ministers on their way to Cabinet,” OPM later said in a statement.

“Several expressed concern on social media about the orange cones outside the building which limited

access to the building; these orange cones are in place every day as a part of the RBDF’s security practises.

“Media access is an important priority for this administration. Using the press briefing room instead of the parking lot and entrance to the building is a way to allow access to ministers without disrupting a very busy workplace.”

OPM also said that its communications team is committed to working with all media houses to secure responses from government officials, noting that it holds a weekly press conference where reporters have opportunities to ask questions on government policy.

The statement added that Tuesday’s Cabinet briefings will now provide “further access”.

Before yesterday’s meeting at OPM, the Cabinet had been meeting at police headquarters on East Street. Before that, Cabinet meetings were recently held at the Tradewinds Building on Bay Street.

THE CONES placed at the OPM to prevent the media from accessing the premises yesterday, Photo: Donavan McIntosh/Tribune Staff

NEW TAXES ONLY AS ‘LAST RESORT’ from page one

“We think that our tax, that where we are now with collections and enforcements, we ought to be able to take care of the services that we need to deliver and promises we made to see them fulfilled.”

This comes after Tribune Business reported on Monday the government planned to bridge the “gap” to its $1.3bn revenue increase with “additional measures” in the upcoming mid-year budget.

Simon Wilson, the Ministry of Finance’s financial secretary, recently told Tribune Business that some “new tax measures” will be required to achieve the projected 55.7 percent increase in government revenues over the next four years - an objective critical to achieving a forecast $71.9m budget surplus by the 20242025 fiscal year.

Tribune Business reported that while Mr Wilson did not provide any details on the new and/ or increased taxes under

consideration, he said the government’s senior tax officials were also confident “a significant” sum remains uncollected annually across real property taxes, VAT, customs duties and excise tax.

In terms of hurricane restoration, Mr Davis has expressed his disappointment with the pace of restoration work on Grand Bahama and Abaco.

Asked why he felt this way, the Prime Minister said: “I think it is personnel we asked to get things done not moving enough, and so we just have to crack the whip, and that is what we intend to do.”

In the meantime, the Prime Minister also confirmed the government has engaged an international law firm to help access funding for restoration efforts.

Mr Davis was asked about a tweet on his Twitter page indicating that a letter of engagement was signed between the government and the law firm of Holland and Knight to access funding to assist

with post-Hurricane Dorian restoration.

The reporter asked about the details and what it means for Grand Bahama and Abaco.

Mr Davis explained the country needs assistance and there are lots of grants out there that could help The Bahamas.

“I want to say in keeping with our stress to the corporate citizens of the country, we need assistance, and we need to do this together,” he said. “We were able to have assistance of a corporate citizen to help us engage Holland and Knight to go out and seek grant funding for us. That is one of the… I did not want to disclose everything we are doing, but that the law firm would be lobbying for us.

“There is lots of funding out in the world particularly for climate change, and medical matters, and particularly after COVID, there’s been quite an appetite to assist jurisdictions such as our small island developing state.

“And to navigate through the maze to get to it, we

NEW MANAGEMENT HOPE FOR HILTON

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

TOURISM, Aviation and Investments Minister Chester Cooper said the government is hoping the owners of British Colonial Hilton will be able to soon find a new management company to take over the property.

Mr Cooper made the comments to reporters yesterday when asked for an update on the hotel’s closure.

Last month, British Colonial Hilton announced its plans to “indefinitely” close from February 15, citing low occupancies and poor financial performance due mainly to the pandemic.

Some 130 staff are expected to be terminated as a result of the move. However, Mr Cooper said he believes the majority of those workers will be recalled to work once a new management company takes over.

“At the moment, the position remains the same,” the minister said before going to a Cabinet meeting. “The owners of the Hilton, CCA (China Construction America) are speaking actively with other potential brands and management companies. Some of them are well known to all of us and we will wait to see the outcome of these discussions.

“Suffice to say, it is the intention of CCA to close the hotel on February 15 as has been announced and at the same time, if they are able to secure a

new management company swiftly, the closure period could be very short so we are hopeful that it works out that way and we will remain in touch with owners of the property as their partners.

“They are committed to The Bahamas. They are also owners of other hotel properties nearby and we continue to be in active dialogue with them.”

Asked about the future of Hilton employees yesterday, Mr Cooper replied: “It’s very likely that they will recall most or all of the employees when they reopen.

“They will still need properties to reopen so to really solve the issue, they need a manager, a brand and a network that they can draw on to get guests to come to their property and, of course, the jobs will be available for the qualified applicants.

“I won’t speak for them, but I am satisfied that they will recall some, or most of the employees should that outcome happen. We can’t speak to the potential time frame of this. This is clearly a private matter between the owners of the property and potential new brands so this is not something we have direct control over.”

As for the country’s tourism recovery, Mr Cooper said that visitor arrivals remain strong.

“The Caribbean still leads the rebound for the world and for the fourth quarter, we’re tracking slightly behind where we were pre-pandemic but suffice to say, our

numbers are looking stronger moving forward,” he said.

“We continue to have five ships a day in the harbour in terms of cruise lines and this is comforting given the peril recently in the cruise industry, but we are seeing positive numbers. We’re hopeful that the CDC will re-look at the ratings very shortly. We’re seeing a significant drop in the number of new cases of COVID as you know and this is going to bode positively for our tourism rating in terms of CDC and the tourism bookings moving forward.”

Pleased with declining COVID infections, Mr Cooper also said the government has decided to keep its rapid antigen testing requirement for vaccinated people entering the country.

The government was expected to implement a mandatory RT-PCR testing policy for all travellers in early January in response to the nation’s fourth wave.

However, the requirement was suspended after visitors experienced challenges obtaining the tests due to supply shortages.

“There was some contemplation with respect to the PCR. That’s behind us.

We recently gazetted the rules that confirm that we’re moving forward with the antigen test. This is desirable for travellers across the USA, in particular which is our major source market as the PCR tests are very difficult to find in some cities,” Mr Cooper said yesterday.

need some assistance, and so Holland and Knight was identified as someone that could do it,” he stated.

Prime Minister Davis said that it is being done by a corporate citizen who will pay for it.

“I want to thank them publicly, but they want to remain anonymous for the time being. And we expect to see results from that.

That is why I am confident that we would be able to deliver in short order our promises,” he stated.

PAGE 4, Wednesday, February 2, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

GLENYS SETS SIGHTS ON FULL IN-CLASS LEARNING

from page one

with data showing significant learning loss.

“Of course that has serious implications for the future of these children.

Everything tells us faceto-face is how to maximise the educational experience of children and so to get them back in the classroom was a very important step, however now it’s only at 50 percent,” she said yesterday

during a northern primary school district walkabout.

“We’re hoping now that the Ministry of Health and Wellness will allow us to get children in full time and we’re now in the process of developing a diagnostic test. They’re sending out an RFP on that so that we can test every child, understand where every child is positioned academically, socially, psychologically may be an issue also. Then thereafter

develop acceleration programmes to try and bridge the gap that has been created by COVID-19 in the last two years in this country.”

Public school students have been using the government’s virtual learning platform during most of the pandemic. Asked if the ministry will do away with its Learning Management System (LMS), Ms Hanna Martin noted that “technology, virtual reality is a factor

for education and it’s a tool”.

“Unfortunately it is one we had to be solely reliant on and that became complicated. What the Ministry of Education has been seeking to do with the Learning Management System is to develop an indigenous system for The Bahamas and for the ministry. One that also secures data. We do a lot of things in this country and it’s not based on data. We’re not data friendly it appears. What

is happening in the Ministry of Education is they are compiling data. “So every child, every attendance, grades — the whole mix of the child’s involvement in education in terms of the external statistics are there, that helps to create policy.”

As for national examinations, the minister said she has asked the director of education to advise what is the correct approach on this issue.

• The Ministry of Health

and Wellness recorded 44 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday.

The previous day, 50 new cases were recorded.

Officials said 7,091 cases are active while 97 people are in hospital with the virus. Six of these patients are in the intensive care unit.

The country now has had 32,606 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic while 746 people have died from the disease.

Vendors satisfied with Potter’s Cay plans

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net AFTER a fire burned six stalls to the ground last year, a Potter’s Cay vendors association representative said she is satisfied with the temporary plans the government has for the area, which should be “out in the next week or two”.

The fire back in April 2021 left six stalls completely destroyed and two others with damage. Two boats were also destroyed.

Yesterday, Potter’s Cay Dock Fish, Fruit, and Vegetables Vendors Association president Ormanique Bowe said she had a meeting with a government official two months ago about the issue.

“Plans are still at the Ministry of Works and they are just awaiting the final sign off on those plans,” she said.

“He (the government minister) told the vendors who were affected by

the fire that they could go away and put up tents and work temporarily if they wanted to, but the temporary plans for the structure that the government has for them should probably be out in the next week or two and moving forward the vendors will be able to build their own stalls with funds the government and (the) Ministry of Tourism has donated to FYP to go ahead and construct the temporary structures.

“With the temporary structures, I’m satisfied because they’re going to be solid structures.”

Last May, then Minister of Agriculture Michael Pintard said the Minnis administration had plans to assist vendors at Potter’s Cay who lost their businesses due to the fire.

At the time, he said the assistance would come in the form of building materials, adding there were plans to mark out the location for

THE SCENE at Potter’s Cay yesterday. the rebuilding of six stalls.

Asked if the Minnis administration did enough to help after the fire, Ms Bowe said: “No, they didn’t do anything. They put things in place but... this administration has to pick up where they left off because if you look from April of 2020 from September of 2020 at least those plans should have been pushed I think more.

“I think more force should have been given for them to push it for them to be back in there sooner than now. So now you’re dealing with a new administration what have a whole different set of plans... They

Photo: Racardo Thomas/Tribune Staff

have to clean up and then start over. So they’ve only been in four months and like I told my vendors, let’s try and give them a timeline and give them a chance to deal with what they have to deal with.”

She also said: “Let’s look at it like this. The government only owned property meaning the wharf - that is what they’re leasing. The stalls that was built on that property was not owned by the government we have to realise that. The fire was in April, the previous government did not do anything in the six months they were in. They promised them the same thing.

“Now what this

government administration is trying to do is work swiftly for them to get them back out there but we have still realise that it’s two plans. The temporary plan what they have in place which should be released next week and that should be an actual building, not tents. Then you have the ideal plan. The ideal plan is the plan whereas the entire Potter’s Cay dock is going to be transformed in a uniform type fashion. I could only say we have to still hold probably another month or two.”

Executive officials of the Ministry of Agriculture, Marine Resources

and Family Island Affairs recently met several top union executives to discuss a number of administrative matters regarding the public markets and the rebuilding of the six stalls on Potter’s Cay Dock that were destroyed by the fire.

During the meeting, Minister of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Family Island Affairs Clay Sweeting presented the Ministry of Public Works’ plans for the construction of the stalls. A press release from the ministry said it is anticipated that the new stalls will provide the model for other stalls at Potter’s Cay.

‘WORLD-CLASS’ AIRPORT FOR GRAND BAHAMA

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net DEPUTY Prime Minister Chester Cooper said the government wants to build a “world-class” airport on Grand Bahama in an effort to revive the island’s ailing economy and improve the quality of life of residents there.

Mr Cooper made the remarks as he raised concern about Grand Bahama International Airport’s working conditions. The Minnis administration purchased the airport last year after the facility suffered extensive damage in Hurricane Dorian in 2019.

“At the moment, we are working swiftly to do some remedial work at the (GBI) airport,” Mr Cooper told reporters. “Firstly, we are repairing all of the generators. There was an incident a few weeks ago that caused significant delays in a nighttime flight so we have already approved the acquisition of, I believe, five generators for the property.

“We have also approved the investment in the elevators for the tower. I did that trek when I was in Grand Bahama and I wanted to tell you that it was quite an exercise given that our employees must do that at least twice a day, it exercises not only the legs but the mind too... so we wanted to address that safely.

“We want to ensure that the airport is safe for day and nighttime flights and, therefore, we’re shoring up the equipment that’s there at the moment. The airport is in fact safe, we are doing day flights and we are doing night flights, but we are

enhancing this equipment as well.”

He also revealed funding for some “temporary fixes” at the airport has already been approved by the government.

However, he added officials are eying plans to construct a new airport on the island that will support the development of the Grand Lucayan resort, which is currently back on the market for sale.

His comments come after Prime Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis and other government officials travelled to the island, promising to restore investor confidence in Grand Bahama.

Mr Cooper said: “Secondly, we want to build a world class airport here (and) during the course of the next 45 days, we will go for a request for a proposal.

All of the work has been done, we’re simply doing final reviews and adjustments on it but suffice to say, we’re going to build a world class airport that the Bahamian people can be very proud of in Grand Bahama. “This is going to support the development of the hotel and also support the overall economy and quality of life of Bahamian residents and our guests in Grand Bahama.”

As for the government’s plans for Family Islands, Mr Cooper said: “We’re going to be releasing the call for investment participation for nine airports across The Bahamas so we’re proceeding and we hope by the end of the second quarter, we will advance this to a point where we have a shortlist and we’re going to move swiftly ahead.”

PRIME Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis during his visit to Grand Bahama.

Photo: Vandyke Hepburn

NEW HOSPITAL PLAN FOR GB

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

A NEW hospital is on the drawing board for Grand Bahama, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis confirmed this week during his visit to Grand Bahama.

Mr Davis, along with a delegation from the Office of the Prime Minister, travelled to Abaco and Grand Bahama on Monday. It was his first official visit to Freeport since taking office.

During Hurricane Dorian, the Rand Memorial Hospital sustained severe damage and had to be fully renovated.

Plans for a new hospital were initially promised by the former Minnis administration, which later decided to develop a four-story tower at the Rand.

When asked about a new hospital, Mr Davis said: “I could assure Grand

Bahama that that will happen.

“I have been in deep discussions and negotiations along with the Minister of Health and we are talking to any number of entities and governments to ensure how we are able to at least put shovels in the ground before the year’s end,” he stated.

Mr Davis said he has indicated to the Minister of Health about a groundbreaking by the summer.

“So, that is on the drawing board and is still alive and my deadline when we could have shovels in the ground is

by June,” he said.

Mr Davis said there are other projects in the pipeline for Grand Bahama.

“I will be back soon as there are some things on the drawing board for Grand Bahama that might require me being here very soon,” Mr Davis said.

He also gave an update on the Grand Bahama Airport.

He said that remedial work will be conducted to improve accessibility

and make it comfortable for visitor arrivals.

Mr Davis said the government will also have to determine what it would do in terms of redeveloping the airport.

“We have a bigger picture to determine whether or not the airport ought to remain where it is because of the amount of money to rebuild, and there is a need from an engineering point of lifting the airport maybe.

“So, we have to weigh the cost of refurbishing and rebuilding the airport there compared with doing it someplace else where the susceptibility of hurricanes or threat of hurricanes will not impact the continued operations.

“I am advised it is very difficult to get the airport insurance if you continue to build there. So, we are looking at what we will do. But to keep the economy going, we will do some short-term repairs to make it more comfortable for travellers,” the Prime Minister said.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, February 2, 2022, PAGE 5

‘You can’t just tell abuse victims to leave - they need somewhere to go’

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net A DOMESTIC abuse survivor has spoken out about her experience, saying urging other people in similar positions to simply leave their abusers is not good advice alone.

Tina Gay Foster said survivors need safe spaces to escape their partners so they are not subject to more abuse.

The issue has been in the forefront of public discussion after young mother Heavenly Terveus was shot dead in front of her infant son by her boyfriend in late January, police said. The man, Delano Ferguson, then turned the gun on himself and died in hospital two days later, police said.

While others have advised abused persons to leave their abusive partners, the 33-year-old survivor said telling persons to leave is not good advice alone. She said victims need help, because often perpetrators are “coming and killing them”.

Ms Foster reflected on her own experience recalling her abuse escalated after she left. When she walked away, she said her abuser headbutted her.

It has been reported that the young mother left her abuser about two weeks before her death and moved in with relatives on Miami Street, where she was killed.

The fact the deceased left was a point Ms Foster highlighted.

“Women, men, and girls who are being abused, we don’t have nowhere to go,” she told The Tribune.

“Where could she have gone? The justice system, the government, the Crisis Centre, Zonta, and all those persons who are advocates for domestic violence, even me. Are we just advocates because we are just speaking but where’s the action because at the end of the day Nassau is 21 by seven.

“She left that man for two weeks. Where could she have gone but home?

Where are the shelters?

Where is the protection?

We don’t have those things.

I feel as though now women are going to be even more scared to leave because she left and now she’s dead.”

It was claimed that on both the Monday and Tuesday before her death, the 21-year-old was the victim of hostility and confrontation from the man.

According to National Security Minister Wayne Munroe, on January 16 a patrol car was dispatched to the Miami Street home where Heavenly lived with her mother in response to a complaint of damage to a vehicle by Ferguson.

However, when police arrived, Ferguson was long gone and Heavenly declined to make a formal complaint against him at a nearby station despite the urging of a friend who was there at the time, Commissioner of Police Paul Rolle further revealed.

At one point, officers

even spoke to Ferguson to try to have him return so that he could be arrested.

But aware that police were searching for him, Ferguson evaded authorities and was never caught. He was on bail after he shot at Heavenly’s older sister and another person last year.

Mr Munroe also told reporters outside Cabinet that Heavenly also tried to get Ferguson to return to be arrested.

The incident has reignited calls for stiffer penalties, but Mr Munroe argued the concept that greater penalties will stop someone from committing a crime overlooks the fact that people need to have self-control and take personal responsibility for their actions.

For her part, Ms Foster said mental issues, which includes anger, need to be addressed.

She said she was not just blaming men, as women commit domestic abuse, but said the statistics show men are more commonly perpetrators in these incidents.

“If you have someone with a mental issue they need help and most of these men that are doing these abuse and stuff they have anger issues. They had their issues from when they probably grew up from when they were home and they want to take out on females,” she said.

Ms Foster filed a complaint against her abuser, but later dropped the charges.

She said he stopped tormenting her but found

UNION: STILL ISSUES AT BPL FOR STAFF

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

THE union representing Bahamas Power and Light line staff says there are still a number of burning issues that need to be addressed, including challenges with workers’ pensions and medical coverage.

The latter, according to Bahamas Electrical Workers Union president Kyle Wilson, has caused financial hardship to employees.

While admitting there has been open dialogue with new BPL chairman Pedro Rolle and Ministry of Works Permanent Secretary Luther Smith, Mr Wilson said workers were agitating for the changes to come soon.

The BEWU president wants to ensure their grievances are kept at the forefront until there is full resolution.

“The current chairman of BPL, Mr Pedro Rolle is doing an excellent job in meeting with the union and trying to bring resolve,” Mr Wilson said yesterday.

“The PS Luther Smith, all kudos and hats off to him. He’s doing an excellent job in terms of industrial relations with the union and Minister (Alfred) Sears is also doing an excellent job in meeting with the union to hear the issues. It’s truly a new day in that regard.

“However, we haven’t gotten to a full resolution, but at least we’re meeting to resolve these issues.”

He continued: “Now one of the major issues that is in the company, we have a major issue with human resources department across the entire length and breadth of BPL and union-wise, they feel that the human resources department has been non-existent and inhumane towards workers’ issues and we are still looking for a change of direction in the human resources department within BPL in all honesty.

“We still do have some burning issues as far as pension and medical. The union

is claiming that BPL may be possibly running... a pension scheme that is not within the confines of the industrial agreement. There have also been changes to the medical that has brought financial hardship to a lot of members.

There has been (a) change to the payroll system that is frustrating members with their pay stubs not being able to receive them on time and receiving sloppy pay stubs that are illegible, but these are issues that the chairman has pledged to work with the union on and also the PS and we’re talking and that’s a good thing, at least we’re talking.

“In previous years the union was shut out and ignored under the former chairman, but at least under this chairman we are dialoguing.”

Mr Wilson explained that the BPL workers believe their medical deductible is far too high and salary deductions have also caused hardship.

“In order to see a doctor, we must meet a $700 deductible out of our pocket and not only that, the medical deduction has increased out of our take home pay. The company has gone into the salaries of members without authorisation and twice would have taken out fees for an additional medical benefit that they did not bring to the union.

“So, the union is unaware of these changes... but this is what the company did and they did it twice against the agreement and not only that, they raised the price of the medical, but dropped the benefits.

“So, how could you raise the price and drop the benefits? So, I have to pay more now to see the doctor while you are taking more money out of the salary and you are charging more for family coverage but you’re telling me, for me see the doctor I must find $700 deductible? In these tough times VAT is on everything now and it is hard for the workers,” Mr Wilson said.

Mr Rolle did not respond to inquiries yesterday from The Tribune.

HEAVENLY TERVEUS, who was shot dead by her boyfriend, who then shot himself and died later in custody. someone new who he started to be violent towards.

Asked if she felt she should have followed through with the charges to prevent him from hurting someone else, she said she felt that way at first but because he never did anything she deemed drastic, she did not think he would have ended up in prison.

“At first I was beating myself up about it but slapping me, punching me in

my belly, sitting on me, and bursting me with things.

Then he dragged me in the road one time - they wouldn’t have sent him to prison or he would’ve already been out,” she said.

“I went to her (his new partner). She had her baby the three months when he stabbed her in the back and she was in the hospital on chest tubes. I’m a nurse, so when I went to her that’s when I found out

who she was.”

She added: “When I went to her, I talked to her and I begged her. I say to her ‘let me help you. Let’s try to do it together. You gotta leave.’

But the thing about it is that she had that baby for him...

She made a comment to me and she said ‘He could be sweet you know but when he get mad… I can handle him though.’ When she said that I knew she was going back.”

