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Volume: 119 No.59, February 16, 2022

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THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: PRICE–$1

HOW FAIR ARE PRICES WE’RE HAVING TO PAY?

As inflation rises, stores facing question of how much margin they make

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net A FORMER Price Control Commission chairman says the inflation on goods has been compounded by a markup system that is not consumer friendly.

In an interview yesterday, Danny Sumner said the government should pay keen attention to the markup on items in a way that lessens the blow to the consumer and allows vendors while allowing wholesalers to still make a profit.

Mr Sumner is the most

recent PCC chairman and was released from his contract in December. Despite no longer holding the post, Mr Sumner said he remains concerned about the plight facing the average shopper.

“The country has vendors in the United States and in Canada or wherever they purchase food items from,” Mr Sumner said. “The wholesalers then bring these items in and some of these items go directly to the food stores. Some food stores have local vendors here so a lot of the food stores purchase locally.

SEE PAGE FIVE

WHILE COVID-19 cases and hospitalisations have declined since the start of the fourth wave, Health Minister Dr Michael Darville says the health system remains challenged and suggested no loosening of restrictions is imminent.

He noted that in the first week of January there were more than 2,000 cases; last week there were about 120 cases reported.

“This is definitely demonstrating that we’re moving

RECOMMENDATIONS on a minimum wage increase could be submitted to government “within a month”, Tribune Business was told yesterday, although a liveable version is “way down the road”.

Peter Goudie, who heads the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation’s labour division, and is its representative on the National Tripartite Council, said it was impossible to determine whether an increase to $250 per week - as pledged by the government during the general election campaign will be the outcome until all research is completed.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

in the right direction and we are still in the fourth wave, but we believe we are at the tail end,” he said before heading into a Cabinet meeting.

“For us, restrictions are not just numbers based, restrictions are directly tied into what’s been happening at our tertiary institutions.

“We still have some challenges at the Princess Margaret Hospital, the Rand Memorial Hospital and until we’re satisfied that a lot of the challenges that we currently face are SEE PAGE FOUR

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

DORIAN AND COVID COST BUSINESSES $7.5 BILLION

RESTRICTIONS REMAIN AS FOURTH WAVE DYING OUT

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

SUGGESTED MINIMUM WAGE JUST WEEKS AWAY

BUDDY BLITZ

COVID-19 and Hurricane Dorian will inflict a combined $7.5bn loss on The Bahamas, a United Nations agency is forecasting, “inhibiting social and economic development for years to come”.

A report released yesterday predicts that the twin disasters have cost this nation a sum equivalent to 60 percent of its economic output.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

BUDDY Hield hit top form last night with his new team, the Indiana Pacers scoring 36 points although it wasn’t to be enough. See PAGE 16 SPORTS for the full story.

HILTON COULD REOPEN IN TWO MONTHS

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

TOURISM, Investments and Aviation Minister Chester Cooper says the British Colonial Hilton has attracted a major international brand to support the property since announcing its closure earlier this year.

His comment came yesterday, the day the Hilton made its staff redundant after deciding to cease operations.

THE HILTON in Nassau.

Hilton’s director of operations Lynne Johnson told staff in a January letter that officials could not foresee steps to avoid closure, a

move that impacted more than 100 employees.

Mr Cooper said based on the information he has received, the closure should only last about two months.

“There has to be some renovations to the property,” Mr Cooper said yesterday. “We are advised that the property will close for renovations. We hope that this will be a short period of time.”

SEE PAGE THREE

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

ALICIA WALLACE: THE SIGNS ARE THERE - YOU JUST HAVE TO READ THEM

- SEE PAGE EIGHT

PAGE 2, Wednesday, February 16, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

PARTICIPANTS at the National Training Agency yesterday. Photos: Racardo Thomas/Tribune Staff

Training to take the step into workplace

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

EXECUTIVE chairman Agatha Marcelle speaking yesterday.

THE National Training Agency will teach practical and soft skills to more than 100 Bahamians registered for its 19th cohort, aimed at helping them into the workplace.

The training lasts for 14 weeks.

NTA executive chairman Agatha Marcelle told The Tribune she believes 168 people have registered for the new cohort.

“The entire thing is 14 weeks. Skills (training) is ten weeks. Skills (training) is two days over ten weeks and for practical skills, soft skills is three days over four weeks. Three half days.

They’re all half days.”

Attitude management, behaviour, and work

dynamics are just a few topics that will be covered.

While addressing the cohort, State Minister for Social Services and Urban Development Lisa Rahming gave encouragement to those in attendance.

She reminded the group about the importance of being trained before seeking a job. “Do you know how many times they come to (the Ministry of) Social Services, Urban Development, and the other ministries and they only say that they want a job but nobody says I wanna be trained first and then give me a job. You have gone a step up,” she said.

“The government of The Bahamas has invested $500 in each of you. It sounds very little, maybe to you, but look at the state that our country is in.

Financially, we’re trying to keep our heads above water and the government has decided that this is important. You are important.

Preparing you for the workplace is important and they invested that $500,” Ms Rahming said.

Ms Marcelle also spoke of the importance of the investment to the cohort.

“It’s really a little more than $500 that we invest in each of you so that when you are finished with your classes you can make a whole lot more than you would if you didn’t do it,” she said.

She also had some motivating words for the group.

“We work together and we do this for you all and I’ll tell you why it’s because we believe that absolutely nothing is impossible. We want you to know that.”

LISA RAHMING, Minister of State for Social Services, speaking yesterday.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, February 16, 2022, PAGE 3

HILTON COULD REOPEN IN TWO MONTHS

from page one

“We hope that the staff will be absorbed into the other properties that’s owned by CCA (China Construction America), the same developer that owns the Hilton, so we are positive about these outcomes.

“We look forward to them coming to fruition but we anticipate that over the course of time, the developers themselves will make an announcement along these lines.

“We’ve spoken with them at the very highest

levels, myself, along with the Prime Minister have spoken with the chairman and the executive of CCA, the owners of the Hilton.

They are committed to The Bahamas. They are committed to the property, at Number One, Bay Street and certainly they are committed to their other developments next door.

“So, we are optimistic about the future and we look forward to the further enhancement of Bay Street. I’m not at liberty to announce the partner of CCA, that’s something they would need to

disclose, but we anticipate perhaps a closure of two months based on the information that we received.”

Sandals Royal Bahamian reopened after extensive renovations last month.

Sandals executives said they would engage Hilton employees who were made redundant.

Adrian Whitehead, general manager of the resort, said: “They have good grounding, so it makes sense for us to engage people that already have a certain amount of training and initiative in the industry as well.”

DEPUTY Prime Minister Chester Cooper.

Photo: Donavan McIntosh/Tribune Staff

Cabinet discussing abortion legal change

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

MINISTER of Health & Wellness Dr Michael Darville.

Photo: Donavan McIntosh/Tribune Staff

MINISTER of State for Public Service Pia Glover-Rolle.

GLOVER-ROLLE URGES SICK OUT STAFF TO GO BACK TO WORK

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

AFTER some government employees reportedly engaged in a “sick out” because of overdue promotions, State Public Service Minister Pia Glover-Rolle yesterday urged them to go back to work, adding her office had just received recommendations from their ministry for the promotions exercise.

Her comments came when she was asked about a sick out by accounting and financial officers throughout the public service in solidarity over outstanding

promotions and back pay.

Asked about the issue before heading into a Cabinet meeting, Ms Glover-Rolle answered: “I understand that as well, and I was kind (of) taken aback by it because we just received their recommendation from their ministry and how promotions work, you would have to receive recommendations from a human resource unit of the various ministries or department. We’ve just received those.

“Literally, I just got those on my desk yesterday (Monday). So as of today, the HR special projects unit is starting to work on

that promotional exercise.

I hope that they would go back to work simply because we’re just getting their information, we’re just getting the recommendations and we’re just getting started. I anticipate the process may take about four weeks.”

Asked how many people were involved in the reported action, she said: “I’m not aware of the amount, financial officers, but I know that we’ve received over 100 recommendations.”

It is unclear which ministry or departments were affected by the reported action.

Photo: Donavan McIntosh/Tribune Staff

HEALTH Minister Dr Michael Darville says the question of whether abortion should be decriminalised is an issue Cabinet has started discussing.

Marion Bethel, the country’s representative on the UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), has said decriminalising abortion should be prioritised along with criminalising marital rape and establishing a gender-based violence authority.

Her recent comment to The Nassau Guardian on the matter came as a delegation from the country prepares to head to the United Nations next month.

“As far as the decriminalisation of abortion, that’s an issue that we need to bring to Cabinet,” Dr Darville said yesterday. It’s an issue that many countries around the world struggle with.

“As far as our position, that has not been finalised

but we’re aware of the challenges as a result of violence against women, we’re aware of the challenges of abortions. All of these things are issues that affect society and the Davis administration intends to confront the issues but at this particular time I cannot indicate what the Cabinet position is on it, but there has been some discussions, but I’ll leave it like that.

“As a physician, my position is a complex one. I don’t want to discuss it as it stands right now because there are so many different dimensions. Maybe one day we’ll have a symposium, because there are illegal abortions, there’s clinical abortions, there’s abortions that are tied into the possible death of the mother.

These are sometimes tough decisions that need to be made so when we look at it just at the name itself in the medical arena, there’s many different areas where tough decisions need to be made but me personally, I withhold my position at this particular time because I do have strong positions.”

PAGE 4, Wednesday, February 16, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

PEOPLE queuing for COVID-19 vaccines in October last year.

Four in ten Bahamians now fully vaccinated

By PAVEL BAILEY

A LOCAL infectious disease expert said about 40 percent of the population are fully vaccinated but cautioned against rescinding COVID-19 safety protocols too soon.

Dr Nikkiah Forbes, director of the National HIV/ AIDS and Infectious Disease Programme at the Ministry of Health, discussed how The Bahamas has currently achieved an estimated 40 percent of the population being fully vaccinated as of February 12.

With vaccine hesitancy still an issue, she said it’s unlikely the country will reach 50 percent to 75 percent vaccination by the end of the year.

“So, on the 12 of February the dashboard says that 160,655 persons are fully vaccinated and when you divide that by the 400,000 rough estimate of the population projection that works out to be roughly 40 percent,” she said yesterday.

While Dr Forbes is encouraged by the figure, she cautioned the public that being vaccinated does

NIKKIAH FORBES not fully reduce the risk of being infected with COVID-19 especially against newer strains of the virus.

“We know that persons can get reinfected with COVID even if they’ve had COVID and that it is possible with emerging variants especially that even if you are vaccinated, it is possible that one can still get a breakthrough infection. Especially when we are seeing these variants emerge that the vaccines may not work as well against.”

She said despite the strides made in vaccination

numbers, there has been a slow down in vaccination rates recently and that vaccine hesitancy is still a real issue amongst certain members of the public.

“I can say that vaccine uptake has slowed and there is vaccine hesitancy and not just here, but in many places. And so there would need to be a significant shift to reach that (50-75 percent vaccination milestone) by the end of the year. And so going on the current uptake and the uptake trend experience, it is very unlikely.”

As other countries in the world, such as the UK and US, move to relax public mask mandates, Dr Forbes warned that The Bahamas’ vaccination coverage is not at the same level of those more developed nations and as such advised the public to continue adhering to public mask wearing policies for the foreseeable future.

“We would have to consider that our vaccination coverage is not as good as the United Kingdom.

I think if you research it their vaccination coverage is somewhere around 70 percent fully vaccinated persons. So, what does that

mean exactly, if you’re fully vaccinated and you get COVID the overwhelmingly for the most part your symptoms what you experience will be between a cold and a flu (for) most persons.

“Meaning that the risk is significantly lower in a population that is highly vaccinated so that the healthcare system may not be overwhelmed. These are all of the things one would have to consider and so mask wearing is absolutely a strategy that we should continue to do in our country given the very tenuous state that the healthcare system would be in if we are in a surge and that our vaccination coverage is still suboptimal for people.”

However, Dr Forbes commended government efforts to increase public vaccination rates with on-the-spot vaccination walkabouts, like ones held in local communities like Bain Town and Yellow Elder Park last weekend, calling the initiative innovative and further encouraging the government to raise public awareness on vaccine safety.

“I think it’s very innovative and it meets people where they are, and vaccine hesitancy does have to be addressed one-on-one. And it is all going to contribute to and lead to more persons that are vaccinated and that means that there are less people who are at risk for being in hospital or dying of

COVID and so I think it is a good innovative strategy and it needs to happen in more places.”

She acknowledged that the country is still in the Omicron wave and that the curve has flattened. However, she said things can change.

“We are still in it (the Omicron wave), but we flattened the curve and there are things we all need to continue to do to keep the numbers low. And, for example, in previous waves we started to have an increase as we got into the summer and late spring and so on related to travel and so we’ve got to continue to all do our part if we want to keep it low because that can change.”

from page one

big decisions.

Nineteen COVID-19 cases were recorded on the February 13 dashboard while 22 cases were recorded on the February 14 dashboard. According to the latest information from health officials, 42 people were in hospital with the disease as of Monday — down from 44 on Sunday — with three of them in the intensive care unit.

Dr Darville did not answer whether a specific threshold of hospitalisations will trigger a loosening of restrictions, but said hospitalisations will be a factor.

“That is a positive sign,” he said. “The less people who come to hospital with moderate to severe complications, the better indicators that we’re having that we should begin to loosen a bit more because we should think in context of our economy.

We want our economy to grow so we should open up additional sectors of our economy and it is all tied in with numbers going down and hospitalisations going down. Things are trending in the right direction, but our hospitals are still challenged.”

RESTRICTIONS REMAIN AS FOURTH WAVE DYING OUT being resolved we will have to move slowly rather than quickly because the healthcare facilities are absolutely necessary in order for us to reduce the mortality and the morbidity associated with COVID-19.”

Some places around the world are beginning to do away with mask and vaccine mandates. Dr Darville said “one hat does not fit all” and that health officials will examine the pandemic in the context of the local situation before making any

THE TRIBUNE

‘Abaco is in great need’

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net AN Abaco pastor says there is a great need for social assistance on the island as people struggle to feed themselves amid increased food costs due to inflation.

Pastor Silbert Mills told The Tribune yesterday that the situation has been compounded by the addition of value added tax on breadbasket items, which were zero-rated under the previous Minnis administration.

Months before much of the country experienced the blow of higher food costs, Pastor Mills said Abaco was already suffering higher than normal prices.

“The inflation hit Abaco a long time ago before the real inflation began in the county because right after COVID-19, we had a supply chain issue and prices were jumping up without notice and in a manner we had never seen before,” Pastor Mills said.

“That has been exacerbated by the recession that’s on.

“So, we were going through the high cost of goods long before the recession began.”