‘BAN ON IMPORTING PIT BULLS IS NOT ENOUGH’ from page one

His comments came in the aftermath of a vicious dog attack on 51-year-old Alicia Barton.

The 11-year-cancer survivor is nursing severe head, arm and leg injuries after she was attacked by four Pit Bulls in the yard of her Pastel Gardens home on Friday.

A man is in police custody over the incident, but police yesterday could not say when he would face charges.

One of the four dogs was put down on the night of the incident.

However, the status of the remaining animals is unknown.

“We have an import ban on certain dogs and Pit Bulls are one of those dogs,” Mr Forbes said yesterday. “You cannot have an import ban on a particular breed and then don’t have a breeding ban on that same breed.

“So, one the government is creating this problem because dudes are breeding Pit Bulls indiscriminately all over and they know that.

You can go on Facebook right now and see at least 50 people right now selling pit bulls in The Bahamas, at least.

“You trying to tell me the Ministry of Agriculture doesn’t know this? So, from that aspect, they are creating the problem.”

He also said: “It comes down to an enforcement issue and generally speaking it is a public service issue whereas we work, but don’t follow up. We don’t enforce and we don’t do many things.

“What they really need to do is put a separation between pet owners, breeders and working dogs. The reason I say that is, in the States you can’t own more than four dogs unless you have a breeder licence. Here in order to own dogs, I think we need to go as far as really inspecting people’s homes and all that because dogs are a multibillion industry.

“You see all these strays in the road? That’s because I get a dog and one day I run into issues, my pocket runs low or the dog makes me mad so I throw the dog out the yard. The dog go breed and breed and just have a bunch of puppies

ONE of the injuries suffered by Alicia Barton. everywhere what happens.

“People do it for quick money.

So that’s something that must be cracked down on.

“To own a dog, it should be licensed and that’s by law and right now in the books your dog is supposed to be licensed so that’s one thing they don’t enforce.

“They need to put some kind of restriction on breeding.

“But Pit Bulls are not a bad breed and let’s get that clear. We have generally speaking bad ownership and people who are not responsible when it comes to dogs.

“They are not human aggressive, they are conditioned to be human aggressive,” he also said.

Yesterday, the Ministry of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Family Island Affairs, which has animals in its portfolio, said it was saddened to learn of Ms Barton’s near-death experience due to a dog attack. The ministry noted some of the provisions of the Animal Protection and Control Act 2010.

The statement said: “Under the Animal Protection and

Control Act, 2010, the government is seeking to ensure that the Animal Control Board mandates that pet owners provide proper animal care, animal behaviour, animal welfare and proper housing of aggressive animals.

“In the meantime, the ministry has been working closely with non-profit organisations such as The Bahamas Humane Society and BAARK on preventative measures such as spay and neuter clinics.

“The Animal Control Unit within the Department of Agriculture is integral in the enforcement of the Act, specifically, public education on animal care and control, issuance of dog licences for all dogs over three months old, attending to animal attack cases and animal breeder facility inspections.

“Should the public encounter a breach in the Act, they should contact the Royal Bahamas Police Force and The Animal Control Unit of the Department of Agriculture (325-1173).”

Late last year, three Pit Bulls were put down by the Humane Society of Grand Bahama (HSGB) after they attacked an elderly woman who was hospitalised with serious injuries.

At the time, Tip Burrows, executive director at HSGB, described the incident as tragic and urged the government to fully implement the Animal Protection and Control Act to reduce the chances of such incidents in the future.

Two men were arraigned in the Freeport Magistrate’s Court in connection with the dog attack.

Zion Douglas and a second man, both of Sunset Subdivision, were charged with permitting a ferocious dog at large, causing harm by negligence, and having an unlicensed dog.

Douglas pleaded guilty to all charges and was fined $2,680. Of that figure, $500 is compensation to the victim. The second accused man, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

He was granted $2,000 bail with one surety, and the case was adjourned to January 25.

The dogs were collected by the Animal Control Unit at the Department of Agriculture and subsequently turned over to HSGB.

PAGE 6, Wednesday, February 2, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

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The government that doesn’t like questions IT would seem the elected representatives of the people don’t want to answer to the people any more.

Yesterday, as members of the press arrived to put questions to ministers as they entered Cabinet, they found they were being prevented from doing so.

A line of cones had been set up, guarded by members of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, with an officer telling reporters they cannot go past the cones.

Press secretary Clint Watson soon appeared and protested that the measures were not unusual – despite being very unfamiliar to reporters.

He also said that from now on the media would have to request interviews in advance so they can be assisted.

That’s a surprise, as the media has been interviewing ministers for decades without the need for any such assistance.

The Office of the Prime Minister went on to issue a statement later saying “the responsibility of ensuring the security of the many people who work in this building lies with the Royal Bahamas Defence Force”. It would seem recorders and pens are a security risk these days.

Perhaps this is a response to Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville opening his mouth and putting his foot in it by giving an entirely different explanation of Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis’ breach of quarantine.

Perhaps this is why the elected representatives now have to be shepherded by unelected appointees.

It is nonsense, of course. And an outrage. In fact, when barricades were briefly put up under former Prime Minister Perry Christie’s administration, one ZNS journalist was particularly outspoken and started complaining loudly when he saw the barricades. That would be current press secretary Mr Watson.

It seems he has gone from presenting Behind The Headlines to trying to avoid the headlines.

When barricades were put up at one time during former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ administration, reporters complained and were told it was a mistake and they were moved.

But for years, reporters have always been able to access Cabinet members for interviews outside the Churchill Building with no issue or barricades.

The Churchill Building may now be

demolished, but there is no need for a change in that tradition.

It is astonishing that this early into an administration, politicians are already trying to avoid giving answers to the people on the matters of the day.

We do wonder how well that will play out with ministers keen to show what they have been doing for the benefit of the nation, only to find themselves cut off from the media by such an arbitrary rule. Good luck with your re-election campaigns if you haven’t been able to show the people the good work you’ve done.

Perhaps we should not be too surprised – this is after all the Prime Minister who the media was only informed after the fact when he was sworn in during a private ceremony. An historic moment for the nation passed with only a cellphone camera snap posted to social media to mark the occasion.

In his first speech as Prime Minister, however, Mr Davis made all the right noises, talking about an end to secrecy and a building of trust.

He said: “I also commit to lifting the veil of secrecy on that which has gone before us, so that all of the arrangements under which we have to live are transparent, and those who authored them are accountable.”

Mr Davis added: “We will uphold the Constitution and the rule of law, and ensure that everyone is treated fairly, so that it’s not one rule for one set of people and another for another set of people.”

Mr Davis has avoided questions on his breach of quarantine, though his telling words that he “can’t be seen out” hints at exactly one rule for one, and another for Mr Davis.

His administration has also steered away from proper answers on the Christmas Carnival, Dubai and more.

And that is before this latest move to keep the press away from members of government.

This is exactly the kind of aloof, arrogant appearance that mired the Christie administration and led to a landslide defeat at the polls.

Elected representatives need to be able to be held to account, no matter what their political stripe. Refusing to give answers is the exact opposite of transparency, and the exact opposite of Mr Davis’ pledge to lift the veil.

Ditching trash on our neighbours EDITOR, The Tribune.

HUMANS are indeed a queer lot. When we clean up our yard, we have no problem pitching our trash over the fence and into our neighbour’s yard. We then admire our yard and frown at our neighbour for living like a pig.

So it is now, with whomever is renovating what was Hurricane Hole on Paradise Island, and I understand creating a “Super Yacht Marina” with a minimum depth of 12 feet. To achieve this depth of water they are dredging the seabed and guess where they are dumping it all. No, not on Paradise Island, they are trucking it over the Bridge and all the way to the eastern end of New Providence Island and

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net dumping it at what “The Wandering Wolf Child” has described as “The Deadly Stokes Cabana” – formerly the home of the late Stokes Thompson. Now recently demolished.

Whether or not this is a Bahamas Government sanctioned land fill I have no idea, but I am completely opposed to them running these monstrous bloody dump trucks through my “residential only” neighbourhood of The Eastern Road. Twenty yards of wet marl weighs in excess of thirty tons, plus the weight of the Dumper itself. Eastern Road is by any definition a minor

road and it was never constructed to support this kind of rolling weight. This is precisely why the Water and Sewerage Corporation is constantly having to repair leaks to the water main.

Since it is a New Day now, if I might use this medium to reach out to Minister Coleby-Davis of Transport and Housing, and sitting MP for Elizabeth, to consider banning the use of residential roadways by commercial vehicles. That would include those monstrous semi-trucks with 20 and 40 foot containers. And if Minister Munroe would agree to having the police enforce such a mandate it would really be a new day.

BRUCE G RAINE Nassau, January 29, 2022.

Changing rules on entry to nation COVID protocols EDITOR, The Tribune.

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I WISH to add my voice to the concerns raised in your article yesterday by Robert Sands about entry into The Bahamas.

For any business there must be thought as to how the product or service is presented to the public and what measures can be taken to ensure success. My wife and family have travelled to Nassau for decades.

The tourism industry was successful. We ended up purchasing a property and always have been satisfied until the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything.

Now it is a major hassle to come to you and the decisions made by your Government and the Tourism Ministry are seriously jeopardising your future.

There has been little or no consideration as to whether visitors are willing to undertake all the requirements just to come to you. What major good has come from The Health Visa? None that we can see except for revenue for the Government and its associates in the payment system. Last winter

after going through all the hassles we only obtained permission to travel 45 minutes before our flight as you had the five-day rule from test to landing. We were at our airport just hoping to get permission so we could board the flights. If we were going to a hotel rather than our property we would never have risked all the financial problems associated with booking the trip.

The uncertainty deterred visitors, yet your Government carried on without any changes despite so many complaints from travel agents and concerned visitors. We read them all in The Tribune and also the many nasty comments online from Bahamians criticising those who made valid points against the policies. Unbelievably nothing changed until you allowed double vaccinated people to enter without tests but still with the expensive Visa.

Now we cannot come as yet this winter because of your new rule that we must have a rapid antigen test no older than three days old.

Whoever dreamed up this idea it has been a failure.

Everywhere in the U.S.A. there is a massive shortage of these tests. We have yet to find anywhere nearby to get a test. If there is not a shortage by then one clinic 145 miles away will give us one at $300 each but we cannot get a result for 48 hours. That leaves us one day to apply for the Visa, await confirmation and get on airplanes to reach you before the three day deadline. Why should people be put in this position?

Our travel agent who sells us our air tickets told us yesterday he is not getting bookings for The Bahamas as a result but sending people elsewhere. Southern Florida business is booming as a result and other Caribbean countries who have fewer requirements.

Unless things change soon we will not get to Nassau this year which is very upsetting and could have been avoided if there had been any common sense prevailing in your Government entry rules.

DAVID WILLIAMSON Connecticut, February 1, 2022.

COVID protocols... rules are made to be kept, Mr Prime Minister. Feeble excuse.

Health protocols are and have to be taken seriously not frivolous and optional... we all know we have been told you can be a spreader and not have any visible signs of the virus... isn’t there a fine attached to breaching quarantine?

If we don’t believe me the news will get out how infectious The Bahamas is and no US Canadian tourists will visit... so far as many say we’ve been blessed…

blessings can quickly turn into a curse! We mustn’t let that happen.

Da Dubai Camelot fiasco... best advice to OPM’s Director of Communications is to close his mouth as every time he opens up on this issue he goes deeper and deeper into do-doo - quick sand.

Official spokesperson confirms Shabak/Clint Watson received from the Treasury fully paid “free” air tickets... probably 15-20 persons at at least $1,600-1,800.00 a ticket... $32,000.00... that is direct specific financial benefit in any language... don’t care if the group went

unpaid for performing - they didn’t eat? Did they sleep in tents in the desert?

Rooms and food at least a further $30,000.00 rounded off - who paid for their hotel - who paid for their food? Bet ya Treasury?

General Orders are very specific… Article: 900-919 inclusive…. Secretary to Cabinet please do your duty.

Boy, how can they ask Minnis now to account?

They better and that is millions to be covered!

PAULA MINNS Nassau, January 21, 2022.

Ministers and masks EDITOR, The Tribune.

I BELIEVE it is okay if you have someone in your house positive with COVID if you test negative, but at the least wait five-days then certainly you can venture out taking a further test.

Now different the protocol on wearing masks has not been lifted even if politicians want to pose - especially inside the

wearing of masks is essential basic and fundamental, but what we see every day confirmed by new video and photos everywhere.

Take the JCN Man of the year Award... how many Ministers lined up and deliberately took off their masks so if to show their prettiness? At least six and included the top two. Please OPM don’t try to counter this JCN have

been re-running the video all weekend.

Omicron can only be beaten if we comply 100 percent with the Health protocols which we are required to.

Please Ministers show a good example comply, obey, do as you are supposed to, surely the public is to expect that of you?

J T HUTCHINSON

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, February 2, 2022, PAGE 7

APRIL DATE FOR HOSTEL TRIAL WHITE PLAYS DOWN ‘BAGGAGE’

By PAVEL BAILEY

SIX women charged in connection with the beating of a number of wards at the Children’s Emergency Hostel will stand trial in April.

Sabrina Smith, 61, Eloise Canter, 52, Carmetta Woods, 47, Natasha Pratt, 46, and Occonelle Gordon, 25, had their child cruelty case transferred to Magistrate Kendra Kelly.

Another accused, Shawn Seymour, faced separate charges for the same event of failing to report the abuse of minors.

These charges are all in relation to an incident that

occurred on September 22, 2020 in New Providence, when these women were accused of abusing minors, ranging in age from as young as seven to 11 years old, by causing them physical harm while under their care at the hostel. Seymour is the only accused not charged for allegedly beating these minors.

In total, the accused are charged with 11 counts of child abuse and failing to report the abuse of a minor respectively.

In court, the women were collectively represented by Barry Sawyer, Ian Cargill, Ryszard Humes, Laurel Henschel and Wallace Rolle.

Canter was the only accused who did not appear in court as her lawyer explained to the magistrate that she was currently in the hospital. He asked Magistrate Kelly to take these matters into consideration as Canter suffers from chronic illness resulting in him having to act on her behalf in court.

Smith, Woods, Pratt, and Gordon all pleaded not guilty to all 11 counts of child abuse against them, while Seymour also pleaded not guilty to her 11 counts of failing to report child abuse.

Magistrate Kelly adjourned their case until April 25–27 for trial.

RELEASED AFTER VAGRANCY CHARGE

By PAVEL BAILEY

A MAN who spent three months on remand after being arrested for vagrancy last year has been released from custody.

Cenario Cunningham, 33, appeared before Magistrate Kendra Kelly on charges of vagrancy after being arrested for living in the area around Liquid Courage off West Bay Street.

After his arrest in November 2021, Cunningham

spent the past three months in custody and underwent psychiatric evaluation at Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre.

In court, Magistrate Kelly noted Cunningham looked more composed and “clearer” than his previous court appearance. She asked if had received any medication since his last court date, however he said he had not. The magistrate is still awaiting his official psychiatric report.

Police prosecutor Vernon Pyfrom noted in court that Cunningham had already served three months on remand with the maximum sentence for his charges being four months. As such he suggested Magistrate Kelly withdraw Cunningham’s case.

The magistrate elected to have all charges against Cunningham withdrawn, resulting in him being acquitted and discharged from custody.

MAN IN ASSAULT CLAIM GIVEN BAIL

By PAVEL BAILEY

A MAN was granted bail yesterday in his ongoing trial in the Magistrate’s Court for allegedly assaulting his neighbour.

Ladon Nesbitt, 33, appeared before Magistrate Kendra Kelly in relation to an incident in New Providence on January 3 when he allegedly assaulted his neighbour - Shaquille Burrows - with a handgun. Nesbitt had also filed assault charges against Burrows, but both have since unsuccessfully tried to have

their respective charges dropped after consulting with each privately against standing court orders.

In his previous court appearance, Nesbitt discussed concerns over a bail condition. He raised the issue of being unable to charge a proposed ankle monitor, as his home currently runs on a generator.

The magistrate suggested he charge the ankle bracelet at his local police station.

Mindful of this and considering the fact the accused had no prior antecedents, Magistrate Kelly granted

Nesbitt bail at $9,000 with one or two sureties on condition that he wears an ankle bracelet and reports to East Street South Police Station every Monday and Friday before 6pm.

Nesbitt was cautioned not to have any further contact with Burrows as their respective trials continued. The magistrate also informed him that prosecutor Vernon Pyfrom would seek to have their trials heard in the same court.

Nesbitt’s case was adjourned to February 23.

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

ADRIAN White says that he and Shanendon Cartwright both bring “baggage” to the Free National Movement’s deputy leadership race, although he does not believe the controversy involving Mr Cartwright and his tenure at the Beaches & Park Authority gives him the upper hand as the FNM’s convention nears.

“I come in to the race with probably the same amount of baggage (as Shanendon Cartwright) because if it’s going to come down to two candidates, one candidate has baggage hanging over him that the government is putting on him and I come with baggage in that I’m new to politics,” Mr White said yesterday.

“We each have issues that voters are going to have to address in their mind and determine which one of us is most suited for the role, but I definitely don’t think that I have an upper hand on the expected other deputy leadership contender.”

Both Mr Cartwright, MP for St Barnabas, and Mr White, MP for St Anne’s, will nominate for the deputy leadership role at the FNM’s headquarters today. It is not clear if anyone else will enter the race, although insiders say there is a desire among some for a candidate with more experience than the two men.

Mr Cartwright’s standing in the FNM blossomed after he won re-election in an inner-city constituency in a wave election that saw the FNM swept from office.

FNM insiders say he is currently the favourite to win the deputy leadership race.

Mr White, meanwhile, has won praise in the party for his performances in the House of Assembly as leader of opposition business.

Since the 2021 election, the Davis administration

ADRIAN WHITE MP has condemned practices related to the Bahamas Public Beaches & Public Parks Authority, indirectly questioning Mr Cartwright’s running of the institution when he chaired the authority under the previous administration.

Last year, the administration announced that all contracts at the authority would be cancelled after external investigators found numerous lapses in internal controls.

Nonetheless, Mr White said the FNM has “two great candidates” in himself and Mr Cartwright, both of whom he said will support and enhance the agenda of party leader, Michael Pintard.

“I think (Mr Cartwright) did an excellent job as member of Parliament,” Mr White said. “With all the activities he was carrying out, it looks like he was writing the textbook for all the MPs with how to carry out duties in your constituency and that paid off with him being re-elected.

“What I do know is I have not gotten to where I am by turning my back on an opportunity. I have every intention of continuing to serve our party leader and our party for the next five years and if there is a thing that I know that I am qualified to do, despite what others might view as a lack of experience to date, I’m gonna go for it because I’m never taking a step back.

“When we had the convention in November there were a number of persons who approached me and

either referred to me as the next deputy leader or really spoke to me directly with a clear expression of interest that I aim for deputy leader because from what they have seen from my representation in the House of Assembly they could see the type of individual character that I was and that’s what they were attracted to.”

He added: “The deputy leadership opportunity is one that I think I’m fitted for. I didn’t put my hat in the ring for the leadership for a number of reasons, one of them being my existing experience and the significance of the leadership role and just the general expectation that those senior to me are more rightly fitted for that position.

“Over the last six years I have made a commitment to myself and a promise to say yes to opportunities that I was interested in and that I had every expectation I can handle. And that ranges from opening my own practice in 2014, opening up myself to Rotary, serving on the board of the Rotary East Club Nassau at various levels, from vocational service to fundraising chair, finishing with the Rotary president position of the biggest club in the region and getting into politics.

“I saw that our (former) leader, Hubert Minnis, stepped down from leadership positions and we had one of our other members of Parliament put themselves forward for leadership positions. I communicated with them as well as a number of other persons in the party that I thought would be interested in running for deputy leader and at this stage, there’s some expectation that Mr Cartwright is going to nominate.”

The convention is set for February 23-25. All positions from deputy leader down will be open for contest. Peter Turnquest, current FNM deputy leader, has said he will not contest the position.

PAGE 8, Wednesday, February 2, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

Don’t be fooled - this crisis hasn’t gone away

By Alicia Wallace WE ARE still in the to changing our behaviour.

Many people are talking fourth wave of the COVID19 pandemic and case about the Omicron variant numbers are decreasing as though it is the common week by week. Dr Nikkiah cold. They excuse various Forbes has explained it is activities and behaviours still too early to identify a by saying people who contrend as there needs to be tract the Omicron are not decline over a period of sev- getting sick or displaying eral weeks. Last weekend, symptoms, and people are 136 new COVID-19 infec- not being hospitalised for tions and 11 deaths were or dying from Omicron. recorded, and there were This, regardless of what you 118 people with COVID- hear, is not true. People are, 19 in hospital - though not in fact, experiencing symptoms, being all there for hospitalised treatment for ‘We need more and dying from COVID-19 this variant.

- on Satur- people to have These people, day.

The protection from however, seem highest numCOVID-19. We to matter less bers in this wave were need more people to the genpublic. during the hol- to be consistent in eral Because the iday season.

This is a good their preventative numbers are lower, because indication the measures. We virus spread need more people the people are older, because when people the people gather, par- to be vocal when have disabiliticularly in they see people ties, because relatively large - especially their lives are numbers, and spend time people they know considered less valuable by so together with and love - take their masks unnecessary risks many, people are prepared off. to dismiss their COVID-19 or demonstrate experiences. is still a factor a lack of It may be in our lives knowledge and true many and needs to people with be one of the understanding.’ the Omicron first considerations when we are making variant have not been symptoms. decisions. It is affecting experiencing every aspect of our lives, Maybe the vaccines are whether we realise or helping, and maybe there is not, and we are going to another reason. Regardless, continue to suffer the con- this should not lead us to sequences until we commit become reckless, assuming

A NEW COVID testing location set up in Winton this week. we will all get it and be symptom-free. In addition to not knowing all of the the long-term effects of COVID-19, whether or not there are symptoms, there is the danger of not knowing whether or not you have it. If most people do not get symptoms, then most people have no indication of their infection and no reason to get tested unless it is mandated for a specific reason such as travel or work.

If a person with the Omicron variant is asymptomatic and does not test, and they have decided to live as though there is no pandemic, they are going to put people at risk. If they share physical spaces with other people who have similar attitudes, even more people will be at even higher risk. By participating in an event where people do not wear masks, such as a dinner, you can easily contract COVID19 from someone without symptoms, and you can pass it on to someone who gets symptoms and may be severely impacted by the virus. It is absurd to dismiss concerns about COVID-19 because Omicron seems “mild”. That is what makes it dangerous, especially for elderly people and those who are immunocompromised.

We need to think about those most vulnerable as we make decisions. This does not mean we need to restrict ourselves to our

homes. It means we have to be responsible. We need to exercise caution.

It is important for us to continue to follow the guidelines. There aren’t many PSAs or signs about it these days, but we ought to know the importance of washing our hands and doing it properly. Hand sanitiser, of course, is not a replacement for hand washing, but useful when hand washing is not possible. Masks need to be worn when in public or in a space with people outside of our own households. They need to be masks of good quality and worn properly, covering the nose and mouth and having no gaps around them, to be effective. N95 masks are said to offer the best protection so, as much as possible, we need to use them. Unfortunately, they cost more than other types of masks, and this needs to be addressed at a national level as much as it needs to be addressed globally.

Over the holidays, in a few countries where testing was accessible and at-home testing kits were readily available, many people shared their holiday plans included testing to ensure everyone was as safe as possible. Many groups tested and shared results with the agreement that only those testing negative would be able to attend. They also tested after the event, especially where travel or use of public transportation was involved.

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In some cases, there were two rounds of testing before the events, trying to ensure the contagious period was covered. As an example, people would test one week before the event, and then again on the day before the event.

Many of them also chose to self-isolate once they had tested to further protect family members and friends. Testing before and after gathering is a good practice that demonstrates care for others as well as personal responsibility.

It is not as easy or financially feasible for most people here, but with the free testing option, more people should be able to do it. Yes, this is yet another way people with low incomes are deprived of ease and joy.

This week, it was reported 159,000 people

are fully vaccinated. We need more people to have protection from COVID19. We need more people to be consistent in their preventative measures. We need more people to be vocal when they see people - especially people they know and love - take unnecessary risks or demonstrate a lack of knowledge and understanding.

We need more people to carefully consider the risk involved in their activities and to understand their responsibility to the people around them. If most people with the Omicron variant really are asymptomatic, then any of us could have COVID-19 and not know it. We need to act like it. The pandemic is not over, so our caution cannot end either. We all have a role to play in limiting community spread.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, February 2, 2022, PAGE 9

FAITH IN THE METAVERSE:

A VR QUEST FOR COMMUNITY, FELLOWSHIP

By LUIS ANDRES HENAO Associated Press

UNDER quarantine for COVID-19 exposure, Garret Bernal and his family missed a recent Sunday church service. So he strapped on a virtual reality headset and explored what it would be like to worship in the metaverse.

Without leaving his home in Richmond, Virginia, he was soon floating in a 3D outer-space wonderland of pastures, rocky cliffs and rivers, as the avatar of a pastor guided him and others through computer-generated illustrations of Biblical passages that seemed to come to life as they prayed.

“I couldn’t have had such an immersive church experience sitting in my pew. I was able to see the scriptures in a new way,” said Bernal, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church.

He’s among many Americans — some traditionally religious, some religiously unaffiliated — who are increasingly communing spiritually through virtual reality, one of the many evolving spaces in the metaverse that have grown in popularity during the coronavirus pandemic.

Ranging from spiritual meditations in fantasy worlds to traditional Christian worship services with virtual sacraments in hyperrealistic, churchlike environments, their devotees say the experience offers a version of fellowship that’s just as genuine as what can be found at a brick-and-mortar temple.

“The most important aspect to me, which was very real, was the closer connection with God that I felt in my short time here,” Bernal said.

Community The service he attended was hosted by VR Church, which was founded in 2016

by D.J. Soto, a former high school teacher and pastor at a nonvirtual church. VR Church bills itself as a spiritual community existing “entirely in the metaverse to celebrate God’s love for the world.”

Soto had previously felt called to church planting, or starting new physical churches. But after discovering the VR social platform AltSpaceVR, he was awakened to the possibilities of connecting in virtual reality. He set out to create an inclusive Christian church in the metaverse, an immersive virtual world that has been gaining buzz since Facebook said last October that it would invest billions in building it out.

Attendance was scant for the first year as Soto often found himself preaching to just a handful of people at a time, most of them atheists and agnostics who were more interested in debating about faith. His congregation has since grown to about 200 people, and he has ordained other ministers remotely

MICHIGAN PLANS FIRST US ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING ROAD BY 2023 LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Electric vehicles driving in Detroit could increase their charge by using an in-road charging system by 2023, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office announced Tuesday.

In 2021, Whitmer announced the state’s plan to build the first electric vehicle charging road in the U.S. The contract to build it was awarded to ElectReon, an Israel-based company that develops wireless charging infrastructure. The roadway would charge electric vehicles while they are in motion or stationary.

ElectReon has contracts for similar roadways in Israel, Sweden, Italy and Germany. The contract with the Michigan Department of Transportation is an opportunity for the company to expand it’s presence in the U.S. the company’s CEO Oren Ezer said in a news release.

“It’s exciting to start in the birthplace of the modern automobile industry,” Ezer said. “We plan to build on Electreon’s proven track record of success globally, and demonstrate its ability to help the U.S. realise its electrification and emissions reduction goals.”

PASTOR D.J. SOTO, the lead pastor of VR Church, delivers a sermon in his home in January, in Fredericksburg, Va. Soto sings, preaches and performs digital baptisms in the metaverse to a growing congregation of avatars.

(AP Photo/ Steve Helber) RIGHT: People represented by avatars attend a virtual reality worship service hosted by VR Church in January. VR Church was launched in 2016 by D.J. Soto and has gained traction in the metaverse, with attendance growing rapidly during the coronavirus pandemic as many services moved online.

(VR Church via AP) from his Virginia home and baptised believers who are unable to leave their houses because of illnesses.

“The future of the church is the metaverse,” Soto said. “It’s not an anti-physical thing. I don’t think the physical gatherings should go away. But in the church of 2030, the main focus is going to be your metaverse campus.”

The Rev. Jeremy Nickel, an ordained Unitarian Universalist who is based in Colorado and calls himself a VR evangelist, also saw the potential to build community and “get away from the brick and mortar” when he founded SacredVR in 2017.

Inspired by time spent in Nepal with Tibetan Buddhists and his alternative practices studies at seminary, Nickel began with secular meditations with the aim of being inclusive for all comers. But some religiously unaffiliated members of the community were put off by the name, he noticed, so he changed it to EvolVR and more people joined.

It wasn’t until the pandemic, however, that attendance soared from a few dozen to the hundreds who now attend dharma talks and meditation sessions via their chosen avatars, at times meeting at a virtual incarnation of a Tibetan Buddhist temple high in the mountains or floating weightlessly looking down at the Earth.

“One of the reasons we’ve become so popular is you get the meditation that you need, but you get the community also,” Nickel said.

“We have deep relationships, hundreds of people from around the world who know each other and wonder, ‘Is your dog, OK?

TECHTALK

CRUISE AV, General Motors’ autonomous electric Bolt EV is pictured in 2019.

CRUISE OFFERS PUBLIC FIRST DRIVERLESS RIDES IN SAN FRANCISCO How’s your wife?’”

The anonymity of virtual reality can help people feel more confident about sharing deeply personal issues, said Bill Willenbrock, who leads a Christian fellowship on the social platform VRChat with worship and counseling services for a flock of mostly teens and early 20-somethings.

“I can’t even count the number of times that I’ve heard, ‘I’m considering suicide. … It’s helpful that we’re in VR,’” said Willenbrock, a hospital chaplain and longtime Lutheran pastor who recently converted to Eastern Orthodoxy and calls himself a “digital missionary.”

Sermon On a recent Sunday, he preached at a cavernous virtual cathedral, its long halls illuminated by light from stained-glass windows. A colorful assembly of avatars listened to the sermon: A giant banana sitting in the first pew next to another of a man in a shirt and tie, plus a mushroom, a fox, armored knights.

At the end they took turns sharing why they came to the virtual community.

Some saw it as something to complement, not replace,

in-person gatherings.

A person with the username Biff Tannen, said it was convenient: “For example here in Scotland it’s cold, it’s wet, it’s not very nice outside, but here I am sitting in this beautiful church with my heating on.”

Another, represented by a robotlike avatar and the username UncleTuskle, said that “as a person with social phobia, it’s easier for me to be here” than in a physical church.

Virtual reality can allow people to meet without judgement regardless of physical ability or appearance, said Paul Raushenbush, who is senior advisor for public affairs and innovation at the nonprofit Interfaith Youth Core and who hosted a VR talk show last month with religious leaders who use the technology.

“What I love about it is that it’s taking ... whatever technological opportunities are being offered and they’re leveraging it to gather people together for positive encounters,” Raushenbush said. “And they’re changing lives.”

Alina Delp can attest to that.

A former flight attendant who travelled across the country for years and loved to skydive, since 2010 she has been mostly confined

to her home in Olympia, Washington, due to a rare neurovascular condition called erythromelalgia.

She wept the first time she attended a VR Church service, knowing immediately that she had found a home. Delp was taken by the community’s judgment-free ethos and focus on “God’s love rather than fear.” She began to volunteer with small groups, and eventually became a pastor.

Productive “I was given a life. ...

It’s the difference between endless time of sleep and television versus my ability to be productive,” she said.

Soto baptised her in a metaverse ceremony in 2018, submerging her purple robot avatar in a pool as relatives and friends cheered her on virtually. While even many VR proponents believe such sacraments should be offered only in a physical space, to Delp it felt like a real blessing.

“Jesus is who baptised me.

Jesus is who changes me,” she said. “The water, or lack thereof ... doesn’t have the power to change me.”

• AP journalists Jessie Wardarski and Mae Anderson contributed to this report.

NEW YORK (AP) — Autonomous vehicle taxis are up and running in San Francisco and the public has been invited to try one out.

Employees of General Motors and its autonomous vehicle subsidiary Cruise have been testing out the service for weeks, but on Tuesday Cruise posted a signup page for anyone to reserve a free ride in one. The cars each have unique monikers, including “Tostada,” “Disco” and “Sourdough.”

In a blog post Tuesday, Interim Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt said the company is the first to offer driverless taxis in a major U.S. city and that the milestone triggered an $1.35 billion investment from Softbank, which had already put $900 million into the company. Vogt said the additional capital will allow the company to grow its work force and scale up the driverless technology in San Francisco and into other cities.

Cruise says it is the only autonomous vehicle company permitted to offer rides to the public in driverless cars. It also says it’s the only company to apply for a permit to charge for the rides, though that hasn’t yet been approved. It’s not clear when they expect to be fully operational and charging for rides.

PAGE 10, Wednesday, February 2, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

PFIZER SEEKS APPROVAL FOR VACCINE FOR UNDER-FIVES

PFIZER yesterday asked the US to authorise extralow doses of its COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5, potentially opening the way for the very youngest Americans to start receiving shots as early as March.

In an extraordinary move, the Food and Drug Administration had urged Pfizer and its partner BioNTech to apply earlier than the companies had planned.

The nation’s 19 million children under five are the only group not yet eligible for vaccination against the coronavirus. Many parents have been pushing for an expansion of shots to toddlers and preschoolers, especially as the omicron wave sent record numbers of youngsters to the hospital.

If the FDA agrees, Pfizer shots containing just onetenth of the dose given to adults could be dispensed to children as young as six months. Pfizer said yesterday it had started submitting its data to the FDA and expects to complete the process in a few days.

An open question is how many shots those youngsters will need. Pfizer is testing three shots after two of the extra-low doses turned out to be strong enough for babies but not for preschoolers, and the final data from the study isn’t expected until late March.

GUINEA-BISSAU QUIET AFTER COUP ATTEMPT HEAVY gunfire broke out around Guinea-Bissau’s government palace in an apparent coup attempt yesterday, although President Umaro Sissoco Embalo later posted on social media that calm had returned to the West African country.

On his Facebook page, Embalo posted photos of himself sitting in a leather chair with Guinea-Bissau’s flag in the background.

There was no other immediate government comment on the attack, nor was it clear how the standoff had been resolved.

Earlier yesterday, the state broadcaster had reported that “invaders” were detaining officials at the building while witnesses reported prolonged, heavy gunfire.

The 15-nation West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS, already grappling with three other coups in member states over the last 18 months, called Tuesday’s violence a coup attempt and said it was following the situation in Bissau “with great concern”.

TRIBES REACH $590M OPIOID SETTLEMENT NATIVE American tribes have reached settlements over the toll of opioids totaling $590m with drugmaker Johnson & Johnson and the country’s three largest drug distribution companies, according to a court filing made yesterday.

The filing in US District Court in Cleveland lays out the broad terms of the settlements with Johnson & Johnson and distribution companies AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson. Some details are still being hashed out.

All federally recognised tribes in the US will be able to participate in the settlements, even if they did not sue over opioids. And there could be settlements between other firms in the industry and tribes, many of which have been hit hard by the overdose crisis.

W Ron Allen, chair of the Jamestown K’Klallam Tribe in Sequim, Washington, called it a big deal for tribes to reach their own settlement, in contrast with tobacco industry deals in the 1990s that left out Native American groups.

THE CRUISE liner Crystal Symphony pictured leaving Charleston, South Carolina, in 2013.

Crystal Cruise ship offloads in Bimini amid legal wrangle MIAMI Associated Press A SECOND ship from the embattled Crystal Cruises line has cut short its trip and offloaded passengers in The Bahamas as the company faces a legal dispute over millions of dollars in fuel bills.

The itinerary changes for the Crystal Serenity followed a judge’s order last month to seize the Crystal Symphony if it enters US waters.

The Crystal Serenity was originally scheduled to take about 200 passengers on a three-and-ahalf month expedition, but two days after leaving Miami on January 17, the company announced it would suspend operations through April. The ship canceled several port calls since then.

Passengers were told the ship would end the cruise in Aruba, but then local officials did not allow the ship to dock this weekend, so the ship was diverted to Bimini, a company spokesman

said. The cruise line then ferried the passengers to Fort Lauderdale and taken to hotel rooms Monday night.

The passengers will be reimbursed for any applicable airline change fees, said Crystal Cruises spokesman Vance Gulliksen.

“There are simply no words to express our deep regret and disappointment,” the company’s statement said.

The ship that had a seizure order, Crystal Symphony, was supposed to return to Miami on January 22, but instead changed its course to Bimini, also offloading and ferrying passengers to Fort Lauderdale.

A federal judge overseeing a lawsuit that accuses the cruise line of failing to pay $4.6m for fuel issued the warrant for the Crystal Symphony on January 20. The maritime order authorizes US Marshals to board a vessel and take charge once it approaches the US coast.

In the complaint filed in a Miami federal court last month, Peninsula Petroleum Far East lists sales totaling $2.2m of fuel to Crystal Serenity that were not paid. Gulliksen said there is no warrant against the Crystal Serenity.

Some passengers on the voyage, which would have ended in California in late May, said they were glad to leave.

“I’m delighted to be off that ship,” said Barry Shulman, 75, of Las Vegas.

The company announced it was suspending operations through late April to “provide Crystal’s management team with an opportunity to evaluate the current state of business and examine various options moving forward.”

The cruise line’s parent company, Genting Hong Kong, has been struggling with the effects of the pandemic on its shipping and cruise businesses. Last month, one of its shipyards filed for bankruptcy protection in Germany.

PUTIN ACCUSES US, ALLIES OF IGNORING RUSSIAN SECURITY MOSCOW Associated Press RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin yesterday accused the US and its allies of ignoring Russia’s top security demands but said Moscow is willing to talk more to ease tensions over Ukraine.

The comments were his first on the standoff in more than a month and suggested a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine may not be imminent and that at least one more round of diplomacy is likely.

Yet the two sides remain unyielding in their main positions, and there was little apparent hope for concessions. Russia is expected to respond soon to a US proposal for negotiations on lesser Russian demands after which Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will speak.

Lavrov and Blinken spoke yesterday and reiterated positions put forward by Putin and President Joe Biden. The White House said Biden and Putin could also speak once the US receives Russia’s response.

In remarks to reporters at a Moscow news conference with the visiting leader of NATO ally Hungary, Putin said the Kremlin is still studying the US and NATO’s response to the Russian security demands received last week. But he said it was clear that the West has ignored Russian demands that NATO not expand to Ukraine and other ex-Soviet nations, refrain from deploying offensive weapons near Russia and roll back its deployments to Eastern Europe.

Putin argued that it’s possible to negotiate an end to the standoff if the interests of all parties, including Russia’s security concerns, are taken into account. “I hope that

RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin during a joint news conference with Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban yesterday.

Photo: Yuri Kochetkov/AP we will eventually find a solution, although we realise that it’s not going to be easy,” Putin said.

Russia has amassed over 100,000 troops along the border of Ukraine, fueling fears of an invasion. It has denied any intention to attack.

Washington and its allies have rejected Moscow’s key demands.

They emphasise that Ukraine, like any other nation, has the right to choose alliances, although it is not a NATO member now and is unlikely to join any time soon.

Putin said the Western allies’ refusal to meet Russia’s demands violates their obligations on the integrity of security for all nations.

He warned that a Ukrainian accession to NATO could lead to a situation where Ukraine launches military action to reclaim control over Russian-annexed Crimea or areas controlled by Russia-backed separatists in the country’s east.

“Imagine that Ukraine becomes a NATO member and launches those military operations,” Putin said. “Should we fight NATO then?

Has anyone thought about it?”

Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014 following the ouster of the country’s Moscow-friendly president and later threw its weight behind rebels in Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland, triggering a conflict that has killed over 14,000 people.

Putin charged that while the U.S. airs concerns about Ukraine’s security, it is using the ex-Soviet country as an “instrument” in its efforts to contain Russia.

He alleged that Washington may try to “draw us into a military conflict and force its allies in Europe to impose the tough sanctions the U.S. is talking about now.”

Another possible option would be to “draw Ukraine into NATO, deploy offensive weapons there” and encourage Ukrainian nationalists to use force to reclaim the rebel-held east or Crimea, “drawing us into a military conflict,” Putin claimed.

Speaking after talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban, who has forged closer ties

with Moscow than almost any other NATO member, Putin noted that it’s still possible to negotiate a settlement that would take every party’s concerns into account.

“We need to find a way to ensure interests and security of all parties, including Ukraine, European nations and Russia,” Putin said, emphasizing that the West needs to treat Russian proposals seriously to make progress.

He said French President Emmanuel Macron may soon visit Moscow as part of renewed diplomatic efforts following their call on Monday.

In a bid to exert pressure on the West, Lavrov sent letters to the US and other Western counterparts pointing out their past obligations signed by all members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, a top trans-Atlantic security grouping.

Russia has argued that NATO’s expansion eastward has hurt Russia’s security, violating the principle of “indivisibility of security” endorsed by the OSCE in 1999 and 2010. It says the US and its allies have ignored the principle that the security of one nation should not be strengthened at the expense of others, while insisting on every nation’s right to choose alliances.

In his letter, which was released by the foreign ministry, Lavrov said “there must be security for all or there will be no security for anyone”. And in his call with Blinken, Lavrov warned that Moscow will not allow Washington to “hush up” the issue.

Blinken, meanwhile, emphasised “the US willingness, bilaterally and together with Allies and partners, to continue a substantive exchange with Russia on mutual security concerns”.

SPORTS PAGE 11

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2022

Tom Brady retires

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer TAMPA, Florida (AP) — Tom Brady walked away from the NFL on his own terms, still at the top of his game.

Brady, the most successful quarterback in league history and one of the greatest champions in professional sports, has retired after winning seven Super Bowls and setting numerous passing records in an unprecedented 22-year career.

“This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore,” Brady wrote in a lengthy post on Instagram.

“I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention.”

The 44-year-old Brady has long stated his desire to spend more time with his wife, supermodel Gisele Bundchen, and three children despite his unique ability to perform exceptionally well at an age when most athletes are way past their prime.

Brady goes out after leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title last season and NFC South championship this season.

News of Brady’s pending retirement leaked Saturday but he said Monday night on his SiriusXM podcast he wasn’t ready to finalise his plans.

That came Tuesday morning.

“Right now, it’s best I leave the field of play to the next generation of dedicated and committed athletes,” Brady said.

Legendary NFL quarterback ends career after 22 seasons, seven Super Bowl titles

JONQUEL Jones in action for the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA. (AP)

SUN RE-SIGN REIGNING MVP JONQUEL JONES TO A MULTI-YEAR CONTRACT

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

TAMPA Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski, left, and quarterback Tom Brady (12) celebrate after the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Tampa, Florida, February 7, 2021. Tom Brady has retired after winning seven Super Bowls and setting numerous passing records in an unprecedented 22-year-career. He made the announcement yesterday in a long post on Instagram.

(AP Photo/Steve Luciano) Brady thanked the Buc- his first 20 seasons and and wellness company, touchdowns (43), complecaneers organisation, his won six Super Bowls play- Brady clothing line and tions (485) and attempts teammates, ownership, ing for Bill Belichick. But NFT company.