He also said: “The food costs have always been higher in Abaco than anywhere else. We’re still experiencing that now and even though there was a 10 percent reduction on VAT on food supply there is absolutely no way that you can convince me that

adding 10 percent onto breadbasket items has not hurt us. That is truly hurting us in the bottom line.

“It’s rough up here to do shopping. We have just two choices to choose from and the prices are basically the same in both.

“There is a great need for social assistance in Abaco.

I don’t know how the single mothers are making it and a lot of the senior citizens how they’re really making it as far as them being able to live and go to the food store. But it’s just so very expensive that I can see that here is great need from a church perspective.

I am a senior pastor in a church and every day we see the need. People are in need of assistance for food vouchers and help just generally.”

He said previously he was able to help those in need, but his church’s supply of goods has been depleted and tithes and offerings are lower than usual.

“During the pandemic after Dorian we had partnered with some of the NGOs and the government food assistance where we were one of the locations that was distributing food weekly and hundreds would come out every week to receive bags of groceries and when that cut off, I don’t know how these people were making it.

“They were so dependent and became reliant on that that I really don’t know how these people are making it now.

“Our resources have been exhausted in that regard. A lot of our members have been displaced so the revenue from tithes and offering has also been impacted so you don’t have a whole lot to go around in this regard and so it’s just a tough situation that we’re facing and as we’re going through it there seems to be no end in sight.

“You know recessions, they’ll say maybe we’re looking to see this end in 12 months, but nobody is talking about the end of this thing yet and that’s the scary part of this recession that we’re going through.”

He is also of the view that more could have been done by now in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian.

Public view has shifted toward the progress of Abaco and Grand Bahama nearly three years after the storm’s passage with revelations about the money paid out for contracts under the Disaster Reconstruction Agency and its former managing director’s hefty salary and gratuities.

Pastor Mills said: “I think more can always be done.

I think the decision not to build a single house that the (former) government made was a serious indictment on their help to hurting people and it translated in them losing both seats in Abaco and so that speaks for itself.

“We had the biggest disaster that the country has ever seen. Homes were flattened from Central

Abaco down to Cooper’s Town and the government made the decision that they were not going to help one person rebuild.

That was not a good decision. Not even in hindsight from jump street and those persons who needed help still do not have a home.

“That’s a bad bad situation to be in. They are struggling and they have no idea what the next step will be with regards to a home.

This is talking about single parents, senior citizens.

You know I go back to the Ingraham administration and Hurricane Floyd. We built 80 something homes for people after (Hurricane) Floyd.

“The Christie administration after (Hurricane) Francis and Jean, they built almost 100 homes for people and the greatest disaster in the western hemisphere with the most horrific storm there was, the government chose in its policy not to rebuild a single home.

“That was a catastrophic mistake,” he said.

In April 2021, more than 2,500 homeowners were currently being assisted in Grand Bahama and Abaco since the Small Homes Repair programme resumed under the DRA. At the time, according to Wendell Grant, project director of DRA, funds amounting to some $2.7m were given for home repairs since the programme resumed in February 2021.

‘WE MUST FIGHT TO KEEP DOWN COST OF LIVING’

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net FREEPORT civic leader Pastor Eddie Victor believes “there needs to be a collective fight to keep down the cost of living on Grand Bahama”, especially now with rising inflation.

Mr Victor, founder of Coalition of Concerned Citizens, said decision makers must look at ways to keep prices down for consumers.

He believes it is possible inflation could reach double-digits or even higher.

In January, the US inflation rate hit a 40-year high with a 7.5 percent year-over year increase.

That same month, The Bahamas government slashed the VAT rate from 12 percent to 10 percent, however breadbasket items, which were previously zero-rated, now have the tax applied to them. Some people have complained that this has placed an added burden on the poor.

“It is going to be hard because Grand Bahamians are already struggling now, but these double digits are coming, and we are going to see even greater increases (in prices) coming,” said Pastor Victor.

“And so, it becomes necessary for persons who are in authority who make decisions that affect the cost of things to see things differently. It is not so much… of covering the expense, you got to look at how you’re going to get your customer base to pay for these things.”

Mr Victor said this includes the government, the Grand Bahama Port Authority and other decision makers.

“There needs to be a collective fight to keep down the cost of living on the island,” said the civic

leader. “Like this ridiculous decision that the regulator, the Grand Bahama Port Authority, made to increase the rate of electricity on the island. That will become a major impediment to the cost of living.”

In mid-January, the Grand Bahama Port Authority announced it approved Grand Bahama Power Company’s rate case application for a base rate increase of 3.3 percent as opposed to 6.3 percent initially proposed for residential and commercial customers. The increase takes effect on April 1.

The Davis administration was against the rate increase.

“Just when the government repealed two percent on the VAT, you have a power company wanting to increase their rates - it makes no sense. There should be guardians that say, ‘hey no, we can’t do this now; we have to keep the cost of living down,’” Mr Victor said.

He believes there is going to be a widespread impact on people’s lives and finances.

“Life is about happiness.

So, the cost of utilities, groceries, and other services should not rob you of your finances and leave you in a state where you cannot enjoy life. That defeats the purpose of life.

It should always be enough to just do things to make you happy.”

Mr Victor commended businesses that are committed to keeping prices down.

“A (food store) has publicly declared they are working to keep prices down so they can please their customers, and there are a number of businesses that have that type of mindset on Grand Bahama, and we need everyone to have that mindset on Grand Bahama,” he said.

PASTOR EDDIE VICTOR

Wednesday, February 16, 2022, PAGE 5

HOW FAIR ARE PRICES WE’RE HAVING TO PAY? from page one “This could have a little implication as to how the prices fluctuate.

“Be that as it may, we know that there is inflation going on and things are going up worldwide, but to combat this situation right now I think we need to get everybody on deck to sit down and rationalise what is the margin after customs duty and VAT. “So, if a certain food store chain brings in these foods for the country we need to sit down and let them rationalise with us either on the wholesale level or the retail level as to how they get to the pricing before the items go to the shelves and if we do that we can minimise on some of the pricing that is going up.

“I don’t think we are really dealing with price gouging. It is more of a markup system that maybe it is not consumer friendly.

“We know for a fact that the markup price on breadbasket items is only 23 percent. That is documented and that is law so the items that are being deemed as breadbasket items, the markup is 23 percent.

“Now, there is no set markup for other items other than breadbasket.

So, we don’t know if they are marking up the other things 30 percent, 40 percent or even 50 percent.”

He continued: “This is something that is critically important. I think it is something that needs to be looked at to see how

the merchants or how the owners reached the prices that they are targeting on the Bahamian consumers and if they can do that I think and maybe perhaps the government could revamp the law a bit. I think the price control law needs to be brought up to speed a bit.

“We don’t want to overburden the retailers and wholesalers because they do have overhead expenses and staff to pay, etc, but on the same token the consumers have to survive and are bearing the cost of these high prices.”

Mr Sumner pointed to increased gas prices, adding this would also impact the cost of goods.

“So, with all this in mind I would like to see a better dialogue between the consumers, the government and wholesalers and retailers that is where we can itemise things.

“When you look for example like meats, they are extremely high and most of them are dutyfree and some things are high in the produce area like grapes, etc, but, like I said, we don’t know what pricing is passed on to the stores before the consumers.

“So, if we could have some kind of mechanism or some kind of meeting to see if we can come to a good solution to minimise the pricing that would help,” Mr Sumner said.

This comes as many people have been feeling the pinch financially in recent weeks from a spike in prices, particularly when shopping for groceries.

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PAGE 6, Wednesday, February 16, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

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Excess markup exacerbates price rises APPARENTLY, Bahamian consumers are on the wrong end of a markup system not designed to benefit them.

Who could have guessed?

Perhaps it may have dawned on more than a few of us as we look at the prices while we go shopping and compare them to the prices we might see elsewhere. Perhaps it might have occurred to us when we packed our bags with purchases during visits to Florida on shopping runs rather than paying out in our local store. After all, if you can save money while adding the cost of a flight and a hotel to your shopping, something isn’t adding up somewhere. It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to solve this mystery.

So while we welcome the comments of former Price Control Commission chairman Danny Sumner, we would have appreciated a bit more determination to tackle the problem – or be more forthright in his comments on it – when he was still in that post.

Take a walk along the aisle of many stores and the problem is right in front of our eyes, literally.

We have seen ourselves products such as an English pie marked with £1.99 (about $2.69) on the tin, and yet a $10 price tag above it. Bear in mind the price marked on the tin takes into account the supposed markup, and import and duty don’t account for all that difference.

What we should point out, however, is that this is nothing new. High markups on some products were happening in Mr Sumner’s time, they are happening now.

There is a collection of different issues affecting prices. Inflation is part of it. The global supply chain issues are another large part of it with shipping companies prioritising high value shipments over others. An increase in oil prices is another. What excessive markup does is exacerbate these issues.

You know what you pay at the grocery store normally – and you can feel the

pinch when spending $100 doesn’t get you what it got you three months ago, even taking into account the return of VAT on breadbasket items.

There are some areas where we can be aware as customers, and be ready to take our business elsewhere if someone overcharges – but there are others such as grocery stores where we need the Price Control Commission to be vigilant. Can we work together and hold a meeting to come to a solution to minimise the pricing, as Mr Sumner suggests? Perhaps, perhaps not – but it would certainly be worth trying.

Minimum wage A recommendation on a minimum wage increase could be submitted within a month, it is reported – and it brings a tough choice for Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis.

On the campaign trail, he was promising an increase to $250 a week, but with money tight in both the private and public sector, it will be interesting to see if he sticks with that.

Then again, with prices on the rise, anything less might barely shift the bar on living standards from what it has been.

As ever, there will be the question of what the government wants to do, and what the government can afford to do.

Fall short of that election promise, and Mr Davis might have some unhappy supporters to answer. Spend money we don’t have, and we might see job losses or an increase in the deficit.

Still, a pandemic would not have been the circumstances any of us would have wanted while these decisions were being made.

It’s easy to promise on the campaign trail, now Mr Davis has to show what he can deliver.

Pension form and invasion of privacy EDITOR, The Tribune.

A FRIEND sent a copy of the “Pension Continuing Eligibility Form 2022” which he recently received from NIB. Commenting on the new requirements, which may or may not be as proscribed in the legislation he says.

Section IV 4. i.-iv . They want you to tell them everything you own, obviously with the object in mind of taking those out of the Fund who they think have enough, so they don’t need a pension.

They overlook an important fact that, just

like any other private Pension Fund that one has been paying into to secure a pension, what you own has nothing to do with one’s entitlement to the Pension.

These are extremely invasive questions into one’s privacy. No matter how much they promise on privacy of the information, we all know this will be available to anyone on approaching the right person. This could also incite kidnaping, blackmailing, etc.

Underhanded way of finding out people’s wealth

by Government.

Section IV 5-7. This obviously intended to strip pensions from those that moved overseas when they retired or left The Bahamas.

As above, if you have been paying into the NIB Fund towards getting a Pension, it does not matter where you live, you are entitled to it.

Wondering if this is another pro-bono publico in the making for Fred Smith.

MONKEEDOO Nassau, February 15, 2022.

Double standard EDITOR, The Tribune.

THE alcoholic beverages are flowing, the basketball court has been taken over by their volleyball net, the pavilion is full, and it is not

available to our children and residents.

This is becoming a regular occurrence as the Police look the other way.

It’s Bahamians who they love to harass, cite and

lockup!

My God is alive and taking notes.

DENNIS DAMES, JP Nassau, February 14, 2022.

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Emancipate your mind, Bahamas EDITOR, The Tribune.

I HAVE been reading with despair about events happening in our beloved country and seeing the blatant lack of care for we, the people, who continue to be blinded and duped by partisan “politricks” instead of demanding accountability, transparency, and truth!

I congratulate the Organisation for Responsible Governance www.orgbahamas.com that continues to educate and advocate for the passing of the Freedom of Information Act. Unfortunately, I have little faith that it will be passed because our ‘politrickcians’ know no other way to operate other than under the cover of secrecy which is why The Bahamas continues to be smeared with having an increasing level of corruption!

A case in point is the latest hot topic of the former administration’s alleged mishandling of DRA funds.

As a concerned citizen, I wrote several letters to the press asking questions and looking for answers to no avail. So what was the opposition doing during the past two years when all of this was allegedly going on?

Was it not their responsibility to ask questions and get answers?

Are we, the people, content to gossip about each day’s scandalous revelations whilst the mustard and ketchup partisan battle rages on – one no better than the other - whilst completely neglecting the bigger picture after the fact, and to our detriment? Do we not realise that is our money that is now all gone – allegedly squandered yet again, leaving us saddled with the substantial generational debt incurred to be paid by us, our children, our children’s children, and beyond?

This is a recurring travesty, yet we remain dumb, without questions and

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net demands as each insidious five year partisan cycle turns over, as W B Yeats stated so eloquently in his poem ‘The Second Coming’: “Turning and turning in the widening gyre… things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;” hurtling us nowhere fast.

It seems as if we prefer to let the partisan “politricks” run on with their destructive games rather than open our eyes and see what we lookin’ at! We, the people, must demand better - but that won’t happen unless we become better educated, question more, demand answers, and advocate for our own emancipation!

A very wise man once said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result, so more fool us since the ‘politrickcians’ continue with their charades, mouthing off in front of the cameras to score brownie points for their side instead of advocating for the Greater Good for whom they were elected to serve and who meanwhile continue to suffer!

Wake up, Bahamas! We are about to celebrate our 50th anniversary of Independence in less than a year’s time, yet we are still acting like ignorant slaves in a colonial present instead of emancipating our minds as independent, sovereign thinkers! How can we be truly independent if we still hold on for dear life to the exterior trappings of our colonial masters?

We remain shackled to their chains, demonstrating inferiority by believing foreign is always better, and acknowledging their superiority for example in retaining foreign honours and holding them in higher

esteem than our own!

Open your eyes, Bahamas! We may be considered a third world country, but many first world countries are very aware of what riches and resources our country has and would happily take them from us!

We are a rare and precious jewel on this earth we call home, but unfortunately the majority of us - particularly the ignorant ‘politrickcians’ - do not even recognise this! Our enormous wealth is staring us right in the face, enshrined in the creativity of our people and our enormous natural resources which we remain largely ignorant about! Instead of investing in we, the people, first we would prefer to go begging to the foreign first world, stupidly bending over backwards to give away our patrimony to ‘foreign’ who laugh all the way to the bank!

See what you lookin’ at, Bahamas! When folly is bliss, wisdom cannot be found! Partisan ‘politricks’ is destroying our country, and nothing will change for the better unless we, the people, demand better of our politicians! It is ignorant to be dumb, so know when you do not know and be humble enough to admit it; have the respect to listen to your own and ‘say ya sorry’ when you mess up; adjust the balance and look beyond the sole outward trappings of foreign wealth, and focus inward more to build our own solid foundation; demonstrate independence and sovereignty with testicular fortitude and negotiate from a position of strength, not servitude, for the benefit of the greater good!

Bottom line: Emancipate your mind and save our country!

PAM BURNSIDE Nassau, February 15, 2022.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, February 16, 2022, PAGE 7

TWO MEN FINED AFTER BEING FOUND WITH DRUGS AND COOKIES

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net TWO men were fined in court yesterday after being found with a quantity of marijuana earlier this week.

Leroy Sands, Jr, 25, pleaded guilty to possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply after officers found him with two grams of marijuana and marijuana cookies on February 13.

Police said they were on mobile patrol in the East Street area when they observed a Nissan Cube with two male occupants inside, one of whom was Sands.

After the vehicle was stopped, police said the men started acting in a suspicious manner.

As a result, both men were searched.

While searching Sands, officers said they discovered 12 plastic bags containing suspected marijuana in the pocket on his right side.

A clear bag containing a number of multi-coloured

cookies with suspected marijuana was also found.

The discovery resulted in Sands’ arrest. During his interview with police he admitted to having the drugs.

During yesterday’s hearing before Senior Magistrate Derence RolleDavis, Sands owned up to the offence.

However, the accused insisted the drugs were for his personal use and not for sale.

He told the court he bought the drugs to eat while attending a Super Bowl party with his friends on the day in question and admitted to having a drug addiction.

In response, Magistrate Rolle-Davis told the accused that he couldn’t overlook the fact he was convicted of a similar offence just last year.

He also told Sands that there were many times he could have sought professional help on his own since his conviction last year, but noted he chose not to do so.

The magistrate added

that the lack of effort on the part of the accused to get help showed he had not learned from his past lessons.

As a result, he was fined $5,000 and told that failure to pay the fine would result in 18 months behind bars.

Keith Stubbs Jr, 25, was also charged with drug possession.

Stubbs, who is currently out on bail for a different matter, was arrested after police found five grams of marijuana in his home on February 15.

After pleading guilty to the offence, Stubbs told the court he used the drugs for personal reasons.

When asked if he was employed, the 25-yearold told the magistrate he worked for a yachting company.

It was also revealed that he was convicted for drug possession in 2017.

Having taken these matters into consideration, the magistrate ordered him to pay $500.

He was told that failure to comply would result in five months behind bars.

BAIL FOR MAN IN THEFT TRIAL

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net A 26-YEAR-OLD man accused of stealing and several fraud related offences was yesterday granted bail before his trial.

Malik Smith appeared before Senior Magistrate Derence Rolle-Davis accused of stealing a man’s wallet containing over $800 cash on February 9.

He is also accused of

having 36 bank cards in his possession that officers suspect were stolen.

It is further alleged that between February 5 and 9, the 26-year-old purchased food and drinks and rented several rooms at different hotels and inns by means of false pretences.

During yesterday’s hearing, the accused denied allegations of stealing, unlawful possession and fraud by false pretences.

As a result, the matter

was adjourned to May 9-13 for trial.

The accused was also granted $2,500 bail with one surety for the stealing charges and $3,500 bail for the unlawful possession. As for the fraud related matters, the magistrate granted him $3,000 bail on the first count, $5,000 bail on the second count, $2,500 on the third count and $1,000 on the remaining charge.

Smith is represented by attorney Ian Cargill.

Cop who beat his wife told to take anger management

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net A POLICE sergeant was yesterday ordered to attend anger management classes after he was found guilty of beating his wife over cheating allegations.

Omar Nottage, 51, must also pay his wife $500 to compensate for the injuries she received from the incident that occurred on April 14, 2021.

Yesterday’s ruling came after the Crown and defence counsel presented their closing arguments in Nottage’s causing harm trial before Magistrate Samuel McKinney.

The police officer was accused of punching and choking his wife while at her father’s home in Inagua.

The incident reportedly stemmed from a domestic dispute over allegations of Nottage’s wife being involved in an inappropriate relationship with his commanding officer.

Prior to sentencing, defence attorney Bjorn Ferguson sought to maintain his client’s position that his wife was the actual aggressor in the situation.

He said she was one who “came” at Nottage after he confronted her and threatened to tell their pastor about reports he received of her having an affair with his commanding officer.

The attorney also argued that the injuries she received on her neck

and chest from the incident were not intentional and further suggested Nottage’s actions was a means of self-defence.

In view of this, Mr Ferguson said his client’s wife’s version of the story could not be trusted and asked the court to reject her evidence.

However, prosecutor Inspector Timothy Bain only asked the court to examine the evidence provided in the trial.

After hearing both arguments, Magistrate McKinney sided with Nottage’s wife, noting that her evidence was stronger than his in the case.

He said even though Nottage claimed he acted in self-defence, it could not be overlooked that she was still harmed in the incident.

The magistrate also told the accused that given the nature of the allegations, he should have known that approaching his wife would have caused some negative reaction.

The magistrate also said the wife’s claim that Nottage followed her after she tried to avoid him suggested he was the actual aggressor.

In a plea in mitigation, Mr Ferguson asked the court for leniency, noting his client’s clean record and 31 years of dedicated service on the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

He also described Nottage as the father of a six-year girl, who he said was emotionally and

financially dependent on him.

Mr Ferguson also asked the court to consider the circumstances surrounding the incident and further noted a conviction would result in him losing his job among other things.

“This matter stems from a very volatile family relationship and not from any citizen in the conduct of his duties… so we ask the court to consider that,” the attorney said.

In response, Magistrate McKinney said it was quite unfortunate that Nottage, a long-time police officer, found himself on the wrong side of the law, especially as he was trained how to react in hostile situations.

However, he told Nottage he would not be convicted and granted an absolute discharge in the matter once he compensates his wife $500 for her injuries.

He was also ordered to attend anger management classes.

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PAGE 8, Wednesday, February 16, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

The signs are there - you just have to be able to read them

By Alicia Wallace

THIS week started with Valentine’s Day and there were countless roses, chocolates, greeting cards and romantic gestures going around.

We have come to accept February as the month of love, so it is a good time to talk about relationships.

It is important for all of us to spend time thinking about what healthy, happy relationships look and feel like. We need to assess our relationships on a regular basis and pay attention to the flags that may present themselves.

People often talk about red flags and the concept has been reduced to a meme, complete with the red flag emoji. While the jokes fly across the internet, we need to remember red flags are warnings, and, particularly in relationships, we need to look out for them, identify them early and do what we can to get out of those situations which can become dangerous.

On the flip side, we do not talk enough about green flags. People need to know what to look for in relationships and how to show up for other people.

We need to know what a healthy relationship looks like and, in particular, understand it is not just the absence of red flags.

Here are a few red flags and green flags to keep in mind and discuss with family members and friends, especially young

people who are just beginning to explore romantic relationships. Note that everyone presenting a red flag is not a “bad” person, nor is everyone presenting a green flag a “good” person.

We have all learned bad and good practices from our experiences and observations. That is not an excuse for abusive behaviour. There is room to learn, grow and transform. That said, it is not anyone’s job to do that work in a relationship for someone else. We are responsible for our own behaviour and we also have to learn to navigate relationships and read the signs as they present themselves.

RED FLAGS

1. They constantly call or text you. This kind of behaviour is often seen as cute and mistaken for care and concern. It is, however, a sign of insecurity and an attempt to exercise control.

This person tries to insert themselves into your activities and disrupt whatever is happening that does not involve them.

Romantic relationships change over time. It is not unusual for them to start in a way some describe as “hot and heavy”. Spending a lot of time together is a way to get to know one another, show interest and develop a bond. It can be fun to have various kinds of interactions, but when it

CONFLICT can arise in relationships - but what are the warning signs you can watch out for, and the positive signs that suggest a healthy relationship? gets in the way of essential tasks and your autonomy, there is an issue. You should be able to spend time with your parents, go out with friends, attend meetings, and do errands without interruption. There is a difference between fun, friendly check-ins and control.

2. They have a short temper. This is not about

getting upset, but about it or help talking it through. the way they manage their They do not use parables, emotions. A person with a analogies, or hypotheticals short temper may get loud, instead of telling you what get physical, or become is going on. They do not vindictive. This person is try to make figure things not able to recognise their out on your own or leave own feelings and they fail to you guessing. If you ask a control their reactions. This question, you get a clear, is not acceptable - and it is direct answer. This may not safe. not always be 3.

They comfortable guilt you. This ‘We do not talk and you may can prompt enough about not always you to try to green flags. People like the conchange their versations, but mind about need to know you are not in whatever they what to look for in the dark. say you are relationships and 2.

They doing to hurt have longthem.

They how to show up lasting may say you for other people. friendships care about We need to know and support someone else yours. They more than what a healthy have and are them because relationship able to susyou took a tain long-term looks like and, phone call. relationships.

They use an in particular, Their interincident to understand it is not actions with tell a story family memthey know just the absence bers are you do not of red flags.’ healthy. They and will not engage other accept. They people in present in such a way it safe, healthy ways, express seems like you have to themselves clearly and prove yourself. This is handle disagreements in a form of manipulation non-violent, productive used to get you to take a ways. They are happy for particular action or posi- you to spend time with tion in order to spare their your family members and feelings or save the rela- friends, and they acknowltionship. This means they edge you have a support are okay with making you systems outside of them. feel so bad about what 3. They honour your they say they think that boundaries. This person you prioritise changing accepts your ‘no’. They do their thoughts over think- not question or pressure ing rationally about what you. When you state your actually happened and needs, they support you. what they are trying to do. They do not challenge you on the decisions you make to take care of yourself.

They work toward building 1. They communicate trust and do not try to guilt openly and honestly. This you into making exceptions comes with self-awareness to appease them. and self-reflection. This 4. They support your person knows who they growth. When new opporare, is aware of their past tunities arise, they are trauma and understands excited for you. They cheer how their experiences you on when you take on have shaped them and new challenges and they their participation in your celebrate your successes. relationship.

They do not make your They can name their feel- wins about them. ings and find the root or, 5. They affirm and valiat the very least, say they date you. They not only are confused or unclear on listen to you, but they what they are feeling and acknowledge what you ask for time to think about say matters and what you

GREEN FLAGS

experience and feel is real.

They do not have to completely agree with you, but they make the effort to understand where you are coming from, so they are able to tell you, honestly, that your response to a situation is understandable. They tell you when you have done a great job.

They thank you for sharing something that is difficult for you to think about or verbalise. Instead of rushing toward a solution or determining who is right or wrong, they assure you that it is okay to feel what you are feeling. This makes it easier for you to move toward repair when there is a conflict.

6. They give you space.

They value you as a person at least as much as they value your relationship.

They understand that you are two different people with different needs. You do not need to be together all the time, and you do not need to do everything together and they know this. When you choose to spend a weekend alone, they support that decision.

After a wonderful vacation together, they are fine with having some time apart.

Even living together, they know your preferences for sharing the space, whether that means undisturbed time in the bathtub, stopping by the beach for some quiet time alone, or not launching into reports on your respective days within the first hour of getting home.

7. They respect your privacy. You can have conversations without them in the room. They know they are not entitled to every detail of your friends’ or family members’ situations that may be discussed with you. They do not monitor your devices. They do not track your location. They do not check your bank account or go through private documents. They do not pop up at your workplace to see if you are really there. They trust you and they respect your right to disclose or not disclose personal information as you see fit.

Recommendations 1. Consider studying in Brazil. Registration is open for Caribbean students at Federal University for Latin American Integration (UNILA) of Brazil until March 1, 2022. A free bilingual (Portuguese-Spanish) university, UNILA reserves 50 percent of its undergraduate vacancies for foreign students from Latin America and the Caribbean.

There are 29 courses of study and 708 vacancies for 2022. For information, visit portal.unila.edu.br.

2. Inventing Anna. Anna Delvey convinced some of New York’s most powerful and wealthy people that she was a German heiress. This drama miniseries by Shonda Rhimes was inspired by the viral article “How Anna Delvey

Tricked New York’s Party People.” A woman in her 20s, Anna was living up in Manhattan, leaving five and six-figure bills behind her. It is all so implausible it can almost be mistaken for comedy. The non-fiction written about her may actually be more interesting than the mini-series, but consider the latter a test drive.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, February 16, 2022, PAGE 9

SPACEX’S ELON MUSK: TECHTALK EXPANDS ELECTRIC CAR PARTS PRODUCTION 1ST ORBITAL STARSHIP TOYOTA AT TWO US PLANTS FLIGHT MAYBE MARCH

By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer

SPACEX’S Elon Musk provides an update on Starship, Thursday, near Brownsville, Texas. Musk said that the first orbital flight of Starship--the world’s most powerful rocket ever built--could come in another month or two. While he anticipates failures, he’s confident Starship will reach orbit by the end of this year. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald via AP)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX’s Elon Musk said last week that the first orbital flight of his towering Starship — the world’s most powerful rocket ever built — could come in another month or two.

While he anticipates failures, he’s confident Starship will reach orbit by the end of this year.

Musk provided his first major Starship update in more than two years on Thursday while standing alongside the 390-foot (119-metre) rocket at SpaceX’s Texas spaceport.

He urged the nighttime crowd, “Let’s make this real!”

“This is really some wild stuff here,” he said. “In fact, hard to believe it’s real.”

NASA plans to use the fully reusable Starship to land astronauts on the moon as early as 2025.

Musk, meanwhile, hopes to deploy a fleet of Starships to create a city on Mars, hauling equipment and people there.

For now, the initial flights would carry Musk’s internet satellites, called Starlinks, into orbit.

“There will probably be a few bumps in the road, but we want to iron those out with satellite missions and test missions” before putting people on board, he said.

SpaceX’s Super Heavy first-stage booster has

yet to blast off. But the anywhere in the world, futuristic, bullet-shaped, Musk said. He envisions steel Starship — perched Starships launching three on top and serving as the times a day — “rapid reusupper stage — successfully ability” — with refilling launched and landed on stations in space for the its own last May, follow- longer destinations like ing a series of spectacular Mars. The first refilling test explosions. The rocketship could happen by the end of soared more than 6 miles next year, he said.

(10 kilometres).

Musk estimates SpaceX is a Starship launch awaiting approval could wind up from the Federal costing less than Aviation Admin$10 million — istration before maybe even just proceeding with a few million dolStarship’s next lars with a high phase: going flight rate, which into orbit. Musk would bring down said he expects prices. He called the go-ahead it “crazy low” in March and ELON Musk. and “ridiculously that the rocket good” by current should be ready space standards. to fly by then as well. That Starship already has one would put the launch in the private customer: a Japanext couple of months, he nese entrepreneur who added.