(719) in 2021, but the Bucgeneral manager Jason Brady thanked the Patriots “I know for sure I want caneers lost at home to the Licht, coach Bruce Arians, and their fans on Twitter, to spend a lot of time Los Angeles Rams in the his trainer Alex Guerrero, saying: “I’m beyond grate- giving to others and trying divisional round. agents Don Yee and Steve ful. Love you all.” to enrich other people’s Brady leaves as the Dubin and his family in his Brady said he’s still fig- lives, just as so many have career leader in yards passnine-page post. He didn’t uring out how he’ll spend done for me,” he said. ing (84,520) and TDs (624). mention the New England his time, but he plans to be Brady led the NFL in Patriots, where he spent involved in his TB12 health yards passing (5,316), SEE PAGE 14

GRAND Bahamian native Jonquel Jones didn’t waste any time on her future in the Women’s National Basketball Association after she signed the core qualifying offer to remain with the Connecticut Sun yesterday as players began their free agent signing process.

The 28-year-old 2021 WNBA most valuable player was extended the offer on January 10, affording the Sun the exclusive negotiating rights. According to Her Hoops Stats, Jones agreed to a twoyear deal that will pay her $205,000 for the 2022 season and an increase of $211,150 in 2023.

Selected in 2016 with the sixth overall pick by the Los Angeles Sparks, Jones was traded to Connecticut that same night for Chelsea Gray and two draft picks.

That decision was a part of the reason why Jones decided to remain a Sun. “This organisation has believed in me since day one, and I definitely feel like we have unfinished business,” said Jones, the 6-foot, 6-inch forward/ centre out of Clemson and George Washington universities.

SEE PAGE 13

Burrows officiates at fastpitch tourney in Fort Myers

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net AFTER heading off to officiate in a series of baseball tournaments, Martin ‘Pork’ Burrows finally got a chance to display his skills as an umpire in a fastpitch tournament for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic broke in 2020.

Burrows, one of the top umpires in the country, was invited to officiate at the USA Winter Classic Men’s Fastpitch that was held at the CountryLink Sports Complex in Fort Myers, Florida, January 29-31.

“It was a great opportunity, got me to umpire some great umpires who just did the ISC World Games,” said Burrows, who was a part of a cadre of nine umpires. “So it was a pleasure umpiring

with these guys who have been umpiring for the past 30 years.”

“So it’s always good to umpire with people like them. These guys have a wealth of knowledge and they are unselfish. They are always willing to teach you something and if you miss something in your rotation, they take the time out to point out your mistakes.”

Normally a home plate umpire in fastpitch, Burrows said he doesn’t get the chance to officiate on the base path so there were one or two times he missed out on his rotation and he was advised about his fault.

“That’s normally a weak point for me when I go away,” he said. “In explaining that to the chief umpire, he picked it up right away.

He noticed how I realised I was behind the plate and

UMPIRE Martin Burrows taking control of the strike zone.

“So it was a pleasure hearing these guys give me some pointers, especially after they spent so much time officiating at some of the top tournaments in the

world. So it was a pleasure calling with these guys. I called six games and I thoroughly enjoyed it.”

Burrows said he was so pleased to see a team called The Titans, managed by Mike Dillet and coached by Marcus Pratt with Angelo Dillet as the pitcher, participating in the tournament.

He noted that although they didn’t win any of the four games they played, they played well.

“I am very proud of the guys. They improved every game they played,” Burrows said. “The good thing is that they have been invited to come back to the tournament next year.

So while they just put this team together, they have a chance to get a better team to compete then.”

Burrows said Warren Jones, the tournament

director, has also invited him back to officiate in the tournament next year.

He also noted that because of the way he performed, Jones indicated to Burrows that he will invite him to officiate in other tournaments throughout the USA. “So it’s good to put another niche in your sporting résumé,” Burrows said.

“I haven’t called fastpitch in two years because of the pandemic. I called a lot of baseball, so it was good to get back behind the plate and to witness some good pitching. I was very relaxed and comfortable.”

Burrows admitted that it was extremely cold, but he managed to persevere. He’s now preparing 6-8 umpires to travel to West Palm Beach, Florida in March to get their international

baseball certification in order for them to officiate in college baseball like he currently does.

With the Bahamas hosting the Babe Ruth Caribbean Baseball Tournament scheduled for July 7-11 for players in the under-13 and under-17 categories, Burrows said the umpires will get a chance to display their skills.

Burrows, however, said one of his goals this year is to officiate at a Cooperstown Dreams Park under-12 baseball tournament in New York.

“If I can go to that, it would be great,” said Burrows, who has to find a team that will sponsor him to travel as their baseball umpire for the tournament.

If he does, it will put another feather in his umpire cap.

VIRUS INFECTIONS FOR OLYMPIC ATHLETES, COACHES RISING FASTER

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer BEIJING (AP) — Athletes and team officials are testing positive for COVID-19 at much higher rates than other people arriving in China for the Beijing Olympics, organisers said yesterday.

Figures released by local organisers showed 11 positive tests for COVID-19 among 379 athletes and officials arriving Monday.

They have been taken into isolation hotels to limit the spread of the infection and could miss their events.

The positive test rate of

2.9% for athletes and officials compared to 0.66% for Olympic “stakeholders,” a group which includes workers and media, in the same period. There were 1,059 people in that category.

Over a three-day period from Saturday through Monday, the positivity rate for athletes and officials was 40% higher than other Olympic arrivals.

The rates were confirmed in PCR and other follow-up tests for tens of thousands of people at the Beijing Olympics who will live, work and train in closedoff communities separated from the general public.

INFLATED Beijing Games mascot, Bing Dwen Dwen, tries to squeeze through the door to enter the main media centre at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Athletes and others headed to the Olympics face a multitude of COVID-19 testing hurdles as organisers seek to catch any infections early and keep the virus at bay.

(AP Photo/Jae C Hong)

The Chinese government is pursuing a zero-tolerance public health strategy.

On Monday, the rate of infection from tests of those already inside the Olympic bubbles was 100 times higher for athletes and officials compared to workers.

Five of 3,103 tests from the athletes-officials group were positive compared to only one of more than 60,000 daily tests from “stakeholders.”

A total of 200 positive tests for COVID-19 have now been recorded at the Olympics since January

SEE PAGE 12

PAGE 12, Wednesday, February 2, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

The Winter Games, a different kind of Olympics

By STEPHEN WADE AP Sports Writer BEIJING (AP) — The first so-called modern Olympics took place in 1896 in Athens. But the inaugural Winter Olympics were not held until 1924 in Chamonix, France.

Calvin Coolidge was the American president at the time, and Vladimir Lenin died that year in the newly established Soviet Union.

A new car in the United States cost as little as $300.

From 1924 through 1992, the Winter and Summer Olympics were the same year. In ‘92 the Winter Games were celebrated in Albertville, France, followed by the Summer Games in Barcelona.

Then change came.

Since 1994, an Olympics has been held every two years. The ‘94 Winter Olympics took place in Lillehammer, Norway, followed by the Summer Games in 1996 in Atlanta.

Nagano, Japan, was next in 1998 with the Winter Games. That pattern was broken by the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo

Summer Games until 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Beijing Winter Games open on Friday, just six months after Tokyo closed. They’ll be followed by the Summer Olympics in 2024 in Paris. Here’s a breakdown of why things have unfolded as they have.

WHY WERE THE GAMES MOVED TO EVERY TWO YEARS? Olympic historian Bill Mallon suggests the International Olympic Committee was looking for more revenue.

The IOC, he says, “thought they could get more sponsorship money by spreading the Games out more.”

Every two years also kept the Olympics in the public eye, and the move dovetailed with the increasing commercialisation and professionalisation of the Games.

The trend was underlined when, for the first time, professional basketball players from the NBA — the American Dream

MAYWEATHER SHIFTS GEARS FROM BOXING TO NASCAR TEAM OWNER

By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer

SNOWBOARDERS in training on the half pipe ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Zhangjiakou, China. Beijing will become the first city to host both versions of the Games.

(AP Photo/Jae C Hong) Team — were the marquee — tried but failed several local fans. Both the Winter stars in Barcelona. times to land the Winter and Summer Olympics run BEIJING: FIRST FOR Olympics. over 17 days, which means BOTH WINTER Montreal put in bids for there are many fewer AND SUMMER the Winter Olympics in events daily at the Winter Beijing is the most 1932, 1936, 1944, and 1956. Olympics. unlikely city to be the first Montreal finished second As recently as 1980 in to host both Summer and in 1936, 1944, and 1956. It Lake Placid, New York Winter Olympics. Of all also tried for both Games — the “Miracle on Ice” the Winter Olympic hosts, in 1944 and 1956. And year — the Winter Games it has the least tradition in Quebec City, not far from lasted only 12 days. winter sports.

Montreal, made a bid for Three venues have held Beijing was a longshot the 2002 Winter Olympics. the Winter Olympics twice: for 2022 until six EuroA MUCH SMALLER St Moritz, Switzerland pean countries — including GAMES (1928, 1948), Innsbruck, favorites Norway and The Beijing Winter Austria (1964, 1976), and Sweden — dropped out for Olympics are expected to Lake Placid (1932, 1980). cost or political reasons. draw about 2,900 athletes The Italian ski resort of Germany and Switzerland from about 90 national Cortina d’Ampezzo will said “no” in referendums. Olympic committees. get its second in 2026 after The IOC was left to choose The Tokyo Olympics six holding the Winter Olymbetween Beijing and months ago attracted pics in 1956.

Almaty, Kazakhstan.

11,000 from just over 200 Sapporo, Japan, which According to Mallon, national bodies. held the 1972 Winter writing to The Associated As with Tokyo, organ- Olympics, is a top conPress, the Canadian city of isers say there will be no tender for 2030. The IOC Montreal — the host for fans from abroad and only has not said when it will the 1976 Summer Olympics a smattering of “selected” announce its choice.

OLYMPIC workers in hazmat suits work at a credential validation desk at the Beijing Capital International Airport ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, on Monday, Janury 24. Athletes and others headed to the Olympics face a multitude of COVID-19 testing hurdles as organisers seek to catch any infections early and keep the virus at bay.

(AP Photo/Jae C Hong)

VIRUS FROM PAGE 11 23. Of those 200, 67 were athletes and officials.

“Stakeholders” accounted for the other 133.

Among the athletes testing positive in Beijing is Hong Kong skier Audrey King, who arrived from a training camp in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

King told the South China Morning Post she had no symptoms and was optimistic of skiing in the women’s slalom on Feb. 9.

The most senior athlete representative at the International Olympic Committee, two-time Olympic hockey medalist Emma Terho, also is in an isolation hotel after testing positive on arrival.

“Even though this is not the start I envisaged, I was happy to see the protocols that Beijing 2022 has put in place are working well,” Terho, an IOC member from Finland who sits on the Olympic body’s executive board, wrote on her Instagram account.

Beijing 2022 Winter Games schedule Competition day Day with Medals

FEBRUARY 2

3 4 5 6

Ceremonies Alpine Skiing Biathlon Bobsleigh Cross-Country Skiing Curling Figure Skating Freestyle Skiing Ice Hockey Luge Nordic Combined Short Track Spd Skate

Skeleton Ski jumping Snowboard Speed skating

Source: International Olympic Committee

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

FLOYD Mayweather Jr is ready to put The Money into NASCAR. The longdelayed debut of The Money MAYWEATHER Team Racing team is set for the Daytona 500 later this month, with Kaz Grala as the driver. The team secured sponsorship from sunglass company Pit Viper and Grala will drive the No. 50 Chevrolet for the retired boxing great.

Mayweather is the latest A-lister on the grid and joins Michael Jordan and Pitbull as celebrities over the last two years who have become NASCAR team owners. UFC President Dana White struck a marketing partnership deal this week with Pitbull’s Trackhouse Racing starting with the exhibition Clash in Los Angeles.

Mayweather’s team, though, does not have a charter that would guarantee it a spot in the field and will run Daytona as an open car. That means with some 42 teams hoping to qualify for a spot in the 40-car field, Grala will have to race his way into the field.

“I love fast cars and I love to compete. I know NASCAR will not be easy, but anything easy isn’t worth doing to me,” Mayweather said. “With that being said, this move into auto racing seems to be a perfect fit for the Mayweather brand.”

Team general manager William Auchmoody told The Associated Press yesterday the plan is for TMTR to run four races beyond Daytona with an emphasis on road courses.

Auchmoody said the team would like to run up to 15 races.

Tony Eury Jr, a former crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr, will call the shots for TMTR. StarCom Racing’s Michael and Matt Kohler and Bill Woehlemann hold a small stake in the team.

Mayweather, who turns 45 this month, retired from competitive boxing with a 50-0 record and returned to the ring last July to fight YouTube personality Logan Paul in an exhibition bout.

Mayweather won titles in the super-featherweight, lightweight, super-lightweight, welterweight and super-welterweight divisions.

Mayweather had talked about launching a NASCAR team for years and a tweet showcasing the TMT logo was posted on March 21, 2020. There was no other social media activity until Monday when a photo of car with the caption “The wait is almost over!” was posted.

“We had some sponsorships secured going into the 2020 season,” Auchmoody said. “The pandemic hit and the sponsor decided to wait.”

Auchmoody said Mayweather wanted to start a NASCAR team because “Floyd likes to compete.”

“He loves cars,” he said.

“I met him a couple of years ago and had the conversation, man, you should check NASCAR out. He started watching it a little bit and next thing you know, I’m in Las Vegas and we’re hashing out the details of what it would look like to get involved in NASCAR.” The 23-year-old Grala has four career Cup Series starts and finished 28th in last season’s Daytona 500 driving for Kaulig Racing.

He won the season-opening Truck Series race in 2017 at Daytona.

“I know Floyd is here to win, and I absolutely feel that everyone involved in this program is capable of making that happen,” Grala said. “We know we will need some time to grow together as a new organisation, but I couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of building this team from the ground up.”

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, February 2, 2022, PAGE 13

With stars sitting out, Warriors charge back, beat Spurs 124-120 SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Jordan Poole had 31 points, including a goahead 3-pointer with 17.9 seconds remaining, and the short-handed Golden State Warriors beat the San Antonio Spurs 124-120 last night for their seventh straight victory.

Golden State rallied from a 17-point deficit despite being without Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins on the second night of a back-to-back.

Damion Lee had 21 points for the Warriors and Moses Moody added 20.

Dejounte Murray led San Antonio with 27 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Murray had a pair of baskets in the final minute, including a 15-footer that gave the Spurs a 120-119 lead with 40 seconds remaining.

RAPTORS 110, HEAT 106 TORONTO (AP) — Gary Trent Jr scored 33 points, Pascal Siakam had 16 points and 14 rebounds and Toronto won its third straight game, beating Miami.

Trent matched DeMar DeRozan’s franchise record and extended his personal career best by reaching 30 points for the fifth consecutive game.

Fred VanVleet scored 21 points, OG Anunoby had 13, Precious Achiuwa 12 and Scottie Barnes 11 as the Raptors won their second straight meeting with Miami. Toronto beat the Heat 124-120 in triple overtime last Saturday.

Bam Adebayo had 32 points and 11 rebounds, Jimmy Butler had 16 points and 12 assists, and Tyler Herro scored 18 points for the Heat, who lost their third straight.

BUCKS 112, WIZARDS 98 MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 33 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists for his fourth triple-double of the season as Milwaukee handed Washington its sixth straight loss.

The Wizards were playing without star guard Bradley Beal due to a sprained left wrist. The Wizards had announced Monday that Beal would miss at least the rest of this trip, which ends Wednesday at Philadelphia.

Jrue Holiday scored 22 points, Bobby Portis 17, Khris Middleton 13 and Grayson Allen 10 for the Bucks. Kyle Kuzma scored 25, Montrezl Harrell had 20 and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 12 for the Wizards.

TIMBERWOLVES 130, NUGGETS 115 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jarred Vanderbilt scored 18 points against his former team, Taurean Prince had 23 and Minnesota’s bench led the way in a victory over Denver.

Karl-Anthony Towns added 24 points and 10 rebounds for Minnesota, but the Timberwolves’ reserves outscored Denver’s 68-49.

Minnesota’s second unit took advantage when Denver star Nikola Jokic rested in the first half to

DEANDRE AYTON BOUNCES BACK FROM INJURY

BROOKLYN Nets guard Kyrie Irving, right, looks to pass under pressure from Phoenix Suns centre Deandre Ayton (22) and forward Jae Crowder during the first half of an NBA basketball game, last night in Phoenix. Ayton returned to the floor after being sidelined with an ankle injury.

(AP Photo/Matt York) take a commanding lead the Timberwolves wouldn’t relinquish.

Jokic finished with 21 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists, but sat the entire fourth quarter with Minnesota’s lead ballooning to 30 and the Nuggets playing the first game of a back-to-back. Denver had its five-game winning streak snapped.

PELICANS 111, PISTONS 101 DETROIT (AP) — Brandon Ingram scored 26 points, Jonas Valanciunas added 13 points

and 13 rebounds, and New Orleans overcame a 15-point deficit to beat Detroit.

Nickeil AlexanderWalker had 14 of New Orleans’ 54 bench points, as the Pelicans ended a four-game losing streak.

The Pistons, who overcame a 15-0 deficit to beat Cleveland on Sunday, led 76-61 with 7:38 left in the third quarter.

But with Cade Cunningham sidelined by a hip injury, they were outscored 50-25 the rest of the way.

Detroit’s Jerami Grant had

17 points in his return after missing 24 games with a thumb injury.

BULLS 126, MAGIC 115 CHICAGO (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 29 points, and Zach LaVine added 24, and Chicago beat Orlando.

DeRozan scored 20 of his points in the first half, and then the Bulls survived a frantic rally by the Magic midway through the fourth quarter. Wendell Carter Jr. scored 24 points to lead the Magic, including 11 in the first quarter.

SWIM WORLDS IN JAPAN POSTPONED FOR 2ND TIME TO JULY 2023 LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The next swimming world championships were formally postponed for a second time yesterday because of the COVID-19 pandemic and will now take place in 2023 in Japan.

World swim body FINA said Fukuoka will host the every-two-years championships from July 14-30 next year instead of in May. It’s the third attempt by the Japanese city which was first due to host in July 2021 until that was pushed back 10 months to make space for the postponed Tokyo Olympics.

Fukuoka first hosted the world swim championships in 2001, and the original date was meant to celebrate the 20th-year anniversary.

The knock-on effect of a second delay has been to move the originally scheduled 2023 worlds in Doha, Qatar, to a new slot in January 2024, two months later than planned.

That means the world’s best swimmers, divers and water polo players should have three top-tier events in just over 12 months — the 2023 and 2024 worlds then the Paris Olympics that open July 26, 2024.

The previous swim worlds were held in July 2019 in Gwangju, South Korea.

SUN RE-SIGN REIGNING MVP JONES TO MULTI-YEAR CONTRACT FROM PAGE 11 “The fans want it; the front office wants it and the players want it. So now we just have to go out and get it done and bring a [championship] back to Mohegan Sun.” After sitting out the 2020 bubble season in Orlando because of concerns ranging from the introduction of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jones returned to action last year and helped the Sun to the league’s best record at 26-6 and were the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.

However, they couldn’t get over the final hump, getting upset in the semi-finals by eventual champion Chicago.

Despite their early exit, Jones completed the season with 18 double-doubles, averaging 19.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks in winning the MVP honour.

Curt Miller, who was named the coach of the year, said they’re delighted to have Jones back as the centrepiece of their franchise.

“She is one of the most versatile and talented players in the world,” said

Miller, who also serves as Connecticut’s general manager. “She has a burning desire to improve, and we look forward to building upon the momentum of her MVP season.”

“We are ecstatic about JJ’s decision to return and continue her career in Connecticut. JJ is an unselfish superstar and is driven to help bring a championship to Connecticut. This is a great day for the Sun.” Jones’ career in Connecticut has been an impressive one. She was first named the MVP in 2017 and was awarded the Sixth Player of the Year Award in 2018 before she made the AllDefensive First Team and Second Team All-WNBA in 2019.

While she has posted a career-high 19.4 points and 11.2 rebounds per game, Jones was just one of only two players in the league to average a double-double, and finished fourth and first, respectively, in those categories.

She also averaged 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks to earn another All-Defensive First Team.

The Sun are hoping that along with the return

CONNECTICUT Sun re-signed reigning MVP Jonquel Jones to a multi-year contract. (AP) of guard Alyssa Thomas, who missed most of last season with a torn Achilles tendon, Connecticut will be another contender for the championship title that has slipped out of their grasp with Jones in the middle.

Jones, who holds dual citizenship for Bosnia and Herzegovina, which enables her to play for their national team, is currently

playing for UMMC Ekaterinburg in the Russian Premier League during the WNBA’s offseason.

Sun’s team captain Jasmine Thomas welcomed Jones back.

“Jonquel is the best player in the world, so of course I’m happy she’s back with the Sun. She’s the core of our organisation, and she’s an incredible

teammate and person,” Thomas said.

“JJ’s passion is contagious, along with her competitiveness and work ethic. I have no doubt she will lead us to a championship.”

2021 WNBA Most Improved Player Brionna Jones was also delighted that Jones will remain with their team.

“I was very excited to hear the news that JJ signed to stay in Connecticut,” she aid.

“We had an incredible year last season. And I know we’re all hungry to have a better finish this season. Having JJ return is going to play a major role in our success.”

The Sun, who will celebrate their 20th season in the league, will begin their 2022 campaign on the road on May 7 when they play in the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, against the New York Liberty.