If the FAA demands has bought a flight around more information about the moon and plans to potential environmen- take a dozen artists with tal impacts or lawsuits him. Musk hinted there emerge, Musk said Star- are others interested in ship launches could move buying trips, saying future to NASA’s Kennedy Space announcements would be Center in Florida. But that forthcoming.

Until now, SpaceX has would delay the first orbital launch by more than half a relied on its much smaller Falcon rockets to launch year, he noted.

The full-size Starships satellites, as well as astroare massive — taller than nauts and cargo to the NASA’s past and pre- International Space Stasent moon rockets, with tion for NASA. Its first approximately double the private flight, purchased by a billionaire, was last Sepliftoff thrust.

Besides Florida’s Cape tember. Another is coming Canaveral and the south- up at the end of March, this ern tip of Texas near Boca one to the space station Chica, Starships could with three businessmen ultimately launch from who are paying $55 million floating ocean platforms apiece.

US APPROVES NEW HEADLIGHTS THAT WON’T BLIND ONCOMING DRIVERS

By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer

DETROIT (AP) — Anyone who has ever been temporarily blinded by high-beam headlights from an oncoming car will be happy to hear this.

U.S. highway safety regulators are about to allow new high-tech headlights that can automatically tailor beams so they focus on dark areas of the road and don’t create glare for oncoming drivers.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it issued a final rule allowing what’s called “adaptive driving beam headlights” on new vehicles. It will go into effect when published in the Federal Register in the next few days.

The headlights, commonly used in Europe, have LED lamps that can focus beams on darkness such as the driver’s lane and areas along the roadside. They also lower the intensity of the light beams if there’s oncoming traffic. Camera sensors and computers help determine where the light should go.

“This final rule will improve safety for pedestrians and bicyclists by making them more visible at night, and will help prevent crashes by better illuminating animals and objects in and along the road,” the agency said in a news release on Tuesday.

The new rule, which was supported by the auto industry, comes as the safety agency grapples with

HEADLIGHTS from morning commuters can be seen through blowing snow as they make their way along Highway 441, in 2019, in Appleton, Wis. Anyone who has ever been temporarily blinded by high-beam headlights from an oncoming car will be happy to hear this. U.S. regulators are about to allow new high-tech headlights that can automatically tailor beams so they focus on dark areas of the road and don’t create glare for oncoming drivers. (Danny Damiani/The PostCrescent via AP, File)/The Post-Crescent via AP) a dramatic rise in traffic deaths nationwide.

The number of U.S. traffic deaths surged in the first nine months of 2021 to 31,720, the government reported Tuesday, keeping up a record pace of increased dangerous driving during the coronavirus pandemic.

The estimated figure of people dying in motor vehicle crashes from January to September 2021 was 12% higher than the same period in 2020. That represents the highest percentage increase over a nine-month period since the Transportation Department began recording fatal crash data in 1975.

The tally of 31,720 deaths was the highest nine-month figure since 2006.

Sam Abuelsamid, principal mobility analyst for Guidehouse Research, said the new lights will show up in higher-cost luxury vehicles at first, but will spread to more mainstram vehicles as the price of the technology falls.

Currently Audi charges $3,000 for the top version of the lights in the U.S. on its e-tron Sportback electric vehicle.

The adaptive beam lights are offered on most Audi models in the U.S., but until now, could not be used. An Audi spokesman says

the company is evaluating whether the lights meet NHTSA standards and whether they can be activated in the future.

The technology uses an array of light emitting diodes that can change where light beams are sent, rather than the current technology of high beams hitting everywhere.

“You have the ability to basically create a light pattern on the fly that is optimised for real-time conditions,” Abuelsamid said. “You can cast the light where it’s most useful.”

The new lights also will help partially automated driver assist systems keep cars in their lanes and avoid objects in front of the vehicles at night, Abuelsamid said.

The new lighting regulation also comes more than 1 1/2 years ahead of a requirement in the bipartisan infrastructure law passed by Congress last year, NHTSA said.

In the past the agency has moved slowly on safety measures mandated by Congress. An Associated Press review last year of NHTSA’s rule-making activities under the last three presidents found at least 13 auto safety rules that are years overdue based on deadlines set in laws passed by Congress.

The agency has been without a Senate-confirmed administrator since early 2017. President Joe Biden has nominated former California air quality regulator Steven Cliff for the post.

Cliff is awaiting confirmation by the full Senate.

BUFFALO, W.Va. (AP) — Toyota Motor Corp. announced Friday that it will further expand production of electric vehicle parts at plants in West Virginia and Tennessee in a $90 million investment.

The announcement comes three months after the Japanese automaker said it would invest $240 million to add a production line dedicated to hybrid powertrains at its facility in Buffalo, West Virginia. The latest upgrade involves spending $73 million at the plant to annually assemble an estimated 120,000 rear motor stators, a key component in electric motors.

“Toyota is moving quickly toward an electrified future, and West Virginia will play a critical role in that journey,” David Rosier, president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing West Virginia, said in a statement. “Our team embraces this challenge, and it’s clear Toyota has faith in our ability and trusts us to take the company to new heights.”

ROBOT PHOTOS APPEAR TO SHOW MELTED FUEL AT FUKUSHIMA REACTOR

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — A remote-controlled robot has captured images of what appears to be mounds of nuclear fuel that melted and fell to the bottom of the most damaged reactor at Japan’s wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant, officials said last week.

A massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011 damaged cooling systems at the power plant, causing the meltdown of three reactor cores.

Most of their highly radioactive fuel fell to the bottom of their containment vessels, making its removal extremely difficult.

A previous attempt to send a small robot with cameras into the Unit 1 reactor failed, but images captured last week by a ROV-A robot show broken structures, pipes and mounds of what appears to be melted fuel and other debris submerged in cooling water, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings said Thursday.

About 900 tons of melted nuclear fuel remain inside the plant’s three damaged reactors, including about 280 tons in Unit 1.

Its removal is a daunting task that officials say will take 30-40 years. Critics say that’s overly optimistic.

The robot, carrying several tiny cameras, obtained the internal images of the reactor’s primary containment vessel while on a mission to establish a path for subsequent probes, TEPCO said.

TEPCO spokesperson Kenichi Takahara said the piles of debris rose from the bottom of the container, including some inside the pedestal — a structure directly beneath the core — suggesting the mounds were melted fuel that fell in the area.

PAGE 10, Wednesday, February 16, 2022

DEFENDING UKRAINE COULD COST US ECONOMY PAIN - BIDEN

PRESIDENT Joe Biden yesterday acknowledged the likelihood that US and allied sanctions on Russia in retaliation for an invasion of Ukraine would have significant blowback on the American economy, including possible price hikes and disruption to the nation’s energy supply.

“The American people understand that defending democracy and liberty is never without cost,” Biden said in remarks at the White House about the ongoing crisis. “I will not pretend this will be painless.”

He said the administration was working proactively to try to preempt supply issues by working with energy producers and shippers on contingency plans, and said he would work with Congress on unspecified “additional measures to protect consumers and address the impact of prices at the pump”.

Biden also said that the US has “not yet verified” Russia’s claim some of its forces have withdrawn from the Ukraine border.

He said an invasion of Ukraine remains a distinct possibility.

Biden spoke after Russia announced some units participating in military exercises near Ukraine’s borders would begin returning to their bases.

Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier said Russia was ready for talks with the United States and NATO.

SANDY HOOK FAMILIES’ $73M REMINGTON SETTLEMENT THE families of nine victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting announced yesterday they have agreed to a $73m settlement of a lawsuit against the maker of the rifle used to kill 20 first graders and six educators in 2012.

The families and a survivor of the shooting sued Remington in 2015, saying the company should have never sold such a dangerous weapon to the public.

They said their focus was on preventing future mass shootings by forcing gun companies to be more responsible with their products and how they market them.

At a news conference, some of the parents behind the lawsuit described a bittersweet victory.

“Nothing will bring Dylan back,” said Nicole Hockley, whose 6-year-old son was killed in the shooting. “My hope for this lawsuit,” she said, “is that by facing and finally being penalised for the impact of their work, gun companies along with the insurance and banking industries that enable them will be forced to make their practices safer than they’ve ever been, which will save lives and stop more shootings.”

BALDWIN SUED OVER DEATH ON FILM SET THE family of a cinematographer shot and killed on the set of the film Rust sued Alec Baldwin and the movie’s producers yesterday for wrongful death.

Lawyers for the family of Halyna Hutchins announced the lawsuit filed in New Mexico in the name of Hutchins’ husband, Matthew Hutchins, and their son, Andros, at a Los Angeles news conference.

At least four other lawsuits have been filed over the shooting, but this is the first directly tied to one of the two people shot.

The “reckless conduct and cost-cutting measures” of Baldwin and the film’s producers “led to the death of Halyna Hutchins,” attorney Brian Panish said.

THE TRIBUNE

Prince Andrew to settle sex abuse case NEW YORK Associated Press BRITAIN’S Prince Andrew, accused in a lawsuit of sexually abusing a 17-year-old girl supplied to him by financier Jeffrey Epstein, has agreed to settle by making a substantial donation to his accuser’s charity and declaring he never meant to malign her character, court papers revealed yesterday.

The deal avoids a trial that would have brought further embarrassment to the monarchy.

Besides the undisclosed donation to Virginia Giuffre’s charity, it says Andrew acknowledges she has suffered as an abuse victim.

It did not specify whether Giuffre would personally receive money as part of the settlement.

Attorney David Boies, representing Giuffre, told the New York federal judge overseeing the case in a letter that a settlement in principle had been reached and lawyers on both sides would request a dismissal of the lawsuit within a month.

Andrew’s lawyer did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Judge Lewis A Kaplan said he would suspend the case until March 17, when he might set a trial date if the lawyers don’t ask for a dismissal by then.

Giuffre, 38, sued Andrew in August. The American accused the British royal of sexually abusing her while she traveled with Epstein.

Andrew strenuously denied Giuffre’s allegations and attempted to get the lawsuit tossed earlier this year.

Attached to the letter from Boies was a statement that read: “Virginia Giuffre and Prince Andrew have reached an out of court settlement. The parties will file a stipulated dismissal upon Ms. Giuffre’s receipt of the settlement (the sum of which is not being disclosed).”

“Prince Andrew intends to make a substantial donation to Ms Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights. Prince Andrew has never intended to malign Ms. Giuffre’s character, and he accepts that she has suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks.”

According to the statement, Prince Andrew acknowledged that Epstein trafficked “countless young girls” over many years and said the prince “regrets his association with Epstein, and commends the bravery of Ms. Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others”.

He also pledged to support the victims of sex trafficking as part of demonstrating his regret.

The tentative settlement comes weeks after Kaplan last month rejected the prince’s attempt to win an early dismissal of the lawsuit, meaning depositions and other evidence gathering could commence.

After Kaplan ruled, Andrew — who had already stepped back from royal duties — was stripped of his honorary military titles and roles and leadership of various charities, known as royal patronages. He also can no longer use the title “his royal highness” in official settings.

The decision was an effort to insulate the House of Windsor from the fallout from potentially years of sordid headlines if the lawsuit moved forward.

It came after more than 150 veterans and serving members of the armed forces asked the queen to strip her second son of his military titles, saying he had failed to live up to the “very highest standards of probity, honesty and honorable conduct” that are expected of British officers.

Mark Stephens, an international lawyer, said pressure from the royal family would have pushed Andrew to settle, particularly as Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her Platinum Jubilee — or 70 years on

the throne. The carefully worded settlement — in which Andrew admits only an unfortunate association with Epstein — allows him to save face, Stephens said.

“Essentially, what he’s done is throw himself on this judicial grenade to prevent wider damage to the royal family,’’ Stephens told The Associated Press. “And I think he had no alternative but to settle because otherwise this case would have really overshadowed the Queen’s Jubilee, and we would have been hearing details of what he was alleged to have done with Virginia Giuffre. And all of that would have really caused problems for the royal family more broadly.”

Stephens estimated that Andrew paid around $10m to settle, having gotten the cash after selling a ski chalet at a “fire sale’’ price. He speculated that the cash would be split into three unequal portions — with Guiffre, her lawyers and charities taking a piece.

Besides the settlement, Giuffre gets to champion her support of abuse victims, and avoid having to relive “this whole experience in the public circus of a courtroom,” he said.

“She’s been vindicated in the sense that Prince Andrew acknowledges that she’s a victim of sexual abuse,” Stephens said.

Giuffre asserted that she met Andrew while she traveled frequently with Epstein between 2000 and 2002, when her lawyers maintain she was “on call for Epstein for sexual purposes” and was “lent out to other powerful men,” including Andrew.

Her lawsuit said she still suffers significant emotional and psychological distress and harm. She has alleged she had sex with Andrew three times: in London during a 2001 trip, at Epstein’s New York mansion when she was 17 and in the Virgin Islands when she was 18.

Andrew repeatedly denied

Giuffre’s allegations and has said he can’t recall ever meeting her, although a photograph of Giuffre and Andrew together in Maxwell’s London townhouse, his arm around her bare midriff, was included in Giuffre’s lawsuit against him.

Inconsistencies in her statements over the years that would have been highlighted by Andrew’s attorneys at trial may have motivated her, in part, to settle, though she has explained them as innocent mistakes that occur when recalling traumatic events years later.

The settlement may be a relief to others beyond the prince and Giuffre because of the names that might have arisen at trial.

Besides Andrew, Giuffre has said she was sexually trafficked to former New Mexico Gov Bill Richardson, former US Sen. George Mitchell, high-profile lawyer Alan Dershowitz, French modeling scout Jean Luc Brunel and billionaire Glenn Dubin, among others. All have said her accounts are fabricated.

Andrew served in the Royal Navy for two decades, including as a helicopter pilot during the 1982 Falklands War. The honorary military roles he lost included several overseas ones, such as his title as colonel-in-chief of the Royal New Zealand Army Logistic Regiment.

He has spent years combatting concerns about his links with Epstein, the US financier who took his life at age 66 in 2019 in a Manhattan federal lockup while awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges. Epstein’s longtime companion Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted of related charges last month.

A settlement of the Andrew lawsuit would follow deals reached by Giuffre years ago to resolve separate lawsuits against Maxwell and Epstein. It was recently revealed that Epstein settled for $500,000.

FORMER HONDURAN PRESIDENT ARRESTED AS US SEEKS EXTRADITION OVER DRUG TRAFFICKING LINKS TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras Associated Press

POLICE arrested former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández at his home yesterday, a step toward fulfilling a request by the United States government for his extradition on drug trafficking and weapons charges.