They will then play their first game at home in the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut when they host the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday, May 14.

AP SOURCE: STEWART, LOYD STAYING WITH SEATTLE STORM

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer BREANNA Stewart and Jewell Loyd have agreed to return to Seattle, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity Monday night because no official announcement has been made.

Free agents couldn’t officially sign with teams until yesterday.

Stewart will sign a oneyear deal for the supermax salary of $228,094 with the Storm. That potentially gives her one more season with point guard Sue Bird, the WNBA’s all-time assist leader who announced on social media that she’d return for one more year.It wasn’t clear what the terms of Loyd’s deal will be. The Storm won the 2018 and

2020 championships with that same core group of players and were poised to make another run at the title before Stewart got hurt late in the regular season and missed the overtime playoff loss to Phoenix.

Stewart underwent surgery for a minor repair and reinforcement of the Achilles tendon in her left leg in October. She missed the 2019 WNBA season after an Achilles injury she suffered while playing overseas.

Yahoo! Sports was the first to report Stewart’s signing.

People with knowledge of other free agent deals, who spoke on condition of anonymity because deals couldn’t be finalised until yesterday, told the AP: — Angel McCoughtry is heading to Minnesota,

— Stefanie Dolson is coming home to New York, — Emma Meesseman is joining Chicago, — Courtney Williams is heading back to Connecticut.

Seven-time All-Star Sylvia Fowles has re-signed with Minnesota for what will be her 15th and final season in the WNBA. The 36-year-old Fowles, who won the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year award in 2021 for the fourth time in her career, will enter her eighth season with the Lynx.

“There are a few reasons why I chose to play another year,” Fowles said in a statement distributed by the Lynx.

“The main reason for my return had a lot to do with our fans. I wanted to make sure I gave them the opportunity to see me

play my final season. It feels right that my playing career finishes in Minnesota; there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

Connecticut re-signed reigning MVP Jonquel Jones to a multi-year contract.

“We are ecstatic about JJ’s decision to return and continue her career in Connecticut,” said Connecticut Sun coach and general manager Curt Miller. “She is one of the most versatile and talented players in the world. She has a burning desire to improve, and we look forward to building upon the momentum of her MVP season. JJ is an unselfish superstar and is driven to help bring a Championship to Connecticut. This is a great day for the Sun.” Washington had a busy day, signing free agents

Elizabeth Williams and Tianna Hawkins as well as bringing back Myisha Hines-Allen and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough.

Atlanta re-signed Tiffany Hayes and brought in free agent Nia Coffey.

“Tiffany is such a huge part of the Dream’s history and will be a vital part in how we set the mark this season for the franchise to move forward,” new Atlanta GM Dan Padover said.

“She is one of the best two-way guards in the WNBA and plays with a competitive fire that has always represented the city of Atlanta. We are thrilled to have her back in a Dream uniform.”

Other unrestricted free agents who hadn’t signed yet include Liz Cambage, Tina Charles and Candice Dupree.

VANESSA Bryant (AP)

VANESSA BRYANT TO RECEIVE HONOUR FOR HER LEADERSHIP IN SPORTS LOS ANGELES (AP) — Vanessa Bryant will be recognised as one of the leading women in sports at an event during Super Bowl week.

Bryant –- the widow of Kobe Bryant — will be honoured at the third annual Sports Power Brunch: Celebrating the Most Powerful Women in Sports on February 8 in Beverly Hills, California.

She will receive the “Be Your Own Champion Award” for her leadership through the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, the Sports Power Brunch organisation said in a statement yesterday.

The organisation was founded to create a positive impact for underserved child athletes, in honour of her husband Kobe and daughter Gianna “Gigi” Bryant, who died in the helicopter crash that also killed seven others in 2020.

Other women in sports honourees include Los Angeles Sparks senior vice president Natalie White, EAG Sports management CEO Denise White and Terri Hines, executive vice president of communications at FOX Sports.

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PAGE 14, Wednesday, February 2, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

DENVER BRONCOS ANNOUNCE THEY ARE OFFICIALLY ON THE MARKET

By ARNIE STAPLETON AP Pro Football Writer ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The Denver Broncos are looking for a new owner in what’s expected to be the most expensive team sale in United States sports history.

The Pat D Bowlen Trust announced yesterday it’s in the “beginning of a sale process” for a franchise that’s valued at $4 billion and is expected to draw heavy bidding that could push the sale price well beyond that figure.

The highest price paid for a US sports franchise is the $2.35 billion that Alibaba Group cofounder and Canadian billionaire Joe Tsai paid for the Brooklyn Nets in 2019. The last NFL team that went on the market was the Carolina Panthers, whom David Tepper bought for $2.275 billion.

The trustees who run the Broncos hope to have a new owner in

place by the start of next season, said team president and CEO Joe Ellis.

Ellis, who is one of three trustees of The Pat Bowlen Trust, said Steve Greenberg of Allen & Company was retained as financial advisor and Joe Leccese of Proskauer Rose LLP as legal advisor for the ownership transition.

“Selling an NFL team is a complex process involving numerous parties and league approval procedures. Nonetheless, the trustees hope to have the sale completed by the start of the 2022 NFL season,” Ellis said in a statement.

NFL franchise values have skyrocketed with new broadcast deals and the league’s embrace of sports betting, which is now legal in many states, including Colorado. And teams rarely go on sale.

The Broncos are a regional team with a great history including three Super Bowl titles, seven Super Bowl appearances and 21

playoff berths since Pat Bowlen purchased the team from Edgar Kaiser in 1984. The team has an up-and-coming roster under general manager George Paton, who was hired a year ago when John Elway was reassigned to president of football operations.

Last week, Paton hired Nathaniel Hackett as the team’s new head coach, replacing Vic Fangio.

Elway, who is in the final months of his contract, and Peyton Manning, who has lived in Denver since his retirement, are expected to get involved as minority partners of billionaires competing to win the NFL’s approval to acquire the franchise. The Broncos won two Super Bowl titles in the late 1990s with Elway under centre and again in 2016 with Elway in the front office and Manning at quarterback in the final game of his Hall of Fame career.

The Broncos haven’t reached the playoffs since then, however,

and have churned through 10 starting quarterbacks since Manning retired. Hackett’s hiring has led to speculation the Broncos could make a play to acquire Packers star quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Even if they don’t, Paton has assembled enough draft capital — 11 picks, including five of the top 100 — and has some $50 million in salary cap space to transform the team this offseason.

Bowlen died in 2019, a month shy of his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, following a long bout with Alzheimer’s.

Several years earlier he had appointed a three-person trust to determine the future of the franchise. “Pat used to say the Broncos belonged to the fans and that ultimately this was their team. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for this incredible ride. It has been the honour of our lifetime,” the Bowlen family said in a statement.

“All of us know that the impact of Mr B will live on with the Broncos and in the hearts, minds and memories of the fans. We will always cheer for the Orange and Blue. Go Broncos!”

The trustees had wanted Brittany Bowlen, 32, one of Pat Bowlen’s daughters from his second marriage, to succeed her father as controlling owner, but Ellis said all seven children had to agree to that plan or the team would be sold.

The long-running ownership saga in Denver took a turn last summer when two daughters from Bowlen’s first marriage withdrew a lawsuit that contested Bowlen’s wishes, paving the way for a sale.

“The Broncos are a special franchise that is part of the fabric of this region, and whoever emerges as the new owner will certainly understand what the team means to our great fans and this community,” Ellis said.

Tom Brady retires after 22 seasons, 7 Super Bowl titles FROM PAGE 11 He’s the only player to win more than five Super Bowls and was MVP of the game five times.

Brady won three NFL MVP awards, was a firstteam All-Pro three times and was selected to the Pro Bowl 15 times. He was 243-73 in his career in the regular season and 35-12 in the playoffs.

“To finish a 22-year career while still performing at his peak was nothing short of extraordinary,” Licht said.

“I wish we had more time with Tom, but I understand and respect his decision to leave the game in order to spend more time with his family.”

Brady went from 199th pick in the 2000 draft to replacing an injured Drew Bledsoe in 2001 and leading

New England to a Super Bowl victory over the heavily favoUred Rams that season.

He led the Patriots to consecutive Super Bowl titles following the 2003-04 seasons. No team has since repeated as champions.

But New England wouldn’t win another one for a decade, twice losing to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl, including a 17-14 defeat on February 3, 2008, that prevented the Patriots from completing a perfect season.

Brady earned his fourth ring after the 2014 season.

Two years later, in the biggest Super Bowl comeback, he led the Patriots out of a 28-3 deficit in the third quarter against Atlanta to win in overtime for No. 5.

Brady got his sixth championship when New England

beat the Rams following the 2018 season.

He joined the Buccaneers in 2020 amid a pandemic, instantly transforming a franchise that hadn’t won a playoff game in 18 years.

His buddy Rob Gronkowski came out of retirement to join him and they helped the Buccaneers become the first team to play in a Super Bowl in its stadium.

“He set a standard and helped create a culture that took our team to the mountaintop,” Arians said.

Brady reached the playoffs 19 times, won 18 division titles, went 10-4 in conference championships and 7-3 in Super Bowls.

After starting his first game on September 30, 2001, Brady was under centre for every game except when he suffered a season-ending knee injury

in Week 1 in 2008 and the first four games in 2016 when he sat out a suspension because of the deflated footballs scandal.

“An incredible competitor and leader, his stellar career is remarkable for its longevity but also for the sustained excellence he displayed year after year,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement.

Known for his work ethic, intense exercise regimen and strict diet, Brady was better with age.

After turning 37, Brady won four Super Bowls and was 17-4 in the playoffs.

He was 95-30, completed 65.2% of his passes for 35,371 yards, 265 TDs and 69 interceptions in the regular season in those eight seasons.

“I have always believed the sport of football is an

NEW England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, left, celebrates with head coach Bill Belichick after defeating the Miami Dolphins 41-13 in an NFL football game on Sunday, December 14, 2014, in Foxborough, Mass. Tom Brady has retired after winning seven Super Bowls and setting numerous passing records in an unprecedented 22-year-career. He made the announcement yesterday in a long post on Instagram.

(AP Photo/Charles Krupa) ‘all-in’ proposition — if a challenge every single day 100% competitive commit- that has allowed me to maxment isn’t there, you won’t imise my highest potential. succeed, and success is what And I have tried my very I love so much about our best these past 22 years. game,” Brady said.

There are no shortcuts to “There is a physical, success on the field or in mental, and emotional life.”

SOUTH KOREA QUALIFIES FOR WORLD CUP, COSTLY DRAW FOR AUSSIES SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea qualified for a 10th successive World Cup after beating Syria 2-0 in Dubai yesterday.

Second-half goals from Kim Jin-su and Kwon Chang-hoon gave the Koreans a comfortable victory over the bottom team in Asia Group A qualifying.

South Korea, the 15th nation to qualify for the 32-team field, moved 11 points clear of thirdplace United Arab Emirates with

two games remaining. Iran, which has already qualified, beat the UAE 1-0 to remain atop Group A. Iran last week became the first team from Asia to qualify for Qatar when it beat Iraq 1-0.

The top two teams from both groups automatically qualify.

The third-place teams advance to playoffs.

In Group B, a first-half goal from Takumi Minamino set Japan

on the way to beating Saudi Arabia 2-0 at Saitama Stadium and keeping the host on course for a seventh successive World Cup appearance.

Minamino’s goal from close range after 31 minutes was created by Junya Ito. The Belgian-based winger then added the second soon after the restart with a fierce shot from the edge of the area to seal a first defeat for the Saudis in the group.

Saudi Arabia, which would have qualified for a sixth World Cup with a victory, still leads the group with 19 points, one more than Japan.

Australia allowed a late goal and settled for a 2-2 draw with Oman in Muscat. Australia stays third in Group B though moves onto 15 points.

The Socceroos took an early lead through Jamie Maclaren’s penalty but Abdullah Fawaz

equalised for the host soon after the restart. While Aaron Mooy restored Australia’s lead with 13 minutes remaining, Fawaz earned Oman a point with a spot kick after 89 minutes.

Last-placed Vietnam, which had previously lost all of its seven games in Group B, defeated China 3-1 in Hanoi. The defeat ended China’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup for only the second time.

Brentford gives Eriksen comeback chance, Manchester City signs Alvarez

By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer WITH a thumbs up to the camera, Christian Eriksen revealed the team for his return to soccer, almost eight months after collapsing from cardiac arrest at the European Championship.

“I’m happy to announce that I’ve signed for Brentford Football Club,” Eriksen said in Monday’s social media video. “I can’t wait to get started.”

It will be a remarkable playing comeback to the English Premier League for the Denmark playmaker, who has said he was essentially dead for five minutes after collapsing in the opening Euro 2020 game against Finland.

The uplifting signing was the headline announcement on the final day of the January transfer window in the Premier League, which also saw Manchester City and Tottenham bring in internationals from South America, and Burnley recruit a much-needed striker in its bid to avoid relegation.

It was Eriksen who captured the spotlight, though, after signing with Brentford until the end of the season to secure a return to England, where he played with Tottenham until joining Inter Milan two years

ago and winning the Serie A. The west London club will feel like home. The 29-year-old Eriksen is being reunited with Thomas Frank, the Brentford manager who coached him when playing for Denmark Under-17s. He will also be the ninth Dane in the club’s squad.

“We have taken an unbelievable opportunity to bring a world-class player to Brentford,” Frank said.

“He hasn’t trained with a team for seven months but has done a lot of work on his own. He is fit but we will need to get him match fit and I am looking forward to seeing him work with the players and staff to get back towards his highest level.”

Frank will be hoping Eriksen provides a further lift for a team impressing in its first-ever campaign in the Premier League, sitting eight points above the relegation zone with 15 games remaining.

“At his best, Christian has the ability to dictate games of football,” Frank said. “He can find the right passes and is a goal threat.

He also has very, very good set-piece delivery, both from corners and direct free kicks.

“He is a player you can find with the ball, and he will come up with a solution to the problem in front of him.”

Eriksen’s contract with Inter Milan was terminated by mutual agreement in December since Italian regulations prevented him from playing with the implantable cardioverterdefibrillator that was fitted.

He was recently training to regain fitness at Ajax, the Dutch club where he began his career.

Brentford said it would “respect Christian’s medical confidentiality” by not divulging further information beyond only saying he recently received coronavirus vaccines that allow him to comply with entry rules to Britain. Eriksen is set to fly into London this week but not immediately train with Brentford.

ALVAREZ TO CITY Manchester City has another Argentine striker on its books.

Julian Alvarez has signed a 5 1/2-year deal from River Plate, where he will remain on loan at least until July.

Alvarez could end up being the long-term replacement for City great Sergio Aguero, who left the club in the offseason after 10 years and has since retired. “He is capable of operating in a number of attacking roles,” City director of football Txiki Begiristain said, “and we firmly believe he’s one of the best young attacking players in South America.”

The 22-year-old Alvarez has played five times for Argentina and helped River win the domestic title last year, when he scored 26 goals in all competitions for club and country.

ARSENAL’S FUTURE While Arsenal was busy trying to release striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Barcelona, the north London club completed a deal to sign Auston Trusty from the Colorado Rapids.

The 23-year-old defender was immediately loaned back until July to the American club which is also owned by Stan Kroenke.

TOTTENHAM’S MIDFIELD Tottenham overhauled the squad on a busy deadline day.

There were two additions from Juventus with Uruguay midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur joining on a contract until 2026 and Sweden winger Dejan Kulusevksi on an 18-month loan deal.

Four players were offloaded, with Dele Alli leaving for Everton after seven years at Tottenham.

Tanguy Ndombele, who has been a disappointment since joining Tottenham from Lyon in 2019 for a club-record 60 million euros ($67 million), returned to the French club.

Lyon has paid 1.42 million euros ($1.59 million) to get him on loan with an

DENMARK’s Christian Eriksen controls the ball during the Euro 2020 soccer championship group B match between Denmark and Finland at Parken stadium in Copenhagen, June 12, 2021.

(Wolfgang Rattay/Pool via AP) option to sign him on a permanent move in June.

Bryan Gil, who has struggled for game time since joining from Sevilla in the offseason, is back in Spain at Valencia until the end of the season. Giovani Lo Celso was also sent on loan to Villarreal.

VAN BEEK’S ESCAPE Frank Lampard’s first signing as Everton manager was bringing in Donny van de Beek on loan from Manchester United. The 24-year-old Netherlands midfielder has made only four Premier League starts — none this season — since being signed by United in 2020 from Ajax.

NEWCASTLE’S QUARTET Newcastle signed defender Dan Burn from Brighton and fullback Matt Targett on loan from Aston Villa for the rest of the season.

It means five players moved to St. James’ Park

in January at a cost of more than $120 million as the club’s Saudi ownership made its presence felt in the first transfer window since largely gaining control of the northeast club in October.

BURNLEY’S NEW STRIKER Burnley signed Netherlands striker Wout Weghorst to lead its attack having been forced to sell Chris Wood to rival Newcastle two weeks ago.

Weghorst, who joins from German team Wolfsburg, is a 6-foot-6 (1.98-metre) striker with aerial qualities that should suit Burnley, which often uses a direct, long-ball approach.

Wood left Burnley after Newcastle triggered the release clause of 25 million pounds ($34.5 million) in his contract. Burnley is in last place, three points behind third-to-last Newcastle and four points from safety.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, February 2, 2022, PAGE 15

TITANS SOFTBALL IN FASTPITCH CLASSIC

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net WITHOUT any local tournaments to compete in, the newly formed Titans softball team got a chance to travel to Fort Myers, Florida, to participate in the USA 2022 Winter Men’s Fastpitch Classic over the weekend.

The team, managed by Mike Dillet and coached

by Marcus Pratt, played in a total of four games, but they fell short. Angelo ‘Ali Baba’ Dillet, who formed the team out of a group of casual players from the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex, said they just didn’t have the experience to compete against the rival teams because they only had about three players who played fastpitch softball in the past.

“We had originally planned to go to a tournament in Orlando the week before, but that was cancelled,” Dillet said. “So when (umpire) Martin Burrows, who was going to the tournament to officiate, told us about it we decided to pursue it. We just switched gear once

we got confirmation and went over there. It was a solid tournament. We had some very good teams from around the world. We had a team from the Czech Republic and teams from throughout the country. It was good for us to get into the tournament.”

While Dillet came out of retirement from the New Providence Softball Association, he was joined by centre fielder Steffan ‘Dougie’ Mckenzie, shortstop Kristin Collie, catcher Ashton Forbes, first baseman Marcellus Hall, second baseman Tori Rolle, third baseman Mark ‘Ultra’ Pratt, extra hitter Jamal ‘Bruno’ Kemp, right fielder Felix Knowles, left fielder Jerome Wright and extra hitter Franklyn Deveaux.

About a year into the pandemic, Dillet said a number of players showed up at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex to get in some softball scrimmage games. They played among themselves and against any other team that showed up at the park.

“It was like the rebirth of softball, so we called it The Titans Softball Organisation,” Dillet said. “The

group is made up of all-timers, new-timers, fastpitch players, baseball pitchers, and some ladies. We have about 40 people, who just love playing softball.

“Since there was no softball going on in the country, when we formed the group, I asked them about the possibility of travelling together to play in some tournaments. We put it out there to those who wanted to go. We wanted to take some more experienced players, but it was all about having fun.”

Considering the level of competition they faced, Dillet said he was extremely pleased with the way the players performed.

He noted that he converted himself into a pitcher from his normal spot of catching and he used Kristin Collie as his catcher. “We didn’t give up that much more, but the teams took advantage of our errors,” Dillet said. “In each and every game, we had at least one bad inning that allowed the teams to pull away from us in the four games.”

With a little more experience on the team, Dillet said they could have been a force to reckon with.

THE NEWLY formed Titans softball team in Fort Myers, Florida, at USA 2022 Winter Men’s Fastpitch Classic over the weekend.

“I think it was due to a lack of experience at playing fastpitch. We only had about three players, including Tori Rolle and Steffan McKenzie and myself who really played fastpitch. We had Marcellus Hall and Ashton Forbes, who came up in baseball,” he said.

“All of the others may have played slowpitch or modified softball, but we prepared for it as much as we could in the short time we had to work together.

We didn’t get in too much fastpitch action, but considering everything we went through, I was still pleased with our performance.”

Dillet said they are now considering entering The Titans into the

NPSA whenever the league resumes. If they do, Dillet said at age 47, he is contemplating a return to the league as a pitcher rather than playing his usual spot behind the plate as a catcher.

One of the things that impressed him at the tournament was the fact that they played through the health and safety protocols established by the organisers for COVID-19.

He noted that they had to take their test to travel and they wore their masks while off the field.

But he said the officials “let them play ball because it’s not a contact sport.” He said players didn’t congregate like they did in the past

Signing day becomes transfer season as portal remains packed

By RALPH D RUSSO AP College Football Writer THE transfer portal remains remains packed as college football’s second signing period arrives. a glut that has the sport’s leaders pondering ways to clean up a roster management mess.

The most notable free agent came off the market yesterday when former Oklahoma quarterback Caleb Williams made his long-anticipated transfer to Southern California official.

Still, according to Rivals. com, about 48 percent of the more than 1,250 scholarship players from Division I’s Bowl Subdivision who have entered the portal since August had not announced new schools as of last week.

With the traditional signing period beginning today, the number of players exiting the portal will continue to rise. But all of those players looking for scholarship offers combined with the seemingly constant

movement of athletes — and coaches —- is seen as a problem.

“I’d also suggest we’re still pretty early into this,” Mid-American Conference Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said. “You’ve got other factors involved that are causing additional churn. I still don’t know that we have a clear sense of what this will settle out as. But I understand the angst involved.”