The arrest came shortly after a Honduran judge signed an arrest order and less than three weeks after Hernández left office. It follows years of allegations by US prosecutors of the Honduran leader’s alleged links to drug traffickers.

Hernández exited his home flanked by police, shackled at the wrists and ankles, and wearing a bulletproof jacket. He got into a police vehicle and was driven away.

A police helicopter that had been waiting nearby took flight, but appeared to just be escorting the caravan.

The Supreme Court of Justice had designated a judge yesterday morning to handle the case and hours later the judge signed the order for Hernández’s arrest, said court spokesman Melvin Duarte.

The security ministry, which had Hernández’s home surrounded since Monday evening, moved quickly to arrest him.

Honduran Security Minister Ramón Sabillón, who was fired by Hernández as head of the National Police in 2014, said yesterday that Hernández had conspired “with cartels to traffic (drugs) and corrupt many public institutions, which led to social deterioration and undermined the application of justice in Honduras”.

He said the main charges Hernández faces in the US were drug trafficking, using weapons for drug trafficking and conspiracy to use weapons in drug trafficking.

US prosecutors in New York had repeatedly implicated Hernández

SPECIAL Forces Police stand near the house of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, late on Monday.

Photo: Elmer Martinez/AP as a co-conspirator during his to be close to Hernández, and all brother’s 2019 drug trafficking trial, 15 Supreme Court justices were alleging that his political rise was selected by Congress in 2016 during fueled by drug profits.

Hernández’s first presidential term.

His brother, Juan Antonio They serve seven-year terms, and “Tony” Hernández was sentenced most come from his National Party. to life in prison on drug and weapThe US moves were a longons charges in March 2021. At his awaited fall for a leader reviled sentencing Assistant US Attorney in his home country who enjoyed Matthew Laroche characterised support from the Trump administhe crimes as “state-sponsored drug tration but had been kept at arm’s trafficking”. length by the Biden White House, Nicole Navas, a spokeswoman which has targeted Central Amerfor the US Department of Justice, ica’s endemic corruption as a root declined comment late on Monday cause of migration. about the US extradition request.

Last year, US Senator Patrick Hernández released an audio Leahy was one of a dozen senators recording via Twitter early yester- who supported a bill that sought day thanking his supporters. “It is to isolate Hernández by imposing not an easy moment,” he said. “I sanctions on him and prohibiting don’t desire it for anyone.” the export of tear gas, pepper spray He said his lawyers had informed and rubber bullets that Honduran the National Police that “I am security forces deployed in recent ready and prepared to cooperate years against protesters. and go voluntarily... to face this “Throughout the past eight years situation and defend myself” if an of decay, depravity, and impunity, arrest order is issued. successive US administrations sulThe identity of the judge chosen to lied our reputation by treating handle the case was not immediately Hernandez as a friend and partner,” released. However, the court’s presi- Leahy said in a statement Tuesday. dent, Rolando Argueta, is known “By making excuse after excuse for

a government that had no legitimacy and that functioned as a criminal enterprise, US officials lost sight of what we stand for and that our real partners are the Honduran people.”

Dana Frank, a Honduras expert and professor of history emerita at the University of California, Santa Cruz, said the US wants to look heroic for finally trying to bring Hernández to justice, but that successive administrations going back to President Barack Obama enabled Hernández.

“Hernández was able to wreak havoc with Honduras, with devastating costs, in large part because the US supported him up to the last minute,” Frank said.

Honduran criminal lawyer Marlon Duarte said that the extradition process against Hernández, if it moves ahead, would not last more than three months.

Once an arrest order is issued, Hernández would have to turn himself in or be forcibly taken into custody, he said. At an initial hearing, Hernández would be informed of the charges and he would be held on a military base.

Within two months, another hearing would be held in which the US evidence would be presented and the judge would make a decision on whether he should be extradited.

If the judge rules for extradition, Hernández would have three days to appeal. Then the appellate court — also named by the Supreme Court — would decide within five days whether to confirm the extradition or overturn the judge’s decision. If the judge denies extradition, the US government would have an opportunity to appeal.

Hernández left office on January 27 with the swearing in of President Xiomara Castro. The same day, he was sworn in as Honduras’ representative to the Central American Parliament.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, February 16, 2022, PAGE 11

No bats, no balls, no fans: Pitchers, catchers don’t report

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer MAX Scherzer won’t be starting spring training workouts today in the warmth of Mets camp in Port St Lucie, Florida.

Marcus Stroman won’t be shaking off rust amid the cactus at the Cubs complex in Mesa, Arizona.

No crack of bats or thwacks of balls popping into mitts.

No free agents putting on new uniforms for the first time.

No veterans hugging teammates following months apart.

No kids leaning on chainlink fences waiting for autographs.

No sign of getting ready for an opening day that may not happen on March 31.

Not even a negotiating session.

Neither side made any public statement this week to acknowledge the obvious: Spring training is failing to start on schedule for the first time since 1995, victim of a lockout that stretches into its 77th day today as players and management squabble over how to apportion an industry with $10 billion annual revenue.

So instead of debating RBIs and ERAs, Major League Baseball has been reduced to disputing CBTs and AAVs. Pitchers and catchers won’t be reporting to camp as scheduled, but MLB

doesn’t plan to announce a disruption to spring training until February 26 exhibition openers can’t be played.

If talks stretch into March — all signs are they will— season openers are likely to be pushed back.

“I am an optimist and I believe we will have an agreement in time to play our regular schedule,” baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said at a news conference last Thursday.

“I see missing games as a disastrous outcome for this industry, and we’re committed to making an agreement in an effort to avoid that.”

Those were Manfred’s first comments to media since December 2, the day baseball’s ninth work stoppage began, its first since 1995.

Pace of bargaining has been even slower than pace of games.

There have been just five negotiating sessions on core economics since the lockout started: a Zoom gathering on January 13 followed by in-person meetings on January 24-25 and February 1 and 12. Reliever Andrew Miller has been the only player to attend in person and Rockies CEO Dick Montfort the only owner.

Players have demanded significant change, angered that payrolls were $4.05 billion last year, down 4.6% from their record high of just under $4.25 billion in 2017, the first year of the just-expired labour contract.

MAJOR League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred makes comments during a news conference at MLB baseball owners meetings on February 10, 2022, in Orlando, Florida. Manfred says spring training remains on hold because of a management lockout and his goal is to reach a labour contract that allows opening day as scheduled on March 31.

(AP Photo/John Raoux) “The league was not in time,” he said. “What The union has asked for salary arbitration eligibil- required to declare a lock- happened in 1994 is the ity to be expanded to two out,” union head Tony MLBPA picked August, years of major league ser- Clark said on December when we were most vulneravice, its level from 1974-86, 2 in his only comments to ble because of the proximity proposed a decrease in media since the lockout of the large revenue dollars revenue sharing and wants began. “Players consider it associated with the postseanew methods for top young unnecessary and provoca- son. We wanted to take that players to be credited with tive. This lockout won’t option away and try to force additional service time, pressure or intimate players the parties to deal with the which the union says would into a deal that they don’t issues and get an agreement now, which is what we conaddress its allegations of believe is fair.”

Manfred said the lockout tinue to believe is best for service time manipulation.

Management has said it was “defensive,” citing the the fans.”

Both sides seem to won’t consider cutting rev- union’s decision to strike enue sharing or expanding late in the 1994 season, believe the other won’t which led to a 7 1/2-month make significant moves until arbitration.

The sides are far apart stoppage and the first the verge of opening day on minimum salaries, the canceled World Series in 90 being threatened. Manfred said last week that peramount of a proposed years.

“If you play without an haps four weeks of training bonus pool for young stars, and luxury tax thresholds agreement, you’re vulner- would be needed, with addiable to a strike at any point tional time for ratification and rates.

and players to travel to camps.

When players were locked out in 1990, the sides said a minimum three weeks of training were needed ahead of April 2 openers.

When March 12 passed without an agreement, MLB said it would wait four additional days before making any announcement.

Owners made a new proposal on March 16, leading to weekend negotiations and the announcement of an agreement at 1:18am EST on March 19.

Training camps opened March 20, exhibition games began March 26 and opening day was pushed back a week to April 9. After announcing on the night of the agreement that a 158-game schedule was contemplated, the sides struck a deal on March 22 to extend the end of the regular season by three days and have each team play a full 162.

In the meantime, these negotiations appear to be a game of chicken.

“The issues that the players are interested in engaging on has been the same leading up to bargaining, throughout bargaining and will continue to be the same moving forward,” Clark said on the day the lockout began. “A fair contract that maintains a market system and addresses the competitive integrity issues that we’ve highlighted for some time.”

‘BASEBALL WILL NOT BE THE SAME’ FROM PAGE 16 friends and countless persons that he mentored as the ultimate father figure.”

Albury, known as a diehard and he constantly exclaimed “All Rise” after a homer by Aaron Judge, was also a pivotal member of the formation of the Bahamas Baseball Federation in 2003.

As one of the persons responsible for the resurgence of baseball to what is happening today with so many young players earning professional contracts, the BBF honoured Albury with its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.

“The BBA and the entire baseball community is saddened at the loss of a Bahamian icon,” Sweeting said.

“One thing about Jeff, he never desired the limelight and preferred to remain behind the scenes. However, today in honour of Jeff Albury we say ‘all rise’”.

May his soul rest in peace.

GROUP PRAISES BIG LEAGUERS FOR REFUSING MINOR LEAGUE CUTS NEW YORK (AP) — An advocacy group for minor league players has praised locked-out big leaguers for refusing to consider a proposal from Major League Baseball that would give teams the flexibility to cut 900 minor league jobs.

MLB proposed that the Major League Baseball Players Association agree that management has the flexibility to decrease the number of domestic players with minor league contracts to 150 if it chooses to starting in 2023, down from 180.

MLB also asked for the flexibility to increase the figure.

The union said during ongoing bargaining it is not interested in that proposal, part of a larger package of 28 items, and that it has rejected it at least three times.

“We were glad to learn that the MLBPA has

repeatedly rejected MLB’s short-sighted proposal to cut yet more minor league jobs,” Advocates for Minor Leaguers said in a statement yesterday.

“The proposal itself again highlights that minor leaguers need and deserve a say over their wages and working conditions.”

Players with major league contracts are unionised, covering those on 40-man big league rosters. Players with minor league contracts are not covered by collective bargaining.

The proposal was first reported by ESPN. After successfully lobbying Congress to exempt minor leaguers from federal minimum wage laws, MLB raised wages between 38% and 72% when the minor leagues returned last year from a one-season absence caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

PAGE 12, Wednesday, February 16, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

NBC’S TIRICO LOOKS TO FINISH OLYMPICS AFTER SUPER SUNDAY

MEDALLISTS from Norway, France and the Russian Olympic Committee pose during the flower ceremony after the men’s 4x7.5kilometre relay at the Winter Olympics, yesterday in Zhangjiakou, China.

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mike Tirico has travelled over 12,500 miles in the air over the past week and hosted two major sporting events.

And he still isn’t done.

Tirico is back at NBC Sports Group headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, to host the final week of the Winter Olympics. He anchored primetime coverage the first five days from Beijing before flying back to the US on February 8.

He did the February 9-10 shows from NBC’s headquarters before going to Los Angeles, where he hosted the Super Bowl and three days of Olympics.

“We’ve hosted the Olympics from this lake set (outside SoFi Stadium), from the field of the Super Bowl, from China and from our studio in Connecticut all in like a week, which is just nuts,” Tirico said Sunday night after hosting the Olympic primetime show. “It’s a big difference from sitting in the international broadcast center somewhere and not having any feel for it.”

Tirico said he needed only two cups of coffee Sunday to help get him through the day, which included the five-hour pregame, presenting the Vince Lombardi Trophy to the Los Angeles Rams after their 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals and then hosting the primetime Olympics show, which started 21 minutes early because of how quickly the Super Bowl game ended.

With having to navigate three different time zones over the past week, Tirico said he leaned back on his days at ESPN where he did the late-night 2:30 a.m.

SportsCenter by thinking he was on Pacific time.

That was particularly helpful Saturday when he had to rehearse the Super Bowl pregame show before going right into Olympics coverage.

“I feel great. I’m not dragging at all,” Tirico said.

“It’s been beyond my wildest dreams and how much fun and energizing the whole experience has been.

It has been an awesome whirlwind.

“The pinnacle of hosting anything in America is hosting the Super Bowl pregame show. And then to do the Olympics from the field is amazing.”

Tirico lauded Super Bowl pregame producers Tommy Roy and Matt Casey as well as NBC Olympics executive producer Molly Solomon and primetime producer Rob Hyland for their work in coordinating production meetings and schedules.

Tirico figures he has missed only one pre-Olympic show meeting.

(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

STRIKING GOLD IN BEIJING BEIJING (AP) — A roundup of gold medals from Tuesday, Feb. 15, at the Beijing Games: ALPINE SKIING WOMEN’S DOWNHILL Corinne Suter, a 27-yearold Swiss skier who injured both of her legs early in the season, edged Italian Sofia Goggia by 0.16 seconds to win gold in the women’s downhill.

Goggia won silver and fellow Italian Nadia Delago won bronze 0.57 seconds behind Suter, who becomes the first woman since Lindsey Vonn to hold the Olympic and world championship titles in downhill at the same time.

Mikaela Shiffrin, who did not finish her opening runs in either of her initial two events, finished in 18th place, 2.49 behind Suter.

BIATHLON MEN’S 4x7.5KM RELAY Norway won biathlon gold in the men’s four-man relay.

Clean shooting by Norway’s Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen and an uncharacteristic miss by France’s Quentin Fillon Maillet allowed Norway to leave the range first and win with a time of 1 hour, 19 minutes, 50.2 seconds.

France held on for the silver, 27.4 seconds back and Russia stayed in front of Germany for the bronze, 45.3 seconds behind. The Russian athletes had led from the start of the race, but a series of missed shots on the very last shooting stage cost them the gold medal.

BOBSLED 2-MAN Germany just made a whole lot of bobsled history at the Beijing Games.

Francesco Friedrich drove to a gold medal in the two-man event that ended last night. Germany also got second and third, with Johannes Lochner driving to silver and Christoph Hafer piloting his sled to the bronze.

That’s the first goldsilver-bronze sweep by any nation in any Olympic bobsled race. It also

Roundup of Olympic gold medals from Tuesday, February 15

CORINNE SUTER, of Switzerland, gold, reacts during the medal ceremony for the women’s downhill at the 2022 Winter Olympics yesterday in the Yanqing district of Beijing.

(AP Photo/Luca Bruno) gave Germany seven sliding gold medals so far in Beijing, more than any nation has ever won in bobsled, skeleton and luge at a single games. The Germans also have 12 sliding medals at these Olympics, matching the total that East Germany and West Germany combined for in 1976.