Most schools now lock up the bulk of their high school recruits during the early signing period in December. While there are still some uncommitted blue-chip high schoolers heading into signing day, January has become transfer season in college football.

“I don’t think people really say it this way, but let’s not make a mistake: We have free agency in college football,” Mississippi coach Lane Kiffin said in December before pulling in one of the best transfer portal hauls in the country.

A confluence of recent NCAA rule changes and

OKLAHOMA QB Caleb Williams in action.

(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) short-term tweaks made in response to the pandemic have caused an unprecedented traffic jam.

Last year, the NCAA changed its rules to allow athletes in all sports the ability to transfer one time without sitting out a season at their new school.

The newfound freedom, a long with the lifting of the NCAA’s longtime restrictions on athletes earning money for use of their names, images and likenesses, has incentivised players to explore their

options. On top of that, hundreds of players have an extra year of eligibility at their disposal after the NCAA provided a giveback for athletes who were in college during the pandemic-altered 2020 season.

The extra year makes building rosters with transfers more desirable for coaches.

Arizona coach Jedd Fisch called bringing in college players with three or more years of eligibility remaining “dream portal” opportunities.

Schools can only have 85 scholarship players at the start of the season, and NCAA rules limit signings to only 25 per season.

To help teams compensate for portal losses, the NCAA is allowing them to sign as many as seven additional players this year only — for now.

Expect coaches to push for it to become a permanent part of college football.

Another possible alteration to the transfer rules being discussed by athletic administrators at the NCAA committee level is creating windows in the calendar when players could access their one-time, restriction-free transfer.

Athletes would still be permitted to enter the portal at any time, but doing so outside designated periods, possibly at the end of each semester, would require them to sit out the following season.

That might not stem the tide of players diving into the portal, but it would likely trim the number entering midseason.

FIRED MIAMI DOLPHINS COACH SUES NFL, ALLEGING RACIST HIRING

By LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Fired Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores, suing the NFL and three teams Tuesday over alleged racist hiring practices for aspiring coaches, is alleging the Dolphins offered him $100,000 a game his first season to “tank” so the club could secure the top draft pick.

The lawsuit in Manhattan federal court sought class-action status and unspecified damages from the league, the Dolphins, the Denver Broncos and the New York Giants, along with unidentified individuals.

Flores was fired last month by Miami after leading the Dolphins to a 24-25 record over three years. They went 9-8 in their second straight winning season, but failed to make the playoffs during his tenure.

In a statement released by the law firm representing him, Flores said: “God has gifted me with a special talent to coach the game of football, but the need for change is bigger than my personal goals.”

“In making the decision to file the class action complaint today, I understand that I may be risking coaching the game that I love and that has done so

much for my family and me. My sincere hope is that by standing up against systemic racism in the NFL, others will join me to ensure that positive change is made for generations to come,” he said.

In a statement, the NFL said it will defend “against these claims, which are without merit.”

It added: “The NFL and our clubs are deeply committed to ensuring equitable employment practices and continue to make progress in providing equitable opportunities throughout our organizations. Diversity is core to everything we do, and there are few issues on which our clubs and our internal leadership team spend more time.”

The lawsuit alleges that the league has discriminated against Flores and other Black coaches for racial reasons, denying them positions as head coaches, offensive and defensive coordinators and quarterbacks coaches, as well as general managers.

According to the lawsuit, Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross told Flores he would pay him $100,000 for every loss during the coach’s first season because he wanted the club to “tank” so it could get the draft’s top pick.

The lawsuit alleged that Ross then pressured Flores

HEAD coach Brian Flores.

AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) to recruit a prominent quarterback in violation of the league’s tampering rules. When Flores refused, he was cast as the “angry Black man” who is difficult to work with and was derided until he was fired, the suit said.

Messages left with the Dolphins seeking comment were not immediately returned.

The lawsuit said the firing of Flores was typical for Black coaches who are not given the latitude other coaches receive to succeed.

It noted that Flores led the Dolphins to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2003.

Last week, the Giants disclosed to third parties that they had decided to

hire Brian Daboll as their new coach even when they had not yet had their scheduled meeting with Flores, the lawsuit said.

“Mr. Flores was deceptively led to believe he actually had a chance at this job,” the lawsuit said, adding that he had to endure a dinner with the Giants’ new general manager knowing that the team had already selected Daboll.

The lawsuit also cited a message Flores received three days before his scheduled Giants interview from New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick telling him he had heard they were naming Daboll as coach.

A message left with the Patriots was not immediately returned.

In a statement, the Giants said: “We are pleased and confident with the process that resulted in the hiring of Brian Daboll.

We interviewed an impressive and diverse group of candidates. The fact of the matter is, Brian Flores was in the conversation to be our head coach until the eleventh hour. Ultimately, we hired the individual we felt was most qualified to be our next head coach.”

The lawsuit claimed Flores was forced to undergo a “sham interview” with the Broncos in 2019, when then-Broncos

general manager, John Elway, President Joe Ellis and others showed up an hour later for his interview.

“They looked completely disheveled, and it was obvious that they had drinking heavily the night before,” the lawsuit said.

“It was clear from the substance of the interview that Mr. Flores was interviewed only because of the Rooney Rule.”

Messages for comment left with the Broncos also were not immediately returned.

According to the lawsuit, his treatment by the Giants and Broncos was typical of how the “Rooney Rule” has been administered for the last two decades.

The rule, named after Dan Rooney while he was chairman of the NFL’s diversity committee, was created to give more minority candidates opportunities to become a head coach and reward teams who develop them.

In 2020, the NFL amended the Rooney Rule to stipulate teams must interview at least two minority candidates not associated with their own team for a head coaching vacancy. Also, one minority candidate has to be interviewed for coordinator positions as well as high-ranking positions in the front office, including the general-manager role.

without their masks. So he doesn’t see why they can’t do the same thing here.

“The officiating was off the chain. That was probably the best officiating I’ve ever seen,” he noted. “They made it so comfortable for the players to participate.

It was cold and they didn’t have a problem with the players wearing their jackets if they wanted to.

“I was glad that Martin Burrows was there officiating. He got to see how the officials worked with the players. It was a totally different environment than we experience here. Hopefully we can bring that type of atmosphere here where the players can truly enjoy playing the game.”

FOREIGN ATHLETES WITH NON-EU SHOTS CAN COMPETE IN FRANCE

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN AP Sports Writer FOREIGN athletes fully vaccinated against the coronavirus in their country are allowed to compete in France — whatever shots they have received — as long as they remain in a health bubble upon arrival, the French sports minister said.

Since France introduced a so-called vaccine pass last month making vaccination mandatory to access sports venues and compete, it was unclear whether COVID19 jabs that have not been approved in the European Union would be accepted.

In a message to The Associated Press yesterday, the sports minister said foreign vaccinated athletes “with a complete vaccination scheme in their country” can compete as long as they respect a health bubble protocol including a test within 24 hours before their competition start.

It means that vaccines which are not part of the EU portfolio, like Russia’s Sputnik V or the two Chinese jabs made by Sinovac and Sinopharm, will be accepted by French authorities.

The EU has so far approved five COVID19 vaccines, including Novavax, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca.

The sports ministry said that athletes still waiting for a booster shot in their country will also be entitled to take part in international events in France by abiding to the same protocol.

“These measures allow all vaccines athletes, wherever they come from, to participate in competitions in France as long as a sanitary bubble is put in place under the authority of the organiser,” the ministry said.

Under the French law intended to exclude the unvaccinated from stadiums, restaurants, bars and other public places, the country’s vaccine pass is compulsory to enter stadiums, theatre or exhibitions for all spectators, practitioners, French or foreign professionals.

Exceptions can be granted to unvaccinated athletes. But from February 15, anyone who is not vaccinated against the coronavirus will need to show proof they tested positive for COVID-19 within the previous four months, down from the current six-month window.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, February 2, 2022, PAGE 17

RECEIVERS TAKE OVER MURDER VICTIM’S LUXURY GOODS GROUP FROM PAGE 24 injunction, with this greater than the harm likely to be suffered by Mr Daryanani and his business if the application was refused.

In particular, the judge said Treasures Bahamas’ “ability to remain viable” could be impacted if it was blocked from selling the luxury goods provided by the US-based supplier, whose products accounted for around 30-35 percent of the group’s inventory (there were 12 other suppliers). And this, in turn, could endanger the more than 100 jobs provided by the retailer.

Mr Daryanani did not respond to Tribune Business calls and messages seeking comment yesterday, but Mr Gomez said the agreement to appoint the receiver/ managers meant that Justice Klein’s ruling had been overtaken by events and effectively rendered academic.

He added that Mr Daryanani had also been permitted to enter the Treasures Bahamas’ stores and do an inventory count of the goods supplied by the latter, as well as inspect the group’s sales records a key demand he had been making.

Justice Klein, in his judgment, branded the appointment of the receiver/ managers as “an auspicious development” given that he had been informed this could help “resolve many of the outstanding issues between the parties” following heated litigation.

He recalled how all sides had sought to “smear” each other via their court filings with allegations, and counter-charges, involving claims of illegally evading Bahamian taxes, “commercial sabotage”, “sharp business practices”, and assertions that one party was ‘double dealing’ and “playing both sides of the fence”.

Mr Daryanani, in initiating legal action, sought a Supreme Court order to block Mr Griffin, Treasures Bahamas and their franchisor partner from “selling” or disposing of $23m worth of goods he had supplied. He claimed they had failed to pay him a single cent of what they owe on high-end jewellery products and loans since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020.

The Sovereign Jewelery chief alleged Mr Griffin, former Bahamas Taxi Cab Union president and husband of ex-Cabinet minister, Melanie Griffin, together with the Treasures International LLC franchisor, had breached an October 2, 2019, agreement governing their three-way relationship and the supply of luxury goods on consignment to the Bahamian retailer.

Consignment goods are products supplied to a thirdparty that is authorised to sell them. The ownership and title in such goods, though, vests in a consignor or supplier such as Mr Daryanani until such time as they are sold by the thirdparty retailer, in this case Treasures Bahamas, whereupon the two parties divide the proceeds between each other.

However, the Sovereign Jewelery boss claimed Mr Griffin’s retail group breached the October 2, 2019, agreement by failing to appoint him as a director of the various companies, give him access to its bank accounts and stores, and failing to repay due debts.

He also alleged that the Treasures International franchisor, together with its two principals, Jitendra Keswani and Raj Chandiramani, failed to repay a $7.5m loan based on the “goodwill” built up in the two Treasures Bahamas’ luxury goods stores they operated on Mr Griffin’s behalf - the Parklane Lux on Bay Street and the Parklane Marina in the Atlantis Marina.

As a result, Mr Daryanani made a separate $15m claim against Messrs Keswani and Chandiramani in the same action. Other stores in the Treasures Bahamas group include the Diamond Centre, Pink Flamingo, Bahama T-Shirt Company, Bahama Mama and Baker Estate in downtown Nassau, and Bamboo Nation on Paradise Island.

This was met with a venomous response by Mr Griffin, who accused his supplier of “engaging in various unsavoury business practices and underhanded dealings”.

Mr Griffin alleged that he and his “consultant” Biswajit Pati, an accountant who was himself murdered just four months before the Treasures Bahamas chief, had “great concern” that Mr Daryanani was undervaluing invoices related to the goods he was supplying and thus evading Bahamas Customs duties and other import-related taxes.

Suggesting that he told Mr Daryanani “in no uncertain terms that I do not condone such actions”, Mr Griffin alleged: “I later discovered that the invoices that the plaintiff forwarded to all of us for inventory were prepared in such a way that they raised the suspicion of the Bahamas Customs Department, which resulted in delays in clearing inventory from the port.

“I and the other defendants were so concerned about the fact that the plaintiff seemed to engage in falsely undervaluing imported goods that we insisted that the plaintiff sign an affidavit and an addendum to the October 2019 agreement undertaking that he would produce a true inventory of goods being imported for my businesses.”

That “addendum”, which was executed on March 12, 2020, mandated that Mr Daryanani, his wife and their employees “shall forever and henceforth make a true and correct declaration to the Bahamas Customs Department, the US Customs Department and any other governmental border agency relevant to the exportation and importation of any and all the said products”.

However, Mr Daryanani “denied the allegations that he participated in evading taxes or falsifying invoices, and indicates that he only swore the affidavit and the addendum to the contract

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because of ‘What’sApp’ text messages from the defendants that they would stop paying monies unless he swore the affidavit”.

He then produced evidence showing that Mr Keswani was caught by Bahamas Customs trying to smuggle jewellery and other luxury goods into the country, and that he and Mr Chandiramani had also been penalised and fined

by US Customs for similar offences.

But Mr Griffin, in a subsequent affidavit filed on January 4, 2021, further claimed: “We have subsequently discovered that the invoices the plaintiff provided to us were different from the invoices he had provided to the Customs Department of the Bahamas to clear the goods upon entry, and the invoices that he had received from his suppliers of the jewellery, which would normally be made to Parklane Jewellers.”

Justice Klein’s verdict noted exhibits showing that one item, a necklace, was valued at $19,000 on the invoice submitted to Mr Griffin and Treasures Bahamas, yet was pegged at $4,750 on the paperwork submitted to Bahamas Customs - a difference of more than $15,000.

The judge declined to pronounce on the tax evasion claims, although he acknowledged that Mr Griffin and Treasures Bahamas “made heavy

weather of the allegation that the plaintiff’s inclination to falsify invoices in respect of imported goods led to the necessity to add a March 2020 addendum to the agreement, which was intended to protect the defendants.

“The defendants are right to point out that the collateral agreement contains terms which are most unusual to find in a commercial agreement, as they appear tantamount to an admission that goods had been falsely invoiced.”

Justice Klein agreed that phony, under-valued invoicing would be would be “reprehensible” if it had occurred, “and perhaps a matter for national authorities”, but declined to pronounce further.

However, a fresh storm of allegations was triggered when Mr Keswani broke ranks with his fellow defendants, and performed an “180 degree turn”, by siding with Mr Daryanani and admitting that he and Treasures International owed the latter almost $34m.

Mr Chandiramani countered, saying he was “shocked” by his colleague’s admission as this contradicted evidence he had given in a connected case before the southern New York federal court. He alleged: “Since the filing of these proceedings, it was discovered that Mr. Keswani was selling inventory

of jewelry and not accounting for the sales.

“An audit/investigation is being conducted by Baker Tilly Gomez to determine the extent of those ‘sales’.

It is projected that hundreds of thousands of dollars of sales were conducted by Mr Keswani with no accounting to Treasures Bahamas.

Occasioned by this conduct, Mr. Keswani was terminated from his position on July 30, 2021.”

Mr Griffin accused Mr Keswani of “playing both sides” in the dispute, and claimed he had “made multiple payments to unknown vendors and allowed cash expenses without trace or records”.

“Mr Keswani is known to hide from vendors and creditors via phone, e-mails or personally,” he added.

“He has made multiple commitments and duped the vendors to supply merchandise, but he runs away from the obligation when it comes to payment, dumping the liability on me.

“This has been his modus operandi since he started working in the Bahamas in 2009. He has done it with many Bahamian people and American vendors. Mr. Keswani claims to have knowledge of over millions of dollars in sales but he has not considered that I have expenses to run my operations as well as employees and severances, and other Government obligations that need to be paid.

“Mr Keswani has siphoned funds using a USA system to charge customers and move inventory out of The Bahamas to his own company. There are many other ways he has moved funds....”

Justice Klein also noted that there were two other Supreme Court disputes connected to the parties involved in the matter before him. One involved a Treasures Bahamas affiliate obtaining an injunction against Sir Garet ‘Tiger’ Finlayson, and his family’s Dove Properties vehicle, to enable it “retrieve several million dollars’ worth of jewellery” from a warehouse after the landlord locked it out.

And a former Treasures Bahamas employee, in an unfair dismissal claim, had seized jewellery worth more than $500,000 from the Parklane Lux after obtaining a $98,000 default judgment against the company. Justice Klein subsequently set aside the default judgment and ordered the jewellery’s return.

Noting that some of the evidence given by the parties was contradictory, Justice Klein describing this as “chinks” in the case presented by both sides, he also ruled that there was sufficient material for the substantive issues to go to trial if it ever reaches that stage.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, February 2, 2022, PAGE 19

MILO BUTLER AIMS TO ‘REIGNITE’ FREEPORT FROM PAGE 24

Freeport to really reignite the redevelopment of the city of Freeport.”

Mr Butler added that the family-owned business’s confidence in Freeport’s future could ultimately translate into an “up to $10m” investment. “It will be between a $5m-$10m investment depending on how far the project goes,” he explained.

“We own the City Markets building and the Pantry Pride building on the other side. The hope is that we see what we can do from a development perspective to get those buildings fully renovated and potentially occupied.”

Asked whether the Milo Butler Group’s plans may extend beyond those buildings to acquiring other properties in downtown Freeport, Mr Butler responded: “We’re not sure at this stage. I couldn’t speak to that myself. Let’s take it one step at a time.

Possibly, but I’m not sure.

“We have to make sure we get these projects off the before we look at anything else. There’s a lot of square footage involved; 60,000 square feet.” As for when the City Markets property’s

renovations will be completed, Mr Butler added: “We anticipate in the next 90 days to 120 days.

“We have had a contractor working so I imagine in the next 90 to 120 days we will be complete with that renovation.” AML Foods, which Mr Butler also chairs, is due to move into that space and open its Solomon’s Freeport location “between the summer and fall of 2022”.

As for the Pantry Pride building, he added that while no lease commitments had been secured yet, the group was hoping “through our investment in City Markets the right tenant will come along”.

Mr Butler added that that Hurricane Dorian’s devastation had acted as “the catalyst” for the group’s interest in downtown Freeport, as there was a need for additional commercial and office space, and a number of potential locations had become available due to the storm.

“From our perspective this is the most important thing,” he told Tribune Business. “You cannot have a city of Freeport with no real commercial district.

The level of vandalism

and vagrants in downtown Freeport doesn’t speak to the spirit of the people of Grand Bahama.

“I think our investment in these buildings will ignite further investment in Grand Bahama and create real opportunities for the people of Freeport.”

Mr Butler said his stepping down from the chairmanship of two group entities, Milo Butler Corporation and Milo Butler & Sons Ltd, to be replaced by fellow family members, Allan Butler and Jevon Butler, was “really an indication of what happens with good governance”.

Noting that many familyowned businesses struggled with transition to a third and fourth generation, he added that while the group has “a bench of other leaders that can lead parts of the family enterprise” it was “hugely important” to get succession planning correct.

With a company’s “success or failure” hinging on its leadership, Franklyn Butler said succession planning was vital to maintaining the “philosophy, values and wealth” of a family-owned business that would otherwise be lost if it was sold to, and absorbed, into a formal corporate structure.

The Milo Butler group of companies has been in existence for “almost 100 years”. Milo Butler & Sons oversees the Milo Butler Mart on Blue Hill Road, the food distribution business on Peach Street, and the Flying Dutchman liquor store chain, while the Milo Butler Corporation focused on the family’s investments and shareholdings in various corporate entities.

Describing family-owned businesses as “the backbone” of the Bahamian economy, Franklyn Butler said they played a “huge” role in its success and the fostering of entrepreneurship in this nation.

While stepping down from the two chairmanships was “bittersweet”, he added that he will remain on one Board and be “spending a lot of time around the family council” that oversees the group’s affairs.

Franklyn Butler said the move will enable him to “focus on some other priorities that need 100 percent of my commitment”, including his role as Cable Bahamas’ president and chief executive. He added that he will also be available to provide advice if required to his successors.

PAGE 20, Wednesday, February 2, 2022

‘CLOSING THE SHORTFALL’: PORT OFF 3% VERSUS PRE-COVID

FROM PAGE 24 However, the Nassau Container Port chief said cargo content indicated Bahamian consumers have yet to rebound from COVID-induced lay-offs and prolonged furloughs.

Recalling a recently-arrived shipment of automobiles, he said some 90 percent were used cars with the latest models making up a very small minority.

Some auto dealers will likely attribute that to their inability to obtain 100 percent of the orders they place with manufacturers, but Mr Bethell voiced optimism that the growing cargo volume trend will hold provided tourism continues to rebound and there are no increased COVID restrictions in 2022.

“We’re almost there,” he told this newspaper when comparing 2021 cargo

volumes to 2019. “Revenue is relatively flat, but there’s some project cargo related to the [Nassau Cruise] port that is adding on to revenue which may not be reflected with the TEU volumes.

“We’re still under by about 3 percent on TEUs compared to pre-COVID, but we’ve certainly closed a big gap compared to initially. When we look from July 1 to December 31, 2021, the first six months of the financial year, versus the same six months in 2020, we see that our volumes are tracking ahead of last year.

“Our volumes are up by about 9 percent when we look at the period July 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021, versus July 1, 2020, to December 31, 2020.

Even though both of those are periods impacted by COVID-19, the gap has closed significantly on us

making up the shortfall on volumes.”

Comparing the 2021 calendar year’s second half with the same period in 2019, which was just before the pandemic struck, Mr Bethell conceded that “we’re still not quite there” when it comes to TEU volume comparisons.

“We’re down by 3 percent for the first six months,” he added. “We’ve certainly closed the gap on pre-COVID volumes, and we certainly feel we can fully close that before the end of this financial year given that we’ve seen in the last quarter, October to end-December, the volumes year-over-year and against pre-COVID have increased.’

The Nassau Container Port chief added that the BISX-listed operator was “reasonably optimistic” that

WORKPLACE SAFETY HIT BY INSPECTOR SHORTAGE FROM PAGE 24 streamlining or re-assigning to another agency some or all of the administrative tasks associated with work permits for foreign workers”.