FREESKIING WOMEN’S FREESKI SLOPESTYLE Mathilde Gremaud of Switzerland won gold in the women’s ski slopestyle competition on a bitterly cold and hazy day when temperatures hovered around minus 5 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 20 Celsius.)

Eileen Gu, an American-born freestyler who is competing for her mother’s home country of China, won silver. Sitting in eighth place after two runs, Gu used a strong final run to work her way onto the podium. She couldn’t catch Gremaud, who scored an 86.56 on her second run.

Kelly Sildaru of Estonia took home bronze.

NORDIC COMBINED MEN’S INDIVIDUAL GUNDERSON LARGE HILL/10KM CROSS-COUNTRY Norwegian favourite Jarl Magnus Riiber took the wrong turn early in the 10K cross-country race at the Olympics, a little more than 24 hours after coming out of isolation, and two teammates took advantage.

Joergen Graabak of Norway made the most of the opportunity, winning gold in Nordic combined Tuesday.

Graabak rallied from a deficit of 2 minutes, 7 seconds behind Riiber at the start of the cross-country race to finish first after placing 12th in ski jumping.

Graabak became the first two-time Nordic combined Olympic champion on the large hill after winning the event in 2014.

Norwegian teammate Jens Luraas Oftebro won silver, finishing four-tenths of a second behind. Akito Watabe of Japan earned bronze.

SNOWBOARD MEN’S BIG AIR Su Yiming gave host China its second gold medal at Big Air Shougang, with a stunning show in front of fans at the repurposed steel mill.

The 17-year-old child actor-turned-rider followed up his unexpected silver in slopestyle — he would’ve taken gold if not for a judging blunder.

Mons Roisland of Norway won silver and slopestyle gold medalist Max Parrot of Canada won bronze.

WOMEN’S BIG AIR Anna Gasser of Austria won her second straight Olympic gold medal in women’s snowboarding big air.

The 30-year-old Gasser held off a field with an average age of 21, including 20-year-old Zoi Sadowski Synnott of New Zealand, who last week won her country’s first ever Winter Olympics gold medal in slopestyle. Sadowski Synnott took silver Tuesday.

Kokomo Murase of Japan earned bronze with

a pair of 1080s at Big Air Shougang. It was the first Olympic medal for the 17-year-old.

SPEEDSKATING MEN’S TEAM PURSUIT For the second straight Olympics, Norway won gold in men’s team pursuit speedskating.

The Norwegian trio of Hallgeir Engebraaten, Peder Kongshaug and Sverre Lunde Pedersen won the gold-medal final with a time of 3 minutes, 38.08 seconds — nearly 2 1/2 seconds ahead of the Russian Olympic Committee.

The Russian team settled for the silver, while the United States claimed the bronze by beating the Dutch in the B final.

WOMEN’S TEAM PURSUIT Canada won speedskating gold in women’s team pursuit after a skater for defending Olympic champion Japan fell on the final turn.

Japan appeared to be heading for a second straight gold medal in the event, holding a lead of about 0.3 seconds with a half lap to go. But the final athlete in the three-skater train, Nana Takagi, lost her balance and skidded into the padding coming through the final turn.

That allowed the Canadian trio of Ivanie Blondin, Valerie Maltais and Isabelle Weidemann to pull out the victory in dramatic fashion.

Canada won with an Olympic-record time of 2 minute, 53.44 seconds. The Japanese settled for silver, more than 11 seconds behind. The Netherlands beat the Russian Olympic Committee in the bronzemedal final with a time of 2:56.86. They were more than 2 seconds ahead of the Russians.

Australia wins 3rd T20, clinches 5-match series vs Sri Lanka CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Glenn Maxwell and Aaron Finch shared a 50-run third-wicket stand to guide Australia toward a six-wicket win in the third Twenty20 cricket international yesterday, clinching the five-match series against Sri Lanka with two games to spare.

The T20 World Cup champion Australians won the toss, decided to bowl and restricted Sri Lanka to 121-6. Fast bowler Kane Richardson returned 3-21, including two wickets in his first over.

In reply, the Australians reached 124-4 in 16.5 overs, with Marcus Stoinis (12 not out) hitting the winning runs for the second consecutive game to give Australia a 3-0 series lead.

Maxwell led the scoring with 39 from 26 deliveries, surviving dropped catches on 0, 9 and 22, and captain Finch scored 35.

In the absence of Wanindu Hasaranga, the No. 1-ranked bowler in T20 international cricket, Maheesh Theekshana led the Sri Lankan attack with three wickets for 24 runs.

He took a wicket with the first ball of Australia’s innings, getting Ben McDermott to edge to slip after a deflection from the wicketkeeper’s glove.

He had makeshift opener Ashton Agar out lbw for a run-a-ball 13 in the fifth over to make the total 26-2 and then had Maxwell caught in the outfield to break up Australia’s halfcentury partnership for the third wicket.

Australia won the first game by 20 runs and the second in a Super Over in Sydney on Sunday after the scores were level at the end of the regulation overs. Sri Lanka scored 18 in the last over of that game to gain some confidence but, after

scoring 17 in the first two overs at Canberra’s Manuka Oval, struggled against the Australian bowling attack.

“No positives today.

Yet again, poor start,” Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka said, lamenting his team’s top-order batting woes. “Throughout the series, it’s been a major concern. We were 20 runs, 30 runs short in this game.”

The Australians made three changes for the match, with batting veteran Steve Smith sidelined because of the concussion he sustained in a fielding mishap late Sunday and bowlers Pat Cummins and Adam Zampa rested.

Agar came in for Zampa and Mitch Starc returned in place of Cummins.

Allrounder Daniel Sams replaced Smith, taking a stunning catch inches inside the boundary rope to complete the dismissal of dangerous opener

GLENN MAXWELL, of Australia, left, bats yesterday against Sri Lanka, during their T20 cricket match in Canberra.

(Lukas Coch/AAP Image via AP) Pathum Nissanka off Max- shuffling guys around to get defense later this year. well’s bowling as Sri Lanka some more information on “Really good signs.” slipped to 40-4 in the eighth the depth of the squad,” The fourth and fifth over. “The depth is one Finch said, reflecting on games will be played in thing that we’re trying to Australia’s preparations Melbourne on Friday and expose a little bit more, and for a T20 World Cup title Sunday.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, February 16, 2022, PAGE 13

Rising young tennis player signs his letter of intent

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net ANTHONY Burrows Jr, one of the rising young tennis players in the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association, is not just excited that he has secured an athletic scholarship, but he will become the first member of his family to pursue a college degree.

The 17-year-old Burrows Jr signed a letter of intent to play for the Tigers men’s tennis team at the University of Missouri in St Louis in August upon his graduation from St Augustine’s College in May where he is expected to study computer science.

The son of Chilan and Anthony Burrows Sr, who

Anthony Burrows Jr secures scholarship to pursue college degree, play for Tigers currently coaches him as well, Burrows Jr has three sisters and a brother, but none of them are involved in tennis, which he started after he fell in love with watching it.

At the age of three, Burrows Jr started playing tennis and after winning his first tournament at age six, he went on to represent the Bahamas in four international events through the Caribbean and Central America.

Now, through his hard work and dedication to the

sport, Burrows Jr is getting ready to go off to college on a scholarship.

“They are a pretty big school academically and they have a very good tennis programme,” said Burrows Jr about his decision to enrol in the University of Missouri.

“They have great coaching and the facilities are very nice.

“I feel I would excel in that environment and that programme. I think this is also a good way for me to get better and a source to

help me to pursue my goal of being a professional tennis player in the future.”

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Burrows Jr was not able to make a visit to the school before he selected it, but he has been in constant contact with the coaching staff online and he’s been quite impressed by what he’s seen.

“I’ve seen the school with the campus tour online, so I can’t wait to get over there to get acquainted with everyone,” he said. “When I go there, I will have to go

through the trials, but it’s anticipated that I should be playing either number three or four on the team. That is the goal for now.”

To those Bahamians who he’s leaving behind, Burrows Jr had some words of advice for them.

“Just keep pushing and putting in the work,” he stressed. “It might not show right now, but eventually your hard work will pay off and you will be rewarded for your efforts. It’s easy to get discouraged, but it’s the people who fight through

Suns beat Clippers, adding on to their NBA-best 47-10 record PHOENIX (AP) — Devin Booker scored 26 points, Chris Paul added 17 points and 14 assists, and the All-Star duo led the Phoenix Suns to another win by beating the Los Angeles Clippers 103-96 last night.

The Suns have won six straight games and 17 of their past 18 dating back to January 11. They also pushed their NBAbest record to 47-10 with one game remaining before the All-Star break.

Mikal Bridges added 19 points and nine rebounds — including a crucial 3-pointer in the final minute — while Deandre Ayton had 12 points and 12 rebounds.

The Clippers were coming off an impressive win against Golden State and put up a great fight against the Suns in a backand-forth second half that kept the outcome uncertain until the final minute.

Los Angeles fell to 29-31 for the season. Marcus Morris Sr led the Clippers with 23 points while Nicolas Batum had 18. Reggie Jackson had a tough shooting night, making just 7 of 26 shots from the field.

HAWKS 124, CAVALIERS 116 ATLANTA (AP) — Trae Young scored 41 points, Danilo Gallinari added 25 and Atlanta held off Cleveland.

Cleveland, third in the Eastern Conference, lost consecutive games for the first time since Dec. 31.

The Hawks are 10th in the East and had dropped two straight and five of seven.

Darius Garland finished with 30 points, Evan Mobley had 21 points and Kevin Love 20 for the Cavaliers, who had held opponents under 100 points 23 times this season but struggled to contain Young’s frantic pace.

The Cavs called timeout after Young dished to De’Andre Hunter for a straightaway 3 that made

it 113-104 with 4:50 to go.

Young missed a layup and Garland drove to assist on Jarrett Allen’s hook shot that trimmed the lead to 113-109. But a couple of possessions later, Young assisted on Kevin Huerter’s corner 3 that made it 120111 and drove the lane for a runner that put the Hawks up 122-114 with 1:27 remaining.

MAVERICKS 107, HEAT 99 MIAMI (AP) — Luka Doncic scored 21 points and the Dallas Mavericks beat Miami.

Jalen Brunson and Maxi Kleber each finished with 19 points and Dorian Finney Smith had 14 points for the Mavericks, who have won 17 of 23 since Jan. 1 and snapped Miami’s five-game winning streak.

Recently acquired Davis Bertans had 12 points for Dallas in his debut.

Bertans and Spencer Dinwiddie were acquired from Washington for Kristaps Porzingis on February 12.

Dinwiddie finished with four points.

Miami’s Jimmy Butler scored a game-high 29 points and Bam Adebayo finished with 21 for the Heat, which is now tied for the Eastern Conference lead with Chicago.

GRIZZLIES 121, PELICANS 109 NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Tyus Jones scored a career-high 27 points to go with eight assists while filling in for All-Star Ja Morant, and Memphis beat New Orleans for its sixth straight victory and ninth in 10 games.

Jaren Jackson added 23 points and ex-Pelican Steven Adams had 14 points and 13 rebounds for Memphis, which led for nearly the entire game and by double digits for more than half of it.

Morant sat out with left ankle soreness stemming from the Grizzlies’ victory at Charlotte last Saturday night.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Terance Mann and the Los Angeles Clippers are beginning to prove they can consistently overcome big games by opposing superstars.

After weathering a 45-point performance from Luca Doncic to defeat Dallas on Saturday, the Clippers were able to withstand a huge first half from Stephen Curry before taking control in the second and beating the Golden State Warriors 119-104 on Monday night.

“It felt like Steph vs. the Clippers (in the first half).

I was proud of the way we continued to play,” said Reggie Jackson, who had 19

points for Los Angeles. “It was fun competing against a great team.”

Curry ended up with a game-high 33 points, including eight 3-pointers.

The All-Star guard hit his first six shots, including four from beyond the arc, and had 26 points in the first half on 9-of-11 shooting before going cold in the second.

Curry was 2 of 7 from the field after halftime.

While he finished 11 of 18 from the floor, Golden State’s other players shot only 41.2% (28 of 68).

Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole each had 13 points, but Klay Thompson scored just seven after going 3 for 14.

“I had two good floaters to start the game and kind of got in a good rhythm.

their adversities who end up succeeding.”

While he has the awesome task of being the first in his family to attend college, Burrows Jr said he’s looking forward to the challenge and he hopes that he will go off and make not just his family, but SAC, the BLTA and the Bahamas as a whole proud of his achievement.

‘INSIDE THE NBA’ CREW WILL DO BROADCAST DURING ALLSTAR GAME

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer

LOS Angeles Clippers forward Marcus Morris Sr (8) fouls Phoenix Suns centre Deandre Ayton during the first half last night in Phoenix.

(AP Photo/Matt York) While Morant aver- of first-place Miami. They Russell added 18 points ages 26.4 points per game, have won 11 of 12. and 11 assists, and Minthe Grizzlies have usuThe margin of victory nesota came back to beat ally played well without was the largest by the Charlotte in overtime. him. They are now 12-2 in Celtics over Philadelphia Minnesota came back games he’s missed. Against in a rivalry that has been from a 13-point deficit New Orleans, Memphis played 457 times. Boston’s in the fourth, but Miles had six players score 11 or previous biggest win was a Bridges tied the game for more, including Brandon 124-87 drubbing of Phila- Charlotte with a 3-pointer Clarke with 18 points. delphia on Dec. 20, 1987. and free throw in the final CJ McCollum had 30 Joel Embiid had 19 minute. points to lead New Orleans, points and nine rebounds Russell’s last-second 3 which fell to 1-3 since trad- for the 76ers. The NBA’s was off the mark, forcing ing for the Portland star leading scorer entering overtime. Towns scored guard. Jonas Valanciunas the contest averaging 29.5 seven points to lead the scored 19 points and Bran- points. Embiid had his way in overtime. don Ingram added 18 string of games with at Bridges had 28 points points for the Pelicans. least 25 points end at 31 in and 13 rebounds for the CELTICS 135, a row.

Hornets, who have lost 76ERS 87 James Harden made his eight of nine. LaMelo Ball PHILADELPHIA (AP) first appearance in Phila- scored 22 before foul— Jaylen Brown scored 26 delphia — but in street ing out in overtime, while of his 29 points in the first clothes.

The recently Terry Rozier added 25 half and Boston won its acquired star continues to points and Mason Plumlee ninth in a row by dominat- recover from a hamstring finished with 14 points and ing Philadelphia. injury. Harden is expected 17 rebounds.

Jayson Tatum added 28 to make his 76ers debut on Minnesota was withpoints, 12 rebounds and February 25 at Minnesota. out their energetic young six assists for the Celtics, TIMBERWOLVES 126, swingman, Anthony who have closed ground HORNETS 120, OT Edwards, for the second in the Eastern Conference MINNEAPOLIS half and overtime. He with their stellar play of (AP) — Karl-Anthony limped off the court with late. Boston entered sixth Towns had 39 points and a right ankle sprain in the in the East, 4½ games back 15 rebounds, D’Angelo final seconds of first half.

MANN SCORES SEASON-HIGH 25, CLIPPERS TOP WARRIORS 119-104

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer

ANTHONY Burrows Jr

WARRIORS head coach Steve Kerr gestures to his team on Monday night in Los Angeles.

(AP Photo/Mark J Terrill) We just couldn’t get any momentum at all during the game,” Curry said.

The Warriors (42-16) have dropped three of four to fall five games behind Phoenix for the top spot in the NBA standings.

They are only two games ahead of Memphis for second place in the Western Conference.

The Clippers (29-30) are back within a game of .500 after two straight wins.

Mann tied a regularseason career high with 25 points, including 14 in the decisive third quarter, as all five Clippers starters scored in double figures. Ivica Zubac had 18 points and eight rebounds.

Mann was 6 of 7 from the field in the third as the Clippers outscored the Warriors 33-19. The third-year guard also had seven rebounds and six assists.

UP NEXT Warriors: Host Denver tonight. The Nuggets beat Golden State 89-86 on Dec. 28.

FOR those who have wondered what Turner Sports’ “Inside the NBA” crew is like while they are watching a game, they finally get their chance to find out during this weekend’s All-Star Game.

Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith will be doing “Inside the All-Star Game” on Sunday. The alternate broadcast will air on TBS while TNT has the traditional feed with Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller and Dwyane Wade.

Johnson said yesterday that the intent is to react to the game and tell stories, but that it remains a blank canvas as far as how things progress.

“I’m not exactly sure what it’s gonna look like.

I don’t know what kind of rabbit holes these guys are gonna go down in the course of that broadcast and what they’re going to bring up. And that is the beauty of it,” Johnson said.

“I think it’s gonna be a blast. The possibilities of what’s discussed and what stories are told is kind of unlimited. And that’s frightening and exciting at the same time.”

The TBS broadcast will also include Golden State Warriors All-Star Draymond Green, who signed with the network last month as an analyst while still playing. Green will not play in Sunday’s game due to a lower back injury but will be talking to players on the bench during the first half.

Coverage will also feature Stephen Curry, Donovan Mitchell and Ja Morant, the referee crew and coaches Monty Williams and Erik Spoelstra wearing mics.

PAGE 14, Wednesday, February 16, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

SUPER BOWL 56 HAS 101 MILLION TV VIEWERS, UP FROM 2021

By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer

MEMBERS of the Bahamian sporting media gathered together to watch Super Bowl 56 at the Atlantis resort on Sunday.

Sporting media treated to Super Bowl party at Atlantis

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net ONCE again, members of the Bahamian sporting media were treated to a Super Bowl party at the Atlantis resort in a show of appreciation for their support of sporting activities held during the course of the year.

Katie Longley, director of public relations at Atlantis, should be commended for orchestrating the weekend extravaganza for the media.

“Atlantis is one of the main drivers of sports tourism in the country, hosting many sporting events ranging from its early season Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, The Atlantis Crown, AquaX, Big 3, Home Run Derby and now Spartan Race just to mention some of the larger events,” Longley said. “The sports

get-away is Atlantis’ way of saying thank you and recognising the contributions and coverage given to these events during the year.

It’s also an opportunity to converse about upcoming events.”

Longley, who interacted with the group during the weekend, said it is not often that sportscasters get an opportunity to all connect outside of work where they can talk and reflect on the industry. “Atlantis feels that the Super Bowl is the perfect event for reporters, sportscasters and sports photographers to get together in an environment where they can relax and talk about sports,” Longley continued. “They also get the opportunity to experience Atlantis and fully appreciate why Atlantis is such a great location for these events.”

The highlight of the weekend was the National

Football League’s Super Bowl LVI, which produced a Hollywood ending with the National Football Conference (NFC) champions Los Angeles Rams pulling off a slim 23-20 victory over the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Cincinnati Bengals.

For me, it was a bitter-sweet victory as we watched from the confines of the Cove’s Sea Glass Lounge on one of the many big television screens and entertained by the hardworking staff.

I had predicted to my fellow journalists that Los Angeles would take care of their home court advantage and win by at least two touchdowns.

It started that way when the Rams got off to a 7-0 start, thanks to Matthew Stafford’s touchdown pass to Odell Beckham Jr in the first seven minutes.

However, there were some

concerns when Beckham Jr had to leave the game with an injury as Cincinnati started their comeback.

But Cooper Kupp stepped in and kept the pressure going with his TD pass from Stafford to lead 13-10 at the half and the much anticipated commercials and halftime show.

After witnessing what all of us agreed was probably the greatest half-time show, featuring Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, my favourite Mary J Blige, Eminem, 50 Cent and Kendrick Lamar, all of whom had one classic moment when they all performed on stage together, it was back to the final theatrics for the game.

While the Bengals took the spotlight in the third quarter to take a 20-17 lead into the final quarter, most valuable player Kupp, also the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year, produced one more TD that counted

the most with just 1:25 on the clock to lift the Rams to the final score that was secured by a big defensive play by defensive end Aaron Donald.

In the end, Los Angeles, with its array of stars, hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy for just the second time in their history, the last coming in 1999 to go along with three other appearances in finals in 2018, 2001 and 1979.

Could this be an inspiration for Lakers’ forward LeBron James, who was among the star-studded line-up of celebrities, as he attempts to clinch his second National Basketball Association (NBA) title since 2020 for Los Angeles in June?

Only time will tell.

Hopefully, Longley and the crew at Atlantis can continue to provide the avenue for the media to come together.

MBAPPE SAVES PSG WITH LATE GOAL IN 1-0 WIN OVER REAL MADRID

By JEROME PUGMIRE AP Sports Writer PARIS (AP) — After teammate Lionel Messi missed a penalty, Kylian Mbappe saved his team again by scoring a brilliant solo goal deep into stoppage time as Paris Saint-Germain beat Real Madrid 1-0 in their Champions League last-16 match yesterday.

Mbappe has rescued PSG many times with late goals in the French league this season — as recently as last Friday — and he did so again on the biggest stage.

After taking a backheeled pass from substitute Neymar in the fourth and final minute of stoppage time of the first leg, Mbappe cut inside two players down the left and shot the ball between the legs of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

“I got free and then it’s a one on one. The forward is always the master of the penalty area when the defenders start backing off,” Mbappe said. “I decided where I wanted to go.”

Mbappe does not expect his team to sit back and defend in the return leg, as Madrid mostly did in Paris and got punished. “You have to keep playing,” he said. “We’ll have to do the same in the return leg.

We’ll go there to win.”

Although it was a great finish, the sudden attack happened because Madrid somehow gave the ball away under no pressure in midfield instead of clearing it easily wide or long.

“We lost a stupid ball, Mbappe skips by two and manages to get the ball under me,” Courtois said.

“It’s tough to take but we didn’t play well.”

He certainly did, however.

Courtois had played the starring role, denying Mbappe early in each half and then stopping record seven-time Golden Ball winner Messi’s penalty in the 61st minute. It was awarded after Mbappe was fouled by right back Dani Carvajal.

Courtois guessed correctly and dived to his left for a fine stop.

“I’d studied Messi’s penalties a lot and I tried to play with him when I was on the line,” Courtois said.

“You’ve also got to have that little bit of luck.”

Messi scored 26 goals and delivered 14 assists in 45 games against Madrid during his glory era with Barcelona, but did not find the net in several games before joining PSG last summer.

PSG threw on Neymar for the last 20 minutes as the Brazil standout made his return from a sprained ankle, while Madrid’s star

PSG’s Lionel Messi reacts during the Champions League, round of 16, first leg soccer match against Real Madrid at the Parc des Princes stadium, in Paris, France, yesterday.

(AP Photo/Thibault Camus) forward Karim Benzema shook off a hamstring injury and faced ex-club rival Messi and France teammate Mbappe.

Mbappe is out of contract at the end of the season and remains heavily linked with a move to Madrid, which had an offer of 180 million euros ($204 million) rejected by PSG last summer.

Now the Spanish giant might get arguably the world’s most dangerous striker for free, although Mbappe pushed back on talk of a move.

“First of all I wanted to think about my game, many things are said but the truth is that I’m focused,” Mbappe said. “I give everything and it shows through my actions.”

The subplots were in place but the first half did not live up to the hype,

save for a few flashes of skill from Mbappe.

The second started better as Courtois produced a superb one-handed save low to his right to deny Mbappe, who was set up by right back Achraf Hakimi’s astute quick pass.

PSG has never won the competition while record 13-time champion Madrid hasn’t reached the final since completing a straight hat trick of European Cups in 2018.

“We are confident and we’ll be at home,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said of the second leg. “The crowd will get behind us.”

He accepted that Mauricio Pochettino’s hard-working PSG TEAM closed down space well.

“We couldn’t get out with the ball and we misplaced a lot of passes because of their high press,” he said.

“We need to be better on the ball.”

Ancelotti faced the side he once coached, hired near the start of the club’s Qatari-backed takeover as the big name to achieve Champions League glory.

Despite huge investment and a constant chasing of stars over the years, that major trophy still eludes ambitious PSG — the 2020 runner-up to Bayern Munich.

This is the first season in 57 years that the awaygoals rule — a way of deciding two-legged matches in European club competitions if necessary — is not being used.

Somewhat unlucky, then, for Manchester City as last season’s runner-up won 5-0 at Portuguese club Sporting.

The return legs are on March 9, but Madrid midfielder Casemiro is suspended after picking up a yellow card late in the first half.

PSG started strongly and Mbappe’s fifth-minute cross from the left was blazed over by Angel Di Maria.

The elusive Mbappe kept getting behind the defence down the left, and in the 17th he latched onto Messi’s pass but Courtois saved smartly from close range.

In the end, his tenacity and belief made the difference.

CITY RUTHLESS IN 5-0 WIN OVER SPORTING IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE LISBON (AP) — Manchester City was so good in the Champions League yesterday that even the fans of its opponents couldn’t help but applaud.

When Phil Foden side-footed home the third of City’s four first-half goals in a 5-0 win over Sporting in the last 16, it wasn’t just the vocal away fans showing their appreciation inside the Estádio José Alvalade.

Some of the home supporters were also seen clapping in recognition of one of the most

dominant performances ever seen at this stage of Europe’s top club competition.

Helping inflict the humiliation were four players who once played for Sporting’s fierce Lisbon rival, Benfica. One of them was Bernardo Silva, who scored two of the goals — his first an outrageous half-volley that flew in off the underside of the crossbar.

Riyad Mahrez began the demolition in the seventh minute with a close-range volley that was only given after a long video review.

Silva then scored in the 17th and 44th minutes — either side of Foden’s well-worked team goal in the 32nd — as City went into half time leading 4-0.

Raheem Sterling curled in a sublime fifth in the 58th and Pep Guardiola’s team can start planning for the quarterfinals, even with the second leg still to come in three weeks.

Not that City manager Pep Guardiola, as close to a perfectionist as there is in world soccer, was getting too carried away. “The

players know me — they know the way we work. They can do better,” Guardiola said.

“I am incredibly happy, don’t misunderstand me, but we can do better.”

What did please Guardiola was City’s efficiency in front of goal, which is something he often criticizes his players for.

“Today we were so clinical,” he said. “Every time we arrived in the first 30 minutes, we scored. The difference between the teams is not 0-5, but we finished so well.”

NEW YORK (AP) — The Super Bowl rebounded to draw an estimated 101.1 million television viewers who saw the Los Angeles Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals on a late-game drive, proving the dominance of football as an audience magnet.

The audience on NBC and Telemundo was a 6% increase over the 95.2 million TV viewers who saw the Tampa Bay Bucs crowned as champions in 2021, the Nielsen company said yesterday.

The ratings improvement for what is traditionally the most-watched event of the year was no surprise, given the run of terrific playoff games leading up to it.

Viewership for the NFL’s divisional round was up 20% over last year, and the conference championships were up 10%, Nielsen said.

Besides the good games, a sense — or hope — that the coronavirus pandemic may be winding down might have contributed to the increased audience, said Cole Strain, head of measurement for the research firm Samba TV. “We felt there was a little more freedom,” Strain said.

The halftime show starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Mary K. Blige was also a hit, and NBC expressed hope that the game’s halo will kick-start ratings for the otherwise disappointing Winter Olympics in Beijing.

NBC said another 11.2 million people streamed this year’s game, putting the total audience at 112.3 million people. The audience for television and streaming combined is up 12.6% over last year. For its hometown Bengals, Cincinnati had the highest audience share in the country, meaning the percentage of television viewers watching the game, Nielsen said. Los Angeles didn’t even make the top 10 markets.

The most-watched Super Bowl ever remains the 2015 game between New England and Seattle, which had 114.4 million viewers.

Last year’s slip gave rise to some thinking that the NFL wasn’t immune to the overall drop in audience that afflicts virtually all television programs, but this year the NFL defied that gravity.

RONALDO SCORES, MAN U BEATS BRIGHTON 2-0 AND INTO EPL TOP 4 MANCHESTER, England (AP) — This time, Manchester United held on to its lead.

Cristiano Ronaldo ended his six-game goal drought by lashing in a 51st-minute goal to set United on its way to a 2-0 win over Brighton that moved the team into fourth place in the Premier League yesterday.

Bruno Fernandes added a second goal in the seventh minute of stoppage time, with virtually the last kick of the game, following a rapid break as Brighton committed men forward.

United had failed to win any of its last three games despite taking the lead each time — twice in the league, against Burnley and Southampton, and in getting eliminated from the FA Cup by second-tier Middlesbrough.

Helping United’s cause against Brighton at Old Trafford was visiting defender Lewis Dunk getting sent off three minutes after Ronaldo’s goal for a professional foul, bringing down Anthony Elanga as the winger was through on goal. Dunk was initially shown a yellow card but it turned to a red after a video review. United moved above West Ham and into the Champions League qualification positions, four points behind third-place Chelsea but having played one game more.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, February 16, 2022, PAGE 15

VETERAN VERDASCO ADVANCES AT RIO OPEN, 5TH SEED GARIN OUT

KHAI Rees receives his award from the tournament organisers.

Rising tennis star Khai Rees turning heads

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune SPORTS REPORTER rdorsett@tribunemedia.net KHAI Rees began the local 2022 amateur campaign as a winner in two divisions, setting the stage for what he hopes will become a year of milestones.

Rees highlighted the group of winners at the Bahama Pure Water and Ice Grand Bahama Invitational last weekend by claiming both the Boys U16 and U18 Division titles in Grand Bahama.