“The ILO will also provide training and technical support for the implementation of a ‘strategic compliance’ model for labour inspection in The Bahamas, drawing on the ILO’s extensive range of

technical tools and expertise in developing and operationalising strategic compliance plans for labour inspection,” the report added.

“In this context, the ILO will facilitate

LEGAL NOTICE

it will return to pre-COVID TEU and overall cargo volumes before end-June “if things continue the way they are, notwithstanding the increase in prices and change in VAT”.

Given that more than 90 percent of New Providence’s seaborne physical imports come through the Nassau Container Port, its cargo volumes provide a reasonable read on the Bahamian economy’s buoyancy or lack thereof - especially when it comes to the construction sector, consumer spending and hotel industry activity.

“It’s been a relatively busy time with a lot of imports trying to get in in time for Christmas,” Mr Bethell added. “It was certainly busier than last year, and we have seen some upticks in our volumes, which is also a good indicator that sectors of the economy which have

technical training for the labour inspection unit to design and support compliance interventions, including proactive education, information and advisory activities as well as interventions oriented towards detection.”

LIQUIDATOR’S NOTICE

KILLANY DEVELOPMENT S.A. Company No. 1456965 (In Voluntary Liquidation)

PURSUANT TO SECTION 240 (2) OF THE COMPANIES ACT 1992

NOTICE is hereby given pursuant to Section 204 (1)(b) of the BVI Business Companies Act, 2004 that KILLANY DEVELOPMENT S.A. is in voluntary liquidation. The voluntary liquidation commenced on 26th January 2022 and Querube C. De Nuñez of MMG Tower, Ave. Paseo del Mar, Costa del Este, Panama City, Rep. of Panama been appointed as the Sole Liquidator.

Dated this 27th day of January 2022 Sgd. Querube C. De Nuñez Voluntary Liquidator

We, Sterling (Bahamas) Limited, Liquidator of ANALYTICAL RESEARCH LTD., hereby certify that the winding up and dissolution of ANALYTICAL RESEARCH LTD., has been completed and the Company’s name has been removed from the Register of Companies as of the 29th day of January 2022.

Sterling (Bahamas) Limited Liquidator

www.bisxbahamas.com CLOSE

CHANGE

%CHANGE

YTD

YTD%

2197.88

-0.08

0.00

-30.36

-1.36

(242) 323‐2330 (242) 323‐2320

BISX LISTED & TRADED SECURITIES 52WK LOW 4.50 32.12 1.46 2.10 1.30 5.50 6.00 2.82 4.25 2.27 5.00 9.75 2.10 6.50 9.50 8.40 13.10 3.42 8.00 15.50

SECURITY AML Foods Limited APD Limited Benchmark Bahamas First Holdings Limited Bank of Bahamas Bahamas Property Fund Bahamas Waste Cable Bahamas Commonwealth Brewery Commonwealth Bank Colina Holdings CIBC FirstCaribbean Bank Consolidated Water BDRs Doctor's Hospital Emera Incorporated Famguard Fidelity Bank (Bahamas) Limited Focol Finco J. S. Johnson

PREFERENCE SHARES 1.00

1.00

1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00

1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00

1.00 10.00 1.00

1.00 10.00 1.00

Bahamas First Holdings Preference Cable Bahamas Series 6 Cable Bahamas Series 8 Cable Bahamas Series 9 Cable Bahamas Series 10 Colina Holdings Class A Fidelity Bank Bahamas Class A Focol Class B

CORPORATE DEBT - (percentage pricing) 52WK HI 100.00 100.00

52WK LOW 100.00 100.00

SECURITY Fidelity Bank (Note 22 Series B+) Bahamas First Holdings Limited

SYMBOL AML APD BBL BFH BOB BPF BWL CAB CBB CBL CHL CIB CWCB DHS EMAB FAM FBB FCL FIN JSJ BFHP CAB6 CAB8 CAB9 CAB10 CHLA FBBA FCLB SYMBOL FBB22 BFHB

BAHAMAS GOVERNMENT STOCK - (percentage pricing) 115.92 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 102.00 100.71 91.88 100.00 100.11 100.70 100.43 100.58 100.06 100.36

104.79 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.01 84.59 89.00 100.11 100.00 99.98 100.58 100.00 100.36

Bahamas Note 6.95 (2029) BGS: 2014-12-7Y BGS: 2015-1-7Y BGS: 2014-12-30Y BGS: 2015-1-30Y BGS: 2015-6-7Y BGS: 2015-6-30Y BGS: 2015-10-7Y BGRS FL BGRS70023 BGRS FX BGRS94031 BGRS FX BGR131249 BGRS FL BGRS76025 BGRS FL BGRS84033 BGRS FL BGRS71023 BGRS FL BGRS75023 BGRS FL BGRS92028 BGRS FL BGRS98031

BAH29 BG0107 BG0207 BG0130 BG0230 BG0307 BG0330 BG0407 BSBGRS700238 BSBGRS940313 BSBGR1312499 BSBGRS760257 BSBGRS840331 BSBGRS710237 BSBGRS750233 BSBGRS920281 BSBGRS980319

LAST CLOSE 5.30 39.95 2.04 2.39 2.49 6.00 9.25 3.30 7.91 2.86 7.00 12.00 2.03 10.08 11.59 10.75 15.00 3.95 9.85 15.51 1.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1.00 10.00 1.00 LAST SALE 100.00 100.00 107.31 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.71 91.66 100.00 100.11 100.15 99.98 100.83 100.00 100.47

CLOSE 5.30 39.95 2.04 2.39 2.49 6.00 9.25 3.30 7.91 2.86 7.00 12.00 2.06 10.08 11.46 10.75 15.00 3.95 9.85 15.51

CHANGE 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.03 0.00 (0.13) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

1.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1.00 10.00 1.00

VOLUME 1,230

332

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

CLOSE 100.00 100.00

CHANGE 0.00 0.00

107.31 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.71 91.66 100.00 100.11 100.15 99.98 100.83 100.00 100.47

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

EPS$ 0.239 0.932 0.000 0.070 0.070 1.760 0.369 -0.438 0.140 0.184 0.449 0.722 0.102 0.467 0.646 0.728 0.816 0.203 0.939 0.631 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

VOLUME

DIV$ 0.170 1.260 0.020 0.110 0.000 0.000 0.260 0.000 0.000 0.120 0.220 0.720 0.434 0.060 0.328 0.240 0.540 0.120 0.200 0.610 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

INTEREST Prime + 1.75% 6.25% 6.95% 4.50% 4.50% 6.25% 6.25% 4.50% 6.25% 4.25% 4.53% 4.35% 5.60% 4.53% 4.68% 4.53% 4.46% 4.34% 4.30%

P/E 22.2 42.9 N/M 34.1 N/M N/M 25.1 -7.5 56.5 15.5 15.6 16.6 20.2 21.6 17.7 14.8 18.4 19.5 10.5 24.6 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

YIELD 3.21% 3.15% 0.98% 4.60% 0.00% 0.00% 2.81% 0.00% 0.00% 4.20% 3.14% 6.00% 21.07% 0.60% 2.86% 2.23% 3.60% 3.04% 2.03% 3.93% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 6.25% 7.00% 6.50%

MATURITY 19-Oct-2022 30-Sep-2025 20-Nov-2029 15-Dec-2021 30-Jul-2022 15-Dec-2044 30-Jul-2045 26-Jun-2022 26-Jun-2045 15-Oct-2022 29-Jul-2023 10-Jul-2031 15-Jul-2049 18-Jan-2025 22-Sep-2033 22-Oct-2023 7-Sep-2023 10-Nov-2028 26-Jul-2031

MUTUAL FUNDS 52WK HI 2.48 4.59 2.19 207.86 207.68 1.72 1.82 1.80 1.05 8.92 10.81 7.44 16.64 12.76 10.57 10.00 10.43 14.89

52WK LOW 2.11 3.30 1.68 164.74 116.70 1.68 1.73 1.75 1.03 6.41 7.62 5.66 8.65 10.54 9.57 9.88 8.45 11.20

FUND CFAL Bond Fund CFAL Balanced Fund CFAL Money Market Fund CFAL Global Bond Fund CFAL Global Equity Fund Leno Financial Conservative Fund Leno Financial Aggressive Fund Leno Financial Balanced Fund Leno Financial Global Bond Fund RF Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Secured Balanced Fund RF Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Targeted Equity Fund RF Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Prime Income Fund RF Bahamas International Investment Fund Limited - Equities Sub Fund RF Bahamas International Investment Fund Limited - High Yield Income Fund RF Bahamas International Investment Fund Limited - Alternative Strategies Fund Colonial Bahamas Fund Class D Colonial Bahamas Fund Class E Colonial Bahamas Fund Class F

NAV 2.48 4.59 2.19 204.67 199.97 1.72 1.82 1.80 1.02 8.92 10.81 7.44 16.64 12.73 10.57 N/A 10.43 14.89

YTD% 12 MTH% 3.60% 4.38% 3.43% 3.47% 2.22% 2.69% 1.37% 3.18% 8.18% 14.94% 2.70% 2.70% 1.63% 1.63% 2.39% 2.39% -2.79% -2.79% 5.11% 6.98% 7.77% 9.88% 2.28% 3.71% 19.64% 29.95% -0.81% -0.62% 5.19% 2.28% N/A N/A 3.00% 25.60% 7.90% 48.70%

NAV Date 31-Oct-2021 31-Oct-2021 29-Oct-2021 30-Sep-2021 30-Sep-2021 31-Dec-2021 31-Dec-2021 31-Dec-2021 31-Dec-2021 31-Aug-2021 31-Aug-2021 31-Aug-2021 31-Aug-2021 31-Aug-2021 31-Aug-2021 31-Mar-2021 31-Mar-2021 31-Mar-2021

MARKET TERMS

BISX ALL SHARE INDEX - 19 Dec 02 = 1,000.00

YIELD - last 12 month dividends divided by closing price

52wk-Hi - Highest closing price in last 52 weeks

Bid $ - Buying price of Colina and Fidelity

52wk-Low - Lowest closing price in last 52 weeks

Ask $ - Selling price of Colina and fidelity

Previous Close - Previous day's weighted price for daily volume

Last Price - Last traded over-the-counter price

Today's Close - Current day's weighted price for daily volume

Weekly Vol. - Trading volume of the prior week

Change - Change in closing price from day to day

PUBLIC NOTICE

INTENT TO CHANGE NAME BY DEED POLL The Public is hereby advised that I, JAYDEN ALIYAH MUNNINGS of Central Drive East, Coral Heights East, Coral Harbour, Nassau, Bahamas, intend to change my name to JAYDE ALIYAH MUNNINGS. If there are any objections to this change of name by Deed Poll, you may write such objections to the Chief Passport Officer, P.O.Box N-742, Nassau, Bahamas no later than thirty (30) days after the date of publication of this notice.

ANALYTICAL RESEARCH ADVISORS, LLC Reg. No. 161745 B NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION Notice is hereby given, in accordance with Section 138(4) of the International Business Companies Act of 2000, that the above-named Company commenced dissolution procedures on the 21st day of January 2022 and that Sterling (Bahamas) Limited of Suite 205A, Saffrey Square, Bank Lane & Bay Street, P.O. Box N-9934, Nassau, Bahamas has been appointed voluntary Liquidator of the Company.

Sterling (Bahamas) Limited Liquidator

TUESDAY, 1 FEBRUARY 2022

52WK HI 6.70 40.05 2.05 2.90 2.60 6.00 10.05 3.60 9.02 3.50 7.01 12.00 2.71 10.10 11.06 10.75 15.00 4.00 9.91 16.50

that is primarily because lending requirements make it more difficult on new cars and persons are opting for used vehicles as opposed to brand new.

“Many persons may not be able to qualify due to having been laid-off during COVID, or certain members of the household laid-off, so you find a higher percentage of people are opting for used cars as opposed to new cars.”

While construction activity, and associated building materials imports, typically slow down or halt over the Christmas period, Mr Bethell said that was “offset” this year as work on the new US embassy and Nassau Cruise Port continued over the festive period.

“The thing we have to watch is the increasing cost of living despite VAT having gone down to 10 percent,” he added. “I think we’re well on our way in a positive direction unless something drastic happens, and up until this point I’ve not seen anything that suggests that.”

Notice is also hereby given that any person having a claim against the Company is required, within 14 days of the date of this Notice, to send their names, addresses and particulars of their debts or claims to Sterling (Bahamas) Limited, the Liquidator of the Company, or in default thereof they will be excluded from the benefit of any distribution made before such debts or claims are proved.

Dated this 1st day of February 2022

Dated this 1st day of February 2022

MARKET REPORT BISX ALL SHARE INDEX:

been relatively slow are seeing an uptick also.

“The Christmas volumes really start to trickle in from October to November. If we were to run the filter reports for October to December, our volumes were slightly under-budget by 2 percent because a lot of things started to come in later in November. That is on the volumes.

“When we look at the volumes for November to December, we’re pretty much flat against Budget 50 TEUs less than or more than. We call that flat.

There’s nothing significant about that. We think it’s very positive. All indications are that Christmas volumes are better than they were last year.”

However, Mr Bethell conceded that the Bahamian economy still has some distance to travel before it fully rebounds. Noting that used cars made up 90 percent of a recent vehicle shipment, he added: “I would suspect

THE TRIBUNE

EPS $ - A company's reported earnings per share for the last 12 mths

Daily Vol. - Number of total shares traded today

NAV - Net Asset Value

DIV $ - Dividends per share paid in the last 12 months

N/M - Not Meaningful

P/E - Closing price divided by the last 12 month earnings

TO TRADE CALL: CFAL 242-502-7010 | ROYALFIDELITY 242-356-7764 | CORALISLE 242-502-7525 | LENO 242-396-3225 | BENCHMARK 242-326-7333

NOTICE NOTICE is hereby given that RUTH VANIA OMNIS of Hanna Hill, Emr, Grand, Bahamas, is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 2st day of February, 2022 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that NAZAIRE FERTILUS of P. O. BOX N-10326, Golden Gates No. 1, New Providence, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twentyeight days from the 26th day of January, 2022 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

NOTICE NOTICE is hereby given that HEPZ STANLEY RENAUD of South Beach, Nassau, Bahamas, is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/ naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 26th January, 2022 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, February 2, 2022, PAGE 21

GOV’T GIVES ‘PRIORITY FOCUS’ TO 30% FOREIGN DEBT RATIO

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE Government is giving “priority focus” to reducing its foreign currency debt to 30 percent of total liabilities in a bid to reduce pressure on The Bahamas’ currency peg and external reserves.

The target is set-out in the first-ever Mid-Term Debt Management strategy,

just released, which says the Government will increasingly look for domestic (Bahamian dollar) borrowing opportunities to finance its annual fiscal deficit and debt rollovers as it seeks to slash a foreign currency burden that currently accounts for 44.9 percent of its national debt.

“Priority focus will be given to ensuring the achievement, at the earliest, of the 30 percent target for the ratio of foreign debt

to total debt,” the report says. “The currency and interest rate composition of debt, as well as its maturity structure, are important determinants of debt vulnerability.

Therefore, external debt will be maintained at 30 percent (+/-5 percent) of total debt.

“Foreign currency borrowings are targeted at financing government’s capital expenditures, refinancing the global bond issuances, and achieving

policy action reforms designed to promote private sector-led growth, secure improvements in the policy, legal, and institutional framework for state-owned entities, public–private partnerships, fiscal management, and the business and investment climate, and build resilience to climate change, including emergency and disaster response.”

To achieve this goal, the Government is planning to

adopt a financing/borrowing strategy that reduces the risk associated with rising interest rates, and therefore debt servicing costs, by borrowing at fixed interest rates. In doing so, it still plans to extend the time at which its various debt principal issues mature.

As a result, it will raise 72 percent of its financing needs from the domestic Bahamian market and 28 percent from foreign sources. “In this context,

SELF-PATRONISING SOCIETY TO BOOST ENTREPRENEURS

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net THE chairman of a newly-formed Entrepreneurs Society yesterday said it aims to “build wealth” via a self-patronising strategy where all 171 small business owners support each other.

Deveka Wilson told Tribune Business that the

Society will select one member per week for all the others to patronise and visit. They pledge to spend money, up to $100 per person or more, with the chosen small business in a bid to keep all afloat amid the challenging COVID-19 climate.

“The Entrepreneurs Society was started by myself,” Ms Wilson said. “I am an entrepreneur and I came up

with an idea to gather 100 business owners.

“What we will do is we will now channel our funds and our monies to one business every week to help all of the businesses during this time with COVID-19. We are trying to inspire people, and trying to gather people, and also trying to create wealth with each other.”

With the Society’s membership having expanded rapidly to 171, Ms Wilson

said she now plans to patronise more than one business per week.

“Because the idea has grown a bit beyond 100 businesses, we have decided that the businesses that don’t have storefronts, what I will do is I will create like a festival system,” she explained.

“All of the smaller businesses that don’t have storefronts, they can set up tents. We can set up tents,

ABACONIANS NEED OWNERSHIP IN $60M MARSH HARBOUR PORT FROM PAGE 24 “I’m happy to see they’re actually making some kind of headway on it,” he told this newspaper. “There’s been, to my knowledge, no local consultation related to that port at all. The only thing I do know is that, just prior to the election being called, the former government asked the Chamber to put in a tender proposal for a PPP related to the port.

“We never heard anything back. We got no response or anything. I’m happy to hear of it, but I can tell you that to my knowledge there was absolutely no consultation over this at all. One would think that the users of a facility might want to be consulted on the use of that facility, but we’re very encouraged the current government seems to have made it a priority.”

Senator Dion Foulkes, former minister of transport and local government, first revealed the Minnis administration’s Marsh Harbour port PPP plans during his 2021-2022 Budget debate contribution in June.

This was the first sign that the Government was seeking private capital to redevelop the port, together with an operator to manage it, under what would likely be a lease arrangement similar to the Arawak Port Development Company (APD) deal in Nassau.

“The ministry, being cognisant that as a consequence of the devastating impact of Hurricane Dorian in 2019, the Marsh Harbour port in Abaco was completely destroyed and, too, in an effort to provide a secure and efficient port, wishes to advise that the Government is considering a PublicPrivate Partnership (PPP)

KEN HUTTON to effect the rebuilding and management of this port,” the Ministry of Transport said at the time.

“The Ministry of Transport and Local Government, in conjunction with the Disaster Reconstruction Authority (DRA), has formed a joint committee which is in the process of formulating plans for the issuance of a Public-Private

Partnership for the re-building of the Marsh Harbour port; the details of which will be forthcoming.”

Thus the Davis administration appears to have picked up where its predecessor left off. “It’s an absolutely critical piece of infrastructure,” Mr Hutton said yesterday of the port.

“It’s absolutely critical that the port be brought back up to international specifications as quickly as possible.”

The Abaco Chamber chief had previously voiced fears to Tribune Business that the PPP proposal may not come in time to sustain the port’s ongoing postDorian waiver from having to comply with global maritime security standards implemented after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.

A US Coast Guard and International Maritime Organisation (IMO)

and consistent with the key debt management objective of securing debt at the lowest cost and prudent degree of risk, the Government will continue to monitor market absorption metrics for domestic securities and leverage opportunities for a higher level of domestic issuances relative to foreign currency debt,” the Medium-Term Debt Management Strategy report said.

make it look really nice and everybody can patronise who they want at that time.”

Ms Wilson said she had been planning to create such a “festival system” for the past two years, but COVID-19 caused her to rethink her original plans and adapt to health and safety protocols imposed to mitigate the pandemic.

“I was just sitting down thinking that everybody

has a system,” she added.

“For example, one of my friends is Chinese and he’s a business owner, and they actually have an organisation where they pump monies into different businesses. Every quarter a business gets a certain amount, but they have to pay it back.

“So, after talking to my friend, I asked him how can the Bahamian people generate that type of wealth and that type of support?

So this festival system was my idea to start off a bigger vision.”

inspection of Marsh Harbour’s port had been due in July 2021, with the facility having received little to no repairs since - as the Ministry of Transport acknowledged - it was “completely devastated” by Hurricane Dorian in September 2019.

Adverse inspection findings could result in the present exemption from the International Shipping and Port Security (ISPS) standard being discontinued, which would result in

vessels bringing in reconstruction and daily supplies to Abaco being unable to return directly to the US. It is unclear whether that happened, but such a development would force these cargo vessels to instead offload their goods in Nassau or Freeport rather than Abaco, resulting in increased costs and extra time to get vital products to homeowners and businesses still rebuilding their Dorian-ravaged properties.

PAGE 22, Wednesday, February 2, 2022

DPM HOPES HILTON CLOSE ‘VERY SHORT’

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net THE deputy prime minister yesterday expressed hope that the British Colonial resort’s imminent February 15 closure “could be very short” if it quickly finds a replacement for the Hilton brand.

Chester Cooper, speaking ahead of the weekly Cabinet meeting, added that the property’s owner, China Construction America (CCA), will also likely recall many of the 130 workers it is set to terminate once a new operating/ management company is secured.

“The owners of the Hilton, CCA, are speaking actively with other potential brands and management

companies. Some of them are well known to all of us, and we will wait to see the outcome of those instructions,” he said.

“Suffice to say it is the intention of CCA to close the hotel on February 15 as has been announced and, at the same time, if they are able to secure a new management company swiftly, the closure period could be very short.

“So, we are hopeful that it works out and we will remain in touch with the owners of the property.

They are our partners.

They are committed to The Bahamas. They are also owners of other hotel properties nearby [The Pointe/Margaritaville].”