Rees won the U18 title over Ian Rolle and the U16 title over Jackson Mactaggart.

The U12 division winners were Kayla Fox and Patrick Mactaggart, with Briana Houlgrave and Noah Russell as runners-up.

The U14 division winners were Breann Ferguson and Jackson Mactaggart with Fox and Patrick Mactaggart as runners-up.

Jalisa Clarke won the U16 Girls with Ferguson as her runner-up while Jackson Mactaggart was the runner-up to Rees among the boys.

In the U18 division, Sapphire Ferguson was the girls’ title winner followed by Clarke while Ian Rolle finished as a runner-up to Rees.

In Girls Doubles, Sapphire and Breann Ferguson teamed up to defeat Rachel Thompson and Tatyana Madu. Kingston Rees and Patrick Mactaggart won the Boys Doubles over Russell and Keiano

SAPPHIRE and Breann Ferguson with their trophies.

Henfield. Rees, a 14-year-old ninth grader at St Augustine’s College, said his start to the year will be a sign of things to come.

“It was an amazing start to the year. I played well and it was a great experience. I just want to keep that type of play going in every tournament this year,” he said. “Winning both divisions is a challenge but the more that I can play, the better. I play up in divisions all the time and I’ve really gotten used to it since I was 10 so I look forward to it now.”

Since the COVID-19 pandemic halted the game locally, Rees said he made the most of that time

SHOWN , from left to right, are Sapphire and Breann Ferguson and Khai Rees with their awards. period dedicated to training and travelling to Florida to play in a series of tournaments.

He most recently advanced to the second round at the L7 KL Tournament in West Palm Beach, Florida, on January 29.

“I improved tremendously during that time period, practicing everyday, keeping and staying sharp with the coaches and training with Island Tennis Bahamas,” he said. “It also helps when I travel to play where I get to face a lot of different types of players and a more diverse skillset.”

Khai Rees is the son of twotime Bahamian Olympic swimmer Nicholas Rees.

“His year started off excellent and we couldn’t be happier with progress. He got back in shape and back to form quickly,” the elder Rees said. “It was disappointing the last few years because there were few opportunities to play in tournaments at home or opportunities to get rankings. There didn’t seem to be a major effort in that regard and it hurt a lot of our players so we are happy to see them playing competitively again.”

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Fernando Verdasco of Spain beat Serbian Dusan Lajovic 7-6 (4), 6-3 yesterday to advance to the round of 16 of the Rio Open clay court tournament. It was the 38-year-old’s first win in an ATP 500 competition since 2019.

Verdasco, formerly a top-10 player, is now ranked 172nd after a series of injuries. He will face Argentinian Federico Coria for a place in the quarterfinals.

“It is a very important tournament for me. It had been a long time since I last could play a tournament like this because of the surgeries I had in my elbow, in my knee,” an emotional Verdasco said after the match. “I want to be back among the best, play the biggest tournaments, the Grand Slams. These weeks in South America will add a lot.”

Coria eliminated the 5thseeded player, Christian Garin of Chile, 6-2, 6-0.

Also yesterday, 8thseeded Albert Ramos Viñolas beat Argentinian Juan Londero 6-3, 6-4. The Spaniard will face his countryman Pablo Andujar in the next round.

Argentina’s Federico Delbonis topped Colombia’s Daniel Galan 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. He will face 18-year-old Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz, the 29th-best ranked in the circuit.

Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego, the sixth seed, beat Laslo Djere of Serbia 6-2, 6-0.

His round-of-16 opponent is Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic.

Another Italian, Fabio Fognini, overcame Argentina’s Facundo Bagnis 6-2, 6-4. He will face fourthseed Pablo Carreño Busta today.

Brazilian fans had their share of joy after Thiago Monteiro bested Argentina’s Sebastián Baez 1-6, 6-4, 6-4. The home-crowd favourite will play against top seed Matteo Berretini of Italy, ranked No. 6.

Norway’s Casper Ruud, the 8th-best-ranked, is also playing in the tournament.

UNVACCINATED DJOKOVIC COULD SKIP FRENCH OPEN, WIMBLEDON LONDON (AP) — If forced to choose, Novak Djokovic said he would skip the French Open and Wimbledon, foregoing the chance to overtake Rafael Nadal’s record haul of 21 Grand Slams titles, rather than get vaccinated against COVID-19.

And the No. 1-ranked tennis player is also still smarting about being deported last month from Australia in a drama about his vaccination status that polarised opinion worldwide.

Speaking in an interview broadcast yesterday by the BBC, the 20-time Grand Slam champion said he is still not vaccinated, and prepared to sacrifice titles to stay that way.

If need be, not defending his titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon and missing other tournaments is “the price that I am willing to pay,” said the 34-year-old Serb, comments likely to further boost his hero-status among some opponents of vaccination.

Djokovic said he is not opposed to vaccinations and sought to distance himself from anti-vaccination campaigners, saying: “I have never said that I am part of that movement.”

But he said “everyone has the right to choose, to act, or say what ever they feel is appropriate for them” and that he believes in “the freedom to choose what you put into your body. And, for me, that is essential.”

“I am trying to be in tune with my body as much as

I possibly can,” he said, adding that he has always been careful about everything he ingests. “Based on all the information that I got, I decided not to take the vaccine, as of today.

“I understand the consequences of my decision,” Djokovic said. “I understand that not being vaccinated today, you know, I am unable to travel to most of the tournaments at the moment.”

Asked if he would be prepared to miss the French Open in May, he repeated: “That is the price that I am willing to pay.”

Also asked if would be ready to skip Wimbledon, he added: “Yes.” “Because the principles of decision-making on my body are more important than any title or anything else,” he said.

Djokovic has won the French Open twice, including in 2021, and has six Wimbledon titles, including the last three.

Nadal won this year’s Australian Open, giving him one more major title than Djokovic and Roger Federer. Djokovic was deported before he could play.

Djokovic went back over the deportation drama in detail with the BBC and made clear his displeasure at how it turned out.

“What people probably don’t know is that I was not deported from Australia on the basis that I was not vaccinated, or I broke any rules or that I made an error in my visa declaration,” he said. “The reason

NOVAK Djokovic prepares to take his seat on a plane to Belgrade, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Monday, January 17, 2022.

(AP Photo/Darko Bandic) why I was deported from Australia. But upon arrival, who has wide powers, later Australia was because the border officials said the decided to deport him. minister for immigration exemption was not valid The government said his used his discretional right and moved to deport him. presence could stir up antito cancel my visa based on An ensuing back-and- vaccine sentiments. his perception that I might forth raised questions of “I understand that there create some anti-vax senti- whether Djokovic was has been lots of, say, frusment in the country or in unfairly given special treat- trations from Australian the city, which I completely ment or unfairly singled people towards me and disagree with.” out because of his celeb- towards the entire situation The saga began when rity status. Speaking to the and the way it was dealt Djokovic was granted an BBC, he said: “I never used with,” Djokovic told the exemption to strict vac- my privileged status to get BBC. “I would like to say cination rules by two into Australia by force or that I always followed the medical panels and Tennis do anything in this entire rules.”

Australia in order to play. process.”

His threats to skip the That exemption, based on A court initially ruled next two majors may prove evidence that he recently on procedural grounds to be moot. recovered from COVID- that Djokovic could stay, New rules in force in 19, apparently allowed him but Australian Immigra- England since last week to receive a visa to enter tion Minister Alex Hawke, allow unvaccinated people

to enter with tests before and after their arrival.

Vaccination rules in France could also change in the months before Roland Garros, possibly allowing Djokovic to play. The country has started to ease some of its health and travel restrictions as it recovers from a record surge in infections fuelled by the highly contagious omicron variant.

The French government last week gave an end-ofMarch, beginning-of-April timeframe for the possible lifting of its vaccine requirement that, at the moment, puts unvaccinated players at risk of missing the French Open.

From yesterday, anyone who is not vaccinated against the coronavirus will need to show proof they tested positive for COVID19 within the previous four months — down from the previous six-month window — in order to enter sports venues in France.

The French law, which operates under the assumption that you have some protection from the virus if you’ve recently had it, aims to bar unvaccinated individuals from stadiums, restaurants, bars and other public places.

Djokovic has previously said that he tested positive in mid-December. If the four-month requirement stays in force, it is likely to rule him out of the French Open unless he gets vaccinated or tests positive again within four months of the start of the clay-court Grand Slam on May 22.

SPORTS PAGE 16

Rees, Page 15

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2022

Buddy Hield catches fire, cans 36 in loss to Bucks

By RICH ROVITO Associated Press MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a season-high 50 points, two off his career best, and pulled down 14 rebounds to lead the Milwaukee Bucks past the skidding Indiana Pacers 128-119 last night.

Chavano “Buddy” Hield scored a season-high 36 points. He also had four assists, two rebounds, a steal and three turnovers in 37 minutes.

The Bucks (36-23) swept the four-game season series from the Pacers and have won eight straight against their Central Division foe.

Antetokounmpo, who didn’t play in Milwaukee’s loss to Portland on Monday night because of a sore left ankle, showed no ill effects as he racked up 12 first-quarter points that included a pair of thunderous dunks and a 3-pointer.

Antetokounmpo set a career high with his seventh 40-point game of the season and scored 50 for the first time since the memorable title-clinching game in the NBA Finals last season, which gave the

Bucks their first championship in 50 years.

Milwaukee bounced back after consecutive double-digit losses to hand Indiana (19-40) its seventh consecutive defeat.

Tyrese Haliburton had 17 points and eight assists for Indiana.

Both teams had only 10 players available due to injuries.

The Bucks led 34-27 after the first quarter before the Pacers grabbed a short-lived lead midway through the second.

A pair of 3-pointers by reserve guard Lindell Wigginton sparked a 12-2 surge that grew the lead to double digits. Milwaukee led 69-63 at halftime, paced

by Antetokounmpo’s 18 points.

Milwaukee built a pair of nine-point leads in the third but couldn’t shake the Pacers.

When Indiana got close again in the fourth, Antetokounmpo swished a 3-pointer and added a pair of free throws after a clearpath foul and Milwaukee eventually increased its lead to 14 before holding off the Pacers down the stretch.

BASEBALL ‘WILL NOT BE THE SAME WITHOUT’ JEFF ALBURY

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net THE Bahamas Baseball Association and the Junior Baseball League of Nassau will not be the same without its long-time Commissioner Jeff Albury.

Albury, owner of Island Wholesale, died on Super Bowl Sunday, February 13 after celebrating his 73rd birthday on February 7.

He is survived by his wife Margo, son Christopher, a grandson and a host of persons, whom he called his family in baseball.

The BBA, in its tribute to Albury, described how he helped to pioneer JBLN when it was officially established in 1989.

From then to now, Albury has been a big supporter of youth baseball and the BBA. “Jeff’s love for the game and the youth was evident by the countless hours and treasure he gave to the overall development of young people through baseball and softball,” said BBA secretary general Teddy Sweeting.

“His presence, commitment and leadership will be sorely missed by family,

INDIANA Pacers’ Chavano “Buddy” Hield gestures after making a shot during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks last night in Milwaukee. He scored a seasonhigh 36 points.

(AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

SEE PAGE 11

SYDNEY CLARKE, JACOBI BAIN PLEASED WITH THEIR PERFORMANCES

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net AS the collegiate tennis season progresses, Bahamian players Sydney Clarke and Jacobi Bain produced some outstanding performances for their respective teams over the weekend in two different locations in the United States.

On Saturday in their latest outing, Sydney Clarke led the University of Arlington Blazers ladies’ tennis team past Birmingham in an impressive 7-0 victory over University of Tennessee Martins.

With the win, Clarke and the Blazers improved their win-loss record to 4-3 after they secured their last four matches.

Clarke, teaming up with Maggie White, won their doubles match 6-1 over the pair of Sina Albersmeier and Jule Streif, while she

breezed through her singles in 43 minutes with a 6-1, 6-0 decision over Amelia Campbell.

“Overall, all of us played well. All of us won our matches,” Clarke said. “In doubles, we improved tremendously since we started playing together, so that was very good.

“In my single matches, I had to concentrate more on mental toughness and I felt I did a great job on that. On the technical side, I was more aggressive as I attacked the ball and I was more aware of where I was on the court.”

While she’s holding court, the former CR Walker Secondary High student who went on to graduate from Windsor School where she played in the Albany Tennis Academy, said she’s just as excited about what she is doing in the classroom.

Clarke and UAB will close out the month on the

SYDNEY Clarke

JACOBI Bain

road against Jacksonville State on Saturday, February 19 and Lipscomb on Sunday, February 20 before they face South Alabama on Saturday, February 26.

The Blazers’ next home match at UAB will be played on Tuesday, March 1 when they host North Alabama at George Ward Park.

“Going forward, I just hope that we all as a team

will remain focused and be prepared for conference,” she said. “I feel we’re getting it together each week, learning new things and learning more about each other. “So as a team, I think we’re growing and as an individual, I’m getting much better with my game style and what I need to do to get better as we move forward.”

The Blazers will close out regular season play on Saturday, April 16 against Middle Tennessee before they prepare for the Conference USA Championships April 21-24 in Tennessee. The 20-yearold Clarke, who stands at 5-feet, 5-inches, is the daughter of Shayvon and Bernard Clarke and has a younger sister, Sarai Clarke, who also plays tennis at the Webb High School in Tennessee.

Bain successful in New Orleans As they put on a good showing in their clean sweep of their seven matches, Jacobi Bain was just as impressive, winning all six of the matches he played for the Xavier University of Louisiana over the weekend against Loyola at the XULA Tennis Center in New Orleans.

Bain, who is having a fantastic season for the Gold

Rush men’s tennis team, said he felt he played very strongly in doubles and singles, although he admitted that his last match was the toughest of all.

“I feel very good. I’m very confident in my game right now,” he said. “I feel I’m in a very good position.”

With a little more work on his second serve, Bain said he feels he will be able to play at a much higher level the rest of the season.

They are on the road on Thursday for a match against Georgia where he expects to play his “best” and to “help the team succeed.”

The Gold Rush men’s team is currently 3-1 and will play their regular season through to March 9 before they get ready for the NAIA Unaffiliated Tournament in April and the NAIA Championships in May.

TOTAL

1.

Norway

12

7

7

26

2.

ROC

4

7

9

20

3.

Germany

9

6

3

18

4.

United States

7

6

4

17

5.

Canada

2

4

11

17

6.

Austria

6

6

4

16

7.

Japan

2

5

7

14

8.

Netherlands

6

4

3

13

9.

Italy

2

6

5

13

10.

China

6

4

2

12

Source: IOC & Sportradar

Updated Feb. 14 at 9:43 p.m. EST