It is unclear why CCA has waited until the last minute to find a replacement brand/operating partner given that it would

have known the agreement with the Hilton was due to expire on February 15.

And the Hilton’s departure is not necessarily the reason why the resort is closing. Both Darrin Woods, the Bahamas Hotel, Catering and Allied Workers Union’s (BHCAWU) president, and Robert Farquharson, the director of labour, previously said the resort’s management had blamed the closure on its poor performance and absence of any improvement in the foreseeable future.

The British Colonial is likely to have been hit hardest than most resort properties because it was focused heavily on the corporate market, especially the group-led meetings, incentives, conventions and events segment that

has suffered more than any other tourism niche.

Besides the international segment, the resort’s local corporate business has also dried up as companies switch to meeting remotely via Zoom. Mr Cooper, though, held out hope that CCA may reverse the British Colonial’s closure by securing a new operating brand.

“Once they’re able to do that, then it’s very likely that they will recall most or all of the employees when they reopen. They will still need employees to run the property,” he added.

“To solve the issue, they need a manager, a brand and a network that they can go on and get guests to come to the property. And then, of course, the jobs will be available for qualified applicants. I won’t speak for them, but I am satisfied

GB AIRPORT BID TO LAUNCH IN 45 DAYS

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net

CHESTER COOPER

THE deputy prime minister yesterday said the Government plans to launch the bidding process to transform Grand Bahama International Airport into a “world class” facility within the next 45 days.

Chester Cooper, speaking before the weekly Cabinet meeting, said a Request for Proposal (RFP) seeking investors for a private-public partnership (PPP) model will be launched, while the Government is “moving swiftly” to complete the remedial repairs to the airport including the acquisition of five new generators and providing elevators for the control tower.

“We want to ensure that the airport is safe for day and night-time flights, and therefore we are shoring up the equipment that’s there at the moment,” he said.

“The airport is, in fact, safe.

We are doing day flights, we are doing night flights, but we are enhancing this equipment as well.

“We are concerned about the working conditions, and we have approved funding for some temporary fixes to ensure that the Bahamian people work in good quality conditions. So that’s the first point.”

Mr Cooper continued: “Secondly, we want to build a world-class airport here.

During the course of the next 45 days, we will go for an RFP. All of the work has already been done. We are

THE TRIBUNE

that they will recall some or most of the employees should that outcome happen.”

Mr Cooper said tourism numbers remain strong, and that The Bahamas “continues to lead the rebound in the Caribbean” while tracking slightly behind pre-pandemic levels.

He added: “But suffice to say our numbers are strong, and looking stronger moving forward.

We continue to have five ships a day in the harbour in terms of cruise lines, and this is comforting given the perils recently in the cruise industry.

“But we’re seeing positive numbers.

We’re hopeful that the CDC (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention) will re-look at the ratings very shortly. We’re seeing a significant drop in the number

of new cases of COVID, as you know, and this is going to bode positively for our tourism rating.”

Mr Cooper cautioned, though: “In terms of the CDC and the tourism bookings moving forward, we did see an impact generally on the group bookings, as we anticipated, but the individual bookings are very, very strong.

“The weather in the US, the proximity to the US, the strength and resilience of our product, the warmth of our people, still plays very well when it comes to getting new visitors to our shores.”

Mr Cooper said there are investment projects involving mining and renewable energy, as well as tourism, that the National Economic Council (NEC) is considering currently for approval.

simply doing final reviews and adjustments on it.

“But suffice to say we’re going to build a world-class airport that the Bahamian people can be very proud of in Grand Bahama. This is going to support the development of the hotel [Grand Lucayan], and also support the overall economy and the quality of life of the Bahamian residents and our guests in Grand Bahama.”

Mr Cooper said PPPs for other Family Island airports are moving forward.

“We are going to be releasing the call for investment participation for nine airports across The Bahamas.

So we’re proceeding, and we hope by the end of the second quarter we would have advanced this to a point where we have a short list,” he added.

With Grand Bahama certainly a “priority”, Mr Cooper added: “We

promised the people of Grand Bahama that we’re going to bring renewed focus to the island of Grand Bahama. It’s important that we do this to support the investment environment, as well as the residents and our our guests as I’ve indicated. So Grand Bahama airport is priority number one.”

He noted that several airport development projects are already underway, notably in Exuma and also the Great Harbour Cay Airport, which will soon be opening. “North Eleuthera is high priority given that it’s the second busiest airport in the country,” Mr Cooper said.

So, all of these will be done at the same time, and we were comforted by the level of interest that we’re seeing from the international community and the local community for these PPPs.”

Retail Jewelry Store Requires

Jewelry Designer

• Minimum of seven (7) years experience as Bench Jeweler in Wholesale or Retail Jewelry Industry; • Demonstrated proficiency and skill in the areas of sizing, chain repair, prong repairs and all types of stone settings, and polishing or other finishing techniques; • CAD design a plus; • Must be able to carve wax and know all stages of casting; • Must be able to complete 10 to 15 repairs on average per day dependent on the level of difficulty; • Must be able to read and understand instructions and complete repairs; • Must be able to order parts and stones and keep accurate inventory; • Must be able to work directly with customers as needed on repairs, redesign pieces, or make new pieces; • Being able to work with laser welder a plus; • Must be organized and able to communicate with others; • Must possess a gemology diploma (G.G., F.G.A or A.G.S.); Please send confidential resumes to: Human Resources RE: Bench Jeweler Nassau, Bahamas Email: Jobsplus2014@gmail.com Deadline: 7th Feb, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, February 2, 2022, PAGE 23

DISNEY ADDRESSES CRUISE PORT MARINA CONCERN

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net

DISNEY Cruise Line last night talked-up its environmental credentials by affirming that its Lighthouse Point cruise in South Eleuthera port will derive 90 percent of its energy from renewables.

Kim Prunty, Disney Cruise Line’s vice-president of public affairs, speaking at a Town Planning meeting on the project, said: “We have committed to develop less than 20 percent of the

property. The design currently calls for 16 percent of the acreage to be developed. Twenty-five percent of the land will be donated, and 59 percent will be left undeveloped.

“We’ve talked about the open trestle pier and the small marina not requiring dredging. We have elevated walkways and some areas to leave the underneath areas undisturbed. Ninety percent of our energy needs will be met with renewable energy. We are committing to ‘zero waste to landfill’.”

David Chiaradonna, Walt Disney Imagineering’s senior project manager,

added: “So this project, being a design build, the design has been well underway along with getting things in place like permits and packages ready to go out to each ministry for approval as the design progresses.

“Some of the early works that you’ll see going on here will pertain to the initial works with site clearing in February 2022, upcoming this month. Then, subsequently, following that, getting our actual work camp set up on property as well and then test piles as far as the marina is concerned.”

Casuarina McKinneyLambert, the Bahamas Reef, Environment and Educational Foundation (BREEF) executive director, asked how deeply the marina will be dredged given that it appears to go straight up to the shoreline.

Mr Chiaradonna responded: “The marina actually is a ‘no dredge’ solution, just like the rest of the marine scope for the project given the much lower draft needed by any type of boat that will occupy that area again. Marking for the third-party tours is roughly

two metres or six feet. So that ties into the pier. There is significant water depth there to do no dredging.

“As far as the roll and roll-off ramp is concerned, that is north of the marina.

Same for the roll-on, rolloff ramp that is a no dredge solution. Similar to how the pier is being built with bent or driven piles that cap, and then a superstructure deck to facilitate that, that’ll be built offshore to give the ships coming in there significant enough depth for their draft to deliver as well as closing a ‘no dredge’ solution.”

THE WEATHER REPORT

5-Day Forecast

TODAY

ORLANDO

High: 78° F/26° C Low: 59° F/15° C

TAMPA

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

Mostly sunny and breezy

Breezy early; otherwise, clear

Partly sunny with winds subsiding

Breezy in the a.m.; sunny, pleasant

Mostly sunny and nice

Mostly sunny and pleasant

High: 77°

Low: 68°

High: 79° Low: 67°

High: 80° Low: 66°

High: 79° Low: 67°

High: 78° Low: 66°

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

77° F

65° F

78°-64° F

81°-65° F

82°-65° F

81°-67° F

The exclusive AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature® is an index that combines the effects of temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precipitation, pressure and elevation on the human body—everything that affects how warm or cold a person feels. Temperatures reflect the high and the low for the day.

almanac

E

W

ABACO

S

N

High: 73° F/23° C Low: 69° F/21° C

8-16 knots

S

High: 77° F/25° C Low: 68° F/20° C

8-16 knots

FT. LAUDERDALE

FREEPORT

High: 77° F/25° C Low: 70° F/21° C

E S

E

W

WEST PALM BEACH

W

uV inDex toDay

THURSDAY

N

N

| Go to AccuWeather.com

TONIGHT

High: 79° F/26° C Low: 62° F/17° C

High: 75° F/24° C Low: 65° F/18° C

MIAMI

High: 77° F/25° C Low: 70° F/21° C

8-16 knots

KEY WEST

High: 77° F/25° C Low: 71° F/22° C

Statistics are for Nassau through 1 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 74° F/23° C Low .................................................... 64° F/18° C Normal high ....................................... 77° F/25° C Normal low ........................................ 64° F/18° C Last year’s high ................................. 83° F/29° C Last year’s low ................................... 67° F/19° C Precipitation As of 1 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.00” Year to date ................................................. 3.74” Normal year to date ..................................... 1.41”

ELEUTHERA

NASSAU

High: 77° F/25° C Low: 68° F/20° C

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2022

High: 75° F/24° C Low: 70° F/21° C

N

tiDes For nassau High

E

W

8-16 knots

S

10-20 knots

Low

Ht.(ft.)

8:31 a.m.

8:54 p.m.

3.3 2.7

2:11 a.m. -0.8 2:57 p.m. -0.7

Thursday

9:18 a.m.

9:44 p.m.

3.2 2.7

3:03 a.m. -0.7 3:43 p.m. -0.6

Friday

10:04 a.m.

10:33 p.m.

3.0 2.7

3:54 a.m. -0.5 4:28 p.m. -0.5

Saturday

10:50 a.m.

11:23 p.m.

2.7 2.6

4:44 a.m. -0.2 5:12 p.m. -0.4

Sunday

11:36 a.m.

-----

2.4 -----

5:36 a.m. 0.0 5:56 p.m. -0.2

Monday

12:13 a.m.

12:24 p.m.

2.5 2.2

6:30 a.m.

6:42 p.m.

0.3 0.0

Tuesday

1:06 a.m.

1:15 p.m.

2.4 1.9

7:28 a.m.

7:31 p.m.

0.4 0.1

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

6:52 a.m. Moonrise 5:55 p.m. Moonset

8:11 a.m.

7:39 p.m.

First

Full

Last

New

Feb. 8

Feb. 16

Feb. 23

Mar. 2

ANDROS

SAN SALVADOR

GREAT EXUMA

High: 76° F/24° C Low: 71° F/22° C

High: 77° F/25° C Low: 73° F/23° C

N

High: 76° F/24° C Low: 68° F/20° C

E

W S

LONG ISLAND

tracking map H

Ht.(ft.)

Today

High: 76° F/24° C Low: 71° F/22° C

N

S

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

The higher the AccuWeather UV IndexTM number, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.

CAT ISLAND

E

W

Ms Prunty said: “The beach access for residents and citizens of the Bahamas is whether a ship is in port or not in port. There will be a new public road on the north-east side of the property, and the Government has asked us to put in a parking area as well as beach amenities for convenience purposes.

“But people will be able to walk along the entire shoreline of the beach and, of course, anyone who would like to take tram transportation to the Point will certainly be able to do so.”

High: 77° F/25° C Low: 72° F/22° C

10-20 knots

MAYAGUANA High: 77° F/25° C Low: 71° F/22° C

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures

CROOKED ISLAND / ACKLINS

are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

RAGGED ISLAND High: 77° F/25° C Low: 74° F/23° C

High: 76° F/24° C Low: 73° F/23° C

GREAT INAGUA High: 78° F/26° C Low: 73° F/23° C

N

E

W

E

W

N

S

S

10-20 knots

12-25 knots

marine Forecast ABACO ANDROS CAT ISLAND CROOKED ISLAND ELEUTHERA FREEPORT GREAT EXUMA GREAT INAGUA LONG ISLAND MAYAGUANA NASSAU RAGGED ISLAND SAN SALVADOR

Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday:

WINDS E at 8-16 Knots ESE at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots E at 8-16 Knots ENE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots E at 10-20 Knots E at 10-20 Knots ESE at 8-16 Knots E at 10-20 Knots E at 10-20 Knots NE at 12-25 Knots ENE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots E at 8-16 Knots NE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 10-20 Knots NE at 10-20 Knots E at 10-20 Knots

WAVES 3-5 Feet 4-8 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-2 Feet 4-7 Feet 4-7 Feet 3-6 Feet 4-7 Feet 4-7 Feet 4-8 Feet 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-2 Feet 4-7 Feet 4-7 Feet 3-5 Feet 4-7 Feet 4-7 Feet 5-9 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 3-6 Feet 4-7 Feet 2-4 Feet 2-4 Feet

VISIBILITY 8 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 7 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 9 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 9 Miles 9 Miles 6 Miles 8 Miles 7 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 9 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 7 Miles 6 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 75° F 75° F 73° F 73° F 78° F 78° F 79° F 79° F 77° F 77° F 75° F 74° F 78° F 78° F 80° F 80° F 79° F 79° F 78° F 77° F 76° F 76° F 79° F 79° F 78° F 77° F

business@tribunemedia.net

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2022

$5.05

$5.09

$5.05

‘Closing the shortfall’: Port off 3% versus pre-COVID

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net NASSAU’S main commercial port has “closed significantly on making up the shortfall” with container volumes just 3 percent off pre-COVID volumes for the 2021 second half.

Dion Bethell, Arawak Port Development Company’s (APD) president and chief financial officer, told Tribune Business in a recent interview that the BISX-listed operator was “reasonably optimistic” it will return to 2019’s twentyfoot equivalent unit (TEU) throughput levels before its 2022 financial year closes at end-June.

Having experienced “a relatively busy” Christmas as merchants raced to beat the global supply chain crisis and stock up on inventory, he added that the Nassau Container Port’s cargo volumes continue to signal a rebounding economy as the post-COVID re-opening continues despite the recent case surge produced by the Omicron variant.

NASSAU CONTAINER PORT

• APD chief ‘optimistic’ catchup fully by end-June • TEU volumes up 9% yearon-year in second half • Used vehicles make up 90% of auto shipments

Abaconians need ownership in $60m Marsh Harbour port

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE Abaco Chamber of Commerce’s president yesterday said island residents must gain equity ownership in the $60m public-private partnership (PPP) to redevelop Marsh Harbour’s port.

Ken Hutton, speaking as the Government sought “expressions of interest” from potential developers and contractors, told Tribune Business it was “critical” that the port’s users and wider Abaco community have a stake in the project’s success.

“Again I think that any PPP or expression of interest that is received needs local Abaco input and consultation, if not outright equity participation in some form or other,” he urged. “It’s critical. If we’re going to pay the bills and run it, then the community itself and the users need an opportunity to benefit from it and invest in it.”

The “expression of interest” request, released by the Ministry of Transport and Housing on Monday, conceded that The Bahamas faces “critical infrastructure development gaps” when it comes to the country’s ports, which it described as “essential to the country’s medium and long-term economic and social development”.

Marsh Harbour’s port, which acts as the main commercial shipping entry point for Abaco, was devastated by Hurricane Dorian and there has been little action by the Government to effect the necessary repairs until now.

The ministry’s “expression of interest” calls for a PPP arrangement with a private sector developer or port operator, which is able to raise the necessary financing, “to create the performance dynamics of a modern port” and “develop, further, quality infrastructure that will produce value for every investment dollar.

“It is envisioned that the Marsh Harbour port will become a trade facility, both locally and internationally, by increasing internal and external demand for port services,” it added, calling on bidders to address finance, marketing, operations and security factors associated with such a project.

Mr Hutton, meanwhile, said there had been no response from the Davis administration or its predecessor to the PPP proposal for the Marsh Harbour port that the Chamber had submitted in response to the latter’s request.

SEE PAGE 21

FRANKLYN BUTLER

Disclosing that TEU volumes for the last six months of the 2021 calendar year were 9 percent ahead of prior year comparatives, Mr Bethell also confirmed that cargo throughput for the NovemberDecember run-up to Christmas was “pretty much flat” against expectations with performance within 50 containers of the projected amount.

ALLAN BUTLER

THE Milo Butler Group is aiming to “reignite” downtown Freeport via a potential $10m investment, with renovations to the former City Markets building set to finish within the next 90-120 days.

Franklyn Butler, who has just overseen a transition to fourth generation leadership in the familyowned business, told Tribune Business yesterday it hopes to be “a catalyst” that will inspire others to follow suit, adding: “You

can’t have a city of Freeport with no commercial district.”

With BISX-listed AML Foods having already signed a long-term 30-year lease to occupy two-thirds of the 30,000 square foot York Street building, he added that the group hoped its investment would make a dent in the “vandalism and vagrancy” impacting the area.

Besides the former City Markets property, the group also owns the adjacent 30,000 square foot Pantry Pride property, giving it some 60,000 square feet of combined

LEON GRIFFIN

DAMIAN GOMEZ QC

Receivers take over murder victim’s luxury goods group • Judge grants move after vicious $34m legal battle • ‘Smear’ attempts embroiled Leon Griffin’s business • Tax evasion, ‘siphoning off sales’ allegations fly

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

space that it plans to upgrade and use to attract other quality commercial tenants back to downtown Freeport.

“We’ve already started renovations to the downtown property that used to be the former City Markets,” Mr Butler told this newspaper. “I was in Freeport and there’s a tonne of excitement around what is being done there.

“For the people of Grand Bahama this is monumental, and we hope to be able to do some stuff with the surrounding properties in downtown

RECEIVERS have taken over the luxury goods retail group headed by an ex-PLP Cabinet minister’s murdered husband in a bid to resolve a bitter $34m legal dispute.

Damian Gomez QC yesterday confirmed to Tribune Business that the Supreme Court had approved accountants Michael Hepburn and Richard Simms to act as joint receivers and managers for the late Leon Griffin’s Treasures Bahamas group and its eight stores.

The former minister of state for legal affairs, who is acting for a US-based luxury goods supplier in its acrimonious court battle with Mr Griffin’s business interests, said the duo have been charged with continuing to run Treasures Bahamas’ operations - including the outlet that the Prime Minister broke his “voluntary” quarantine to buy Christmas presents from - as a going concern.

And they will also review the group’s financial records, and perform an accounting, to determine the validity of multiple competing claims of who owes what to whom, and how much. Mr Gomez said Messrs Hepburn and Simms are due to produce a report on their findings “in about three months.”

He spoke after Justice Loren Klein, in a January 28, 2022, ruling confirmed that he had “granted” permission for the joint receivers and managers’ appointment after it was either agreed “or not opposed” by legal representatives acting for all parties following Mr Griffin’s December 23, 2021, murder.

The judge also refused to grant an injunction sought by Mr Gomez’s client, Satish Daryanani, principal of Miamibased Sovereign Jewelry, who had been seeking a Supreme Court order barring Treasures Bahamas and its franchisor from selling any “unsold goods” he has supplied as well as requiring them to return all product that was unsold as at January 15, 2021, last year.

Justice Klein found that Treasures Bahamas was “more at risk of suffering irreparable damage to their business goodwill and reputation” if he granted the

SEE PAGE 19

SEE PAGE 17

SEE PAGE 20

JEVON BUTLER

Milo Butler aims to ‘reignite’ Freeport

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

$4.99

Workplace safety hit by inspector shortage

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE Bahamas faces “significant constraints” in upholding workplace health and safety laws and standards because there are just seven labour inspectors to cover the entire country.

The country’s Decent Work Country Programme 20212026, which has been seen by Tribune Business, said “data limitations” and the failure to share statistics only worsened the lack of enforcement as this made it difficult to identify companies with a high frequency of workplace accidents.

“There are significant constraints on labour inspection capacity in The Bahamas,”

the report said.”The Department of Labour has just seven permanent labour inspectors responsible for inspection activities across the entire archipelago.

“Four inspectors are located in New Providence, one in Abaco, one in Grand Bahama, and one in Andros that also covers the Berry Islands.

Labour inspectors carry out workplace visits, both on their own initiative and in response to complaints.

“Inspectors aim to prioritize high-risk workplaces – such as large construction sites – but there is no systematic application of a unit-wide strategic compliance approach and inspection activities are primarily reactive, not proactive.”

Turning to the data gaps, the report added: “Severe data

limitations prevent an adequate assessment of enforcement outcomes, as well as impeding operational effectiveness - for example, data to inform a proactive risk-based inspection approach - and contributing to significant gaps in the wider labour market information and analysis system.

“The lack of systematic data sharing between the Department of Labour and the National Insurance Board (NIB) impedes effective coordination in relation to occupational safety and health - for example, identifying workplaces with a high incidence of occupational health and safety (OSH) accidents.”

To address this issue, the Bahamas’ Decent Work Country Programme 2021-2026 said the International Labour

Organisation (ILO) and its partners will help to build the necessary capacity at the Department of Labour.

“The ILO will provide initial advisory support to the Department of Labour and the National Tripartite Council in relation to the review and, where possible, the implementation of measures to reduce the scope of the labour inspection unit’s mandate in order to enhance its focus on core preventative and compliance activities, and optimise scarce human resources,” it said.

The report suggested that the Industrial Relations Act be reformed “to eliminate the role of labour inspectors in supervising certain internal trade union procedures, or consider

SEE PAGE 20